The Awakened

by Amanda Carol

  I come to a circular clearing, stopping just inside the center. I’m turning around in the circle, trying to catch my breath. Out of nowhere, the creature knocks me back down on the ground, making me lose my grip on the silver bow.

  I lie there on my back, trying to suck precious air into my lungs. The white wolf walks over and stares down at me.

  “Well, are you going to help or you just going to keep watching me get thrown on my ass?” I ask.

  The wolf sits back on its haunches.

  Guess I just got my answer.

  I sit up, wincing because my back is now sore, and glance around. Something is there. It’s invisible to my eyes, but it’s there. I can sense it. I slowly get to my feet, only to be knocked back down, harder this time.

  “Son of a bitch!” I scream, getting frustrated at this invisible creature, who keeps attacking me. I look over at the wolf, who is watching me closely. “Why won’t you help me?”

  It huffs and lays down.

  I narrow my eyes at it. “Fine. Have it your way, then.” I push back up onto my feet and toss the case of arrows down next to the bow. “What do you want from me?”

  As soon as those words leave my mouth, I sense another attack the second before the creature makes contact with me. I struggle with it, but I never get a good grip, so I end up getting knocked down. Again.

  “I am so over this!” I shout into the air.

  I take another glance at the white wolf, who is still lying there. It glances at the silver bow then back up to me.

  “You want me to use that to fight off an invisible creature?”

  I almost laugh when it nods, but I do as I’m told. I grab the silver bow and put the case of arrows around my back. I reach behind me and set the arrow up like Hunter showed me how to do. But where am I shooting? I hear twigs snap in front of me, so I immediately lift my arms and shoot off the arrow, but it goes soaring through the air, never hitting the target. I let out a harsh breath and repeat the process. I hear a crack to my right, so I turn and shoot off another arrow.

  Damn it. I miss again.

  I repeat this process several times until I realize I only have three arrows left. I set up my arrow and take aim, slowly spinning in a circle. Then I’m knocked forward, landing in a heap on the ground. Frustrated, I let out another scream.

  I scream until my throat feels raw. I can’t do this. I want to wake up. I need to wake up. I can’t be stuck here in dreamland getting my ass handed to me by an invisible creature while Declan, Hunter, and my friends are awake and no doubt worrying about me. I sit up and come face to face with the white wolf.

  “Oh, now you want to help.”

  The wolf snarls at me and I flinch. I watch as it slowly creeps forward. I make sure I don’t move a muscle, as it places its forehead against mine.

  At first, I don’t feel anything, but then, ever so slightly, I feel this pressure in my head. It doesn’t hurt, but it reminds me of the humming I felt when I sensed the power within the stick at my first lesson with Kat.

  Hello little one, I hear a feminine voice in my head.

  I jerk back.

  “Holy shit, did you just talk?” I shout out loud.

  Maybe I’ve officially gone crazy. Guess I’d better tell Declan to send me off to the loony bin when I wake up.

  No. You can hear me telepathically, I hear in my head once more.

  I stare at the white wolf for a moment, trying to put the pieces of the puzzle together.

  “How am I able to understand you?” I ask her, not sure if I’m able to communicate telepathically or if it only works one way.

  Little one, you are the reincarnation of the goddess of the hunt, and nature. This is your gifted power, along with her skill of archery.

  Well, I already know about the archery.

  I frown. “Is this why my head was hurting?”

  Yes. You never opened up your mind. Which is why we are here. I assumed you’d open up eventually, but since you are struggling, I decided you needed a little push. The white wolf sits back down on her haunches. You can use the link back, you know. It works both ways. Try it.

  “But I don’t know how,” I say out loud, and the white wolf huffs. “And I take it you’re not going to tell me?”

  She shakes her head no.

  I inhale sharply through my nose. I think back to my training sessions with Kat, Grace, and Hunter. They all told me to relax and feel the power flow through me. This isn’t an active power like using the elements. This power is different, like the archery. I take a few steadying breaths, in through my nose and then out through my mouth, closing my eyes. When I open them, they lock on to the white wolf, and I can’t explain it. I just know.

  I’ve figured it out. I needed to trust my instincts, didn’t I? I think to her.

  She nods once.

  Yes, you needed to open up to your gifts and trust yourself. Now, pick up that bow and try again, she commands.

  I do as I’m told. I have two arrows left. I set up my arrow and line up my sights, relaxing my body. With my mind now completely open, it makes me trust my instincts and not second-guess myself.

  Now, the hunter becomes the prey.

  It’s like everything is happening in slow motion. I can feel the invisible creature lurking behind me, so I turn and shoot off the arrow, narrowly missing it as it rushes forward. I’m quick this time and jump out of the way. I reach behind me for the last arrow and take aim. I close my eyes, sensing it to my left. I turn my body quickly and shoot off the arrow, hitting the target right before it smacks into me. It falls face-down in a heap at my feet. I can finally see it now. It’s in a black cloak, so I reach down and pull the hood off. It’s not a creature at all.

  It’s me.

  I glance at the wolf, and I hear her voice in my head.

  You are ready.

  My eyes slowly flutter open, and I realize that I am no longer in the woods, but in a room. I hear hushed voices around me.

  “What if it doesn’t work?” I hear a male’s voice I sort of recognize. “I mean, what if Ciera and the girls were wrong? What if it ends up hurting her?”

  “C’mon, you heard what Hunter said. Blondie called out to him telepathically. It will work,” I hear Bennett say.

  Bennett’s in my room?

  “She’s my sister and I will do whatever it takes to wake her up. Hunter, do it,” I hear my brother say through clenched teeth.

  “Alright, everyone, enough. Calm down.” Hunter’s voice is pitched low.

  My heart rate kicks up at the sound. I should probably let them know that this discussion is null and void. I quietly sit up, but it goes undetected because the guys are huddled together by the door, not paying any attention to me. Declan and Hunter are facing away from me, but blocking Bennett and Knox’s view.

  They’re still arguing in hushed tones when Hunter shifts on his feet slightly and Bennett looks over at me. I wiggle my fingers and smile at him.

  “Uh, guys,” he says, but it gets ignored.

  I lace my fingers in my lap, watching this unfold.

  “Guys!”

  “Shut up, Bennett.” Knox shoots him a look.

  And they are still talking in hushed tones. Bennett rolls his eyes and then sneaks away unnoticed by the guys and comes over to me. He plops down in the bed next to me.

  “’Sup, Blondie? How are you feeling?” he whispers.

  “Great actually. What’s all this about?” I whisper back, motioning to the others.

  “Oh, they’re just arguing if they should wake you up using Dream Shade or not. My vote was a go. Declan was a go, Knox was a no, and Hunter was undecided. Now those two knuckleheads, meaning your brother and Knox, are trying to convince Hunter to either use it or wait.” Bennett stares at the guys.

  I frown, feeling uneasy. “What’s Dream Shade?”

  Bennett looks over at me. “It’s a plant that shifters use to dream share with other shifters. It’s mostly used by shifters who are in relationships. You’re
conscious through the whole thing and I hear your senses are heightened. So, it makes the naughty times more fun. And the best part is you can’t make any babies that way.”

  I flush as he finishes explaining what it is.

  “They were going to use it on you because the girls figured out what your new power was,” he tells me.

  “I can use the telepathic link,” I finish for him.

  “How did you—” he starts.

  “Don’t ask,” I cut him off. “So, how long have I been out for?”

  Bennett frowns as he turns to look at me again. I’m thankful he didn’t press for any more information. I don’t want to talk about my dream. His red stubble is thicker now, and he has dark circles under his eyes, like he hasn’t slept much in days.

  “Three days,” he answers after a moment.

  I gape. “WHAT?!”

  Bennett grimaces, and the guys finally turn around and notice that I’m awake now. After a few seconds, the shock finally wears off and Declan rushes over to me first, clasping my cheeks.

  “Don’t you ever scare me like that again. Do you hear me?” he says, his voice breaking.

  His eyes fill with tears, but they never fall. He pulls me into his chest, and I close my eyes. He must have been through hell.

  “I make no promises on never scaring you again, but I promise I won’t do it like that anymore,” I joke, trying to ease the tension in the room.

  Declan releases me and I glance up at Knox.

  He nods. “Good to have you back.”

  I give him a small smile. “Thanks. Is Grace okay?”

  “Yes, she’s fine. Thank you.” Knox shoots me an appreciative glance.

  “Good.”

  Then my gaze locks with Hunter’s. I know I must look like a hot mess, but I don’t care and apparently neither does he. Everyone else in the room has just disappeared. We drink each other in. It’s been three days, but it feels like much longer.

  “I think we should go check to see if Abby needs any help with setting up that bonfire.” Knox’s voice tears through the room, pulling my attention away from Hunter.

  I quirk a brow. “Bonfire?”

  “Yeah, Abby and I decided we would throw a bonfire for you guys. You know, to welcome you. We had everything ready for when you woke up. Which apparently is today,” Hunter answers.

  “Oh, okay,” I say, glancing down at my fingers.

  A bonfire sounds fun, but it also brings up memories from before my parents died. But if there is anything that I learned from the white wolf, it’s that I need to be more open.

  “I’m in,” I say.

  Everyone smiles.

  “Alright. We’ll see you guys later then and let everyone else know.” Declan smirks as he looks between Hunter and I before getting off the bed and walking to the door with Knox. “Let’s go, Bennett.”

  Bennett reaches up and pats the top of my head. “See ya later, Blondie.”

  He gets up and follows the guys out of the room, which leaves me alone with Hunter. I steal another glance at him, and he looks about as tired as Bennett. Hell, they all did.

  “You guys look like you haven’t slept in days. We can always do this another night,” I offer, leaning back against the pillows. I really want a shower, but I also really want to brush my teeth.

  Hunter shrugs. “It’s fine. We’re used to this sort of thing.” He takes the spot Bennett was in. “I won’t lie, though. It was harder these last few days. When Ciera figured out that you could use the telepathic link, we tried using it to wake you up.”

  I turn to him.

  “And when that didn’t work, we thought about Dream Shade,” he finishes.

  “Yeah. Bennett was explaining that to me.” I blush as a tiny smile creeps on his lips.

  “Yeah, well, I’ve personally never used it before, and I didn’t want to have to use it on you, but we didn’t know what else to do.” He lets his head fall back. “Honestly, I have never been so torn in my entire life. Dream Shade is for wolf shifters, and since you aren’t a wolf, we didn’t know what would happen. If it would hurt you, do nothing, or if I would have been able to get inside your head.”

  I quirk a brow as he turns to me and grabs my hands.

  “Aria, the last thing I wanted to do was invade your privacy.”

  “You wouldn’t have,” I tell him.

  Now it’s his turn to raise a brow. Before I can elaborate, Kora comes rushing into the room.

  “Your brother mentioned that you were finally awake.” She sets her bag down on the bottom of the bed and looks at Hunter. “I am sure Aria does not want an audience while I examine her, Mr. St. James, so might I suggest you occupy your time elsewhere?” She starts to rummage through her bag as Hunter looks at me.

  “I’m going to catch up with the guys.” He leans over and kisses me on the cheek. “I’ll come back later.” He flashes me his dimples before he gets up to leave the room.

  Kora examines me and tells me that everything checks out. Hunter hasn’t come back yet, so I use the opportunity to shower. I find some bags sitting on the floor; one of them is mine and the other is full of men’s clothing. They don’t look like Declan’s clothes, so my money is on Hunter. The only thing I don’t have is my own toiletries, but my problems are sort of solved when I walk into the bathroom. There are two toothbrushes sitting on the sink; one is green and the other is purple, and the latter is still in the wrapper. I don’t have shampoo or body wash, but I see that Hunter has his sitting in the shower. I don’t think he’ll mind if I use it.

  I stay in the shower until I look like a prune, and when I come out of the bathroom in fresh clothes, Hunter is sitting on the couch, reading a book.

  “I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I say, putting my dirty clothes in a bag that Kora had given me. “Whatcha reading?”

  “Just brushing up on the Greek gods, and no. I just got back about ten minutes ago.” Hunter closes the book and jumps up off the couch. “So, I have news.” He walks over to me and grabs my bag from me.

  I shove my hands in the back pockets of my shorts. “Good news, I hope.”

  I’m not sure I can handle any bad news at the moment.

  He smiles, dimples on full display. “Definitely good.” He walks over and grabs his bag, then turns back to me. “But it’s a surprise.”

  I frown. “I hate surprises.”

  “Good to know.” He winks as I follow him out of the room and into the bigger medical room.

  The medical room is empty, except for Kora, who is in her office taking stock of herbs and other medical supplies.

  “I think you’ll like this one.” Hunter grins as he opens the door leading out into the barn.

  People are scattered around. Some are eating, others are gathered around tables chatting. People turn to us as we walk across the room, and there are hushed whispers and curious looks. When we get outside, I inhale deeply, gaining a new appreciation for the fresh air. It feels nice to finally be awake. I feel different somehow. Like a giant weight has been lifted off my shoulders.

  I follow Hunter as we walk down a different path that is leading to his cabin.

  “Hunter, Luna’s cabin is that way?” I say, hitching my thumb in the opposite direction.

  He beams. “I know, but that’s not where I'm taking you.” He moves the bags to one arm and holds out his other hand for me. “C’mon, I’ll show you.”

  I hesitate a moment but then slide my hand in his. He intertwines our fingers, and I can’t help but feel the heat flowing through my veins. My heart starts racing as I smile to myself. Whatever the surprise is, I'm glad I have him here.

  We’re coming up to where Hunter’s cabin is, but he suddenly veers off to the right, toward a different cabin.

  “Home sweet home.” He releases my hand as we reach the steps of a cabin I’ve never been to.

  “Wait. This is mine?” My jaw drops.

  It looks exactly like Hunter’s on the outside. I glance up at him; he’s
grinning.

  “Yeah, yours and Declan’s, for as long as you guys want to stay.”

  He leads me inside and it’s completely furnished. I walk through the cabin, which is kind of like Luna’s, only different. It reminds me so much of home. I feel tears forming in the back of my throat, but push them down.

  “That’s not all,” Hunter whispers from behind me, closer than I thought he was.

  He takes my hand and leads me up the steps. I spot four doors, but he leads me to the first door on the right.

  I gasp as he opens the door. By the window is an easel with a canvas already placed in the center and a desk with all the paints and brushes I could ever dream of. I walk over and pick up one of the brushes and run my fingers through the bristles.

  “Do you like it?” he asks from the doorway.

  I gently set the brush back down, turn and run to Hunter, throwing my arms around his neck. He returns the embrace, lifting me a few inches off the floor.

  “I love it! Thank you!” I exclaim, as he chuckles into my hair.

  I haven’t thought about painting in forever. I miss it. I miss staying up late, getting caught up in the colors. I miss the freeing feeling I always used to get.

  “Aria! You in here?!” I hear my brother shout from downstairs.

  Hunter sets me down just as Declan rounds the corner.

  “There you are. I see you’ve seen our new place. It’s awesome! Luna and Abby outdid themselves. They even bought me a new guitar. How sweet is that? You know what I’m bringing tonight, right?” Declan beams at me and I roll my eyes. “Don’t roll your eyes at me, lil’ sis. You know you love to sing while I play. Hey, Hunter, you play too right?”

  “Yeah, a bit.” Hunter glances down at me, then back to my brother.

  Declan grins. “Sweet. Bring your guitar tonight. We are going to jam!”

  Oh, man. Give my brother a guitar and he’s like a kid in a candy store. I can’t blame him, though. I do have new paints.

  “Alright, will do. I have to run, though. I have to make sure shifts are covered tonight. I’ll catch you guys later.” Hunter waves goodbye and leaves Declan and me alone in our new place.

  “So, I’m going to tune Delilah up.” Declan beams and heads down the hall to what I'm assuming is his room. “You should see your room. Abby went all out.” I hear him shout before he closes his door.