The Gift: An Awakened Novella Read online

  Contents

  1. Declan

  2. Ciera

  3. Ciera

  4. Declan

  5. Ciera

  6. Declan

  7. Ciera

  8. Declan

  9. Declan

  10. Ciera

  11. Declan

  12. Ciera

  13. Declan

  14. Ciera

  15. Declan

  Also by Amanda Carol

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

  Copyright © 2020 by Amanda Carol

  Cover Designer: Ashani Graphics

  Editor: CPR Editing

  Proofreader: Becca Steele and Horus Proofreading

  Interior Book Formatting: Reader Central

  All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or used in any manner without written permission of the copyright owner except for the use of quotations in a book review.

  Independently published.

  To the only loves of Declan’s life; Stefanie and Ciera.

  “Declan!” my sister, Aria, shouts over the loud music, snapping her fingers in front of my face.

  I pull my eyes away from a sexy brunette with huge tits to look at my sister. The girl’s been eye-fucking me ever since we walked in the door.

  “I’m going to go for a run. I’ll make sure to take my time.” Aria glances at the brunette at the end of the bar, then back at me. “Please don’t fuck on my bed.”

  It was one time that happened, and she acts like it’s a huge deal. It’s just sex. But then again, if I came back to the room and she was in my bed with another guy, I'd be pretty wigged out too. But in my defense, we were drunk, and I thought it was my bed.

  I smirk. “I make no promises, little sis.”

  She rolls her eyes as I set my beer down on the countertop and pull her into a hug. There was a time when it would have pissed her off to hear me call her “little sis” or “little sister,” but now it’s just our thing. I think it just reminds us of a time when everything was normal.

  I lean down closer to her ear. “Please be careful.”

  “I will,” she replies, then turns and makes her way through the crowd.

  I watch her take off on her run. I’m not stupid; I know why she does it. But that’s neither here nor there.

  I grab the beer bottle and lift it to my lips as I swivel back in my seat and glance down the bar, but that sexy brunette is gone. I slowly turn my head and scan the dance floor. My gaze connects with that pretty brunette’s, but she quickly looks away at the girl she’s dancing with. I spin my body around and casually lean back up against the bar, propping my elbow on the counter as I watch her dance seductively.

  Give it a second.

  Her eyes flick back up to mine and they darken as I finish off the rest of my beer. She sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, and without breaking eye contact with her, I set the bottle back down on the bar. I break contact first and pull out my wallet, tossing a twenty on the counter. I know that she knows I’ve still got my eye on her. When a woman gives me the “come and get me look,” I definitely go and get her. Why wouldn’t I? I get mine and she definitely gets hers.

  I walk along the outskirts of the dance floor, then slowly make my way through the crowd over to her. I sidestep a drunk couple as her friend catches me approaching. The blonde leans in to whisper something in her ear and I would bet money it’s to tell her that I'm right behind her.

  When I grab her hips and pull her against me, she leans back, throwing her arm around my neck as she grinds her ass into my dick while her friend dances in front of her. I lean my head down, feeling her pulse quicken as my lips gently caress the side of her neck. I run the tip of my nose along her cheek; her head tilts to the side and back on my shoulder as I place my hands on her lower abdomen, right where the button on her jean skirt sits. If her mouth wasn’t so close to my ear I wouldn’t have heard the soft mewl sound she makes when I let her feel my growing erection.

  She turns, throwing both arms around my neck, leaning in so our heads are close together. I can feel her hot breath on my cheek, and now I wish I felt it around my cock, which is starting to strain in my jeans. I turn my head ever so slightly, and when her lips gently caress mine, I push my luck and swipe my tongue on her bottom lip. She kisses me back with hunger that matches mine, and I know this chick is down for a good time.

  I don’t do relationships. I’m never in one place long enough to make that happen. But I would never take advantage of a woman. I let them know straight-up how it is, and if they say no, I go home alone. If they say yes, well, it’s a good night for the both of us.

  Have I ever fucked a girl in the bathroom? The answer is yes, but I prefer an actual room. I love hearing a woman scream my name, and I sure as hell don’t want her doing that in a public restroom where we could get arrested for indecent exposure.

  I don’t hook up with girls all the time. Usually, when we first get into a town, I do, but after that, my sister and I hunt the vampires in town, then hit the road after we finish the job.

  “Want to get out of here?” I whisper in her ear.

  “Desperately,” she replies breathlessly, glancing back at her friend, who is all wrapped up in another guy.

  She leans in to tell her friend, who nods, then turns her attention back to her guy she’s taking home tonight. I grab the brunette’s hand and lead her off the dance floor and out of the bar.

  When we get to my car, I stop right by the passenger door and turn to her. “Before we leave, you need to know, you can’t change me. I’m just passing through town and only looking for a good time. You getting in my car tells me you understand that.”

  She bites her bottom lip and twirls a lock of her hair between her fingers. “Oh, I understand.”

  “Good,” I say as one hand reaches forward and grabs her ass.

  I let out a growl as I roughly pull her to me, and her breath hitches at the sudden contact. She lets out a sharp exhale through her nose as I crash my lips onto hers. She moans as I part her lips with my tongue, and her hands come up to my face. I squeeze her ass with both hands then pull away.

  “Let's get the fuck out of here then...” I pause, realizing I have no idea what her name is.

  “Bethany.”

  I smile at her, then open the door. She climbs in and I walk around to the driver seat. I’ve only had one beer, so I'm good to drive. And Bethany doesn’t seem drunk, which is good. I don’t fuck drunk girls. I might not be into relationships, but I do respect women and I wouldn’t take advantage of a girl like that.

  “Aren’t you going to tell me your name?” she asks, turning in her seat, after I get in the car and shut the door.

  “Declan.” I put the key in the ignition and pull out of the parking lot.

  It’s late, and there aren’t many other cars on the road. Bethany takes her manicured finger and runs it up my leg. The touch goes straight to my dick and I'm starting to feel confined in my jeans, more so than on the dance floor.

  I glance over at her and she tugs her bottom lip between her teeth again. I let my eyes briefly trail down her body, noticing her chest is flushed, and I don’t think it’s from the dancing. I clench my jaw as she unbuckles her seatbelt and reaches over to undo the button of my pants.

  “You want to live dangerously for one night?” she says, looking up at me through thick lashes and rubbing my dick through my pants.

  “Sweetheart, I live dangerously every
night,” I reply truthfully.

  Getting road head is dangerous if you’ve never done it before, but it’s definitely not my first time.

  She giggles. “I just bet you do.”

  She unzips me, wrapping her hand around my cock and pulling it out of my boxers. I inhale sharply and my cock starts to throb in her hand as she gives it a light squeeze.

  Fuck, please, just put…atta girl.

  When her tongue licks the tip of my dick, I swerve a little bit, but catch myself and focus on the road.

  She wraps her mouth around me and begins to bob her head up and down. With one hand on the steering wheel, the other moves the hair out of her face because she’s working me with both her hands and her mouth. I grip the steering wheel, and I push down on her head a little bit. When my cock hits the back of her throat, I can feel her gag, so I pull back, and place both hands on the wheel. I can see the entrance to the motel, and I’m so fucking ready to put this goddamn car in park so I can really enjoy this.

  Finally, I pull into a dark parking spot, throw the car in park, and lean back, thrusting my hips forward. She moans on my cock, and the vibration combined with her working my dick causes my balls to tighten.

  “Fuck,” I breathe. “I’m going to come.”

  I always like to warn the women who suck my dick when I'm about to come. Not every girl likes to swallow, and it seems like this girl is one of those girls who doesn’t like to because she removes her mouth, making that sexy “pop” noise, but continues to jerk me off. I pull the bottom of my shirt over my dick to clean up the mess, then I carefully take off my shirt off and ball it up before tucking myself back into my jeans.

  I look over at her. “We aren’t finished.”

  I get out of my car, and she follows me to my room. I toss my shirt over on my suitcase next to my hoodie when we get inside. I turn to find Bertha standing by the door. Is that her name?

  “Who else is with you?” she asks, looking at my sister’s bed with her things on it.

  Her tone is a little accusatory, but at this point, I'm really just trying to get laid.

  “My sister. She’s going to be out for a while.” I walk over to her and grab her hand.

  I bring her further into the room and, not wanting to lose the momentum, I kiss her. Her fingers trace down my abs, and then they make their way up to my chest, then over my shoulders. I let my hands fall to her hips, and grabbing the hem of her shirt, I lift it over her head.

  Damn.

  Her tits are glorious.

  I place my hand over her tit, and my fingers tweak her nipple through her red lacy bra. If a girl has on a matching bra and panties, she definitely decided she was having sex tonight before you came along.

  She moans into my mouth and presses her chest against mine. I reach around her back, and with the snap of my fingers, her bra comes undone. The straps slide down her shoulders and I kiss her neck as I pull it off her. I walk us backward toward my bed and I sit as soon as my legs hit the mattress. She kicks off her shoes and straddles me, grinding her hips into my erection. I’ve got a tit in one hand and my other goes up into her skirt.

  Fuck me. She’s not wearing any panties.

  I start to swirl my thumb around her clit when the door bursts open.

  “Oh, my God!” Aria yells, covering her eyes.

  Betsy squeals, jumping up quickly from my lap and grabbing the closest blanket.

  “Jesus! Aria! Ever heard of knocking?” I shout, bending over and grabbing a shirt from off the floor, careful not to grab the one that I had used to clean myself off with.

  It’s the one I had on earlier before I changed to go to the bar. My lady friend starts looking for her clothes and I toss her shirt at her after she puts her bra back on. I look over at my sister, who still has her eyes covered, but her fingers part, and she removes her hand from her face when she notices we are both fully dressed.

  “Um, Declan, who is this?” Becca asks, looking really annoyed. One could possibly even say a little jealous.

  I’m not sure why she’s jealous. I told her that the other bed was my sister’s, and Aria is my identical twin, for fuck’s sake. A fact which stumped the doctors and even me. Aria and I are a unique breed of human, since it’s extremely rare for a set of identical twins like us to be born.

  “Is she serious right now?” Aria asks, her brows raised.

  I can see the humor in her pale green eyes and my lips turn up slightly. I run a hand through my platinum blonde hair, then glance down at my sister's shirt.

  What the fuck?

  She’s covered in blood.

  Aria tries to cross her arms over her body to hide it, but I don’t think she really needs to since Beatrice hasn’t even noticed it. I guess it shouldn’t surprise me that much since she still hasn’t grasped that Aria and I are siblings. I just wanted to get laid. But now I'm sort of happy with the interruption. I walk across the room and grab my hoodie and toss it at my sister. Then I turn to the girl standing awkwardly in the room.

  “Look, Brittany—”

  “It’s Bethany,” she corrects me, rolling her eyes.

  “Right, Bethany,” I say, walking across the room, picking up her shoes, and handing them to her. “I think you’d better go.”

  “You cannot be serious!” she hisses through clenched teeth as she snatches her shoes out of my hands and puts them on. “Why doesn’t she come back later?”

  I whip my head in my sister’s direction and I can already see the wheels turning in her head. I shoot her a pleading look to not say anything. I just want this girl to leave already. But if I know Aria, and I do, she’s not going to let it go.

  Aria narrows her eyes. “She has a name. And if I’m not mistaken, Declan asked you to leave. Not me. So, take the hint, Becky.”

  My sister totally just fucked up her name on purpose, and it takes everything in me not to laugh.

  After a long stare down with my sister, Bethany comes over, grabs my face, and crashes her lips onto mine. She forces her tongue into my mouth, and I try not to kiss her back. Thankfully, she pulls away rather quickly and motions for me to call her.

  Yeah, not going to happen. Actually, I didn’t even get her number.

  As soon as the door shuts behind her, Aria bursts out laughing.

  “Oh, my God. Declan, that was great. She’s a keeper. You should totally put a ring on it.” She walks further into the room.

  “Yeah, well, girls like her are easy. All you have to do is tell them they’re beautiful and that they can do anything they set their mind to. Hook, line, and sinker.” I wink. I didn’t have to do that tonight, but the tactic does work.

  “That’s horrible. I can’t wait for the day when one girl walks into your life and changes everything,” Aria says.

  “I doubt that’ll ever happen. We’re never in one place long enough for me to even consider something serious. I just happen to like sex. And I never lead girls on. I let them know up front what the deal is. I’m not a total tool. Maybe you should try taking a page out of my book. You might not be so uptight,” I joke.

  I know why Aria lets me have nights to myself. She won’t ever tell me, but I know. She does it because I’m the one who got us out of our parents’ room that night a vampire killed our parents.

  “Anyway,” I finally say after I notice Aria look nervously at the floor. “Do you mind telling me what in the actual fuck happened out there tonight?”

  I walk over and stand right in front of her. I tilt her face up, and notice she’s getting a nice bruise on her cheek.

  “A vampire attacked a girl tonight,” she whispers.

  I take a step back from her. A mixture of emotions hit me all at once as I process what that means. She fucking fought a vamp by herself. And clearly it didn’t work out so well, since she’s covered in blood. I could have lost her.

  “Fuck! What happened to the plan, Aria? You were supposed to follow the SOB and then come and get me. We never go after a vampire alone. It’s too dangerous
!” I shout, running my hands through my hair. “How could you do this? What if he killed you? Huh?”

  I can’t do this without her. She’s all the family I have left. She never stops to think about what she does before she does it.

  “I know! I didn’t think—” she starts to say.

  “You’re damn right you didn’t think!” I cut her off.

  “He was killing this poor girl. I just acted on instinct! Was I supposed to let her die?” Aria yells back at me.

  We have a typical Matthews glare-off. The look on her face lets me know that she doesn’t need me to make her feel any more guilty than she already does.

  “No, but you were supposed to be smart about it,” I sigh, coming back over and pulling her to me. She wraps her arms around my waist, and I rest my chin on her head. “God, Aria, the moment I saw you covered in blood earlier…”

  I know I don’t have to finish that statement.

  “He’s dead,” Aria states flatly, and pulls away to go over to her backpack. She pulls out some ibuprofen and pops two in her mouth, swallowing them.

  “You killed him? By yourself?” I ask, kind of surprised.

  But I know my sister; she can fight. We’ve just never killed a vamp without the other person there before.

  “Yes. I can handle myself in a fight, Declan. Why is that so surprising?” she defends and walks over to her suitcase, pulling out fresh clothes.

  “Aria, stop. I didn’t mean it like that,” I say, blocking her path to the bathroom.

  She stops and narrows her eyes at me. I’m not angry with her. I’m proud that she was able to save a life, but what if she wasn’t able to?

  “I’m sorry, okay? I know you can take care of yourself. I’ve seen you fight and you’re a badass fighter. I just…” I pause, letting out a harsh breath. “Please, just don’t do that to me again. I saw the blood on you and I…I can’t lose you too.”