Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6

by Abigail Grant

  I breathe very slowly as I listen to her story, feeling as if there is some answer that I am missing that would pertain to my life now.

  Kassy giggles. "That's so amazing. So, just a touch cures the illness?”

  The ladies in the room all nod with smiles.

  Kassy continues with the questions, loving all of the gooey romance. “How do people usually know when they are someone's Intended? Is it always that kind of trial?”

  Gram looks my way, as if she is talking to only me. "With my Leo and I, it was just the first handshake that told us we were Intended for one another."

  "How is that possible?" I ask. "What did it feel like?"

  She answers slowly so that I hear every word. "It felt like electricity. When a Seer touches their Intended, there is always a tingling electricity that passes through to the other. It's also how we can make one another stronger, as if we charge the other’s abilities."

  I gasp at her words. She has to know that I have felt that with Gavin. I look at all of the Seer faces around me. The women see my reaction to Gram's words, and they watch me with knowing eyes, even Alexa who gives me a sad smile. It seems the only one out of the loop is Kassy.

  How could we be soul mates? I learned about this world less than two weeks ago and now I'm supposed to decide whether or not to marry the first Seer I met? Whether or not to be with someone forever… And, who's to say that he even wants to choose me.

  A realization comes to me. He has to know what we are to one another by now. He knows the signs because he has been taught these things since he was just a kid. How can he know who I am to him and not tell me? Does he really want that badly to not be with me that he’d just keep me in the dark?

  Everyone continues talking as I sink into a dark hole of unanswered questions within myself. I have wanted nothing more than to be the one that Gavin wants, even though I pushed him away in the first place and thought there was another girl out there Intended for him. I feel as if I just got my wish dangled in front of my eyes and then ruthlessly ripped away from me. Gavin Cole is my Intended...

  Chapter 8

  It is nearly impossible to avoid Gavin like I had planned. Apparently, three days isn’t enough time to build up my strength and endurance in order to protect myself and get away from him. Nowhere I go on his property is enough distance to help me move on. Being aware of the “string” on my heart makes the pain worse when he is gone watching over Kassy at school. I know now that the reason he had been 'accidentally' brushing up against me here and there was so that we wouldn't get sick from not having contact with one another.

  He still avoids me, which is good I guess, but it doesn't help that we are doing hand to hand combat every day. Each time we fight, and I feel the tingle from his touch, it takes all of my strength to not just fall into our surreal bond and give up trying to fight it. Sometimes, it feels like Gavin wants what I want, and then he is back to being cold and distant.

  Like now, I actually get a couple of good hits in his chest during our fight and he even smiles at me with a look of pride on his handsome face. His eyes lock onto mine and, just as I start to feel cared for, he turns and walks away from me as if I'm just another person to him.

  "Aella," Gavin says, his back still moving farther away from me as he makes his way toward the weapons wall. It's just the two of us in here today. Kassy and Alexa went shopping with Liam because they were both getting pretty stir crazy. Gavin and I needed to practice fighting anyways so we stayed behind. Kassy doesn’t like watching us spar. She says it feels like she is interrupting something private, which is just ridiculous.

  I watch the muscles stir beneath his skin with every slight movement. "Yeah?" I say, just louder than a whisper.

  He pauses, as if thinking about what to say next but shakes his head, erasing whatever words never made it out. He reaches for a small black bag sitting on a shelf by the swords. "I uh, was just wondering if you'd tried throwing knives yet?" he says, turning to me with a forced smile.

  I know that's not what he was planning on saying but I play along. "No, I'm afraid I'll take an eye out with those things. And seeing as you’re the only other one here, it’ll be your eye."

  He chuckles lightly at me. "All present eyes will be just fine. I've seen you with some of the heavier weapons and I've noticed you don't seem exactly comfortable. I've been thinking about what you could use for protection while you're still training, and I remembered that I had these in my room."

  Gavin pulls out four short and sleek looking knives. They are shaped into an impossibly sharp point for speed and accuracy with no handle on the other end. He grabs the hilt of one of the knives and turns in a blur before flicking the weapon through the air and imbedding it in a target on the far wall.

  I spin in my spot and see the blunt end sticking out of the head of a human shaped target. My eyes go wide as I turn back to Gavin. "Wow! That was awesome, but uh...I'm not sure I'm capable of that," I say, feeling very unsure of myself.

  Gavin shrugs. "Just try it. Not many people are as good as me so don't worry about trying to measure up to the master." He is trying to goad me so that I will want to challenge him. It's what he does when we are fighting so I won't hesitate when hitting him.

  I shake my head at him. "You just think you're so cool, don't you, hot shot?" It is too easy to fall into this rhythm with him.

  He grins, flashing his dimple at me. "Well, let's see if you can be cool as well.” He hands me one of the knives and I take it, hoping I'm not about to lose a finger. “It won’t hurt to just try it."

  “It could hurt.” I mumble under my breath.

  He turns me toward the far wall and the invisible string around my heart does a little tug, wanting me to get closer to him, but I ignore it. I stare down the human target outline, ready for a distraction. I stand up straight and fling the knife with all of my strength toward the target. The small blade flies through the air, making a whooshing sound and impales the floor, maybe two feet in front of the paper man. I slouch over, upset about my failure.

  Gavin grunts behind me and I turn to see him rubbing the stubble on his chin. "You know, that actually wasn't too bad for your first try. At least you got it to stick somewhere."

  "It looked pretty bad to me. Maybe throwing knives aren't my thing either," I say, ready to give up on weapons altogether.

  Gavin shakes his head and takes a step closer, landing just a few inches from me. "If you can just position your body correctly, I promise you will do so much better." He holds his hands out to me. "May I?"

  I swallow a lump in my throat and nod my head at him, afraid that my voice will give away just how much I genuinely want him to touch me.

  He hands me the third knife and places both of his hands on my bare shoulders, sending me that familiar tingle. He turns me around so that my shoulders are parallel with the wall across the room and then slides his warm hands down my back to my hips. I have to suppress a shiver that wants to escape from the trail of electricity flowing from his fingertips. Firmly, he grips my hips and turns them slightly to the right and then bends down to grab my left leg and points my foot toward the target. He turns my other foot so that it is slightly behind me and pointing off to my right.

  Over my shoulder, I see Gavin stand back up. He is standing so close to me that I can feel the heat from his chest against my back. I avoid looking at his face because with him being this close, I could easily lose myself in his eyes and do something stupid. I stare forward at the paper man in front of me and wait for my next instructions.

  "Now, hold the knife in your right thumb and index finger with the small groove in the handle." Gavin says near to my ear, blowing my hair slightly with his warm breath. His voice is low and soft. "Bend your knees slightly and keep them loose. Now pull your arm back so the knife is just behind your ear." He takes my wrist and pulls it back for me. "When you throw it, just make sure to keep your eye on the target and not the knife or your hand. Then release the knife right before your arm i
s completely straight."

  Gavin releases me and steps back so I can throw the knife. I feel cool air take his place on my back, but I take a deep breath in and then out at the same time that I fling the knife forward. It whistles through the air and hits the target right below the man's neck, making a loud thunk.

  I spin around with a huge smile on my face. "I did it!" I shout, feeling happier than I've felt all week as a girly squeal escapes me.

  Gavin sweeps me up in his arms, laughing along with me and spins me around. "Yes, you did! Thrane better watch out," he says, still holding me against him in a tight embrace.

  My laughter slowly dies down, but my pulse continues to pick up its pace. Gavin is still smiling as he sets me on my feet, but he doesn't take his arms away from my waist. I am holding onto his hard shoulders, feeling like I might fall down if I let go. With the way he is watching me, I don’t want to let go.

  "Thank you, Gavin," I say breathless. "I couldn't have done that without you."

  His smile softens and the gold in his eyes darkens to a smoldering flame. "Yes, you could have. You can do anything."

  I lick my lips and watch as his eyes flick down to my mouth. His chest is rapidly rising and falling, and I realize that he is about to kiss me. He lowers his head to mine slowly and I close my eyes in anticipation. One of his strong hands releases my waist and slides up to the back of my neck, holding my head in place. His nose brushes up against my cheek softly, sending small currents of electricity into me. Gavin's warm lips barely brush against my waiting ones, not yet really kissing me, but just feeling them there before he pulls away from me slightly. My lips feel cold from the loss of his warm ones.

  "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have done that," he whispers, his breath fanning my cheek.

  I open my eyes, confused, and see pain in his. My heart shatters at his words and the regret I see on his face, making quick tears start to sting my eyes. I gently push away from him, feeling completely rejected.

  Gavin takes a step back from me and opens his mouth like he wants to say something, but I stand tall and hold up my hand, halting his words that will only make me feel worse.

  "Don't, Gavin. It's fine." I lie and walk toward the door, needing to get as far away from him as possible.

  Gavin calls after me but I ignore him and continue my pitiful escape. I burst through the gym door and run into the forest, taking the route that Alexa and I run most mornings. I run faster than I ever have, speeding by the beautiful evergreens and wildflowers. I don't even care that I am still in my tank top and the evening air is cold against my skin. I just push through it, needing a release. Before I even realize it, I am further than I have ever been, and I don't know exactly how I got there. I spin in circles, trying to figure out which way to go back to the house.

  "Aww, did you lose your way, little one?" I hear a familiar voice pierce my ears, causing all of the blood to leave my body and turn my skin to ice.

  I turn around slowly and see Thrane leaning against a tree only a few feet from me, which is way too close for my comfort.

  "What do you want, Thrane?" I ask, hoping he'll tell me he just wants to talk or see a movie and become friends. He doesn't.

  He laughs a deep sinister laugh. "You know what I want, darling. I want you to want me," he says with his perfect white teeth glistening in the setting sun light. His handsome features don't match the terrifying and grotesque demon that I know is hiding somewhere inside.

  "I'm sorry, but I don't want you, and I never will. I'm not one for staying in an abusive relationship if I can help it," I say with more bravado than I'm feeling.

  Thrane slowly creeps toward me and watches my body, like a snake assessing his victim. When he is only a foot away, he reaches his long slender fingers up to my chin and grips it tightly. "Well, let's see about that. I'm going to make you want me, don't you worry."

  A small whimper escapes my throat from his tight grip, but I stand my ground, not wanting to be the easy prey. "You're pathetic." I spit out through gritted teeth.

  Thrane's cold hand winds back and smacks my cheek hard, causing me to land on the forest floor. Before I can recover from the shock of being slapped for the first time in my life, he grabs my arm and pulls me up against him. He sniffs the air around us like a hound and growls. "Why don't we go somewhere a bit more private," he whispers to me. Then shoves something small in my mouth and forces me to swallow.

  I struggle against him but quickly become tired and groggy. I slouch and Thrane lifts me up in his arms. I hear him laugh again but it sounds far away and distorted. "Good girl," he says, looking like a dark blur now. "Why don't you go to sleep. We will be home soon."

  I try as hard as I can to fight him, but I can't seem to lift my arms and my body is succumbing to sleep before my brain can tell it that I’m not tired. My eyelids float down, and everything goes black as I drift off into an unwanted sleep in the demon's cold arms.

  Chapter 9

  My entire body is freezing and there is an excruciating pain radiating from my neck, into my head. I slowly try to peel my eyelids open but one of them feels like it's swollen shut and I grimace at the fuzzy memory of Thrane back-handing me. I don't know where I am, but I can feel cold tile underneath my back. I roll onto my side and try to feel for anything around that could give me a hint as to where I’ve ended up.

  My good eye is finally able to open most of the way and take in some of the surroundings. I'm alone in a nice-looking bathroom that is decorated in dark colors and smells way too strongly of bleach. My stomach turns at the overpowering scent and I try to stand, but only end up crawling toward the toilet to vomit uncontrollably.

  When I am finished, I pull myself up to the sink and wash my mouth out. I catch my reflection in the gold-framed mirror and gasp at the sight of the swollen image looking back. The whole right side of my face is purple and nearly twice its normal size. I tenderly touch the sore spot and flinch. After studying the rest of my body, I see that I have otherwise been untouched, and I release a sigh, grateful for that at least.

  The bathroom door opens and Thrane enters with a smile on his disturbingly handsome face. His black hair is slicked back, not at all nice-looking as it would be on a different man. "Good, I'm glad to see that you're awake," he says, not sounding the least bit apologetic for drugging me in the first place.

  I back away from him with both of my hands out in front of me. "Get away from me, you psychotic freak."

  Thrane just steps closer to me, unfazed by my anger and name-calling. "But I've been waiting so long for you to wake up. I was worried you were down for good," he says, obviously faking worry.

  I scoff at him. "You hit me, drugged me, and then left me on a cold bathroom floor. Don't act like you care at all about my well-being."

  Thrane just continues to invade my personal space. His suit buttons come up against my hands and I cringe as he wraps an arm around my waist and pulls me hard against his muscular chest. The feel causes me to shiver worse from the cold skin beneath his shirt. I am afraid to move as his black eyes roll around, roaming over my face. "Looks like I hit you harder than I planned.” His finger traces my bruised face and I flinch from the pain.

  "You actually kind of hit like a girl for someone who is supposed to be pretty scary." I lie, trying to keep my features schooled. I have a feeling that he's the type that enjoys watching a helpless girl cry in pain.

  Thrane's features become hard. "Don't play games with me, darling. You won't like the outcome." The words slither from his rancid mouth.

  I fear that if he keeps breathing on me, I will puke again from the stench of his breath. I wrinkle my nose. "You know, for a guy who obviously cares about his looks, you clearly don't own a toothbrush."

  Before I can blink, Thrane has one of his cold hands around my throat, squeezing just enough to make it difficult to breathe. I claw at his hand but the other one pulls my wrists together behind my back so that I am helpless. "Not so tough now, are you, little girl?" he says with a grin.r />
  It gets harder to breathe with each second that passes as his hand continues to tighten on my throat. I can feel the burning in my veins that reminds me I'm not totally helpless. I drag it within me to the surface. When my whole body fills with the heat, I swing my right leg forward and connect my knee with his groin, while releasing all of my strength.

  Thrane lets go of me and doubles over in pain. He lets out a deep growl and takes a knee to steady himself.

  I allow myself a small smile at my little victory, but I can tell right away that my body must already be affected by being away from Gavin. My kick doesn’t keep Thrane down long and he recovers quicker than I hoped.

  He stands tall and comes within an inch of me, almost touching his nose to mine. It's hard to tell what he's thinking through the black in his eyes, but his other features show deep anger. "This can continue on as long as you'd like but you will never win. I am the superior being here, so you better get that quick or I will kill you before Barron even lays his eyes on you."

  He grabs me by the wrist and pulls me behind him into a beautifully decorated bedroom. The whole room looks Victorian with a large bed in the center that has an intricately ingrained wooden frame wrapped around it. There is antique furniture lining the walls and a high ceiling that peaks at the very center.

  Thrane proceeds to pull me toward the bed and my heart rate picks up out of fear. I try to pull away from him but there is no use. He is a thousand times stronger than I am and the epitome of evil. I stop fighting and instead try to distract him with conversation, hoping that he might want to brag about himself more.