The Awakened

by Amanda Carol

  “I’m sorry,” she mumbles.

  I take her journal and pen away from her and set it on her nightstand. She folds her fingers and places them in her lap, fiddling with her silver charm bracelet.

  “I’ve known my whole life that vampires existed. I’ve heard the stories about the attacks. But I’ve never actually seen one, you know? We’ve always been protected here.” She wipes a stray tear from her cheek.

  I don’t press her to continue. I just sit there quietly.

  “I’ve never actually seen an attack before. And to see Sloane, someone who I’ve known my entire life, brutally attacked, and almost die…” She trails off and starts crying.

  I pull her to me, and she rests her head in my lap. I pull the stray hairs that escaped her bun from her face and just let her get it all out. We sit there for who knows how long, and I don’t care. I hate seeing my best friend hurting. When she finally starts to calm down, she slowly lifts her head off my lap.

  “I’m sorry I cried all over you. I'm such a mess.” She takes off her glasses and wipes her eyes on the sleeves of her shirt.

  “You don’t have to apologize to me, Abs. You’re my best friend and I love you. Feel free to cry on me anytime you want,” I joke, and that earns me a smile. “I’m sorry you had to witness that today.”

  I fold my fingers in my lap and try not to think about the first vampire attack I ever saw.

  “How do you cope with it?” she whispers, pulling her legs up under her.

  “I try not to let it get to me. I guess, over the years, I’ve just gotten good at compartmentalizing it. Your first one is always the hardest,” I admit.

  Her eyes glance up and meet mine. She takes her bottom lip between her teeth as she sucks in a breath. Shit, there’s that look. I don’t want looks of pity. I had that enough at the funeral.

  “Aria,” she starts, but I get up from the bed, cutting her off.

  “Please, Abby, I don’t want to talk about that, okay?” I pull the covers back from my makeshift bed on the floor.

  “Have you talked about it at all? To anyone?” she asks, getting under her covers as well.

  “No,” I reply dryly, laying down and looking at her. She’s on her side with her head propped up in her hands; her eyebrows are raised, telling me to explain. “It’s not something that I like talking about. Not now, not ever.”

  I let out a sigh and pinch the bridge of my nose. I know she’s only trying to help. But talking about it and letting myself feel the feelings that go along with it won’t bring my parents back.

  “I'm sorry,” I finally say after a few moments.

  “I know. And I get it. But I’m here for you, Aria. Whenever you’re ready,” she whispers.

  All I do is nod at her. She sighs and reaches out to turn the light off from her night table. I hear her turn over and after a few moments, her breathing evens out and she’s fast asleep. I know that Abby will always be there for me, but I’ll never be ready to talk about that night. I roll over and pull my covers up to my head, letting the darkness of sleep take over.

  “Dude, your dad was pissed tonight,” Bennett says, opening my fridge and grabbing himself a beer.

  “Make yourself at home,” I say sarcastically, pulling out one of my kitchen chairs and sitting my tired ass down.

  He ends up grabbing two and hands me one. I mumble a thanks and twist the cap off.

  “Yeah, I know,” I agree. “I’ve never seen him so frustrated before. It must have something to do with the fact that there’s an increase in vampire activity around the city. Not to mention he’s pissed that one got through Luna’s wards undetected and attacked one of our own.”

  Before Aria and her brother came to town, the vampire activity had started to pick up. I actually wasn’t supposed to be on duty that night they came to town, but as much as I disagree with my father about the double patrols, I’m glad I was there. It’s also why Bennett and I are back in rotation again. I hate double patrols because we’ve only gotten maybe 4 hours of sleep each night. Although, I’m not complaining about the training duty because that’s more time that I get to spend with Aria. But with every pack member pulling doubles, it makes us less efficient.

  “I ended up going over to visit Sloane and see how she’s doing. Her wounds are getting better but she’s still unconscious. Kora gave her a potion to keep her knocked out until her neck heals more.” Bennett leans against my counter and takes a sip of his beer. “Ciera said that she might not remember anything about the attack when she wakes up, but hopefully she does.”

  “I hope so too. Anything she can remember will help. He attacked her for a reason. Maybe he said something to her?” I shake my head as I take a sip of my beer and lean back in my chair, running a hand along my face and letting out a harsh breath. This is so fucked.

  “You’re worried about Aria too, aren’t you, man?” Bennett studies me from across the room.

  Leave it to my best friend to read my mind without having to use our telepathic link.

  “Her headache immobilized her tonight. What if something is really wrong?” I set my beer down on the table and lean forward, resting my head in my hands.

  I know I could have taken out any vamp that would have tried to come anywhere near her. That’s not what I’m worried about. I’ve grown up around witches. I’ve seen witches who are just getting used to using magic. Sure, I’ve seen them get tired and maybe even not feel well, but not a single one of them has gotten a headache that completely incapacitated them like that. Not that I know of, anyway.

  “I know what you mean. Let’s see how she is in the morning. For all we know, she’ll be better after a good night’s rest. Ever since she and Declan got here, she’s done nothing but train, and not to mention she had this bombshell thrown at her.” Bennett steps forward and places a hand on my shoulder.

  I glance up at him and I can feel the muscle in my jaw tick. He’s right. I’m probably overreacting. She probably does just need some rest.

  “Let’s not worry too much about it yet.” He gives me a good pat on the shoulder, then backs up to the counter.

  “You’re right. You stopping by Z’s tonight, by any chance?” I ask him, taking another sip of my beer.

  Bennett shakes his head. “Nah, I’m pretty beat. But I told him I’d drop by in the morning to drop off his Madden game he let me borrow. Why? What’s up?”

  “Just to be on the safe side, can you just let him know about what happened tonight with Aria? I won’t have time to talk to him tomorrow. I just want to make sure he’s aware just in case. We patrol tomorrow night and he’s training with her,” I ask, bringing my bottle to my lips again. Warm beer is among one of the top ten things I hate most in this world, so I tend to drink it quickly.

  “Yeah, sure, bruh.” Bennett finishes his beer and tosses the bottle in the trash.

  I chug the rest of mine and toss my bottle as well.

  “I’m out of here bro. Catch you on the flip side,” he says, stretching his arms over his head.

  I stand and walk him out. Then, I walk up the steps to my room and kick off my boots and socks. The rest of my clothes, besides my boxers, come off next and I flop down on my bed.

  “Hunter.” I hear a female voice say, and I feel hands on me. “Hunter, wake up.”

  That voice sounds a lot like Aria’s. Am I dreaming? Surely this is a dream. I’m hoping it is because my dick is standing at full attention. I crack open one eye and see her beautiful green eyes looking at me. Oh, fuck me. I sit up with a jolt and she jumps back.

  “Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you. It’s just, when you didn’t show up to breakfast or in the training room, I got worried and came looking for you. Bennett said you might still be here,” she explains in a rush. She tucks a stray hair behind her ear and her eyes flick to mine.

  I watch as her eyes drop down to my bare chest and stomach, then lower, before returning up to meet my gaze. Her face flushes that pretty pink color, and she sucks that bottom lip betwe
en her teeth. Now, my dick feels so swollen, it’s almost painful. Ignoring him, I smirk at her, and her cheeks start to turn red because she just got caught checking me out. Of course, I don’t want her to feel left out, so I let my eyes roam down her body. She’s got on those tight little workout pants and a loose green tank top that’s tied at the bottom. Across her chest it says, “Will run for tacos.” I chuckle and she quirks an eyebrow.

  “You’ll run for tacos, huh?” I smile at her as she looks down and reads her shirt.

  Slowly, she lifts her head back up. Her eyes are slightly hooded, and she’s got that lip tucked between her teeth again. Fuck, what is this girl doing to me? It’s as if I have the same effect on her as she does on me. I need to stop thinking about those pretty lips. Otherwise, I’ll take her right now.

  “I do love tacos. They’re my favorite,” she chirps, pulling me from my thoughts of claiming her.

  “I know a place in town that has amazing tacos. I’ll have to take you sometime,” I vow.

  She smiles. “I’d like that.”

  I look at her beautiful face for a moment. She looks tired and worn down, like she’s only here because she feels like she has to be, when she should be taking time to rest. Finally getting my erection under control, I get up out of bed and approach her. Her gaze follows me until I'm standing right in front of her.

  “How’s your head this morning?” I ask, cupping her cheek as she looks up at me.

  I swipe my thumb across her cheek bone, and I hear her soft inhale.

  “Better,” she says too quickly.

  I quirk a brow at her.

  “Nothing gets past you, does it?” she brushes past me over to my bed and sits down. “I had a headache when I woke up this morning. It wasn’t as bad as last night. I drank some of Grace’s special tea and took some medicine. That seems to help for a while.” She puts her head in her hands and starts rubbing her temples.

  “Do you want to skip training today?” I walk over and sit on the bed next to her. She stops rubbing her head and turns her face toward me.

  She shakes her head. “No. I want to train today. I brought some meds with me and I’m feeling okay now. I’ll stop if it gets to be too much.” Her voice sounds small.

  I study her for a moment, and all I see in her green gaze is determination.

  “Now, can you please get dressed so we can get to work?” She smirks and shoots up off my bed and is down the steps before I can say anything.

  I grab some fresh gym clothes and boxers and pad my way into the bathroom to change and brush my teeth. I throw on my socks and sneakers and head downstairs. Aria is sitting on my couch, waiting patiently for me. When her gaze locks with mine, she smiles.

  “Took you long enough.” She stands and stretches, then reaches down and picks up a backpack.

  I glance down at it and realize its mine. When my eyes meet hers again, her cheeks flush.

  “I saw it sitting there by the steps. I cleaned it out and filled it with new water bottles from your fridge. I hope you don’t mind.” She rocks back on her heels.

  “It’s fine, babe. Help yourself to whatever you want. My cabin is your cabin.” I smile.

  Her breath hitches and she blushes. I realize that I just called her “babe” again. She’s not even mine and here I am calling her “babe.” I clear my throat and run my hand through my hair.

  “Should we get going, then?” I mumble.

  She nods, throws the backpack over one shoulder, and turns and heads for the door.

  I reach for the backpack when I close the door behind me, and I’m surprised she lets me take it from her. We walk to our training spot from yesterday in silence. Setting the bag down, I pull out my speaker and hook some music up again. I glance up at Aria and she’s stretching. Her shirt lifts and I catch a glimpse of skin again.

  “What?” She catches me looking at her. “Do I have something on my shirt?” She looks down and slightly pulls on her shirt to get a better look.

  “No.” I stand up. This is not how I wanted this to go. “Fuck it.”

  I take two steps toward her, our gazes lock as I cup both of her cheeks in my hands and crash my lips onto hers. Her hands wrap around my wrists but she doesn’t pull away. Instead, her body leans into mine. I inhale sharply through my nose and catch her scent; lavender and vanilla. I want so badly to taste more of her, but not now. I break the kiss and rest my forehead against hers.

  “That was not our first kiss,” I breathe.

  Opening my eyes, I note that Aria’s eyes are still closed, but then they slowly open and our eyes meet once more.

  “It wasn’t?” she whispers.

  I shake my head against hers, before kissing her softly again. I drop my hands and slowly walk backward. Her cheeks are flushed, her pupils are dilated, and it’s taking everything in me not to walk my ass back over to her and show her what our real first kiss will be like.

  Now isn’t the right time. Aria deserves more than just an in-the-moment first kiss. I care about her, and I want to do right by her.

  “You ready to get started?” I ask, pushing the thoughts of kissing Aria out of my head.

  I flash her my dimples, and I hear her take in a deep breath. When she nods, I bend down to push play on my speaker, and we start to warm up.

  “Aria, you’re tiny. Use that to your advantage.” I say, holding my hands up so she can punch each one. “Stay low, hit low and upward.”

  She grunts. I can tell she’s getting frustrated. Her breathing is ragged, and her moves are slowing down. She stops for a moment and wipes the sweat off her forehead.

  “Let’s take a break.” I drop my hands, walking over to the backpack, reaching in for a water bottle, and handing one to her.

  She hesitates for a moment, then takes it from me and sits on the rock. I can feel someone trying to open the telepathic link, so I open my mind to see who it is.

  Hey, Hunt. Just wanted you to know that I talked to Z. How’s Blondie? Bennett’s voice pops through.

  She said her head was still bothering her this morning. She’s a trooper, though, and she’s working through the pain, I think back to him and take a drink of water.

  I notice Aria wince as she drops the water bottle and brings both hands to her head. I rush over and kneel in front of her. She’s breathing heavily, and a soft whimper escapes her lips. I pull her into my arms and sit back, cradling her head to my chest.

  Dude, you alright? The link is still open. What’s happening? Bennett’s concerned voice echoes through my head.

  It’s Aria. She’s—

  Her scream cuts my thoughts off and I shut Bennett out. Minutes pass by the time she finally loosens her grip on her head. Her hands slowly fall to my chest as she pushes herself back slightly to look up at me.

  “I’m sorry,” she whispers, leaning forward, resting her forehead on my chin.

  “Sorry for what? You have nothing to be sorry for.” I kiss her temple as she nuzzles into my neck.

  “I don’t know what’s wrong with me,” she murmurs.

  I feel helpless. All I want in the world is to make this stop for her.

  “Hey, look at me,” I pull her off me and place my hands on her cheeks. “There is nothing wrong with you, okay?”

  She looks at me, her eyes full of worry.

  “We will figure this out together, I promise,” I assure her.

  She nods her head once. When I hear footsteps approaching, I don’t make a move to get up, and neither does Aria. Instead, she turns her head and rests it on my shoulder, then wraps her arms around me. I glance up and see Bennett running with Ciera.

  “Everything okay? You sounded worried, and then I got worried. So, I panicked and all I could think to do was grab Ciera and rush over here,” Bennett huffs as he stops just a foot away from us.

  Ciera clutches her side as she comes to a halt next to him.

  “I hate running,” she says after a moment of trying to catch her breath.

  “I thought you lik
ed it, given that boy you dated who was on the track team in school. You went running with him every Saturday morning,” Bennett teases her.

  Ah, I remember that kid. Pretty sure his name was Chad. He was a douche. I think they met at some underage club for students in the French Quarter. Everyone here on the Compound is homeschooled, but sometimes they go out and meet up with other kids their age. Take a break from magic and just try to be normal kids for a change. I know I liked going to those places. Since Ciera is like a sister to Bennett and I, we got real protective over her every time we saw that Chad dude. He treated her like absolute shit. When she finally broke up with him, we took her out to celebrate, as honorary big brothers would do.

  “Please don’t make me punch you in the face for bringing that fucker up.” Ciera glares at him.

  Her threat makes him chuckle, which only pisses her off and she sucker punches him in the stomach.

  “For God’s sake, Ciera,” Bennett groans, hunching over in pain.

  She glares at him for a moment longer, then turns her attention to us.

  “What’s going on? All Bennett said was that it was Aria and it’s an emergency.” Ciera takes a step forward and kneels down in front of Aria.

  “I started getting a bad headache yesterday afternoon. Sometimes I’ll get this super sharp pain that lasts for a few minutes before it goes away. That’s only happened twice now. But mostly it’s just a dull ache.” Aria lifts her head off my shoulder, but then lays it back down.

  “Have you taken anything for it?” Ciera asks, reaching up and feeling Aria’s forehead. I know she doesn’t have a fever, but her skin does feel a little clammy.

  “Yes, which reminds me, can someone get the ibuprofen from the side pocket of the backpack, please?” Aria lifts her hand and points over to where the backpack is.

  Bennett walks over and grabs the pill bottle and a bottle of water.

  “How many do you want?” he asks, opening the pill bottle.

  She holds up two fingers, and he dumps out two into his palm and hands them to her. He opens the water bottle as she tosses the pills into her mouth, then she reaches up for the bottle. She takes a sip to wash them down. When she’s finished, I take it from her and hand it back to Bennett, who replaces the cap and sets it down on the ground.