How ironic. Francesca’s love was the only thing Gabe ever wanted, the only thing he dreamed about that was beyond the grueling mission, and now he’ll never know. How many times did he and I lie on the roof together gazing up at the stars while he chattered on and on about their future beautiful children, the amazing sex they’d have every night, how he was going to build her a stupid…

  Some stray thought tugs in my mind, the flicker of a realization. Something about the cabin when we passed it today. The piece-of-shit truck in the driveway? No, something else. I grab at the memory, pull it to the front of my mind as if I were looking at a picture.

  Somewhere far away, Tammy is babbling.

  But then I see it in my mind’s eye.

  I turn, stare at Tarren as the universe shifts around me.

  “A porch swing,” I say.

  “What?”

  “Dr. Lee’s cabin.” I slip Tammy around from my back and hold her out to Tarren. He takes her without a word. “We’re going to run now,” I inform him.

  I leap down the entire flight of stairs, landing on the balls of my feet and springing forward. I hear Tammy whoop in excitement behind me, then I am out the door. Running, running, running. Branches slap against my face, but I don’t care. At all. I push my legs as fast as they will go. My heart is so full, so terrified, so deliciously happy. I run so fast, it’s a wonder I don’t lift up off the ground and start flying.

  I’m so focused on rushing straight to Dr. Lee’s cabin that I almost miss it -- the faint pulse of an aura as familiar to me as my own heartbeat. It touches that sensitive part of my mind, and I grab onto a tree to stop my forward momentum. My breath claws in and out of my lungs, but I force my eyes to close, reach out and out.

  There.

  I change directions, heading north. With every step the feel of that faint aura grows stronger and stronger until it fills up every single part of me. My legs pumps. The leaves tangle in my hair. Every second is a year.

  I stop short of the grove, suddenly terrified that I am wrong; that my brain is fooling me. On silent, cautious steps, I move closer, keeping well within the tree line. And then I see them.

  Gabe sits in the middle of the grove, wavy hair tucked behind his ears, carving industriously at a stone with his pocketknife. I can see the letters T, A, R, R already etched in the face of the stone. Francesca leans against him, one arm draped over his shoulder as she watches.

  My rock sits next to his knee, kind of triangle-shaped with thick black seams of color through it. I read my name, MAYA, already carved with careful precision on its face.

  “So then she ties me to the big maple tree out front using her goddam pink sparkly jump ropes,” Gabe says. “And what does this big lug do?” He holds up the half-finished rock. “Heroically save his adorable little brother from the clutches of his evil sister? Nope! Just stands there. Lets her do it. He had the saddest, dopiest look on his face. Did I mention that my shoulder was dislocated?”

  Francesca laughs. “And so what did you do?”

  Gabe shrugs and bends his head over the rock again. “What any scrappy hero would do…cried like a baby for hours and hours.”

  “And they left you out there all night?” Francesca gasps.

  “Oh yeah.”

  She kisses his temple. “You must have been scared. That tree, it isn’t there anymore.”

  Another smile. A true Gabe smile. “Let’s just say it won’t be holding any more children captive.”

  I watch in amazement as their auras flow over each other, how the merlot hues of love in Francesca’s aura overlap the scarlet seams of pain in Gabe’s. I take in every inch of him, noting that he has started to fill out, and his skin has a ruddy glow, like he’s been spending time outside

  Tarren comes up behind me, the soft pant of his breath the only sign of his exertion. He clutches Tammy on his hip, and she peeps out from his shoulder, her eyes wide and unhappy from the jolting ride. I feel it in Tarren’s aura the moment he spots them. His energy pulses in a single intense wave, so charged with feeling that I curl my hands into fists and press my nails into my palms through my gloves.

  We stand, watching for too long. Maybe Tarren feels, like me, the tiniest fear that if we come out, the scene will suddenly dissolve, and it will be like a dream.

  Tammy makes the decision for us. “Down, down!” she tuts, wriggling out of Tarren’s grip. He doesn’t make a move to stop her as she dances out into the grove and announces, “I’m Pwincess Shooting Star Kitty!”

  Gabe has already jumped to his feet, placing his body in front of Francesca. His grip loosens on the knife, now wielded in an overhand grip as he gazes down at his pint-sized assailant.

  “Well, hello there, Princess Shooting Star Kitty.” He grins at her and performs a smooth bow. “What an unexpected honor. And where are your royal parents?”

  I feel frozen to the ground, but then Tarren, always the brave one, says softly, “Come on.”

  He pushes through the branches, not bothering to mask the sound of his steps. After two steps forward, I’m already blubbering like a fool and laughing too. Joy upon joy upon joy.

  “Gabe!” I cry out and stumble into the clearing.

  And that’s all it takes. He knows. I see it in his aura, a massive color shift, from red to the stark white of shock. Then the knife is on the ground, and he’s running at us, screaming our names. I scream his over and over again, and we bowl right into each other. We’re on the ground giggling, sobbing, babbling questions, and hugging each other so tight.

  Gabe grabs Tarren’s arm and pulls him down into the pile of tangled limbs, and after a moment of hesitation, Tammy dives in on top of us screeching in wordless delight at this new game.

  Their auras are so bright, so strong, practically engulfing me. The hunger is there, always creeping under the surface, that monster part of me that I will have to live with for the rest of my life. But on top of that, much greater, much more powerful, is love. My brothers and I hang onto each other in joy, in relief, in desperation, and I don’t think I will ever be able to let them go.

  End

  Author’s Note

  Hello Awesome Reader,

  Wow. We made it. Together, you and I have been on a pretty wild adventure with Maya, Tarren, Gabe, and Rain. It was loads of fun to write this last book in the GIRL WITH BROKEN WINGS series, and I really hope you had a blast reading it. It may surprise you to know that for quite a while I wasn’t sure if all of the main characters were going to survive. I actually wrote a few alternative outlines that didn’t end so happily. At the end of the day, however, it just felt right for them all to come out the other side of this terrible fight, stronger, better, and infused with a fragile new hope.

  I know that there were some big surprises in this book. Tarren has an angel mistress! Tarren has a love child! A member of the Totem (Finch) went dark side. It may seem like Tarren’s character shifted when his secrets were revealed, or was it merely your perspective of him? His relationship with Danielle was a constant throughout the whole series. (Trust me, I knew about it from the beginning.) It was just a part that he kept hidden. Tammy also came into the world during the book RISING, and if you look closely enough, you’ll see tiny hints of her along with more than a few hints of Danielle stirring things up behind the scenes.

  So, now that we are at the end of the story, where do we go from here? I purposefully left my world in a slightly precarious situation. Scientists are already hinting that they want to study the angel genetic code more closely, and it is possible that they could on day re-introduce it to the world. While this is not a particular concern our real world, I do feel like we are walking into a new age of technology; an age filled with promise and with risk. The decisions we make in the next decades in the realms of artificial intelligence, genetic manipulation, medicine, energy creation, and weaponry could put us on a brilliant path of abundance or a very dark path of division and destruction. I think that the balance between hope and worry my characters feel as they look toward the future accurately reflects a lot of my own feelings.

  But what will happen to Maya, Tarren, and Gabe? Tarren certainly has his hands full with his daughter, Tammy. (Can you imagine those two during her teenage years? Yeah, I wouldn’t want to be there either.) While I can’t say for sure, I think Tarren is going to thrive in the academic environment. I can easily see him getting his doctorate and eventually becoming a professor or researcher. I also think it will take him a while, but eventually he will pursue treatment for his scars and finally begin to forgive himself for the death of his sister. Maybe he’ll even wear a t-shirt one day! Gabe will probably bounce around a lot of different jobs, but he’ll have a blast doing it, and Francesca will always be a steady, faithful light at his side, helping him keep his feet on the ground. I have no doubt that he will be an amazing uncle to Tammy and a fantastic dad in his own right some day.

  And Maya. Hers is a tricky future to predict. She and Rain will face many difficulties, both as a couple and in trying to move forward without the great fight that was a huge part of their lives. Will their love be strong enough to overcome Maya’s condition? Though I don’t think their journey together will exactly be smooth sailing, their love is strong, and I want to believe that they will find happiness and stability.

  That leaves one person whose fate is still up in the air. Mine. What’s next for me? I’ve been working on the GWBW series for over seven years now. I’m not going to lie – I got choked up more than once making the final edits on this manuscript. Saying goodbye to Maya, Tarren, and Gabe won’t be easy. They are dear friends and have been constant companions for a long time. Fortunately, a writer’s mind is never quiet. I’ve had several stories whispering to me for quite a while, and now I finally have the chance to listen to them. I don’t know what my next major project will entail, but I can promise you that it will be exciting, adventurous, and that it will feature great characters as well as my trademark, sardonic humor. Until then, I will be working on a new installment in my silly THE VAMPIRE’S HOUSEKEEPER CHRONICLES series, so look out for that.

  If you want to be the first to hear about new books, special deals, or other news about me, please sign up for my newsletter. I only write when I’ve got something important to share with readers!

  Finally, there are three people whom I must thank for helping this series come to life. The first is Leslie Ramey, who has been my critique partner and good friend from the very, very beginning of this crazy adventure in self-publishing. Leslie has read every single word I’ve written in this series and told me whether it was gold or whether it sucked. Her medical knowledge also helped ensure that I didn’t give my characters lethal injuries (unless that was the point). Leslie, I cannot tell you how much I appreciate your critiques, your support, and your friendship. You gave me courage when I was terrified to put FALLING out into the world.

  Next up, I need to thank my sister, Kristin Bennett, who was also a primary beta reader and never let me off the hook. Her uncanny ability to point out every inconsistency and to call me out when my characters were being lame was both frustrating and incredibly helpful. One of my biggest goals as a writer is to write a story that you love.

  I’d also like to thank Diane Covelli, my hardworking copyeditor. Every time I thought I was giving you a pristine manuscript, you proved me wrong…a lot. I appreciate all of your efforts to make my manuscript shine.

  There’s one more thank you that I need to give out, and it’s to you. Thank you so much for giving my books a chance, for walking down this crazy, angel-infested road with me, Maya, Tarren, and Gabe. Thanks for loving my characters as much as I do, crying when they hurt, and cheering when they overcame their hardest challenges. You make me feel brave when it comes times to publish another one of my babies; you make it worth it when a negative review makes me want to hide under my bed; you make me want to keep improving as a writer so that I can write an even better story for you. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

  Your neurotic writer friend,

  J Bennett

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  Other Works by J Bennett

  The Henchman's Survival Guide

  An action-packed, futuristic series about a girl who competes to become a henchman for the most famous villain in town as a last ditch effort to earn a paycheck.

  How to Become a Henchman (Book 1)

  How to Defeat a Hero (Book 2)

  The Vampire’s Housekeeper Chronicles

  A light-hearted humor series about a grouchy vampire and his loveable human housekeeper

  Employment Interview With A Vampire (Novella 1)

  Duel with the Werefrog (Novella 2)

  Clash with a Vampire Relation (Novella 3)

  Apprenticeship With A Vampire (Novella 4)

  Thanksgiving with the Werewolves (Novella 5)

  Showdown with the Supernatural Hunter (Novella 6)

  The Vampire's Housekeeper Chronicles Box Set

  ***

  About J Bennett

  J Bennett lives and writes in San Diego. Her writing partner is a bunny named Avalon who contributes to each manuscript by trying to eat it. His adorableness is his primary strength as a writer.

  J Bennett is a professional copywriter and an author who loves asking that oh-so-dangerous question – “What if?” She's a paranormal adventure series, Girl With Broken Wings, and a tongue-in-cheek vampire humor short story series, The Vampire’s Housekeeper Chronicles.

 

 

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