Lost Ones (The Extinct Race Series Book 3) (11 page)

Chapter 19

Cursed lives we live

Once they all got back to the jet Kaiden led Oliver to the on board shower and gave him a change of clothes and some shoes while everyone else loaded the supplies back into the plane. After a while Oliver came out of the bathroom and sat in the first seat he saw. Finley decided she was going to give him his distance so she sat in the middle of the jet. Emery and Kendal sat opposite her and the monkeys shared the seat right next to Finley.

“I have refueled here, but it will only get us to Ireland where I will have to refuel again. I just need to know if I am stopping at home or an airport.” Kevin asked

“Well that is up to Emery and Kendal if they are staying on or not.” Kaiden said

“And that is up to Finley.” Emery responded looking to Finley for an answer. Finley just stared at Oliver.

“Oliver would you like to come with us to get the other two or would you like to be dropped off at home?” Zoe asked

“I think I would like to see these other two, so I would like to come.” Oliver said

“Then we have our answer, head to the farthest airport you can. Then Africa or Afghanistan, which one is first?” Kaiden asked

“I think I will head to Africa first since it is about the same distance, then hop to Afghanistan then home again. So if the others are as quick to find as Oliver, then we should be home in a few days. Also, could one of you help me fly? I will set the course and put it on auto pilot, but I also need to catch some sleep and need someone just to watch the sky.” Kevin asked

“Of course, I slept most of the way here and still wide awake. So get us in the sky and I will watch out for you.” Kendal told him.

Everyone got comfortable as they buckled in and Kevin got them in the air. Finley and Oliver sat there staring at each other and John and Tia watched in amusement. Kaiden and Zoe weren’t sure what to think, they both were a little worried that the boy would in fact deny Finley and what he was.

An hour into the flight Kendal got up, grabbed some food and a book, and headed to the cockpit of the jet. Finley got up and grabbed some food and took it to Oliver. She then sat across from him and the monkeys hopped over three seats to sit by them and snag the food they had on their plates.

“I know you want to stay away from me, but I want to know the reason. I am not dying so what the hell?” Finley snapped a little irritated.

“If I love you, you will die. I am cursed.” Oliver replied

“You are no more cursed than half the people at home. So that is no damn excuse. You want to know how cursed I am? Well I will tell you. I got mad at my parents and went for a walk. They had just told me what I am and I wanted to act like a spoiled brat, so I ran out of the house. I thought they followed me, but it was really some half-bloods. They followed me home and then when I went to school the next day they killed my Maman and Papa. They would have killed me too if it wasn’t for a Fury Dragon that showed up at my school. I followed her and then saw my house on fire. I ran to the ocean and swan to my parent’s island. I spent the night knowing I killed them. I led the bad guys right to the people I love most. In one damn day I lost everything.” Finley yelled at Oliver getting madder and more emotional.

“Then if you think that is not bad enough, my parents watched as their whole Sect was killed. Some got away and some didn’t. They had to hide on an island for years. When they had me they knew they couldn’t raise me on a small island. So they gave me to a doctor and his wife to raise. Yes I still got to see them, but they didn’t get to raise me everyday like a mother and father should.” Finley was yelling without realizing it. Oliver just watched and listened with a blank look on his face, which fueled her fire even more.

“Then there are the others. God I have never heard so many bad stories in my life. They all accepted their mates. But you, your parents might be dead, but you don’t know for sure. So because they disappeared you are going to deny me? The one damn person who can turn you into the Dragon that is asleep inside you! I don’t even know you and I feel in love with you. How the hell can you deny that?” she screamed at him.

Tia got up and walked over to Finley and Oliver. She was also mad that this boy was denying his soul mate. “You wanna know what true torture is? Try being twelve and tied up in the back of a truck being raped and beat every day. Then being tossed out into a desert knowing that the man that just raped you and beat you is going to kill you next. Or, how about being left on a oil rig as a brand new baby in your parents ashes? We have all had bad things happen to us Oliver. Shit your life has been pretty damn good compared to the rest of us. So stop spitting that cursed shit and accept the life you were born into.” Tia yelled

Oliver stood then and turned to Tia. “I am sorry that was the hand you were dealt.” He then turned to Finley bent to grab her hands and pulled her up. He then moved his hands to the side of her face and pulled her into a kiss.

“Two hard headed people are going to make this a very difficult relationship. But girl if you show that much passion because I said something wrong, then this is going to be one hell of make-up.” Oliver told her in between kisses.

“Jerk!” Finley snapped before his lips met hers again.

Tia punched him in the arm, smiled, and then walked back to her seat. The rest of the flight went on with Finley and Oliver sitting next to each other talking quietly. Tia and John eventually joined them in the seat across from them. The four of them were closest in age and Tia was sort of hoping that Finley and Oliver would do the deed and be a teenager forever with her.

John and Oliver seemed to have a similar personality and liked the same things. Tia and Finley, although close in age, were two polar opposites. But they got along great and Tia was learning that she loved to shop.

Finley told Oliver about the suite they had and the rest of the house. She told him about the babies and all about Vivi and Ada’s fights. Oliver got a kick out of that little bit of information. Finley knew right away that this boy was going to keep her on her toes.

Oliver was nineteen and had been alone in the jungle for seven years. He bonded with the monkeys about a year into being alone. Apparently he had found them as babies and helped keep them alive after a larger animal attacked their mother. Since then they have showed him how to find fruit and that is what he has been mainly living on. He knows how to hunt by making make shift weapons and when Finley told him about the training, he had gotten really excited.

Oliver had told Finley that she could decorate however she wanted he just required a comfortable bed and a large TV. He had spent so much time in the jungle he missed a bed the most.Finley told him about the fealty thing, but since they weren’t stopping within the border, that he could wait and say it with the others.

After about six hours of talking and another meal they were all asleep and Kendal was walking back out. He sat next to Emery and she just smiled at him. “It’s going to get loud in the house with those two.” She whispered to Kendal and then snuggled into his side. The team was passed out shortly after. No one woke up when Kevin landed, fueled up, and took back off with the nose pointed to Africa.

Chapter 20

Africa Bound

The flight from Ireland to Algeria, where the dot was located, only took about two hours. Everyone was still asleep when Kevin landed so he decided to catch another nap while he had time. He also wanted to go out on this adventure too. So a nap was in order.

Kaiden woke up to a silent plane. He knew they had landed and suspected that Kevin did not wake them because he wanted to come on this search too. Kaiden knew that this is going to be one of the hardest searches. They only had a dot in a general location, but this time there was no soul mate to lead them. Kaiden sat for a while and reflected on how they have found the last ones born. Tia and John had come across Mateo, who was linked through Gabe. Gabe was linked through Justine, who was linked to his Zoe. Ben was with his parents, who knew the legend of Ireland and had gone there first. Donny was easy to find because he was in the lime light. He had come across Alex at a show in England and once he realized this he led them right to her. The dot helped find Oliver, but really it was Finley following the Pull.

They had all basically just showed up and now they were on a search that he hoped wouldn’t take more than a day or two. He was not going to let this bring him down. He was going to have a positive outlook. He decided to let everyone sleep and started to make a meal for everyone. He wasn’t sure of the time but it was either dawn or sunrise, he just couldn’t see the sun position from the small windows.

After he had made sandwiches for everyone he got up and walked quietly to the back and took a shower. He changed into cargo pants and put the hiking boots back on. He also put on a loose cotton t-shirt packing the same into his backpack with a light jacket. When he walked back out of the small bathroom everyone was awake and eating the sandwiches he had made. He took a seat next to Zoe and grabbed a sandwich.

“I got shower next” Zoe muffled out around a mouth full of sandwich.

“I got after Zoe” Justine announced

“How about we let the ladies first then the men?” Gabe asked

“Sounds good to me you think we will see lions and stuff?” Finley asked

“Marty and Sue will make a stink if they are near. I saw tigers and the like in the jungle, but they always stayed clear of me. Like they knew I was more dangerous than them.” Oliver informed everyone.

“Well that is good to know, although I would love to hug a lion like that one guy on the internet.” Finley laughed

“Yeah I hope they stay away. I don’t feel like hugging lions or anything that could eat me.” Justine told Finley

“Agreed!” Kendal stated, looking right at Finley.

Once they were done eating and showered they opened the hatch and loaded the cart with supplies again. Kaiden woke Kevin as the last of the supplies was loaded. They waited while he took a shower and got dressed. Kevin grabbed his sandwich and locked up the jet. He stuffed his water in a side pocket of his cargo pants and they began to walk. Kaiden held a map and they had held it over the original map to get a proper placement of the dot. After the dot was copied they blew up a map of Algeria and then copied the dot again.

Kevin had gotten them as close as he could to the dot, but he was still hours out. The small airport that they landed at also had no rental jeeps or anything so they were going to have to rough it and walk.

Kevin had landed in the southern region of Algeria, but mostly in the middle, which was sand. Lots and lots of sand, but it was the most hidden airport Kevin was able to find. The dot was located in the northern most region of the southern mountains and off to the east a bit. They had landed to the west. Kevin estimated that it was about a five hour hike.

They walked for three hours and stopped for a while to drink some water. It wasn’t as hot as they expected, but the sand was getting in everyone’s mouth and nose making thirst a priority. Some also had an energy bar with their water. They sat and talked for about thirty minutes before getting back to walking. An hour later they felt a slight Pull.

They followed the Pull for another hour as it got stronger and stronger. As they walked the terrain got more and more rocky, with cliffs looming over them. The team became quiet as they walked over the rocks looking for a sign.

The sign came when they passed through a rock formation and came face to face with an arrow. There was a man standing there with an arrow pointed right at John’s face, since he was the one in the lead.

“Dude, point that down or I will take it from you!” John growled out.

“Who are you?” the man asked.

“Get that shit off my man and we will talk!” Tia snapped. The man made no move to lower the arrow and Tia was losing her patience. Before anyone could do anything Tia ran forward and plucked the arrow out of the bow and then stood at John’s side a heartbeat later.

“Holy Hell Babe! I think you just found your ability!” John said excited.

“What are you talking about?” Tia snapped

“Uh babe you were at the back of the line, you told him to lower the arrow again, I blinked and now you are at my side. I never saw you move.” John laughed

“Cool!” she smiled and then looked back to the man. “How old are you?”

“Twenty, I think” the man replied

“Do you know what we are?” Kaiden asked

“Have no damn clue, but there is a funny feeling that pulled me to you.”

“May we sit at talk to you? We are not here to hurt you. Actually we are here to ask you to come with us.” Zoe said

“My cave is close, you may follow me. You will have to carry that cart though.” He led them up the rocks a bit and the mouth to his cave was hidden. It was not a large cave, but it fit them all with a little room left over. There was a straw bed to one side of the cave and a pile of clothing on the other side. There was nothing else of significance in the cave. Nothing that said this man lived here permanently. They all took a seat on the floor and faced the man.

“My name is Kaiden and well I would like to ask you a couple questions first. What is your name?”

“Quinn, I am twenty and have lived in this desert my whole life.”

“Quinn, it is nice to meet you. I am going to tell you something that might make you think I am crazy, but it’s true. But before I tell you what that is, I need to tell you a story.” Kaiden went on and told him about Aldrich, but left out the Dragon part. “Do you see our eyes, the different color flecks in them?”

“Yes I do. I know that I have similar and that they are green. I don’t look in a mirror much, but I know. I also know I can run very fast and see far away. I know I am different. I am assuming you are as different as me?” Quinn asked.

“We are.” Zoe smiled

“Can you tell if someone is sick too?” Quinn asked

“Uh no, I play the guitar and my songs speak to people and tell them the answer to my questions. Tia here, well we just found out she has like super speed. Oliver we just met, like you and he goes invisible. Finley controls the weather. At home there are more who do special things.” Zoe replied

“Why are you guys like in pairs? Obviously you and Kaiden are together.” Quinn asked

“Good question. First I will tell you that we are a special race made from magic. The one who made us was the Original. She made a choice and picked a group of people to change with a spell. She made the spell from everything that she did not have in her life. So the spell was made out of love. In this spell she made sure that all of us would have a soul mate. That there was one person that was made just for us, we know where your soul mate is and we are going to get her as soon as we are done.” Kaiden replied

“Wow, so what are we?” Quinn asked

“Dragons” John announced

“Sweet, but well, I am sort of scared. I mean I have always lived here. I don’t have anything to offer a woman. You are the first people I have spoken to in about fifteen years. A family found me as a baby and I ran away when I was five. Since then I have been here.”

“I was living in the jungle in Brazil for the last seven years. I can see now that I was actually lucky to have my parents for the first twelve years. Finley has told me about Ireland and the home there. Since we are the last born, we have a suite in the house. I have always known what I was, but well I thought I was cursed because of my parents. I know that is not true now. So don’t worry about what you can give her man, just give her yourself. Apparently everything they could ever want is already at the house.” Oliver told Quinn

“I think I can do that. I know living everyday in this cave sucks and I only eat what I can kill. So when do we leave?”

“Well we walked for about five hours to get to you. How dangerous is it to walk back now?” Kaiden asked

“The bigger animals keep clear of me so I am assuming they will leave you alone too. But could maybe we eat first? I haven’t had meat for a week and the smell of what you brought is making my stomach cramp.” Quinn asked

“Of course” Kaiden responded as he reached into the cart and pulled out the food and water.