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

Fate.

I roll my eyes at the word as I ascend the stairs from the resurrection chamber. Even my teacher is taunting me with this ridiculous assignment. If only she knew just how difficult this was going to be. A part of me wishes like hell Cat and Colton were still here. While doing this assignment with Colton wouldn’t have been ideal either, it wouldn’t be quite this cruel. At least for me.

Guilt rolls through my midsection. Not thinking about Colton’s feelings is part of the reason they’re not here in the first place.

Shaking my head, I close the door behind me and gather up my laptop and notebook. The last thing I want to do is come back here.

I close my bedroom door behind me, just in time to hear the doorbell ring. The hairs on the back of my neck rise, ushering a shiver straight through me.

“Here goes nothing, Autumn,” I whisper to myself as I walk down the expansive hallway toward the front entry.

As I reach the main staircase, a rush of cold air thrusts past me, making me pull up short. Clutching my laptop to my chest, I spin around. “Abigail?” I call out.

The frigid air remains, making my breath billow out like it’s the middle of January.

Again the doorbell rings, making me jump. Shuddering away the chill, I rush to the door and fling it open.

“Hey,” Wade says. He runs a hand across the back of his neck, then crams his hands into his jeans pockets.

“Hey. Come on in,” I say, stepping aside and opening the door wider for him.

He tips his head and steps inside. “So, this is…”

“Yeah,” I say, nodding.

“Well, did you want to stay here? Or go someplace a little less…”

“Nah,” I say, swiping my hand in the air and hoping I pull off a bit of nonchalance. “It’s all good. Wanna go to the dining room? Or the study?”

“Which place would make you feel more comfortable?” he asks, shifting his gaze to the dining area.

“Let’s go down to the study. The Wi-Fi is better,” I say, tipping my head toward the staircase and nodding for him to follow me.

I walk up the grand staircase and push open the double doors directly in front of the landing. A large table with cushy red leather chairs rest directly opposite us. Beyond, the wall of windows overlooks the courtyard and pond, with a view of the glittering water that’s only rivaled by sitting on the dock. The trees haven’t quite begun their descent into fall, but you can tell by the hint of fog lingering on the water’s surface that it’s just around the corner.

Entering the study, I flip on the switch and all around the room small lamps ignite, casting a warm glow. The dark-red mahogany built-ins, along with the desk to the left, look very impressive, even to me.

Wade enters the room, his eyes wide as he takes in the space. He walks over to the right wall, letting his fingertips grace the spines of many books adorning the dark mahogany shelves. He stops at a framed picture of me as a small child. I’m outside the house in the courtyard and my mom is just off to the side, smiling like she doesn’t have a care in the world.

“This room is…something else,” he says, turning his chilling gaze to me.

Everything about him screams unbearably sexy and I breathe in deeply, trying to focus on staying centered. I nod, placing my laptop on the table. “Yeah, I don’t usually come up here, but since Dad’s not home, I figured it was a good place to study. I mean, it’s even in the name of the room, you know?”

Wade chuckles, his gaze falling to the floor as a hint of a smile graces his lips.

“So, fate, huh?” I say, trying to bring us around to why we’re here.

Wade’s silver eyes flit upward to me and his lips press in tight. “Fates, actually.” He walks over, standing behind one of the leather chairs and looking out over the water. After a moment, he takes a seat and turns to face me.

I quirk an eyebrow. “Have you been researching without me, Mr. Hoffman?”

His dark eyebrows tug inward. “Well, I…” he stammers.

I chuckle. “I’m teasing. It’s fine. Okay, so what do you know?” I pull out my pen from the notebook ring and poise it, ready to take notes.

Inhaling deeply through his nose, he shrugs. “Not much. Just that the idea of fate isn’t as simple as it seems. Like we didn’t know that already…”

I look up, feeling the weight of his stare. “Wade,” I say, tilting my head to the side.

“Nevermind.” He lifts his left shoulder and tips his head. “All right, so fate isn’t a single entity. There are actually three sisters who manage the destinies of everyone.”

My eyebrows fly upward and I lean back in my chair. “Oh?”

“Right?” Wade nods. “Well, if you believe in this sorta thing, anyway. I mean, who knows if it’s true…but since we’re researching entities, I figured there must be a kernel in there somewhere.”

“Fair point,” I say, nodding, and scrawling the information down. “Okay, so, anything else?”

“Not really. That was as far as I got before I realized you’d probably want to do the research together.” Wade’s eyebrows intertwine, and he shakes his head. “I mean, not that you wanted to actually do the research with me in the first place, but…”

I sigh. “Wade…”

As if I didn’t feel like absolute crap as it is, his persistent jabs aren’t helping.

“Forget it. Anyway, the point is, I’m here to work on things as a team. You know, because that’s what partners do. Work on things. Together.” He lifts his gaze, again locking eyes with me.

His words are pointed and they do exactly what he intended they do—cut deep.

Yes, as it turns out, I’m horrible at relationships. Not just romantic ones, either. I haven’t called my mom