The Awakened

by Amanda Carol

  “Oh, it’s purple. My favorite color,” Aria says sarcastically as she sniffs the vial. She jerks her head back and scrunches up her nose. “It smells awful. What is it?”

  That’s cute.

  “It’s a special blend of herbs and spices for flavor that will help ease the pain. You’re demigod powers will help heal the bruises faster, as I’m sure you know,” Ciera states.

  “Yeah, I know why now. Before, I was never really sure why all of a sudden Declan and I healed as quickly as we did. The night before we got to New Orleans, I got into a fight with a vampire who bruised my face up pretty bad. In the morning, the bruises were almost completely gone.” Aria sits up and shrugs, then brings the tiny vial up to her lips, tips her head back, and swallows its contents in one gulp, then scrunches her nose again and shakes her head. “Ciera, that was disgusting. It tastes just as bad as it smells.”

  “I never said it would taste good. I know for a fact that it wouldn’t taste any better without the spices. Believe me, the spices make it taste like candy compared to what it originally tastes like.” Ciera shivers and makes a disgusted face, then leaves to go grab something else.

  I just keep my eyes on Aria, impressed with how she drank that blend. I’ve had it before, and it tastes like ass. She looks up at me and raises her eyebrows.

  “You took that like a champ,” I tell her.

  She flushes a nice, pretty pink. I would love to see if she flushes that pink all over.

  Oh, for fuck’s sake, I need to pull my shit together. Why in the hell am I acting like a teenage boy all over again?

  “Oh. Well, I pretended like it was a shot of rum, and tossed it back.” She glances down at her fingers.

  I usually drink a beer or two after a long day and sometimes I’ll hit up some bars with Bennett or Zayne on a weekend off but that’s rare. It’s been a while since I’ve gotten plastered.

  “You like rum?” I ask, trying to distract her.

  “Yeah, I do. It’s my favorite. But I haven’t had rum in a long time. But after the day I’ve had, I could use a beer, or a Captain and Coke. Either one. I’m not picky.” She sucks in her bottom lip and it’s the sexiest look I’ve ever seen.

  I’m not sure how much longer I’ll be able to control myself around her if she keeps doing that.

  Ciera approaches us again before I can say anything else and begins to clean up Aria’s wound.

  “Good news. You don’t need stitches. I cleaned it up and put a little bit of Gumba Paste on it for you, which will help prevent scarring. You can take off the Band-Aid in about an hour. Probably sooner since you heal quickly,” Ciera informs us while throwing away the trash.

  “Thank you, Ciera. When can I start training again?” Aria asks her. She tries to stand back up, but winces.

  “You should start to feel better soon and should be fine to go back tomorrow.” Ciera walks back over to us.

  Aria nods, then lays back down. Ciera gathers her books from the floor before going into Kora’s office and shutting the door.

  “Hunter, who was that dark-haired guy that was standing with Axton and Sloane?” Aria tilts her head toward me.

  It takes me a second to figure out who she might be talking about. Then it hits me. Fuck.

  “Blaine. Why do you ask?”

  I swear, if he does anything to her, I wouldn’t mind sparring with him. He knows he can never beat me. He’s the Compound’s resident asshole who hates change.

  “No reason,” she whispers.

  Aria and I are there for about an hour talking before Bennett and Declan stroll into the room. Both of them are red-faced and sweaty. Knox must have worked them hard today.

  “Hey, Hunt, Knox wants to talk to us for a bit,” Bennett tells me, stopping right inside the door. “Nice work out there, Blondie. No one’s ever gotten the upper hand on Sloane before. You kicked ass today.”

  Aria sits up, without wincing this time. “Well, thank you. Would have been better if I wasn’t stuck in here for the rest of it. I’ll be back tomorrow. And can you not call me Blondie? I do have a name, you know.”

  Bennett winks at her. “Nope, it’s Blondie now.”

  Before he has time to react, Aria reaches behind her, grabs the pillow, and throws it. She hits her target—her target being Bennett—from across the room. I can’t help it; I laugh.

  “Dude, you really don’t want to piss my sister off.” Declan leans against the desk casually, but he turns abruptly when Ciera emerges from the office.

  Ciera glances between the four of us. “What the hell is going on out here?”

  “I’m two seconds away from punching a ginger in the face.” Aria narrows her eyes at Bennett, who isn’t helping matters by laughing.

  He tosses the pillow on the nearest bed and leans against the doorframe.

  “Bring it on, Blondie.” He smirks at her.

  Aria quirks a brow and returns his smirk with one of her own. “Don’t tempt me with a good time, Benny.”

  He laughs, and it’s so infectious that after a beat, Aria starts laughing with him. I stand up from the chair I’m sitting in and make my way over to the door. I nod at Ciera and Declan, who are watching the entire show with amusement. All they’re missing is a bucket of popcorn.

  “Later!” Bennett waves his fingers off his forehead and leaves the room.

  I stop in the doorway and look at Aria. “See you later, Blondie.”

  I wink, then leave the room, shutting the door behind me. A soft thud hits the back of the door and I chuckle. That girl’s got an arm.

  I don’t stay much longer after Hunter and Bennett leave the room. Declan’s so preoccupied with Ciera that it’s like I’m not even there. I’m pretty sure I could hula hoop naked while breathing fire and they wouldn’t notice.

  Declan is a smitten kitten.

  I know I was flirting with Hunter too. I’ve been so focused on hunting that I never really felt the need for that. Until now. Of course, Declan would argue otherwise. But with Hunter, it seems different. He’s the first guy in over three years to make me feel something other than hatred or fear. Talking with him is easy, and there are none of those awkward pauses either. We were so immersed in our conversation that I didn’t even realize how much time had passed when we were talking earlier.

  I make it back to Luna and Abby’s cabin and walk inside. No one seems to be home, so I decide to take a shower. It’s been over an hour since Ciera put that paste on me, so I figure it’s okay now. I grab my favorite pair of army green shorts that have a little pocket on the side and a loose black v-neck tee and make my way upstairs to the bathroom.

  I strip off all my clothes, not even bothering with looking in the mirror. I know I look rough, but I barely feel the pain in my ribs and my head feels much better. Not that it hurts, but I can tell it’s almost completely healed. Apparently thanks to my new demigod powers.

  I still can’t believe that I’m a demigod. If someone would have told me a few days ago that the Greek gods really do exist, and that vampires were created just because one fell in love with a mortal, I would have laughed in their face. May have even recommended they get some help.

  I dress quickly and put on a little makeup. Not much, just a little eye liner, mascara and some light pink lip gloss. My hair always dries naturally wavy, so I just leave it alone. I head back downstairs and into the kitchen, only to see Declan standing there and talking to Luna and Abby.

  “Oh, hey, guys. I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was home,” I say, walking closer to them.

  “It’s okay, honey. I was just telling Declan that he’s going to come with you to watch your lesson with Kat. Zayne will come get him later. His sister called and said she was going to be late getting back,” Luna informs me.

  It takes me a minute to remember the face that goes with the name. Right, Kat is the one with the cat dress with pockets.

  “Alright, cool,” I reply.

  “Oh, and I will need your amulets,” Luna adds.

 
My hand immediately goes to the chain hanging around my neck. We haven’t taken them off since that night. Luna must notice the worry on my face.

  “Don’t worry. You’ll get them back. But you can’t tap into your powers with them on. In order for you to learn, you have to take them off. I promise I’ll keep them safe,” she assures me.

  Declan and I both share a look, but then nod. We trust Luna, and we know she won’t lose them.

  Abby and I catch up some more while Declan showers. I find out that she got accepted for an internship at a foster care facility in the fall. It’s June now, so at least I still have the rest of the summer to spend time with her.

  Declan finally comes downstairs. I swear, sometimes he takes longer to shower than me. However, I don’t let myself dwell on that too long. Luna tells us that she wants to walk us down to meet Kat, and Abby says she needs to study, so she just wishes us both good luck. I’m excited to start elemental training tonight with Kat. Abby told me that Kat is the best at using the earth element. All witches are good at using their element, but some are better at teaching others. We walk down a hill into a small clearing, and I stop dead in my tracks. Declan almost walks into me.

  “Damn it! Aria, watch where you’re—” He cuts off as he follows my wide-eyed stare to the clearing in front of us.

  “Holy shit. Is that a unicorn?” I gasp.

  Kat’s standing there in the clearing, and next to her is a huge, all-white unicorn. She’s brushing its mane and she turns and gives us a smile.

  Luna chuckles beside us.

  “You would be correct. His name is Sparkles. He’s been passed down in our family for years.” Kat pats Sparkles on his back, then continues to brush his mane.

  “How is this even possible?” I take a few steps closer. Cautiously, because I’ve never seen a freaking unicorn before.

  The unicorn’s gaze follows my movements and it huffs. I flinch, halting my steps.

  “Dark magic,” Kat says, reaching into her bag that’s on the ground and grabbing an apple.

  She tosses the apple up in the air. With incredible grace, Sparkles leaps into the air and catches it. I hear him smacking on the apple before he starts prancing around Kat, seemingly excited. I can’t help but grin.

  Holy shit. It’s a freaking unicorn.

  “Wait, if dark magic was used to create the unicorn, what was the consequence?” I hear Declan ask from behind me.

  I turn to look at him and notice that he hasn’t moved an inch.

  Kat turns, eyes wide, and scrunches her nose. “You don’t want to know.”

  She shakes her head for the full effect. Well, now I want to know. Telling someone they don’t want to know is the same as telling them not to push the big red button. I want to push the big red button. Great, now I have the mental image of an old man with a horn coming out of his head. Or worse.

  “Well, I’ll leave you guys to it then, but before I go, please give me your amulets,” Luna says, holding out her hand.

  Declan takes his off and hands it to her. I pause for a moment before doing the same, but then I remind myself that I’ve known Luna for my whole life and she won’t lose it.

  “I’ll see you back at the cabin.” Luna smiles at us before walking back in the direction that we came from.

  I turn my attention back to Kat; her bright red hair is pulled back into a ponytail. She gives Sparkles another apple. This time, he doesn’t prance around. He just saunters off to…go do unicorn things, I guess.

  “Alright, let’s get started, shall we?” Kat leans back to stretch out her back after she puts the brush away. “The earth and air elements are the two easiest elements to work with, since you are surrounded by nature and, of course, air.” She giggles and walks forward toward us, bending down and picking up two sticks, then handing one to each of us. “Alright, I want you both to close your eyes and clear your minds.”

  We both close our eyes and I try and clear my mind like she says. I’m standing here, holding a stick, and I’m not sure what else I'm supposed to be doing. Of course, now the memory of my first and only yoga class comes back to mind and I try hard not to giggle. Concentrating hard on not laughing, I almost miss Declan’s sharp intake of air.

  “What is that?” Declan asks her. “It almost feels like the stick is vibrating. Only it’s not. It’s, like, humming.”

  “That’s good. It means you’re grounded. The earth is constantly moving and before you can easily harness the earth element, you have to ground yourself. Clearing your mind and focusing all your energy on one thing. This will help you with training for the other elements. Okay, Declan, put the stick down. I want you to think about that humming that you felt, and then call the stick back up to you,” Kat explains.

  Declan does as she says and closes his eyes once more, letting out a calming breath. A few moments pass, and the stick flies back up into his hands.

  “Holy shit!” Declan is grinning.

  I narrow my eyes at him. Why does he have to be better at everything?

  “Fuck yeah, dude. You’re a natural. I’m surprised. Normally it takes a while for someone to tap into their power so quickly.” Kat high-fives him. Declan has always been a natural at everything he does. Footsteps behind us make us all turn to see who’s coming to join us.

  “Sorry I’m late, guys,” Zayne says as he reaches us. “My grandmother was able to take Micah until my sister came back. Declan, you ready?”

  “Yeah. Thanks, Kat. I’ll catch you both later. Peace, lil’ sis.” Declan throws up the peace sign and the two of them walk off.

  I look back towards Kat. “Okay, let’s keep going.”

  I square my shoulders, take in a deep breath, and we start the process all over again.

  I’m staring at my stick like it’s going to pop up and stab me in the eye. We’ve been at this for almost an hour now and I want to take that stupid-ass stick and throw it across the woods.

  I frown. “I suck at this.”

  “No, you don’t. Here, let’s try something else.” Kat takes the stick and sits down on the ground, patting the spot in front of her.

  I take a step toward her and sit down.

  “Sometimes we need to just center ourselves and try to relax,” she tells me. “Okay, sit up straight and take deep breaths. In and out.”

  I do as I’m told and take in deep, even breaths for a few minutes until I feel relaxed. I clear my mind and focus on the ground beneath me. That’s when I start to feel it. There’s a slight buzzing feeling, almost as if there are bees flying just below the surface of the ground. I focus my attention on that feeling, and I feel it enter my body and flow through my veins.

  I can feel it now.

  The power. My power.

  I slowly open my eyes and let out a slow breath. I glance down at my hand and turn my palm up. The stick that I was holding just moments ago starts to float up off the ground and into the palm of my hand. I close my fingers around it and let out a harsh breath that I hadn’t realized I had been holding. I look up at Kat with wide eyes.

  “Oh, my God. I did it!” I shout. “I actually did it! That was amazing.”

  Kat grins. “It is amazing. Now, let’s do it again.”

  For the next hour or so that’s all we do. I manage to get the stick from the ground into my hand a total of five times. Not too bad for a first-timer. We’re just wrapping up when I see a black wolf approaching us.

  “Hey, Hunter.” Kat waves at him.

  He shifts into his human form and gives me a lopsided smile.

  “Hey, Kit-Kat!” Hunter comes to stand next to me.

  I raise a brow. “Kit-Kat?”

  “Just something I’ve called her ever since I was little. She used to babysit me. Always snuck me Kit-Kats. She was the best babysitter ever!” Hunter smiles and I hear Kat laugh.

  “Yeah, and don’t you forget it.” Kat jokes while reaching into her bag and throwing more apples on the ground.

  I wonder how many apples she keeps in ther
e. During our training, Kat told me that Sparkles just roams around the grounds, but this is his favorite spot.

  “That actually sounds great. We didn’t have a babysitter growing up. But we did have Helga.” I shudder at the thought.

  Hunter quirks a brow at me.

  “Helga was our nanny. My mom used to work from home, and she couldn’t watch us and work at the same time, so she hired Helga. She was an old Russian lady with gray hair and a unibrow. She smelled like sweaty socks and licorice.” I shudder again.

  “Oh, that’s lovely.” Kat’s tone is sarcastic as she picks up her messenger bag and throws it on her shoulder. “You did great, by the way! Next time, we’ll work on distance.”

  Then she waves goodbye, leaving me and Hunter alone.

  “What are you doing here?” I ask him when Kat’s out of ear shot, shoving my hands in my back pockets.

  “I was just finishing up my patrolling shift when I saw you and Kat. Thought I’d stop by and say hi.” He runs a hand through his hair, and it falls back down across his forehead.

  “Oh, okay. What are you going to do now?” I wonder out loud, starting to make my way up the pathway back to Luna’s cabin.

  “Go back to my cabin, shower, probably drink a beer or two. Maybe play some guitar. And sleep. Definitely sleep.” His arm brushes mine as he walks closely alongside me, the touch heating my skin.

  “Abby told me that you play the guitar.” I reply and his head swivels in my direction at the excited tone. “Declan plays too, you know. But he hasn’t played in a long time though.”

  I frown. Declan hasn’t played the guitar for about as long as it’s been since I last picked up a paintbrush.

  “Yeah? That’s cool,” Hunter smiles. “Maybe he and I can jam together sometime. Does he have a guitar?”

  My heart sinks. But I answer his question.

  “No. He, uh, left it back at home. We never went back to the house after…” I trail off, not really wanting to talk about it.

  “Do you play?” He changes the subject quickly, and I’m grateful for that.