Intuition: The Premonition Series Read online

  Also By Amy A. Bartol

  Inescapable: The Premonition Series Volume 1

  Copyright © 2011 Amy A. Bartol

  All rights reserved.

  ISBN: 1466266732

  ISBN-13: 9781466266735

  eBook ISBN: 978-1-61914-566-5

  LCCN: 2011917393

  CreateSpace, North Charleston, SC

  For Aprille, my sister, and her anxiety over running out of pages to read before I could write more

  And to Buns, Brownie, and Weitz, who I love like true sisters

  Contents

  TITLE PAGE

  COPYRIGHT PAGE

  CHAPTER 1 NEW YEAR’S EVE

  CHAPTER 2 ROAD TRIP

  CHAPTER 3 THE RESORT

  CHAPTER 4 SNOWBOARDING

  CHAPTER 5 EVASION

  CHAPTER 6 SOUL MATES

  CHAPTER 7 TRAININ’

  CHAPTER 8 THE OPTION

  CHAPTER 9 HOUGHTON

  CHAPTER 10 LOST AND FOUND

  CHAPTER 11 COPPER MINING

  CHAPTER 12 GANCANAGH

  CHAPTER 13 BLOODLUST

  CHAPTER 14 CRASHING

  CHAPTER 15 GOODBYE

  CHAPTER 16 THE CHATEAU

  CHAPTER 17 BINDING

  CHAPTER 18 EARTH AND SKY

  CHAPTER 1

  New Year’s Eve

  “Okay, sweetie, it’s time to get up now,” Buns says in a brisk manner, as she breezes into my room at noon. She heads immediately to the windows to open the curtains and thereby dispels the cave-like atmosphere. Light bursts into the room, causing me to squint at her and cover my eyes against the glare.

  “Buns, what are you doing here?” I ask her groggily, shielding my eyes with my arm. I love my room in Reed’s Crestwood house, but the windows let in a lot of light. “Aren’t you supposed to be at Russell’s house until next week?” I ask in confusion as I grip my pillow and pull myself up to a sitting position.

  “Aren’t you amped to see me, Evie?” Buns counters with her hands on her hips as she assesses me. I’m sure I look really bad because I haven’t brushed my hair today so I probably have major bedhead.

  “Of course I’m psyched to see you, I missed you. How was your holiday down south?” I ask, thinking about how warm and beautiful Buns had described Russell’s family to me on the phone. She and Brownie had gone to Russell’s house in North Carolina for the winter break, as protection, so that he could see his family. Brownie had posed as Russell’s girlfriend, while Buns masqueraded as Brownie’s sister. They had no trouble pulling it off either because they both have an elfin, tree nymph look about them that seems familial. That, coupled with the fact that they both have fair hair and blue eyes, lends credence to their charade. At any rate, I’m sure that Russell’s family hasn’t suspected that they’re really angels, since I didn’t even know that until I saw their butterfly wings.

  “It was a lot of fun, very endearing–I was having an amazing time. Scarlett, Russell’s sister, is just like us. She’s ready to stir up some trouble at a moments notice,” Buns says, eyeing me shrewdly.

  “Is Russell back, too?” I ask her, sitting up straighter in bed and rubbing my eyes.

  “Russell is still at home with his family. Brownie stayed with him. They’re fine. They’ll be back in a few days, just before classes start. I came back early because Reed called me,” she says with a disapproving look.

  “He did? Well, you should’ve stayed with Russell. He needs you. What if something happens?” I ask, feeling uncomfortable with the fact that Russell is still several states away with only Brownie for protection; even though Brownie is strong and vicious in a fight, it still worries me because fallen angels are even more vicious.

  “Nothing will happen. They’re fine. You, on the other hand, are not. Reed said you aren’t getting out of bed. He’s worried,” her reply is stern as she looks at me like I let her down.

  “I get out of bed.” I say with a frown, trying to remember when I was last up. It was yesterday I think… or maybe not. “I’m just tired,” I finish defensively.

  “No, you’re doing that self-helpless thing again like you did before when Reed wouldn’t talk to you. I don’t think I can live through another one, so you’re getting up now,” Buns says, pulling me out of bed without effort because she is really freaking strong. “I don’t want to hear another word about this until you’ve showered and gotten dressed. The clock is ticking, let’s go,” she says in a militant way.

  “FINE!” I retort, and storm toward the bathroom feeling harassed. After I take a shower and get dressed, I rejoin Buns. She is sitting on my bed waiting for me.

  “We’re getting you out of the house today. What do you want to do?” Buns asks as she gets off the bed and moves towards where I stand by my closet door.

  “We’re allowed to leave the house?” I ask her in shock because I haven’t been out for most of winter break.

  Buns frowns, “You are now and I’m gonna lose it if they have a problem with it. No wonder you’re so depressed, sitting here with nothing to do but dwell on everything that has happened. Those Power angels can’t figure that out?” she asks rhetorically. “They’re going to have to compromise their need to have every angle covered, and keep in mind that you’re part human, too. You need to be out doing stuff. You’re a teenager!” she says, as if that would explain everything.

  I’ve been on virtual house arrest since waking up from my injuries a few weeks ago. Just thinking of what happened then sends shivers down my spine and I have to lean up against the wall by my closet door. I can hardly think about the massacre at the 7-Eleven without feeling a wave of panic hit me. Being FUBARed by my ex-friend, Alfred, has taken a serious toll on me.

  “What are we going to do?” I ask her, feeling like I can crawl into bed and go back to sleep.

  “Let’s start out with a run, and then we’ll plan what we’re gonna do tomorrow night.” Buns says with girlish excitement.

  “What’s tomorrow night?” I ask her in confusion because I don’t even know what day it is.

  “Evie, tomorrow’s New Year’s Eve. You didn’t know that?” she asks me with a worried look.

  I shake my head. “Things have been a little out of focus for me since you left—kind of abstract. Reed and Zee have been great. I feel really bad that I let them down,” I reply.

  “You didn’t let them down. They just don’t know what you need. It’s just like when you didn’t know you were an angel. You had Reed menacing you and you were evolving abilities you couldn’t possibly comprehend—you needed a distraction, so Brownie and I tried to provide that whenever we could, so you wouldn’t dwell on it,” she says, smiling at me.

  “I’m still floored that you knew all along what was going on and I had no clue that you and Brownie were Reapers. You could’ve let me in on it,” I say.

  “Sweetie, we couldn’t tell you, and since we are really good at fooling humans, you just never guessed,” she says, shrugging. “I doubt you would’ve taken it well if we just announced to you that we were angels of death. That’s kind of a dark freak flag to be flying as far as most humans are concerned. Even though we knew you’re both human and angel, we kind of reasoned that you weren’t really aware of that.”

  “Why did you decide to help me out?” I ask, since I don’t understand just why they have been so good to me.

  “Like we said before, Evie, you’re a kindred spirit. You have a bit of a wild side in you, just like Brownie and me. Not all angels are like that, at least, the divine kind of angels,” she says, handing me my running shoes from the closet. “And, we thought it was kind of lame that you had to go through your evolution into angel here on Earth with all of the dange
rs clawing at you, while every other angel we know of has gotten to evolve in Paradise, safely tucked away with no care or fear to mar the event.”

  “Oh, that sounds nice…I didn’t know I was getting completely gypped,” I reply with sarcasm, wondering what it would’ve been like to feel completely safe while all of this is happening.

  “Evie, I hate to be the one to tell you this, but if you had been a Seraph in Heaven when you evolved, you would’ve been completely pampered,” she says with a sheepish smile. “You would’ve been the darling of the Seraphim, I’m sure.”

  I give Buns a skeptical look. I doubt that any of them would ever think I’m darling because of the fact that I’m not full-blooded Seraphim angel, but a mixture of Seraphim and human. “Pampering is for wimps,” I say, trying to make light of it all.

  “Exactly!” Buns replies happily. “So, we’ll just go tell the boys that we’re going for a run, and then we’ll plan New Year’s. We’ll probably have to stay somewhere around here because I doubt Reed will let us go to London or Paris for it. He’ll probably have a problem with New York, too. Maybe I can convince him to let us go to Chicago. That would be epic,” she says, beginning to get excited about getting out of Crestwood.

  “Good luck with that. I couldn’t convince him to let me out past the courtyard,” I reply, giving her a pessimistic smile. Reed has been extremely sweet, but unbending when it comes to what he considers dangerous and risky.

  “Well, this conversation will have ‘awkward’ written all over it then, because I plan on getting my way,” she says with heat in her voice.

  But as it turns out, Reed is very accommodating when it comes to Buns’s requests. He just retrieves his shoes and coat when he hears we plan to go running and follows us out of the house without a word. I am surprised until I realize that he must really be worried about me.

  Running out to Lake Arden, I feel like I can breathe for the first time in days. It’s cold because it’s the beginning of winter but that doesn’t bother me like it would’ve before I started evolving. I am starting to acquire the armor-like angel skin that protects me from things like cold and extreme heat. The transformation has been seamless, happening a little bit each day. Reed said it would take several more months to complete the transformation.

  It’s strange, this new skin; it is smoother than human skin and lacks normal imperfections. It is also a shade paler than my human skin was, but it has a luminosity to it that is very hard to discern, even with highly sensitive eyesight like mine. I marvel at it, because it’s tougher, more resilient, than the skin I had before.

  After we run around the lake, Buns pauses on the trail that leads back to Reed’s house. “Sweetie, I’m going to head back and see Zee. I’ve missed him,” she says, smiling, as she looks from me to Reed. “I want to start planning for New Year’s, too. You should stay… get some more exercise.”

  “Okay,” I reply, watching Reed. She nods her head, and then she is gone in a fraction of a second, leaving behind only her light footprints in the snow.

  “Do you want to walk this time?” Reed asks, falling in step beside me on the path.

  “Sure,” I reply, trying to concentrate on the scenery around me, so that I won’t stare at his profile. The beautiful angles of his face make me want to reach my hand out and touch him.

  Reed puts his gloved hand in mine, tucking my arm securely in his. We walk for a while, not talking. The butterflies that pull me toward him are ever-present, but it’s more reassuring than sensual at the moment. I turn my face toward the lake, feeling the breeze coming off of it. Smoky breath rises from us, mixing together above our heads like lovers entwined.

  Finally, I break the silence. “I’m sorry, Reed,” I say in a strained tone that disturbs the quiet hush of the snow-blanketed trees.

  Reed looks surprised when he turns toward me, his green eyes searching my face. “For what?” he asks.

  “For not being able to deal with this better,” I say with regret. He squeezes my arm tighter as we walk closer together.

  “Evie, you have nothing to be sorry for,” he says quietly. “I’m the one who should apologize. I’ve caged you up to protect you, only to discover it’s killing you,” he says, sounding contrite.

  “No, it’s not that really…it is just that there is not a lot to do but sit and think about Alfred…or my uncle.” I say in a hush voice, thinking of my Uncle Jim and the fact that I will never see him again. Alfred had made sure of that. He had made sure that my uncle suffered before he died.

  We walk a few steps more before I can say, “It just seemed easier to sleep and not think about anything.” I pretend as if the nightmares that haunt my sleep don’t exist. “You must’ve been worried to call Buns.”

  Reed frowns. “I don’t have very much experience with human emotions. This is all new to me. I’m trying to understand your emotions and mine, too. I’ve felt a different range of emotions since meeting you,” he smiles down at me as we continue walking arm-in-arm.

  “A different range?” I ask, raising my eyebrow.

  Reed studies our clasped hands. “Let me think…” he sighs. “Well, elation is an emotion that I have not experienced for sometime… not since I’ve been here and I don’t remember it being so—intense,” he says, smiling and shaking his head.

  “What made you elated?” I ask him, breathless as his beautiful smile melts my heart.

  “When you told me that you would never love anything more than you love me,” he says in a soft tone. A blush of happiness warms my cheeks and I listen intently as he continues. “Desire is also stronger, more—potent.”

  I nod knowingly, because I share the same unquenchable desire for him.

  Reed’s eyes darken as he continues, “Well, Power angels are often jealous… but I have never felt that emotion as strongly as when I had to watch you with Russell—thinking that I would have to wait for the next eighty years, until he dies, to call you mine,” he says as his jaw clenches. “That was more than jealousy…that was sorrow.”

  It is my turn to squeeze his arm as we round the far side of the lake. “And then, there is an emotion that I don’t ever want to experience again. That one is called agony,” he says, scowling a little when he names it. “That’s what I felt when I thought you were dying.”

  I find it hard to breathe all of a sudden and have to take several deep breaths to try to slow down the beating of my heart. I had hurt him deeply when I had tried to give up my soul to save Russell. It has left a mark on him that hasn’t quite healed yet. I believe he understands why I did it, that I couldn’t just allow my soul mate to be torn apart by fallen angels, but I also know just how separate the head and the heart can be. He notices and stops to sweep me up in a hug that lifts me off my feet.

  “And then, there is love,” he says in a voice soft with affection, “an emotion I have never really believed existed. But it does exist and it has a name… and her name is Evie.” He hugs me tighter. “And I can’t live without her, now that I have found her. So tell me what to do to make you come back to me and I will do it.”

  I wrap my arms securely around Reed’s neck, snuggling into him, as I try to formulate the words that I need to say so he will know what he means to me. “I have thought a lot about you and the way that you can hear my heart. You said it sings to you, like the call of the Sirens to a sailor at sea. I think it sings to you because you were listening with your lonely heart and it calls to you because it is meant for you. I’m still here…I would’ve given up without you. You’re why I survived. I just miss my uncle,” I say, swallowing hard to get past the lump in my throat.

  “I will help and Buns is back, too. She will know what to do. I was so wrong about the Reapers, Buns and Brownie. They’ve been the best for you,” he says, placing me back on the ground.

  “No, you’re the best for me,” I say, taking his hand and walking back toward his house. And I’m going to try to be the best for you, from now on, I promise myself, realizing the pain he h
as been going through by watching me in my sorrow.

  When we arrive back at Reed’s house, Buns is already in the game room researching sites on the Internet. “Oh, sweetie! There are several parties going on in Chicago tomorrow! There is one at Navy Pier! They’re having 9 different DJ’s and a fireworks display at midnight. Evie, did I ever tell you about the fireworks the Song Dynasty set off in the 9th century? I was really young then and I was just beginning to understand why I wasn’t blending in very well.” She smiles at me and I can’t tell if she’s teasing, or if she is serious.

  I look over at Reed and see him frowning. “Buns, can you find something else…something a little more feasible…tactically?” he asks.

  When Buns turns to look at Reed skeptically, Zephyr, who has been sitting close to her, decides to contribute to the discussion. “Buns, honey, that is a bad call. Do you realize how many Fallen will be at an event like that? And Reed is right; it is entrapping terrain, which appeals to me if we did not have Evie. Maybe you and I can go next year and see how many Fallen we can end before the ball drops,” he says with a smug smile that has Buns smiling at him.

  “We’re getting out of Crestwood, that’s nonnegotiable,” Buns states flatly.

  “Okay, but maybe we could avoid huge parties—something with less of a crowd?” Zephyr offers and I catch Reed smiling a little as he watches Zephyr work on Buns and her sense of celebration. “You know, for Evie’s sake, not because you are not the best event planner we know.” He is really good at strategy. I will have to listen more intently to his dissertations on the matter.

  “For Evie’s sake,” she agrees stiffly, turning back to the computer screen. She pulls up website after website in rapid-fire succession. “Okay, how about something a little more recreational?” she offers, and I see Zephyr’s and Reed’s faces light up with interest.

  “Recreational?” Zephyr asks, squeezing closer to Buns to peer at the screen. Reed drops his hand casually on my shoulder, caressing it.