Grasping at Eternity (The Kindrily) (36 page)

“Some
thing
isn’t coming, but
some one
is. The baby is arriving early.”

I jumped out of bed.

“I’m going to inform the others.” He kissed me before traversing.

I ran down the hallway to Dylan and Amber’s room.

∞

I assumed Amber would’ve given birth in a hospital, but Helen delivered the baby at home. She explained that she delivered dozens of babies throughout her lifetimes, and in earlier centuries they didn’t have the drugs and technology that hospitals offered. And as Nathan pointed out, we had Krista in case anything went wrong.

Nathan helped Helen. He’d been a physician in a previous life, and he retained his medical knowledge. He kept his position at Amber’s side so she wasn’t exposed to anyone but Helen. He said it was out of respect for Dylan and Amber’s privacy, and it made me love him even more.

A few times I thought Amber would break my hand from squeezing so hard, but Dylan coached her through breathing, and she relaxed. Krista made her sip tea that Helen had made.

After hours of wiping sweat from Amber’s face with a washcloth and keeping her wet hair pulled back, I was relieved when Helen announced she could see the baby’s head. Several pushes later, a tiny, slimy boy arrived into the world. Dylan wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in Amber’s arms. I was sure they’d been through this baby thing plenty of times in other lives, but based on how proud Dylan looked, I would have assumed it was their first time.
 

Nathan and I congratulated them then left to update the others. Edgar, Faith, Shiloh, Harmony, and Dakota were waiting in the living room.

“It's a healthy baby boy,” Nathan announced.

Everyone erupted into celebration, but then Louise burst through the front door and rushed past us to the bedroom. Anthony and Carson were talking to someone in the foyer. That someone had an Irish accent.

When she appeared in the archway, I forgot to breathe or blink. How could she be ninety-nine? She walked with a cane, and slightly hunched over, but she was luminous. Her long curly white hair had strands of gold mixed through it. Her ivory and gold flowing dress matched her hair perfectly. When she saw me, her brown eyes lit up.

Her voice sounded like harp music. “Hello, Maryah.”

“Hello, Sheila.” As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t recall one memory of her. But I
knew
I loved her. My heart felt full—fuller than it ever had.

Krista rushed forward and hugged her so tight I thought she’d break her.

“Look at you,” Sheila laughed at Krista. “No more than a young school girl. What I wouldn’t give to be as young as you.”

The joy on Krista’s face when she looked at Sheila was priceless.

Sheila walked over to me and studied me in silence. She took my hand in her soft fingers, and examined my palm. “Yer lines have changed.”

“What? Since when?”

The wrinkles around her eyes deepened as she smiled at me. “We have much to catch up on, but it must wait. There is a wee babe I must visit first.”

Krista and I helped her down the hallway to the guest room. It was a lot of bodies crammed into one bedroom, but they all cleared a path when Sheila entered.

“Thank you for coming.” Amber sighed. She looked happy but exhausted.

“My pleasure, lassie.” Sheila stared at the baby, almost in a trance. “He’s the most beautiful soul I’ve ever laid eyes on.”

“Thank you,” Amber replied graciously.

I discreetly backed out of the room and made my way down the hallway. When I got to our room, Nathan emerged from thin air. He opened his arms and I practically collapsed into them.

“It’s a lot to take in,” I confessed.

“No explanation necessary, my love. You’re doing brilliantly given the circumstances.”

“Louise and Anthony sure got home quick. How fast is this family plane of ours?”

I sat on our bed listening to Nathan explain the one-of-a-kind plane Anthony designed, but a flicker of light in my ring distracted me.

Nathan continued talking, but I wasn’t listening. All I could focus on was the swirling colors in my ring. His words became fuzzy and distant. The tunnel of light I’d seen at Montezuma Well started forming again.

The peacock feather’s eye and the iridescent sheens of blue and green divided, growing into a sapphire and emerald figure-eight. Specks of gold and silver darkened inside each half, deepening and forming more lines and layers.

Eyes. The feather had formed into two larger-than-life human eyes.

I stared. Mesmerized. Watching. Learning.

They were telling an almost unbelievable story. Except there were no words, only energy, emotions, and shimmering colored lines connecting infinite paths of people and places throughout history.

The eyes do not lie,
echoed through my mind.

The intricate tale they told was true. I knew it with every fiber of my being. Wind blew all around me, surrounding me in a funnel of swirling, glowing feathers until I could no longer see the huge eyes. I reached forward and the radiant feathers burst into millions of tiny pieces that looked like stardust. I took a deep breath and inhaled every speck until nothing was left.

The bedroom came back into focus as my glowing ring faded back to normal. Nathan was still rambling about who-knows-what.

I slammed my hand against my pounding heart and jumped up. “Where’s Sheila?”

“With Amber, where we just left her.”

It felt like I had been staring at the ring for hours. I understood so much more. So much needed to be done. Weeks ago, suspecting I had some kind of psychic power freaked me out, but this was different. My ring showed me the truth. I didn’t need confirmation, that’s how deeply I knew, but I wanted to see for myself.

“I need to see Sheila and the baby.” The sternness in my voice shocked me.

Nathan took my hand and led me back down the hallway to Amber’s room. Sheila still sat on the bed at Amber’s side. Edgar, Helen, Louise, Anthony, Dylan, Harmony, Faith, Shiloh, Dakota, Carson, and Krista all stared at me. I stood in front of Sheila with new confidence.

She held the baby, asleep in her arms, and a wide grin spread across her face. “You know.”

I nodded.

“Know what?” Faith asked.

Sheila lifted the baby like she was presenting him to the world for the first time. “He’s an Aries,
another
fire sign.”

Dylan’s voice rang through the quiet room. “Sheila, do you mean…?”

“Yes, you have a fifteenth member.”

Cheers erupted. Krista hugged me, but my focus was crazy-glued on the baby.

Sheila waved her hand and the room fell silent. She handed him to me. “He was connected to this kindrily before this life.”

How did she know? How did
I
know? It didn’t matter. His tiny eyelids opened just enough for me to see the familiar sky blue.

“Hi, Mikey,” I whispered, “I missed you so much.”

“
Our
Mikey?” Krista gasped.

I let out something between a giggle and grunt. “Kind of weird, huh?”

Dylan sat beside Amber and held her hand. “Wow. Never saw that one coming.”

“I just
love
happy reunions!” Faith sang, twirling around. Shiloh and Carson both wore the biggest cheese grins I’d ever seen.

“How’d you know?” I asked Sheila.

“I come from a long line of psychics. I tune into a babe’s essence and see who they were in past lives. I read their souls.”

“We always have her present when a baby arrives,” Helen explained.

Nathan stroked my hair. “How did
you
know?”

I glanced at my thumb. “I saw it in my ring. Just like you said. It told me an incredible story.”

His gorgeous green eyes gazed into mine. His were the eyes that led me home, watched over me, saved me, and showed me more love than I ever knew was possible.

“Did you see or remember anything else?” he whispered.

“Not about us, but I will. I
know
I will. Look around, Nathaniel.” Our kindrily, young and elderly, big and small, new souls, and old ones surrounded us with an infinite amount of love. And Mikey was back. The term “circle of life” never had a more hopeful and beautiful meaning. “We share an unbreakable and powerful bond. We’ve already come so far.”

“I’m sorry I didn’t believe it was possible,” Nathan said.

“Believe what was possible?”

“You. Your gift.” He leaned down and kissed my forehead. “I should’ve known you were too powerful, and stubborn, to be erased.”

“We tried to tell him.” Louise walked up beside us and shook Mikey’s tiny hand with her fingers. In high-pitched baby talk she said, “It looks like we’re going to need a bigger table.”

NOT THE END

I'm fortunate enough to have my own kindrily, and while they may not remember their past lives, I'm almost certain they have supernatural powers. This book wouldn't be a reality without the following beautiful souls:

Mom, my very first reader and biggest supporter. Thank you for loving my Kindrily characters almost as much as I do, and for reading (and loving) every version I wrote.

Dad, for gifting me with a magical upbringing, and gifting Maryah with her Desoto.

John, for believing in me, and going above and beyond to support me and my dreams.

Krista, look how far we've come since you read that first draft on the plane ride to Sedona. It's finally real!

Marie, you've helped this story through never-ending revisions and taught me so much along the way.

Natalie, thank you for being honest enough to tell me you originally hated Nathan. He is a much better man because of you.

Megan, I can't count all the ways you made this story (and me as a writer) so much stronger.

Alexandra, for critiquing, encouraging me, and creating my breathtaking cover.

Andrea, thank you for rolling around in rose petals and feathers until I snapped the perfect photo of you.

Sara, your critiques, advice, and support are treasured and priceless to me.

Sarah, your purple sweatshirt is magical and I'm convinced it's the reason this story was so easy to write. Sorry, but I'm never giving it back.

Steve, thank you for your everlasting faith in this story, and for creating the Kindrily website.

Ron, for helping with all my technological needs.

The Indelibles, for giving me the knowledge and courage to share this series with readers.

Ella Fitzgerald, for singing the song that inspired this story.

Sedona, (because I swear that town has a soul) thank you for being so mystical and providing the perfect home for my characters.

And to my growing family of readers. You mean the world to me and I am eternally grateful for each and every one of you.

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 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.

Other novels by Karen include
Taking Back Forever
(coming soon) and
Tangled Tides
.

Find Karen and her books online at
http://www.KarenAmandaHooper.com

Dear Reader,

Thank you for reading
Grasping at Eternity
. I realize you have an almost-endless number of books to choose from, and I'm extremely grateful mine was among your selections.

Writing novels is a dream come true for me, and I can't imagine doing anything else. Storytelling is a very subjective art. For me, it's a passion. I'm a constant work in progress. (I believe every artist should be.) My craft will never be perfect, all of my books will probably bend some rules, and I'm sure I will make mistakes along the way, but I'll always try my best to create imaginative and magical worlds for you to explore.

Feel free to email me, visit my blog, chat with me on Twitter, or find me on Facebook. I love interacting with other readers, writers, and dream-chasers.

The biggest compliment you can give any author is to help spread the word about their work. Tell a friend, suggest the book to your local library, or post a review on book websites where readers seek honest reviews and recommendations. Authors appreciate the support and encouragement more than you can imagine.

I sincerely hope you enjoyed Maryah and Nathan's story. They still have a very long way to go. I hope you'll follow their journey in
Taking Back Forever
, Book 2 in The Kindrily Series.

My eternal thanks,

Karen

Taking Back Forever
, expected to release in early 2013, will follow Maryah as she fights to restore her memories, strengthen her ability to astral travel, and discover why she erased. Harmony's search for her soul mate Gregory puts the kindrily in danger, but they'll stop at nothing to save their missing member before they lose him forever.

SNEAK PEEK

Maryah

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"The heart is a muscle," Harmony explained. "Muscles have memory. Scientists have proven that the heart retains memory function even when removed."

"I don't understand what that has to do with Gregory."

She pulled a chair in front of me and straddled it, sitting so close to me that our knees almost touched. "Imagine someone ripped your heart out of your chest and threw it in a cage. Outside the cage, vultures, rats, and coyotes circle, waiting to rip your heart apart and devour it. Worse yet, as they circle, their wicked energy surrounds the cage, tainting the pure and good soul inside. Over time your heart starts to change; it becomes evil too. Smothered by negativity, it slowly stops beating until it ceases to exist."