The Windhaven Witches Omnibus Edition : Complete Paranormal Suspense Series, Books 1-4 by Carissa Andrews (graded readers txt) 📕

Twisting on my heel, I only manage a few steps toward the tunnel out when I’m plunged into complete darkness. I can’t even make out the entrance on the other end.

Sweat beads across my forehead and my heart thrums loudly in my ears.

If I accidentally choose the wrong tunnel, missing it because I’m a step or two off, who knows where I could end up?

Closing my eyes, I inhale deeply through my nose and out through my mouth, trying to center myself. The quaking sensation tugs at the location around me, like some sort of seismic activity. Only, we’re not in any kind of volcanic or earthquake zone.

Panic coils itself through my thoughts, despite trying to clear them away.

Stones crumble around me, peppering the sandy floor, and I take off running. The last thing I want is to get stuck in these catacombs if the whole thing collapses.

My vision remains dark, so I run solely on instinct, trying to make it to the other end as quickly as possible. Then, without warning, colors erupt through my perception. It starts out small at first, just little white dots at the edges of my periphery. But they get bigger, and brighter, until my entire field of vision is consumed by colors, all rotating in rapid succession. The effect is dizzying and I bend over, trying to breathe instead of hurling.

“Autumn,” a voice calls in the distance. The masculine undertones of it are familiar, but I can’t put my finger on why.

I perk my ears, trying to focus on the source of it.

“Autumn, come back to me…please…please…” It pleads. There’s an edge of panic to the voice and anxiety unfurls through me like an explosion. “Come back to me. It’s not your time.”

Suddenly, I bolt upright, finding myself in Wade’s warm embrace. He lets out a cross between a sob and a sigh, pulling me against his chest.

My head swirls through thoughts, experiences, and images, but none of them stick around long enough to latch onto.

“What—what’s going on?” I say, my voice sounding distant even to me. I lick my lower lip, trying to bring moisture back to my mouth, because it feels sucked dry of every drop.

Wade refuses to let me go; instead, he clutches me so closely I can barely breathe. “I thought I’d lost you. God, Autumn, don’t you ever do something like that to me again.”

My eyes flicker open. The resurrection chamber’s familiar energy and ambiance greet me like the comfort of a mother’s embrace. Only, we’re resting on the sandy floor beside the wall that leads to the catacombs.

I pull back from Wade, blinking back my surprise.

The wall is completely intact. There isn’t a single stone loose or piled up on the floor.

“What the hell?” I sputter, scrambling to my feet.

Wade gropes for me. “Autumn, you should really be careful. You were—”

I stand up anyway, ignoring the dizzying sensation rolling through me. I place my hands on the stones, feeling them for any abnormality, but they’re exactly as they were before I pulled them apart.

“This can’t be…” I mutter, more to myself than anything.

“What is? What’s going on?” Wade asks, his voice still coming out in an elevated pitch.

I point to the wall. “I went through there. This wall, it was… I…” I stutter, trying to figure out what to say or what I saw, until I remember what Abigail said. No one living should enter.

Was it all in my mind?

Wade’s wide eyes show the tiniest sliver of silver and his face is beyond pale. His complexion has taken on a greyish appearance, not unlike the revenants.

“Autumn, I thought you were dead. I don’t know what’s happening, but I’ve never been so scared in all my life,” Wade breathes, his eyes pleading with me to understand the gravity of his words.

I swallow hard and take a step toward him. “I’m so sorry, Wade. I didn’t mean to scare you.“ I pull him into my arms, wrapping them around his torso. “I didn’t know.”

The two of us stand there, trembling from the trauma and realization.

“I still don’t understand. What were you doing? Why didn’t you answer my calls?” Wade says breathlessly beside my ear. “God, as if I wasn’t already having a heart attack.”

“I’m sorry,” I repeat, letting the guilt roll through me. “I should have. It’s just—Abigail was here. She was trying to show me more about my powers. About our legacy.”

Wade releases me, taking a step back. “Did she attack you?”

I chuckle softly under my breath. “No, nothing like that. She was showing me how to use a new sense of vision, I think. To see things, sense things without using my eyes. At least, that’s what I thought…” My voice trails off as I try to mesh the reality of what just happened with my previous perceptions. “I thought I was in the catacombs.”

Everything is suddenly thrown into question and I have the burning desire to go back in—to see if I can get back there.

“How? From here?” Wade asks, his gaze floating around the room.

I shake my head. “I’m not sure now. It all felt so real…but maybe I was just dreaming?”

“Whatever you were doing, it was not dreaming. Your body was stiff as a board and you had lost almost all color. It was like you were...” his voice quivers, but he manages to get out the last word, “dead.”

The anguish in his face tugs at my heart, making it constrict. I step forward, placing my hands on either side of his face, staring him hard in the eyes. “You aren’t getting rid of me that easily. I’m here to stay, Mr. Hoffman.”

His shoulders drop and he closes his eyes. “I didn’t know what to do. All I knew was I was willing to do just about anything to bring you back,” he whispers.

“If it’s any consolation, I think whatever you did brought me back.”

Wade’s dark eyebrows knit together.