ReAwakened Read online

  A high school band was setting up near the dance floor. I watched Hunter’s eyes drift to the scene, pausing longingly on the electric guitar. When he noticed me looking, he quickly averted his gaze.

  “I’m gonna check out the snacks,” he said, leaving the group before we could protest.

  “And I’m gonna go hide from my parents’ friends,” Seth moaned as the elderly couple I had overheard gossiping motioned in our direction.

  “Speaking of your parents, where are they?” I asked. “I didn’t see them at the ceremony.”

  “They’re trekking across Asia on an anniversary trip,” Seth explained. “My mom’s never been, and she really wants to see all of it. Thankfully, it’s a very large continent, so they’ll be gone for a while. I’m kinda hoping they decide to extend their trip indefinitely, because I’m not ready to explain this yet.” He held up his ring.

  Brooke gasped. “They still don't know you're a vampire?”

  Seth shook his head. “Nope. I've been very good at hiding my transformation. I’ve pretty much lived reclusively like a vamp for as long as I can remember—staying up all night to play video games, never going out unless I absolutely had to—so it wasn't such a huge change once I actually became one. Especially since the strength and stamina part didn’t come naturally. If anything, I’ve actually started eating healthier since introducing garlic into my diet, and I even venture out of my basement game room now.” He was quiet for a moment, before adding, “But it hasn’t been easy. I feel like I’ve been dodging bullets all summer. “

  “More like, you’ve been dodging wooden stakes,” Brooke giggled. “Your parents are going to re-kill you when they find out about this.”

  Seth shot her a stern glare. “This wouldn’t have been an issue in the first place if it wasn't for you.”

  “Whatever, you love being a vampire,” she said, poking him in the ribs. “It makes you feel all heroic and manly.”

  “Shut up,” he growled.

  “We're here for you, Seth,” Sophie said, trying to steer him away from Brooke’s teasing. “When your parents come back, we'll deal with it as a team.”

  “Sophie’s right,” I added, nodding. “But you should probably tell them soon. Now that you're an official guardian, it’ll be hard to hide.”

  “Don’t worry, even if I don’t tell them, my little brother will. I’m pretty sure he was born for the sole purpose of making my life a living hell,” Seth muttered, then noticing that his parents’ friends were drawing near, rushed off to hide.

  I glanced around the park for what seemed like the hundredth time. People milled about, some chatting merrily, others crowding the dance floor, but there was one person—or more specifically, one vampire—who was still nowhere to be seen.

  Observing my brief scan, Sophie smiled reassuringly. “I'm sure that Sebastian will be here soon.”

  “Why didn't you just ask him to pick you up?” Brooke asked.

  “He shouldn’t have to pick me up,” I retorted. “It’s not like we're a couple or anything. And even if we were...” I trailed off, unable to finish that thought. The c-word wasn’t something I was comfortable discussing. Relationships were a complicated, foreign concept; one that I didn’t have time to explore.

  Brooke groaned. “Couple or not, isn't he like from the eighteen hundreds? Chivalry isn't dead, you know.”

  “I can't believe you actually know what the word chivalry means,” Sophie said, laughing.

  “Brooke's vocabulary is very extensive when it comes to talking about guys,” I teased, relieved that the conversation had shifted away from Sebastian.

  Brooke didn’t laugh with us. Instead, her blue eyes widened as she became transfixed by something behind me. And that’s when I saw him. Except, it wasn't a him. It was a them.

  Sebastian wore a crisp, black tux, sans bowtie, the top few buttons of his white dress shirt unfastened to reveal his neck and collarbone. Even underneath all of the heavy fabric encompassing his tall frame, his lean muscles rippled as he strode forward. His hair was gelled, but unruly enough so that his curls escaped all confines, cascading down his forehead to tease the tops of his dark eyebrows and long lashes.

  Clinging to his arm was a beautiful, tall redhead. She wore a dress so short it defied even Brooke’s limits. The thin indigo fabric hugged her every curve, leaving little to the imagination. A red ruby necklace encircled her neck, the large stones blazing like fire against her light caramel skin. Her bright hair fanned out into wild flames, its long layers licking her bare shoulders and back.

  Sebastian glanced around the crowd, completely ignoring me. His eyes were dark, shrouded by sinister gray clouds. For a moment, I thought that he was going to head in our direction, but then he whispered something in the girl's ear and they turned toward the refreshment table instead.

  I glanced over at Sophie and Brooke, putting on what I hoped was a mask of indifference. My acting skills failed me, because both girls began talking at once.

  “I'm sure it's not what it looks like.” Sophie's meek voice held a note of pity.

  Brooke's, on the other hand, was laced with anger. “What the heck is he thinking?”

  “There must be a reasonable explanation for his actions.”

  “Ugh. Could that dress be any shorter?”

  “She's probably just a friend.”

  “You're way prettier than her, Dawn.”

  “Maybe she's his cousin?” Sophie asked hopefully.

  Brooke snorted. “Yeah, if you mean kissing cousin.”

  I raised my hands to quiet them.

  “I already told you, Sebastian and I aren't a couple,” I said, trying to expel the memory of being in his arms. I plastered on my best fake smile. “It’s not a big deal. Really.”

  The girls showered me with sympathetic smiles, but when their sympathy turned to pity, I had to bite my tongue and say, “Forget about Sebastian. Isn’t this our party?”

  “You’re right!” Brooke exclaimed, grabbing our hands and leading us in the direction of the blaring music. “We've got a dance floor to tear up!”

  I cringed at the thought of having to dance, but it seemed like a better alternative to moping around. As we made our way across the park, I tried to avoid looking in the direction of the refreshment table, but my curiosity got the best of me and I chanced a peek at Sebastian. He was standing by the Blood Cola, facing me. The girl—who was clearly a vampire as evidenced by her own bloody drink choice—stood in front of him, speaking in a hushed tone, her words inaudible even to my sensitive hearing. Sebastian nodded every so often, but his gaze fluttered around in a non-committal fashion.

  My own gaze had lingered a moment too long because all of a sudden, his silver eyes met mine. My heart pounded wildly against my chest, partly because I’d been caught in the act of secret observation, but also from the frightening intensity of his glare. Gone were all traces of the warmth that he had regarded me with less than a day ago. If anything, he seemed to be forcefully willing me away. The cold, stormy look sent a chill down my spine.

  In that moment, the redhead caught on to his stare. She turned, and followed his eyes to me. A brief spark of something ominous—fear, perhaps—ignited in Sebastian’s eyes as she glanced from me to him, and back again. Narrowing her eyes, she spun on her heel and began stalking in my direction, pulling Sebastian along by the arm. For a split second, I considered running, but instead chose to keep my feet firmly planted. A brand-new Dawn, Brooke had dubbed me. No running. No weaknesses. Even if there was a gorgeous, fiery goddess strutting her extremely tall heels in my direction. Even if Sebastian's eyes seemed filled with worry.

  Before I had a chance to brace myself, she materialized in front of me. She gave me a quick once-over, then glanced back at Sebastian.

  “Who is this, Sebastian?” she purred in a velvety voice, the trace of a Spanish accent making the rather ordinary words sound sultry. My skin prickled at the way his name rolled off her tongue, each syllable lingering a little t
oo long for my liking.

  Sebastian avoided my eyes. “She's no one. Let's go.”

  He may as well have thrown a bucket of ice water on me.

  The redhead gazed at me intently. Her eyes, I noticed, were an unusual, golden color.

  “Hmm...She’s too pretty to be a no one,” she finally said. “Are you hiding something from me, Bast?”

  Bast? It took all of my willpower not to scoff at the ridiculous nickname. And to remember to inhale and exhale.

  “I'm not hiding anything,” Sebastian retorted. “She's just one of the vampires in town.”

  Brooke and Sophie—who had walked ahead of me toward the dance floor—had made their way back, positioning themselves on either side of my body. They linked their arms through mine in a tender, but firm manner as if they feared I would attack Sebastian’s date. Or perhaps, they could tell I was on the verge of crumbling.

  “I told you that I wanted to meet all of the vampires in Angel Creek,” the girl said, pouting. “You simply must introduce us.” She flashed a toothy smile in our direction.

  Sebastian sighed.

  He looked over at Sophie. “Sophie.”

  Then Brooke. “Brooke.”

  Finally me. “Dawn.”

  Just like that, I was simply Dawn. The discomfort that had been growing within me blossomed into a full blown wave of nausea as I tried to bury all lingering memories of his kisses.

  Sebastian then turned to the redhead. I did not want to know her name. I already had a perfectly fitting nickname for her in my head. “This is Selena Alvaro.”

  “Please call me Lena.” The girl smiled, extending a manicured hand.

  I shook it politely. Whatever Sebastian's issue was, I wasn't going to give him the satisfaction of showing that I cared.

  “Do you know Bast well?” she asked me.

  Ugh. That nickname again.

  “I guess not,” I replied curtly, shooting him a pointed look. “He's just one of the vampires in town.” A tiny spark of pain flashed on Sebastian’s face, barely noticeable against his set jaw and stoic glare.

  “So how do you know Bast?” Brooke asked sweetly.

  “Oh, we go way back,” Lena said, seemingly oblivious to Brooke’s mocking tone. “You could say we're practically family.”

  “Cousins?” Sophie asked, still clinging to her theory.

  “Or kissing cousins?” Brooke questioned, shooting Sebastian a cold look.

  Lena smiled up at Sebastian. “A long, long time ago Bast spent a few years in Mexico, living with my family,” she explained.

  I recalled Sebastian telling me about his time in Mexico, training with an underground vampire clan. They had taught him to survive, changed him from the beast he saw himself as into a more humane vampire. He had failed to mention the beautiful perk that had come with those lessons.

  “I grew up with him by my side,” Lena continued. “Literally. I'm a Born, you know. A rare type of vampire. There are only few of us in the world. I don't suppose you know any Born in Angel Creek, do you?” she asked, looking directly at me.

  Brooke smirked. “Well, actu—”

  “No!” Sebastian growled. Then, gaining control of his voice, he added, “I already told you, Lena, there are no Born in Angel Creek. Your father’s reports were wrong.”

  From behind her, his eyes met mine. He shook his head ever so slightly. In that moment, I desperately wished vampires actually possessed the kind of magical mind-reading powers that Hollywood always bestowed upon us.

  Lena didn’t look convinced. “Are you sure that—”

  “Let's dance.” With those words, Sebastian placed his hand on Lena’s back and led her to the dance floor. She protested at first, muttering something about “having to find the Born,” then gave into his embrace. I closed my eyes, hoping that somehow, by the time I opened them, the image in front of me would have vanished. Instead, I saw Sebastian and Lena moving in perfect timing to the slow rhythm of the music.

  With a heavy heart, I turned my back on them and walked away from the dance floor. Jealousy was a foreign feeling, and I was furious at myself for allowing it to encompass me. At the same time, I was drowning in a sea of anger for letting myself fall for Sebastian in the first place. Meeting him had forced my mind to create room for emotions that only served to make me less competent at my job—emotions that should never have gotten the best of me. I had to focus on the only two things that really mattered: training and studying. I didn’t need anything else. Except, perhaps, an exciting mission every once in a while.

  Absorbed in thought, I failed to notice the figure that had unexpectedly appeared in front of me. I halted mere inches from Ethan’s chest.

  “Dawn!” he said, giving me an affectionate smile. “I’ve been looking all over for you!” His hazel eyes lit up as he took me in. “I’m sorry I missed the ceremony. I went to see my mom today and our visit took longer than expected.”

  Ethan’s mother, Amelia Summers, had been institutionalized after she and my uncle had attempted to kill both Ethan and me. She had later tried to help us escape from Viktor, but her wounds were deep and abundant. Both she and Ethan had agreed that it would be best for her to receive around-the-clock psychological attention in the hope that she would get better again.

  “You didn’t miss much,” I told him, quickly rehashing the events of the ceremony.

  “I’ve heard that Mayor Rivers’ speeches are absolutely riveting,” Ethan joked, winking.

  “Oh, definitely.” My words were drenched in sarcasm. “I believe he called us strong, clever, and capable. There may even have been some irreplaceable, brilliant, and extraordinary thrown in there. Most of the speech was one big, fake thesaurus recitation.”

  Ethan threw his head back and laughed. The diminishing sun’s rays bounced off his golden hair, their glow igniting a warm, soothing spark deep within my chest. It was hard to feel glum around him. He had a way of drawing you into his world and making you forget about your own troubles. The longer I listened to his soft southern accent, the faster the dark clouds of my foul mood dissipated.

  Suddenly, there was a lull in the conversation, and I found myself looking over my shoulder at the dance floor. Ethan studied me as I watched Sebastian and Lena, then slowly took my hand and said, “Let’s dance.”

  “Uhh, no. Let’s not,” I said, digging the heels of my boots into the ground.

  A pained look crossed his face. “You don’t want to dance?”

  “More like, I can’t dance.” I sighed. “You go, I’ll wait here.”

  “Dawn, you’ve faced an army of rogue vamps by yourself, and you’re telling me that you’re afraid of a little music?” Ethan laughed. “I won’t take no for an answer,” he said, gently dragging me behind him to the dance floor. We arrived just as a slow song came to an end and a more upbeat tempo flooded the air.

  I groaned. “I definitely can’t dance to this.”

  Ethan grabbed my hand, bringing me to him. “Here, I’ll show you.”

  Following his lead, I tried to relax and move my body to the beat. There were too many twists, turns, and spins involved in the routine, so I treated the dance like a fight sequence and slowly picked up the moves. I was glad to be dancing to a fast song with Ethan; it kept things fun and friendly.

  Beside us, Brooke swayed against Seth. She made sure we all knew that it was “just a pity dance,” but Sophie shot me a there’s-more-to-it-than-pity look right before Pete swept her up into his arms. She gave out a tiny squeak of surprise, eliciting laughter from our entire circle.

  I dared to sneak a glance at Sebastian and Lena. They had moved away from the dance floor and were sipping Blood Colas. Well, Lena was sipping the drink. Sebastian was holding his cup to his lips, shooting daggers in Ethan’s direction. If I had thought his eyes were cold before, his glare had now turned to ice. The plastic cup was crumpling in his tight grip, causing small droplets of red liquid to trickle down his hand.

  His frosty look caught me off-gua
rd, and I missed a step, stumbling out of Ethan’s grasp. My ankle twisted as I fell to the ground. I managed to get up before anyone except Sebastian and Ethan realized what had happened, but the fall caused a small grass stain on my dress.

  “I better clean up before Brooke sees this,” I told Ethan, excusing myself as I dashed off toward the inn.

  I had never ventured inside the castle-like manor, and excitement coursed through me at the realization that I was finally going to catch a glimpse of the place that had been Sebastian’s family residence for many generations. The large structure had been built in 1805 by his great-grandfather, Henry Hamilton, and the Hamilton-York family had lived there until the tragedy. The thoughts of the family’s misfortune drew my eyes to the memorial plaque in front of the inn. Etched in black ink on a stone tablet were the names and images of Sebastian, his parents and his two siblings, Christopher and Grace.

  I pulled open the heavy wooden door leading to an empty grand hall and was instantly transported back in time. Though it was still daylight, the lace curtains on the widows subdued the light, making the room appear dim and musty. Two old portraits hung on the wall above a stone fireplace: one of a beautiful dark-haired woman, the other of a stately blond man. The style of artwork, their clothing, and the woman’s beautiful black curls hinted at the fact that they were Sebastian’s great-grandparents, Henry and Angela Hamilton. The portraits were positioned in such a fashion that it looked as if they were gazing at each other, and though neither was smiling, they shared a mutual affection in their eyes.

  Hypnotized by the paintings, I stood in front of the fireplace for what seemed like hours, when suddenly, I felt a strong hand on my shoulder. Reflexively, I grabbed the wrist as I spun and readied for a fight.