Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3) (10 page)

Nobody has an answer to that. Whatever it
is, it’s the real reason behind this war. Tū knows what it is, but he’s
not telling. Not that we’d trust anything he’d tell us…which is exactly why he
wants us to find it out for ourselves. Tricky, psychotic, murdering devil. He
knows everything, except maybe where the Mother is, but he’s happy to watch us
stumble around in the dark while the barrier keeps crumbling to pieces. Either
way he thinks he’ll win. If we find out the truth and realize the barrier isn’t
what we think it is, we’ll prevent it from being repaired. If we’re too slow at
figuring everything out, it’ll fall to pieces anyway.

He doesn’t have to stop us. He doesn’t
have to kill us, either, I realize. My heart sinks as that thought really hits
me. “Tū already knows we have Tāwhiri’s power.”

Everyone turns to look at me, Mason
especially. “How do you know?”

“It’s why he didn’t try to kill you,” I
say.

The other three people in the room with me
stare at me like I’m speaking gibberish. Mason is the only one to voice his
concerns. “What do you mean
he
didn’t try to kill me? We haven’t even
met Tū yet. All we know is that he’s leading the Sentinels.”

“We have met him,” I say, “several times.”
Now they’re all
really
confused. “The scarred Sentinel, he’s not just
following orders. He’s the one giving them. He’s Tū. He’s the one we’re
supposed to defeat, and we can’t do it.”

Mason’s head starts shaking back and forth
in panic. “No. Really? That can’t be right. He can’t be Tū.”

“You said yourself that you couldn’t even
affect him the night he came for you at the Parker’s house,” Hayden reminds
him. Mason’s head falls into his hands.

“That’s why he didn’t kill you at the
compound,” I say. “He only wanted to see how much control you have over his
brother’s power, but fighting you directly would have revealed that he can’t
hurt you either.”

“You think it’s true, then?” Hayden asks.

I nod, even though I want to have any
other answer than this one. “If it wasn’t, he would have just killed all of us
at the compound. We all know he’s powerful enough to do it.”

“But,” Mason says, “what about his scar?”

Sloane peers up at him, confused. “What
about it?”

“I gave it to him,” Mason snaps. “The
night he killed my Caretakers, I gave him that scar. I could hurt him then, but
not now?”

Hayden puts his hands up and drags them
down his face. “None of this makes any sense. Why would Tāwhiri give you
his power and ask you to defeat his brother if he knew giving you his power
would keep you from doing exactly that?”

“Something’s missing,” Mason says
adamantly. “I
can
hurt Tū, somehow. He’s strong, yes, but I gave
him that scar and I can do it again. There does seem to be something protecting
him now, because every attack I threw at him back at the compound seemed to
just bounce off him like it did that night at the Parker’s, but I can hurt him.
I just have to figure out what I did when I was five.”

“You don’t remember?” Sloane asks in
surprise.

Mason shakes his head. “My memories from
back then, they’re damaged, but I’ll figure it out.”

The room is quiet for a long time as
everyone thinks and tries to unravel this confusing mess. No one seems to be
making any progress. As I sit there feeling more worn out than I have ever felt
in my life, a strange, nagging thought begins to pull at me. “How did Tū
manage to kidnap the Mother?”

“Before the barrier was put in place,
there was nothing stopping him from traveling back to the human world,” Sloane
says. “There were guards, but he managed to slip past them, I guess. He snuck
in and grabbed her once she had already set the barrier creation into motion.”

“But why?” Mason asks. “What did stealing
the Mother gain him, and why doesn’t he know where she is now? If he kidnapped
her, why not hold onto her, try to get her to take down the barrier or something?”

Another impossible question. I just want
to go back to bed at this point and hope everything makes sense when I wake up.
My brain hurts from thinking about all of this so much.

“What if that’s not what happened?” Hayden
asks. When everyone has their attention pinned on him, his conviction seems to
grow. “Well, wouldn’t it make more sense that if the Mother can fix the barrier
on this side of it, she had to have created it on this side as well?”

“So, she left voluntarily, to create a
barrier that would lock the Aerlings in and Tū out?” I ask. Hayden only
shrugs, but the rest of us are nodding. That certainly makes more sense than
the story we were told, and it explains why Tū doesn’t know where the
Mother is right now. He never did.

“So,” Sloane says, “the big question is, why
did the Mother
really
need to lock Tū out of the Aerling world when
he and Tāwhiri were already at a standstill?”

That sick feeling in the pit of my stomach
returns. “No, the big question is, why did she need to lock the rest of the
Aerlings in?” 

Chapter 12

Waiting

(Mason)

I wish I could trust that Tū isn’t
trying to kill me. The more we learn about the Aerlings’ true history, the more
I’m starting to believe there might be something to what he said at the
compound. That doesn’t mean I trust him. He could tell me the exact, hole-proof
truth and I still would never completely believe him.

Olivia shifts in her sleep in the seat
next to me. I glance over at her to make sure she’s all right, but she’s
sleeping soundly. She claimed she was feeling much better when we left the
hotel this morning, but she crashed ten minutes after getting in the car.
Hayden didn’t last much longer. It’s only Sloane and I who are still awake,
watching the scenery fly by as we roam aimlessly, waiting for Olivia’s dad to
call with the address to a safe house.

“Hey, Sloane.”

“Hmm?” She doesn’t look up from the new
burner phone I picked up after rescuing Hayden. Internet out here is
inconsistent as we drive, but whenever we have data she’s been diligently
searching the web for information we might be able to do something with. So far
the pickings have been slim.

“Why can Olivia see you?” I ask. It’s
something I hadn’t bothered to really consider until recently. Olivia saw
everyone in the Aerling world, and when she kept seeing Sloane here, I guess it
just seemed normal. Only when Hayden also saw her did I start to wonder. It
doesn’t seem to be an ability, like what Molly and I can do, but there’s
something going on.

Sloane cocks her head to one side and
looks at me with a funny expression. “It’s because she’s been to the Aerling
world, of course. How else would she be able to deliver Aerling babies to
Caretakers if she couldn’t see them all?”

“I thought that was because Aerling
infants aren’t attached to an Escort yet,” I say, confused.

“No, that’s why they’re able to take any
Aerling infant across the barrier. Once they’re assigned an Escort, only their
Escort can bring them back,” she says as she drops the phone into her lap.
“When an Escort comes to the Aerling world, the barrier changes them just
enough that they can see the other Aerlings.”

“What do you mean it changes them?”

Sloane scrunches her face as she thinks.
“You know how we’re different than humans, right? Our molecular bonds are unique.
Well, the barrier changes the Escorts’ bonds when they cross it. They don’t
become Aerlings, obviously, but they become
less
human, in a way. More
Aerling. They’re something in between, I guess you could say. It’s the same
thing that happens when an Escort is bound to an Aerling, just with a wider
scope.”

I take in a long breath as I think about
that. Olivia is
less
human than she was before? But more Aerling? Can
she become even
more
Aerling than she is now? Could that somehow have an
effect on the whole
no sex
issue? I feel like shaking my head. This is
all so bizarre. Why couldn’t I find out I was just an X-men or something simple
like that? Why did I have to turn out to be some kind of otherworld being
chosen to save the world? Not really the kind of secret identity I was hoping
for.

By the time I pull out of my musings, Sloane
has already gone back to prowling the internet for answers. She only looks up
when Hayden shifts in his sleep. The smile she gives him seems a little out of
place, but I don’t even want to get into that whole mess again. I’m spared from
having to consider it further when my phone starts buzzing in Sloane’s hands
and she passes it up to me.

“This is Mason,” I say.

“Mason, we found a place,” Olivia’s dad
says. “The Parkers called earlier. I gave them yours and Olivia’s new cell
numbers so they can call you if they’re able to. They gave us the address of a
cabin up in Wyoming that is completely clean and won’t be found by Sentinels or
other Caretakers. You’ll all be safe there until you can figure out where the
Mother is.”

“Thank you for doing all of this,” I say.

“I’m not losing either of you again,” he
says quietly. “I’m just so glad you’re both okay. I’m having a little bit of a
hard time with the idea that I’m sending four teenagers off to a cabin in the
middle of the mountains with no adult supervision, but I guess I’m just going
to have to trust you all to…be careful.”

If the situation were different, I’d
laugh. Unfortunately, his reminder of what
won’t
be happening at the
cabin only brings me down. “You don’t have to worry about that,” I say
seriously. “When we were in the Aerling world, my parents told us that physical
relationships aren’t allowed between Aerlings and humans. All of my power and
abilities will be stripped away and I’ll be trapped here if I don’t listen to
them.”

“Trapped here,” he says slowly, “does that
mean you’re going back after all of this is over?”

Sighing, I rub my forehead. “I don’t know.
I can’t leave Molly, but I don’t want to hold Olivia back, either.” I want to
tell him that I’ll stay, that I’ll never leave Olivia’s side, that I’ll marry
his daughter and give them grandkids and have the life I’ve always wanted. I
don’t say any of that. “There’s no point in even thinking too much about it until
all of this is over, anyway. I need my powers to find the Mother and do
whatever needs to be done, so nothing’s going to happen before then.”

Olivia’s dad doesn’t respond right away.
When he does, I’m surprised by what he has to say. “Why would the Aerlings fear
one of their own mixing with humans so much that they would create a rule like
that?”

“I don’t know,” I say slowly.

“Well, it’s something else to think about,
I guess,” he says with a sigh. “Like you said, though, nothing has to be
decided right now. For the time being, just hold onto her and keep her safe,
Mason.”

“I will.”

After getting the address and GPS
coordinates to the cabin and storing it in my phone, I say goodbye and pass the
phone back to Sloane so she can keep researching. The rest of the drive is
quiet as I change directions and head for Wyoming. It’s well into the early
morning hours before I finally pull up to a small cabin tucked away discretely
in the absolute middle of nowhere. The trees surrounding it very nearly swallows
up the cabin. I would have missed it if not for the GPS.

Shifting into park rouses Hayden in the
backseat, who nudges Sloane awake. Sloane drags herself out of the car while Hayden
wrestles a half conscious Robin out of the trunk. I go around to get Olivia.
After sleeping the majority of the day, I’m hoping she’ll have more energy
tomorrow. There are a few things we need to start working on together. Namely,
figuring out what in the world we’re supposed to do with Tāwhiri’s power.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, we’re here.”

“Hmm?” Olivia mumbles as I gently shake
her. Her eyes blink open slowly, then squint as she stares at the dark cabin.
“I feel like I’m about to walk onto a horror movie set.”

Laughing, I help her out of the car and
immediately scoop her into my arms. She doesn’t protest and lays her head
against my shoulder. “I don’t think we have to worry about chainsaw wielding
psychos or demons out here. The Parkers swore even the Sentinels and Caretakers
will have a tough time finding this place.”

Olivia just shakes her head. That’s pretty
much how I’m feeling about their claim as well. I’m sure it’s as find-proof as
it can be, but we’re talking about masters of finding—and in the Sentinels’
case, destroying. I don’t think any of us are going to sit back and relax. When
we make it into the cabin, Hayden has already gotten a few things figured out.

“The Parkers left instructions for getting
the generator going, where to find the food, and basically how to survive out
here on our own,” Hayden says. “There’s one bedroom off the main room we’re
standing in, and a small loft up those stairs.” He points to a thin staircase
disappearing off to our left. “Not sure how we wanted to split up…”

Olivia takes one glance at Sloane and
says, “I’m with Mason. You two can do whatever you want.”

I feel bad for Hayden as his eyes dart
over to a couch that has no hope of accommodating his six foot frame. Sloane is
considerably shorter, but I seriously doubt Hayden would ask her to take the
couch. Poor guy looks completely stalled.

Finally, Sloane rolls her eyes and says,
“I won’t bite. Promise. Can we just go to bed now? I’m exhausted.” She stalks
off to the bedroom and we all hear the old springs squeak as she drops onto the
mattress and doesn’t move again. Olivia huffs, drops my hand, and makes for the
stairs.

I clap Hayden on the back and say, “Good
luck, man.”

Hayden shakes his head. “Yeah, you too.”

We’re both shaking our heads as we go our
separate ways. I’m pretty sure everyone else is out within minutes of their heads
hitting the pillows. The cabin is eerily silent as I close my eyes and wait for
sleep to claim me. It doesn’t come as easily as I would like. Question after
question rumbles through my mind until they become an avalanche, drowning me
under an oppressing need for answers.

***

It feels good to be outside after being
cooped up in hotels and cars for the last few days. Despite my doubts that our
hopes of staying undiscovered forever are fairly slim, we all needed to get
outdoors for a while. Hayden and Sloane are on the other side of the cabin
working on getting Hayden in touch with his Escort abilities. Robin is locked
up in the cabin while Olivia and I sit across from each other with no idea
where to start.

“The only thing I can think of is to try
something I did with Hayden once,” Olivia says. She still looks like she could
use a nap, but she’s miles better than yesterday.

Remembering the time she tried to feel
Hayden’s power and makeup in order to compare it to mine isn’t hard. That was
the day I went in to find her and saw Hayden kiss her. A strange mixture of
emotions surge as I remember that moment. If I can’t stay here, if I can’t be
with Olivia, I know Hayden will love her and care for her for the rest of her
life. It kills me to picture them together, but if the other option is tying
Olivia down to a life of being my shadow in the Aerling world and never having
a real relationship, I can walk away knowing she’ll be happy.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask as I
shake off thoughts of the future.

Olivia holds her hands out with a grin,
making me laugh. There was more than one session before we left for the Aerling
world where our efforts to figure out Olivia’s power led to us ending up on her
bed making out rather enthusiastically. The dead pine needles and crunchy grass
wouldn’t be nearly as comfortable to roll around in, but it would totally be
worth it.

I place my hands in hers and squeeze.
Despite her teasing, she puts on a serious expression immediately. Her eyes
close as she concentrates. It startles me as her power begins flowing through
me. She’s already so much faster at this than she was only a few days ago. It
starts in my hands and runs slowly up my arms, her power reminding me of warm
honey, sweet and enticing. Just the feel of it makes me relax. My eyes close
automatically and I lose myself in the feel of it. I don’t know what it feels
like for Olivia when she sends her power into my body, but for me it is pure
pleasure.

Her warmth runs up my neck, through my
hair, and back down. I could only feel more alive if it was her fingers running
over my skin, though it would be a close call as to which was more tantalizing.
When she moves down my chest, my heart rate skyrockets. My hands tighten around
hers and she moves lower, down through my legs and back up to my chest where
her power seems to hover.

“Your heart’s beating like a runaway
train,” she says.

“Can’t imagine why.”

Olivia’s power starts to pull back.
“Sorry,” she whispers.

Panicked by the thought of losing this, I
pull her in closer. “Don’t you dare,” I murmur. “I’m not ready to let go of you
just yet.”

Expecting her to echo my sentiments, I’m
caught off guard when she pulls away both her hands and her power. My eyes pop
open to find her frowning at me. “You can’t keep doing this to me,” Olivia says
seriously.

“Doing what?”

“Changing your mind,” she says with an
edge to her voice. “One minute you’re acting like this and talking about how
you’ll never let go of me. The next, you’re practically trying to throw me at
Hayden.”

“I’m not…”

Olivia huffs. Her irritation bunches her
shoulders, but she shakes her head. “Either you’re going to fight for me, or
you’re going to hand me off to Hayden like it’s your choice who I end up with
if you bail on me. It doesn’t work that way. Either you’re going to stay by my
side no matter what that means, or you’re going to run away. Until you decide,
we’re staying purely focused on work and nothing else. Got it?”

Forming an answer is practically
impossible. Is she serious? One look at her expression makes it pretty clear
that she is. I want to argue that she’s being ridiculous, but how can I when
she’s making perfect sense? “Fine,” I say slowly.