The Awakened

by Amanda Carol

  “Relax, Aria. I’m okay. I’m just glad I heard you scream. What the hell happened?” he asks, trying to sit up. He winces as he moves back to lean up against the closest crypt.

  “He was strong and a lot faster than what we are used to. I think—”

  I stop talking when I hear heavy footsteps quickly approaching. Declan looks up at me. I stand and put my back against the wall, waiting for whoever or whatever it is to walk around the corner. I can still sense the vampire’s closeness, so I grab my silver dagger and, when the footsteps get closer, I jump around the corner, dagger flying downward.

  A strong hand grabs my wrist and stops me before my dagger can connect to flesh. I look up and see that this is not the vampire who attacked us. Bright blue eyes are staring down at me, wide and curious.

  Holy crap on a cracker.

  They remind me of the Caribbean Sea.

  “Dude, you almost got taken out by a girl!” a red-haired man laughs from just beside us. He’s bent over trying to take in a breath between laughs.

  I pull my wrist free and take a step back. I glance back up at the guy who I almost stabbed, who seems to be at least 6’5” with short, shaggy black hair. My gaze falls from his eyes, trailing down his chest and I notice that he’s wearing a black Henley t-shirt that’s tight against his broad shoulders. It’s tucked into tactical pants that sit low on his narrow waist, and he’s wearing black boots to match. Oh crap. I realize that I’m checking him out and feel my cheeks flush.

  I reluctantly pull my eyes away from him and focus on his red-headed companion. His eyes are a light amber color and he’s got some stubble to match his hair, which looks like his companion’s, only a little shorter. He’s a little smaller than the black-haired guy, but still muscular. He’s wearing the same thing, black Henley and tactical pants, almost like a uniform. I’m really hoping they aren’t undercover cops or something. I’m not sure I could talk myself out of this.

  “Hey, Blondie. I’m Bennett. This guy right here who you almost stabbed is Hunter.” The red-haired guy steps forward, offering his hand.

  I look up at him then at black-haired guy, whose name is apparently Hunter, then back to Bennett. I warily take his outstretched hand.

  “Aria,” I simply say, shaking his hand.

  Hunter is still looking at me, his expression unreadable. Meanwhile, Bennett still has my hand.

  “Can I have my hand back?” I snap, raising my eyebrows.

  Bennett starts laughing as he releases my hand.

  “She’s feisty!” He looks at Hunter, then back at me. “You’re feisty. I like it. So, Blondie, what’s a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?” He crosses his arms over his broad chest.

  “Aria, a little help here?” I hear Declan say before I can answer.

  Ignoring the newcomers, I turn on my heel and walk around the crypt. I’m not surprised to hear them following me. I reach down and grab Declan’s right arm and pull him up. He staggers forward a bit and I catch him. He quickly gathers himself and turns to face the two guys.

  “Holy shit. They’re twins!” Bennett stares at us, eyes going wide.

  “Really, Benny?” Hunter finally speaks. His voice is deep and husky.

  “No, seriously, dude. They’re, like, identical twins,” Bennett elaborates.

  Hunter looks at me and then at my brother, and a look of curiosity runs across his striking features as he takes in the resemblance.

  “Yeah, the doctors were just as surprised as you are,” I say, rolling my eyes. We get this all the time.

  “I’m sorry about him. Are you okay, man?” Hunter looks at Declan with raised brows.

  “Yeah, I’m good. I just think I dislocated my shoulder. I tripped while I was running with my sister and I tried to catch myself,” Declan replies flatly, the lie rolling off his tongue like melted butter.

  Hunter and Bennett exchange a look like they know he’s lying, but they don’t say anything.

  Right, that reminds me. Turning to my brother, I reach for his arm without warning and, with a method we use more frequently then we like to admit, I pop his shoulder back into place.

  “Fuck! Damn it, Aria! Warn me next time!” Declan hisses through clenched teeth.

  I giggle and he shoots me a dirty look. I shrug and turn my attention to the two men standing before us. Both look slightly amused at the exchange.

  “So, are you from around here? I’ve never seen you guys here before,” Hunter asks.

  “No, we aren’t from around here. Just passing through,” Declan answers, rubbing his shoulder.

  It takes a lot of restraint for me not to burst out laughing again. He hates it when I don’t warn him. But if I try to count beforehand, he always tenses before I get to three and it makes it harder for me to pop it back in, so I always do it when he doesn’t expect it. And I always laugh when he curses.

  “Ah, okay. Where are you guys staying? I’m parked just outside the gate. We could give you a ride.” Hunter nods in the general direction of the gate.

  “I think we’re good, man, but thank you,” Declan reassures him.

  As we’re about to walk around them, we hear a cracking sound from deep within the cemetery behind us. Every bone in my body locks up and I feel Declan tense next to me. I glance at Hunter and Bennett and their gazes are locked behind us. I’m pretty sure I hear Bennett growl.

  Hunter takes a step toward me, but keeps his eyes glued to the area behind us. Both he and Bennett look prepared to fight. Maybe they’re cops or the CIA or something. After another tense moment, we hear nothing but silence and everyone seems to relax. I can’t sense the vampire anymore, but I’m still on edge from the fight.

  “I guess a ride couldn’t hurt after all,” Declan finally says.

  I glance over at my brother. As much as I want to stick around and hunt this vampire, the look on my brother’s face tells me now isn’t the time. We need a plan.

  “Alright, cool. Let’s get out of here.” Hunter motions for us to follow him.

  “I’m Declan, by the way, and you’ve already met my sister, Aria,” Declan says as we’re walking back the way we came.

  The adrenaline rush is starting to wear off and I glance down at my stinging hands, realizing for the first time that they got scraped up in the fight.

  “Yeah, your sister and I go way back.” Bennett smirks, then winks at me.

  I look up and roll my eyes at him. Such a charmer, this one.

  “Don’t flatter yourself, Benny,” I tease, using the nickname I heard Hunter give him, as I try to ignore the stinging in my hands.

  “Hey, now. Only a select few friends can call me Benny,” Bennett argues, pointing a finger at me.

  “What? We aren’t friends? I thought we go way back.” I put my hands on my chest in mock surprise.

  I hear Hunter laugh in front of me, and Declan just shakes his head.

  “Touché, Blondie,” Bennett quips, coming over to walk next to me and putting his arm around my shoulder.

  He leans in close to my ear and I turn my head ever so slightly. Now our noses are almost touching.

  “You can call me Benny anytime you like,” he whispers.

  I roll my eyes, throw his arm off me, and give him a slight shove.

  “You’re disgusting,” I say.

  He laughs a deep belly laugh. I can tell he’s a flirt and a charmer, but he’s not creepy. I’m beginning to suspect that he’s all bark, but no bite.

  “Dude, that’s my sister,” Declan remarks, scrunching up his nose.

  “Don’t you start too. Or do I need to remind you about Becky?” I tease.

  “Bethany.”

  “Whoever.” I scoff and turn to Bennett. “The girl Declan had in our hotel room last night thought he and I were a couple.” I wince, shuddering at the memory.

  “What?” Bennett laughs. “Did she not notice you guys are twins?”

  “Apparently not.” Declan shrugs.

  “You lucked out,” Bennett remarks. �
�Tell me you at least got to touch her boobs.”

  “Benny, I love you, man, but I’m sure Aria does not want to hear her brother talk about touching boobs,” Hunter chimes in, saving me.

  Our gazes lock and I smile, silently thanking him. I’m not a prude by any means. It’s just weird to think about boobs and my brother in the same sentence.

  “Aww, way to be a knight in shining armor, Hunt. Coming to the fair maiden’s rescue.” Bennett slings his arm around Hunter and puts him in a head lock.

  “Get the fuck off me!” Hunter curses, pushing him off.

  He’s trying to hide his smile, but failing. He glances back at me and his smile grows, revealing dimples. I bite down on my bottom lip and his eyes flash a bright blue. If I hadn’t been looking, I would have missed it. I must have hit my head harder than I thought. Storing that thought in the back of my mind until later, I realize we’ve finally reached the gate, and we hang a right.

  “So, Dec. Can I call you Dec?” Bennett asks, putting his arm around Declan. Man, what is it with him and personal space?

  “I’d prefer if you didn’t. But I have a funny feeling that’s not going to matter,” Declan says.

  I kind of like Dec, actually. It almost sounds like dick. I let out a laugh and all the guys turn to me.

  “Got something to add, Blondie?” Bennett asks, raising a brow.

  Before I can reply, Declan stops dead in his tracks. On instinct, my guard goes up and I look around, waiting for an attack, which is weird because I don’t sense anything. Then I see what’s stopped my brother, and it’s not a bloodthirsty vampire.

  “Dude! Oh, my God! Is this your ride?” Declan asks, excitedly walking towards the sleek black car parked by the curb. “’67 Chevy Impala? Man, this is my dream car.”

  Declan does a full walk-around of the car, admiration written all over his face.

  “Yeah, man. She’s my baby. I bought her in a junkyard a few years back. I nursed her back to health and she’s as good as new,” Hunter gushes.

  I will never understand guys and their cars.

  “Amazing. My dad and I talked about getting a ‘69 Mustang and building it up together before I left for college but…” Declan pauses, his eyes finding mine.

  My heart sinks. I know what he was about to say. Declan has always been more open about our parents’ death. He’s tried to get me to talk about it, but I always shut him down. I don’t want to talk about it. It hurts too much to even think about it, so I don’t.

  “But what?” Hunter asks, noticing the slight pause.

  “But our parents died.” Declan’s voice is soft, and there’s a hint of sadness.

  Hunter’s bright blue eyes lock with mine. I quickly look away, not wanting to see the pity on his face.

  “Man, I’m sorry about your parents,” Bennett says, clasping my brother’s good shoulder.

  Declan nods and walks around to the back passenger-side door. Hunter starts walking around the car to get into the driver’s seat. I start to follow Hunter to get in behind the driver’s seat.

  “Hey, Blondie, you can ride shotgun,” Bennett all but shouts. A mischievous smirk forms on his lips.

  I glance over at Hunter, and he’s looking at me intently. A small smile reveals a dimple in his cheek. I feel my face flush again. You’d think I’ve never been around hot guys before.

  “Can we go now? There’s a pizza in my fridge that’s calling my name!” Bennett says before he exchanges a devilish look with Hunter, who just quirks a dark brow.

  He glances at me, winks, then walks around and is about to open the door when an ear-piercing scream startles us all.

  The scream is coming from inside the cemetery where Bennett and I tracked the bloodsucker that we’ve been following all night. But the damn thing keeps evading us. He’s smart and old. I can tell he’s old because not only is he fast, but he also has a certain…odor. I open the telepathic link to Bennett.

  Don’t shift in front of them.

  Dude, I know the law, but we have got to get back in there. What should we do? Bennett uses the link to respond.

  My father is the Alpha of the New Orleans pack and his word is law. Law number one, don’t reveal yourself to humans. We already have to worry about vampires killing us all off, and to add humans to the mix? Yeah, it won’t end well. For any of us.

  Humans only see in black and white and they’re small-minded. Anything out of the norm is evil. It’s why my father came up with the law to never reveal yourself to a human. The reason why New Orleans hasn’t seen a vampire attack in decades is because of our pack. Wolves have protected this city for centuries. In the last decade, we’ve had a lot help with a powerful witch coven. My father allows them refuge in our city because vampires love the taste of witch blood. Now we protect each other.

  I glance at Aria. Her pale green eyes widen and her gaze locks with Declan’s. They share an all-too-familiar look. A look that, seconds ago, I just shared with my best friend and pack member. I think these two know more than I thought they did. But I’m not about to shift in front of them and break my father’s law. He’d have my ass. Declan shakes his head ever so slightly and if it weren’t for my keen eyesight, I would have missed it.

  Another scream pierces the night.

  Aria takes off at a sprint back toward the entrance of the cemetery.

  “Damn it! Aria!” Declan yells, taking off after her.

  She’s almost to the gate before he catches up. Man, that girl is fast. So is Declan, but I’m not really watching him. From the moment I laid eyes on Aria, she’s knocked me off my axis.

  She also almost stabbed me.

  With a silver dagger.

  Yeah, they definitely know more than most humans.

  “Hunt, you and I both know they just ran right into a trap. They know about vamps, man. We have to go,” Bennett says, rocking back on his heels and waiting for my command.

  Since my father is Alpha, that automatically makes me his Beta, second in command. So, out in the field, I’m in charge. Not that I really want to be, but I don’t have a choice.

  “You’re right. Let’s go. But damn it, Bennett, don’t fucking shift until we know for sure,” I tell him, jogging around the front of the car and staring him down.

  He submits by reluctantly bowing his head and we both take off after the twins. Once we’re inside the gate, it doesn’t take me long to track Aria’s scent. It’s a calming scent of lavender and vanilla. Never thought I would find a scent calming.

  I finally spot her and Declan. The vampire is close. I can smell the metallic scent of blood in the air. I also know that he’s ten feet away and to the left of Aria. I’m the best tracker in the pack. I can tell exactly where a vampire is if I’m close enough. I can also smell that the person he had is now dead. Since wolf shifters have amazing senses, we can see and smell better, making tracking much easier.

  I speed up to get to Aria before that bloodsucker does. I’m almost caught up, but she stops abruptly about ten feet from where he is. Declan almost runs right into her but stops just in time. She pushes her back up against the crypt and turns ever so slightly to her brother, who mimics her position. At that moment her gaze locks with mine and she nods. Bennett and I stop at the crypt next to them.

  She puts a finger to her beautiful, full lips to tell us to be quiet. I know that, but damn it if my dick doesn’t get a tad happy at the gesture. Declan turns to us and just gives Bennett and I a single nod. Aria glances around at the three of us, then turns to face the opposite way. She’s quiet and I can hear her breathing heavily. Then she turns back around, points her thumb behind her, and holds up both hands showing us the number ten. I glance at Bennett and open the link again.

  She’s right. The vamp is ten feet ahead of us to the left. She’s good, I think, impressed that she knew how far away he was. She doesn’t know he’s to the left. But still, I’m impressed.

  I think someone’s got a crush on Blondie. I hear Bennett laughing in my head and I can
also feel him shaking next to me. Damn it, I forgot to block the link!

  I give him an incredulous look. But he’s right; this girl intrigues me. Shaking my head slightly, I turn my focus back on Aria. She reaches behind her and pulls out a silver dagger. Where in the hell did she keep that in those tight leggings?

  She creeps forward, while Declan trails slowly behind her. We start to follow them and in the space between the crypts, I don’t even have to give the command because Bennett turns left while I follow Aria and her brother. Bennett may be a goofy son of a bitch, but he’s a damn good fighter.

  Aria and Declan make it to the next crypt. I quicken my pace and slow just as I reach them. I walk past Declan and stand to the right of Aria. Without really thinking, I inch closer to her and I hear her sharp intake of breath, but she doesn’t move.

  We’re about five feet away now, and the damn bloodsucker is still around the corner, no doubt prepared to attack. Aria puts up her hand and tells us to wait. Declan does, and she continues to move forward.

  Is she the bait? Oh, hell no. I will not fall back behind while she puts herself in danger. I go with her.

  She turns her head and narrows her eyes at me, but she doesn’t say anything. I feel a nudge in my brain, which signals that Bennett is trying to contact me through our link. I open it up only to hear INCOMING!! as Aria and I both step into the opening.

  All I see is Bennett hurling straight towards Aria. I reach forward to grab her, but I'm too late because Bennett smacks into her. She comes flying backward into me as Bennett lands in a heap on the ground.

  I grab her waist and spin us, so I take the brunt of the fall. We both let out grunts as we hit the ground. Her small hands are on my chest and she pushes herself up slightly. Her green eyes meet mine. Our bodies are lined up in all the right places, and again, my dick responds accordingly. I feel like I'm fifteen all over again. No control over a pretty girl.

  “Are you okay?” I ask, my voice low and husky.

  Her breath hitches and her lips part. And that catches my attention too.