Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3)

by Amanda Carol

  Now, here I am standing in front of a little under a hundred people, about to tell them that I made the decision to bring someone who was kicked out of this Compound back.

  I inhale sharply before clearing my throat to get everyone’s attention. “As you all know, Hunter has been stabbed with the Soul Blade. Bennett and I will be going to the Underworld to bring his soul back, but in the meantime, there is something I have to share with you.”

  I pause, glancing at everyone. They’re all looking at me, listening to every word I have to say, and putting all of their trust in me. No pressure or anything, right?

  “The other Alphas, Lydia, and I have made a decision that will probably upset a few of you,” I begin.

  Before I can say anything else, the door to the barn opens, and Luna walks in. A collection of angry voices and shocked gasps sounds throughout the barn.

  I’ve never been in charge of anyone before in my life, unless you count cheerleading, but I only stepped up as captain one time, and the team wasn’t nearly this big. I glance over toward the other Alphas looking for some sort of guidance or relief, and my eyes lock with Oliver’s.

  He senses my unease and takes a step forward.

  “Quiet!” he shouts.

  Everyone immediately goes silent. I glance over at him, giving him a silent thank you, and he nods for me to continue.

  “Look, I know a lot of you are probably pissed that Luna’s back. But we were recently given new information. Information that we would have gotten if she hadn’t been thrown out of here so suddenly. Abby’s life was threatened, as were mine and my brother’s. She was backed into a corner with no choice but to do what she did, but she was also working on a way to help us at the same time. She’s the reason Ares, Artemis, and Apollo are here. She’s the reason my brother and I are not being held captive by Isabella.” I cross my arms over my chest. “So, be upset if you want, but make sure you remember who the real enemy is.”

  “You’re dismissed!” Caleb yells.

  Everyone gets up to leave, and people are giving me dirty looks and shaking their heads in disapproval. The only ones who aren’t are our friends from Maryland.

  Blaine stalks up to me. “You’re making a huge mistake, letting that traitor back in here.”

  Knox and Bennett start to step over, but I hold up my hand.

  “I think the mistake was not getting all of the facts before she was thrown out of here. Fact number one: Luna didn’t let the wards down for Ronan. He figured out how to do that with another witch, who, by the way, is also dead. Gunner and Kat stumbled on a dead body deep in the woods. Fact number two: do you know where Isabella has been staying? We do, thanks to Luna, which is why Clyde and Gunner are rounding up a few pack members to scope the place out as we speak, because the only dagger that can kill Isabella is missing.” I step up to him, narrowing my eyes, “Fact number three: you’re wasting my time. The longer you stand here and argue with me, the longer Hunter suffers. I know you hate me, but you should respect your Alpha.”

  Blaine clenches his jaw for a moment, and we are both staring each other down. Then, with a simple nod of his head, he stalks off. I release a breath as Dani, Kyler, Haylee, and Zach walk over.

  “Is he always such a jerk, or is it because today is Tuesday?” Haylee asks, watching Blaine slam the barn door open.

  “He’s always a jerk.” I watch the door close behind him.

  It was a good thing I met with the Alphas before this. Otherwise, I don’t think I would have gotten Blaine to submit to me like he did.

  Oh, God. Did Blaine submit to me? Was that what that nod was?

  Holy shit.

  Knox follows after him, and Bennett comes over to stand with us.

  I turn back around to face my friends, suddenly feeling guilty. “I’m sorry I haven’t had a chance to hang out with you guys. I feel bad for bringing you here and not spending much time with you.”

  Dani reaches out and places a hand on my shoulder. “Don’t worry about it, Aria. We don’t mind, really.”

  “Yeah,” Kyler agrees. “We understand that you have a lot on your plate right now.”

  I frown and Haylee envelopes me in a hug. “Aww, Aria. I can’t even imagine what you must be going through. Please be careful.”

  Zach’s arms replace Haylee’s when she lets go. “You’ve got this, badass.”

  I laugh. “Thanks, guys. I really appreciate it.”

  Dani smiles. “We’ll see you when you get back, and I’ll make sure to have plenty of cinnamon rolls ready for Hunter when he wakes up.”

  “He’d love that.” I grin, giving her a hug, then Kyler.

  “All right, get out of here and go kick some ass. And you…” He points at Bennett. “You be careful too.”

  Bennett slaps his hand into Kyler’s, and they hug it out.

  “Thanks, man. Will do,” he says.

  He does the same with Zach, and then gives Haylee and Dani hugs.

  Knox comes back inside and takes them back to his cabin.

  Bennett and I go out into the parking lot and wait for Declan and Abby to show up. They wanted to see Ciera and Zayne before we left. When they finally arrive, we all pile into our Honda HRV and drive off.

  Arriving in St. Louis Cemetery feels like everything is coming full circle. This is the place that I met Hunter, and he saved my life. Now here we are, back where we started, only this time, I’m going to save him.

  Ares meets us at the gates of the entrance to the cemetery and escorts us deep inside the maze of crypts until we come up to one that seems to be in the dead center of the place.

  “This is the tomb of Marie La Croix. She was one of the mortal women Hades had a rendezvous with centuries ago. Hades was what you would call a ladies’ man.” Ares says. “Although he was not half as bad as Dionysus.”

  My gaze shifts to my brother.

  “Marie was the young virgin mortal that fascinated him,” Ares continues. “Her beauty was so captivating that even I had to talk to her. Caused a rift between myself and Aphrodite, but that’s a story for another time. As I was saying, Marie always held some sort of key to his heart. Which is why her tomb is the only one that leads straight into the heart of the Underworld.”

  He touches the cement of the crypt.

  “Tartarus is the heart, right?” Declan asks, stepping forward.

  Abby steps closer to me.

  “That would be the place,” Ares turns around and faces us. “Although I have no idea who came up with that bloody name. No one can ever pronounce it right.”

  I have to hold in the laugh that is bubbling up in my chest.

  “I’ll let you get to it, then,” Ares says, but then looks at Bennett and I. “Oh, and one more thing. The tunnel of the senses isn’t as it seems. One of Hades’s creatures lurks in the shadows. Don’t believe everything you hear.”

  “Wait. Where are you going?” Abby asks, placing a hand on her hip.

  Ares rolls his eyes. “Well, I will be of no help here. I have to figure out what I’m going to do with my sister now that she’s siding with Isabella. My sister may be the Goddess of Wisdom, but she’s also incredibly stupid.”

  I lift my chin. “I’ll tell you what you can do to her. Once that Soul Blade is removed from Hunter’s chest, you can stab her with it, and then never take it out.”

  I will live a long and happy life knowing that she’s not able to destroy any more lives.

  Ares stares down at me for a moment, then the corners of his lips slowly tip up in a smirk. “That’s actually a brilliant idea, love. I’ll even let you do the honors.”

  And with that, he’s gone.

  “I couldn’t tell if he was being sarcastic or not,” Abby comments, stepping closer to the crypt.

  Declan inhales sharply. “Okay, let’s get this over with.” He turns to Abby. “Are you ready, Abs?”

  “Am I ready to cut my hand open and place it against some cement tomb to open a gate to Hell? Sure, why not?” Abby says sarcastic
ally.

  Bennett chuckles. “Now, that was sarcasm.”

  Abby narrows her eyes at Bennett before taking the dagger from Declan. She winces as she slices her hand open and then hands the blade back to Declan, who does the same. They place their hands on the crypt and mutter the Greek words for life and death. The door fades out of sight, opening up to a sea of darkness that looks blacker than a stormy night.

  Abby comes over, enveloping me in a hug. “We’ll be right here waiting for you to get back. Please be careful.”

  “I’ll be back. I promise,” I whisper back.

  Abby steps away, going over to Bennett, while I walk over to my brother.

  He sighs, pulling me into a hug and resting his head on top of mine. “God, this sucks.”

  “Yeah, it does,” I admit.

  It’s weird that he’s not coming with me. We have survived so many battles together and killed countless vampires, and we will fight side-by-side with the pack and the coven when the time comes to stop Isabella. But this is different. It’s something I have to do on my own.

  Declan pulls back. “All right, listen. Turns out, one of those books that I got Ciera for Christmas came in handy. She said that a creature lurks within the walls of the tunnels. There were a few different ones mentioned, but when Ares said to not believe what you hear, it clicked.”

  He reaches down into his backpack and pulls out a book, opening it up into a page with some sort of weird-shaped dog. Its mouth is huge, with razor-like teeth that look more like long, jagged bones.

  “It’s called a Crocotta. It can mimic a human voice and even read minds. The only way to kill it is to stab it in the back of the neck.”

  Bennett walks over and looks over my shoulder at the picture. “Okay, so if it can read minds and mimic a human voice—”

  “Then you and I will just use the link to communicate until we kill it,” I cut him off.

  “Exactly,” Bennett responds as Declan shuts the book.

  “Ciera told me that the tunnel can fuck with your senses. We don’t know how, but just be careful in there. Just because something looks shiny and nice doesn’t mean it is, okay?” Declan looks at Bennett. “You keep an eye on her, all right?”

  Bennett nods. “Don’t worry. I’ve got her back.”

  Declan inhales nervously, then his gaze meets mine. “Knock ‘em dead, little sister.”

  I smirk. “Always do.”

  “Okay, get out of here before this thing closes and we have to slice and dice our hands again,” Declan laughs humorlessly.

  Placing the quiver of arrows on my back, I grab my bow and check to make sure my dagger is stashed safely in my pants. Bennett and I walk toward the entrance, and together, we enter the pit of darkness.

  Bennett and I open the link to each other the second we step inside the tunnel. I wait for my eyes to adjust to the darkness, but they don’t. An eerie sensation washes over me, like I’m being watched. Not being able to see what’s right in front of me is unsettling. I summon the fire element, but the fire burns my hands literally the second it reaches my fingertips.

  Well, Declan was right about the senses. Fire bad, I say to Bennett, and hear him chuckle beside me.

  Let me try something, Bennett tells me.

  A few moments pass before he says anything more.

  Well, that didn’t work.

  I snort. Performance issues?

  Ha, ha. Very funny, Blondie. No. I tried to shift, thinking maybe we could use the glow from my eyes to light the way.

  Oh. Well, that sucks, I admit.

  It would have been nice to see where we were going, but it looks like we are going to be in the dark for a while. I reach out around me, hoping to locate the wall, and when I feel something rough against my palm, I reach into my quiver and pull out an arrow. There is no way I am going to continue to use my hand to guide us. Monsters are one thing, but when you touch something in the dark and it squirms against the palm of your hand…ugh! I get a shiver just thinking about it.

  I extend my arm, trying to locate Bennett in the dark, and when I do, he grabs my hand. I found the wall. I’m going to use the arrow to follow the tunnel. Can you hold my bow?

  Sure thing, milady, Bennett answers.

  I hand him the bow. Well, I try to, anyway. I hear him grunt and curse under his breath.

  Ouch! Hand it over slowly…Blondie…you’re about to take out my eye. You know what?

  He releases my hand, and I hear him shuffle around me and I picture him wailing his arms out in front of me, trying to find the bow. Finally, he finds it and takes it from me.

  I already can’t see, but I’d like to have my vision for when these lights come back on. I hate the dark.

  You mean if they come back on, I answer.

  Not helping.

  I cringe. Sorry.

  I feel his body get closer to mine, and then all of a sudden, I get smacked in the face. His hand finds my shoulder, and he gives it a little pat.

  It’s okay, he says.

  He reaches for my hand again and slowly, but surely, we make our way through the darkness. The tip of the arrow scratches against the surface of the wall, creating a creepy echo throughout the tunnel. It’s almost as if the sounds just keep going on forever.

  I’m not even sure how long we’ve been walking when a low growl reverberates against the walls. The echo makes it hard to determine which direction it came from. Sound is different in here. It bounces off the walls all around you, and since you can’t see, it makes relying on noise to help guide you nearly impossible. Bennett and I both stop in our tracks.

  My heart rate kicks up. Please tell me that was you.

  Do you want me to lie to you? he asks, taking a step forward and pulling me in close behind him.

  Yes, I say, standing closer to Bennett.

  Then yes, it was me. He starts moving forward, and I stay close behind him.

  Liar.

  I can hear the tiny laugh coming from him, but then we stand in silence for a few minutes, listening to see if we hear anything moving.

  Okay, let’s just keep going, I start.

  Then a loud, ear-curdling scream makes Bennett and I both jump.

  “Aria! Baby! Please! Help me!”

  I clutch on the back of Bennett’s shirt and shut my eyes.

  It’s not him. It’s not him. It’s not him!

  “It hurts! Make it stop! Please! Help! Aria!”

  It’s not him, Blondie. It’s not Hunter, Bennett tries to reassure me, but even I hear the unease in his voice.

  I let out a shaky breath as what sounds like Hunter’s screams and voice echo all around us.

  “Benny! Help me, please!”

  Bennett squeezes my hand as the creature gets louder, the screams getting more intense and gut-wrenching. Even though I know it’s not Hunter, it sounds like him, and I’m fighting the urge to run toward it. I’m glad that my brother warned me what was down here because it makes this a little bit easier to ignore, but it’s still not easy listening to the love of my life screaming in pain and begging us to help.

  “Hey, Blondie, over here.”

  My eyes open suddenly, and Bennett’s body goes rigid.

  “Come out, come out, wherever you are!”

  Do I really sound like that? Bennett asks, turning around and finding my hand again.

  As much as I want to give you a snarky reply, no, you definitely don’t sound like that, I tell him.

  All of a sudden, every hair on my body stands on end. It’s the feeling that you get when you feel like something is watching you, and not only that, they are literally standing right behind you.

  Everything goes quiet. Too quiet. I’m pretty sure that if a pin were to drop, you would hear it fall and echo off the walls. We stand perfectly still, and I try to focus on any sort of movement around me, but I get nothing. Moments pass, and then I feel hot breath on the back of my neck. Before I even have a chance to move, something bites into my arm and I’m ripped away from Benne
tt.

  Aria! Bennett’s panicked voice sounds in my head as I cry out from the searing pain in my arm.

  The Crocotta is dragging me across the ground, growling and snarling. With each yank, it’s digging its sharp teeth deeper into my skin. I scream and throw my other arm out, hitting it on its nose, and it immediately releases me.

  My arm is throbbing, but I ignore the pain and get to my feet. My breathing is erratic as I try to calm myself and gather my bearings. I have no idea how far that thing dragged me away from Bennett.

  Aria, are you okay? Bennett asks.

  I suddenly feel very alone.

  My arm hurts, but I’m okay. Are you? I ask, taking a tentative step forward.

  I hear a noise from behind me, and I realize that Bennett still has my bow. I hear a scratching sound to my right and brace myself for another attack, but it never comes. Then something brushes up against my leg and I kick my foot out, but all I do is kick air.

  Laughter—my laughter—floats around above my head as I hear something walk over me. I listen for it, and I feel air move from my left, so I quickly spin, kicking my foot out again, and this time, it actually makes contact. The creature growls menacingly, but when I expect it to attack me since I provoked it, nothing comes.

  I hear Bennett start screaming and crying out for help while the creature snarls and snaps its teeth.

  “Bennett!” I scream, panicked.

  It’s not me, Blondie. I’m good. It’s not me, he assures me through the link.

  Relief washes over me. Then I start to get pissed off. This thing is playing with us, and I’ve had enough. I don’t have time for this shit. I start to remember the training Artemis put me through. Taking a deep breath to center myself, I plant my feet firmly on the ground, trying to see if I can feel the vibrations of movement coming from the Crocotta.

  It’s faint, but I hear the soft clicks of nails stalking around us.

  Bennett, stomp your foot, I command.

  I hear two stomps, the vibrations and sound coming from directly in front of me, right where I hear the nails against the stone. I keep calm as I reach behind me, quietly pulling out two arrows and placing one between my legs.