Blindsided : Part 2 of the Intended Series

  BLINDSIDED

  Part 2 of the Intended Series

  By: Abigail Grant

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  Copyright ⓒ Abigail Grant

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are products of the Author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.

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  Book Description

  Hey, El here. A lot of newness has been thrown at me lately. Of course, there’s the race of magical beings that call me one of their own.

  Then, there’s the dreamy man who stops my heart with only a smile and a tingling touch.

  My best friend still doesn’t know what I am, and I don’t know how to tell her the truth. Do I even know what I am at this point?

  Now that I can see the danger ahead, it’s about time for me to figure out my potential, not only for my own protection, but for Kassy’s life.

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  Table Of Contents

  Chapter 1

  6

  Chapter 2

  13

  Chapter 3

  17

  Chapter 4

  23

  Chapter 5

  33

  Chapter 6

  37

  Chapter 7

  42

  Chapter 8

  50

  Chapter 9

  55

  Chapter 10

  59

  Chapter 11

  67

  Chapter 12

  73

  Other Books By This Author

  81

  About The Author

  82

  Free Gift

  83

  Review This Book

  84

  5

  Chapter 1

  I slowly awaken to warm fingers softly stroking up and down my cheek, leaving a tingly trail of sparks in their wake. I shiver at the wonderful feeling it’s giving me and lean into it. I hear a soft rumbling laugh beneath my ear, and I’m hit with the memory of where I last fell asleep. I cover my red face, suddenly shy.

  Gavin shifts me in his arms and pulls my hands down so that he can see my face. “Hi there, sleepy head. Why don’t I take you home so you can get some rest in your own bed?”

  I rub my eyes and move away from Gavin, sitting up to avoid embarrassing myself any further. “I can’t believe I fell asleep. Aren’t you at all sick of taking care of me yet?”

  He sits up all the way, his golden eyes slightly smaller from his tired eyelids wanting to close. He rubs a hand through his always messy hair. “Not at all. I wouldn’t have woken you, but I figured Kassy will probably murder me if I don’t bring you home until morning.” His smile is intoxicating, showing off his pearly white teeth. “I should’ve warned you that Gram’s ‘Cole Cream’ can sometimes soothe you to sleep.”

  I find my phone on the bedside table and the bright numbers on the screen show that it’s half past nine PM. I give Gavin a grateful smile and jump off the bed. The large t-shirt I was given falls to my thighs. I grip the bottom of the cotton tee to try and gather it all up, so I can move around properly.

  Gavin scans my body up and down and his eyes darken slightly. “I like you in my shirt.”

  My eyebrows shoot up and I look back down at his “Southern Oregon Hawks” t-shirt. I guess I should’ve known it was his. “Oh, I’m sorry. I promise you’ll get it back.”

  He shakes his head, his eyes never leaving me. “No, it looks better on you. Keep it. I don’t wear any of the clothes in here anyways.” His voice is sincere. “I need to check on Kassy, so we should really get going.”

  At the mention of Kassy’s protection, I gasp and hurry to the bedroom door, worried for her safety now, with the demon Thrane stalking her. Gavin catches up, slipping shoes on his feet mid-jog, and stops me just outside the door. “Why are you running?”

  “Seriously, Gavin? Why wouldn’t I be running? You’ve been away from her all day with that demon thing running around looking for her! She could be hurt or worse!” I am clearly freaking out at this point.

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  He calmly reaches for one of my hands and walks with me, away from the cozy bedroom.

  “Aella, please calm down. I would never leave her unprotected.” His strong shoulders are relaxed and his breath is even. “My cousin Jed has been following her and Liam around all day, so that I could bring you here and let you meet my family. He just texted me ten minutes ago saying they are on their way back to your house.”

  He studies me as I visibly chill out, now walking at a normal pace toward his waiting car.

  “Great, that's good. So, is Jed as fast and strong as you are?” I’m sure my question boosted his ego a bit.

  He shrugs and his eyes roll around, searching for the correct answer. “I mean, he is a year younger, so he hasn’t had as much practice as me, but he’s incredibly strong. His dad is my uncle Hagan, so he has an ideal trainer.”

  “Do your dads usually train you guys?”

  “Typically, yeah. My mom and uncles took over training Lex and I when we started developing.” He shrugs one shoulder and his eyes drop to his feet. The sight of his sad slouch makes me want to cheer him up.

  “Well, I guess you’ll have to be my trainer then, sensei.” I nudge his shoulder and place my hands together with a slight bow. We stand outside of his sweet car.

  He grins wide and shakes his head, flashing me his adorable dimple. “Oh, you’re going to regret those words, trouble maker.” He teases me.

  “Nah, you’re going to regret taking me on, when I get strong enough to kick your butt.” I poke him in the belly and quickly slide into the passenger’s seat. I hear his rich laughter through the shut car door and can’t help but sport my own happy smirk.

  ***

  We reach mine and Kassy’s little pool house, and Gavin walks with me through the large overgrown yard. It's remarkable the difference in size between his parent’s beautiful mountain home and this meager place.

  All of the decorative lanterns in the yard are turned off, and it is eerily quiet as we hesitantly make our way along the path. I pause as I see movement by my front door. Immediate fear overtakes my body as images of what could be lurking in the dark flash through my mind.

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  Gavin snakes an arm around my waist, and with one swift motion, he pulls me with him behind an oak tree. With my nervous heart racing, I look up at him in question, and I’m shocked to see an amused look on his stubbly face.

  "Why on earth are you smiling? What’s at my door, Gavin?" I whisper to him.

  He raises one thick eyebrow and gestures with his head for me to see for myself. I crane my neck around him and squint at the front door, trying to see in the pitch black night. I feel Gavin's hot breath on my ear as he whispers back to me. "I guess their day went pretty well," he says, his tone laced with humor.

  And, he's right. Standing outside my front door are Kassy and Liam, looking very happy, as they full-on make out. My eyes want to pop out of my head, and I slap a hand over my mouth in complete shock. I spin back around to Gavin, trying to stifle a rising giggle with my small hand.

  “Seems they had a bit more fun today than we did," I say between giggles, surprised at my sweet friend’s behavior.

  Gavin watches my happy lips with glowing eyes. "It’s impossible to deny it, I know.

  Today wasn't the greatest… but it's not technically over yet."

  An unrecognizable voice penetrates the darkness to my left. "Uh… Can my day be over?

  I'm pretty sick of watching these two attack each other."

  I wheeze out a breathy squeal, and try to jump away from the man standing a few feet away from us in the shadow of a tall fence. Gavin holds onto me, so I don't start running like a spooked squirrel.

  "Jedrek, are you kidding me? You scared her!" he whisper-shouts at his younger cousin.

  Jed steps closer to us so I can see him better. His teeth clench in an apologetic smile, and his eyebrows come together in a peak at the center of his forehead. "I'm sorry, Aella. I just know my dad is going to totally freak if I don't get home soon. I didn't exactly tell him what I was doing today, you know?” He places a hand on Gavin’s shoulder. “He would not be happy, man."

  Jed is handsome, same as the rest of the Cole men. His dirty blonde hair hangs over his ears in a shaggy way. His hands are stuffed in his pockets and his unique set of golden eyes shine in the dark. He is wearing almost entirely black, exactly like I've seen Gavin wear on his middle of the night heists. They must have a family uniform.

  Gavin closes his eyes with a nod. "I know, Jed. It won't happen again, all right? Go home now, I've got it from here. And thanks again."

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  He returns Gavin’s nod, and turns to me. "Nice to meet you, and uh… sorry for scaring you, again"

  "It's really fine. Thanks so much for looking after my friend," I say back to him. He just shrugs and disappears into the night.

  I shake my head and turn back to Gavin. "You guys are really good at disappearing like that, huh?"

  "We kinda have to be. We wouldn't want people wondering why we're following them around all the time."

  I study his gorgeous face for a
moment, thinking about what Jed said. "So, why wouldn't your uncle Hagan be happy about Jed looking out for Kassy?"

  Gavin lifts his shoulders, and his smile flips into a frown. "He’s just... very traditional."

  I wait for him to elaborate, but of course he’s always with the mystery. "Okay, and that means?"

  He runs a large hand over his face, as if wiping away all of his worries with that simple motion. "Hagan has a problem with Seers who get distracted during an assignment. I mean, he already thinks I'm failing at my first job and I’m not focused enough on protecting my charge.”

  He rolls his eyes. “If Hagan knew I had Jed look after Kassy today, he'd be in trouble for enabling me or something. At least, that’s how he’d see it. He's just very overbearing."

  "Well, what's distracting you? If it's going to interfere with Kassy's protection, maybe I can help in some way."

  He raises a single eyebrow and looks to be in pain as he watches me. "Aella, the distraction is you, you have to know that. Ever since I met you at that party, I’ve wanted nothing more than to know everything there is to know about you."

  I step back at his words, feeling like I just got hit. "Gavin, I cannot be the thing that keeps you from your responsibilities. Distracting you from studying or work is one thing, but your responsibilities are to keep an actual demon from stealing my best friend's soul." I scoff and roll my eyes at how ridiculous that sounds.

  He takes a determined step toward me. "You need protection too, though. You said yourself that Thrane is after both of you. I can look out for you and Kassy." He reaches for my hand, but I cross my arms across my chest.

  He looks hurt as his face falls, and it feels like a small piece of my heart cracks. "She is your priority, Gavin.” I point toward Kassy. “I'll take care of myself. I'll start training soon, so 9

  that I can learn how to fight without anyone's help. I won't distract you anymore," I say, surprised at my steady voice.

  Gavin watches me as if trying to discern whether I'm serious or not. I hold my ground, sure of myself. His expression becomes unreadable, almost statuesque. "I'm supposed to be your trainer, so how will we do that if you plan to stay away from me?"

  I shrug. "I'll call Alexa. She put her number in my phone, earlier. I'm sure she'd be happy to help me out. It might even be fun," I say, not making it sound too fun at all.

  Gavin steps back, looking angry now. I haven't seen that look on his face before. "Fine. I guess you should go then. Liam left, so Kassy is probably waiting up for you to come home." He turns and leaves without another word, likely to find a place to hide for the night while he guards my best friend.

  I want so badly to call out to him and tell him I’m an idiot. But I also want what's best for Kassy, and that is someone who will spend their time protecting her… without distractions.

  ***

  I know that Gavin is outside my door somewhere as I toss and turn in my bed. He is off keeping a lookout for things that go bump in the night. I feel terrible for basically dumping him, even though we weren't really a couple to begin with. Were we? I keep replaying his beautiful face in my mind and all I see is hurt and anger written across it.

  The morning sun peers at me through my window, and I finally decide to just get up and find anything to distract myself. Maybe a wickedly handsome vampire will take my mind off of a certain ruggedly handsome Seer. I put season two in the DVD player and plop myself on the couch in the front room. I watch the devious Klaus Mikaelson kick supernatural butt over and over again, until Kassy comes out and mutes the television.

  She looks me up and down, eyebrows raised as she observes my messy hair and pajamas with real concern. "The Originals? At seven in the morning, El? Time to fess up and tell me what you are trying to distract yourself from." She knows me way too well. "I thought you had a really good day yesterday. Are your nightmares coming back?"

  I shake my head, giving nothing away. "No, I just didn’t sleep well."

  She places her hands on her hips and glares at me. "All right, I believe that part of your explanation. Now what else is going on?" Oh, she is good.

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  I throw my hands in the air, giving in to her penetrating eye squinting. "Fine! Gavin and I are over. I honestly don't really know if we ever started, but if we did, that's done."

  She clicks her tongue and walks into the attached kitchen without a word. She immediately starts making my favorite honey vanilla chamomile tea. After a minute, Kassy sits by me and hands over a warm cup of the sweet liquid. "Well, let me hear it. What did the jerk do? Do I need to beat him up or something?" she asks, totally serious.

  I slouch against the love seat I’ve inhabited. "Calm down, Rocky. We don't need to beat him up or call him names. He is actually a pretty perfect guy." I start to sip my tea, tasting the warm honey. "I guess it just wasn't meant to be."

  "Oh, El. I'm so sorry. I wish I would’ve been up when you got home last night. I could tell that you were really excited about him before your date. I've never seen you like that before."

  I wave away her apology. "It's actually all my fault. He works a lot I guess, and has a lot of responsibilities. I don't want to get in his way."

  Kassy pats my knee. "Well, it's not over then, El. Maybe someday his schedule will clear up and you guys can have another chance."

  Her statement gives me a sliver of hope, but it's hard to be overly optimistic, considering.

  "Yeah, maybe someday.” I don’t know how much I should say, so I change the subject.

  “Anyways, I really like his twin sister, Alexa. I think I’m going to call her and see if she wants to hang out.”

  “Sweet, we need more girlfriends!” She sighs and gets lost in her own thoughts for a moment.

  I nudge her arm with my elbow. "Are you thinking about your make out sesh with Liam last night?" I ask, wiggling my eyebrows.

  Her pink lips drop open and she shouts at me. "How did you know that?" Her pale cheeks turn bright red.

  I laugh loudly at her bewildered expression. "I accidentally saw you guys when Gavin dropped me off. I had to hang back for a bit, so I wouldn’t interrupt. It was uh... actually more than a bit." I tease.

  "Oh my gosh, El! You should have just said something, or at least cleared your throat."

  She avoids my eyes and plays with a piece of her hair, a small curve lifts her mouth on one side.

  "I'm really glad you guys are happy together," I say, minus the teasing.

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  Her small smile grows. "Me too and we really are. He is just so, so amazing; I think I can see us having a future already."

  My eyes widen. "Wow, that was incredibly fast. That must've been one heck of a kiss."

  She shoves my shoulder and I nearly spill my tea on the red loveseat."Get over it, El.

  When you ever decide to kiss a boy, you’ll understand."

  "What makes you think you know everything? I kissed Mason when we were dating…

  kind of." I cringe, all too aware of my huge lack of experience with boys.

  She leans into the plush cushion of the couch and flicks her long chocolate hair over the back. "Because you suck at lying and I can read you like an open book."

  "Oh, yeah. What am I thinking right now?" I challenge her with a glare.

  She closes her eyes and puts her fingers to her temple. "You’re thinking that you want to make your best friend some bacon because she is wonderful and funny. And then you want to do all of the dishes." She opens her eyes and slaps her hands together. "Oh, that’s so sweet, El. I'll go make some orange juice while you cook."

  She jumps from her seat and skips off into the kitchen with a grin plastered on her smug face. I can't help but smile at her antics and happiness. I shake my head, grateful that I have someone like her in my life to keep me entertained.

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  Chapter 2