Captivated: Part 1 of the Intended Series

by Abigail Grant

  Gavin speaks next. “Gram, can you please grab some of your herbs? Aella was roughed up by a demon in the woods and her back was scraped pretty bad.”

  I blanch at his terminology. “A what?” I shout, but receive no response.

  Everyone around us is silent, except for Jack who groans loudly. “Well, I suck.” is all he says.

  A voice whispers behind me. “This close to our home? That has never happened before.”

  Gavin’s grandma looks at me with sadness in her eyes. “I’ll go get my bag. You go and lay down on your stomach in the downstairs bedroom, sweetie. I’ll be right in to check you out.”

  I nod my head at her, still trying to process what Gavin had just called Thrane. His mother, Cami rushes to my side and they both lead me into the bedroom at the end of a well-lit hallway. Cami helps place me on a large bed with floral bedding in the middle of a beautifully decorated guest bedroom. She sits beside me on the bed and takes Gavin’s hands away from me.

  “Hun, why don’t you go save Aella a plate of food before those guys eat it all? Gram and I will take care of her in here.” Her voice is gentle and loving as she speaks to her son.

  He looks at her like she has gone crazy. “I’m not going anywhere, mom. She’s in pain.”

  He gestures to the bloodstains on the back of my shirt.

  She throws him a dangerous motherly stare. “Gav, we are going to have to remove her shirt to apply the medicine. I’m sure Aella would rather have some privacy for that.”

  He glances at me, looking torn. Heat rushes to my cheeks at the mention of me stripping in front of two strangers and Gavin. I nod at him, reassuring him that I will be fine.

  He sighs loudly. “Fine, I’ll grab you some dinner and come back as soon as you’re done.”

  He grabs one of my hands, placing a gentle kiss on the back of it. My cheeks become even hotter at the show of affection in front of his mother.

  Gavin’s grandma passes him on his way out, with a much smaller bowl in her hands this time. She shuts the door behind her and sets the mixture of brown mush on the bedside table.

  “Alright, dear, take off that dirty shirt and scarf, and lay down on your belly. You can leave your brassiere on.” She gestures with her hands as she talks.

  I comply with her demands and notice when I remove my scarf, that neither of them reacts to my bruised neck, which means Gavin probably told them about what happened Friday

  night. I lie down on the insanely comfortable bed, instantly feeling tired from the long, trying day.

  Gavin’s grandma dips her fingers into the gross-looking mixture and takes out a generous amount. She rubs it along my back, causing me to flinch from the cold paste against my raw skin. But the pain leaves me in seconds, as if it never existed.

  I sigh and sink further into the bed, my muscles finally able to relax. “What is that stuff, mam?” I ask, wanting to hug her for taking my pain away.

  “Everyone I know just calls me Gram, dear. Whether they’re my babies or not.” She smiles down at me and winks. “My children call this mixture ‘Cole Cream’. I’ve always had a way with the earth, so I can create many different concoctions out of the things I find growing from it. This remedy will take the pain away and heal most wounds in half the time of any other medications.”

  Her face is proud. She knows how awesome she is. Gram finishes rubbing the Cole Cream on my neck and washes her hands in the attached bathroom, before returning and taking a seat in the chair near me.

  Camilla still sits quietly on the bed next to me. I turn a little, so I can see them. “Thank you, both of you. Today has been strange, to say the least, but you both are so kind.”

  “El, what happened out in those woods, if you don’t mind me asking?” Camilla asks me with worry in her eyes.

  I prop myself on an elbow and run through my memories of the day with a deep breath. I nod and begin telling them the story of Thrane cornering me. I repeat all of the things he told me about Kassy and his interest in ‘ending’ me and my pushing him away. I even relay the part about him kissing me and how it made me feel disgusting.

  I purposefully kept the kiss part from Gavin, figuring he was already angry enough. Their faces reflect many different emotions throughout my horrible story, but mostly concern and surprise.

  “Anyways, Gavin fought him, so Thrane gave up and ran off. Gavin was amazing. I’ve never seen anyone fight like the two of them did.” I smile at the image of my hero coming to my rescue, which has become a habit of his.

  Gram and Camilla share a look that I can’t quite decipher the meaning of. Camilla grabs a folded shirt from the dresser behind Gram. “My boy is pretty amazing, just like his father.” Her eyes sparkle with pride for her son as she hands me the shirt. “And he seems to care an awful lot about you, El.”

  I blush a little as I sit up and pull the large T-shirt over my head, being careful not to rub it against my back. “Well, I guess I care about him too. He is a genuinely good person and you really don’t see a lot of those nowadays. Meeting all of you guys though, now I know where he gets it from.”

  Camilla’s eyes begin to glisten at my words. “Thanks, sweetie. I’m glad he brought you to us today. I hope you feel comfortable enough to come back.”

  There is a soft knock on the door before it opens just a crack. Gavin's voice comes through the space, “Um, can I come in now?”

  Cami pulls the door open and lets him in. She gives him a soft hug, then she and Gram smile at me and exit behind Gavin. He is carrying a plate of delicious-looking barbecue chicken, mashed potatoes and green salad with ranch dressing. My mouth instantly starts to water.

  Gavin sets the plate on the table next to me and sits down in the chair that his grandmother vacated. “Are you feeling up to eating something?” he asks, a small smile gracing his handsome face.

  I sit up straighter and smile back at him. “Absolutely. I'm starving!” My stomach growls, agreeing with my statement.

  “Good. I've been dying out there knowing how hungry you must be.” He pushes the food closer to me and I gladly dig in. He watches me for a moment, and I don't even care that I probably look like a pig as I scarf down the pile of deliciousness.

  His smile falls a little and he nervously watches his hands. “Aella, I heard your story about what happened out there before I found you. I'm so sorry you had to listen to that thing talk about you and your best friend like that.”

  He looks into my eyes. “I should’ve gotten there before he put his lips on you. I promise, I will do my best to make sure he never gets that close to you, or Kassy, ever again.” His eyes show the sincerest resolve and I know he believes that he is capable of protecting us.

  I remember that he told me he has super-hearing abilities and I stop chewing. Shoot. If he heard my story, then he probably heard me tell his mom how amazing he is and that I care about him. I feel my cheeks warm up slightly. “Gavin, it's not your job to take care of me or Kassy.”

  “Actually, it is. Kassy is my assignment.”

  My eyebrows knit together. “Your what?”

  He shrugs like it’s no big deal. “My assignment. Like I told you before, we were created to protect humans and that's exactly what we do. Each Seer is given assignments to protect a person who is the target of a demon. When the demon is eliminated, we move on to the next.

  This… Kassy, is my first mission.”

  “There's that word again. Demon. Please elaborate on what you mean by that.”

  He looks like he'd rather not tell me. “Well, demons are creatures from hell, that were once humans who killed someone in their lifetime. Some have the ability to come here to earth and take human form so that they can trick people into giving up their souls. Those who are soulless become demons themselves. It’s some sort of recruitment, I guess. They have persuasive abilities which many people can't resist, like that Max guy, for instance.” He looks guilty all of a sudden, probably remembering what Max did to Kassy and me.

  I just si
t, stunned, not knowing what to think about demons from actual hell roaming the streets and compelling people like freaking vampires from TV. “So, what you're saying is, your job is to protect my sweet best friend from a demon named Thrane, who wants to take her soul to the underworld! And he wants to kill me for what? Just for fun?”

  My breathing picks up, “Why in the world would he pick Kassy? She is such a good person and has never done a thing wrong in her life.”

  Gavin scoots his chair closer to me so that our knees are now touching. He grabs my hands in his, instantly calming me with his electricity.

  “Hey, he's not going to get anything he wants from you two. Don't worry, that’s what I am here for.” He rubs his thumbs along the backs of my hands. “Kassy has a very pure soul. She is strong and it’s exactly the reason he is after her, but also why it's going to be hard for him to take anything from her. They like a challenge and it oftentimes gets them killed by my people.”

  I suddenly feel sick to my stomach and incredibly angry, like when I pushed Thrane into that tree. My blood feels hot, as if it's boiling just like before. I guess Gavin feels it too because his eyes go wide and he releases my hands, which are gripping his a bit too tight.

  He stands and climbs in next to me on the large bed, leaning his back against the headboard. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me to him, cradling my head against his chest. “Aella, just relax. Focus on me, okay? Listen to my heart.”

  I curl up against him and listen to his heart beating against my cheek. The rhythm is like a calming song that soon soothes me and cools my burning veins. “Why do I feel so messed up lately?” I ask against his warm chest now that I’ve cooled down.

  His voice is low and husky when he speaks. “It's part of your body changing and your mind expanding to take in the new abilities.” He chuckles a little, making his chest shake. “I guess it's a little like a second puberty, but worse. It sucks.”

  “It really does. What if I don't want to be some superhuman, Gavin?” My voice is sleepy now and I yawn.

  He tightens his hold on me. “Sadly, it's who we are, and we don't really get a say. Trust me though, it's not as bad as it seems right now. This part doesn’t last, and you’ll see soon enough that this life can be miraculous.”

  I just groan back at him, not wanting to talk anymore. Knowing he is here to protect me, I drift off into a peaceful, dreamless sleep in Gavin's strong arms.

  Next book: BLINDSIDED PART 2

  Other Books By This Author

  A Vision In Thessaly

  The Intended Series:

  Captivated Part 1

  Blindsided Part 2

  Intended Part 3

  Isolated Part 4

  Bonded Part 5 (Available Soon!)

  Descended Part 6 (Available Soon!)

  About This Author

  Abigail Grant has always found herself lost in a good book. Whether it be as a teenager sprawled out in her upstairs bedroom, dreaming of boys. Or as a wife and mother of three small children, excited for bedtime when she can unwind and explore undiscovered worlds. This new author has many fantastical, and supernatural love stories to share from her home in Northern Utah. She is ready for her wild imagination to fill the hearts of lovers and dreamers everywhere.

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