***
I hear a soft masculine voice tickling my mind as it speaks my name. I try to come out of my vision toward the voice but recognize quickly that he isn't talking to me but about me. I listen for a moment, afraid to open my eyes and still in shock from seeing my sweet landlords lying on the ground in a pool of their own blood.
"Gavin, you need to tell her. She can't keep staying away from you or she'll never progress with her training," I hear Alexa speaking in a whisper.
Gavin's beautiful voice fills my heart as he speaks. "She is already so scared and overwhelmed by everything that is going on. I don't want to pressure her." It's quiet for a moment and just as I’m about to open my eyes, his voice comes back sounding tired. "What if I scare her away, Lex? I can't do that." He sounds so sad that I feel like I need to make his pain go away.
There are fast delicate footsteps coming closer and someone sits by my side, I hear Kassy's voice. "Is she coming to yet? I made her some chamomile tea with honey. It's her favorite." She sounds too worried, so I decide to force myself up slowly and let them all calm down.
Kassy instantly wraps her arms around me when I reach her eye level, making me gasp at how hard she is squeezing me.
She pulls back. "I'm sorry, El, I was just so worried about you. When you fainted and I couldn’t wake you up I almost called an ambulance, but Gavin got home at the perfect time and told me you were just having a vision. I had to do something while I waited, so I made you some tea. Luckily, Gavin had your exact favorite in his kitchen." She looks over at him and smiles.
I risk a glance at his face for the first time and sigh a little at how incredibly handsome he is sitting on the love seat across from me. There is pain in his dazzling golden eyes, uncovered by any contacts, and I'm sure mine reflect his pain perfectly but I give him a small smile anyways. He smiles sadly back at me and I bite my lip to stave the urge to jump over the coffee table and onto his lap. I am seriously obsessed.
Alexa's voice stops me from embarrassing myself. "What did you see, El?"
I turn to her and I jump up off the couch as I remember my horrifying vision, freaking out about what could happen tonight. I immediately feel dizzy and my heart feels sore, so I plop back down, trying to rub the ache away with my hand. Gavin rushes to my side and rubs a warm hand in circles on my back, causing electricity to flow through me and into the sore muscle in my chest.
I quickly start to feel better and can see myself visibly relax. I look at him with gratitude and curiosity, wondering how he can make me so calm with just a touch.
I realize that I'm just staring at him and turn back to Alexa, who is watching us with fascination in her glowing eyes. "Kassy and I can't go home tonight. Thrane is there waiting for us." I stand again, slower this time, and feeling much better than before. I turn to Gavin. "Did you have any visions for tonight, Gavin?" I ask, still not sure how the protector thing works.
He shakes his head. "No, I had no idea." He pauses for a minute to think. "Maybe I didn't need to have a vision, because you were going to have one and stop anything bad from happening."
I shrug. "But I'm not Kassy's protector. Wouldn't you get all of the important visions for her?"
Alexa steps in. "I think you're both her protectors." She looks at Gavin. "Maybe when you were given the assignment for Kassy, the council didn't see that she already had one. El isn't exactly on their radar or I’m sure someone would’ve reached out to her a long time ago. She kind of just showed up out of nowhere," she says, sounding intrigued by the situation.
Gavin nods his head, agreeing with her musings. "I guess it would make sense why I haven't really had to do anything to protect Kassy yet. Aella keeps getting there before me." He looks at me with admiration, causing a hidden blush to creep up my neck.
Kassy's voice breaks into our discussion, laced with concern. "So, if El is the one who is going to have to fight off my demons, then it's probably not too good that she hasn't finished developing, right?"
"Basically, we are going to have to really start focusing more on you discovering and mastering your abilities, El," Alexa says, sounding sorry but determined.
I tuck my hair behind my ear, feeling even more freaked. "How am I going to do that, guys? I have school every day during the week and so does Kassy. What if Thrane shows up there? He has before."
"You'll have to take a break from school, Aella, for yours and Kassy's protection," Gavin says next to me.
"I just started though. I'll fail my classes."
“I can still go to school right, Gavin? You can keep following me around there while El trains and she can pass along any visions she may have?" Kassy asks, completely desperate.
He tips his head at her.
She grins and turns back to me. "There, El. You can practice your abilities here during the day while I'm at school and I'll bring all of your work to you so that you don't fall behind for now. Almost everything is online anyways.” She places a hand on my shoulder, trying to reassure me. "It will all work out. You’ve never let me down."
I slouch and roll my neck, to ease the stress kinks. "All right, let's do it then."
Alexa pulls her phone out. "I'll call mom and tell her that you girls are going to stay with us for a while." I stop her with my hand out before she wanders off.
I shake my head. "We can't do that, Lex. Thrane will just find us there and I don't want him to bring trouble to your mom or your grandmother."
Gavin clears his throat, making us all turn in his direction. "The three of you will stay here. I have plenty of room and the house is very safe and secure. It just makes the most sense since you'll be using my gym every day." He avoids eye contact with me, looking shy, which only makes him even more adorable.
Alexa claps her hands together in excitement. “Woo! Vacation!”
Kassy bounces up and down. "I’ve never been on this kind of vacation, but I'm more than cool with it.”
Gavin watches the two crazy girls with amusement in his tired eyes. I didn’t notice before, but something about him seems off. Under his eyes, the skin is dark and unhealthy looking and his smiles don’t reach the heights I’ve grown accustomed to. His shoulders lack their usual strength as well.
Kassy turns to Gavin and he sits up straighter. “I just hope it's okay if Liam can come see me here, and we'll have to tell Mr. and Mrs. Henderson."
Her mention of our landlords makes me start to freak out again. I flip my hair behind me and run to the window. It hasn't started getting dark yet. "Guys, I almost forgot!” I turn to Alexa and stutter, trying to rush my explanation. “We n-need to work on my vision memory too because I always do that after a vision.”
I address Gavin this time. “I remember that before Thrane goes after Kassy and I, he kills our landlords, the Hendersons." Tears start to build up in my eyes at the image of them that pops up in my head. "Thrane must've gotten to them before we got there. We have to go right now and make them leave so that he can't find them!" I shout, feeling panicked.
He stands up tall and comes over to me, untucking my hair from behind my ear. "Hey, don't worry, I will go over there right now and get them away from the house." he says, looking right into my eyes and soothing my fears as his fingers send tingles through my cheek and neck. He looks at his hand and then pulls it back abruptly before he turns to leave.
I stand there, feeling that chill that always hits me when he walks away. I wipe the tears away from my eyes and turn to Kassy who has a few of her own. She gives me a softer hug this time and then speaks to Alexa.
"What's for dinner, Lex? We need to feed the teenage boy.” she says in her unique way that makes everyone forget their worries. Almost.
Alexa lets out a deep breath and shakes her head. "Let's go raid my brother's fridge. It’s practically ours now too." She grabs our hands and drags us both into the beautiful kitchen. She leans into me and whispers. "Gavin will take care of them. Trust in him, okay?"
I try to put on a semi-happy face before making myse
lf at home in the house of the man that I am crazy about but can’t be with. This is going to be a really stressful vacation.
Chapter 6
For the past week, Alexa and I have worked really hard on strengthening my new abilities. We rise when the sun rises and run around Gavin's property until I am struggling for breath. After a water and snack break, we lift weights and train with various weapons until Kassy gets home from school. So far, weapons are definitely not my specialty and I’ve gone through at least five different ones.
When I make it back into the main house, I usually try to study for classes and keep up with the lessons via email with my professors. Luckily, Alexa is decently persuasive and was able to convince my teachers that I am sick and on bed-rest with a bad case of pneumonia, so they have all been very accommodating. I guess I should feel bad, but my life and Kassy’s literally depend upon me getting stronger, so I don't worry too much about it.
Liam has been spending a lot of dinners with us because it is safer for Kassy to stay home and not go out too much. Honestly, I don’t think he minds coming out here, and I like having him around. Everything feels so normal when he bickers with me and Kassy chastises us. I’m hoping that someday he can know the truth, but Kassy isn’t ready for that yet.
Liam thinks we moved in here to room with Alexa because our landlords left for Hawaii for retirement and kicked us out. It’s not a complete lie. Gavin came back from the Henderson’s the day after my horrible vision and told us that he was able to get to them before Thrane. He stuck them both on a plane to Hawaii, claiming that it was for witness protection. Without children of their own, they weren't too upset about the idea of living in Hawaii and went pretty easily, especially because Gavin sold their home for them and paid for their flight.
Gavin still hardly speaks to me unless I say something to him first. He asks from time to time if I need anything, but I’m not about to say I only need him. Every once in a while, our arms will touch as we pass one another in the hall or Gavin will sometimes place a hand on my shoulder when reaching around me for something in the kitchen. I wonder sometimes if he does it on purpose because he feels cold when we aren't touching, like I do.
I hoped time would make me get over him, but I guess living two bedrooms away from a crush that you can’t have isn’t exactly ideal. Each day it gets a little more difficult being this close to him and not actually being with him. Especially when he watches me with those golden eyes like he is now. Liam is off doing something with his roommate today, so Gavin and Alexa are free to keep their eye contacts out.
Currently, I am trying to lift seventy pounds over my head and struggling. Yesterday I did sixty-five, but Alexa is certain that I can do more. I am able to get the bar onto my chest but each time I push up from my squat, it doesn't budge. I growl and throw the bar down with a loud crash, frustrated.
"El, I know you can do it. You have come a long way in the past few days. Just keep trying." Alexa’s words only make me angrier. I feel my temper start to rise so I close my eyes and try to breathe slower, like Gavin taught me. These mood swings are seriously irritating.
I open my eyes but still feel the heat running through my veins, needing an escape, with nowhere to go. My hands are shaking, and Gavin stands up from his spot on the floor where he has been silently watching me train. In one quick motion, he removes his shirt, and my heart begins beating out of control at the six-pack staring back at me.
Gavin comes closer to me, pulling my focus from his body to his scruffy face. "Aella, you can’t keep getting angry and holding it in. I can tell you want to hit something, so why don't you hit me?" he says, making me draw my eyebrows together.
"You want me to hit you?" I ask, figuring I heard him wrong. Sure, I like touching him but hitting is a very different kind of touch.
He smiles, flashing me the pearly whites and making it nearly impossible to focus on anything else but that adorable dimple. "Well, I'm not going to make it that easy. I'm going to come at you, and I want you to fight back. You're not going to learn everything by only using weights and a treadmill. You need hand to hand combat, so hit me." He pats his chest where I should land the blow.
I shake my head. "I can't hit you, Gavin. What if I hurt you?"
He just chuckles at me, like I made a joke. "Trust me, I'll be fine." He looks me up and down, making me squirm in my spot. "I can feel the heat coming off of you, no matter how hard you try to keep your emotions at bay. Just let it all out, you won't hurt me," he says, a little gentler. “You’ll feel better, I promise.”
I nod and hold my fists up like I learned in the three karate classes I took when I was nine. Gavin makes his way closer to me and I have to focus on his face so that I don't get lost in those powerful muscles. He stalks me for a moment and starts circling, making me anxious.
I keep my eyes on him as his bare feet criss-cross over one another to my right, continuing his imperfect circle. I jump back when he suddenly lunges at me. Before I can think, he grabs both of my wrists in his hands and spins me around hard, so that my back slams against his chest. I suck in a sharp breath from the impact and electricity that tingles all the way down my spine. I push away from him, spinning back around so that I can prepare for the next attack.
Gavin grins for a moment and then uses his speed to jump at me again. I move to the side, quicker than I thought I could and narrowly avoid the impact. He turns, and his eyebrows shoot up briefly in surprise before he puts his game face back on.
"Are you going to hit me anytime soon?" he goads with an eyebrow raised, causing more heat to flow to my clenched fists. “Do you even know how to hit someone? I’m guessing you don’t.”
It's me who lunges this time, but he is way too fast and spins out of my reach so that I end up stumbling past him. I turn back around and swing my leg at him, but he grabs my ankle and pulls me so that my body is flush with his. He looks down and smiles at me, cockily. I just glare back at him and push against his chest, hard. He stumbles back a little and has to release my ankle in order to stay upright.
I smirk, feeling a sliver of pride at my little accomplishment.
"That was all right," Gavin says, shrugging his shoulders. "I guess that's all you got." He turns to walk away from me, but I’m not done.
I run after him, needing to prove myself. I reach out to him, and he spins back around, swinging a fist toward my face. I duck fast and slam my right fist into his bare stomach on my way down, surprising myself at how quick it happened.
Gavin grunts and reaches to grab the arm that just hit him. I react with more speed than before as I pull my arm back and throw my left fist into his side. I feel some of my hot energy release when I hit his skin and Gavin stumbles back again. I pause for a moment, taken aback by my sudden strength that wasn't there earlier.
My momentary distraction gives Gavin the opportunity to sweep one of his legs under me so that I trip and fall backwards, but before I hit the gym floor, his arms wrap around my waist. Gavin pulls me right-side-up against his chest and keeps me there for a moment before releasing me.
I am breathing heavily from the amount of energy I just used but a smile graces my parted lips. Gavin has a smile on his handsome face as well, but his breathing is even and slow. No fair .
I hear Alexa and Kassy clapping behind me, so I turn, a little startled because I forgot that they were there. Alexa jumps up from her seat on the floor. "Great job, El! That was awesome! You guys need to do that every day. Seriously, you really tapped into something there that I haven't gotten out of you all week!" She is beaming at me with a look of pride on her freckle-filled face.
Gavin dips his head at me. "That was really good, Aella. You surprised me there." He rubs his abdomen.
"Thanks." I say, feeling a little shy. I look down at his stomach and see two dark red marks where my fists made contact. My eyes go wide, and I instinctively reach out to stroke his bruises. "Did I hurt you, Gavin?"
He sucks in a sharp breath and steps back from my touc
h, causing a small wave of hurt to wash over me.
He clears his throat and shrugs, back to his cocky self. “It stung more than I expected, but next time I won't go so easy on you." He winks at me, turning my insides into jelly.
I narrow my eyes at him. “Maybe I was the one going easy on you. I think I’ve got more than just a ‘sting’ waiting behind the surface, so be careful,” I say, feeling brave after my small accomplishment.
Gavin’s deep laugh fills my ears, causing my heart to do a little sigh inside of me. My lips part and I shift in my spot, wanting to be closer to him. His warm gaze follows my hand as I nervously tuck my hair behind my ear, a habit I can’t seem to break. I notice him flinch like he wants to move but he stays rooted in his position. I can see a war going on within him and I’m not sure who the good or bad guys are, but the standoffish Gavin wins the battle. He steps away from me with a nod and makes his way back to where he was seated before our fight. Sometimes he seems so comfortable with me and then other times he does this.
I watch as he pulls his shirt back over his head and sigh to myself before I remember again that Alexa and Kassy are here. I go over to them and they’re both watching me with something resembling pity in their eyes. Kassy nudges me with her elbow. “That was seriously amazing, El. I think you actually blurred for a second.”
Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6 Page 13
