“No, but Mrs. Centrina would like to dance with you,” Kiskei answered.
Travis’ eyes darted back to Kiskei, his brow furrowing. “Mrs. Cen—? Oh!” He looked out at the dance floor where Parker was standing, her hands clasped behind her back waiting for him.
“You better go dance with your wife before you’re too drunk to stand,” Nualla suggested as she reached across the table and took his glass from him.
“Right,” he agreed as he stood, and walked quickly to join Parker out on the dance floor. When he reached her, he put his hands on her shoulders and kissed her, his fingers sliding down her sides as he did.
Nualla leaned her head against me, the beads of her crown brushing against my haori. “He looks happy. I don’t think I’ve ever seen him look this happy.”
“Yeah,” I agreed with a smile.
Travis pulled away from Parker just enough that he could lean down, and slid his hands to either side of her belly. He said something to it as Parker looked down at him with an adoring smile, and then both their heads jerked back suddenly. The two of them looked at each other for a moment before their lips both spread into huge grins.
“Yep, one of those girls is definitely going to grow up to be an Amurai,” I commented with a snort.
“My money’s on both,” Nualla agreed, and we both started to laugh.
Just as the music was starting to switch to a slow song, Kiskei raised his glass and called out loudly, “A toast to the new Mr. and Mrs. Centrina.”
I looked out over the banquet hall of raised glasses. At Loraly and Alex. At Skye and Nikk and Kira and Nikki and Shawn. This was my family. This was where I truly belonged. The fight wasn’t over—not by a long shot—but for tonight, I was happy just to be alive.
I raised my glass of kekkoshi sadara to toast along with the others. “From the stars we are born, and to the stars we must, one day, return.”
The End…for now.
The daemons will return in The Warriors of Kalo.
Nothing Is Ever What It Seems
Patrick, Travis, and Nualla’s story might may be done for now, but the adventure is far from over! More secrets, super-tech, and danger are in store for the daemons of Karalia in the exciting new serialized series The Warriors of Kalo coming in 2016.
Be Awesome!
If you enjoyed The Other Side of Truth, please leave a review. Or recommend it to a friend! Every bit of word of mouth helps!
What’s Next, Kitty Kat?
If you liked The Marked Ones Trilogy, you’ll LOVE what projects I have in the works! Sign up for my New Releases Mailing List to be notified when new books are available before they’re even officially released! How cool is that? I promise not to share your email with anyone else (seriously, who even would do that?!), and I won’t clutter your inbox because this list is just for new releases!
If you want to know more about what I’m releasing next, you can visit my Works in Progress page or join my fun and funky newsletter, The Samurai Kitty Squad, to gain access to dispatches packed full shiny extras while spreading the Kitty Squad message of equality, individuality & geekiness for all!
About the Author
Alicia Kat Vancil grew up in the heart of Silicon Valley where she amused herself by telling stories to anyone around her—her family, her friends…random strangers. Eventually she actually started writing those stories down instead of just spending hours hanging out in fake Ikea living rooms and telling her friends about them. Somewhere amongst all the character-torturing and epic explosions she managed to get a BFA in Illustration from the Academy of Art University and open a graphics studio (Multi-tasking for the win!).
Kat still lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with her husband, two very crazy studio cats, and nine overfull bookcases. And when not running amuck in the imaginary worlds within her head, Kat can usually be found frolicking in her general geekiness.
She makes her online home at KatGirlStudio.com. You can email her anytime at [email protected] and you should totally geek out with her on Twitter at @KatGirl_Studio about cosplay, books, and Doctor Who.
You can also find Kat at any of the following eLocations:
Twitter | Facebook | Google+ | Pinterest | Goodreads | Wattpad | Instagram | Vine | Tumblr
Kat is also the author of:
Beautiful Stranger
Daemons in the Mist
The Storm behind Your Eyes
The Other Side of Truth
At First Sight – 8 Book Box Set
“10 Keys to Standout Covers” Writer’s Digest’s 2015 Guide to Self-Publishing
Dedication
For everyone who ever dared to seek the truth, no matter the danger.
Acknowledgments
Writing this book was...rough. I’ve seen so many great trilogies shoot themselves in the foot in the last book and go limping quietly into the darkness, and I really didn’t want that for The Marked Ones. Which might be why this book took approximately thirteen months between when I started it last summer and today when I am writing this. I know it took much longer than it should have, but I really wanted it to end right. So without further ado, I would like to thank the following people for contributing to the herculean effort of making sure this book actually made it to publication.
My husband and best friend in all the world, for letting me bounce crazy ideas off of him for this book and everything else in the years to come. But mostly, for believing in me even when it was hard for me to believe in myself. For ensuring this book didn’t end up in project fatigue hell, and a dozen other things my tired brain is forgetting at the moment. Without you I probably would have given up on ever completing this book. My alpha and beta readers Scott, Gwyn, Chris, and Maureen, for telling me the parts you loved, and the parts you didn’t, and the parts that made you cry your eyes out. My editors Scott Aleric and Maureen, for pointing out plot holes, details I only actually wrote down in my head, and generally making this book as shiny and awesome as humanly possible. Madeline, for hanging out in fake Ikea living rooms and letting me tell you all about my stories for hours. It took a lot more guts than I will ever have to pick up and move 3000 miles away from everything you’d come to love. You will always be a part of our family, and we miss you so, so much! My NALitChat and Indelibles teammates and the Twitter community at large for your invaluable information, support and camaraderie; without you all, I don’t know how I would be able to work in the studio alone all day. My readers, followers, and fans, for your continued support of my work that lets me live this dream every day. The creators of Scrivener, for creating a writing program that seems especially designed for non-linear writers like me. Without you, my stories would be a horrid mess and take twice as long to write. The creators of Pinterest for creating a way to store my visual ideas and share them with the world. And as always, I am eternally grateful to my parents, Bob and Maureen Dillman for their unwavering support of all the things I do; from dance and theater lessons growing up to putting me through art school. You two are the best parents anyone could have.
—Alicia Kat Vancil
Table of Contents
The Other Side of Truth
Copyright
Pronunciation Guide
A Construct of Lies and Betrayal
It Makes More Sense If You Don’t Think About It
If You Could Be Anything
In Plain Sight
A Picture’s Worth a Thousand Nightmares
The Makings of a Very Long Night
We Need to Talk
Bollixed
Screw You, Christmas
Never Let Them See You Cry
Shattered Dreams
Viliyata
Unidentified Species
The Truth Is Whatever You Make It
Memory Thief
Come as You Are
; Dark Places
Hidden Doors
The Missing Girls
Watcher of Shadows
The Choice Is Yours
The Ghosts of the Past
The Illusion of Strength
The Few, the Proud, the Dysfunctional
A Match Made in Darkness
Holding the Darkness at Bay
The Past You Can’t Escape From
I Should Have Bought You Flowers
Getting over You
What I Always Needed to Say
If I Fall
You Can Escape, but You Can Never Leave
The Worst Hangover in the World
You Are So on Your Own
How Crappy Art Saved the Free World
Restraint Is Not One of My Many Fine Qualities
Like a Dog with a Bone
The Tangled Webs We Weave
Black Friday
Breaking Promises
No More Lies
A Little Help from the Stars
An Armor Built of Secrets
Awkward Doesn’t Even Begin to Cover It
A Colossal Feat of Cosmic Irony
The Unexpected
Really Frakking Dumb
The Destiny That Is Chosen for Us
I’m Not Ready for This
A Promise
If You Weren’t So Damn Cute
Lost and Found
I Still Need You
When Words Are Not Enough
A Thousand Little Prayers to the Stars
Nothing Else Matters
Astari Tahara
‘Twas the Night before Christmas
Dark Promises
404 Location Not Found
A Sporkfull of Nightmares
Lab Rats
All the Pieces
Sometimes the Truth Is the most Dangerous Thing of All
All the Things You Didn’t Want to Know
Amurai Protectorate
Not Everything Lost is Gone Forever
Count Down till Midnight
I Really Hope You Know What You’re Doing
Tempting Fate
The Masks We Wear
The Machanta
A Monster Hiding behind a Smile
Far Worse than Any Lie
All I Ever Wanted
A Thousand Stars
To the Stars
Nothing Is Ever What It Seems
What’s Next, Kitty Kat?
About the Author
Dedication
Acknowledgments
The Other Side of Truth (The Marked Ones Trilogy Book 3) Page 41
