Intended Series Collection: Books 1-6, Abigail Grant [best thriller books to read txt] 📗

I place both of my hands on the rock that surrounds the thick hinges on the left of the metal door. With the heat inside of me, I push it all to my palms and close my eyes.

My body shakes from the fatigue and pain of being without my Intended, but I push through it. Ignore the pain. The rock wall begins to crumble and separate from the metal, almost dissolving entirely. I feel like the disconnected door will fall on me if I continue, so I release the earth and step away.

My head spins, but I can see that my power created an opening into the cave about as wide and tall as the bulky Uncle Jack. Wow. Without hesitation, I dive into the dark room and land beside my Intended.

Gavin is lying on the floor, seemingly dead, but I can feel his life connected to mine. I rub my hand through his hair and pull him onto my lap so he is facing up. Leaning down, I place gentle kisses all over his face, and just the feel of his skin brings life back into me.

“Gavin. Wake up please. I love you so much.” I stroke his cheek, hoping to feed him some of my energy.

Slowly, Gavin’s eyes flicker and look up at me confused. “Aella. You’re here again? Just don’t worry about me, okay? I’ll try to get out and find you.” He studies my face, thinking I’m just another vision.

I shake my head. “I’m here, Gavin. I’m really here with you.” I bend again and kiss his lips Spider-Man style, and I can feel him kiss me back hesitantly.

I pull away from him and his eyes finally see me for real, widening fully. He gingerly slides off of my lap and sits up on the cold floor. I move around to the front of him and wrap my arms around his neck, feeling him hold me back with arms much weaker than mine.

I study his body and he is in torn clothes, with cuts on his cheek and forehead. “Are you okay? Can you walk?” He just stares at me, and I worry that he’s upset with me for coming.

His hand comes to my cheek and he runs his thumb along my skin, the tingling intense after being away from him. “I have to be dreaming. You shouldn’t be in this place, love.”

Jed clears his throat to my right as his head pokes through the hole in the wall. “You’re not dreaming, cuz. But we should really get going.” He is smiling from ear to ear at us sitting entwined on the floor. “Like, now,” he adds and disappears again.

Gavin’s forehead falls against mine and he sighs. “I don’t think I have the energy to go with you.”

I lift his head so he has to look me in the eyes. “You’re coming with us, Gavin. You’re my husband, remember? I brought Uncle Jack so he’ll carry you if he has to, but we are leaving Hell together.”

To add to my conviction, I kiss him for real this time, deep and full of the ache I’ve felt for the past twenty-four hours. I snake my hands into his dirty hair and grip onto him, pressing my chest against his.

Gavin groans against me and his arms pull me tightly to him as his lips take control of mine. Heat builds inside of me again, but not the fire I felt on our wedding night. This heat feels strong and soothing. The magic makes its own way between mine and Gavin’s lips with a shocking zap.

Holy crap!

I jump away from Gavin and cover my tingling lips with my hands. His eyes are wide as he watches me and he actually laughs. “Wow. Now that was a kiss.”

My mouth drops open and I shrug. “What the heck just happened? Did I hurt you?”

He shakes his head. “I think you actually healed me.” He slowly stands and hops in place a few times. I freaking healed him.

A loud crash sounds outside the cave and Gavin pulls me from the ground. “Time to go!” he says and we run to the others.

As soon as we reach the group, they grab onto us and turn to run in the direction we came in. No “hellos,” just “let’s get the hell out of Hell.”

I notice a demon lying lifeless on the ground in front of the ruined cave. I don’t ask questions, I just run with the rest of them, and Gavin keeps up as if he was never hurt to begin with.

It’s only seconds before shouting echoes through the tunnel from behind us. Uncle Jack lifts his sword and takes charge. “Be ready to fight! I think it’s going to be a rough exit.”

He runs at inhuman speeds and I have to hold onto Gavin’s hand to keep up with the rest of them. We exit the tunnel back into the main cavern that holds the throng of lower demons.

Seemingly nobody cares that we’re making our way through the disgusting marketplace, and I start to feel like we might just make it.

As Neo runs in front of me, he turns a corner around a shack that we passed after exiting the tunnel from the forest. Before he can follow Alexa into the rocky tunnel, he’s hit by a flying rock and falls to the ground.

“Humans!” A demon yells from about a hundred yards away.

Chaos erupts in hell and the creatures all run in opposite directions. Nobody knows which ones are the humans and they all begin to fight one another, tearing their neighbors to pieces.

I flinch at the sight but Gavin and I try to pull Neo to his feet and get away from the chaos and into the tunnel.

Someone grabs me from behind and I throw my head back into their face. I turn to see the female demon that found us only hours ago.

Her nose is bleeding and she sneers