Rising Sun (The Awakened Trilogy Book 3) by Amanda Carol

Author:Amanda Carol [Carol, Amanda]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2020-05-26T05:00:00+00:00

Declan takes off toward the schoolhouse to see if Ciera and Maggie are still there, and I start walking back to my cabin. I’m glad I was able to see my mom before leaving for the Underworld, and I’m even happier that I got to sit with her, if only just for a little while. It gives me more of a reason to stay strong through all of this. With the protection of the wolves and witches, I know she will be in good hands while I’m gone. It makes this moment of leaving her a little easier, knowing that she will be here when I get back.

When I get inside our cabin, I notice Haku is sitting on the couch.

“Hi, Haku. Is everything all right?” I ask, glancing around the room to see if anyone else is here. Then I hear someone upstairs with Hunter.

“It’s Lydia. She wanted to sit with him again,” Haku says in answer to my unspoken question.

I nod, coming over and sitting down on the coffee table across from him.

“Thank you,” I whisper.

He looks at me curiously.

“For being there for her,” I clarify. “I know it means a lot to Hunter.”

He smiles, but it doesn’t reach his brown eyes. “I know what loss feels like. My wife was human, and I lost her and my unborn son during childbirth complications.” He pulls out his wallet and hands me a picture. “What happened to them isn’t because I was a shifter and she was human. We can have children just like everyone else because of the human gene, but the shifter gene gets passed down. Her body just couldn’t handle carrying a child.”

I glance down at the picture. They are standing in front of the beach, the Pacific Ocean hitting their legs, and Haku has his arms wrapped around his wife, his hands resting on her very pregnant belly. Her long brown hair falls in soft waves around her beautiful face. They are both smiling at the camera, but it’s like I’m the photographer. I can feel their happiness from this photo.

“She’s beautiful,” I murmur. A sob forms in the back of my throat, but I swallow it down.

“Her name was Leilani. She was gentle, kind, always out helping others whenever she could. But she was also fierce.” He chuckles as he seems to remember something about her. “Our son’s name was Makoa. She didn’t believe me when I told her it would be a boy when we first found out she was with child. But I explained to her that all firstborns are male. It’s been like that since the beginning of time.”

I run my fingers over the photo before I hand the picture back to him. “I’m sorry for your loss. Truly, I am.”

My eyes drift over to a Christmas bag next to the couch. It’s filled with all the watercolor paints that my brother and Ciera gave me. Keeping a mental image of Haku’s picture, I think I may know what my next painting will be.

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