Dawn's First Light

Roark glared at the Prophet and silently vowed to see the end of him. The man was the only thing standing between him and the legendary Great Father. And that made them bitter enemies. He would not be so easily deterred from his goal. The Prophet had to be eliminated. The darkness inside of Roark did not like the freezing cold of the Prophet's power. Howling in anguish the darkness retreated to a far corner of his soul and left Roark to bear the brunt of the pain. Outgunned by the invisible force, Roark called off his minions and immediately the energy holding him in place withdrew. "This is far from over," he gritted. Turning on his heel, Roark led his rogues into the lingering shadows dawn had yet to reach.

The Great Father dismissed Roark with a nod. "Of course it isn't." He pinned his brother with a questioning expression to which, his brother only shrugged in reply. What he wouldn't give for a glance into the inner workings of his brother's mind. But, then again maybe, if he could see the future as his brother did. He wouldn't like what he saw. And he was better off in blissful ignorance.

After an agonizing crawl over rocky, jagged bits of earth, Lori fell to the ground at Keene's side in an exhausted heap. She'd tried to stand, but her body wouldn't cooperate in its weakened state. Crawling was the best she could manage and it had taken forever to get here. "Keene, are you ok?" She jerked her hands back from the gaping wound in his belly and stared at the blood coating her fingers. There was so much blood flowing from the wound that it pooled and soaked into the ground beneath him. He couldn't be dying. He just couldn't. "Keene, please talk to me. Tell me what to do."

Dying was much better now that Lori was at his side. Even the pain of it was lessened by her floral scent and the comfort of her presence. "Lori." Keene reached out a hand and cupped her chin. "I'm happy to see you." He mustered enough energy to smooth his fingers across her tear soaked cheek. "Don't cry," he whispered. "I'll be ok. Everything will be fine."

"No you won't. If you bleed out, you'll die." Lori moved to gently cradle Keene's head in her lap. There was little she could do for him besides watch him bleed the ground red. Angel had taken a lot. And Keene's wound looked so bad, so deep. Lori wasn't sure if she had enough blood in her to save him. But, she had to try. She stroked her fingers through his hair, marveling at its soft texture. It had to work. With every ounce of courage and love for him she possessed, she lowered her wrist to his mouth. "Drink. I can heal you."

Keene smelled the sweetness of her blood as it flowed through the superficial vessels of her wrist. She was weakened and depleted. If he drank from her, he might kill her. Without her gift, he stood little chance of making a recovery. He smelled the essence of Kayla's blood on the coolness of the morning breeze. But, he would never ask or accept if she offered. He wanted no one but the woman gently stroking her fingers through his hair. "I'll be fine."

"We don't have time for bullshit, Keene." She wrapped her fingers around the hilt of an abandoned dagger. The weapon felt strange and awkward, heavy in her hand. Taking a deep breath, she dragged the lethal edge across her wrist. The pain seared through her flesh making her dizzy and nauseous. "Do it."

Keene was too weak to fight his instinct for the heady, rich, scent of her blood. Opening his mouth wide and catching the first few life restoring trickles gave him some measure of strength. He grabbed her wrist and latched on with the ruthlessness of a predator. Drinking deeply from her.

Corralled by the Prophet and forbidden from intervening by his brother. The Great Father watched the girl sacrifice her life for the man she loved. He'd sent his Sons to secure the perimeter and ensure the grounds were free from any stragglers Roark might have left behind. His brother had said it himself. Nobody dies today. Then why was he stopping him from stepping in and saving Lori's life?

The Prophet watched Kayla nervously pace back and forth. Bravely she fought her tears. Her arms wrapped around her chest, she shivered and stared down at Lori with dread in her eyes. "He's going to kill her," she whispered. Her blue eyes shimmering with unshed tears she looked up and met his gaze. "Why aren't you stopping this?"

The Prophet was certain of Lori's fate. Otherwise, he would step in and prevent her death. He truly had no reason to. He pressed a finger to his lips shushing the girl and his irate brother. "I told you, no one dies today. He's not taking her life. He's giving it to her. Watch and see."

Chapter 56

Keene hissed at the pain from his healing wound. Roark's blade had missed his heart. But, the point had done no small amount of damage to his organs. He would have died. He was expecting it as Roark stood over him. His sword poised to sever Keene's head from his body. The Great Father had stopped him at the critical moment, when Roark's sword started its fatal downward arc.

The predator in Keene purred in satisfaction and coaxed a sluggish flow of blood from the puncture wounds in Lori's wrist. His mouth was coated with the sweetness of her life. In saving him she'd offered every bit of herself. She lay limp and cold in his arms. Her breaths labored and gasping and her pulse a rapid, faint murmur as her quivering heart pumped the few remaining drops of the vital fluid left in her. The predator in him was never sated. It wanted every last sip. It roared like the beast it was as Keene withdrew his fangs and sealed the wound. He stroked his fingertips across her pale forehead, brushing her hair away from her face. "What have I done?" he wailed in anguish.

Roark had won after all. In taking Lori's life, Keene was dead. The blow Roark struck had been fatal. On the physical plane Keene was very much alive, but Roark had done something worse in not killing him and the Great Father by stopping him from finishing it. Roark had murdered his soul. Lori grounded him, gave him reasons beyond himself and the brotherhood to cling to his humanity. Without her, he was a feral as any rogue and twice as lethal in his soon to unfold quest for vengeance. Trembling, Keene clutched Lori's body to his chest. Her heart sputtered, fired in a rapid succession of beats, then slowed to a series of random contractions as her body struggled for life.

"NO!" he cried out. She'd died to save him and he wasn't going to let her go out like this. He loved her more than he loved himself or the brothers. He wasn't going to do nothing and watch her die. Keene lifted his eyes from her beautiful face and focused them on the Great Father. His stoic leader nodded his head in silent approval. Keene stroked Lori's cold cheeks and whispered, "I'm going to make it better. I promise." He gently lifted her savaged wrist and reopened the wounds with the tips of his fangs. In reluctant pulls, he drank, taking her to the last desperate beat of her heart. Praying to every god he'd ever heard of, Keene bit his wrist and wedged the bleeding limb into her mouth.

Death was far easier than Lori expected. It was a calm, quiet place where there was no fear, only soothing darkness. There was no light to struggle toward. The events of her life didn't flash before her eyes. There was nothing and the comfort she found in it. As accepting as she was about her death, her sadness was disquieting. She supposed, in time her emotions would fade and she'd forget. She'd miss her little sisters constant badgering and her mother's endless collection of pamphlets and gentle harping. She'd miss the strength of her father's silent presence. But, most of all, she'd miss Keene.

Keene! She sputtered against the decadent, sweet, fluid seeping between her slack lips to roll over the tip of her tongue. It was so good, tasting of liquid life. Pure energy burst through her with every swallow. Gnawing with her teeth at the flesh pressed between her lips, she drank in greedy pulls. The decadent richness of the liquid tickled the back of her throat and teased the tip of her tongue. She had to have more. Always more. Keene's consciousness flooded her mind. He was giving her life. Bringing her back from the darkness and thrusting her head first into the light of day.

Life hurt. Cold tore through her body with its savage bite. Ripping its way up her limbs and tearing her apart from the inside out. She shivered with spasms of pain. The freezing chill relentlessly seized her body in its agonizing grip. She panted against the pain and prayed for it to end. Gentle hands stroked her skin as she writhed and cried out in misery. A soft voice tried to soothe her. She was in too much torment to focus on anything else besides her pain. Death was better. And she wanted to go back to the darkness. But, life wouldn't let her. Life yanked her out of the safe cocoon of nothing and threw her kicking and screaming into the brilliance of the dawn.

Keene held Lori's body in his arms. The expression of torture on her face was almost too much for him to bear. It ripped at his heart. He would never regret giving her life, only the pain of her rebirth. "It will be over soon," he whispered. He hummed to her softly, in hopes that the sound of his voice would soothe her. He forced his mind to push past the darkness of his doubt and focus on the good that waited ahead of him.

Kayla wrapped her arms around her chest and watched Keene and Lori. Keene was nothing like Roark. She'd seen a vampire born once before. And it was terrifying. Roark laughed at his creation's pain and reveled in his suffering. Right before he locked the door behind him, trapping her inside with a hungry newborn. Remembering the pain and how close she'd come to dying, her fingers traced the puckered scar on her neck. The vampire opened his eyes and attacked her savagely. It took Keene everything he had to pry the fledgling vampire off of her without killing her in the process. Keene had saved her life that day and many days thereafter.

Kayla pushed her fear to the back of her mind and knelt onto the ground at Keene's side, extending her wrist. This time would be different. She wasn't a victim. She was the one in control. She offered her blood because she wanted to. Her choice, not one forced on her. "Keene, when Lori's ready so am I."

Lori gasped against the deafening roar of the waking city burrowing its way into her ears. The morning light blinded her with its fury. And the stench was simply indescribable, burning her sensitive nose. "What's happening?" She shrieked in terror at the sound of her own voice, so loud in her head.

"You're fine, Lori," Keene whispered as softly as possible. Awakening could be confusing and terrifying for a newborn. He remembered. And he remembered Roark's cruelty. Keene eased his hand over her cheek, hoping to soothe her with his touch. "You need to drink and then we can go home."

"Home?" No one word ever sounded so good. A refuge from the new sights, sounds, and smells that assaulted her. Home was a safe, quiet, place where she could rest and gather her bearings. Escape this confusion. "Home," she uttered.

"Yes, Lori. Home," Keene said. Much like a newborn human infant, a vampire's primary drive was to feed upon awakening. And his baby vampire was hungry. Her nose twitched, tracking Kayla's scent in the air. "Easy," he cautioned in a stern tone. Lori would never know the burden of taking a human life to sate her hunger. He'd never allow it. She was an innocent. And he had every intention of keeping it that way.

Keene captured Kayla in a light trance and gently bit through her skin with his fangs. He winced at the sweetness of her blood as a pang of hunger stabbed his belly. He needed to hunt soon. But, he'd had enough experience with the damning hunger that he could hold out. He took Kayla's wrist and held it to Lori's lips. "It's ok, you won't hurt her. Drink some for me."

Lori couldn't look at the contrast of the dark crimson drops welling to the surface of Kayla's pale skin without feeling a bit woozy from the sight. The part of her that was still human bucked at the instinct of the feral best inside of her that wanted to savage the wound and chow down on a meal of fresh blood. Squeezing her eyes shut, she felt her way to the warm pulsating wrist. The sweet scent drew her closer and quickly won the battle with her lingering human revulsion. At first, she lapped gingerly at the wound. The warm, sweet liquid sent shivers of delight down her spine. She had to have more. Nipping with her fangs, she opened the punctures wider and drank like the vampire she now was.

She could hear Kayla in her head, linking them together. Underneath her bravado, Kayla was terrified. Even in Kayla's dazed state, Lori could feel her fear. It wasn't easy to share the same mental space with your dinner. There was a damn good reason why farmers didn't name livestock destined for market. And Lori, while the blood soothed the beast within her, couldn't understand how a rogue could kill a human being without as much as the slightest pang of regret. At least she didn't understand it until Keene gently coaxed Kayla's wrist from her grip. The beast roared for more. She was still hungry. And Keene was taking away the only thing capable of sating her completely. "Need more!" she growled in a feral tone that simply couldn't come from her mouth.

"Not now. It's time to go," Keene said. He licked Kayla's wounds closed and pressed a drop of his healing blood to her skin. She would never suffer another scar from one of his ilk as long as he had anything to do with it. He hadn't noticed the brothers had gathered around them till now. He'd been too busy birthing Lori to pay any attention to anything else. He handed Kayla, still dazed from his spell, to Bryce. Gently, moving very slowly as not to startle her, he lifted Lori up in his arms. Whimpering, she buried her face in the curve of his neck to shield her sensitive eyes from the morning sunlight. "It gets easier with time," he reassured.

Lori snuggled in close and buried her face into the curve of Keene's neck. His scent washed over her, soothing the war inside her body and mind. She sucked on the tips of her new fangs, savoring the lingering taste of Kayla's blood. The beast in her head battled with the essence of Kayla's subdued emotions for control. The beast would never be satisfied. It would always want, want, and want some more. But, there was so much of her that was still human. And it was that part of her innermost self she drew strength from. She was not a killer. Never would be. Blood was an unfortunate circumstance of her new condition. But, it was up to her which part would rule her. And she chose humanity over the beast.

When she was with Keene, she felt safe, protected, and very loved. She used his love to ground her and draw her into that happy place where there was just the two of them. When Keene lowered her into the idling SUV, she settled back on the all too comfortable leather seat and sighed in relief. The interior was blessedly dark. Tinted windows blocked out most of the blinding sun's rays. There was much that she'd lost tonight. And even more that she'd gained. She was just starting to come to terms with it. She was a vampire, a creature of darkness and nightmares, born of death. But, she'd never felt more alive in her life.

She opened her eyes and stared back into the warrior's faces. She'd known most of these men for as long as she could remember. But, it was like she was seeing them for the first time. So many details she'd missed. The precise color of Patrick's hair was indescribable. She reached out a hand and rubbed the strands between her fingers, marveling at the texture. "Welcome to our world, Chica," Patrick teased.

Keene slid into the seat beside her and crushed her protectively to his chest. He smiled as Lori ran her eyes and her hands along his body exploring his features with her fingertips. "You'll get used to it." He took her hand in his and pressed her fingers to his lips.

"Everything is so different. I had no idea what you really looked like."

A chuckle rumbled from the driver's side. "Yeah, he really is an ugly son of a bitch isn't he?" John Mark scoffed.

"Drive, John Mark," Keene ordered. He reached up into the seat in front of him and whapped John Mark in the back of the head with his palm. The SUV was too damn crowded. He could not wait to get Lori alone to demonstrate all the fringe benefits of being a vampire. He cuddled her on his lap and rested his chin against the top of her head. He had so much to teach her, so many new things to show her. And he wanted to start with her naked in his bed.

"My pleasure. Next stop...home," John Mark said, sliding the gear into drive. Damn was he ready to get the hell out of the city. The Great Father and the Prophet had disappeared into the backdrop of towering buildings just as silently as they'd appeared. He hoped they weren't hitchhiking or hoofing it home. But, they seldom did anything by conventional means. He laid rubber for the interstate, eager to put the sun and the urban sprawl behind them.

Distracted by his thoughts, Dane stared out through the tinted passenger side window and watched the city roll past. Nobody was dead. And he considered that a true sign of a successful mission. They'd done what they'd come her to do. And Lori, although altered, which her mother would probably berate him for decades over, was safe. Roark was still out there. And he had no idea when the 'time' would be right for this to be over for good. But, it was coming. And when it did he and the brothers would be ready to end it. He was pulled out of his myriad thoughts by a question he thought he'd never hear a vampire ask.

Lori was glad to be alive. Damn happy about it actually. But, she was pretty much stuck looking exactly as she did now for a very long time. And that was her only complaint. She'd be flat chested, barely a B cup, for eternity. Unless...maybe..." Keene, do you think vampires can get boob jobs?"

Her question caught Keene off guard and sent a round of masculine chuckles through the SUV. "Shut up!" Keene barked. His scowl cut off any further guffaws from the group. He leaned close and whispered into her ear. Low enough for her to hear but not so loud that they'd have an audience. "You are perfect. You were perfect before you were transformed and you're still perfect now. Your breasts are superb. Simply divine."

"You're just trying to make me feel better," Lori pouted. She had been tucking away what little money she could manage to scrounge out of her paychecks since the day she'd turned sixteen and started working at What's the Scoop as a counter girl. She really had been looking forward to the day when she could actually fill out a bikini top. Hell, she probably would have gone to a nude beach at least once, just to show them off.

"No, I love you and in my eyes you are flawless." Gently, and rather covertly, he cupped her breast in his palm to prove his point. How could she ever think that she was less than perfect when she was everything he lived and breathed for?

"That's so sweet. I love you too." Lori shivered as Keene rolled his thumb over her nipple, teasing it to fullness. The man was pure evil torturing her like this when she could do nothing about it. She squirmed in his lap, planting her butt firmly against his erection. She was filthy. Her hair matted with dried blood. But, she'd never felt sexier than she did in his arms.

"Step on it, John Mark. Before these two put on a show none of us wants to see," Bryce grumped. This overt display of mushiness sent a pang of longing shooting straight through his heart. He wanted what Keene and Lori had with someone. He was getting damn tired of waiting for the mystical 'right one' to come his way. He was never going to find her.