Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3) Read online

  “Blaine!” I roar. “What the fuck was that?”

  I reach for the collar of his shirt and bring his face close to mine.

  “Your back hits the ground, you’re out. What part of that did you not understand?” I say through gritted teeth.

  “The job was to protect the flag. That’s what I was doing,” Blaine spits back, narrowing his eyes at me.

  I release him so hard that he falls to the ground.

  “Stay. Down,” I command, glaring down at him when he goes to get up

  I take a few moments to calm my ass down before I start to speak again.

  “The point of this exercise is to work together as a pack. Aria…” I point in her direction for emphasis. “…is a part of this pack, whether you like it or not. Ares challenged Aria to beat him. We are there to back her up. This plan of hers will work, but everyone needs to be on board. Whatever hatred you have toward her puts the pack in jeopardy, and that’s how people get killed. She isn’t very fond of you either, but guess what? She set her feelings aside and saved your life a few weeks ago. You’re a strong fighter, Blaine, but I won’t have shifters in my pack that won’t protect their family. So, you either fall in line or get out, and if you don’t do either, then I’ll force you out. I’m leaving the choice up to you, so choose wisely.”

  I clench my jaw, staring at him for an extra moment, before turning around and going for my girl. Declan is sitting next to her as she leans against a boulder, and Grace is helping her take a sip of water, but she moves out of the way for me.

  I touch the bump on her head from where the impact was. She hisses, and I quickly move my hand away. I don’t want to make it worse for her. I’m just glad she’s healing quickly. She hit her head pretty hard and a hit like that probably would have caused some major damage had she not been a demigod.

  “Sorry. Are you okay?” I ask.

  “Yeah, I’m fine. But I almost had you,” she laughs.

  “Almost.” I shrug.

  Commotion sounds behind me, and I know that’s Blaine getting up.

  “It was just a fucking game of capture the flag. I’m the one that protected it,” Blaine mumbles under his breath.

  Before I can get up, Aria places a hand on my face. I turn to look at her and she shakes her head.

  “Just let him go. He needs to go lick his wounds,” she whispers.

  However, Kat heard him too, so she turns in his direction.

  “Hey, Blaine!” she shouts after him, and he turns to her. “Don’t break your arm tonight while you jerk yourself off!”

  Blaine flips her off as he stalks off. Sloane, being the only friend he actually has on this Compound, runs off after him.

  Declan spits out his water as he laughs. “For fuck’s sake, Kat, where in the hell do you come up with this shit?”

  Kat shrugs. “No clue, dude. But damn, that was some fight. I’m stoked for this match with Ares!”

  “She’s right. I was telling Knox that I don’t think she would win any other way,” Grace starts to say, but her face falls slightly. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”

  Aria waves her off. “No, you’re absolutely right. I know which battles to choose to fight on my own and when I should probably ask for help. This is one of those times when I need to ask for help.”

  Declan places a hand over his heart. “Would you look at my sister? She’s all grown up.”

  Aria flips him off, and everyone laughs.

  “Okay, we’re done for the day. Everyone, rest up. We’ll get back at it again tomorrow,” I announce.

  The pack and witches all go their separate ways while I take Aria back to our cabin. We each take a shower, then grab some food from the cafeteria and bring it back home. Aria is perched on the floor, where she likes to sit when she eats, and I’m sitting on the couch.

  “You were great out there today with Blaine,” Aria says, eating a French fry.

  “Well, Blaine needs to get his shit together. I don’t want to lose him as a pack member, but like I said, I won’t tolerate his attitude anymore. We don’t have time to pick stupid fights. Not right now. There are too many lives at stake, and not just ours,” I say, taking a bite out of my burger. Well, my second burger. I already scarfed down the first.

  “I agree, and so does the rest of the pack. I saw you out there. You commanded that fight and you were in complete control. I have to admit, it’s kind of sexy.” She bites her lip.

  I set my burger down on the coffee table. Her eyes darken when I get up from the sofa and she slowly falls back as I move my body over hers. I don’t stop until I have her right where I want her: under me.

  “Kind of?” I whisper, leaning down and kissing the sensitive part of her neck behind her ear.

  Her breathing becomes heavy with every soft peck I leave on her body. “Okay, it was very sexy.”

  I crash my lips against hers in a scorching kiss, taking both of our breaths away.

  “That’s more like it,” I whisper.

  And just like that, dinner is completely forgotten while I get lost in my girl.

  “Ares returns today, little sister. You ready?” Declan asks from across the table in the barn, with Ciera perched in his lap.

  “Call me crazy, but I’m excited for today. I feel confident,” Aria responds, eating some fruit.

  I rest my hand on her leg, feeling the confidence ooze out of her. When she told me her plan, I thought it was brilliant, and having practiced it all week, I was able to see just how perfect it was.

  “You should be! You devised this masterpiece! Ares won’t see it coming,” Abby says, taking a bite out of an apple.

  “Well, he is Ares, the God of War, so just expect that he knows your plan,” Zayne pipes in, and everyone looks down the table at him. “I mean, it’s a good plan. All I’m saying is, expect the unexpected.”

  Aria grimaces. “Thanks for the pep talk, coach. I’m feeling really confident now.”

  I open the link to her. Don’t doubt yourself now, baby. You can do this.

  She glances over and gives me a small smile. She’s always believed in me, even when I didn’t believe in myself, so when my confident girl needs some reassurance, I will damn well be there to give it to her.

  Ciera glares at Zayne before turning her attention to Aria. “Even though he’s right, your scheme is brilliant. Even I wouldn’t have thought of it.”

  Declan kisses Ciera’s cheek. “Hey! I helped. But don’t worry, little sis. We’ve got your back.”

  “Hells yeah, we do!” Bennett reaches across the table with his fist, and Aria bumps it with hers. “Blondie is going to kick some major Olympian ass today!”

  Aria laughs. “I am nervous, but I believe in this plan. It’s going to work. It has to.”

  Her phone lights up, and she opens the message.

  She looks over at me with a huge smile on her face. “They’re here!”

  She quickly takes her plate and disposes it in the dish bin, then skips her way back over to the table. If she was nervous, she certainly isn’t anymore.

  “Come on! You need to meet them!” Aria grabs Abby and pulls her from her chair, then does the same for her brother and Ciera.

  Bennett, Zayne, and I share a look of amusement as we get up from the table and follow the others outside to meet our friends from Maryland. It’s so nice to see her excited for something. The last time she was even remotely this excited was when I was about to teach her how to shoot a bow and arrow. Although she really didn’t need any instruction; she just needed to trust herself.

  “It’s been a while since I’ve spoken to Zach or Kyler. It’ll be cool to catch up,” Zayne says as we make our way to the door.

  That last time we spoke about them around Zayne was the night we went to that amusement park. The night that Axton was killed.

  “Yeah, Dani and Haylee really helped Aria while we were staying with them, and they’ve formed a special bond. We actually ran into some vamps when we were there too, so she
and I both wanted to invite them here to keep them safe,” I explain.

  The majority of the wolves here don’t mind humans, as long as they don’t cause trouble. However, I did have to reassure some of the shifters and witches that our human friends are extremely good people who have kept our secret for a while now.

  “Oh, for real? That’s cool, and it makes sense that Aria would want them here.” Zayne shoves his hands in his pockets when we get outside.

  Just as I’m about to respond, someone jumps on my back and kisses me on the cheek. If it wasn’t for the platinum blonde hair and the scent of lavender and vanilla, I would have tossed whoever it was off.

  I laugh as I turn my head to look at my girl. My heart always skips a beat when she smiles.

  You’re beautiful, I tell her through the link.

  Thank you. You’re not so bad yourself, she replies.

  She kisses me, and then we make our way over to the parking lot to see our friends.

  “You guys made it,” I say just as Aria jumps down and runs over to Dani and Haylee, who are getting their bags out of a truck.

  They both set their bags down to give Aria a hug, and then Aria picks up Dani’s hand, examining her finger. It seems as though Kyler’s finally proposed. He told me he was going to while the girls were outside talking. I couldn’t be happier for them.

  “Yeah, we would have gotten here sooner if we didn’t have to stop every hour to let Haylee pee,” Zach jokes as he comes over to shake my hand and give me a hug, then he moves on to Bennett.

  “Ah, I missed you so much Zachy-poo. I thought I’d never see you again,” Bennett sniffles, but then laughs as Zach pushes him off.

  “Hey, this is your fault.” Haylee points down at her stomach and laughs as she comes over and gives me a hug. “It’s so good to see you again! And I like the hair!”

  I run my hand through shorter locks. “Thanks. Aria cut it a few weeks ago.”

  “She did a very nice job,” Haylee remarks. “Hey, Benny!”

  She reaches forward and gives Bennett a hug.

  “You would be proud of me, HailsBails. I am a changed man because of you. No more inappropriate pick-up lines come out of this mouth. Also, congrats on making a tiny human with Zachy-poo!” Bennett jokes.

  Haylee chuckles. “Oh, I’m sure you’ve been a stand-up guy, and thank you.”

  Then she looks over at Zayne.

  “Oh. Zach, Haylee, you guys remember Zayne? He’s actually one of the witches on the Compound.” I motion to Zayne, who leans forward and shakes their hands.

  “Yeah, I remember.” Zach shakes his hand, then looks around. “Wow. Again, I have to ask, am I about to see some fairies or something?” Zach asks, wrapping his arm around Haylee after she greets Zayne.

  Bennett snorts. “Fairies don’t exist, bro.”

  Then a figure shimmers into view behind them: Apollo.

  Bennett smirks at Zach, then nods his head in Apollo’s direction. “He exists, though.”

  Zach and Haylee slowly turn their heads, and Zach flinches.

  “Whoa. Where the fuck did you come from?” he gasps.

  Apollo looks at him quizzically. “Olympus.”

  Then he walks past where Aria is standing with everyone else. No doubt, she’s already introduced Kyler and Dani to her brother, Ciera, and Abby.

  Zach nods. “Olympus. Right. Because that’s completely normal.”

  “Breathe, man. Take it all in.” Bennett claps a hand down on Zach’s shoulder.

  Haylee beams as she looks up at me. “Was that a god? Like a real god?”

  I laugh. “Yeah, Hails. You just saw Apollo. They’re all coming back from Olympus today. If you’re up for it, Aria is supposed to take on Ares later. You guys are more than welcome to watch.”

  “Hi, guys. Watch what?” Aria asks as she gives Zach and Haylee hugs.

  “You,” I say.

  Aria looks at me and flushes. “Right. My match with Ares.”

  “Hey, did you guys see Apollo? This place is awesome!” Kyler says shaking mine and Bennett’s hands. “It’s good to see you guys again.”

  “I do believe congratulations are in order,” I remark.

  Kyler smiles as he glances over at Dani. “Thank you.”

  “Yes! MaiKy finally popped the question to Dani Girl! All is right in the world!” Bennett shouts.

  Everyone laughs. We all have kept in touch, so when I used the link to tell Bennett about Kyler’s plan to propose, he called and demanded he be invited to his bachelor party, or even have them come here so we can party it up.

  “I do believe we have yet to be formally introduced,” Bennett says, grabbing Dani’s hand and kissing it. “I’m Bennett, Hunter’s best friend and Beta.”

  “I’ve heard a lot about you.” Dani smiles, but politely pulls her hand back as Kyler, Zach, Haylee, and I roll our eyes.

  Bennett winks. “Don’t believe everything you hear.”

  “Actually, do believe everything you hear.” Aria laughs.

  Bennett shoots her a look.

  “Don’t look at me like that unless you want to see my right hook!” she warns.

  Bennett stands up straight. “Nope. I’ll be a good little wolf.”

  Haylee snorts.

  Dani turns and gives me a hug, then hands me a container. “Thank you for letting us stay here. I made these for you, and I’m more than happy to make more.”

  I smile. “You are the absolute best, Dani. Thank you!”

  Aria looks at Zach and Haylee. “Oh, sorry! With all the excitement I forgot to introduce you guys. Zach, Haylee, this is my best friend, Abby.” She motions to Abby, who smiles and waves while Zayne and Kyler shake hands. “And this is my brother, Declan, and his girlfriend, Ciera.”

  “‘Sup, man?” Declan slaps Zach’s hand and shakes Haylee’s.

  Ciera gives them each a warm smile and shakes their hands as well.

  “They look exactly the same, but so different. It’s the weirdest thing.” Zach looks between Aria and Declan.

  “Kind of like Lauren and Kate?” Kyler asks.

  “Yeah. So weird.” Zach shakes his head.

  “Who’s Lauren and Kate?” Declan asks, pulling Ciera into his arms.

  “My sisters,” Kyler responds.

  A look of sadness crosses everyone’s features, and Aria looks up at me.

  I nod. “Hey, don’t worry about them, man. I’ll send some wolves out to be on the lookout.”

  I clap a hand on his shoulder, and he relaxes.

  “Thanks. I really appreciate it.” Kyler gives me a small smile.

  “How about we get you all settled in? Zachy-Poo and HailsBails, you’re with me—” Bennett starts to say.

  “No!” Aria and I shout together.

  “Ugh! It was worth a shot. Fine, but if Clyde murders me in my sleep, it’s on you.” Bennett picks up a suitcase and starts walking.

  “Who’s Clyde?” Dani asks as Aria, Zayne, and I pitch in to help them carry all of their stuff.

  Declan and Ciera promised little Maggie they would hang out for a while, so they leave to go do their thing. As we lead the way, we explain everything to them. We drop Zach and Haylee off with Grace at her cabin, and Bennett decides to stay to help them get settled in. The rest of us continue to walk with Kyler and Dani over to Abby’s cabin.

  “This is where you’ll be staying,” Aria explains as we get to the steps.

  “Wow. This is really nice,” Dani comments after we get inside.

  “Yeah, it’s not much, but it is home,” Abby says, leading the way up to Luna’s old room. “You guys will be staying in my mom’s old room, but don’t worry. I changed the sheets and put fresh towels and stuff in there. I wasn’t sure how much you’d be packing.”

  “Where’s your mom?” Kyler asks.

  Abby frowns, and her eyes flick to Aria’s for a moment.

  “Oh, sorry. I didn’t mean...” Kyler trails off and grabs the back of his neck.

  “No,
it’s okay. She left a few weeks ago and I haven’t really heard from her much.” Abby gives him a reassuring smile, but it doesn’t reach her eyes.

  “No need to explain, Abby.” Kyler nods.

  A body shimmers into the room. Dani screams and Kyler puts her behind him in a protective stance. I guess they didn’t notice Apollo’s grand entrance earlier.

  Ares looks at them and lifts a brow. “Well, it’s been a while since I came into contact with mere mortals.” He spins and looks at Aria. “Hello, love. Did you miss me?”

  I roll my eyes and open the link to Aria. I swear, I’m ready to kick his ass whenever you are.

  I’ve got this, Aria tells me.

  “No, I didn’t miss you,” she says out loud.

  Ares smirks. “One hour.”

  And with that, he’s gone.

  “Perfect!” Abby squeals, then grabs Aria and drags her out of the room.

  “What did we just witness?” Dani asks, stepping out from behind Kyler.

  I shrug as I feel the tug and open the link.

  Save me! She’s making me change my clothes, Aria tells me.

  I laugh out loud.

  “Not funny!” Aria shouts from Abby’s room.

  “You guys just did that linky thing, didn’t you?” Kyler points between me and the doorway.

  I nod.

  “Honey, we aren’t in Kansas anymore,” Dani jokes.

  “No shit,” Kyler replies.

  All of the wolves and witches are lined up in a circle surrounding Ares. I’ve got Bennett on my right and Knox on my left. Our human friends are surrounded by wolves just in case things turn south, which I highly doubt they will. We’ve been training hard all week for this moment.

  But part of me is still worried about my girl. She’s the one who’s going to be taking him on first. I’ve had my fair share of one-on-one matches with him, and I know how hard he punches and how quick he is on his feet.

  Maybe I should rephrase. I’m more worried that I won’t be able to stop myself from stepping in before I’m supposed to and ruining the whole plan. Sometimes I just can’t help my protective instincts, especially whenever it involves Aria.

  “So, Aria is supposed to beat Ares, the God of War?” Zach asks, lifting a brow.