Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3) (32 page)

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Authors: DelSheree Gladden

BOOK: Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3)

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That’s all the confirmation the Caretaker
Officers need. The one holding her grabs her by the arm and begins leading her
out of the house, off to…I have no idea, but I know they will care for her in
whatever manner they see fit. The second officer who had been silently guarding
the door steps forward before following his partner outside. “Thank you,” he
says, “for this, for not letting our Aerling children be taken away without
warning, and for everything else. The Caretakers owe you all a debt we can
never repay.”

And with that, he’s gone. They’re all
gone. Sentinels, Caretakers, gods, everyone. At last, it finally feels like the
war is truly over. Excited chatter begins almost immediately after the door
closes behind the Caretaker Officer, everyone talking at once. It’s not about
the remaining questions I’m sure everyone has, or plans for what has to happen
next.

Evie is telling Olivia all the school
gossip. Molly is begging for a cookie even though it sounds like she’s had
about a dozen already. Hayden and Sloane are talking about going to a movie
this weekend, after she meets his family. I think I hear the phrases “catching
up on homework” and “planning for college” come out of Olivia’s dad’s mouth
before she rolls her eyes at him while smiling. Only Olivia’s mom is sitting
quietly, taking in the happiness and lack of fear.

Olivia slips up behind me suddenly and
wraps her arms around my waist. “I don’t know how I’m going to go back to
school after everything we’ve been through. It seems so inconsequential now.”

“Not to your dad.”

Chuckling, Olivia reaches up and kisses my
cheek. “You heard the college comment, I’m guessing?”

“He’s just ready for things to get back to
normal,” I say. “We all are.”

Nodding, Olivia smiles. “He’s going to
fight us about living together if we decide to go to college away from home.”

“Not that I’m all that eager to leave home
right now,” I say, “but that’s a fight he’s going to lose. I’m not letting you
out of my sight.”

Kissing me again, Olivia is grinning when
she pulls back. Her eyes leave mine as she turns to look at her parents.
They’re busy getting a movie started for everyone while we wait for the Parkers
and Hayden’s family to arrive, but her dad pauses in what he’s doing and looks
over at her. She’ll always be his little girl, but there’s acceptance and joy
in his eyes rather than worry. Snuggling against me even closer, Olivia says, “Maybe
it won’t be a fight after all.”

“I don’t think it will be,” I say.

As if he knows exactly what we’re talking
about, Olivia’s dad holds up his left hand and taps his ring finger as he gives
me a serious look while nodding in his daughter’s direction. Olivia and I both
bust up laughing. Molly steals his attention after that, but I keep my arms
around Olivia, savoring the fact that we survived, that we still have a chance
to live out all the dreams and plans we thought we had lost what seems like
forever ago now.

Being an Aerling once seemed like a curse.
The pranks we pulled gave us a lot of good memories, and being Olivia’s sole
focus for so long certainly wasn’t a bad thing, but never truly belonging tore
me down. When the truth started unraveling and we learned our true purpose, the
curse only seemed to expand, to make me feel even more like I was something out
of place, meant for a specific use that would ultimately break me down to
uselessness.

The journey didn’t break me, though. Not the
way I expected. Yes, I was torn down, over and over again, but I was rebuilt
into something better. Something that isn’t out of place anymore. Something that
truly belongs. Pulling Olivia over to the couch with me, we settle in for
whatever syrupy cartoon movie Molly picked out and just breathe.

THE END

Acknowledgements

Thank you so much to my Wattpad readers for hounding
me until I got this book finished. I left them hanging for way too long, but
they forgave me and gobbled up the new chapters the second I had them posted.
Their love for Mason, Olivia, Molly, and Hayden spurred me to finish the story
so they could know once and for all,
what happens at the end!

I’m especially grateful to one of the readers I met on
Wattpad, Sneha Mohite, for her help answering questions on Wattpad, her
enthusiasm for all my books, and being the first to give me feedback on the
ending. As she knows, I agonize over ending a series no matter how many times
I’m forced to do it.

I also owe a big thanks to Nikki Jeffrey for fielding
the literally hundreds of messages that came in, and keep coming in, asking
about this series. She has been so kind to help me out so I could focus on
writing. She’s a life saver!

Most years I participate in NaNoWriMo, but this year
my goal was to finish this book by the end of November, and I don’t think I
would have made it without the awesome lady known as SeriouslyGina and her band
of NaNo pirates! Late night Google chats kept me writing and got me moving on
this story, so thank you Gina!

Thank
you as well to my husband for his support and his encouragement to finish
writing this book and stop dragging my heels over it. He also pulled me away
from it when I needed a break because my brain was fried and I just wanted to
curl up with him and watch a movie.

About
the Author

DelSheree Gladden lives in New Mexico with her husband
and two children. The Southwest is a big influence in her writing because of
its culture, beauty, and mythology. Local folk lore is strongly rooted in her
writing, particularly ideas of prophecy, destiny, and talents born from natural
abilities. When she is not writing, DelSheree is usually reading, painting,
sewing, or working as a Dental Hygienist. Her works include
Escaping Fate
,
Twin Souls Saga, The Destroyer Trilogy
, and
Invisible
. Look for,
Wicked
Power
, the next book in the
SomeOne Wicked This Way Comes Series
, and
Soul Stone
, book two in the
Escaping Fate Series
,
coming
2014.