Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  First thing’s first: I need to focus. I stop walking and listen to all the sounds around me. I hear the wind rustling the leaves above me. The more I focus, the more I can sense which direction the breeze is blowing. I pick up a faint musky smell, then I hear a grunt from my left. I focus in on that noise, listening to whatever it is walking slowly through the woods. It lets out another soft grunt, and it finally clicks what animal I’ve found first.

  It’s the doe.

  I slowly lift my arms, aiming the arrow, then release. I distinctly hear it plunge deep into a tree, which startles the deer, and she takes off running. I tap into the earth element, feeling the vibrations of her footsteps on the ground, alerting me to the direction she is running in, so I follow. Since I’m in tune with the earth, I can sense where the trees are, and it makes it easier for me to run after her. After a while, the doe stops running and I slow my steps, coming to a complete stop and listening for her. I can hear her breathing about 20 yards in front of me, so I quietly grab another arrow and nock it. I take aim, careful not to let it go until I know I’ll hit my target.

  I exhale softly and release the arrow.

  The doe cries out, but then I hear soft cooing sounds.

  “That’s a good girl. Drink this,” Artemis tells her. “Well done, little one. Two more to go.”

  I’m greeted with silence once more.

  How in the world am I supposed to find an owl? Since they are nocturnal animals, it’s probably perched up in a tree somewhere, and the only time it will make noise is when it’s in flight.

  Wait. That’s it.

  I grab an arrow out of my quiver and aim upward. I let it go, and…nothing. I let out a sigh and walk further into the woods, still using the earth element as my guide. I can hear a squirrel close by climbing up a tree and a bird flying through the air and landing on a branch close by. I keep walking, not sure if I’m walking further into the woods or if I’m headed toward the Compound. My guess is the first, since I can’t hear any voices. It’s just the sounds of my feet hitting the forest floor and my breathing, accompanied by the occasional forest animal.

  Then I hear an owl hoot. It’s faint, but it’s coming from my left, so I turn and slowly make my way in that direction. It hoots again; this time it’s even louder. I grab another arrow and place it in the bow. I pause, listening and feeling the earth under my feet. I can feel the soft vibrations coming from a nearby tree. There’s a whooshing sound, and then I feel the air move as if something flew right by me. I aim high in the sky, focusing on the sound of the owl’s large wings flapping in the air.

  I release the arrow.

  A loud screeching sound pierces my ears, indicating that I didn’t miss my intended target.

  “One more,” Artemis’s voice echoes through the trees.

  I inhale sharply, finally feeling confident in myself. But then I remember that cougars are stealthy, and you won’t know one is near until it’s too late. I guess that animal elective class I chose to take in high school is starting to pay off.

  I reach for another arrow, but I hear a soft noise from behind me. I freeze, careful not to make any sudden movements. I concentrate on the vibrations. They’re subtle, but I can feel the cougar walking toward me, crouched low. I follow her progress onto a nearby boulder about 10 feet away.

  Suddenly, the hunter becomes the hunted.

  She emits a low growl, and I can hear her push herself off the boulder and into the air. I quickly grab an arrow and lean backward. But she swipes at the bow, effectively knocking it out of my hands, and I fall to the ground. She growls again, and from the vibrations, I can tell she’s circling me. I listen to her even, steady breathing. She’s calm and calculating her next move as she stalks around me. She is in her element, but what she doesn’t know is that I am finally in mine. Her sharp claws scrape the ground as she lunges forward, but I grab her fur, and using all my strength, I roughly toss her into the boulder.

  I bend over, my hands quickly finding my bow, picking it up, and lining an arrow up just as the cougar gets to her feet. She hisses and lunges at me again. I release the arrow, but her large body smacks into mine and we fall to the ground. I scream as I fight to get her off me, then her weight disappears, and I’m left lying on the ground, breathing heavily.

  “You may remove the blindfold, little one.” Artemis’s voice calms my erratic nerves.

  I slowly sit up, and when I take the blindfold off, Artemis is standing there. The owl is perched on her arm, the doe is standing next to her eating some berries that are on a bush, and the cougar is lying down on the ground, calm as ever.

  “How do you feel?” Artemis asks. With a wave of her hand, the animals shimmer away, and I’m left staring in awe at the spots they were just in.

  “That was really intense,” I admit, collapsing back down on the ground, suddenly exhausted.

  “Take away one sense, the others have to make up for it,” Artemis says, coming over and kneeling down in beside me. “It’s getting late, and we are finished for the day. You did well. You should be proud of yourself.”

  She stands and holds her hand out. I grab it, and she pulls me to my feet.

  “How long were we at this?” I ask as we make our way back to the Compound.

  “A few hours. I believe everyone else is finished for the day as well,” Artemis tells me.

  “Oh, wow. It seemed like that went by quickly,” I say, wiping the sweat beading on my forehead.

  Artemis laughs. “Time does seem to stop when you hunt.”

  “Can I ask you a question?” I say, not sure if I’m ready for her answer.

  “Yes, little one. You can ask me anything.”

  I inhale sharply. “Do you really think we can defeat Isabella?”

  “I think you have the means to defeat her, yes. But my brother has told me of the future, and the outcome is still the same. What changes is how you get to that moment,” she answers. “Fate will not allow me to tell you what happens.”

  “How come?” I wonder.

  “The Fates are in charge of the prophecies. Even though one can change course, it will still take you down the same path to your destiny. Knowing the outcome won’t change anything. It will only delay the inevitable,” Artemis explains.

  “What if I don’t delay? What if we can bring the fight to her?” I prod.

  Artemis chuckles. “You’re more like me than any of the others have been.” She pauses for a moment before continuing. “Fate would stand in the way, and that’s something that you are just going to have to accept. My brother’s visions are always changing, so if I tell you today what Fate holds in store, it could very well change tomorrow.”

  “That’s easier said than done, but oddly makes sense,” I admit.

  I’ll just have to accept the fact that whatever I choose to do will lead me down the right path, where I can stop Isabella before she unleashes hell on earth and not after. Because if she succeeds, that will open up a whole new can of worms…so to speak. I start to wonder where that saying came from when we finally make it to the clearing and Hunter is standing there waiting for us, looking as handsome as ever in a long-sleeved V-neck shirt and dark blue jeans.

  “Don’t worry. I will make sure you two have an uninterrupted evening tonight. You both deserve it.” Artemis smiles down at me, then looks at Hunter. She nods, shimmering out of sight.

  “You were out there for a while. Everything all right? Why are you covered in blood?” Hunter asks as I approach him.

  I glance down, and what do you know? I am covered in blood.

  I look back up at him. “It’s not mine. Just a cougar’s blood.”

  “You want to run that by me again? Did you just say cougar?” Hunter lifts a brow, his eyes glowing faintly.

  “Yeah. It was just an intense training session,” I begin to tell him as he laces his fingers through mine. “She blindfolded me, and I had to hunt a doe, an owl, and a cougar. I had to rely on my other senses to hunt.” I rest my head on his arm a
s we walk along the pathway.

  “Wow. How did you do?” He asks as we approach the steps to our cabin.

  “I think I did pretty well. I mean, I managed to sink an arrow into all three. Luckily, they weren’t hurt. I don’t think I could have done it if Artemis hadn’t told me they would be okay.” I turn to face Hunter as we reach the front door. “That was the most exhilarating, but most terrifying time of my life. I thought for sure I was cougar food for a minute there.”

  Hunter chuckles and places his fingers under my chin. “I’m so glad you weren’t cougar food. Then I couldn’t do this.”

  He leans down and brushes his lips against mine. I’m just about to get lost in him when I pull back.

  “Wait! I need to take you somewhere. Give me thirty minutes!” I peck his lips, then rush inside and upstairs to our bathroom to get ready, leaving him standing outside on the porch.

  I had already showered before walking down to meet Aria, so I sit down on the couch and flip on the TV while I wait for her. I hear footsteps and glance up to look at my girl. She’s wearing black skinny jeans with her Converse and a white sweater. Her platinum blonde hair falls in soft waves down her shoulders, falling just under her breasts. Dressed up or down, my girl is the most beautiful being I have ever laid eyes on. I’ve noticed that whenever Artemis is around, Aria will steal a glance up at me every now and then, but Artemis doesn’t even hold a candle to Aria. When all the men’s—and some women’s—eyes are all on the goddess, mine are always on my girl.

  “You ready?” she asks, pulling me from my thoughts.

  “Oh yeah,” I smirk, jumping up from the couch and turning the TV off.

  I follow her outside and let her lead me down the pathway back down to the woods. We silently walk hand-in-hand through the trees. The smell of water hits my nose, and it’s not long until I can hear the rustling of water nearby.

  When we finally reach the stream, there’s an intricate bridge made of vine hovering over the water.

  “You did this?” I ask.

  She nods. Then she closes her eyes, and tiny pebbles float in the air around us. I watch as she uses the fire element to heat the stones and then casts water on them to give them their soft glow. She moves them through the air and over the bridge, creating a beautiful, romantic scene. She holds out both of her hands, and I don’t hesitate, placing my palms in hers.

  “Close your eyes,” she whispers.

  I obey. I trust this woman with my life, and I’d follow her to the ends of the earth if she’d ask me too.

  “Keep them closed, okay?”

  I nod, then feel her lips on mine for a brief second before she pulls away and leads me forward.

  “What are you doing?” I ask, voice pitched low. I’m tempted to peek as the bottom of my boots hit the vine bridge underneath them, but for Aria, I keep them closed.

  “Just wait,” she replies.

  A few seconds pass before we stop walking, and then I suddenly feel her cool palms on my cheeks.

  “Open your eyes.”

  The first thing I notice when I open my eyes is my girl. She’s smiling up at me, her face pale, and her nose pink from the brisk night. Then something catches my eye behind her, and that’s when I notice the white flakes falling all around us.

  “Is this what I think it is?” I ask, eyes growing wide at the beautiful scene in front of me.

  “You’ve always said that you love the snow, but it rarely ever snows in Louisiana. I—”

  I cut her off by crashing my lips onto hers, showing her how much I love her instead of just telling her. I pull back and look around, then back down at her, and she’s beaming with pride in herself. I smile, then shift into my wolf and start to run. The snow feels cool against my paws as I leap around, and her laugh, like always, is music to my ears when I open my mouth to catch snowflakes on my tongue. I can’t even remember the last time it snowed down here in the bayou. I remember taking trips up north to the mountains as a kid with my parents and Bennett, and they would have to bribe me off the slopes. Of course, Bennett and I would shift late and night and run all over that mountain in the snow, but be back in time before my parents woke up.

  I open the link. This is amazing, baby.

  Do you like it? she asks.

  I stop running to look over at her, and she has a smile on her face as she watches me run around in the snow. I trot back over, shifting back right as I get to the edge of the bridge, then I take two strides toward her and cup both her cheeks.

  “I love it,” I whisper, then I brush my lips against hers. I pull back slightly to look into my favorite pair of pale green eyes. “Thank you, but you didn’t have to do this.”

  Aria reaches up to grip my wrists. “I know, but I wanted to. You’ve given me so much, and I just wanted to do something special for you.”

  “Have I ever told you how amazing you are?” I chuckle, kissing her softly.

  “Not today,” she replies in between kisses.

  “You’re amazing.” I peck her lips once more before I bring her in for an embrace.

  “Hang on!” Aria pulls away from me and walks over to a tree stump, pulling out a backpack.

  She comes back over to me, setting the bag down and pulling out a blanket. I help her lay it out on the bridge, then I sit, bringing her onto my lap.

  “This is perfect,” I remark, kissing her temple.

  “Thanks. I just thought we could get away from the chaos that is our life for a while.” She lays her head back on my shoulder, and I inhale my favorite scent of lavender and vanilla. “Kat is the only other person who knows about this spot. We agreed to have an open-door policy for the wolves since you’re the Alpha, but I figured we could have a place that’s ours and ours alone.”

  “Good thinking.” I pull her closer to me, and we just sit in silence for a few moments, just enjoying being here together.

  She starts picking on the sleeves of my black long-sleeved shirt, which is a sign that she has something on her mind.

  “Want to talk about it?” I ask.

  She turns in my lap, placing her legs on either side of me. As much as I love her in this position, I have to will my dick to stand down.

  “I want to ask you something,” she says, sucking in her bottom lip and looking away.

  I place my fingers under her chin. “Hey, you can ask me anything. You know that.”

  “I know. Okay. So, I was wondering if maybe we can invite Dani, Kyler, Zach, and Haylee to the Compound to stay with us. Just until we defeat Isabella,” she says quickly. “I mean, I know we have to protect the world, and I feel bad, but we can’t invite everyone. I know how shitty that sounds but—”

  I cut her off by kissing her again. “Baby, it’s all right. I was actually thinking the same thing too. My dad never allowed humans on the Compound, but that was because they don’t know about us. But I’m the Alpha now, and they know our secret. We can invite them to stay.”

  She smiles. “Thank you.”

  She goes to turn around, but I grab her hips. “Where do you think you’re going? I made a promise, and now that I’ve got you alone...”

  I trail off, moving her hair behind her shoulders and kissing her neck.

  A soft moan escapes her lips as I nip at the sensitive spot behind her ear. My fingers reach for the hem of her sweater and lift it over her head. Her hair cascades back down over her lacy maroon-colored bra. She reaches for the bottom of my shirt, and I help her lift it over my head. She runs her hands up my arms, over my shoulders, and into my hair, where she curls her fingers in the strands. I growl when she sucks my bottom lip between her teeth, and I grip her hips as she grinds into my erection, being careful not to grip too hard in case she’s still sore.

  I lift her up and gently set her down on the blanket, kissing her jaw, her collarbone, then down her chest. My lips graze across the tattoo that’s on her ribs, then I make sure to kiss each bruise, just like I did this morning. When I get to the top of her jeans, I pop the button open
, then pull them down her legs, agonizingly slow apparently for Aria, since she already kicked off her shoes and is writhing underneath me, practically panting for me to touch her.

  My breath catches in my throat as I realize she’s wearing panties that match her bra. “Shit. You planned this, didn’t you?”

  “Mm-hmm.” She bites her lip, then quickly wraps her legs around me and pulls me back down to her.

  My palms slam down on either side of her head as her fingers lightly trail from my chest down my stomach until they find the buttons on my jeans. I close my eyes as she reaches into my pants and wraps her hands around my dick. She slowly starts to jerk me off, and when she starts to quicken her pace, I groan as I lean down to kiss her fiercely.

  I need these clothes off now.

  I push myself up and quickly take my pants off.

  I’m harder than a fucking rock and if I don’t get inside her, I might combust.

  Who the fuck am I kidding? I will combust if I don’t get inside her soon.

  Aria has different plans though, because she sits up and forces me down on my back, and before I know it, she’s straddling me. She runs her hand through her hair, pushing it back away from her face. She smirks, then leans down, mimicking the same path I took on her. I close my eyes again and drop my head back, savoring the feeling of her lips on me. Her hands start to slowly stroke me again, and I start to thrust my hips forward, but then something wet hits the tip.

  “Fuck,” I hiss when I feel her tongue on my dick.

  I pick my head up and my gaze locks with hers with her mouth around me.

  Hot. As. Fuck.

  I drop my head back down, opening the link. Holy shit, that feels so fucking good.

  She moans as she bobs her head up and down, swirling her tongue on the tip as she goes all the way down. The vibration of her moan causes my toes to curl, and I gently place my hand on her head, moving her hair out of the way as I watch her take me with her mouth.

  “Baby,” I groan when she begins to use her hand and her mouth, working me up so much that I start to get the feeling I’m going to come soon.