by Kimbra Swain
Table of Contents
Tadeas
Abigail
Lukas
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
From the Author
About the Author
Also by Kimbra Swain
Author Links
Coming in December
Intuition
THE PATH TO REDEMPTION SERIES BOOK 2
Kimbra Swain
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Kimbra Swain
Intuition: Book 2
The Path to Redemption Series
©2017, Kimbra Swain / Crimson Sun Press, LLC
[email protected]
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. This book contains material protected under International and Federal Copyright Laws and Treaties. Any unauthorized reprint or use of this material is prohibited. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system without express written permission from the author / publisher.
Cover Art: Hampton Lamoureux https://www.ts95studios.com
Format: Serendipity Formats https://www.facebook.com/SerendipityFormatting/
Editor: Carol Tietsworth https://www.facebook.com/Editing-by-Carol-Tietsworth-328303247526664/
Contents
1. Tadeas
2. Abigail
3. Tadeas
4. Abigail
5. Tadeas
6. Abigail
7. Abigail
8. Abigail
9. Tadeas
10. Abigail
11. Tadeas
12. Abigail
13. Lukas
14. Abigail
15. Tadeas
16. Lukas
17. Abigail
18. Tadeas
19. Abigail
20. Abigail
21. Tadeas
22. Abigail
23. Lukas
24. Abigail
25. Tadeas
26. Tadeas
27. Abigail
28. Lukas
29. Tadeas
30. Abigail
31. Lukas
32. Abigail
33. Abigail
34. Abigail
35. Lukas
36. Abigail
37. Abigail
38. Abigail
Epilogue
Acknowledgments
From the Author
About the Author
Also by Kimbra Swain
Author Links
Coming in December
Two weeks ago, I trained canvas crews for The Agency in the basement of an underground military compound in Boulder, Colorado. A beautiful woman struggled in my class to complete her training. She intrigued and frustrated me. Abigail Davenport, magic wielder and granddaughter of my boss had disguised herself with the intention to recruit me as her partner in overhauling the Agency’s entire network.
Kenward, Blake, and Shanahan, Inc, also known as The Agency, was a multi-tiered global network established by Gregory Theodoard to monitor world financial, political, and social events focusing on the any supernatural elements that may be involved. Theodoard, who was in fact, the Greek Titan Hyperion, had started the network to complete his divine duties which included insuring that the sun rose and set each day. In essence, his job was to keep the world turning. The Agency morphed with the ages, and its latest restructuring started in 1918 when Theodoard’s granddaughter, Abigail set out to revamp it to modern times. She took responsibility for adapting the network as the society and technology became more advanced.
At first, we struggled to understand one another. My shifting abilities and tether to the spirit world drew her to recruit me, but we soon found out that no matter how perfect our talents aligned, our personalities did not. She deflected tension and avoided touchy subjects while I preferred to face things directly. However, it did not take long until I realized she would be the most important person in my life. I wasn’t sure she had reached that conclusion about me, yet. It didn’t matter because we were magically bonded. We still had many questions about the bond, like who had placed it there and what exactly it meant for our partnership. Either way, she was stuck with me, and I with her.
She saved me from an elemental gunshot wound that should have burned me from the inside out. We stepped into a nest of evil in Paris, and we somehow cemented our partnership. She died from the attack in Paris. To say the least, the operation had a few flaws. Thankfully, we’d discovered she has a rather unique connection to the Archangel Gabriel who saved her.
We survived the attack by Meredith Spence, my former friend and her former partner’s long-lost daughter. We survived the collapse of the Boulder complex, which Meredith actually triggered with a spell that set off a man-made earthquake. Abigail and I had an undeniable bond, and I felt it clearer to me as each day passed. We either lived through it together, or it would kill us both. In despite of all the deep thoughts and questions, I only had one thing on my mind. I wanted a shower and a bed.
I carried Abigail to the plane, strapping her in the seat. She had spent all of her energy saving us, and healing me. Gregory Theodoard left in a separate plane after he gave us a ride to the airport. He said he would be in touch soon, and he graciously thanked me for looking after her. At first, I couldn’t understand how someone as powerful as Abigail needed someone to look after her. But in this short amount of time, I had realized how much she really needed me. I plundered the cabinets in the luxury private jet and finally asked one of the pilots to help me.
“I need a blanket for her,” I said. The pilot showed me where to find it, as well as few other things like the bar, mini-fridge, and a cabinet stocked with food.
I went back to her with a blanket, and two bottles of water. I opened hers and handed it to her. She shook her head no.
“Yes, drink something,” I insisted. She tried holding it, but it wobbled in her hand. I held it up to her lips and tilted it back so she could get a few sips. “More?”
“No,” she mumbled. I did not want to push her because we had been through a lot over the last couple of days. I feared she hadn’t yet fully recovered from the Paris attack when we stepped right into a full implosion of the Boulder compound.
“Get seated sir, we are about to take-off. The runway is clear. It’s about a 2-hour flight. Try to rest. We will get you there quickly,” he said.
“Where are we going?” I asked.
“Los Angeles,” the pilot said and ducked back into the cabin.
“Mother fuck,” she mumbled.
“What’s in Los Angeles?” I asked her.
“A safe house and Lukas Castille,” she replied.
“I don’t care, as long as we can get cleaned up and get some rest,” I said. I fastened my seatbelt and leaned back in the seat. My wounds were had healed, but I was still exhausted. Abby looked much worse than me. She was not thrilled about meeting up with Lukas, her ex-fiancé. I wasn't either because he clearly still cared about her. She and I may have kissed in the heat of the moment as the Boulder compound crashed in on us, but it didn't mean we were in a relationship. In fact, she had been adamantly against such a thing from the beginning. She was wrong, but I understood why she felt the way she did. I wanted to find out where we stood in that department without the interference that Lukas would surely throw in our way.
“Mr. Duarte, a car is waiting for you. It will take you to the safe house,” he said. “Good luck to you both, and I hope to get the honor to fly for you again sometime.”
“Thank you, sir. What’s your name?”
“Jaxon Mackey. My friends call me Jack,” he said.
“Well, Jack, I’m Tadeas. Thank you for the smooth flight.” I turned to her and pulled off the blanket. She tried to move, but her body did not respond to her. Her eyes met mine with a silent request for help. Without hesitation, I lifted her up and carried her down the steps of the airplane to the waiting limo. Instead of the driver getting out to help us, Lukas Castille exited, motioning us towards his opened door. When I raised back up, he waited patiently and looked concerned.
“Do either of you need a doctor, Duarte?” Lukas asked.
“No, just somewhere quiet. We both need to clean up and rest,” I replied.
“Go ahead, get in with her, and I’ll get in the other side.”
I ducked down into the car and pulled the door closed behind myself. Abby leaned over onto me. Lukas got in the other side climbing into the seat facing us. His face concentrated on hers. He showed concern for her well-being, but his gaze remained steady and businesslike. If he hadn’t been her ex-fiancé, I probably would have liked him very much. He projected a confidence and good sense rarely seen in others of his kind. Lukas was born a human, but he had been turned into an incubus. Abigail was convinced that they did it to hurt her by torturing him. She explained that he acted differently than most incubi because he had once been human. His humanity still lived inside of him and battled the unnatural hunger. He knocked on the front window, and said, “To the house.” I closed my eyes, concentrating on her heartbeat. My animal senses could hear all the surrounding heartbeats. Her heartbeat calmed me because I felt connected to it from the first time I heard it. Along the way, I drifted in and out of sleep.
The limo came to a stop, and Lukas said, “We are up the Pacific Coast Highway in Malibu. The house is pretty secluded considering how populated this area is. It’s nice and private. The Agency owns it so treat it like your own home. Bring her. I’ll help you get settled.”
I climbed out, and she moved to the edge of the seat trying to stand. She stood on her own, but wobbled unsteadily. “I can carry you.”
She leaned on me. “You are just as tired as I am,” she said and walked to the house. I could see the ocean from the drive, and I wished I had time to enjoy the view. The sun sank into the edge of the Pacific Ocean. I supported her as we walked inside the house.
“Can you make it upstairs?” Lukas said directly to her.
“Yes,” she replied. Abby and I ascended, between leaning on the railing and each other.
Lukas opened the double doors into the master suite. The linens and furnishings were mostly white with dark wood floors. In the center of the back wall, a giant bed called out to us both. Abby walked toward it.
“I’ll be downstairs if you need anything, Tadeas,” he said and slipped out the door.
I helped her to the bed. She sat on the edge and removed her muddy clothes.
“Lukas,” I called back to him and went to the door, “Did Ashley and the others make it away safely?” Ashley Montgomery, Abby’s best friend and assistant, had left the compound before I went back into it to save Abby. The rest of the team should have been with her as well.
“Yes, they are in another house nearby. They will be kept away until she is ready for them. I knew she would want to rest after Gregory informed me what happened to the two of you. However, Jay Stafford was not with them,” Lukas said.
“Jay didn’t make it,” I replied. Jeremy Stafford, our wheel-man, reentered the compound after I left the surface. He saved our lives and lost his. The pain of it hadn’t hit us yet.
He grimaced, and his eyes turned glossy for a moment. I hadn’t realized that Lukas knew Jay, but by his reaction, I could tell that he did. “That is unfortunate,” Lukas said. “I’ll let them know. Thank you Tadeas, for rescuing her from the collapsing building.”
“We rescued each other,” I said and shut the door quietly.
She got all her clothes off and get under the covers before I turned around. I looked at all her clothes in the floor. “Really? Make a mess as soon as we get here,” I said trying to make things lighter. Her only reply was a blank stare. Ashley’s talents included providing clothing wherever one might end up, so she had clothes for both of us here and slipped mine on.
“Here, put something on,” I said. She lifted the covers up, and I slipped the shirt over her head. I put her feet in the pants, and she pulled them up around her waist. She curled back up on the bed as I turned the lights out. Grabbing a pillow from the bed, I went to lay on the soft couch across the room.
“Don’t be ridiculous,” she said through our telepathic bond.
I didn’t want to assume, and jump in the bed with her without consent. I laid down next to her. “Just sleep. We will worry about everything else tomorrow.” She sighed. I tried to shut all the events of the day, focusing on her heartbeat, and fell asleep.
I woke up to the smell of breakfast cooking downstairs. She still slept soundly, so I eased out of the bed. Desperately wanting a shower to wash off the dirt and grime, I started up the water. We had gotten into the bed last night mud and all.
The shower felt wonderful. I leaned against the wall and let the warm water pour over me. My thoughts drifted back to Meredith in the compound. I hadn’t known Lincoln had a daughter because Abby never mentioned it. It was probably a touchy subject. Her personal vendetta had driven Meredith’s involvement in trying to destroy our partnership and taking down the entire Boulder compound. Lying to me for years, I realized Meredith knew who Abby was from the very first moment she came into my classroom.
George’s revelation to Abby did not phase me in the least. George, Abigail’s butler and father figure who lived on a magical island somewhere in the spirit world, told us before we left for Colorado that she had a surrogate father. Gabriel. The Archangel. Neither of us fully understood what that meant at that time. I knew we lived in a world with many creatures. Abigail ranked high on the scale of unique and special beings, which I understood from the moment I met her. The portal to the island had collapsed into the earth along with the rest of the Boulder facility. Being unable to return to the island concerned me greatly because the island had always provided her a place of stability. A refuge from the world which constantly tried to destroy her and everyone she held dear. Seeming to know we wouldn’t return, George’s information to her and those last moments felt like goodbye. Between his encouragement to me, and Gabriel’s words in the church in Paris about faith and redemption, I knew I was now the stabilizing force in her life.
In Paris at Magic Mirror, she stood face to face with Vanessa Vaughn, and never doubted my ability to remove every threat including the necromancer. She trusted I would get her to safety. No one in my entire life had ever had such faith in me. Not Father Sergio, who tried to suppress my gift. Not Meredith who lied to me for years. Not the Agency, that ignored my talents. In just two weeks, Abigail Davenport was the most important person in my life. She also frustrated me to my wit’s end. Even as I stood in the shower, I felt her heartbeat and every breath. I was her guardian which meant I would go to hell and back to keep her safe. I knew she would do the same for me, but she would give me hell for it. We needed to avoid touchy subjects today, and just rest.
I turned the shower off reluctantly. As I got dressed, she stirred in the bed and looked at me as I put on my shirt. “How’s the wound?”
“There is no wound. No scar,” I told her. Meredith stabbed me in the fight as the compound collapsed around us. Abigail use
d the last bit of her power to heal me once we got out.
“Good,” she said.
“Get up and get a shower,” I said.
“Yes, sir,” she quipped. “Do I smell bacon?” A smile stretched across her face. The woman loved bacon. And bourbon.
“It seems there may be bacon in the house. However, as I got up and showered before you, you cannot blame me if it’s all gone by the time you finish.”
“You want me to cuss you out again, don’t you?” she smiled. I released my tension seeing her smile.
“I don’t care if you do, as long as I get all the bacon. Besides you will find a reason to cuss me, anyway. It might as well be for eating wonderful, crispy bacon,” I said and turned toward the door. I felt a strange sense of movement behind me and ducked just in time to avoid the pillow she threw at me. I winked at her, “Gotta try harder than that, sweetheart.”
“Tadeas Duarte, you better not eat all the bacon!” she yelled, but smiled.
I walked down the stairs and realized how beautiful the house was. It was clean and modern but with traditional dark wood floors. I followed my nose to the kitchen.
“Hey Tadeas, come eat breakfast,” Lukas smiled at me when I came in the room. He picked up a plate and handed it to me. “She awake?”
“Yeah, she’s getting a shower,” I said, and turned to the redhead sitting at the kitchen bar. “I’m Tadeas. I’m thrilled to see you are unharmed.”