Blindsided : Part 2 of the Intended Series by Abigail Grant (good books to read for adults txt) 📕

now it's uncomfortable and especially confusing for you because you weren't raised in our world, but it will all come together. I wish I could explain just how amazing it feels to have these abilities and do good with them.”

She places a hand on my shoulder, and I force a small smile. I look over at Kassy and she is watching me too. I am so lucky to have them in my life. Even though everything is so crazy and unfamiliar, I still have people to get me through it all.

I sit up straight again, schooling my features so that we can continue with the lesson. "All right, what's next? Any more abilities I need to know about? Am I going to sprout wings and a tail soon and start sniffing butts?" I ask, hoping to lighten the mood, but secretly praying with all my might that she says no.

Alexa and Kassy laugh. "No, you're good there. I think I’ve told you all of the abilities. If you have any questions about our culture, now might be a good time for me to answer a few."

"Good," I say and think for a moment. "Okay, so Gavin mentioned that there are other families of Seers in the world. Why don't you all just live in the same area and stick together?" I ask.

"Each family has its own ancestry line. We’ve moved around due to wars and climate change and demon activity but for the most part, we each like to stick around the burial place of our past family members. It's why my family has been in this area for so long."

Kassy crinkles her nose. "That's kinda creepy, isn't it?"

Alexa turns to answer her. "Do you guys know of stories about witch covens who stay near their dead to feed off of the power that stays with their consecrated bodies?"

I nod. "I've seen it on TV but that's all just fantasy, isn't it?"

She holds both hands palm up like a scale and weighs them up and down. "There's fantasy and there's truth but a lot of it goes hand in hand." She smacks her hands together. "There may not be zombies or vampires, but a lot of their legends are derived from truths about other beings, like us for instance, and actual witches, who we just call Wicca.” My eyes widen at that bit of information, but I sit quiet.

“Humans tend to over dramatize the things they see and hear, hence the vamp legends.

When we are in a family unit, our strengths and abilities are ten times more powerful. We are able to feed off of each other's energy like electricity, only we can't really feel the shock, it's just there, flowing between us."

30

What she is saying hits me hard. My mind races because I know exactly what electricity she is talking about, only I’ve actually felt it with Gavin. Is that not normal?

She continues talking, seemingly unaware of my internal freak out. "Most of us stick to where our families are so that we can stay strong, that includes staying near the bodies of our loved ones that have passed. We don't dig up bones and cast spells off of them or anything though, so no worries. It's more about tradition than anything."

"That's so cool. So, your family must be really close, then," Kassy says, sounding intrigued.

Alexa nods, her head bobbing and smile stretching wide.

"So, what about the ones who do leave? What happens to them?" I ask, thinking about my parents.

"Well, usually it will be a woman who leaves her family unit when she finds the man she will marry. The woman will move to wherever the man is. It's not always the case and it’s not a rule, but it is rare that it happens the other way around." She pauses for a moment. "On the other hand, if someone just leaves or runs away, the strength of their abilities will lessen over time and they won't be able to fight or defend themselves as well as if they stayed with their family."

Maybe that's why my parents were killed. They weren't strong enough to fight back.

"But, what about the women who leave their families to move in with their husbands? Wouldn't they become weak, being away from home?" I ask.

Alexa shakes her head and takes a moment to find her words. "In our 'culture' when a person finds the one they are destined to be with, a bonding ceremony is performed, and the couple is able to share everything with one another. They give the other their strengths and they are immediately attached to the others ancestry line, making them twice as strong as before they were bonded. It's supposed to be pretty amazing," she states, sounding almost envious of it.

I squish my eyebrows together, having multiple questions flood my mind. "What do you mean the one they are destined to be with? Do they not have a choice? Is a bonding ceremony like a wedding? What exactly does one of those entail?"

Alexa holds up her hands. "That's not all important right now, you are still learning, almost like a child. We do have a choice, though Seers have what you'd probably call soul mates, we call it an Intended. There is another Seer out there that we are meant to be with, and even though it is basically fate, we can choose to not be with that person. I have never heard of someone not choosing their Intended though."

31

I ponder on her words, thinking about Gavin. We could never be together. If we became a couple and ran into his Intended one day, I would just be forgotten. I don't think I could survive finally being that close with him and then getting my heart broken like that.

Alexa watches me, looking concerned. "El, do you still feel sick?"

My shoulders slump forward a bit and I struggle to even nod. "Yes, but it’s a little better since we came inside. I think it's these