“Uh oh.” Jaylyn muttered. “What happened?”
“Nothing.” I said. “Everything went fine. Got there to kind of a surprise to see Wyatt as King but he went with our plan and Meg and her daughter will live.”
They seemed just as astonished as we were to the news but Adele gave them another reason to be while her eyes were still on me. “Though he left out the part where he condemned our son so that will happen.”
I laughed. “Condemned? Love, really?”
“Yes, really!”
“What are you talking about?” Troy asked.
Adele was getting heated and just pointed towards Troy so I would answer and I did. “It was going well then it wasn’t going well and we needed something else so Wyatt would agree. I merely offered the possibility to unite our children through marriage.”
“You what?!” Everyone shouted. Their voices all expressed mixed levels of disbelief; their eyes wide to show it.
“Thank you!” Adele hollered.
“It’s not a big deal. I can get him out of it if I need to.”
“I can’t believe you did that.” Jaylyn said in awe.
“Something had to be done and with the way Wyatt’s mind was working, I knew what it had to be.”
“Does no one around here ever think of me?!” Ruby’s voice was raged. “I’ll have to accept her sooner or later as an Assassin but there’s no way that little mistake will ever be a part of this family!”
“I apologize but that choice isn’t up to you.” I said.
“It will be Seth’s.” Adele added. “I’m not pushing him into anything.”
“Fine.” Ruby muttered. She took Dirk from Darius and started heading towards the stairs without another word.
No one knew what to say after that. Ruby’s anger about this seemed it wouldn’t go away and maybe it never would. She hated it so much that none of us could really understand.
Chapter 11
Ruby
Was I really alone here?
I was in my feelings at least and I just tried to forget about them for now. Dirk helped. He made me happy and watching how he’s grown had been the greatest pleasure. Motherhood was something I never thought I’d experience or enjoy this much. My son was everything to me and no matter the changes happening around us that would never change.
I sat up in my room on the floor with Dirk crawling around in front of me, trying to find his way to his feet. “Look at you. You really just want to get up and walk don’t you? Here. Stand up.”
I took one of his hands to help him balance on his feet and he smiled and giggled, bouncing with joy.
“Careful!” I laughed. “Don’t want to fall.”
Dirk stopped as if he was listening to my direction. It was the first time that I’ve really seen that. All this time it’s been Darius who was encouraging his walking since I was sensitive about him growing up but this seemed different. I felt excitement in being able to teach him something and he just continued to stand there like he was ready to listen.
“Take it slow.” I advised, slowly pushing my fingers from his little grasp. “One step at a time.” Dirk thrashed his arms, saving himself from falling and proudly stood on his feet alone. “There you go.” I moved myself back on the floor to get some space between us. “Now come to me.” I held out my hands and Dirk reached out his without moving. “Come on. You can do it. Walk.”
I was coming around to Dirk’s accomplishments and when he took his first solo step, my heart raced and my face became flushed.
Darius was suddenly next to me and joined me on the floor. “That’s it. You’re doing it. Come on.”
Dirk got a big smile on his face to see his father and took three more steps before falling in my arms. “You did it!” I tickled his sides to make him laugh. “You walked!”
“Get him to do it again.” Darius said.
He got up and sat himself on the floor away from us and I turned Dirk towards him. “You want to go get daddy?” Dirk giggled and swung his arms in the air. “Well, go get him.”
I made him steady on his feet and he walked all the steps he needed to get to Darius. “That’s my boy! You’re officially a walker!”
“I wouldn’t say that completely. He won’t be able to everywhere.”
“This is only the beginning. He’ll get there but I’m glad to see you not so depressed about it.”
I smiled and watched Dirk try to climb all over his father as he always does. “I know I won’t really be able to stop him from growing up. It’s just hard to believe that he’s done it so quickly.”
“I’m proud of him. He’s an amazing kid.”
“Of course he is. Look at his parents.”
Darius laughed. “I guess you’re right. His mother is the most amazing woman.”
I smiled and crawled towards them. “And it doesn’t hurt that his father is naturally brilliant at everything he touches.”
“Mmm. He sounds dreamy. I’d like to meet him.”
I just smiled to his humorous tone and leaned into his lips with my own. “Is this you trying to deny that you’re his father?”
“No. I just wanted you to admit you were talking about me.”
“You know I was.”
We kissed and shared the moment together, watching our son play around on the floor and stand up on his own for a few steps before falling happily to his bottom and doing it again. It all seemed so perfect. Our lives were finally going in the same direction and we couldn’t ask for anything more.
Chapter 12
Adele
A year had passed so quickly and the boys were now twelve months old, Dirk being even older at eighteen months. With every passing day, they were beginning to look even more like their fathers than ever before. We had them constantly without outside help being so far away from civilization and shared in the joys of motherhood while the Great Seni Fighters continued to be called away at least once a month to Randal for their duties. Figuring in travel time and time spent in Randal, it seemed as if they were rarely home, in the home we once thought we’d see more of each other.
They had just returned from another trip to the city and used the time they had to spend with their sons. I had just put Seth down for his nap and laid in bed myself while he slept and ended up falling asleep as well but it felt like only minutes. I woke and thought it was strange that Seth didn’t wake me. If I was out for a couple hours like the setting sun was telling me, he should have.
I got out of bed and went to his room that was right next to mine. He was old enough now and has only had his own room for about one month. “I can’t believe you’re still sleeping, Seth.” I walked over to his bed but he was gone. “Seth?”
He wasn’t anywhere. My heart raced and I left the room, frantically looking for him. I didn’t know where to start until I heard voices outside on the back balcony when I reached the stairs.
Zayden and Troy were in the training ring holding two wooden sticks while Darius was standing by with all three boys watching.
I was only out there for a second but it seemed like Zayden was trying to teach them something. “All right now, if someone is coming at you, the best thing to do is block and then take a quick strike like this.” He and Troy demonstrated. “Then, the faster you find your opponent’s weakness, the faster you can bring them down.” Zayden knocked Troy to the ground and the boys started to giggle.
I didn’t like it. My eyes narrowed and I went right over, picking up Seth. “What’s going on?”
“We’re teaching them some stuff.”
“But they’re just babies.”
“He’s a year old. It’s never too early to start preparing them.”
“Yeah, there kind of is a time frame and I don’t remember approving this.”
“You needed to?” I rolled my eyes and started walking away with Seth. It was a dumb question and I felt I didn’t need to answer but Zayden followed. “Wait a second. I think I know what’s best for my son. He was enjoying it.”<
br />
“He’s just a baby. He doesn’t know any better and apparently neither do you.”
“You’re not thinking of what’s best for him. You’re doing it for you.”
I turned back one last time and walked all the way to him. “If we’re going to fight about this, we better at least do it right.” I set Seth back down and walked into the training ring, taking the stick from Troy aggressively. “I win, I get to decide what’s best for him. If you win, you get to.”
Zayden smiled, stepping in the ring and picked up the other wooden stick.
“What’s going on?” Jaylyn asked, stepping outside with Ruby.
“They’re going to kill each other.” Darius said.
“Again?” Ruby asked.
Jaylyn walked over and put Bryce on her lap. Ruby and the others sat down too and watched while Zayden and I were just standing in the ring.
“Well?” Ruby wondered. “Begin.”
I swung toward Zayden but he blocked. I stepped back and we started to move around each other like circling our prey. I swung twice but he blocked both times. We moved around each other again, just staring at each other. I swung toward him three more times but he blocked, almost getting hit the third time. It was only frustrating me more and I backed up to one of the stone pillars and set my wooden stick up against it.
“Giving up?”
“You wish.”
I kicked it, breaking it in two pieces so I could have one for each hand. Zayden smiled and held out his stick horizontally in front of him. He brought up his knee and slammed the stick down onto it at the same time, breaking it in two pieces. We began to walk around each other again and I came at Zayden and we locked sticks.
“You can’t hide who you are from him.” He told me. “He’ll know his parents are killers.”
Our sticks continued to be locked and I used my elbow and hit him on the side of his head. He moved backwards from the surprise and I hit him once in the side making him turn around and again in the back as he dropped to the ground. I was ready to end this. I won and I would decide what was best for our son.
I approached him but he turned quickly and swung at my feet. I fell and landed right next to him, dropping my sticks.
Of course, I only got angry and used my gift to move the air around me and was brought to my feet. I put out both my hands and my sticks jetted off the ground into them. If he wanted a fight, I’d give him a fight.
He smiled to my move and used his gift to quickly rise to his feet and swung his sticks around so quick that they couldn’t be seen until he stopped. “You won’t win this way.”
I just smiled as I raised my sticks and three stones raised up off of the ground. One by one, I started pushing them toward him but he used his gift and ducked and rolled out of the way from them easily.
I was just getting angrier and threw down my sticks. The moment they hit the ground, the mountain around us had begun to rumble and shake and I looked over at the others for a fair warning. “Get out of here.” Rocks were falling from the ledges down into the water below and everyone stood up, taking the boys inside as I advised. “Let’s see you get away from this.”
Rocks from the mountain had begun to fly towards him. Zayden moved away out of each one but had yet to understand just what I was doing. With every rock that came his way, he was being enclosed by them. He focused on getting out of the way until it was too late when he finally realized it. He was completely surrounded by walls of stone.
I created a set of stairs and climbed to the top. “It looks like I won.”
“Okay, you won. Now let me out of here. Don’t make me have to climb out.”
“I think you need some time to recover.”
“No!” Zayden shouted. “This isn’t funny.” I didn’t say anything. I just smiled and turned back down the stairs. “Love!”
He was probably ready to climb out but I held up my hand and rocks formed over the top of the walls and enclosed him completely so he couldn’t. I pushed the stairs back into the wall then walked inside, taking Seth from Troy. “Where’s Zayden?”
“He needed a time-out.” I continued down the stairs like his question hadn’t delayed me. It wasn’t my problem anymore.
Chapter 13
Zayden
I couldn’t believe it. I was left here—just like that for no apparent reason or at least not a very good one. I didn’t know why she was over reacting about this. One of the visions she used to mention of Seth was in this very training ring I was forced to stay in. Why would she not want him to learn anything now? Has she seen something else she’s never mentioned? I didn’t know but I did know that I didn’t want to fight with her. We see less of each other these days and I never want to see her angry—at me.
“Zayden?”
Ruby called my name from outside this box I was in and my senses told me the other three were with her.
“What?”
“Are you okay?” Jaylyn asked.
“What do you think?”
“We think you need to make up with her.” Troy said. “This isn’t healthy for you two to be doing this all the time.”
“She put me in a box.”
“Yeah, we know but that doesn’t mean you should continue this. We’re getting you out.”
“And when he says we, he means me.” Darius said.
He lifted the stone up over me and threw it over the side of the balcony. It crashed against the side of the mountain and broke apart, falling down into the water below.
I stood up from my frustrated crouched position and everyone was looking at me. I knew what they wanted and thought not to fight it. “I know. Where is she?”
“Starting dinner probably.” Ruby said.
I nodded and took a deep breath. I was going to need it. Adele was preparing dinner when I entered. Rift was lying next to the counter under where Seth was sitting on top of it, watching her work. She didn’t notice me and maybe I wanted to stand here until she did but I watched her too. It was something about cooking that relaxed her. She didn’t seem mad at all and I couldn’t get myself to stop watching. Even Seth was having a good time. He was next to her, watching what she was doing and playing with various objects next to him.
That’s when I saw the most amazing thing. He raised his little hand up to what looked like to Adele like he was ready to touch her but instead, a wooden spoon next to her started to raise up and move toward him.
Adele immediately grabbed it like it wasn’t a surprise to her and turned to him. “No, Seth. I need this. Play with something else.” She put the spoon back down and he did it again. Adele grabbed it in midair again and turned to him once more. “Seth! I said no!” She slammed the spoon back down, maybe hoping he would listen.
I didn’t want him to listen. I was still standing in complete wonderment from seeing it that I surrendered my silence and finally spoke up. “Did he just—”
Adele turned around to my voice but didn’t seem happy. “You got out.”
I asked again. “Did he just—”
“Yes.” She turned back around like she wanted to just ignore me but I wasn’t about to let that happen. I was interested in this.
“How long?”
“How long, what?”
“How long have you known?”
“Awhile.”
“And when were you going to tell me about this?”
“Maybe when you were around long enough for me to tell you.”
I sighed, suddenly figuring out her entire reason for being in this mood. “Love. You know I don’t like being away but I have a duty to perform.”
“I guess I thought you would have seen it by now but apparently he only does it around me.”
“Let me see him do that again.” I took the spoon from the counter and moved it farther away so he would want it again. Sure enough, he did. He got upset and reached out his hands to it. The spoon lifted up and moved over to him. He cooed when it finally reached his hand and started hitting the counter with it. �
��That’s amazing. Do the others know that he started doing this?”
“I don’t know. I haven’t told anyone because you didn’t know yet.”
I nodded and knew this conversation was over but now I needed to start another one no matter what she wanted. “Love?”
“Yes, Zayden?”
“I’m sorry.”
“For what?”
“For a lot of things. I know you wish I was around here more often and I don’t want us to fight. We should be happy during the time we’re together.”
She stopped what she was doing and turned to me. “I don’t want to fight either but I still don’t think teaching our son stuff like that is a good idea this early.”
“I don’t think it would hurt. What else do I have to teach him?”
“You feel helpless?”
“Well, yes. I could teach him to be a great fighter but you have to let me and some of those things should start early so it’s always on the mind. It’s the only thing I have to offer you know.”
“Zayden, you have more than that. He needs you to just be his father. It doesn’t matter if you could teach him anything.”
“But it matters to me. I don’t want to be like my father. He hired people to teach me stuff when he should have done it himself. There’s no way I want that for my son.”
Adele finally sighed one of those sighs that meant she was going to give in. “All right. If it’s that important to you then fine. You can teach him.”
“Really? You’re not going to take this back later, are you?”
“No. Just be careful. I don’t want anything to happen to him.”
“Nothing bad will. It’s the observing stage. He can’t start the other stuff until he can walk well and take instruction. That’s about age three—ish.”
Adele smiled and walked to me. I welcomed it and we kissed while Seth was still playing with the spoon. “Okay. Besides, it’s not like you’ll be here that much to teach him anyway.”
“Love. Just tell me if it’s bothering you. We could always move back to the city.”
Rising Sun (Fate's Intent Book 9) Page 5
