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

We all snicker at them, including Aunt Mags. Gavin leans toward the phone. “Hi, Maggie. It’s great to finally meet you, though over the phone isn’t ideal.”

She giggles through the phone like a teenage girl. “We will meet officially tomorrow. I’m so glad that you and your sister are such good friends to my girls. Yes, Kassy, you are my girl and don’t you forget it!”

Kassy gives a ‘woot woot’ sound and jumps in the air.

“Anyways, I’ll let you kids get back to your night on the town. I love you all!” Aunt Mags sure has a way with people. Each one of us is happily smiling at the cellphone.

“Love you too!” Kassy and I both say before hanging up.

Kassy hands my phone back to me and wraps me in a warm hug. “Thanks so much for helping Liam with tonight. I feel like I’m on cloud nine.”

“Anything for my sister. You know that.” I smile at my best friend and before I burst into tears, I grab her hand and we all continue into downtown Ashland, for my last night of fun before my big escape.

***

        “Ow!” I whisper-shout to myself as I sneak around the Cole house in the dark. I just stubbed my toe on a very mean-looking decorative table in the hall. I’m trying to make my way to the kitchen in search of the coleus herbs. I’m sure it won’t taste great having a bite of the crushed leaves by themselves, but I’m not exactly in the position to be making tea at one o’clock in the morning in the dark.

I was able to convince Lex and Kassy to have a girls night at Alexa’s house after our night out in Ashland. Even though I love a good girls night, I mostly needed to be able to snag the coleus on my way out of town. The only way to do that was to wait for everyone to go to sleep and sneak around like a ninja.

Gavin made the ninja gig look so easy when he was following Kassy and I around last month. In my case, I’m more like a fat cat knocking down everything in its path to the treats on the top shelf, only worse.

I finally make it to the kitchen and find the cupboard Gram showed me. I grab the container of coleus and stick it in my backpack with the rest of my belongings. I can’t take a mouthful until I’m on the train. If Gavin feels our bond separation too soon, he’ll be running toward me before I can even get out of town.

I pull four handwritten letters out of my jacket pocket and place them on the kitchen counter. I stare at the names sprawled out in my girlish handwriting on each envelope. Kassy, Alexa, Aunt Mags, and Gavin.

Before I can change my mind, I take the front steps quickly and leave the picturesque Cole house behind. I meet my Uber driver at the end of the long driveway. I wasn’t about to steal one of their nice cars, on top of the rest of my betrayal. My heart clenches as I watch the dark forest fly by through the figgy window. I hope they can forgive me. That was the point in my letters.

I told each of them how much I love them, and how much I wish I didn’t have to face Barron on my own. But this demon has been hunting my family for so long, picking them off one by one. There is no way I’m willing to risk their lives in the hopes that I might survive it.

After a long drive, my Uber car pulls up to the small train station and I smile at the young man at the wheel, shutting my phone off and leaving it in the back seat. He gives me a friendly smile back and waves as he drives away. When I get into the station, I pay for my ticket to Granbury, Texas and find my plastic train seat. There is nobody else around me in my lonely train car, which gives me mixed feelings.

It feels completely suffocating to be out on my own, but with nobody watching me, it makes my next step easier. I pull out the container of coleus and scoop a teaspoon size onto my hand. With a deep breath, I pour the herbs into my mouth and almost gag past the dirty taste.

I down a bottle of water after the disgusting dry mouth that I forced on myself. The instant the magical herb kicks in, I feel it.

The usual tightness that has been in my chest from the string always pulling me to Gavin lightens, and I gasp at the empty feeling. Tears burn my eyes as I realize he has to be feeling the same thing as me.

He is going to lose his mind. I know he will hate me after he finds my letter. He’ll think I’m a horrible person to put him through this feeling. Although it isn’t painful, the feeling is a loss like I’ve never known, making me wish it was pain instead. It doesn’t even compare to when my parents died. I broke my Intended’s heart, and I am now completely and utterly alone.

***

Dear Gavin,

Before you continue reading this letter, I need you to go to Gram and ask her for some coleus herbs. I plan to take what is in the kitchen, but I know she has more. If you drink the tea every day, the pain of me being gone won’t feel so bad. At least, I hope it won’t.

I need you to know right now that I am going to be okay, and I will try everything in my power to come back to you and grovel like an idiot until you forgive me for betraying you. I have had such a hard time opening up about my feelings for fear of you getting killed, trying to be my hero.

You already are my hero, though. You’ve saved