The Awakening

The Awakening The Elders book 1 Raven Kitts Sapphire Publishing Copyright Copyright © 2018 by TL Travis Second edition, fully edited and released by Raven Kitts 2023 All rights reserved. No portion of this book may be reproduced in any form without written permission from the publisher or author, except as permitted by U.S. copyright law. Trigger Warning: Without giving away spoilers, I need to warn you there are two attempted rape scenes. Please note the key word is “attempted.” Dedication To my Granny: You may be gone, but you’re not forgotten. I was angry, hurt, and confused when you left this earth, which I know was selfish of me—but you were my Granny. My beacon of light in the darkness, my go to person and the one I knew loved me no matter what. Writing this book helped mend my broken heart and allowed me to accept what I struggled most with—the loss of you. Please know not a day goes by that I don’t think of you. I love you, Granny, always. Your Tam Tam Contents Prologue Jess 1. Chapter One Jess 2. Chapter Two Jess 3. Chapter Three Jess 4. Chapter Four Jess 5. Chapter Five Jess 6. Chapter Six Jess 7. Chapter Seven Jess 8. Chapter Eight Jess 9. Chapter Nine Jess 10. Chapter Ten Jess 11. Chapter Eleven Jess 12. Chapter Twelve Jess 13. Chapter Thirteen Jess 14. Chapter Fourteen Jess 15. Chapter Fifteen David 16. Chapter Sixteen Jess 17. Chapter Seventeen Jess 18. Chapter Eighteen David About Author Other musings by Raven Kitts Prologue Jess As I stand alone in the forest with my eyes closed, the wind elfishly tickles my face as it dances through the trees. I tilt my head back, my face basks in the golden glow of the full harvest moon. Internally I scream in excitement as the elements have their wicked way with me. The tendrils of my senses strain as they pick up the sweet tinge of tree sap and point me to the freshly broken branches. A haunting scent, one so familiar that reminds me of spring time in Michigan when I was a child. Blinded by this seductive trance, I lose sight of what drew me to this mythical land in the first place. The reality hits and I realize he’s still there, lurking in the shadows. His barely visible siloutte taunts me, his fierce gaze grips my soul. As I turn to run, I’m unable to move. Forced to stay in place as the gap between us comes to a close. Silence surrounds, neither a bird chirps nor does a cricket creak. Even the wind has stopped, left with the eerie feeling that life has ceased to exist as time stands still. We come to an abrupt stop, standing face to face with little more than a foot that separates us. Our eyes lock in a fiery gaze. He extends his hand, and expects me to accept it. When I don’t, forces beyond my control take over and do it for me. His touch is like ice, shivers shoot down my spine. My chest goes tight, frightened by anticipation of what’s to come. The broken record in my mind repeats, “He’s going to kill me. He’s going to kill me.” The words, “I didn’t come all this way to hurt you,” telepathically echo in my head in his voice. Tears fill my eyes as I’ve come to realize he’s here with a purpose, our meeting isn’t accidental. I steal a glance at our entwined fingers as he squeezes mine, then guides me farther into the darkness of night... Chapter One Jess The blare of my phone alarm is like a shot of epinephrine to the heart. I bolt upright far too quickly and fight back the urge to vomit. Drenched in sweat and panting, I’m desperate to catch my breath. What the hell just happened? I never saw his face, even though I stared directly into his eyes. How can that be? He wants to show me something, but what? None of this makes any sense. Ironically, this dream started that fateful night. The memories of the aggressive attack still haunt me. Their faces so clear. Images I’ll never be rid of. It is as though it happened only yesterday. The evening started off as most did in my bland world. Kara, Anna, and I clocked out at work and headed to the movie theater—they drove separately since they carpooled. Just after midnight, the movie ended and as usual I had to use the restroom. I told them to go ahead and assured them I’d be fine walking to my car alone. I remembered thinking to myself as I exited the theater, the parking lot was unusually dark and several light poles were off. Of couse, they were the ones near my car. Laughing, I joked that my “Spidey” senses were working overtime, so I shrugged it off. That was mistake number one. I reached into my purse to grab the keys and when I looked up, there were several guys standing near my car carrying on animatedly. I glanced toward the theater and saw the lights were off and security was nowhere in sight. Asking for an escort now was out of the question. Figured. Lacking in common sense, I trudged on, peeking up every couple steps to see if they’d noticed me. I thought I would try to be sly, avoiding eye contact, but wondered if I knew any of them. Maybe if I pushed the red panic button on my car remote they’d freak out and take off. On second thought, if I scared them, they might get pissed and I’d rather take the chance at being ignored. My next thought was even more brilliant—maybe if I play it cool, walk up and flirt, “Excuse me, fellas,” they might let me through without any problems. Thinking back, I realize I seriously excel at being a dumbass. The next few moments came and