Redemption (The Extinct Race Series Book 4) (7 page)

Chapter 12

Bonding

The next morning before breakfast Hunter woke early and crept into his son’s bedroom. Hunter wanted to work on the table and thought it would be an excellent way to spend time with his son. He shook Quinn awake and Quinn looked up at him.

“Hey Dad, what’s up?” Quinn blinked at his father as he sat up.

“Oh Zoe wants another table in the dining area. Seems with more of us and more on the way in the future we are going to need the room. I was hoping you would like to help me make it and the chairs.” Hunter asked with hope in his eyes

“Ohhh can I come too?” Morgan asked cheerfully sitting up in the bed.

“Good Morning lovely, did you sleep well?” Quinn asked

“I did thank you and did you sleep well?”

“I did. I feel whole and at peace. May she come with us dad?” Quinn asked

“Of course, maybe your mother would like to join us too. Let’s go wake the sleepyhead and see.” Hunter laughed and walked out of the room. They walked down the hall and found an empty bed. The shower was running in the bathroom and everyone put two and two together. “Well looks like she is up already. How about you two go get ready and we will wait for you in the living room?”

“Sounds good and we won’t be long.” Morgan assured him.

Twenty minutes later the four of them were walking out the back door and into the forestry part of the mountain. They looked around at the trees and Hunter had an idea.

“Do you think Zoe would be mad if we changed her plan of two long tables to five large round tables? I think it would give a bit more room between tables plus it adds ten more chairs to her idea.” Hunter asked

“Zoe seems to be pretty open about things. As soon as we got here she asked what we wanted and offered us the world. So no I don’t think she would mind at all, especially if it offers more room for future children and such.” Morgan informed him

“Good. What do you guys think about those trees there?” Hunter asked

“Those three are good but those two are rotted and the one there is dead. The three behind the rotted ones are good and healthy. You think six trees is enough?” Quinn asked looking to his dad and then noticed his dad’s confused face. “Oh we didn’t touch the abilities did we? Well I can feel or smell sickness and health. Morgan here can make anything she wants grow from a pile of dirt.”

“That is amazing!” Clover clapped and smiled at the two.

“It is. Now have you learned how to de-bark a tree and manipulate the wood to split in even sections?” Hunter asked

“Huh?” Quinn said

“We haven’t really been shown our Dragon abilities yet. We are still in the beginning phases of training and well the Dragon stuff comes after or during. Cassie, Brielle and Aubry usually take off after training to either help the builders with the houses or they work on the paths. Paulo, Josiah and Adam stick with the builders so we didn’t really want to take that away from them and ask them to train us.” Morgan shyly replied

“Little miss all you had to do was ask and any of us would have been proud to teach you.” Paulo answered from behind the group. “That is what family is for is it not?”

“I guess so we just felt we would be interrupting your routine and we didn’t want to be a bother.” Morgan lowered her head and seemed to shrink into herself.

“Oh Honey I was not trying to make you feel bad at all. I am sorry if I did. Please pick that beautiful face up. Anytime you wish for a one on one with Dragon training you come and find any of us. We all love to teach.” Paulo looked at her and smiled once she raised her face. “Now what is it you are making?”

“Well Zoe mentioned the table was a bit tight and so she wanted another but I am thinking that five large round tables that seat about fifteen would be better. So we were picking the trees.”Hunter replied

“Sounds wonderful but let me tell you I think Mahogany would be a much better tree to make a table from plus it would match the other table that is in there. Can we put this little one to work since there is no mahogany here?” Paulo asked and Morgan squealed. She loved making things grow from nothing.

“I would love to see her work her magic.” Clover announced.

“There is an opening over here that would work.” Paulo informed them and then he led the way to a flat opening on the mountain that was only grass and flowers. He walked to the middle of the clearing. “Alright little one right here grow one as large as you can preferably just a very large trunk with minimal branches. We don’t need a ton of waste.”

“I can do that. How wide and how tall? I sort of need dimensions.” Morgan asked

“Let’s see fifteen feet around and fifty feet tall should be a good start.” Hunter answered.

Morgan put her hands to the ground and about a foot from her a tree blossomed from nowhere and began to grow in size. Quinn was amazed and so proud of her. She smiled and them when she was done and then walked over to them.

“She is amazing isn’t she?” Quinn asked

“She is and you are a blessed man to have her.” Clover responded. “I truly couldn’t ask for a better mate for you. I am blessed to have you as a daughter dear.”

“What now?” Morgan asked with a smile plastered to her face.

“Well who wants to go first?” Hunter asked

“Quinn does. He has so much to learn still.” Morgan told them.

“Alright son you come over to the tree and place your hands on it.” Quinn walked over and placed his hands on the tree. “Good, now picture perfect lines through the wood about three inches wide. Once you have that picture the bark falling away from the tree.” Bark was raining around them. “Good job now picture the boards from the lines you cut laid out in a perfect line in the grass here.” The boards moved and lined themselves up with the ends hanging off the cliff a good deal. “Great job son!” Hunter praised him.

“That seems really easy to do.” Morgan blurted out.

“Well that was the easy part now we need to make a table. Morgan if you could grow another about six feet around and two and a half feet tall. Then just debark it and separate it from the stump.” Hunter instructed and she did what he asked but she did it five times knowing they were making five tables.

“She is a smart one.” Clover laughed.

Paulo watched as the little family gathered all the wood they would need for the tables. He whispered to Morgan that she would need strong vines to hold the table together and she got to work making those while Clover and Hunter showed Quinn how to cut the wood into a perfect circle.

Paulo went to get some sealant and lacquer from Hugh and while he was away Morgan had a thought. She grew another base like she had the table trunks but she made these wider around. She concentrated on the base and imagined circular cuts about two inches thick. When she made the cuts she then made a perfect hole down the middle and laid out the pieces. She then went to each trunk and made a hole in the middle. She held the small but strong vines to the base and urged them to wrap around the bottom in a circular patter so the ends would meet in the middle. She then placed a hand on one of the bases and urged it over the base. She did the same looping pattern through the hole and had the ends lengthen. Now she just needed the boards Quinn was working on.

She turned to get some boards and the three of them were staring at her with an open mouth and bug eyes. “What?” Morgan blushed.

“How did you know to do it like that? I was going to get nails and stuff.” Hunter asked.

“Oh umm Paulo told me to make good strong vines and well I just thought this is what I was supposed to do with them.” She shrugged as Paulo walked back into the clearing with the sealant and lacquer. He looked around and saw what Morgan had done.

“Well done. I was going to use the vines to hold the boards together on top but I love what you have done there. It looks very rustic and elegant at the same time.” Paulo looked to Hunter and Clover and saw the look of surprise on their faces. “Uh oh is this not what you had planned?”

“No it isn’t but I absolutely love what she has done and I think it works much better than what Hunter had planned. Here honey these are the planks we have for one table. Show me what you had planned and then we will copy your idea.” Clover answered as she was completely amazed at the new member to her family.

“Ok” Morgan smiled at her and placed the middle board on first. She made a small hole and fed the vines through it. “Can you hold the next two up please?” Morgan asked and Clover held them in place for her. They worked together and when the first table was done Clover let out a whistle. The vines were flat and mesh with the table but Morgan had made the vines create fifteen different place settings and then all the vines met back in the middle with a Celtic knot over the hole creating a flat surface.

“That is beautiful!” Clover beamed

With the four of them working together and two to a table they had them all done in an hour. Paulo was working on all the finished ones painting the sealant on. When the last table was done they each grabbed a brush and applied the sealant. It would need to dry for a while in the sun so they all went inside for breakfast when they were done.

Chapter 13

Protective

Max and Laura had also woken up early that morning and wanted to get to know their daughter a bit more. They also wanted to get to know Cara and Brice as well as Donny. Laura went to wake Cara and Brice while Max woke Alex and Donny. They all met around the fireplace on the main floor. Alex snuck into the kitchen while Mary was just walking in the door to start her morning routine. Alex greeted her and asked where the coffee and hot cocoa was. Mary told her that she would make some and bring it out when it was ready.

Alex picked her favorite chair around the fire pit and her and Donny snuggled into it still a bit sleepy. They were usually close to the last to wake each morning and weren’t used to being up an hour earlier than normal. Max and Laura sat next to them and since the area was a circle they could still look at their daughter. Cara and Brice sat opposite them on the other side of the young couple.

They quietly chatted as they waited for the drinks. It was mostly the normal good morning chatter and how everyone slept. Mary brought the coffee and cocoa out when it was ready and after a few sips the conversation picked up.

“So Donny you preformed in a small circus and that is how you two met?” Max asked

“Yes I did. You see the last ones of us that were born all have one of Marsali’s abilities. She told us that as each of us was born she lost the ability and it went to us. Mine is the ability to control and create fire even before when I was human. We weren’t sure why I was able to until recently but at the time it was a way for us to move a lot and make money. Alex felt my Pull but she was blocking hers. She let it slip for a moment and I faltered in my act. My mother was there that night and she felt it too for a moment. As soon as I was done she pulled me home and we moved a couple days later.”

“You didn’t realize she was your soul mate from that little bit?” Laura asked confusion tilting her brows.

“Well no at the time Mom told me only she and I had the Pull feeling because we were mother and son.” Donny explained and the couple gave Cara a curious look.

“I knew we were being hunted and I was trying to protect him. I realize how wrong I was now.” Cara explained, guilt blushing her cheeks.

“No, we understand that, we do.” Laura insisted

“Well when the team came to get me I didn’t know anything and then they started to explain things and it clicked. We immediately flew to England to find her. For a while I felt nothing at all and then BAM it was there.” Donny told them.

“I know you guys don’t want to hear about it but he would have never found me if I wasn’t unconscious that day. After I had a run in with three half-bloods I never let the block down. I didn’t even realize I could do it until that day either. So if my step dad never beat me that day causing me to drop the block, I would be dead. Donny really did save me.” Alex mused.

“I am so glad things worked out the way they did. Although I don’t like the circumstances I am glad you found one another and we are all here.” Max agreed.

“I can stretch the block now. With the help of Zach or Zoe I can block up to ten people for a good eight hours. We practiced every day for a week but when everyone went out I wasn’t really needed. I was bummed because I wanted to help but I will soon.” Alex smiled.

“What do you mean you will soon?” Laura asked a little horrified at the thought of her daughter being in danger willingly.

“Mom, Aldrich is coming for us. He can’t harm us in the border anymore but haven’t you had enough? I mean you heard all the stories last night. We are all in this together so we are all going to fight together. Sitting back and letting others get hurt is not right.” Alex insisted.

“You will not be in any fight young lady.” Max hollered.

“Oh yes I will and sorry but you can’t stop me. I understand you were held prisoner and that is why you didn’t raise me but this war. This fight, it is all of ours. It’s going to come down to him or us. We have taken precautions and have trained for months. You can’t stop this.” Alex explained getting completely frustrated.

“I think I will be having a talk with this King and Queen of ours. I don’t like you kids fighting. You are just kids.” Max tried to plead his wishes.

Alex got mad at what her father was saying so she stood and went to the kitchen. Needing to do something besides sit there and listen to her father. She grabbed some toast and a banana then went down to the training room. Donny followed behind her grabbing toast and an apple. They didn’t come back into the house after.

Max and Laura sat at the table with Cara and Brice waiting for everyone. Max was stewing and going over everything that he wanted to say in his head. Soon everyone woke and made their way to the table for breakfast. Max watched and thought while he ate his meal. As soon as he noticed everyone starting to finish their meal he stood grabbing the attention of everyone in the room.

“You are making the kids fight?” Max boomed.

Kaiden looked up at him and Zach was the one that felt the emotion rolling off him. Zach stood too and answered Max. “We do not require any of you to fight in this. That is her choice and her choice alone. All of us have our reasons to stop Aldrich and his sons. As much as we love it here we would also like to visit other places once in a while. My mate Halina and my twin sister are both pregnant. You think I want them to fight? Shit you think my father wants them to fight? You try and stop them because Marsali knows we already tried to.” Zach boomed out at the table.

“How about today at training you spar with your daughter. See if you can take her down. Shit spar with all the females. If they don’t prove to you they can hold their own then I don’t know what to tell you. Nothing we can say is going to change the protective Daddy instinct you have. But these women will prove you wrong and they have more to fight for than us. It is the future they are fighting for. Their future children, their future life and their future happiness! They have all the reasons in the world to stop him.” Zach yelled as he fed off the emotions Max was leaking out.

“Look Aldrich is my father. Alex was beaten by the one who raised her for a short while. She lived with a monster, a real Jekyll and Hyde, so she more than some of us knows the true meaning of torture. Most females would need years of counseling and therapy to get over the things she endured. Does she seem like a weak female to you? That girl has more cause than some of us in her.” Vivi explained calmly trying to diffuse the yelling that was about to ruin everyone’s day.

“When we found your daughter she was on the brink of death. He had done so much damage to her insides that even if her adoptive mother had come home at that moment and took her to a hospital she would have died. There was no hope for that child in the human hospital. We brought her back and when she opened her eyes a light was there. She welcomed this life with open arms. You should be proud that she has fight left in her after what was done to her. Most women would have hid from any kind of fight. Do you know it was her idea to form teams to go get the rest of these kids? The map worked in our favor however and we didn’t want to put the child at risk when the teams were formed. However, be proud of her and encourage her. What she doesn’t need is another controlling man in her life. She does not need a repeat of the other man that abused her and tried to control her decisions.” Alexi explained.

“They are right Max. If you go all protective on her now you will only push her away more. We have to let her be a woman now. She is not the little girl we left behind. She is a Dragon now and has her mate. She doesn’t need us to be the protective parents. She needs us to be encouraging ones, parents that allow her to make mistakes and learn from them. We need to teach her what we know stuff that maybe she doesn’t know yet. She got up and walked away because you made her mad so let’s get out there and see what she can do?” Laura said as she stood to go outside pausing to wait for her mate.

In the training room Alex was letting her frustration and anger out on Mateo. She had already taken out Donny and he was sitting watching her as he was slumped over exhausted. Max had followed Laura out and they both stood in the doorway watching their daughter. They knew Mateo was a human but he was different and they were unsure why. They watched as Mateo had two wooden sticks in his hands and so did Alex. The way they moved was like a dance, all fluid movements. The sticks were like an extension of their arms. It was a beautiful thing to watch.

Max walked over and asked if he could step in. Mateo said they would have to leave the sticks out if he was going to spar with her. Max agreed and he and his daughter stood face to face bare handed. Max swung and Alex ducked snagging his outstretch fist turning into him she flung his body on the mat. He grabbed her ankle and pulled her down but she managed to catch herself with her palms flat on the mat and pushed herself back up. Her father noticed and moved up into a crouching position. He went to lunge at her legs and she danced away from his grip. Max rolled and stood back up a little stunned he was surprised at her ability.

Max then lunged again with arms outstretched and Alex grabbed him again by one wrist flinging him down to the mat and put him in an arm bar. He tapped out and crawled over to where Donny sat completely spent.

“Don’t try to control what she does man, that only pisses her off. And then I have to pay the price of her anger. She is strong and has a strong will. Just be here for her when she needs.” Donny whispered to Max

“I think I understand that more now than I did before. I am sorry for that.” Max said aloud so Alex would hear his apology. He knew she heard by the slight nod she gave him as she took her place in front of Mateo once again.