Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3)

by Amanda Carol

  I take the box from her. “Not funny.”

  “It kind of was.” She stops laughing to look up at me. “Take care of my girl.”

  Her words hang in the air, holding so much meaning. I know it hurts them when she goes to be with her father in the Underworld. Aria told me once that I’m the love of her life, but Abby is her soulmate. And I believe that. The friendship they have is strong, kind of like me and Bennett.

  I nod, and she walks back over to Zayne, who holds her close.

  I draw in a calming breath and make my way to meet my girl. Her glowing green eyes meet mine the second she steps onto the bridge.

  “Hey, beautiful,” I say beaming at her.

  “Hey handsome.” She smiles, then sniffs.

  I take her bouquet from her hands, and hold them out over the stream. She gasps when I drop them, but they don’t hit the water. Instead, they float up around us, along with tiny little water droplets, which are sparkling in the moonlight.

  “How did you—” she asks.

  I cut her off, stepping off to the side and showing her.

  “Oh, my God,” she breathes.

  Declan is using the earth element to float the daisies, but Maggie uses water to help with the tiny droplets. Grace is on standby, but Maggie is a really strong witch, especially now that she has Ciera and Declan as her adoptive parents. She tears up again when she sees her mom, Ciera, Abby, Zayne, Haku, and my mom all standing behind me, but off to the side so they can see. Her white wolf is lying down by the stream; it’s a part of her now.

  “I-I have no words,” she whispers when I step back in front of her.

  “I only need you to say one.” I laugh nervously, but then I breathe in her familiar scent of lavender and vanilla and instantly relax. “I look at you, and my whole world ignites in flames. Your fire burns through me and leaves a mark on my soul. I became a better man and a better wolf when you came into my life. You brought love into my life when I didn’t even know I needed it.”

  I pause and open the box, and her eyes glow brighter as she looks at the ring. I take it out and slip it on her finger.

  I reach into the hem of my shirt and pull out the moonstone, then place her hand on my chest.

  “Opal has three different colors weaved into it. Garnet is known to be a burning flame. Amethyst is recognized for its dazzlingly brilliant color. And lastly, emerald is a sea green color that brings all of that together to inspire hope and love. That’s what you’ve given me, and still continue to give me. Opal inspires creativity and helps soothe the soul. You inspire me every single day and being around you calms me.”

  She stares down at the ring on the hand that’s on my chest, right next to the very stone that gives me strength. I couldn’t get her a moonstone, and she’s not a diamond girl. When I saw that opal stone sitting in a rose gold band, I immediately bought it. Because opal represents the aura that is Aria. When the shop owner explained the colors to me, it was even more perfect because garnet is her birthstone, amethyst is purple, which is her favorite color, and the light emerald color reminds me of her eyes.

  I place two fingers under her chin and tilt her face up. “I choose to love you through everything that comes our way. I choose to love you every second of every day. Aria Elizabeth Matthews, will you choose to forever be the moon to my wolf?”

  “Yes,” Aria breathes, then smiles brightly at me.

  I flash her my dimples before I reach up and cup her cheeks. Leaning down, I brush my lips against hers. I swipe my tongue out on her bottom lip, and she opens for me, bringing her hands up to grip my wrists. The crowd cheers as I get lost in her kiss. I pull back, not wanting to get too carried away since we have an audience.

  As I rest my forehead against hers, I feel the tug and open the link.

  I will be your moon forever, comes her voice, thick with emotion.

  I smile, kissing her once more. Always.

  Continue the The Awakened Trilogy with The Gift - An Awakened Novella, Available now!

  Turn the Page to get a sneak peak into The Gift - An Awakened Novella.

  Sunlight shines brightly through the curtains and pulls me from a deep sleep. I roll over to snuggle up next to Declan, but our bed is empty.

  I sigh, psyching myself up to get out of bed and get ready for the day. I take a quick shower, get dressed in my favorite yellow sundress, dry my hair, and put it up in a ponytail.

  “Hey, Mags!” I call out as I put a little diamond stud in my nose and clip my new necklace around my neck.

  I grab the letter “C” charm with the sun pendant and bring it around. It was a gift that Maggie and Declan had picked out for me as a Valentine’s Day gift.

  “It’s time to get up!” I shout, slipping on my little black flats.

  After Maggie begged us to adopt her, I looked into it. She didn’t have any next of kin she could go to because both of her parents were only children and her grandparents were all dead. I asked Grandma for advice and she said, “Sweetheart, you’ve always had a whole lot of love in your heart to give, plus a little extra in your pocket. You don’t need my advice, because I already know that Maggie is yours.”

  She was right.

  I look down and smile at the photo of Declan, Maggie, and I. She’s in the middle of us and crying with the biggest smile on her face, because that’s the day we made it official with her.

  “Are you sure you want to do this?” I ask nervously. “I know in my heart that Maggie belongs to me, but you don’t have to do this.”

  Declan rubs my arms. “Sunshine, I want to do this.”

  He puts two fingers under my chin, and I look up at him, my eyes filling with tears.

  “I love you, and I love that little girl.” He leans down and presses a gentle kiss to my lips. “She belongs to us.”

  My heart swells, and I stand on my tiptoes, wrapping my arms around his neck and kissing him. “Okay.”

  He smiles against my lips. “Okay. Let’s sign the papers and go get our little girl.”

  He lets me go, grabbing the pen and signing on the dotted line. Then he hands the pen to me, and I take it and sign.

  “It’s official.” He beams.

  When he got back from the big battle, all he wanted to do was hold “his girls.” While Maggie was asleep, snuggled up in his arms, he surprised me by being the first one to bring up adopting her. I had planned to, but I wanted to wait until he had been back for a few days, because I wasn’t sure how he would react.

  We’d talked about having kids, but neither one of us was planning to have them any time soon. Now here we are, preparing to tell a five-year-old little girl that we are her parents.

  However, Declan and I made a pact that we would never let her forget her real parents. We want her to cherish those memories with them, and we will keep all their pictures together for her. They will live in her heart forever, but we promise to love Maggie just as much as they did and give her the best possible life, filled with love and happiness.

  Declan laces his fingers with mine, and we walk over to Hunter’s house. Aria said that they would watch Maggie until we got back from town with the adoption papers.

  It wasn’t an easy process, because in the state of Louisiana, there are a lot of guidelines that needed to be followed in order to officially adopt a child. Before we could even get the papers, we filed for emergency foster care, which meant she could stay with us until we could work something out. And with a little help from the residents of the Compound and, of course, Abby—who was studying to be a social worker—we were able to convince the courts that Maggie was right where she needed to be.

  “Ms. Campbell! Declan!” Maggie shouts after Hunter opens the door.

  Maggie runs straight into Declan’s arms.

  “Were you good for Hunter and my sister?” Declan asks.

  “Mm-hmm.” Maggie nods. “Ar-we-a and I painted a pretty picture today. But it’s drying, so we have to come back later.”

  “We can do that,” I say looki
ng over at Hunter and Aria.

  Hunter wraps his arm around Aria’s waist, and they smile at us. Everyone knows how big today is for us, and they all agreed to keep this a secret from Maggie.

  After thanking them, we take our daughter home.

  Declan sets her down, and she starts to run up to her room, which used to be Aria’s room.

  “Hey, little miss! Come here. Ms. Campbell and I want to talk to you,” he calls after her.

  Maggie freezes on the bottom step, but spins and jumps off. Declan picks her up, setting her down gently on the coffee table in front of us, and we take a seat on the couch.

  “Am I in trouble?” she asks, glancing between the two of us.

  I laugh. “No, sweetie. We have something we would like to tell you.”

  “Otay.”

  “You know how you asked us if we could take care of you?” I ask.

  “You mean like, be my new mommy and daddy?” She tilts her head.

  “Yes. But remember I told you that we had to ask for permission?”

  The adoption process is hard to understand, and I’m not about to explain it all to a five-year-old. If she has to say “new mommy and daddy” to understand, then we will let her.

  “Did you ask?” she asks excitedly.

  I sneak a glance over at Declan, who’s got a huge smile on his face.

  “We did, and they said yes,” he answers.

  Maggie’s face lights up.

  “Only if that’s still what you want,” he clarifies.

  She nods her head, but then she starts crying.

  “Mags, what’s wrong?” I ask, pulling her into my arms so she can cry into my shoulder. “Why are you sad?”

  She hiccups. “I-I’m n-not. I’m j-just so ha-happy.”

  Declan and I exchange loving glances.

  “We love you, Maggie,” he tells her.

  She wraps her arms around us, pulling us in for a hug. We each kiss her on the cheek, then Declan pulls out his phone and turns on the front camera.

  “Say ‘adoption’!” Declan shouts.

  I hold the papers up between us, then we all smile and say the words, capturing a snapshot of one of the best moments in my life.

  I pull myself out of my thoughts and call for Maggie again, walking into her room. I stop when I notice that her bed is made. I wonder if Declan got her up already. Sometimes he will wake her before he goes to train so he can get some morning Maggie cuddles in before a hard day’s work. I walk downstairs into the kitchen, and they aren’t there either.

  That’s weird, but also not out of the ordinary. Occasionally, on his days off, he wakes up and gets Maggie ready, then goes to pick up all the other kids and take them to the schoolhouse, so I can sleep in a few extra minutes. Of course, he usually lets me know when he’s doing that.

  I’m about to grab my phone, but I see a note by the coffee maker.

  I smile as I set the note down, then grab my messenger bag and make my way over to the schoolhouse. I see movement in the window, thinking nothing of it, but when I walk inside and see all the kids lined up and Declan sitting in a chair next to Maggie holding his guitar, I stop dead in my tracks.

  “On three.” Declan nods to the kids. “One, two, three.”

  He starts strumming “You Are My Sunshine,” while the kids sing along with him.

  I put my hand over my mouth to hold back a sob, but then I have to hold in a chuckle when some of the kids mess the words up. Once Declan is finished, he puts his guitar down, and makes a signal to the kids.

  They bend over and each hold up a sign with a letter on it. I have to hold in my laughter, because it spells “WARRY E?M.”

  My breath hitches in my throat as Declan pulls out a ring box from his pocket and walks over to me. I can hear Maggie, Callie, and Peyton all giggle and squeal.

  “Hey, sunshine,” Declan whispers.

  “Hey,” I breathe.

  “When I met you, I had been on the road a long time. I never even considered that the road would lead me to a place that held all the love that I was desperately longing for, even though I didn’t know it at the time. You burst into my life like a ray of sunlight, stealing all the clouds away. You made me a better man, and I can’t think of anyone else I’d rather spend the rest of my life with. I love you, Ciera, and so…” He pauses, opening up the box to reveal a small yellow tear-shaped diamond that sits in the middle of a band made up of smaller diamonds, then looks back up at me with eyes full of hope. “Will you go on a lifelong adventure with me?”

  I tuck my bottom lip between my teeth, and his eyes darken as they flick down to my lips. I can feel my body start to heat up as I remember what happens to me when I bite my lip. Part of me wants to have him worship my body right now.

  “You’re supposed to say yes!” Maggie shouts, pulling us out of what’s about to be a real heated moment.

  I chuckle. “Yes, I will warry you.”

  He smiles, but then gives me a confused look. I nod my head toward the kids, and he turns around.

  “Maggie, your card is upside down,” Declan says, pointing at her sign.

  She looks down at it, then back up to him. “It says ‘M’ to me!”

  “Well, it says ‘W’ to me, little miss, so flip it over!” Declan commands lightly, and she does. He points at Tucker and Thomas. “And you two…switch places.”

  “See, I told you! You were in the wrong spot!” Thomas says as he switches places with Tucker.

  “You did not! You said you wanted to be on the end!” Tucker shouts, then Thomas nudges him.

  “Boys!” I scold.

  They freeze on the spot, looking over at me.

  “Sorry Ms. Campbell,” they say in unison.

  “It’s all right.” I smile at them.

  “Now, where were we?” Declan asks, turning back to me. “Oh, right.”

  He takes the ring out of the box and slides it down my finger, and all the kids cheer.

  “Oh, gosh. They are so perfect,” I hear Callie sigh. I love that sweet little girl.

  He pecks me softly on my lips, then leans in close to whisper in my ear, his hot breath sending shivers down my spine.

  “You just had to go and bite that lip,” he breathes. “Once Maggie goes to bed, you are all mine.”

  I flush, but quickly compose myself because Tucker is headed straight for the Legos.

  Once school is over and we head home, Declan and I go into the kitchen to start making dinner while Maggie watches her favorite cartoon, Paw Patrol. We call her into the kitchen when dinner is finally ready, and I fill up her plate with food.

  “Thank you,” she says after I put some peas on her plate.

  “You’re welcome.” I smile, setting the bowl down on the table.

  Maggie stops eating, gently setting her fork on her plate. “I have something I wanna ask.”

  Declan’s fork stops halfway to his mouth, and I set mine down.

  “Okay, Mags. What’s on your mind?” I ask.

  “Um…” she murmurs, seeming unsure of herself, but in typical Maggie fashion, she composes herself quickly. “I know that my real mommy and daddy are in Heaven and I know that you and Declan aren’t my real mommy and daddy, but can I call you Mommy and Daddy? Maybe not all the time, but sometimes…”

  My heart swells, and I steal a glance at Declan. He’s got a smile on his face, and he nods at me to talk to her.

  “Maggie, we love you very much. And you can call us whatever you want to call us, okay? Don’t ever feel like you can’t say what you feel. If I’m Mommy today, but tomorrow, I’m Ms. Campbell, that’s okay,” I explain.

  She looks up at me, the smile on her face reaching her brown eyes.

  “And if I’m Declan tonight and Daddy tomorrow, that’s fine too. We will love you just the same. I promise,” Declan tells her.

  Her smile just grows bigger, but she doesn’t say anything more and just goes back to eating.

  When she’s done, she hops off her chair and goes back in
to the living room. Once we clean up, Declan grabs a blanket and we all curl up on the couch together to watch The Little Mermaid for the sixth night in a row. About halfway through, she falls asleep, so Declan carries her upstairs to put her to bed.

  When he plops back down on the couch, I move to straddle him. Ever since his proposal, I haven’t had the chance to really show him how much I love him today.

  I grind my hips into his growing erection, and pull his bottom lip between my teeth, causing him to let out a hitched breath. I crash my lips onto his, and the longer we kiss, the more heated our make-out session gets.

  “Fuck,” he breathes as I kiss his neck, making my way over his strong jawline to nip at his earlobe.

  His fingers dig deeper into my flesh as his hands go up my dress. He moves my panties off to the side and slips a finger inside me. A soft moan escapes my lips as he works his finger in and out while I move my hips in tandem. When he slips another one in, I kiss him and grip the back of the couch to try not to make too much noise.

  “Always so wet and ready for me, sunshine,” he murmurs.

  Oh, after today, I am so ready.

  “I want you inside me,” I pant, and I make quick work of his pants.

  “Such a little vixen,” he breathes, his green eyes hooded.

  I sit up as he pulls himself out of his boxers, then I slowly lower myself down onto him. I lace my left hand in his, the engagement ring digging into my finger as we hold on tight to each other while I ride him, savoring this feeling of being so close to him.

  He holds me tight, going deeper inside me, and I bite down hard on his shoulder to keep from crying out. I bury my face in his neck and he runs his hand through my hair, balling it into a fist at the base of my skull. When he tugs my head back, kissing my neck, I feel my core tighten, and I come harder than I ever have before. Declan finds his release soon after.

  We stay there, holding each other close for a moment, then I pull back, cupping his cheeks and kissing him. Our tongues slowly massage each other, like we have all the time in the world. I break the kiss after a few moments, climbing off him, and he tucks himself back into his pants.