Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3)

by Amanda Carol

  “Not for you either!” I say.

  Her mouth drops open as Declan and Bennett laugh from the backseat of the car.

  I smile at her as I set the bag back down. “Baby, I’m just kidding.”

  “What? I’m hungry! Why can’t I have something?” Bennett complains.

  “Because you don’t have sex with him,” Declan jokes, and I bust out laughing.

  The car ride to the airport will be a piece of cake, but when we get on that plane, I know tensions will be high. I just have to figure out a way to calm my pack before the storm.

  Before we left for Portland, we decided that instead of staying in a hotel last night, we wanted to set up a camp a few miles away from the mountain. There are so many of us that checking into a hotel would have drawn attention that we didn’t need anyway. Plus, we wanted to be as close as possible so that we would be here in time to stop her.

  Luna and the others will show up tonight. If they got here any sooner, we’d lose our advantage.

  Luckily for us, Isabella still has no idea that we even found them—or if she does, she hasn’t let on to it. Either she knows and doesn’t care, or she’s already prepared for that. I’ve underestimated her already, so I’m going with the latter.

  We all took the night to prepare in our own way. Running, sparring, meditating, practicing magic. Anything that helped us feel ready and stronger for tonight. Sundown happens in an hour, and that’s when this whole thing starts.

  I stare up at the volcano in front of me. Any other day, I would be marveling at its beauty, but now, I’m just mentally preparing myself, getting a layout of the mountain and trying to visualize every scenario. I put myself in Isabella’s shoes, thinking of every play she might make and coming up with a plan to stop her.

  I have to be fine with whatever outcome. Best case scenario, no one dies except Isabella, and we succeed in stopping her. Worst case?

  No.

  I can’t let myself go there, because if I do, the thoughts will overwhelm me during a time when I don’t need them to, and that moment will cost me.

  I feel arms wrap around my waist from behind and a head rest in the middle of my back. The scent of lavender and vanilla fills my lungs, and I revel in the moment.

  Aria and I spent the night in our tent, lost in our minds. She had some Dream Shade left over from when she came to me before, so we used it last night. Our bodies are well rested, but we used that time to…well, we definitely spent most of the time getting re-acquainted with each other’s bodies, but we also just had time for us.

  “I can smell the rain in the air,” I say.

  Aria inhales sharply. “Yeah.” She moves to stand in front of me, weaving her fingers in my hair. “Are you ready for this?”

  I look down at her. “I am.”

  I lean down and brush my lips against hers. Her kiss giving me the strength to carry on, the courage to fight for us, and the power to get the job done.

  I grab her hand and lead us back over to our pack.

  “All right, gather around and listen up,” I command, waiting for everyone to stand in a circle around Aria and I. “I want you to look around. Look at the person standing next to you and across from you. Witch or wolf, this is your pack. Isabella wants to take them from you. I don’t know about the rest of you, but I think we’ve given her too much already and enough is enough.”

  Aria steps up. “All the hard work we put in, all the late-night training sessions, the workouts, the blood, sweat, and tears…it all led us to this moment.” She pauses, turning around in a slow circle. “Tonight, we will fight harder than we’ve ever fought before. We will fight for each other, and we will fight to save the world. The only thing more powerful than her is us.”

  “She’s right,” I cut in when she finishes. “We aren’t going to quit. Not until we win. Because that’s who we are. No matter what the future holds, tomorrow, the sun will rise.”

  The sun slowly sets on the horizon, and the moon is out.

  Aria looks over at me; determination and strength pouring out of her and into me. She nods once, and I turn to the pack.

  “We have work to do, so let’s get it done.”

  We are hidden in the shadows of the brush, and vampires are everywhere, scattered on the base around the summit, standing guard around the volcano waiting for us.

  “Okay, Abby, it’s time to go invisible,” I whisper turning to her and handing her the dagger we’ll use to kill Isabella.

  We thought that Abby could hold onto it until the very last second. That way, no one will be able to see her or it. It will keep them both safe, especially if Athena or Zeus show up. We’re hoping that Ares, Apollo, and Artemis will show up to help in the fight, but we aren’t counting on it.

  She inhales sharply, then reaches forward and wraps her arms around me. “I’ll be right behind you, helping you in every way I can.”

  “I trust you, Abs. Just be careful.” I squeeze her tightly. “Stay hidden.”

  She pulls back and nods, then she disappears.

  “Holy fucking shit,” Declan breathes from next to me. “That’s a lot of fucking vamps.”

  “Two hundred and fifty, give or take,” I murmur.

  Both Hunter and Declan turn to me.

  “It’s amazing how you know that,” Declan whispers. “But look.” He points up ahead. “They must have been able to get here sooner than we thought. With the cloud cast, the vampires could tolerate the sun. She’s already got a head start.”

  He’s right. She’s at least a football field’s length ahead of us.

  “Well, how about we don’t let her keep getting ahead of us?” I take a step forward, gripping Artemis’s bow and nocking an arrow.

  I wait for the perfect moment, and the second I see an opening, I release the arrow right into Isabella’s leg. The two large buckets she’s carrying fall, but they are sealed off tight.

  So much for breaking them open.

  “Shit. That was like, what? A hundred yards?” Bennett gasps.

  “Something like that,” I reply.

  The vampires turn in our direction and hiss, dropping their fangs. I start walking, and they start running back down the mountain toward us. I use the earth element to send a shockwave through the ground, knocking the first wave of vampires off their feet, slowing the descent of the others.

  Summoning the air element alongside my brother, we fling the second wave of vampires in the air, kicking up dirt. The pack behind us shifts and lunges forward, each one grabbing a vampire’s head in their powerful jaws and ripping it off. Witches start using their magic to help the wolves, using the match with Ares as inspiration. Kat is making it rain pebble bullets as Gunner kills them off one by one.

  The rain starts to come down hard on us, making it muddy and slippery, but Declan and I are still fighting side-by-side together in hand-to-hand combat with the vampires. But my eyes are set on Isabella, who had help pulling that damn arrow out of her leg and is rushing up the mountain.

  Duck! Hunter yells through the link, which we’ve left completely open.

  I duck as he leaps over me, locking his jaws around a vampire’s head. I hear a satisfying crunch as the vampire’s neck snaps, followed by the sound of ripping flesh.

  A vampire wraps a hand around my neck, lifting me clean off the ground. I reach for my silver dagger, pulling it out and plunging it straight into the vampire’s eye. Blood squirts from the wound as he cries out in pain, but his cries are cut short when Clyde’s wolf rips his head off. Clyde nods, and I watch him run over to fight alongside Bennett, who had a bunch of vampires attack him all at once.

  I throw a punch out to a vampire in front of me, but I sense one coming up from behind me and kick my foot out. The vamp stumbles back, and Hunter kills it.

  We’re way outnumbered by the vampires, making it so Declan and I can’t close in on Isabella.

  “Aria!” I hear Abby’s voice call.

  I turn quickly to see a vampire standing right behind me
get hit with a fireball.

  “Fucking bloodsucker,” Zayne spits out.

  He looks all around, and I notice him close his eyes briefly, putting his hand on his cheek. I think Abby just let him know she was there.

  “Zayne will help me up the mountain. We’ll meet you up there!” I hear Abby shout.

  Then Zayne runs off, no doubt being led by Abby.

  I use the water element to put the flame out, then lift the vampire’s burnt body up off the ground. It tries to fight me, but I’m too strong. I hold the collar of his shirt while Caleb comes over, and as soon as his teeth bite into its flesh, I let go.

  Suddenly, there’s a gust of wind so powerful that it knocks Declan and I up in the air. Hunter shifts into his human form and catches me, taking the brunt of the fall. We quickly get back on our feet, and I look up and see Luna and the other demigods coming in from behind us, getting the attention of the vampires who are still in front of us.

  Grace does what she did back in the cemetery, calling on the water and forcing it into the vampires’ chests, buying Knox and Oliver enough time to kill them all. The demigods are working together with Khari and Blaine as they weave in and out of the crowd. I hear a hitched howl, followed by a devastating yelp, and I spin around.

  Sloane.

  My eyes widen and my heart sinks as the vampire rips at her neck so violently that not even the moonstone can save her. The only thing that can kill a wolf right now is decapitation.

  Hunter howls as Sloane’s head rolls off onto the ground, then he snarls and lunges for the vampire that killed her. Blaine is only a second behind him, and together, they rip the vampire in half.

  “Aria, we have to hurry!” my brother says, tugging at my arm. “C’mon! We have to go!”

  I shake it off, turning on my heel in the mud, and run after my brother. The rain is beating down on us as we fight through the throng of vampires.

  I glance up the mountain and see Isabella climb onto the edge, right where the pit is. I reach for an arrow and let it go, soaring straight and true, but it’s blown away. A figure shimmers into view, and it’s none other than Athena. I glare at her, feeling all the rage build up in my veins. Fire shoots down my arms and ignites into a ball in the palm of my hand.

  “Declan, keep going!” I shout.

  I release a fireball in her direction, and I don’t stop my momentum.

  Aria, I’m coming for you, Hunter says.

  “Think you can take me on?” she questions, walking around me, creating a circle around us.

  I smirk. “I know I can.”

  I see Artemis shimmer in behind her. She looks at me and smiles as the white wolf appears right beside me, and the look on Athena’s face says it all.

  Consider her yours now, little one, I hear Artemis’s voice say in my head.

  I glance down at the white wolf, and when she looks up at me, her eyes are glowing a bright green, just like mine. And the best part is I can also see what she sees. It’s like our minds are one.

  I see fear in Athena’s eyes.

  She’s the reason I almost lost Hunter.

  Hunter’s black wolf stands on the other side of me, and a deep, snarling growl emits from him.

  Just like we rehearsed it, I command.

  Both wolves leap forward. Athena is distracted long enough for me to nock an arrow, and I shoot one off into each leg. She falls to the ground, screaming out in agony as Hunter and my wolf lock their jaws on her arms.

  I walk forward, and with every ounce of strength I have, I punch her jaw, feeling it crack under my knuckles. Anger surges through me, and I grab her neck. She cries out as fire comes out of my hands, burning her throat, and I kneel in front of her.

  “I bet you didn’t plan for this?” I ask, my voice menacingly low.

  I release her neck just as a figure shimmers in next to me.

  Ares.

  “Thought you might like to use this, love,” he says, holding out the Soul Blade.

  “No! Please! Brother, please! I beg of you! Stop her!” Athena pleads.

  “How about…” Ares pauses for just a moment, spinning around and punching through the chests of two vampires who were running toward us. He rips out their hearts, and their bodies fall to the ground as he drops them on the ground right in front of Athena. “No?”

  Her eyes widen and are filling with tears as she slowly raises them from the hearts to her brother. Hunter and my wolf bite down harder on her, drawing blood as they spread her arms out wider.

  “Burn in hell, bitch!” I growl, plunging the Soul Blade in her chest. Her cries are hitched when the blade sinks deep inside, and she falls to the ground.

  Hunter looks at me, then at the white wolf.

  She’s mine. I’m going up after Declan. But she will help you fight, I tell him.

  Hunter glances over at the white wolf, and I can see the moment their eyes lock. She melds to Hunter; she knows that he is mine and is to be protected at all costs.

  “I will stay down here and help them, but just be prepared. I am not the only god who will be showing up, love,” Ares whispers in my ear.

  A low growl emits from Hunter as he takes note of how close Ares is to me.

  “Save it for the arena, yeah?” Ares looks pointedly at Hunter, whose glowing blue eyes narrow in on him.

  With a smirk, Ares roars loudly, then starts to wreak havoc on all the vampires.

  Prick, Hunter curses through the link.

  Yeah, well, he’s a prick that will help protect our pack, I remind him.

  I know, but he’s still a prick. Hunter glances at me. Give ‘em hell, baby.

  With that, Hunter and my wolf take off running back into the crowd of vampires, and I turn to look up the mountain. I rush forward, knocking a few vampires away with the air element, and start climbing. The pit isn’t that far, but the rain is making it harder for me to get up there. I have no idea what’s happening up there, and the fear for Declan and Abby makes me work harder than ever.

  The ground starts shaking and I lose my grip, my feet slipping, and I fall backward. I look up and see Declan flying off the mountain as thick black smoke erupts from the volcano. My fall slows, but Declan’s doesn’t.

  Aria, Luna is slowing your fall, but the demigods aren’t able to help with Declan. They’re busy helping the other members of the pack, Knox says in my head.

  My back hits the ground, but I don’t have time to think. I summon the air element and slow Declan’s fall, and he lands with a soft thud next to me.

  He grunts, getting to his feet, and helps me up. His lip is busted, and he has a thick gash on his head. He grabs his shoulder and pops it back into place.

  Boom!

  Boom!

  The ground shakes violently as Declan and I clutch onto each other. I can see through my wolf’s eyes that Hunter, Bennett, and the rest of the pack are fine.

  Three jets of black smoke fly through the air, and I watch in horror as each one hits a different demigod in the chest. Almost like it went right into them. Each one cries out in pain as they curl into themselves, like they’re fighting something off, but whatever went inside them wins.

  Ares pops up next to me.

  “Are those…?” I ask.

  “Titans,” Ares responds. “They just possessed those demigods.”

  “Fuck! Did we just lose?” Declan whispers next to me.

  “You will if you don’t get back up there and shut that gate!” Ares looks over at us, then runs back into the battle.

  “She fucking planned this,” I curse. “She knew! She knew we would get the demigods. She knew this would happen.”

  I’m so pissed that I didn’t see this before!

  “We need to get back up there before they possess any more people, and that includes us, little sister,” Declan commands.

  Both of us climb back up the mountain. When we reach the top, we see Isabella standing there by the entrance of the pit. I climb over the edge and use air to knock her back. Before Declan a
nd I even give her a chance, both of us tackle her back to the ground. Out of the corner of my eye, I see Zayne duck back behind a small rock, obviously there to keep Abby safe, even though she’s currently invisible.

  I go to throw a punch, but she grabs my arm and shoves me toward the rocky mountain wall. I use the momentum to push off, and my feet run up the wall and flip over her as Declan kicks her hard in the chest. I grab hold of Declan’s forearms and he spins me, my feet coming up, and I kick her hard in the jaw with each foot.

  Isabella falls to the ground, but is on her feet quickly. She throws Declan; his back hits the wall and he falls to the ground.

  I lunge forward, but she kicks me hard and I fly backward, flipping through the air. I swing my arms out, and I look up and see the ground under me. I didn’t realize I was this high up.

  A hand appears out of nowhere, and I’d recognize that bracelet anywhere. Our fingers brush as I fly further over the edge of the cliff, but a gust of air pulls me forward and I clutch onto Abby’s arm. We both fall forward on the ground. I glance up to see Declan going toe-to-toe with Isabella.

  Abby pulls the dagger out of the sheath and hands it to me. I slice my hand open, coating the blade with my blood.

  “Declan!” I shout, throwing the dagger in the air toward him.

  He spins, seeing it soar in the air. Isabella goes to lunge for it, but Abby uses a powerful gust of air and throws her back, buying Declan enough time to catch it and cut his hand. Zayne comes over and holds onto Abby while I grab her hand.

  Isabella gets to her feet quickly and rushes toward Declan, but a figure appears out of nowhere, grabbing her elbows and holding her back. She struggles against his hold, but she’s no match for the god.

  Apollo pulls her closely to his chest and leans down next to her ear. “I’m sorry, Isabella.”

  She stops struggling, and her shocked eyes start to fill up with tears.

  Declan starts walking toward her. She twitches once more, but Apollo holds her in place, shutting his eyes. I grip Abby’s hand tighter and watch the muscles in Apollo’s jaw clench as Declan brings the blade down, plunging it straight into Isabella’s heart.