They all make their way to the crater which is now halfway full with trees. Kaiden introduces Ada and Leon to everyone and explains that they share and tell during meals. So in the morning they will have to share their story, but that they will hear everyone else’s first. The pyre is ready a short time later and everyone makes a circle around it. The babies and toddlers are all in bed by this time, but Zoe managed to get Lily and now cradles her in her arms. Justine also has little Jacob in her arms. Carmine and Donny light the fire. Kaiden had instructed them beforehand not to burn the flowers. Everyone tells something about someone that died. Raquel and Megan share the most about the children.
They have a long moment of silence after everyone shares a story and then Carmine and Donny put the fire out.
“Paulo can you please raise the earth and flowers in this spot? We will leave the flowers to bloom as a reminder. We all need to remember how valuable life is.” Zoe says
Paulo raises the earth filling in the crater and making the grass grow like it was, but now the flowers also shine through the small mound that was created. Slowly people start to leave and make their way back to their homes. Kaiden and Zoe take and show Ada and Leon a room then leave them to get settled. Tonight Zoe doesn’t place Lily in her bassinet, she takes her into the bed with her.
In the morning they all meet at the table like usual. Everyone is silent as they make their plates and begin to eat. Ada and Leon both feel the tension and sadness in the air.
“Kaiden, you said we all share stories at meal times? Would you like us to start? I know it is a sad morning for you all and I am deeply saddened by this. I have not seen Aldrich since he was seven, but I can only imagine what he endured at the hands of our father.” Ada said
“I think we would all like to hear your story before we tell you ours. Then maybe you will understand why this hit so hard.” Zoe says
“Well I was fifteen when Aldrich was born. My mother was a very good woman and life was happy in our home. We never lived in a Sect and my father liked to treat the humans around us. Mama said he wanted to help the ones who could not get medical treatment. When she became pregnant with Aldrich it was a happy time. Papa was not there for the birth, he had two human women go into labor at the same time and he saw over them, I guess he assumed because she was a Dragon too that she could handle it. I was at school and then a friend’s house after and did not know she was in labor. When I got home I was handed the baby and Papa left for a couple days. Mama had died giving birth to him. When he returned he was mean and angry. I turned into my mother and took care of everything then. When Aldrich was five my Papa started to hit us both. Then the towns we moved to all started getting sick and dying. I think my Papa was making them sick.”
“When I was twenty two and Aldrich was seven I found Leon. He followed me home that same day and Papa did not like it one bit. He beat me very badly and then stabbed me. He threw me out the window. What he didn’t know was that Leon was there to catch me. Leon ran me to his mother and father and they healed me in time. We all left the country that night and never looked back. Papa thought he killed me. That is what Leon’s father said anyway. Before we left he went to the edge of town near my home and listened to him tell Aldrich that I was dead. I was hoping to take Aldrich with me, but I couldn’t after hearing that.”
“After we left we were happy for several years. We never had children, but we made a life. His parents were wanderers too, so we just kind of toured all over with them. Then twenty four years ago we started to get word of all the raids and killings. When we heard it was a Blood Dragon I knew it was Aldrich. I can only blame my Papa for what he has done to the boy I remember. He was a sweet boy always smiling and always happy. Then when we started to get hit he turned into himself and became mean to the sick kids. I tried to tell him that was wrong, but he never listened.” Ada explained
“Why did you become your mother?” Vivi asked
“Papa thought it was a woman’s place to cook and clean and be with the children. In fact my mother never even knew how to heal. She died because she couldn’t heal herself after the birth. She bled out.” Ada said
“That explains a lot.” Vivi admits. Vivi then tells her about her life and everyone around the table does the same. Two hours had gone by before they were all finished.
“I am so sorry and I blame myself a little, I blame my Papa more, but myself too. I should have taken him with me.” Ada explains
“You cannot be blamed for what he did to us. He was only seven when you left and had a choice just like you not to live like that.” Kaiden responds
“Yes I know, but it is still hard, knowing that he is the way he is. I raised him until he was seven. I still remember his smiling chubby little face. He had this little toy truck I got from a friend in town. He loved that truck and took it with him everywhere. We should have gone back and taken him. Maybe had we done that he would not be like he is today? But I must say he is ten times worse than my father. My father only ever killed humans, never another Dragon.” Ada explains
“Darling you know you can’t think like that. It will just eat you up. We need to focus on the here and now and move forward. Kaiden can you explain to us what normal life around here is like?” Leon asks trying to get Ada’s head in the right spot for the one hundredth time.
“Well it has been quite routine for the last few months. There have also been some discoveries made. We usually eat and talk in the mornings then we go out and train until lunch time. Lunch is usually brought down to the valley area near the training room and we eat there. After that is usually free time to do whatever you want to do. We have a library and an art room. It is also a music and dance area too. Then we have a playroom for the children and an apartment for the women that work in the house. Then at dinner we all eat together here at the table. Sometimes we have a family movie night, but lately it has been filled with wearing children out and gathering them all up. I think the next few days are going to be a little different.” Kaiden explains
“What are you all training for?” Ada asks
“We are going to fight back, especially now that innocents have been taken from us. Those were his own children and he treated them like trash. We are tired of hiding out and letting him get away with killing anyone and everyone. We are not a normal Sect here, we are a Family. Family sticks together and fights together. We need to find the last four and any survivors in between and then we are going to take Aldrich out.” Vivi explains with passion.
“You are going to kill him?” Ada demanded
“Yes if that is what we have to do to stop this war.” Zoe answered
“Look Ada, I know he is your brother and you know someone different than the rest of us do. But he has done things to the rest of us that is inexcusable. He won’t stop until we are all dead and he is King. That is now his mission and he plans on ruling over the human race with his evil half-blood children. Did you not listen what I told you about my life? I grew up in his camp. He killed his own mate after she gave birth to me, a GIRL! Then he kidnapped human women and his children from previous human women. He did not make them out of love, he made them for his warriors. After I left he got worse. Then when they saved Marcus, he started killing his own children. CHILDREN! They were just kids and because they missed the target or couldn’t fight he killed them. Do you think he should live?” Vivi screamed
“I’m sorry Vivi. Yes I heard it all and I am sorry. But he is my brother and family does stick together. What will you have me do? I can’t kill the little boy I raised. We will train with you all and learn how to fight properly, but I will not be a part of this war.” Ada explains
“We are not asking you to fight with us, just to know how to defend yourself. Apparently you have never met one of his other children. They wouldn’t care who you are to him or them. They would just kill you because they felt the pull of your Dragon.” Kaiden explains
“Kaiden, since we are all here can I make an announcement?” Mary whispers
“Please do Mary. I think we need a change of topic.” Kaiden snaps at her and then noticed the wide eyed expression on her face. “I’m sorry I am just a little passionate right now.” He explains. Mary nods to him with a slight smile.
“Well as some of you figured out a home is being built behind this home. Mateo and I will be moving into it as soon as it is finished. We will also be having a baby in about nine months.” Mary stated
“OH! Mary that is wonderful, Congratulations!” Zoe squeals
“I am going to have a little brother or sister? That is great Congratulations Mary. I always knew you secretly wanted another kid in the house.” Gabe teases
“Congratulations!” The table cheered
Rosa and Monica snagged Mary and took her back to the kitchen to talk. Zoe and Justine both took the babies and went to the couches around the fire pit. The Fury’s all stood and went out to train. Their favorite way of dealing with anything was with fists. Gabe followed them out to clear his head too. Paulo and Cassie went outside to help the builders with the houses. Jaco and Shiloh along with the other Water Dragons went to the ocean to swim. Piper and Aidan were with Abby and whatever she wanted to do they went with. Aubrey and Adam went out the back to add little details to the area where Mary’s house would be. Kaiden came over and sat next to Zoe while Zach and Halina went to another couch. The rest of the table soon joined them.
Donny made a fire in the fire pit as everyone around him was lost in small talk. Kaiden was explaining more in depth of the journal and the reasons Aldrich needed to be stopped.
Chapter 3
Donny and Alex
After lunch Donny took Alex for a walk. Everything was happening so fast for them he wanted to slow things down and really fall in love with her. He wanted the time to be right.
“How do you feel?” Donny asked
“I feel like I need to harness my gift and learn how to make it work on others.” Alex responded
“Do you feel like everything is happening to fast?” Donny asked
“Actually I kind of like that they are going fast now. It means later we can take things slow and enjoy the small things. I think the faster we get the others and Aldrich is gone, then we can concentrate on taking things slow. Maybe then we can explore the world.” Alex explains
“You are pretty fabulous you know.” Donny laughs grabbing Alex into his arms.
“I might have thought that about myself a time or two.” She teased
“What would you like to do today? I don’t think there is going to be any training for a few days. Everyone needs time to grieve.” Donny mumbled
“That is ok it will give me more time to concentrate and practice my gift. I really do want to be able to hold a block on at least five people. More would be better, but five would work for now. I was thinking of Tia and John along with you. Then maybe, well I don’t know who else. I haven’t really gotten to know anyone. I was picking Tia and John strictly because that girl kicks ass and she is way faster than anyone in fighting.”
“Plus she is young and we would all be able to look like a group of teens traveling. So who else looks our age that could be a benefit?” Donny responds
“Maybe your mom and Brice, they both only look in their early twenties and your mom could pass as your sister and her boyfriend.”
“True, but I was thinking more along the lines of Vivi and Christian. If we got hurt they would be there to heal. Plus you know what he can do right? He would feel them before the pull, maybe.”
“You know I think that might work. They are really young looking too. Maybe we should ask their opinions before we just pick our own team.”
“I love the team idea. Maybe we should see if Kaiden likes the idea and maybe send some teams out. We could all like ride on the same jet and then cover each country in a couple days. They go one way we go the other.”
“I love that idea Donny! Let’s go find them and maybe run it by them and see if he will go for it. We could even wait until I got a good grasp on my ability and then go. I need to be able to hold it for at least 8 hours. I can hold mine all the time without dropping it, even in my sleep. Gah! Just think if I wasn’t being beat to death, you would have never found me.” Alex mused
“Yeah that would have been a nightmare. I would have thought you were dead. But seriously, I don’t ever want to think about the scene we walked in on that day. You know he was killing you right?”
“Yeah I know. I’m sorry, it’s just one of the things I think about when I get frustrated. I haven’t been able to cover anyone since that day I covered Zoe. Zach thought it was hilarious how Kaiden came running, but I guess it wasn’t too funny to him.”
“Have you practiced around Zach since that day? Maybe his hidden magic is your key.” Donny inquired
“No I haven’t. DUDE! Let’s go find him and see if I can do it around him before we do anything else.” The reality of it hit Alex. She ran wondering if in fact Zach was the key to it, or maybe it was Zoe.
They both ran back to the house trying to locate Zach. They found him still sitting on the couches talking to everyone.
“I think we might have figure out how my ability works better, but I would like to test it first.” Alex explained as she burst into the room interrupting the conversation.
“What do you need?” Zoe asked a little excitedly.
“I think, well let me explain first. You see Donny and I were talking. I told him how much I wanted to go out and search for the others, because I am the only one able to. I really just want to find the others and quick and get this all over with, you know. Anyway Donny was asking who I would want to take with me. I said Tia and John because they look our age and maybe we could just look like a bunch of traveling kids. Anyway, I told him I haven’t been able to block anyone else since the day I blocked Zoe. Well the only other person there was Zach. So we were thinking maybe Zach is the key to heighten my ability to block the pull.” Alex explained
“You can block the pull?” Leon gasped
“Yep, I have been trying to extend it and cover other people so we could get a team together and go out to search for any survivors and the missing couples.”
“That is a truly remarkable gift you have. I will tell you now though. We have been everywhere and haven’t felt any Pulls. I really am shocked that we and the other couples that are here survived.” Ada explains
“What do you mean by that?” Kaiden asks
“I mean that we traveled everywhere, all over the world. When Leon’s parents decided that they wanted to die they said their goodbye and left. We haven’t felt another Pull of a full-blood or half-blood for that matter in a decade. The website you created was an excellent idea, but I think you have all the survivors you are going to find. It may be too late for the lost ones, as you call them. Their parents would have had to put them somewhere that Aldrich would never think a Dragon would live.” Ada insists.
“Then we start in the remote places, but I will not accept that these are the very last of us until I know for sure. I will never stop looking for them even after Aldrich is stopped.” Vivi demanded. “Look I am not trying to come off bitchy to you, I am normally not like this, but I just lost some of the only blood I had that loved me. I just buried them yesterday. I need to know that others survived. I need to know that my blood didn’t kill them all. I know for a fact some of my brothers let people go and just scared them away. None of the ones here came across those ones, so I know there are others.”
“Alex what do you need?” Zoe demanded
“Zach, if he is willing to practice with me for a little bit.” Alex asked
“I would love to help in any way I can. Where would you like to practice?” Zach asked Alex.
“I think the best spot is the training area. I want to see if I can block more than one full-blood at a time.” Alex explains
“Alright let’s go.” Zach stands, Halina stands too and they both follow Alex and Donny out the door. Once they were at
the bottom of the mountain Zach looks at Alex and says “Thanks Alex. I sort of wanted out of that room and well I need something to do too.”
“It was getting intense in there huh?” Halina asked
“Was it like that between Vivi and Ada the whole time?” Donny asks “I have never seen sweet Vivi so adamant.”
“Well try her side for a minute. You just witnessed more that fifteen or your brothers and sisters get blown up. Then magically, your long lost aunt, who is supposed to be dead shows up, and she is telling you all Aldrich is a good boy he is just lost. How would you react to hearing that?” Zach asks
“I would be more than pissed at her. She knew him what eighty years ago? Shit people change in one year. He is not the same boy she knows anymore. He is a man now, an evil one at that.” Alex explains. “Trust me I know. My step dad was great until he lost his job and the bottle became his best friend. That only took a year. Perfect man to monster in one year, and you all heard her. Her dad was the start of his hatred toward women. How did she think he was going to end up? She left when she was fifteen and she only looks nineteen now. Shit Vivi is older than her.” Alex boasts
“Hahaha I didn’t think of that.” Donny laughs
They were at the training area now and there were lots of people there training, but not as many as normal. Yesterday they lost fifteen kids and twenty adults who ran to get the kids as soon as they spotted the missile. Once all the numbers were provided they were left with thirty Dragons who had been turned. But these thirty were now more determined than ever to live in peace. Before yesterday they had only heard stories of what was going on, now it has hit home for them.
Alex walked right over to Tia and John who were sitting on a mat close together watching her dad, Sebastian, and Charles spar. Camilla and Gabe were also right behind them watching. Alex decided she was going to start with them.
Lost Ones (The Extinct Race Series Book 3) Page 2
