Man, I Feel Like a Woman Ch. 07

Thank you for reading Chapter Six and the honest opinion in your minds and aloud.

Just letting you know that I haven't thought of this story for YEARS and when I suddenly come back to it, I totally forgot where it was leading to.

I hope the plot line I'm thinking of now suits you guys.

Happy reading!

*****

I didn't know what to expect as I walk down the hall next to Quinn with Sebastian and Mr. Cain, which I find out from Quinn, his name is Alex. The nerves were fighting inside me because I only known my dad for however long but last thing I want to do is disappoint him or anger him.

I focus my thought to Quinn instead. He and the other two are always dressed in their uniforms every time I saw them. Black fitted dress pants, black combat boots, black long sleeve button shirt, black leather gloves, black tie and black cape completed with a hood that up The only difference between them is that Quinn has a dark maroon vest, Sebastian a dark blue and Alex a dark gary. But the stone holding their cape together is still red and blue.

"Is there a significant reason why you guys have different colors?" I ask Quinn, quietly.

"Rank," Quinn replies. "It tells the people who is who."

"But I don't know," I reply with a little concern. If everyone knows who is who, I am way behind.

Quinn grabs my hand and squeezes it. "Don't worry, you will study on your history if you don't feel like training your powers. As a leader, I would like you to learn everything. But as your partner, I must encourage and support."

I smile at him. "I like that."

Sebastian and Alex walks faster and ended up in front of us. Then next thing, we ended up at the meeting door. Our house people open up both doors, Sebastian and Alex walks in before Quinn and I do.

The walls a cherry wood with a clear sheen to it. It was a cozy size with a round table and high chairs in the middle of the room. The carpet ended up being a deep purple and our family crest was on one of the walls in gold.

The crest is a Fleur-de-lis with spread angel wings, a crown above complete with a circle surrounding everything. Based on what my dad told me, my ancient grandpa loves the fleur-de-lis but with the angel wings, it represents Heaven, the crown in royalty, and the circle meaning the never ending love and bond in our family.

Other that than, the room also has beverages and finger food on the side on one of the tables. I doubt we'll ever touch it during this meeting.

My dad and my brothers shot up from their seats and bow their head, a little surprised to see me there.

Quinn raised his hand from his side, "You three may be seated." Once my family sat down, Quinn raised his hands to remove his hood and the other two follow. "I call this meeting to begin," Quinn said before he took a seat. He looks at me and nods his head to tell me to sit down and I did...next to him.

"We decided to prefer a meeting like this with all family members," Alex stated. "Instead of passing on the news to your kids, Aaron, we would like them to hear it as well. Since they will be leading their army for battle."

"I hope not too soon," Aaron says, looking at me.

"Only time will tell," Alex lays back on his chair.

"We also prefer their second-in-command will attend the meeting once the role has been assigned," Sebastian said. "Agreed?" He looks at Sharp, Ethan and I.

I nodded along with my brothers.

"I would like to start with the progress of the three," Quinn said. "Alex, you may start."

"The observation I have for Ethan is kind exquisite on the relationship he has built with the sharks that is provided with him in his room. But when I flashed him to a different location with brand new species to develop a bond, he has failed. Ethan prefers the comfort than something beyond his limit. I recommend a new environment with his training and the bond with the water animals will be on his own time. As for leadership skills, observation, listening and value are shown, not much aggressiveness."

Ethan hung his head low. He just got roasted in a very polite way.

Quinn indicates that Sebastian will call his report for Sharp.

"Misdemeanor should be written as his middle name, not much of rules and regulations. Sharp uses aggression to draw power from within and build strength the longer he uses it. Quick reflexes as well in hand to hand combat, thanks to his experience. As a solo fighter, he is well but when I placed him on a teamwork environment, he struggled. He states he only trusted his gang from Earth and not so much new people. I believe his instincts are extraordinary because we played a game and he found the betrayer quickly. As a leader, he needs to let the people speak before he acts."

Sharp clenched his jaw and bowed his head.

Oh gosh, my report from Quinn is coming. My hands were on my lap and they were gripping on each other for life. I feel the sweat coming from my armpits and my back based on all the blaring sirens coming out of my body.

"For Elizabeth, her progression is a little slow," Quinn said. "I understand that she is fairly new but I expected a little more than a spark and a little shake. She knows less of history because of the hours of training herself. She is draining her power if not ever stop to take a break. Draining slows her body down to learn new things and I don't want this family to be at risk when not even one is ready. No leadership skills for Elizabeth yet." Quinn pinches the bridge of his nose. "Aaron, what are your suggestions? Rebecca wants to know your status before she decides to take a stand to overpower you."

Aaron scoffed. "Please their mother doesn't know the difference between a carrot and a dildo. I rather die than give her the title."

Aaron shook his head, I feel the stress raising from him. "Aaron, she wants a duel. The sooner she finds out that Elizabeth is the weak link to this family, the more chance you will lose the battle and your daughter will get hurt."

"My daughter will not do anything," Aaron said, sternly. "She is innocent. I will not let her mother ruin the purity in her head."

Aaron sighs, looking at the ceiling.

"Then what do you want to do Aaron? We are out of options." Quinn places his hand on the desk. "We either let her take the title for now until your family has strengthen." Quinn moves his hand to the right side. "Let your kids drain their powers while training and there will be a fifty-fifty chance they will win." He moves his hand again. "Or, we put them in battle right now."

"There should be something other than humiliation to the family and risking my kids' lives," Aaron throws his hands up in the air.

"There is," Quinn said. "Sebastian and Elizabeth has been talking and came to me with a proposition. It doesn't involve in any humiliation or risk."

"What will that be?" Sharp ask before dad did.

Quinn looks at me. "Would you like to tell them or shall I?"

I look at my family's faces. Sharp has a determine-to-find-out look, Ethan is quiet but looking between all of us thoroughly while my dad looks nervous as well.

I gulp. "I decided to marry...with Quinn."

Ethan let out a small gasp while Sharp looks at me in shock.

"Why?" my dad asks loudly.

I swallowed air and held my head up high. "As a future leader, I declare a decision I make for my own for our family. With Quinn as the highest rank of The Order, I ask why not?"

Aaron looks at Quinn, pointing at him. "You agreed?"

"She came straight to me, Aaron," Quinn said. "I simply thought, better this or your ex-wife running the show?"

Aaron shook his head. "I am not letting my daughter simply take one for the team. I cannot allow that."

"I am simply twenty-one," I object him, standing up. "If I do this, our mother will simply be distracted by the gossip instead of thinking about building up power. While this is going on, we have time to train," I tell him, gesturing to my brothers and I. "My decision is final."

Aaron stares at me for a while before Sharp breaks the silence.

"I'm with the idea," my big brother said, looking at me. "Like let's say they want to change Quinn's mind, they would try their best to influence him while we gain the power. The proposal is the key to their distraction."

Ethan leans forward and place his elbows on the table. "Let me play devil's advocate. Let's say they decided that they can't influence Quinn, so they try go after Elizabeth. Then what next? She just started training, they are bound to know she is the weakest link."

"I would never leave her side," Quinn sneered.

Ethan raise his eyebrow and asks Quinn in a challenging tone, "But what if you do?"

Quinn clenched his jaw, "I would take her with me. I can get the best security guards for her if I leave her side."

"At times when she isn't with Quinn making wedding plans, we can train together," Sharp looks at Ethan. "Get it?"

Aaron shakes his head. "I don't."

Sharp scoffs. "I read this book in the study that there is a family, loyal to each other. They are loyal and supportive that they became one of the most powerful families."

"It's a myth," Alex said. "No family has ever achieved a high level except the beginning times."

"A myth can be proven a fact," Sharp said. "Look, I work better as a group. There's no one to trust except family. J'avo was my family until I came here. It changes." He looks at me. "So count me in on your support team."

Ethan nods. "Well, what the hell? Count me in as well."

All of us turned to Aaron.

"Dad?" I ask, looking at him.

Aaron scowls at the table before speaking. "You made the decision already, princess." He looks at me. "I just wished you pull the suggestion with me, but I'll go with it."

I smile at him.

"But this doesn't mean that we won't beat you up, Quinn," Sharp says. "Hurt our sister, we hurt you."

Quinn gives a small smile. "Okay, I'll let you have that."

"Any other issues?" Aaron asks.

"There is some suspicious activity in Hell," Sebastian states. "As far as I know, their Princes and Princess is not in the lovely castle but out in the real world."

Everyone is the room, except me, groaned.

"What's wrong?" I ask, not knowing a clue.

"The princes and princess of Hell is the Seven Deadly Sins, sweetie," Quinn squeezes my hand. "We have nothing to worry about until they start making chaos. We usually would send out our regular guards to stop them before things get messy."

"Another fucking war," Alex grunts. "This time I would like to kill them all and let me keep their souls for my safe keeping."

"Keep their souls?" I ask, carefully.

Quinn kisses my cheek, "A conversation I will have with you later." Quinn turns to my dad. "Now to improve your mood, I heard Rebecca is in need of a husband. She technically tried the clubs where our guardian angels go out."

Aaron rolls his eyes and smiles. "Hasn't she figured it out, she looks twenty-five but that doesn't mean our society thinks she is."

After the meeting, Quinn told me to meet him at the study in two hours, stating that the meeting tired him out and would need a nap. So while he is asleep, I'm sitting in my room, deciding what to read from the bookcase in my room.

I really liked my room. It was Mediterranean designed, completed with a big bed, high ceiling with a ceiling fan, one side of the wall are windows, across my bed is the bookcase with a loveseat that I can curl up with a book and the other wall is the door. The wall where the bookcase is, one side of it has the bathroom door with the same style and the other side of the bookcase, a door leads to my closet.

I never had a big room. It's usually big enough for a drawer, a bed and a small bookcase. The bathroom with be in the hallway. The design though, it's not really me style.

As I look through the books, I see titles that consists of vampire, werewolves and witches. I have no idea if those were fiction, or real. I past the picture of Matt, Vic and I. I frowned. If they're my best friends, is there any way to contact them?

I turn and walk out of my door and went down the hall to my dad's room.

"Come in," I hear him say.

I walked in. "Dad, is there any way I can contact Matt and Vic?" I ask.

"Why?" he asks, the indent between his eyebrows states he's concerned.

I shrug. "I grew up with them. I want to know if they're doing okay or not."

Aaron sighs. "There's a spell in the book that you can communicate with them. You sure you can handle it?"

I nod. "With perseverance."

He smiles. "Okay, you can go to the spell room."

I smile and got out of the room. The spell room is at the tower, so I had to turn to the hidden door not far from my dad's room and climb the staircase up. I would flash, but I didn't know how.

At the end of the tower, I meant a stone wall. I would think as a dead end but I simply place my hand on the wall and the black door revealed. Going inside, the spellbook is right in the middle of a protection circle and on the sides, we have the ingredients to make a spell. Crystals, herbs, unwanted animal parts, etc.

The spellbook was bound in black leather with our crest. "Communication spells," I tell the book. It opened itself and the pages turned quickly and comes to a stop.

I look through it and nod. No aid of the shelves on the side, I needed my concentration. I close my eyes, breathe evenly. In, out, in, out, in out. I started to picture that they were in front of me.

Their tall figure and well-built form. Matt's brown hair, vivid green eyes, the crooked smile he gives whenever he wants to, the sharp jaw-line that never goes out of shape.

Then Victor, black spiky hair with the matching green eyes. When he smiles, the dimples on both sides show. He had braces when we were fourteen so his teeth were straight.

When they both come in the clear picture for me, we were surrounded in a park with no people around it. They looked around in confusion and their eyes landed on me.

"Z?" Vic said.

I smile and wave. "Hey."

They both went forward and hug me.

"It's been weeks," Matt said, looking at me with concern. "How you been? Training is hard on you?"

I shrug. "Nothing I can't handle."

"Sure you can handle anything, you tried the hardest communication spell," Vic smiles. "Did you use a crystal?"

I shook my head.

"See a natural," he bumps into my shoulder. "Let's sit," he points to the bench that's big enough.

Once we sat down, I ask how were they.

"Well, no luck finding our baby brother yet," Vic says. "But we're still looking. Right now, we're sleeping before you called us. Daniel is our tracker, technically we found out Ash, has been bouncing foster home to foster home. We just started in our fifth one. Our parents are getting a little frustrated but they're holding it together. For Matt, he's a little frustrated on finding some vagina, you know what I'm saying? He is like sexually frustrated."

I raised both of my eyebrows in surprise. "Good to know."

"He's just bullshitting you, Z," Matt said. "Besides, he's the one sexually frustrated. But enough about us, how about you?" Matt looks into my eyes. "You seem a little tired and bothered. What's wrong?"

"Family rank," I tell him. "My mother's side is wanting power and my brothers and I are not ready to battle, per se, against them. So I decided to do another way, but you cannot say this to your family. We never made the announcement yet."

"What announcement?" Matt asks.

"I'm getting married," I tell him.

Vic turned me around. "Wait, to who?" He glares.

"Um, to Quinn Carson," I tell him.

"The bloodbender?" Vic shouted at me.

I pulled away. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong," Matt said, patting my shoulder. "I think you made a right decision."

"Hell no," Vic muttered.

"Dude," Matt slaps his shoulder. "Shut up, she's taking one for the team."

Vic scoffs and gets off the bench. "Slutting herself isn't taking one for the team."

"Hey," I stood up and poke his chest. "Don't you ever say that to me."

Vic rolls his eyes. "Just because you get rejected twice, doesn't mean you go for desperate measures, Z. You seduced the leader."

I pushed him and Matt came in between us. "Knock it off," Matt scolded, looking at both of us. "Cut it out, Vic. Everyone fucking does it."

"Fuck both of you, I'm out," Vic said before disappearing.

Matt turns to me and hugs me. "Hey, I'm sorry about his behavior. He didn't mean it."

My heart felt like it was cut a billion times. "Matt, he did mean it," I sniffed. "He meant every word."

Matt pulls away. "Don't listen to him, okay? He's an asshole, always been to you. Leads you on when he knew you had a crush on him. He rejected you because he rather let you do things for him for his approval. He's a dick for even judging you without letting you explain. That's Victor for you."

I teared and Matt wipes it away.

"Please don't stop contacting me," Matt said. "I'm glad you reached out."

I nod. "I missed you guys. But after what Vic did, I miss you. You're smart and comforting. My brothers are one thing, but they never grew up with me."

Matt smiles, "Well you're well taken care of. So if you need someone to talk to, you know how to reach me."

I nod. "Is it okay if I ask for a man of honor?"

He chuckles. "Do that, let me know if Quinn approves."

I smile at him. "Will do."

Matt hugs me again. "Well, I gotta go. I feel like morning is coming. But don't worry," he pulls away. "Vic will not walk away unpunished." He winks.

Then he's gone.

I wipe the tears off my face and closed my eyes. I imagine being back in the spell room, remembering every detail.

I opened my eyes to find a pair of blue eyes looking at me.

"You're awake," Quinn says.

I blink. "Am I still in the spell room?"

He nods. "When you didn't appear at the study, I thought that you forgot so I went to your room. When I was about to knock on your door, your father said you're still up at the spell room."

I realized I was laying down as I felt the hard ground. "I fell?"

Quinn shakes his head. "When you do a spell, the power gently lays you down if you're in your mind. I came up here and found that you did a communication spell. Nicely done." He smiles.

I blush. "Thanks. I was talking to Matt and Vic, I ended up fighting with Vic." Oh my gosh, why did I say that?

Quinn frowned. "Are you okay?"

I nod. "Verbal is all he could do, but I pushed him."

Quinn helps me up and hugs me. "I'm sorry."

I shook my head, tearing up again. "No, it's o-kay," I cracked.

"Any good things from your friends though?" Quinn asks, holding me tight.

"I'm asking if Matt can be my man-of-honor," I ask Quinn.

Quinn chuckles. "Anything you want in the wedding is yours."

"It's yours too," I tell him, pulling away. "Well, your second one," I shrug.

He smiles. "We'll compromise then."

I nod. "So do we still go to the study?"

He shook his head. "How about I take you to my home? Just for a couple of hours, I asked your father is it's okay and he agreed."

"Your house?" I ask, nervous.

He nods. "It would be yours as well. It's not the house I shared with my ex-wife because I was still staying at the training compound. But I would like to take you to see if it suits your taste, one hateful thing, I'll simply burn it."

I laugh and nod. "Okay, when do we leave?"

Quinn raise his eyebrow. "I'll just flash us there."

Spell room to the next.

We stood in the front lawn. I looked up to see a big gothic castle, it is like the scary ones in the video games where you would find zombies or vampires inside.

"Whoa," I said, gawking.

Quinn sighs. "I know it's a little scary but-"

"It's awesome," I tell him, looking at him. "It's a way for people to know your authority and to keep out."

Quinn nods. "Exactly."

"Does inside match?"