Fighting for Infinity (33 page)

My heart ached as if the nightmare from my previous life happened yesterday.

I told Rina, “During the massacre on the beach, I couldn’t stop my thoughts from worrying about you. The akin had assured me you would live by gifting my soul and yours with the vital energy of Meru’s stars. It’s all I could think about. Even as I slit my own throat, I was hoping your soul would stay attached to mine. That we’d travel to the Higher Realm together and I would be able to protect you.”

I turned to Nathaniel. “But Lexie, Dedrick’s mind reader, she heard my thoughts. She told Dedrick I was pregnant, but thankfully, not about the power Rina possessed. That was my first clue that not every Nefarioun was what they seemed.”

I rambled on as all of our kindrily listened.

“Dedrick’s healer kept me alive. I was restrained to a bed, not even let up to use the bathroom. Evelyn was my caretaker. For weeks, Dedrick watched us like a grimy, bloodthirsty vulture, but as he grew more lenient and allowed Evelyn alone time with me, I found out who she really was. She showed me the capabilities of her illusions. She told me about her mission to stop Dedrick, and how she hadn’t figured out a way to do that until I showed up carrying the answer who hadn’t yet been born.

Evelyn and I plotted endlessly. She told me Dedrick’s plan to use my daughter as a bargaining chip. He would torture her until I agreed t
o tell him the location of the starstone.” I touched Rina’s ghostly cheek and her energy warmed my fingertips. “He was oblivious that the star energy of Meru resided in Marina’s soul.

Every night Evelyn brought me the book, and I would write to you,” I explained to Rina. “Dedrick took you from me before it was time.” My throat tightened, remembering the horror of Dedrick cutting me open and taking Rina months ahead of schedule. “I was so distraught and broken, so worried you wouldn’t survive.” Tears filled my eyes. Rina turned into a prism of blurry colors. “He wouldn’t even let me see you.”

“But Evelyn did,” Rina said. “She told me the first time you looked into my eyes, you knew I had the ability to absorb other people’s powers.”

I nodded.

Rina glowed brighter. “She said you loved me so much. She knew you’d reveal the truth to Dedrick to stop him from hurting me. You would have told him that I was the starstone to prevent him from hurting me, but then he would have taken me away because I contained the power he needed.”

Tears spilled down my face. “Either way, no matter what I chose, I lost. And you suffered.”

Nathaniel squeezed my shoulders again.

I spun to face him. “I had to erase. I didn’t want to, but if I remembered, if I knew Dedrick had our daughter, I would have tried to save her as soon as I could. I ha
d a premonition of the future.” I cringed at the powerful foretelling of what would have happened if I hadn’t erased. “The older kindrily members helped us, but so many of us were too young. Rina was too young. Our powers weren’t strong enough yet. We didn’t have eighteen members. I wasn’t able to connect to anyone’s abilities.” I glanced around at my beloved kindrily. “Dedrick would have killed so many of us.” My hand trailed along Nathan’s strong jaw. “Including you. He would have won. He would have ended up with Rina. He would have shut down the energy portals to this world, and our fallen members wouldn’t have been able to return. You and I would have been separated forever.”

Nathaniel’s muscles tensed as he winced.

“So you devised an elaborate plan.” Rina melded her radiant hand over mine. “To stop Dedrick and allow all of us to be together again as a real family in the future.”

Nathaniel reached down, brushing his fingers over Rina’s light.

“Much too far in the future.” My heart ached at the thought of losing her all over again.

“It went by in the blink of an eye,” she said. “I’ll be back soon.”

“What if my body fails us again?”

“You’re as healthy as can be. Krista and I have made sure of that.”

Krista’s heartfelt grin told me she had forgiven me for my uncontrollable slug to her face. She had already healed herself.

“That day can’t arrive soon enough,” I told Rina. “You were incredibly brave, and I am so proud of you, more than words can express. Dedrick never stood a chance against you.”

“Against us,” she said.

“Against us.” I held Nathaniel’s hand and nodded at the rest of our kindrily. “All of us.”

Dakota moved forward, hovering supportively behind his soul mate. “You and Dakota will be a force to be reckoned with.”

Rina beamed. “Created from love.”

“More love than you can fathom.” I touched her cheek. “I have loved you for so very, very long.” She was the daughter I had prayed for each and every lifetime. “Thank you for choosing me.”

“We chose each other.”

After wiping away my tears, I touched her ethereal light one more time. “Go, so you can hurry back. The stars are waiting for you.”

Carson stepped forward. “I hate to break up the warm and fuzzy moment, but can I say something to Dakota before he goes?”

“Of course.”

Carson tucked his hair behind his ears and stood in f
ront of Dakota. “Dude, I’ll miss you. And I can’t wait for you to come back, but—” His tan cheeks blushed. “Don’t choose me and Krista as your parents, okay? It would be too weird, and I’m just not ready for that kind of responsibility.”

Laughter graced the cliffs and C
arson blushed.

Dakota attempted to punch Carson’s shoulder as his light pulsed. “I would never give you the satisfaction of being my father and telling me what I can and can’t do.”

Carson nodded happily. “Cool. Glad we agree.”

“Thank you, Maryah,” Dakota said. “I’m honored that you made me an Element.”

“You did that all on your own.” That wasn’t entirely true. I did have some influence, but Dakota had more than earned his position.

He hugged Faith and Harmony. “Take care of Mom and Dad.”

“We will,” Faith said, wiping away a tear. “See you soon.”

We all watched Rina and Dakota cross through the veil.
My heart broke but overflowed all at the same time.

Nathaniel wrapped his arms around my waist. Amber released Eightball, and he galloped over to us then sat at my feet.

“You did it,” Nathaniel said. “As always, you pulled off the impossible. You wrote us a different ending.”

“
We
did.” I turned around and traced a figure eight around my twin flame’s green eyes. “I knew you and I couldn’t be erased. A love as strong as ours will always burn bright.”

Nathaniel silenced me with a soul-tingling kiss.

I pulled away and peered up at him with a coquettish grin. “Where are we going on our honeymoon?”

His strong hands slid down the back of my waist. “Anywhere and everywhere you desire.”

My insides danced with anticipation. “Let me thank everyone and then we can be on our way.”

He nodded and we made our rounds. I was grateful beyond words for each and every member of our kindrily, and all they had done, but I did my best to tell them so.

When we were finished, I looked at the sky, at mine and Nathaniel’s stars twinkling side by side above Cathedral Rock. Just to the right of us were two younger stars. The other fourteen that represented each member of our kindrily pulsed around us, each with its own unique glow.

“Every soul is a story shelved away in an infinite library in the sky.” I
sighed happily, relieved that our stories would continue. We would all shine for eternity.

Nathaniel wrapped his arms around me, preparing to traverse. He smiled then pressed his forehead against mine. “
Ready for our next chapter?”

“Always.”

THE END.

For now.

Hello Reader,

You’re still here! Are you scanning for more story, or do you just love reading the Acknowledgments? If it’s for the Acknowledgments then carry on to the next page. If it’s for more story then I’d love to hear from you.

The kindrily are near and dear to my heart. I could probably write about them and their past, present, and future until my dying day. If you love even one of the kindrily members half as much as I do, and don’t want this to be the last of your journey with these characters, then please chime in.

Who is/are your favorite character(s)?

Who do you want to know more about?

Are you aching for a short story about Maryah and Nathan’s honeymoon? *wink wink*

Would you like a companion novel focused on Carson and Krista, or maybe a book that takes place sixteen years later when Dakota and Rina are exploring what it means to be soul mates for the first time?

Would you be interested in a spin-off series about Edgar’s psych patients who are struggling with issues from their past lives?

I have so many fun ideas, but I need to know what you, my beloved readers, want to read next. Your opinions matter to me.

So, please email me, comment on my author page on Facebook and/or the Kindrily FB page, send me a tweet, reply via a letterboxing scavenger hunt, or any other form of contact you prefer. I’d be honored and grateful to hear from you—just as I’m honored and grateful beyond words that you gave your time and attention to Maryah and Nathan’s story.

As always, may you shine forever, and thank you times infinity.

Karen

ACKNOWLDEGMENTS

I keep hoping my Acknowledgments become easier to write with each book, but they don’t. I feel like I can never adequately express my gratitude to all the amazing people who help make my books a reality. I’m also thanking the same people ove
r and over. I wish I could come up with something original and clever each time, but I’m running out of ways to say, “Thank you. You’re awesome. I love you.”

With that being said:

Mom, Dad, John, Marie Jaskulka (editor), Steve Graham (cover designer), Megan McBride and Natalie Bahm (critique partners), Andrea and Ross Reynolds (hand models for cover), Rebecca Zeno (model for Rina on cover/critique partner), Jack Ruskai (globe photographer), Krista and April (dear friends and long-time supporters), every blogger/fan who has ever helped spread the word about any of my books, and each and every reader of The Kindrily series (yes, YOU!)...

Thank you. You’re awesome. I love you.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Karen was born and bred in Baltimore, frolicked and froze in Colorado for a couple of years, and is currently sunning and splashing around Florida with her two beloved rescue dogs. She's addicted to coffee, chocolate, and complicated happily-ever-afters. She is a co-founder of the teen focused blog, YA Confidential, and a proud member of The Indelibles.

Find more information about Karen Amanda Hooper and her books at

http://www.KarenAmandaHooper.com