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

a sort of grimace. “Uh, I actually didn’t realize you were kissing me when I kissed you back. I thought I was dreaming… of someone else.”

Neo frowns and rocks back on his tailbone, throwing his head back. “Great, so ya have a boyfriend. I shoulda known.” He sighs loudly.

“Actually, I have an Intended,” I say, hoping he understands.

He drops his head and looks up at me. “Oh,” is all he says.

I nod, not wanting to explain to him just how much more I care about someone other than him after he just kissed me. He sits with his eyes closed and nods energetically back and forth.

He jumps up to his feet. “Okay, that settles that then. I guess I’ll just say it and hope that you can take me up on the offer.” He reaches a hand out to me and I’m hesitant to accept. “Can we just be friends, El?”

I release a nervous laugh and grab his hand, letting him pull me to my feet. “Yes, Neo. I’d love to be your friend.”

He sighs again and releases my hand. “It may take a couple hours for me to forgive you for not telling me that you had an Intended, though. Which brings up another question. How are you not in pain constantly?”

It hits me that I haven’t taken my spoonful of coleus all day and I start to flip out. “Oh no!” I yell and run to the kitchen.

The container of coleus is lying on the floor and thankfully not destroyed along with so many other things in the house. I open it up and stick a teaspoon of the disgusting plant in my mouth. The dry dirt flavor makes me want to gag but I welcome it, if I can only continue on my mission.

I swallow the horrid herb and fall to the floor in tears. Yup, I’ve completely lost it.

Neo comes to my side and rubs a hand on my back. “El, I don’t know what to do for you, but would you like a distraction? Don’t worry, I won’t kiss you again.”

I nod and wipe away the wet droplets on my face. Neo pulls me up from the ground for the second time and leads me into the living room. The place is a disaster. Paper, trash, and wallpaper lie in heaps across the floor from my small tornado.

Neo waves an arm at the mess. “Here’s your distraction. We need to clean.”

I chuckle. “Oh joy,” I say with total sarcasm. “Where do we start?”

Neo heads to the front door. “You start over in that far corner, and I’ll go get us some snacks.” He winks at me and bows before leaving me to clean up my beautiful mess. Oh yeah. He is definitely just my friend now.

Chapter 7

“Hey, Aunt Mags. I’m sorry I haven’t talked to you in a while,” I say over the phone. I had to call her and check in. I don’t know what to do without my mom in my life. Especially when I’m facing my possible death.

Aunt Mags cries through the speaker. “Honey, just come home! You don’t have to run away just because life gets scary. You can always run home to me, I love you.” Her voice breaks.

I want to cry along with her but I just lean back on the slightly torn sofa and release a deep sigh, hoping my sadness leaves with it. I’m grateful Neo has a burner phone, and I should’ve thought of getting my own sooner. Of course, I’m a teenage girl and not Jason Bourne, so you can’t really blame me.

“I couldn’t come home to you. There are things going on in my life that you just don’t know about. As much as I want to, I can’t possibly begin to explain over the phone.” I tap my foot on the ground, wanting so badly to jump to my feet tell her everything I’ve ever done or thought.

She groans. “Tell me where you are then, and I won’t have to hear your explanation on the phone! Let me come be by your side through whatever is happening to you, please.” Her “please” is laced with sorrow and I want to crawl in a hole and die for causing her that pain.

 “Aunt Mags, you don’t understand! I wish I could tell…”

Her angry voice cuts me off before I can finish talking. “I don’t understand what? You think I don’t understand that you are a young Seer, and you’re being hunted by an evil demon that can visit your dreams?” she shouts at me through the speaker, and cold blood rushes from my face to my toes.

I drop the cellphone on my lap and quickly stand up, causing it to hit the floor. “Oh no, oh no, oh no,” I mutter to nobody, but it causes Neo to run into the living room, his golden hair flopping wildly.

“El, what’s going on? Are you okay?” He runs to my side and sees the phone still lit up on the floor. He quickly hangs up on Aunt Mags and shuts it off. “Did you finally talk to your Aunt?”

I nod, but I’m shook to the core from my adoptive mother’s words. I switch from nodding to shaking my head, not understanding anything. And also wishing I would’ve talked to her about it. Neo wraps a comforting arm around my back and makes me sit back on the couch.

I turn to face him. “My mom knows what I am, Neo… she really honestly knows everything.”

His eyebrows press together. “How does she know?” he asks.

I shrug my shoulders and let out a cynical chortle. “I have no clue! Maybe she talked to Kassy or Gavin and they explained it all. I’m way too scared to ask her, though. She has always been my normal when everything else is all over the place.”

Neo nudges me with his shoulder. “I don’t completely get it because I chose to leave my family out of hatred, not protection and