Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6 by Abigail Grant (best summer books .txt) 📗

eyes are blue, not gold like the rest of us.” He points to his own eyes. “A seer starts seeing the future when it is necessary to do so in order to help someone close to them. I had my first vision when I was eleven years old. The other stuff, though, doesn’t come until after your eighteenth birthday.”

“But I turned eighteen almost six months ago.”

“It happens slowly, especially when you’re not doing anything to speed it up. When a person in my family turns eighteen, we start physical and mental training to draw out our abilities. And like I said before, that’s when our eyes start to change.” He watches my reaction to his words with worry. Most likely expecting me to freak out, which doesn’t feel too far off.

I focus on the sound of my feet hitting the ground with each step I take. “So, you think I will begin to develop these abilities then,” I say the word sarcastically like it isn’t something real.

“I do.” He states. “It will probably take you a while to see any abilities emerge. It took me almost a year, with constant practice I might add, to…fully evolve, I guess.” He laughs at himself. “Man, I sound crazy, don’t I?”

“Completely insane.” I laugh along with him. I think about whether or not I want to say what has been on my mind since we started this conversation. I speak slowly. “So, when it happens, does your skin feel really hot like your veins are on fire? When you use your…special talents, I mean?” I ask, clear hesitation present in my voice, still avoiding his gaze.

At my words, Gavin stops walking, which causes me to stop. He looks into my eyes with extreme intent and possibly excitement as well. “Actually, that is exactly what it feels like at first. It gets less uncomfortable the more you use it and practice. Did you use an ability, Aella?”

I look down at my hands, which are cold as if the heat had never been there. “I think so. That man, thing, Thrane. He was making me so mad with the horrid way he was talking about Kassy. I have never, ever felt that kind of anger before. I could feel all that hot energy rising to the surface and so I just used it to push him away from me, but he literally flew backward. It was as if I had thrown him, and he hit a tree… twenty feet away.”

“Wow.” is all he says.

I nod and give him a side glance, feeling ashamed of what I did.

Gavin steps in front of me, into my personal space, and untucks the hair from behind my ear, something he does that I have grown to love. “You are so strong. After what you’ve been through in the last two days, any other girl would be a mess, but you still stood up to him.” He looks at me like I am a beautiful painting. “You amaze me, Aella Lundon.” His face is so close to mine, now.

I swallow hard. “Why don’t you ever call me El, like everyone else?”

His lips turn up into a smile. “Well, I don’t know if you’re aware, but you have a special name. Aella actually means “whirlwind”. It’s the name given to a beautiful amazon warrior. It suits you, perfectly. You blew right into my life out of nowhere and are tearing down my walls so easily, it feels almost dangerous and powerful.” His slow hands slide down my sleeved arms until he grasps my hands in his. “The name was meant for you.”

I can’t help but smile at his sweet words. “Well, Gavin Cole. What does your name mean, then?”

His smile broadens at my use of his full name. “My name means ‘White hawk’. Pretty cool, huh?” He wiggles his eyebrows at me, playfully.

I laugh softly at him and squeeze his hands. “Very cool, Mr. Hawk.”

“You guys are so adorable,” a loud female voice breaks into our happy moment.

Gavin steps back from me, only releasing one of my hands, and groans a little. “Seriously, Lex? Don’t you have anything better to do than follow us around?”

Alexa is standing a few yards away at the edge of the trees with her large home towering behind her. I wasn’t even aware that we had made it back to the house yet, but I had been decently distracted. She glares up at Gavin and sticks her tongue out like a little girl. “I wasn’t following you, cranky-pants. Gram sent me to find you, dinner is almost ready.”

My eyes widen in surprise. I reach into my back pocket, but my phone isn’t there.

Alexa comes closer to us and hands me my cell phone. “Here, I found this on the couch in the front room. It must’ve fallen out of your pocket before you took off.”

“Thank you, Alexa. I didn’t even know it was already dinner time. I need to text my friend real fast.” I separate from the now bickering twins and head toward the house. I send Kassy a quick text telling her sorry for getting sidetracked, but things are good here. Not a complete lie.

I immediately get a winking smiley face back. I smile. And, even though she can’t see it, I roll my eyes at my friend.

Chapter 10

Gavin, Alexa and I enter the dining room together where the entire Cole family is already finding their seats and passing dishes around. Everyone in the room just smiles at me and then continues going about their family dinner, as if everything is breezy and normal. I’m grateful that they aren’t bringing any attention to my little freak out/runaway from earlier. I think I like this family.

Uncle Jack brings over a homemade bread roll and places it into my hand. “Wait until you try Grandma Penelope’s cooking, kid! Regular food will never measure up after today.” He grins and winks at me before he slaps a hand on my back, which normally I would