Invincible (The Aerling Series Book 3) (27 page)

“Not you. I won’t sacrifice you.”

“You said…” Olivia’s lips press together
to keep them from trembling. “You said I’m what you love most.”

“You are,” I say, my voice pleading,
begging her to stop, to not ask me to do this.

Olivia’s chin is trembling as she says,
“I’m not an Aerling, Mason. I can’t hold the amount of power you can. I wasn’t
meant to. Giving it up afterward, it might not be something I can survive, not
if taking the small amount you did from Tū scarred him like it did.”

“It doesn’t matter. I can hold it all
myself if I have to. I won’t put any of it on you.” I try to promise her, but
she shakes her head because we both know I will most likely have precious
little to no control over what happens when I start trying to pull power away
from the Aerling gods.

Reaching up, Olivia kisses my mouth hard.
When she pulls back, her salty tears slip over my lips. Her mouth hovering over
mine, Olivia whispers, “Family means sacrifice, and sometimes the cost is what
you love most. If that means me, you still have to do it, Mason. You have to
promise.”

“I can’t.” My chest heaves at the thought
of losing her. “I can’t do it, Ollie.”

She kisses me again, this time more
softly. “Yes you can.” Another kiss. “I know you won’t let two worlds die just
to save me.” Another kiss, this one more softly still. “You know it, too.” She
kisses me slowly once more before saying, “Promise me.”

“No,” I say in defiance, but Olivia
remains quiet. She doesn’t argue because she knows me better than anyone in
either world. I love her more than I could ever explain to anyone who hasn’t
experienced what we have. I would give up anything for her. She is my heart, my
soul…but we both know I could never condemn both our worlds to destruction.

She is my family, what I love most in this
world or the one I was born to, but if I have no other choice, I will sacrifice
both our lives to save what no one else can. She knows this as surely as I do,
so she doesn’t argue. She pulls my arms more tightly around her body, her
fingers twisting together with mine as we hold each other and try not to
suffocate under the weight of two worlds.

Chapter 29

Consumed

(Hayden)

I reach out for Sloane as soon as we land,
but she’s actually faring better than I am. Aerlings. They cheat at this whole
traveling between worlds business. Sloane doesn’t comment on the fact that I
need a little longer than she does to acclimate. By the time I’m standing up
straight and breathing normally again, she’s at my side, slipping her hand into
mine.

Not that I don’t appreciate having skin to
skin contact with her, but I pull out of her grip with reluctance. When she
looks at me questioningly, I say, “I think they’re wrong about the whole ban
thing, but we don’t have time to explain all of that or deal with any problems
someone might have with us being together.”

One corner of Sloane’s mouth quirks up.
“Together?” There’s a happy gleam in her eyes despite the reason for us being
here. It’s infectious.

Grabbing her hand again, I pull her the
short step it takes to get her into my arms. She’s caught off guard when I lose
myself in kissing her for a few heart-stopping seconds before pulling back. Her
eyes are wide with surprise as she stares at me. I chuckle at her delight.
“What? You think I go around kissing every girl I meet like that?” I tease.
“Together, yes, but there’s no time for dealing with any prejudices right now.
It’s got nothing to do with you.”

“Good to know,” Sloane says with a
decidedly shaky voice.

Giving her one more quick kiss, I’m
grinning as I shove her away from me playfully. She attempts to contain her own
smile, but fails pretty miserably, which I don’t really mind. It’s tempting to
grab her again, but the buzz of Aerlings going about their business outside the
grove of trees catches my attention and reminds me of why we’re here. That’s
enough to sober us both up pretty fast.

“Where do we…” Sloane’s question gets cut
off by the harried arrival of the exact person we need.

“You’re back!” Cedrick exclaims. “Is it
time then? Have you come for the Father?”

That was fast. “How’d you know we got here
so fast?”

“I’ve been watching the grove since you
and Olivia left.” His eyes dart between Sloane and I, his lips pursing as he
considers us. That makes me squirm just a little. He clearly saw us kissing.
Instead of berating us, though, he shakes his head. “I don’t have time to deal
with you two. We’ll have to sort it out later. The Father takes precedence.”

I completely agree…for more than one
reason. Cedrick reminds me a lot of my dad and I’ve never enjoyed having to
face my dad after doing something he didn’t agree with. Putting all of that
aside, I say, “Lead the way. Olivia told me what we need to do.”

We develop of trailing crowd of Aerlings
as Cedrick leads us through the courtyards and hallways that will take us to
where the Father has been trapped for so many years I can’t even begin to
comprehend. It strikes me again what an awful existence that would be. I don’t
necessarily pity the Father after everything he’s done, but I certainly
wouldn’t wish this fate on anyone.

By the time Cedrick stops in front of the
same door he led Olivia and me to the last time we were here, the hallway
behind us is flooded with Aerlings. It’s only when Cedrick turns to face us
that he seems to notice them. Frustration and weariness overwhelm him in that
second and he shouts, “Get back to your duties! We’re preparing for a possible
invasion. This isn’t a circus act!”

His sharp words startle more than one
Aerling, but they all start shuffling back down the hall. Well, I see a few of
them dart down hallways only to peek their heads back out a second later. The
majority of them are heading back to whatever they were doing before we
arrived.

I felt sorry for Cedrick being stuck with
the job of explaining all the lies Tāwhiri told to the Aerlings before,
but now I realize I should have pitied him for having to face the truth while
getting ready for a war they are sadly unprepared for. Even with centuries of
knowing this day would come, they aren’t powerful enough to win and no amount
of training or preparation will change that.

“What do you need from me?” Cedrick asks,
his question bringing me back to the present. “I still have a team inside
guarding the Father, but there haven’t been any problems so far. Whatever power
Olivia left is continuing to hold him.”

Focusing on my mission, I say, “How many
of your people in there know how to shield themselves?”

“Some are stronger than others,” Cedrick
admits, “but they can all put up a shield.”

Well, that’s a relief. Mason wasn’t sure
how many other Aerlings could create shields. “Once Sloane and I go in…”

“Wait,” Cedrick interrupts, “Sloane’s not
going in there. She’s not trained for this. I can’t risk her life.”

Sloane’s mouth pops open to defend
herself, but I step in front of her and square up with Cedrick. At eye level
with each other, I pull out a commanding stance I rarely ever use. “Sloane
will
be coming with me. Before you think this has something to do with what you
saw, just know you’re wrong. Escorts can be transferred, correct?”

“Yes,” Cedrick says slowly. It takes him a
moment to put two and two together. His eyes snap over to Sloane before coming
back to me. “You’re her Escort now?” His eyes squint like he’s warding off a
headache. Finally he shakes his head. “I should have considered it before.
Transfer along bloodlines doesn’t happen often, but it should have at least
crossed my mind.”

If Sloane hadn’t become my Aerling, I’d be
right there with Cedrick demanding she stay out of harm’s way. That’s not
possible, unfortunately. “I need her in there with me if we have any hope of
controlling the Father and transporting him back to Earth.”

Cedrick presses his fingers to his temples
and begins rubbing them in small circles. “How do you even plan to do all of
this? Olivia said you had to have Tāwhiri’s power to affect the bonds.”

“Yeah,” I agree, “that’s why she let me
borrow some.”

The confusion that flashes across
Cedrick’s face is almost laughable. He holds his hands up in defeat. “You know
what? I don’t even want to know at this point. I have too much going on to try
and stitch this mess back together. Just do what you need to and we’ll help
however we can. You have full command of every Aerling in the room once you
enter, including me.”

Wow, well that’s kind of cool. Not that I
plan on using this conditional and fairly limited power for anything other than
surviving this encounter, but still. I’ve never been in command of anything
before. Siblings don’t count. They don’t listen anyway.

“All right, well, let’s go then,” I say.

Sloane steps up next to me and takes my
hand regardless of what Cedrick might think. He looks away and pretends he
didn’t see anything. Pushing open the door that was once impenetrable except by
Tāwhiri himself, Cedrick takes the lead. Sloane and I follow behind.
Olivia explained what she could of this place, but I’m still not prepared for
the strange vastness of the room. There are walls. There has to be walls,
right? I can’t see them, though. It’s like this space exists independently from
everything else around it. I don’t even try to understand what’s going on in
here.

My whole focus goes squarely to the
squadron of intense looking Aerling soldiers stationed in a circle around the
captive Father. They aren’t wearing armor or holding guns like you might think.
At first glance, they just look like they’re all getting ready to pray or
perform some kind of strange ritual. It’s not until I get closer that I can
pick up the feel of massive amounts of power being used.

As an Escort, I’m really only tuned into
my own Aerling’s power, but after having been around Mason so much while he
trained, I know what the air feels like when a lot of power is being used. I’m
not sure what they’re doing, exactly. The bonds Olivia left in place are
keeping the Father captive, so the soldiers’ efforts must be preventative, in
case he tries to escape or something. I’m glad for it, but they’re crowded in
so close there’s no room for me to approach the Father.

“Uh, excuse me,” I say, not really sure
how to address Aerling soldiers while acting as their temporary commander.
“Could everyone please move back from the Father? I need to be able to get
close to him.”

Not a single one of the soldiers looks to
Cedrick for approval or contradiction. They all take three steps back without
question, still maintaining whatever they’re doing. I nod my thanks and Sloane
and I step into the circle together. As soon as I do, I gasp in shock. If I
thought the soldiers were using a lot of power, I was dead wrong. What they’re
doing doesn’t even come close to comparing to the combination of Tāwhiri’s
powerful bonds and the Father’s own compressed power.

Olivia warned me that this wouldn’t be
easy, but only now do I truly understand what I’m up against. “I’m really going
to need your help,” I whisper to Sloane.

Her head bobs slowly. “And maybe then
some.”

I sure hope not, but we have to make the
attempt either way. Olivia said I could do this. This isn’t the first time I’ve
put almost blind faith in that girl, and I doubt it will be the last. I take in
a deep breath and hold it for a second as Sloane’s power rushes into me. For
once, I’m not immediately drawn in by her. I’m way too freaked out for that
right now. The touch of her power does help me calm down and focus, which is a
really good thing.

Shutting out everything else, I focus on
Olivia’s instructions. Reaching inward for Tāwhiri’s power is strange. Sloane
helps guide me to it, but using it is all on me. I try to do what Olivia said,
feeling it, but it’s not working. She thought Tāwhiri divided up his power
between her and Mason based on their own personal inclinations, but I don’t
think she’s right. I can’t use Tāwhiri’s power the same way she did.

Olivia said she had to
feel
and
understand the reason behind the Father’s captivity before she could even enter
the room. When it came to manipulating Tāwhiri’s power, she again said she
had to make an emotional connection behind her actions before it started to
work. Sure, it worked for her, but her personality and abilities as an Escort
support that. I’m not Olivia, and I can’t approach this exactly like she did.

Delving deeper into my own abilities and
inner self, one word clues me in.
Judge
. Olivia was wrong about why she
had to use Tāwhiri’s power differently than she felt Mason would. It’s not
his power, it’s us. I let my focus slip away from Sloane and her power. My full
concentration goes toward extending my power toward the bonds holding the
Father hostage. The strange feel of Tāwhiri’s power is buffeted constantly
by a sharper, more aggravated power beneath it.

I recognize the second power as the Father’s
immediately. Its texture is abrasive, intent on causing harm. I don’t have to
question his motives or reasons, I
know
his basest desires are to
consume power and rule over the other Aerlings. He’ll only give so much to
protect them. His needs always come first. That is not something he can hide
from me.

Understanding him more fully, I go back to
Tāwhiri’s power, to the bonds squeezing the Father nearly to the point of
breaking. Tāwhiri may not have had all the right answers. He may not have
always made the best choices and led the Aerlings down the most correct paths.
This, these bonds, the imprisonment of his own father…this was necessary. It
was needed. He did what had to be done, and I can’t fault him for locking away
this creature who only seeks to devour others.

As this surety settles over me, the bonds
react to my presence. They don’t exactly loosen or soften, but they become more
pliable under my touch. When I assert my will over them, pushing Tāwhiri’s
power into them, cutting the links that bind him to the Aerling world and
instead wrapping what remains more tightly around him, they do as I command.
The Father is another matter altogether.

Everyone in the bizarre room reacts when
the Father roars. His power blasts against the bonds, throwing me back into one
of the Aerlings behind me. Sloane is ripped out of my grip by the blow, but she
dives for me, reaching out and grabbing hold of me as another assault from the
Father knocks me back down. Smacking my head against whatever the floor is made
out of leaves me reeling for a few seconds. Sloane’s voice begging to know if
I’m okay grounds me to this moment when all my mind wants to do is float away
to something less terrifying.

“Are the bonds set?” Sloane demands. She’s
practically screaming, and I can’t figure out why until I try to stand and gale
force winds bash into me.

Back down on the ground, I shake myself
and try to clear my head. “Almost,” I shout back. Hearing that, Sloane helps me
up to my knees. It’s the best either of us can manage. The Aerling soldiers
around us are trying to counteract the winds the Father is somehow managing to
throw at us, but it’s painfully obvious that they’re about as effective as an
umbrella in a hurricane.

Throwing her arms around my waist, Sloane
presses herself to my back, increasing the contact and the amount of power
she’s sharing with me. The rush of stability and comfort rolls over me like a
blanket. The steadiness of her power and faith in me clears the last of the
haziness left from hitting my head and lets me focus on what I’m doing.