Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6 by Abigail Grant (most important books to read TXT) 📕

How am I supposed to handle this? I’ve always known that my ability is an issue I have to live with, but it has always been something that needs to be kept completely secret because I am the only one like me, a freak.

Maybe I’m not a freak after all, and I’m just another one of what they are. Though I can’t just open up to complete strangers about the one secret my parents asked me to keep, before they died.

Chapter 9

I’m not sure how long I have been walking through the woods. My mind is racing over the unsettling news that my secret isn’t as sacred as I thought it was. I pause on the trail as I consider turning back when I hear soft footsteps behind me. I sigh and keep my eyes forward, so I don’t have to face him and my own humiliation. “Gavin, I’m really not ready to talk yet.”

A familiar voice that I never wanted to hear again speaks. It’s so close to my ear that I flinch. “Well, then. There are plenty of other things we could do if you’d like.”

The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and my heart skips a beat out of dread. I turn and find myself staring into the dark eyeless pits that invade my nightmares. The well-dressed man is so close that I am nearly suffocating on his rotten stench. I don’t know how I hadn’t noticed before, but he smells like garbage that has been set on fire, which is such a contrast to his good looks and black tailored suit.

My voice is caught in my throat and my stomach churns. All I can think about is getting away from him before I puke. I back away from him slowly, only to find myself pressed into the side of a rough tree trunk.

The creature speaks again with a wide grin stretched across his face. “Where are you going sweetheart? Aren’t you glad to see me again?” His voice is laced with desire and a deep rasp that makes me shudder.

“I’ve told you before, I don’t know who you are or what you w-want from me.” I stutter, too frightened to make myself act brave. “I need to go find my friend now.”

I try to move around him, but he growls at me and grabs both of my shoulders, pressing me hard against the tree at my back. “There is no need to worry about your friends right now, except for your sweet little girlfriend, of course. I was so sad to hear about how her date just lost it and attacked her. I really hope she didn’t get too hurt.” His calm expression shows no remorse over Kassy getting hurt.

I suddenly find a little bit of the bravado that escaped me moments ago. “Did you have something to do with that?” I ask, louder than necessary.

He just shrugs. “It was nothing really. I’ll do better next time.” He acts as if nearly killing Kassy and myself was just some practice run gone wrong. “You really should have stayed out of it. I was fine with just taking your friend but there is something about you that has grabbed my attention, little one.” He watches my lips and I pull them in, trying to get them further from him. “Now I am torn.”

“Why don’t you just leave us both alone, then? There are a lot of fish in the sea, you know. Some girls like the whole tortured psycho thing, so move on!” My fear is slowly being replaced by anger.

I try to move away from the bark digging into my shoulder blades, but I’m quickly shoved back even harder. A whimper escapes my throat from the pain of the bark slicing my skin, most likely causing me to bleed.

“I am right where I need to be. I’ve found something of real interest to me and that doesn’t happen often where I’m from.” My captor releases one of my arms and traces a long, cold finger down my cheek.

His finger reaches the scarf around my neck and he pulls it down, revealing the bruises. His smile broadens, showing off his pearly-white teeth, making me feel sicker at his enjoyment of my pain. “Beautiful.” is all he says.

“My bruises are beautiful? You are sick! What are you, the devil?” I force out through my anger. The blood is boiling in my veins and all I want to do is hurt him in any way that I can.

He presses his hard body against my shaking one, causing even more pain to spread across my back. My eyes begin to water but I try to hold back the sob at the surface. “I am so sorry, I forgot to introduce myself before. My name is Thrane, and I am the one who is going to end you, Ganis.”

He presses his cold, dry lips too hard against mine causing my teeth to scrape the inside of my mouth. I shove against his chest with everything I have in me, feeling a hot surge of energy as if my boiling blood is reaching the surface of my skin. With another hard shove, he flies away from me and slams with a loud crack against another tree twenty feet away from the one I am still leaning against. I look at my hands in shock as the heat I was feeling fades away fast.

Thrane falls in a heap to the ground but recovers faster than I would ever expect of a normal person. He stands to his full height and a sinister hiss comes from somewhere deep inside of him. He crouches and starts stalking slowly toward me.

I try to pull out that hot energy that saved me before, but my hands just feel cold and weak. I cringe and just watch as the evil creature advances on me. I close my eyes