I pull with everything that I am, trying to force a sort of pile of air beneath me to help launch me forward. My feet leave the ground and I spin in the air, five feet above the log. I freak out mid-air and start to fall back to the ground, face first.
Yup, I’m done for.
I close my eyes, ready for impact, but something catches me before I kiss the earth. I’m pulled against a warm body and my eyes slowly peel open to stare at an Adam’s apple wobbling from laughter.
I groan against Gavin’s chest and he pulls me tight against him, warming me to my core. His voice reverberates in his deep chest. “You were so close that time, love.”
Oh, I melt when he calls me love! I smile and look up at him. “I was really expecting to taste the dew from the grass with that fall. Thank you for catching me again.”
I have tried the same air floating move four times this morning, and each time I have had to be rescued. The first time I actually did land hard against the ground with a loud thud. I think Gavin kept on guard after that incident.
Gavin kisses me on my almost broken nose. “I’ll always catch you when you nearly face-plant. But maybe try not to injure yourself quite so much in the future.” His grin is teasing as one of his brown eyebrows raises.
He watches my eyes with his shining golden ones and something catches his attention. He bends closer to me and places both of his hands on either side of my confused face.
“What?” I ask him, worried that I actually did break my nose and missed it somehow.
“Your eyes have gold specks in them!” he yells out of excitement and I smile like an idiot.
“Yeah! Maybe I’m actually progressing!” A new sense of accomplishment and purpose overcomes me and I feel like I might actually be strong enough to fight Barron soon.
A sound catches my ear and my smile falls. It’s like a large bowl of water is being dumped out onto the ground and I spin around to the north. “What was that?”
I ready myself to fight, knowing that nobody else should be out here with Gavin and I. The sound grows louder, like a waterfall coming closer to us and I plug my ears.
Gavin places his hands over mine and smiles down at me, not concerned in the slightest. “Aella, love. It’s only the rain. It’s moving toward us but it sounds really scary if you aren’t used to it.” He slides his fingers in between mine on the sides of my head and slowly pulls my hands away.
I listen to the waterfall of rain and try to focus on the reality of it only being small raindrops. I imagine the drops hitting each leaf and branch on their way down to the earth and the sound lessens to a tolerable noise.
I look up at Gavin just as a single raindrop hits his dimpled cheek and falls onto his lips. More slow drops come and soon we are standing in a downpour.
I laugh against the cold water on my skin and flip my long wet hair away from my face. “This is awesome, Gavin!” I yell over the quickly raging storm.
He wipes some of the wetness off my cheeks and watches my lips get pelted with raindrops. His eyes darken like the clouds above us and he moves in closer to me.
I reach my hands up behind his head and pull him in for a rainy kiss. The wetness from his lips is intoxicating and I want more of him.
I curl my fingers into his wet curly hair and his large hands slide across the damp shirt that clings to my back. The water causes our shared electricity to be charged and everywhere he touches me is like a static shock, yet soothing at the same time.
I groan against the feel of it and gasp at the shock that hits my roaming lips. Gavin pulls away from me and scans my face.
“Are you okay, Aella?” he asks me, concerned.
I nod. “I feel like your lips are shocking mine. It’s amazing.” I blush, feeling vulnerable under his gaze.
He smiles and licks his lips, still watching mine as the rain continues to pour over us. “I think we should go home, love.” His breath is heavy.
I tilt my head at him. “Are you cold?” I ask, worried that the winter rain is affecting him.
He smiles wider and shakes his head, small droplets falling from the tips of his hair with the motion. “I feel the same shocks you do, and I completely agree that it’s awesome… but I just feel like if you don’t agree to stop kissing me, I may not be able to stop… at all.”
A small pink tint grows across his tan cheeks and butterflies raise in my stomach. Just him saying something like that makes me want to tackle him to the muddy ground and have my way with him.
Oh boy, I’m in trouble.
I mull over his words in my head and the hormonal teenager inside of me comes back to the surface. “Gavin… I don’t want you to stop kissing me. Ever.” I watch his dark golden eyes as small flickering flames appear inside of them.
He wraps his arms tighter around my wet t-shirt and pulls my chest against his. A small groan sounds from deep within him and his lips fall hard against mine.
I draw in the spicy scent of him as his fast lips take control of mine and the mix of his smell and the rain only spurs my insides even more.
I lift my hands to his shoulders again, but just before they make contact, Gavin is ripped from me and thrown into the trunk of a tree, immediately knocking the breath from him as he falls to the ground limp.
An evil laugh shakes my newly developed eardrums and I spin to the left at our attacker. His shoulder-length black hair and tailored suit is out of place in this rugged setting, but more than that is the rotten death stench coming off of him as he watches me with black eyes.
I suck in a sharp breath. Demon.
Chapter 7
I try to run to where Gavin lays on the muddy ground. My rescue is cut short by the cold arms that grab my shoulders and toss me backward.
I stumble, but catch myself before falling. I look up at the evil being watching me with a wicked smile on his stupidly clean and handsome face. You’d think with how bad they smell they’d look worse, but every demon I’ve met is good looking and dressed in expensive clothing.
“Why do you guys always smile like that? Is this really so fun?” I sneer at the monster, wanting to smack the grin right off his dead face.
His smile stays glued in place. “It’s the funnest thing I do, actually.” He takes two steps closer to me as the rain continues to pelt us.
Thunder sounds from a distance and I jump with a small gasp. The demon laughs, a throaty disgusting sound. “You’re scared of the thunder? You must just be a baby Seer.”
I glare at him and the magical heat inside of me begins to boil the cold water dripping down my skin. Steam literally rises off of my body, caused by the anger I have for this demon.
The smile lines around the creature’s black eyes flatten out as his evil smile fades. His eyebrows raise as he watches the air around me turn to only fog. “Ooh. A little mad, are we? Do you know what to do with all of that heat in you?”
I think about each drop of water falling on top of us, drenching Gavin’s still body. I know that water is something I have controlled well before, but can I do it the way I want to?
Everything about my powers has been sudden and uncontrollable. I ignore the demon and close my eyes. I raise my hands and focus on the raindrops as another rumble of thunder sounds out. I ignore it too.
I twirl my fingers, imagining plucking each droplet from the air and attaching them to the demon in front of me. My eyes open and I watch the frustrated demon swat at the water clinging to him.
“What are you doing? Trying to give me an unwanted shower?” With each swipe of his hands, the water stays in place and he growls like a wild animal. “That’s enough!” He charges at me and I’m hit hard by his soaking wet body.
The impact sends me to the ground and I hit my head on a tree root. I moan in pain and all of the water surrounding the demon falls from him as rain again. His smile is back.
I try to sit up, but he places one of his leather wing-tipped oxfords on my chest and presses the shoe into me. I shout out my distress, but before I can thi
nk of how to get myself out from under his foot, Gavin throws an arm around the demon’s neck and pulls him off of me.
I suck in a deep breath, refilling my lungs, and I climb back to my feet. Gavin is still holding the monster’s neck and has him kneeling on the ground and struggling for air. I watch the struggle, concerned for Gavin’s safety, but he is completely in control.
Thick globs of water drip from Gavin’s drenched hair and run down his taut jaw. He looks like a fierce warrior, his clothing covered in mud and rain, clinging to every part of his flexed muscles. I want to turn away before I see him kill the demon, but I also don’t want to stop watching my warrior.
The demon tries to say something past the tightness on his throat. I move closer to hear his words. Each syllable comes out as a choked whisper. I strain to understand what he says. “He...will...find...you...die…” His promise is cut off by a cracking sound as Gavin snaps his neck.
I flinch and step away from the body as it begins to sink into muddy pools of earth below it, returning to the abyss that it belongs in.
I look up at Gavin’s eyes. “Gavin,” I say, shaken by the demon’s last words. “Did you hear what he said?”
Gavin nods and closes the distance to me, sweeping me up in his wet arms. Another bout of thunder sounds too close for comfort and I curl farther into my Intended’s arms . He kisses the top of my head. “Let’s go home,” he says and lifts me easily into his arms.
He takes off at a full Seer run and the world blurs around us. I heard what the demon said, and there is no denying who he was talking about.
Barron. He will find you… die.
***
I wake up from a happy dream about being married to Gavin and walking hand-in-hand down a sandy beach. His hair is cut shorter than usual and we are both wearing all white. The feeling of being there alone with him and with hope for the future is an incredible feeling.
Of course, it’s short lived when I notice the visitor watching me from the foot of my bed. I groan and throw my head back into my pillow. I pull the blanket around my shoulders and turn away from Barron.
“Go away, Barron. I’m not interested in threats and old-guy talk.” I snap at the demon from my feather-stuffed pillow in Gavin’s guest bedroom… my bedroom now.
My back hurts from the fight today with the demon in the woods, and I blame Barron completely. I can’t see him as I try to keep my eyes on the loose thread hanging from my blanket that slightly blows back and forth from my breath.
The foot of my bed shifts from Barron’s small movements and I want to kick him, but know it won’t connect in the dream state.
“I thought you wanted to be friends, young Ganis. Have you changed your mind?” He sounds amused, which only causes my anger to grow.
I sit up and whip my head toward him with the fiercest glower I can come up with. I hope it looks as scary as I try to make it, and not just pathetic.
Barron raises one thick, brown eyebrow at me with a miniscule lift to the corner of his lips. Yeah, pathetic. I knew it.
“Barron, you sent another demon after me who nearly killed me and someone I love!” I shout at him, sick of the mind games.
He raises his hands in front of him and the black robe sleeves slide to his elbows. “I did not send anyone after you, Ganis. I am done with that. I told you that I will be the one to kill you, and I meant it.”
I tilt my head at him. “Oh, how sweet.” The sarcasm in my words pours out like vomit.
“I swear,” he says, and I believe him.
I shrug. “Then who was the demon that attacked me? He said you were going to kill me.”
Barron looks past me. He “hmmms” as he thinks. “I have many followers, child. It could be that they have chosen to take on my cause.”
My mouth falls open. “Well, tell them to stop! It’s not their fight.” Here I go, trying to reason with the demon again.
Barron nods, though. “I agree. They need to stop immediately.”
I blanch at him, surprised that he feels the same way as me. “Wow, Barron. Are you warming up to me?”
He stands from the bed and rolls his shoulders before turning away from me. “No, Ganis. I only want to finish my business myself,” he says, looking at the bedroom window. He turns so I can see his brown eyes. “Goodnight. Your time is short.” Then he is gone.
I open my eyes again to the sunlight peaking above the top of my curtain rods. Things still haven’t changed with Barron, and I guess they never will.
Chapter 8
“I miss you so much!” Luna shouts over the phone speaker. Her voice is calming and makes me feel somewhat normal again. I’ve been away from my new cousin for less than a week and I already miss her too.
I never even got to know her really, but I can see her tiny frame and chaotic bouncing curls perfectly in my mind as she yells into my ear.
I groan against the sound. “Luna, try not to yell. My ears are developing and everything is so loud lately. I miss you too, though.”
Luna gasps. “I’m so sorry, El,” she says, twelve notches quieter. “I’m really glad you called. I’ve been worried about you.”
I smile against my phone, wanting to hug her. I shift in my seat at Gavin’s dining table and gaze out the floor to ceiling window as he passes by, doing his morning sweep of the perimeter. My Intended, always looking out for me.
I lean on my elbow against the cherry wood table and pop a blueberry into my mouth. “Don’t be worried. I’m trying to stay safe.”
“Has anything happened, or has it just been nice over there, you know, being back with everyone?” she asks.
I almost don’t want to tell her about the demon attack yesterday, but I’m trying this new honesty thing. Crazy, huh? “Yesterday, Gavin and I did get attacked.”
“What?” Luna yells again into the phone and I have to pull it away from my face. She mutters a soft “sorry,” before continuing much quieter again. “Are you hurt? Mom’s going to flip when I tell her.”
I shake my head even though she can’t see it. “We’re both okay. I thought it was another demon sent by Barron, but Barron denied sending him.”
“You talked to Barron? The big bad demon guy?”
“Uh. Yeah, he visits my dreams sometimes. I don’t really know what to do about it.” I guess I haven’t actually tried to do anything about it.
Luna’s voice picks up a small notch. “Aunt Maggie can help you, El! Us Wicca have ways to shut out dream-walkers.”
I think about her words. “I guess I could ask Aunt Mags. She’ll be here in a minute.”
“Yeah. I’m sure she’ll help you. I would if I could, cuz.” I hear a voice call out somewhere in the distance through the phone speaker. “Oh, I have to go to school. I’ll talk to you tomorrow!”
I smile at my sweet cousin, wishing I could have her here with me. “Alright. Have a good day. Tell your mom hi from me.”
“I will!” she yells again and hangs up.
I shake my head at the noisy teenager and can’t help but feel like a wise elder of hers, even if we are less than two years apart in age.
I lay the phone down at the same time Gavin’s front door opens. “Sweetie, I’m here!”
Aunt Mags comes into the dining room with her hands over her eyes. “Can I look? There’s no canoodling going on, right?” she says.
I gasp at her. “Oh my gosh! Open your eyes!”
She peeks through spread apart fingers and smiles at me. My face floods with a hot blush and I am so grateful Gavin isn’t here to witness it.
I stand and hug my ridiculous mom. “Good morning. I just got off the phone with Luna and she says hi.”
We sit together at the table and she plucks some berries off of my breakfast plate. Her green eyes scan my face and her smile falls. “Are you okay, hon? You look tired.”
I roll my eyes at the intuitive Wicca. “I actually feel like I didn’t sleep much. Barron visited me last night. He said he thinks his demons are coming after me on th
eir own now, so that’s a sucky new twist.”
Aunt Mags lays one of her gentle hands on mine. “Oh no. I’m so sorry, sweetheart. Do you want me to keep him out of your dreams with a spell? I can do that.”
I ponder it, knowing that I’d sleep so much better without his visits. But I don’t want to be completely unaware of him at all times. I feel peace of mind knowing that he is in my dreams and not in my bedroom for real.
I shake my head and run a hand through my tangled morning hair. “I think I want to keep tabs on him, and I feel like I can sort of do that with him visiting me.” I sound crazy. “Does that make sense?” I ask her.
She shrugs. “I think I get it. It’s no fun though.” She watches our hands on the table for a moment and clears her throat. “I was hoping I could do a different kind of spell with you, though.”
“What kind of spell?”
She smiles again. “I’ve noticed, as I’m sure you have, that you’re different from other Seer women. Stronger.”
I shrug my shoulders. “I mean, I have more pronounced elemental powers, but they’re completely uncontrollable.”
“But you have done big things with all of the elements, where others can only manipulate one in that way.” She is right, and I’ve thought about it too.
I shift in my seat, feeling like an enigma. “I haven’t used fire yet, but you’re right about the rest. What did you want to do about it magically?”
She sits up straighter and flips her graying hair behind her shoulder. “Well, I can kind of see into your lineage and find out why you’re more powerful than the other Seer women. Personally, I think it has to do with your ancestors, sweetheart.”
My eyebrows shoot up. “Really? That would be so cool!”
She turns her chair toward me and holds out both of her hands. “Let’s do it then. You ready?”
I look around the dining room where we sit. We are alone and I don’t know when Gavin will be back. I roll my head, stretching the muscles and I rub my cold hands together. “Okay, I guess now is as good a time as any.”
Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6 Page 33
