“There will be rules for you that are different than the other half-bloods that are here. You will have to work a little harder than others to prove that we can trust you. Now, what is your name?” Kaiden asked
“Colleen is my name.” she replied
“How old are you Colleen?” Zoe asked
“I am fifteen.” Colleen replied
“Alright Colleen you will need to say these words and then we will go to the house and explain everything.” Halina said as she whispered the words in the girl’s ear. Colleen got down on one knee and swore fealty to Kaiden and Zoe. She then got in the vehicle with Halina and Iraina along with a couple Fury’s.
Chapter 25
The Journal
Rosa had read the whole journal by the time Halina and the others got in the SUV. As it drove off Rosa had started to go through the trunk. The things inside looked like mementos more than anything else. The only thing Rosa found that she felt needed to be kept was a picture of Vivi’s mother. Everything else could be destroyed with the journal.
“I have read the journal. Nothing really of significance in the thing. It is just a Dragon’s account of things. He was the last to die and he used something similar to what Marsali did and made himself human. He wrote what he could down and then spelled it. He must have known what Marsali was going to do, because he knew a Dragon would find it. In it he mentioned doing a spell and saw a bit of the future. In that vision he mentioned seeing us as humans who could shift into Dragons.” Rosa stated
“Well he definitely knew what he was doing then and to me that is more hateful than anything. The only question is how do we destroy it?” Kaiden asked
“That I don’t know. I think only Zoe and Zach can do it.” Rosa said
“This is gonna be hard then. The magic always seems to just come to us when we don’t even know we need it.” Zach mused
“Here let me hold it and see if that calls it forward?” Zoe reached her hand out for the journal and Rosa placed it in her hand. As soon and the journal touched her skin Zoe screamed and dropped it. “It burned me!” Zoe yelped
“What the hell?” Kaiden asked worried.
Zach reached for her hand and she showed him the burn. It was a very severe burn and would need to be healed. As Zach looked closer there was a pattern to the burn and suddenly his Dragon ripped through him causing him to shift. They all jumped back just in time to miss getting knocked down. Zach hissed at the book and let out a menacing growl. He backed up and looked to Zoe. As Zoe looked at him confused he nodded to her hand. She brought her hand close to her face and started to see the pattern and then her shift was forced upon her as well. She also growled at the journal as soon as she was fully shifted.
Zach started to growl and hiss more and more. Kaiden was confused until he looked at the hand that was now her paw. The pattern that she and Zach saw was a bright red and seemed to be moving up her leg. It looked like a coiled serpent and he could tell she was in pain. Zach started to pace and Kaiden started to really get scared. This was magical and he couldn’t do anything about it. Zoe hissed and growled in pain her tail flicked wildly behind her while she paced keeping her eyes on the journal. Zach flicked his tail and that is when the two touched. They both held their tails where they were and suddenly heat was rising in them. Everyone that stayed behind felt the heat and began to back up quickly.
The magical burn was moving quicker and seemed to be traveling straight to her heart as the heat built in them both. As soon as they both opened their mouths black fire erupted from them on the journal. Everyone held their breaths as the fire consumed the book and slowly the magical burn moved back down to her paw and then left her body completely slithering across the grass towards the journal. As soon as the burn met the fire it left their mouths.
Zoe shifted back to human and screamed right before she passed out. The burn was still there and now it looked infected with puss oozing out of it. Zach roared his fury then scooped her up in one claw and Kaiden in the other. He flew to the house as quickly as he could while the others ran as fast as they could to follow him.
Zach landed in front of the main house letting Kaiden go before he touched down. Zach then carefully laid Zoe on the grass and began to weep as he shifted back into his human form still cradling his twin in his arms. Kaiden flew inside the house and started shouting. He kept shouting as he ran for Vivi’s suite. Alexi and Gosha met him in the hall and Kaiden crashed into them. He was in hysterics and couldn’t speak past the tears and the block in his throat. He just grabbed them and ran back down the stairs pulling them behind him. Vivi and Christian ran behind them confused they had never seen Kaiden like this before.
Kaiden pulled them right outside to Zoe. Rosa was the one to explain to them about the burn and Alexi was the first to respond. She grabbed Zoe’s burned hand as Zach shifted his weight and Kaiden dropped down near her head. The whole house had come outside as the shouting had riled them all up. Most everyone else had come out because they had heard Zach’s mournful roars before he shifted back to human and now everyone was in the clearing. Alexi was deep in concentration with both her hands around the one of Zoe’s that had gotten burned. Alexi concentrated on the burn and healing is while tears started to stream down her face.
“I can’t heal it!” Alexi looked to Kaiden and wept. “The burn touched a tiny bit of her heart. HOW?”
“It was magic. It crawled right up her arm and started to touch her chest just before their fire burned the journal.” Rosa explained and she began to cry.
Gosha ran forward and placed his hands over his mates in a panic. Vivi and Christian went to either side of Alexi as Sarah and Leon went to Zoe’s feet. Bronwyn then went to her other hand and they all concentrated. As they sat there they all began to cry. Vivi was the one to look up and break the news.
“We can’t heal it.” Vivi sobbed
Zach screamed loud and long making everyone jump. Marcus also screamed his sorrow while Kaiden wept silently holding her face. Everyone began to cry and shouts of horror got louder and louder. Everyone dropped to their knees as their Queen lay dying.
Colleen looked on in shock and knew this was her fault. Somehow she felt that this was her doing. She walked forward and tapped Vivi on the shoulder.
“Can you pass it to me?” Colleen asked
“What?” Vivi asked completely lost and utterly confused.
“Her heart is starting to weaken. Something needs to happen soon. Zach! Magic! something! Anything!” Alexi screamed
Marcus shifted and moved next to Zach. Vivi placed one hand on Colleen and left the other on Zoe. Colleen then reached out to Zach and he moved closer automatically so her hand would connect. Then it was Marcus who let out a wail as green smoke rose from Zach’s mouth and two screams ripped though everyone.
The green smoke allowed the burn to travel up Vivi’s hand and into Colleen. Colleen fell to the ground as Zoe opened her eyes. Kaiden yelled out and grabbed Zoe into his arms. Everyone cried a little more in relief and then a gasp filled the silence as Vivi had gone to Colleen.
“She’s human!” Vivi shouted through her gasp.
“What?” Zoe asked
“The burn must have been trying to burn out your Dragon. Colleen wanted me to shift the burn from you to her. I couldn’t do it until they let out the magic and then it flowed right through me into her. Now her Dragon is gone. I don’t feel any Pull and I can’t feel it in her anymore.” Vivi responded as she held the now human girl who was still passed out.
“Oh! I still have mine, right? The baby?” Zoe yelled out as she began to panic.
Alexi moved closer and placed her hands on Zoe. She took only a second and then smiled at Zoe. “You are fine honey. Everything is how it is supposed to be.”
“Oh poor Colleen.” Zoe felt horrible for the girl but relieved at the same time which made her heart hurt and she sobbed into Kaiden’s shoulder.
“Bring her inside and we will all watch over her. I have a debt of grat
itude for her.” Kaiden said as he stood and picked Zoe up cradling her in his arms. “We will celebrate after we all get some much needed rest. Aldrich is dead, we are free, so sleep in tomorrow, make love all day. Just do what you want and at dinner we will have a celebration. For now I am taking these two to sleep.” Kaiden announced and everyone began to cheer and laugh.
Zach stood and took Colleen from Vivi. He didn’t say a word just silently took the girl form Vivi’s arms. He carried her to his suite and placed her in the spare room. The only reason the magic came to him was because she offered her life for Zoe’s. For that Zach owed this girl the world. For Zach the bond him and Zoe shared was there however when he felt her disappearing he was beside himself in grief. He knew Kaiden must have felt it too because the man was distraught his emotions were all over the place. Colleen opened her eyes as Zach opened the door and he was shocked to see the red flecks in her eyes were gone. She didn’t wake up though so Zach placed her in the bed and took Halina to their room.
Kaiden placed Zoe in their bed gently. She was still in tears and he just wanted to hold her. Before he was able to climb in bed Zoe asked for Lily and he went to grab her. Once he had Lily, who was still asleep, he placed her in Zoe’s arms and then climbed into bed behind her. Zoe cried herself to sleep holding on to Lily like she might float away. Kaiden followed shortly after wrapped around his mate who he almost lost tonight.
Marcus snuck into the room a couple hours later when Lily normally woke and snuck her out of the room. Iraina and Marcus stayed in the living room area with Lily until Kaiden and Zoe woke around noon. Zoe spoke all the time of how much Lily was on a particular schedule. Marcus knew his daughter needed her sleep so it was no problem taking care of his grandbaby. Besides it was a job he loved anyway.
Colleen had woken up in a strange room about nine in the morning according to the clock on the little table and the sun streaming in the window. She looked around the room and found the bathroom. She quickly relieved herself and then went to wash up. As she was washing her hands she looked in the mirror and saw her eyes. She burst into tears and huddled down on the floor. Zach found her like that a few hours later and immediately went to her.
“Are you ok?” Zach asked her
“It’s gone.” Colleen replied with a smile on her face.
“You’re happy about this?” Zach asked confused
“Yes! Halina explained to me about the soul mate thing and I knew I wouldn’t have one. Now I can fall in love with anyone like a human would and that is fine by me. I was going to chose not to turn anyway. I didn’t ever want to be a Dragon.” Colleen laughed
“Well ok then, um I don’t really know what to say but I am glad you are happy. This is your room from now on and I would like you to stay with Halina and me. You can decorate however you want to and I will call Marjorie today and have her come up. She is the clothing lady so you just have to tell her what you want.” Zach explained
“Really? You would do all that for me?” Colleen asked dumbfounded
“You took it from my sister and for that I owe you everything. Zoe means as much to me as my own mate and I would be lost without her. She is my other half.” Zach admitted.
“Thank you. I don’t know what to say now.” Colleen shyly admitted.
“Someone here wants to see you.” Halina said as she walked Maggie into the room.
“Maggie!” Colleen jumped up and ran to her baby sister.
“Coween!” Maggie laughed and ran to her. Colleen picked Maggie up and twirled her around.
Marjorie came a few hours later and took Colleen’s measurements and then left. She had also told all the girls she would take them shopping when they were ready. Mary skipped breakfast but made a big brunch for everyone. As everyone sat down and began to eat they talked about the night before. They spoke of how the tension had been lifted and had asked Finley to make it rain. They all wanted the rain to wash it all away. They all spent the day inside and even gave Mary the night off from cooking.
Chapter 26
One Month Later
A month had passed since Aldrich’s death and everyone was finally free. Hugh had finished all the houses a week ago and passed away a few days later. Kaiden took care of all the expenses and sent his kids some money. They buried him next to his wife and had a huge funeral. All of the rooms on the main floor were now empty as everyone moved into their homes. One of Hugh’s men informed Kaiden that he would be taking over the company and to call him if they needed anything.
Mr. Steinman and his children went back to California but was still a phone call away for any legal matters the Sect had. Arthur had worked with his insurance company and partners while he was in Ireland and his offices had started being renovated before he got back. Arthur was also unable to stop Kaiden from paying him while he was in Ireland. His nanny was also at his home when he arrived.
The Half-Blood families had adopted the children in the main house. Some took two and others took only one but they all took the children so Vivi could live her life. Alexi and Gosha moved into their own home however theirs was fairly close to the main house so they got to see their son daily. Vivi is still having a very hard time with the memories she had seen. Nightmares plague her dreams and she wakes up screaming most nights. During the day she works with Sarah explaining the faces of her mother in all the visions she remembers. At the end of the month Sarah presented her with her work. She had framed each picture and colored them in. Some she painted and others she drew. Rosa had the picture she had found in the trunk enlarged as well as framed and that now hung over Vivi’s fireplace in her suite.
The only babies that remained in the house were Jacob and Lily. Justine had also learned that she was pregnant shortly after that night. She was overjoyed and Gabe was beside himself. He wasn’t sad just worried that he wasn’t good enough to be a daddy. Jacob was one thing because he was just there. The one growing inside his mate however was a part of him and he knew he gave Mary hell and he feared his would be the same.
Zach and Halina spent their days getting to know Colleen. A bit of the teenager Halina never got to be came shining through when they talked. Zach took a big brother role more than a fatherly role with the girl and it worked for them. Colleen had figured out that she loved fashion and she now worked with Marjorie on the weekends. During the week she worked with Rosa and Michael. They were trying to cram in all her schooling at once to get her ready for school in the real world. That was something Colleen wanted, to go to a real high school in town.
Jaco spent his days doing what he said and tracked the movements of the half-bloods they let go. What none of them knew however, was that he put a tracking chip in the lining of all their bags. He knew they would hold on to at least one of the bags as a memento of their freedom. A couple stuck together and others split up on their own. Some went to big cities and rented apartments or a house. There were two out of all of them that went back to Alaska. But neither of them went to where the camp was located. Jaco thought they must have met women while they were there and went back to be with them. None of them had gotten in to any trouble during the month and that made Jaco happy.
Donny and Alex had kept their promise to each other and now took things slow. They made daily dates and flirted from across the room. Alex also found a couple hours each day and spent them alone with her parents. She loved that they were alive and not as protective of her now. They never tried to tell her what to do anymore and she loved that. She also found that her dad was an amazing artist and he loved tattoos as much as she did. He had started to teach her his techniques and they started to draw together. Her mother enjoyed watching them and teaching Alex the right way to blend the colors.
Morgan spent her time making the cribs she promised to make. She also went a little overboard and made every couple a special crib for their first born. There were only two couples that wouldn’t have children so she made them a special daybed. Quinn helped her with most of the work and they stored it all in a s
torage shed that Hunter had built for them.
Everyone continued training but only the Fury’s maintained it daily. Everyone else went about every other day and more for exercise than anything else. Tonight however was the one month anniversary to their freedom. Kaiden planned a special celebration. All the ladies were required to wear a formal dress and the men were required to wear tuxedos. The dining room and living areas in the main house had been cleared out to another room and smaller tables were brought in with chairs. Kaiden asked Jaco to DJ the event and a dance floor was brought in.
Tall vases full of white roses and lilies filled the room. A dance ball glittered across the walls as soft music filtered around them. Mary and the girls made finger foods and trays of them were placed all over. Champagne was brought out as Kaiden stopped the music and stood before them all.
“One month ago today our fight ended and our freedom was given. The previous twenty five years was very hard on us but we came together and overcame. This is always your home however if you wish to travel the doors are now open. I know some of you ladies have chatted with Finley and are now itching to shop in Paris. You all may now come and go as you please. The world is yours. I just hope you all come back. I love having you all here and I would miss you terribly if you all decided to leave for good. The one thing I want to say most is Thank you! Thank you for believing in us and yourselves. Thank you for being a part of this Family. Thank you for surviving and being strong. Thank you for being you!” Kaiden shouted to the room. “I love you all!”
The room erupted in cheers and everyone clanked their glasses together.
The night was spent full of dancing and laughter. There was not a sad face in the crowd and Zoe soaked it all in. She knew that vacations and trips would start soon and some would be gone longer than others. But as she looked at the faces she knew that this would always be everyone’s home to come back to. This is where they would raise their children and grow roots. After all this is the only place they could let their Dragons out without any human eyes seeing anytime that they wanted to.
Redemption (The Extinct Race Series Book 4) Page 14
