The Gift: An Awakened Novella

by Amanda Carol

  “You have to stop doing that, because every time you do, I want to take that lip between my teeth,” I whisper.

  I hear her breath hitch as I lean in. I know she’s expecting me to kiss her, and fuck, do I want to, but I kiss the corner of her mouth instead.

  “Good night, Ciera,” I say. My voice is husky even to my own ears.

  I release her cheek, then slowly back away from her and down the steps.

  A chime from my phone pulls me from a deep sleep. After Declan walked me back last night, I took a quick shower and went to bed. I was exhausted from pulling an all-nighter and getting burned and completely healed all within the same day.

  Declan: Good morning. *kissing face emoji*

  I can feel my lips turn up in a smile and my face flushes. I just don’t know what it is about him that makes me feel…alive.

  Me: Morning. :-)

  Declan: What are you up to today?

  Me: The kids have the day off today, so I’m cleaning the schoolhouse. You?

  Declan: Nice. I have training this morning, but I’m excited for tonight.

  Me: What’s tonight?

  Declan: I get to see you. *grinning emoji*

  It takes me a second to remember that I’m working with him on his healing power.

  Declan: Don’t tell me you forgot? :-(

  Me: How could I forget you?

  Declan: You see, I don’t think you can. Not after last night. If I would have kissed you, would you have kissed me back?

  Would I have kissed him back?

  It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to know that this guy has experience. He makes my body come alive in a way that no one else has.

  The answer to his question is yes. I would have. But I’m torn. Part of me wants to say yes, but the other half, the less experienced half, chooses a different route.

  Me: No.

  You’re a liar, liar, pants on fire, Ciera!

  Declan: Liar.

  Declan: I’ll see you later, Ciera.

  Smiling, I get up out of my bed and get ready. I throw on a pair of shorts and a tank and slip into my favorite yellow flip-flops. Grandma must still be in bed, because the cabin is quiet. Looks like she had one extra glass of scotch last night. She can’t hold her liquor like she used to.

  Grabbing my thermos from the fridge, I fill it with cold water, then make my way over to the schoolhouse. The kids only have school four days a week instead of five, so it’s nice having a little break in the week. Once a month, I’ll do a good cleaning, since kids carry all sorts of germs and, well, they can also get pretty messy. I turn the stereo on, and Dierks Bentley’s “Sideways” blasts through the speakers as I begin to clean.

  I start to hear music coming from outside, so I turn down my stereo and walk over to the window. It looks like Knox has the training class outside today and they’re playing a game of football. They are split into two teams, shirts and no shirts. It doesn’t take me long to spot platinum blonde hair.

  He’s Team No-Shirt.

  I may or may not have googled football rules and regulations yesterday afternoon and a little before I fell asleep. I know the sport, but I didn’t know anything about positions or how to play. It looks like Axton is the quarterback on Declan’s team because he stands behind the center, who I think might be Kai, but I’m not sure since the defensive line is in the way. I’m pretty proud of myself for learning the positions so quickly. The ball is snapped, and Axton drops back, looking for someone open to pass the ball to.

  “Declan is wide open, Ax!” I say out loud.

  Not that it would do me any good; he can’t hear me. He throws the ball to Bennett, who fumbles the ball as Jasper tackles him to the ground. Jasper helps Bennett up and both teams move down the field. They got a first down. The ball snaps again, and Axton fakes the ball to Bennett, but instead hands the ball to Declan, who is quickly making his way down the field. I see Blaine leap into the air and wrap his arms around Declan’s shoulders, bringing them both tumbling to the ground.

  “Blaine is such a dick,” I mumble under my breath.

  Another snap, and Axton throws the ball to Declan, but Blaine tackles him before he can catch the ball.

  No one says anything! That’s pass interference! Are you kidding me?

  My temper flares, and I’m out of the schoolhouse and marching my ass over to Blaine.

  “Hey Ci-Ci—” Kai starts, but I ignore him.

  I stand my 5’4” frame in front of Blaine, barely coming up to chest level with his 6’1” build.

  “Well, hey, little witch. Care to be my cheerleader?” Blaine smirks.

  I grab his face with one hand.

  “If you’re going to play a game of football, then play it right or get the hell off the field!” I narrow my eyes as his widen.

  I wait a beat, then release his face. Then I feel all eyes are on me.

  “Oh, shit! Didn’t anyone ever warn you not to mess with Texas? Damn, son!” I hear someone say, but I don’t see who it is.

  I’m too busy searching everyone’s faces until my eyes meet pale green ones. They darken as Declan steps forward, but he stops when Kai walks up.

  “Let me walk you back to the schoolhouse?” Kai offers as I continue to look at Declan.

  “Um, yeah. Sure. Sorry, guys.” I flush.

  As I let Kai lead me back to the schoolhouse, I turn and see Declan staring at us, his expression unreadable.

  “Since when do you know anything about football?” Kai asks as we reach the front porch.

  “Since last night,” I reply, shoving my hands in the back pockets of my shorts.

  My eyes flick back to the field, and I watch as Declan scores a touchdown. I can feel my lips turn up in a smile. He looks like he’s in his element as he runs over and high-fives Bennett and Axton.

  “I see,” Kai says, following my eyes to see that they are on Declan.

  I look at him, and a pained look crosses his features. My heart sinks, and I’m pretty sure I just heard his break.

  “Kai,” I start to say, but he shakes his head.

  “Nah, I get it.” He steps closer but doesn’t look at me. “Don’t let him break your heart.”

  With that, he kisses the top of my head and runs off. Declan is looking at me intently, but someone grabs his attention, and he returns to playing the game.

  “Ugh!” I toss my head back.

  I turn and head back inside to continue cleaning. After a while, I realize that I could use some new supplies, so I grab my purse and my car keys and start to make my way over to where my Jeep is parked. I will myself not to turn around and look behind me, but my body doesn’t listen, and I turn. I don’t see Declan, or Bennett, for that matter. Trying not to think much into it, I continue along the path.

  “Going somewhere?” The sound of Declan’s voice makes me jump.

  “You scared the crap out of me!” I huff, clutching onto my chest, my heart beating a mile a minute. “What are you doing here? You’re supposed to be training.”

  He points down to his ankle. “I twisted it.”

  My eyes flick back up to his. “You’re full of shit.”

  “What would your students think if they heard those colorful words coming out of that pretty mouth of yours?” He cocks a brow, and I feel my face heating up.

  “I would never say them in front my kids.” I counter.

  He laughs as he walks over to the passenger side of my Jeep. “So, where are we going?”

  “We aren’t going anywhere. I’m going to the store to pick up a few things,” I say, climbing into the driver’s seat.

  “Well, I’m going with you.” Declan hops in, and I kick myself for not putting my doors back on.

  I sigh and turn the ignition. “Meant to Be” by Bebe Rexha blasts through the stereo as I put my aviators on and put the car in drive.

  “I should have known. You are definitely a country girl,” Declan laughs.

  I look over at him and smirk. “Hang on tight.”

&
nbsp; Faking an injury to hang out with Ciera seemed worth it at the time, but now that I’m in the car with her, I’m second-guessing that decision. I thought Aria’s driving was terrifying, but clearly, I had never been in a car with Ciera. I grab onto the “oh shit” stick as she peels out onto the main road.

  “Do you have lead in those flip-flops?” I ask.

  She laughs. Her golden blonde hair shines in the sunlight as the wind whips it around.

  “Sorry. I’m not used to having passengers,” she explains.

  I cock a brow, remembering her and that shifter, Kai. Seeing them interact earlier made me feel an emotion that I very rarely have.

  “And that makes it okay to drive around like you’re trying to win a NASCAR race?” I joke as she weaves in and out of traffic.

  At least she uses her turn signal, a thing my sister refuses to acknowledge the existence of, and it drives me fucking insane.

  “Hey, you’re the one who jumped into my car,” Ciera points out, looking over at me for a second, then back at the road.

  “My life is in your hands, Ciera.” I look over her, and she’s grinning. “So, what’s up with you and Kai?”

  I don’t do jealous. Never have and never will. But I’ll be a son of a bitch if I didn’t want to beat the shit out of Kai today.

  Her face falls. “Kai and I are just friends. I mean, he wants more, but I—”

  She pauses, as if trying to find the words to say. Now that I think about it, Kai did seem upset after he came back from the schoolhouse.

  “You don’t,” I finish for her as we come to a stop light.

  She looks over at me. “No.”

  A sense of relief washes over me. I refuse to go after girls who have something going on with anyone else.

  “What do you want?” I wonder.

  She’s silent for about a minute.

  “Passion,” she finally says. “I want passion and I want to take a lifelong adventure with someone. You know, what everyone wants.”

  I chuckle. “Oh really? Is that what everyone wants?”

  “I don’t know, but it’s what I want. What is it that you want, Declan?” she asks as we pull into the parking lot at Target.

  I look at her for a long moment, then reach forward and take her sunglasses off. Her blue eyes search my face, but I don’t answer her.

  I smirk. “C’mon, let’s go shopping.”

  I help Ciera pick out school supplies and cleaning supplies. It takes probably three times as long as it should, because we get distracted in the slipper aisle. That goofy girl has me laughing so hard when she puts on lion slippers and waddles down the aisle because they’re still tagged together. Then she drags me down the toy aisle and wants to get this mystery box. She claims the kids love it, but I can see in her eyes that she secretly loves opening them too.

  We set the bags down in the back and I hold out my hand. “Keys.”

  She narrows her eyes at me. “You aren’t driving my car.”

  I step up to her, her back hitting the back of the Jeep as I close the distance between us. I reach behind her and slide my hand into the back pocket of her way-too-short shorts, pulling them out. I can hear her sharp intake of breath as I lean my head down, my lips brushing her ear.

  “Get in the car, sunshine,” I whisper, then back away. I hop into the driver’s seat and Ciera gets in the passenger seat.

  “You’ve been spending way too much time with Bennett,” Ciera says while buckling her seatbelt.

  I laugh. “What do you mean?”

  “He loves giving people nicknames. I didn’t think you were the type.” She shrugs, turning toward me.

  “The only other person in my life that I call something other than their name is my sister,” I tell her. “You just brighten up my life.”

  We stare at each other for a moment, and then we both burst out laughing.

  “Wow, that was extremely cheesy,” Ciera says in between bouts of laughter.

  “It was, wasn’t it?” I look over at her and tuck a lock of hair behind her ear. “It’s the truth, though.”

  She tucks that bottom lip in her teeth, and I use my thumb to take it out.

  “What did I tell you about that lip?” I whisper, and I can see her face starting to turn pink.

  “I like ‘sunshine,’” she admits softly.

  I smile. “Good. Because I wasn’t going to stop calling you that.”

  Fuck, she’s cute.

  We continue the drive back to the Compound, and when I pull onto the dirt road, Ciera unbuckles her seatbelt.

  “There’s something I’ve always wanted to do but haven’t had the chance to do it,” she says.

  I cock a brow. “Then do it.”

  To my surprise, she stands up, and the wind blows her hair back. With a carefree expression on her face, she lifts her hands into the air and tosses her head back.

  She’s breathtakingly beautiful, and it’s not just her looks that make her that way. It’s everything about her. The way she carries herself. The way she talks about her students. The way she cares so deeply for them.

  The way she stood up for me earlier was fucking sexy, but more so was the fact that she read up on football. All the girls that came to my games didn’t know shit about the rules and regulations, but Ciera learned them all in less than a day.

  She makes me laugh, and I forget about all the bad shit in my life. She makes me feel like my old carefree self again.

  I pull off to the side of the dirt road, park the Jeep, and unbuckle my seatbelt. I stand up next to her, and she looks up at me.

  “What are you doing?” she asks, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “There’s something I’ve been wanting to do, but haven’t had the chance to do it yet,” I say, leaning in closer.

  “What?” Her eyes are looking deep into mine, like she’s looking into my soul.

  “I want to kiss you.” I reach up and cup her cheek. Please say yes.

  Her eyes flick down to my lips. “Then do it.”

  I close the distance between us, brushing my lips against hers. I give her one more chance to back out before I kiss her harder. I grab her waist, bringing her closer to me as I swipe my tongue across her bottom lip, and I’m not surprised when she opens her mouth to me. She tastes like strawberries and mint, and I savor every moment of this kiss. Her hands wrap around my neck, and a soft moan escapes her lips.

  Fuck.

  I need to stop or else I’ll be pitching a tent in the Jeep. Nylon shorts are no good at hiding boners.

  I reluctantly pull away, because the gods only know what I’d do if I didn’t.

  “We should get back,” I whisper as she opens her eyes.

  The blue is dark and stormy-looking, and her lips are a little swollen. Damn, its fucking sexy.

  “We should,” she whispers back and drops back down in the seat.

  I sit back down and pull back onto the dirt driveway. I grab her hand, lacing my fingers in hers as I drive us back to the lot. I park the Jeep and we get out to grab the bags, then we start to make our way back to the schoolhouse.

  “Oh, no.” Ciera stops walking and stares ahead.

  Her eyebrows furrow with worry and she continues forward. I follow her gaze and see a little girl sitting on the steps of the schoolhouse. She lifts her head, and as soon as she sees Ciera, she bursts into tears and takes off running toward her. She wraps her little arms around Ciera’s waist and sobs into her shirt.

  “It’s okay, Mags. I’m here.” Ciera runs her hand through the little girl’s brown curls. “Let’s go inside.”

  Ciera picks her up and carries her inside, the bags forgotten on the ground. I pick them up and follow them inside the school.

  “Do you want to talk about what happened, Maggie?” I hear Ciera ask as I set the bags down next to the desk.

  I look around the room and notice a light is on in another room. I can hear a faucet running, so I assume it’s the bathroom. Then I notice a piano by the window in th
e corner.

  “M-mommy and D-daddy a-are f-fighting again,” Maggie stutters.

  I walk over and stand in the doorway. Ciera is kneeling down in front of Maggie, wiping her face with a damp cloth.

  “It m-makes me s-sad when they f-fight,” Maggie sniffles.

  My chest tightens and I want to make this little girl feel better. I know I was lucky to have the parents that I did, so it breaks my heart to watch a child be so distraught over something like this.

  “Aww, sweetie, I know. You know it’s not your fault, right?” Ciera tells her.

  Maggie drops her face.

  “Your mommy and daddy love you very much,” Ciera continues.

  I step into the tiny bathroom and kneel down next to Ciera.

  “Hi, Maggie. My name is Declan,” I say.

  Her brown eyes peek up at me.

  “I have an idea that might make you feel better. Want to know what it is?”

  Ciera looks over at me, her curiosity piqued, and I wink at her. Maggie nods her head and I stand, holding my hand out to her. She looks up at Ciera, unsure if she should, so Ciera nods her head for reassurance. Maggie then places her tiny hand in mine, and I lead her over to the piano. I slide onto the bench in front of the keys, and Maggie hops on the bench next to me.

  “I’m going to play you a song, okay?” I tell her.

  Maggie looks up at me and nods.

  Then I start to play a song I haven’t played in a long time. I had written this song for my mom and was going to surprise her on Mother’s Day. But I haven’t touched an instrument since my parents died. Aria and I left almost everything behind when we hit the road after their funeral.

  I think my mother would be proud of me, of us, if she were here now.

  I feel a weight on my shoulder and a tiny hand on my arm. I close my eyes, letting the notes take over me as I continue to play. When I open my eyes, they connect with deep blue ones. Ciera watches me with adoration and awe, and knowing what she does to me, she sucks in that bottom lip between her teeth again.

  I got a taste of her earlier, and now I crave more.