The Pearls

by Michelle Farrell

  “You kept him safe and alive I don’t know how I can ever thank you. Mary you are a godsend, Thank you” Mary cried her relief that her friends was alive and fear that she was going to lose the boy she raised.

  “He is a good boy, he can eat a cow, but he is a good boy. And he is happy now he found his Justine. I just got him back.” Mary wept.

  Chapter 30

  They all stood there until the tears could no longer fall. They stood there until the smiles appeared on faces and all the “I’m Sorries” and “I love you’s” were said. Zoe was still bouncing on her feet with a huge grin and red rimmed eyes. Mary ushered them all inside and was fussing around all of them getting drinks and tissues.

  “Now while they get their hellos and get to know you in order, Kaiden would you be so kind as to bring this half-blood up here so I can talk to him?”

  “I can do that. Charles thank you.”

  “For what my boy?”

  “For making my family happy and complete. Those two are special to us and right now you just completed their lives.”

  “Glad I could do it. With all the death that has been happening over the last twenty four years this felt good.” Charles smiled and waved Kaiden off

  Kaiden went to the safe room and found Blake staring at the door.

  “Lots of company huh?” Blake asked

  “Is this what you were going to tell us earlier?”

  “Yep, a lot of us didn’t hunt them down like we were supposed to. We let them go and just tried to scare them into hiding. If they weren’t seen they weren’t alive. But there are more bad ones than good ones when it comes to my family.”

  Kaiden leads Blake out to the dining room and Blake is shocked at what he sees. He sits at the table and stares out to the room full of people.

  “What is your name?” Charles demands

  “Blake”

  “And what was your mission should you fail to kidnap Zoe?”

  “To infiltrate their trust, find my sister, and the hideout in Ireland or at least a location.”

  “And have you admitted this to them?”

  “Yes”

  “And what are your intentions now?

  “I would like to take you to the secondary location and have you rescue Marcus and the children.”

  “Who is Marcus?”

  “My Father.” Zoe says

  Gasps fill the room. “There is another King alive?” Bradley asks

  “He was caught a few days before she was born and he is being held there. He refuses to bite us and refuses to shift. His Dragon is slowly killing him.” Blake felt the need to explain.

  “Kaiden as soon as it is dark I need you to shift and bite these men. They are all ready and willing and have passed the tests that I give. They are a mix of all the races and we will need them. We are going to go save Marcus. We are going to need to take him Immediately to Ireland and you all too. We were going to go kill the Blood Dragon but now a rescue mission is in order. We will need Marcus.”

  “I am sorry sir. After a couple of days thinking about it and being with them I told them. I no longer want their deaths. I would like to live and go with you to Ireland.” Blake stammers

  “Car.” Gabe says as he gets up to go check it out. Mary grabs the shotgun and follows him out. Michael is curios at this and follows them out. The car comes over the hill and it is John and seems he has two new passengers. Kaiden senses something off and goes outside too.

  John and Tia park the car and two more people get out. Kaiden immediately sees her eyes and rushed over to the new girl.

  “Vivi?”

  “How do you know my name?”

  “Blake.”

  “That lying fucker is here?”

  “Yep inside telling us where your father and Marcus are.”

  “Is he now? Well let me have at him. By the way this is Christian my soul mate. And no we haven’t turned yet. I got a call from a Charles, I was in Ireland trying to find the Sect and found a half-blood in town, I gave her my number and told her to have who was ever in charge call me. He told me to come here and follow the pull. I found these two and asked for a ride.”

  “We knew we could handle them if things got out of control.” John explains to Kaiden.

  “Please follow me, Tia I have a surprise for you inside.” Kaiden tells them

  Walking into the house Tia is overwhelmed with the pulls she is feeling. She looks into the room and sees a woman who could be her older sister staring at her. And the man next to her is crying. Tia looks to John and he nods at her and Tia is in their arms crying and shaking. She knew immediately that they were her parents and not an older sister. The pull to them was different it was like she knew these people before.

  Charles notices John and stares at him. John feels his stare and returns it. Vivi walks in the room then and everyone freezes. She looks to everyone and then to Blake who is looking at her like he has seen a ghost.

  “Hello Brother.” She says with distaste

  “Vivi” he whispers

  Everyone presses into the dining area and makes a circle around the two. Christian sits next to Vivi looking lost and confused, scared even.

  “So Blake what have you told them?”

  “Everything”

  “Tell me in detail dear brother.”

  “I told them where father is and where they are keeping the children and Marcus.”

  “And which camp are you telling them Marcus is at?” she asks very coyly

  “The secondary location”

  “Where is the secondary location Blake?”

  “To the east of Bristol bay” he whispers it and then takes a huge gulp.

  “See I sort of have a knack for telling when people lie. I am not a liar and my little knack prevents me from lying. If I lie it feels like an ice pick is being shoved in my head. I don’t like pain. Blake knows about my little knack. I am in a lot of pain right now Brother.”

  Blake stares into the room and he sees all the hate, the loathing, and the need for revenge in their eyes. He pales when he hears his sisters next words.

  “You can kill him now he is lying.” Vivi says and stands up and walks to the living room. “Father Dearest is in the east camp and the secondary location is in the north. If you would like I will go myself and bring Marcus here. I want nothing to do with my father. He killed the only mother I had and blames me for the death of my real mother.”

  John looks to Kaiden and Kaiden nods his head giving him the go ahead. John surges forward places his hands on Blake’s forehead and chin and snaps his neck. Killing the half-blood.

  Four half-bloods surge forward and grab his body and take him outside. Gabe shows them where the shovels are and they leave to bury him.

  All heads then turn to Vivi and Christian. She turns and sees the stares.

  “Blake was sending you into the trap. He is/was father’s favorite and would have become fathers second if he pulled this off. I want nothing more than for my father to pay for what he did to me. I know because of him and my other family that you will have a hard time trusting me and Christian for that matter. I can tell you I will leave if you want but I would much rather swear loyalty to you. I need a real family and I already feel that being in this room.” Vivi says with tears in her eyes.

  “What is your name dear?” Rosa steps forward

  “Vivi.” She says in a small voice.

  “You have the look of your mother, she was a lovely woman. My name is Rosa I was in the same sect as your mother and father. You did not kill your mother. Your father did that. You were born a girl and not a boy and he blamed her for that. Then he went crazy and killed the King and Queen. They only way he could have done that is by renouncing himself. You see you your father was not meant to be King that is only ever the Job of the Pearls. Now I trusted and loved your mother so I am going to trust you on behalf of her.”

  “Thank you for telling me the truth.”

  “Is it true Blake just wanted you to find happin
ess?” Zoe asks

  “Yes he did at one time. I have always been the bait, because I am the only full-blood child. When I found out what the plan was I left. I knew that I had a soul mate out there somewhere and I went to look for him. I found him in Italy. He had no idea what we were. He is rather shy but he is mine.”

  “Vivi and Christian it is very nice to meet you both.” Zoe said

  Kaiden turns to find John and Charles still staring at each other. “Charles, why are you staring at him like that?”

  “What is your name?” Charles asks John

  “John”

  “Full name son”

  “Johnson Avery Santana”

  “Mothers name?”

  “Claudia Elizabeth Santana from the journal I got.”

  “That is your fathers last name her birth name is Claudia Elizabeth Turner. She is my sister.” Charles says

  “So you’re my uncle?”

  “Yes, how were you found? How were you raised?”

  “I was found on an oil rig in a pile of ash and flowers another pile of ash and flowers had a bag with just my name inside.”

  Charles hangs his head and pulls John into a hug. “You look of your father but I can see my sister in you too. Welcome to the family nephew.”

  They were all seated in the living room the atmosphere was filled with love and belonging. Zoe soaked this up, she has always wanted this and now she has it, just one piece is missing and she is now waiting to have the same reunion the rest of her family got.

  Michael and Rosa begin to share their story. “After we left you with Mary and you left for the US we went to Ireland and spent our time in hiding. We hid in mountain caves and small towns. We left ourselves some money so we were able to get the things we needed over the years. But we could never find the Sect. When we noticed that the half-bloods were leaving we went to a major town and there we ran into our long lost friends Brad and Monica, together we sought out any trace we could find. Finally we felt a half-blood and we followed him. He went down a long country road and then just disappeared and we no longer felt him. So we stood in that spot for a long time. Finally another half-blood just appeared and we stopped him. He looked into our eyes and made a call. Next thing we know Charles is there. Now we are here.”

  “We did much the same thing” Monica says. “We put Justine up for adoption because we could not shake the tail we had on us. Right after I met with the lawyer and he left the hospital I felt the half-bloods in the building. I knew he couldn’t feel me so I wrote a quick note and left it with the nurse. I made her go chase the lawyer down and I left the hospital after I kissed you goodbye. We watched them take you to the family that was chosen to get you. We were always close and made sure they were taking you far away. We actually paid them to leave the country with you. We were able to stay hidden and lose that tail for seven years. We felt it was safe then to go look for you. We came here to America and searched everywhere. I found the man that adopted you and he was a drunken fool. He said they sent you away once the money ran out. They divorced and we couldn’t find you anywhere. The half-bloods are even more in numbers here in America so we had to leave. We flew to Ireland and have been there since. We had Ben here ten years ago. Poor boy has been raised in caves and what not. It has been very hard and I am glad we have this moment of freedom. And that we have found you all.” Ben sat there the whole time in complete silence staring at Justine.

  “I had to leave my Tia in the hospital too.” Camilla says “The half-bloods happened to have an accident the day I gave birth. But I got scared and left. Your father and I thought you would go to a good home. We came back a few months later to find you but we couldn’t. Your trail has been cold since the day I left you baby girl. I looked and looked and then two years ago we heard about the warehouse fights. We have been following them up and down the states. I got word of a feisty little girl who could beat the snot out of a two hundred pound man and I knew that was my baby. We had just arrived at the airport when they did. We followed them here in hopes that we would find you. And then, my little baby girl pulls up with her soul mate in tow. I am so proud of you baby,”

  Gabe, Tia and Justine shared their stories once their parents were done. Tia’s parents were devastated when she talked of her torture and rape. They held her close and cried, but the little fighter that Tia is, held her ground and did not shed a tear. She was being strong. She held on to Justine’s advice and went with honesty. It would only help her parents understand her better. When Gabe was done his parents hugged him and Mary, and you could see the pride in their faces. Justine was last and her father shocked everyone.

  Bradley let his wife hug their daughter but he got up and walked over to Zoe. “My Queen, I have never been as proud as I am right now to serve under a King and Queen. You have been my daughter’s light when she only saw dark, and I thank you from the bottom of my heart. I will always remain loyal and true to you and Kaiden. You will make an amazing Queen.” Zoe blushed at his words, tears sprang to her eyes and he pulled her into a hug.

  “Cheers, to Kaiden and Zoe, our King and Queen, you have brought us all together and we stand before you today and will stand before you for the rest of our days!” Charles smile lit up the room as he spoke loud and clear. When the cheering was done Charles had everyone vow their loyalty again to Kaiden and Zoe. This time the power was increased as everyone made their vow.

  The night went on with the reveries. Soon night had fallen and Kaiden and Zoe had a job to do. They went out back before the others and shifted into their Dragon. Two by two the half-bloods came out and were bitten. After they were bit they would walk away quickly into the field and as soon as the last man was bit there were five Dragons in the field. As soon as the last man turned Kaiden and Zoe took them for a short flight. With the turning done there was work to be done.

  The plan took a while to come up with. They were all up well into the night and went to bed once they all agreed. Mary had given up her room to Michael and Rosa. Justine tried to give up her room to her parents but they refused. They had made themselves a bed on the floor and gave Ben the couch to sleep on. Tia and John were curled up on the bigger couch and her parents had taken their room. Mary had slept on the cot in the safe room. Mateo, who was kind of forgotten about with all the excitement slept out in the workshop. Charles was slumped in a chair, thankfully it reclined too. Vivi and Charles made a bed on the dining room floor and the half-bloods went to the workshop with Mateo.

  As the sun came into the windows Ben woke up and slipped outside to the porch. Justine woke too and found him out there. To her surprise Ben jumped into her lap and hugged her tight.

  “I am so glad you are safe. Mom and Dad talk about you all the time and I am just so happy we found you.” Ben looked into her eyes and smiled “Your eyes are the same as mine.”

  “Little man, I am very happy you found me too. I thought they were dead and then they show up and I get a little added bonus, I get a little brother.” Ben smiled again and their parents joined them.

  “He couldn’t wait to meet you.” Bradley said

  “Yes he would ask us to tell the story of you every night. He wanted to rescue you.” Monica said smiling down at her children.

  “Come we need to eat and get ready for our day.”

  Rosa and Monica were in the kitchen cooking another huge breakfast. Mary joined them soon after and they were all very busy. Justine and Zoe set the table. Gabe and Mateo had brought in two fold out tables from the workshop and the girls set those too. Showers were being taken and everyone was going about their morning as best they could. The plan for today was thick in the air and you could almost taste it over the smell of food.

  They all ate in silence and looks were being shot around the room. Everyone was nervous for today.

  “I would like to come.” Mateo tells the room

  “I am sorry who are you?” Charles asks

  “I am Mateo, I am sorry once you all came I left you in privacy and went o
ut to the workshop. I am, Kaiden hired me as a fighting instructor.” Mateo felt a little intimidated by Charles.

  “He is one of the best in the nation.” Gabe tells Charles

  “I see. Why is it you want to come Mateo?” Bradley asks

  “Well last night when the men came to the workshop they found me. I told them who I was and they told me the plan. I sparred with some of them and you have taught them well Charles. But I was told that only a blood dragon or human can open the cell that Marcus is in. Well I am human and I am a good fighter. I can open the cage and she does not need to put herself in danger. From what I understand this Aldrich will be able to sense all of you but he has to be close. But his daughter, he will be able to feel, she is his blood. May I ask Charles, since you are not the blood of Kaiden, how far were you once you felt him?”

  “About fifteen miles, but the parents felt it at twenty.”

  “Right and Vivi how far are the camps from each other?

  “Forty miles” she responds

  “And let me guess your father knew every time you went there?”

  “Yes he did.”

  “Right so you need me.” Mateo said “Also I will be able to tell if it is a trap. It will just look like I am a hiker who took a wrong path.”

  “Very well, you are right, so Vivi and Christian you stay.” Charles says

  “I will draw you up a map of the terrain and inside the camp. Just get in and out quickly. Once that cell is open there is an alarm at the main camp. He will know immediately that the cell was opened.”

  They finished breakfast and cleaned up. They then went to the workshop and grabbed the weapons that they would need. Mateo dressed himself in some of Gabe’s winter clothing so he looked like a hiker. As soon as they were all ready to go, they all headed to the airport. Charles had chartered two more jets. The ones that were not going to Alaska boarded the other two jets and they were off to Ireland. Charles had informed them all of the secret that is the Ireland Sect.

  The mountain and surrounding land has been in Kaiden’s for generations. It was rumored that Ireland was the birthplace of all Dragons. A couple generations back they found a book of spells and cast a protection spell over the land. Only those that have swore their lives to the King and Queen of the land were allowed in and out. Now that everyone was sworn to Kaiden and Zoe they would be allowed access.