Dawn's Innocence

There were bellows of joy and echoing words of congratulations showered on Thomas and her. She almost cried when her mom wrapped her arms around her and gave her a hug. Her child would have everything she didn't have growing up, primarily, the right to live without the burden of a predetermined destiny weighing on his shoulders. Next Kacie gave her a tight, enthusiastic hug. And then others came forward, members of her old pack and of her new extended family, hugging and enthusiastically congratulating her. She made special note of everyone who had offered to baby sit once the baby came. She was definitely taking them up on the offer. There was a saying that it took a village to raise a child and she was going to use this village to its fullest extent.

Chapter 10

Torr was deeply moved by Jan's announcement. The entire pack embraced the news with excitement and support. If only his father had done the same instead of hunting his grandchildren down and executing them because they weren't up to his lofty standards. His father hated half-breeds worse than he despised humans. In his father's opinion, wolves were at the top of the food chain and everyone else was beneath them.

Torr had fathered three children, two girls and one boy. In his early days, he hadn't realized the extent of his father's prejudice toward humans. Torr had grown up behind a chain link fence separated from the real world. Once he was of age, he was free to go beyond the fence and he had. He knew nothing about the world beyond the pack. His life had consisted of free for alls, wild parties, and sex, all paid for from his father's massive bank accounts. Looking back, he was probably rebelling against the preplanned future he wanted no part of. His father had brokered him off for the rights to Eloise's lands and to her firstborn daughter, Jan. Torr had been reduced to nothing more than a stallion put out to stud.

The birth of his firstborn and the second child that followed shortly after ended his wild streak. Like a fool he hadn't been careful enough to hide his children from his father and his father had the children exterminated. Curs, was what his father had called his grandchildren, useless, worthless curs. Torr hadn't planned on fathering a third child, a daughter, but he'd been so taken with Erica. He didn't think to prevent the pregnancy from happening. He'd always lived up to his responsibilities, visited his children, took care of them and their mothers, and that was what had led his father to them.

Erica had been in Corpus Christi on spring break. She didn't live in Texas. Torr spent one wonderful night with her and the next morning she was gone. He'd awakened to a note on his pillow, the heart shaped locked she'd forgotten on his nightstand, and the lingering question of the result of his indiscretion. Had he fathered another child? He was terrified that he had and too afraid that his father would find her to track her down to find out.

He'd moved forward with his plan. His only way to avenge his murdered children and get his vengeance on his father. Dear old dad valued DNA more than anything. Torr had been born as a result of decades of careful genetic engineering. He was the best of the best. The future his father had planned to leave behind. His father had never loved him, only the DNA he carried. A quick trip to Dallas and twenty minutes on a doctor's exam table had ended the legacy his father had so carefully planned.

Of course, he didn't tell his father he'd had a vasectomy. Torr didn't want to die and without his precious DNA intact he was useless to his father. The hatred in his heart for his father kept him going and it kept him away from Erica. He too had made careful plans. His father's empire was going to tumble down in ruins. Torr worked hard to live up to his father's expectations, low as they were. He kept up the playboy image he'd sought to maintain. But, as for women, he'd never touched one since Erica.

He hadn't been able to live without knowing if he'd fathered another child or not. It took him two years to find Erica. She'd been living in Washington DC, a crowded place teeming with people and concrete monuments. One look at the toddler in the stroller and he knew beyond a doubt he had a daughter. He hadn't approached Erica or her daughter. His drive to keep them safe overrode any desire he had to claim the child. They were better off without him. He'd gotten close enough to snip a lock of his daughter's hair and tuck it into the locket he wore around his throat and then, he'd disappeared. That was eight years ago. He didn't even know his daughter's name.

His father was dead and he was finally free to live the life he'd always wanted, one with his daughter and quite possibly if fate was extremely kind to him, her mother.

Jan's news spurred his determination to find Erica Grey. He wanted to be a father. Not a biological sperm donor, but a real dad.

In his mind, his decision was made. If he found Erica...no, he would find Erica if he had to search from one end of the country to the other. It would be scary for the two of them, but his daughter would know of her special heritage. She might not have the gift of the wolf and then again, she might. He needed to be there for her as badly as she'd need him to be there when the time came. He had no idea how he'd explain his ten-year absence from his daughter's life. Erica had left him with a note on his pillow. Perhaps, he didn't owe Erica an explanation, but he would owe his little girl one. As did her mother, if she'd not already given one.

Of his father, Torr would never divulge a word beyond what was asked. No one needed the burden of knowing what kind of bastard that man had been. He was ashamed he'd been forced to call the man father. His daughter would never know the truth of her grandfather. He couldn't lie to his daughter or her mother, but he didn't have to tell them everything either. All the child and Erica would know was that his father was dead and that wasn't a lie. They'd never know he'd killed him or why he'd done it.

Chapter 11

After the food was gone and the mess swept away the wolves milled around whispering curiously about their new home, the woods that surrounded it, and their strange new companions. Vampires. None of them knew such beings even existed until they'd met Carter. Now, relatives abounded.

Drew grew uneasy as the wolves and brothers stood toe to toe and took one another in with wary eyes. At least one party had not tried to kill the other, yet. He took that as a good sign. Their relationship was based on mutual need and a common kinship. As a whole, vampires and wolves gave one another a wide berth. He assumed it was an inborn distrust natural to all predatory species that wedged the gap between them. Predators were territorial and he was asking a lot of them to play nice together.

Drew had to give the Lost Children credit. Carter deserved a good measure of thanks as well. He was the first vampire they'd ever seen and his actions had served to pave the way. Drew hadn't thought of it at the time when he'd assigned Carter to accompany the mission to Texas. Things could have turned out very differently, if Carter or the wolves had allowed their instincts to overrule their heads.

Yet, for as well behaved as his charges were. It was time to give them over to their wilder sides. The hunt would give the vampires and the pack a chance to learn one another's strengths and weaknesses, and to work together toward a common goal. There was one universal threat that bound every predator on the planet and the pack and the vampires were no exception, lack of prey for the hunt. Prey meant survival. Luckily, the woods were teeming with life and hopefully would be for generations to come.

Drew flung the sliding glass patio doors open wide and looked over his shoulder as he unbuttoned the stiff, button down shirt Tala had insisted that he wear. "Brothers and sisters, let's hunt." He flung the shirt to the ground and kicked off his shoes as he bolted across the deck. His jeans came off in a flash as he gave himself over to the inner predator that dwelled beneath his skin. The white wolf landed gracefully on all fours and howled up at the darkening sky, eagerly calling his brothers and sisters to the hunt.

The vampires averted their eyes as the wolves stripped naked with wild, unbridled zeal and shifted into their four legged forms. Nudity was common amongst the pack. Something the brothers never completely got used to and most likely never would. Naked was a necessity for pack to change into their other forms and still maintain a useable wardrobe. The vampires were stuck with their predator twenty-four/seven and had no sense of relief from them ever.

The pack gathered around the white wolf, instinctively falling into rank and following the Alpha through the unfamiliar woods. The vampires, used to hunting singularly or in small groups of two, or three timidly fanned out along the outer periphery of the pack, sniffing for prey. The hunt was a thing of beauty. Predators moved with grace and the gift of preternatural speed through the woods, neither wolf nor vampire had the upper hand. In the hunt all were equal.

Kacie watched as the last wolf to shift disappeared into the woods. Her skin crawled with the preternatural energy charging the air around her. The power of the shift and the instincts of her wolf howled in her mind, scrabbling with her hold over them to break free and join the hunt. She was nervous and self-conscious. Nudity was nothing to her. She'd seen more naked people in her life than she could count. From the time she could remember, naked people, her pack mates, were no big deal. Nudity was just a way of life, but why, was she so uncomfortable with the natural state of her body now?

She glanced over at Tristen. He stood rigid, staring out into the darkness. His body shook as he struggled to maintain his human form and keep his wolf under tight reign. He was losing the battle, sweating with the effort. "You can go."

"Not until you do," Tristen grunted. The wolf inside of him was threatening to rip him apart and spring out. The effort of speaking to her threatened to break the fragile hold he had on his other, furrier self. He was not a pervert. He did not want to ogle Kacie naked. Well, he did, but he wouldn't reduce himself to that low of a level as to check out her body as she stripped to shift.

"You don't have to wait on me. I'll catch up in a minute," Kacie said. She knew the real reason why she didn't want to shift in front of Tristen. He'd see her naked. He'd watch as she disappeared and her wolf appeared in her place. He'd seen her naked before and she'd seen him in his full glory too. What was the big deal? She doubted if nudity was any more of a problem for him as it was for her. Her mind rationalized that nudity was natural. Expected. But, she didn't feel comfortable about it. All of a sudden she was very shy and embarrassed about him seeing her so...natural.

"I'm good." Tristen gripped the metal doorframe with his fist. Panting from his effort to repress the shift. He wasn't going to leave her behind. Her wolf might not remember the way back or get lost trying to find the pack. Then she'd be out there in the dark all alone. He knew these woods like the back of his hands and so did his wolf. Between the two of them, they knew every fallen log, dip, crevice, boulder, and deep dark place in the woods. Kacie didn't. Ok, so her wolf wouldn't get lost. He was rationalizing about that part. All wolves had an internal homing beacon in their primitive brains. He didn't want her watching while he stripped. He wasn't body shy. Well, he hadn't been up to this point. Even around her, he'd strutted his stuff and teased her for looking. That was before their relationship reached this level of critical mass though. "You afraid I'll see you naked?"

"Of course not!" Kacie huffed in defense. She didn't think he was a pervert or that seeing her naked was enough for him to get some kind of twisted jolly from. She just didn't want him to see her without her clothes on.

Tristen was losing control. At any minute his damned wolf was going to rip through his skin. The agony of holding it back was excruciating. He winced against the surges of pain tearing at his flesh. "Maybe seeing me naked is too much for you to handle," he gritted. Baiting her might get her out of the house and into her wolf skin quicker. And the sooner she got into her skin, the quicker he could get out of his before he burst apart at the seams.

He didn't want her to know how inexperienced he was with his wolf. His wolf and he had only gotten acquainted over the summer and he had little control. He wanted her to see him as well seasoned and large and in charge, not as a weak little boy that couldn't hold his own. For him, losing control of his wolf would be as humiliating as a male porn star with a case of premature ejaculation on camera.

"You wish." Kacie bit her lip nervously. The power of Tristen's shift tingled along her skin and made the hairs on her arms stand up on end. He was hurting from the effort of keeping his wolf contained. How well she knew the familiar strain and rip as flesh and muscle tore apart and reformed. Not letting go and giving into the wolf was agonizing. He was hurting himself because of her stubbornness. She couldn't stand to see him suffer another minute. Rolling her eyes, she groused, "Come on."

She glanced over her shoulder as Tristen followed her off the porch. His steps were clumsy and awkward, as if in his desperation to contain his wolf, he'd forgotten how to walk in a straight line. No matter how much he hurt she was not going to stand there and let him watch her strip. "Turn around. You face that way and I'll face this way." She grabbed him by the shoulder and spun him to face in one direction and then positioned herself in the other so that their backs were facing. Gingerly, she peeled off her sweatshirt and kicked free of her boots. She heard the whisper of Tristen's zipper and the rustle of fabric hitting the ground. Right before her wolf took over, she heard his sigh of complete relief and utter bliss as his wolf took possession of his body.

The two wolves faced off. The male was a light, sandy brown color with perked ears and brilliant golden eyes filled with excitement, intelligence and mischief. The female was dark chocolate colored, with a deep soulful golden-green gaze. She yipped as the male ran his long pink tongue over her muzzle and crouched at her feet with his big butt up in the air and wagging his tail wildly. Sniffing the night, the female caught the scent of the pack. Barking to the male, she bolted into the woods. The male barked in reply and darted playfully after her.

Chapter 12

Evan stood at the window, watching his Aunt Shayla's wolf and Uncle Carter disappear into the woods with his mommy and daddy's wolves. Someday he was going to be able to do that too. The thing was. He couldn't decide if he wanted to be a vampire like Uncle Carter or a wolf like his daddy. He pressed his nose to the cold, glass pane as he stared out into the darkness and wondered if there was a way he could be both.

Marianne watched the little boy slobber onto the windowpane and press nose against the glass. Dressed for bed in Spiderman pajamas and his black hair sticking up at all kinds of crazy angles. She decided Evan was absolutely adorable, for a six year-old boy, cute and cuddly, and yeah, maybe a little weird. He said the strangest things and he meant them with absolute certainty.

Most of the pack ignored his oddness. That had been a little tricky for her to do. He'd taken one look at her and kissed her smack on the lips. Then, he'd asked her to marry him. He'd said that she might as well say yes, because when they grew up they were going to get married anyway. Strange thing was, she got the uncanny sense that he was absolutely right on the money.

She was twelve and he was only six, but someday, the difference in their ages wouldn't matter. They'd grow up. She'd be a woman and he'd be a man. No, she wasn't banking on growing up and marrying Evan or anybody for that matter. It wasn't even a remote possibility at this point that someday she'd find him the least bit attractive and worth one second of her time. Evan said a lot of things...things a six year-old boy shouldn't know or remotely understand. The pack dismissed it to his being just a kid, but she didn't. Sometimes, she knew things she shouldn't too.

She suspected Evan had the sight, the gift of the Prophet. It made her feel very sorry for him. Knowing the future wasn't a gift. It was more of a curse. Marianne wanted to ask him about her grandfather. She didn't want to do what she'd someday have to do. Maybe, if he had his finger on the pulse of the future he could tell her what was going to happen. She couldn't ask him. It wasn't right to put that kind of responsibility on a little boy. But, if he could help her figure out a way out of killing her grandfather to take her place as the pack's leader when the time came, she had to ask. Not now, no, Evan was too little and too fragile. But, someday...later when the distant future mattered more then than it did now.

She'd gotten stuck babysitting Evan since his parents were out on the hunt. With this many kids to chase after, Daniel had gotten drafted for brat detail as well. Luckily, this time he'd drawn the short straw and was on diaper duty. She was in charge of the potty-trained minions. All she'd had to do was pop in a DVD and make some snacks and voila the kids were contained, all the kids except for Evan. He was perfectly content to stare out of the window at nothing but dark and slobber on the glass. Maybe, he liked the taste of windex or something. "You're a strange little boy." She commented as she snatched some blank paper and a handful of colored pencils.

"I am not." Evan retorted as he ambled away from the window and crouched at the coffee table to see what Mouse was drawing. He didn't like watching TV. The cartoons were stupid and didn't make any sense to him. He'd rather watch people. The things they did and he'd rather listen in on the things they said. "What are you making?"

Marianne shrugged. "I dunno. Just drawing." She sketched a couple of shapes onto the paper in purple colored pencil. Evan watched her intently as if she were Picasso drawing a masterpiece. "Do you think you're going to like it here?"

"Uh huh. Can I have a piece?" he asked. Selecting a blue colored pencil from the stack, he plopped down on the floor beside Mouse. Her braids drooped over her shoulders as she bent intently over her paper to draw a flower. He knew lots about her. She was scared, but she didn't need to be. She had questions to ask him that she thought he was too little to answer. He wasn't. He wanted to tell her not to worry so much. He didn't though. His mama was always grumping at him to keep his thoughts to himself. For once, he thought he should do as he was told, so, he did.

He grinned as Mouse ripped a sheet free from her sketchbook and handed it to him. He began drawing circles on the paper in blue colored pencil. Not everything he heard and saw made sense to him. He was just drawing circles because he wanted to and for no other reason. Maybe, they were wedding bands. Maybe the circles were blue suns. He didn't know. Sometimes, not everything had a particular reason and you just did things because they were fun.

Claire sank wearily into the rocker. She was the only human left in the house besides Thomas. They hadn't been on the best of terms since she'd married Grant and had GT. Friendly enough, but not as close as they had been before. She rocked her son and rested his head on her shoulder, waiting for his sleepy eyelids to slide shut. The kids were scattered about. Some of the older ones were downstairs playing in the game room. Mouse and a little boy she didn't know were drawing at the coffee table. She looked up as Thomas cradled two mugs of coffee, stopping to hand her one as he sat in the chair next to her.