Dawn's Never Ending Glow

Keene sat at high alert in the chair, regarding the poor woman with sympathy. She was nothing more than another one of his boss's conquests. He knew his master too well. And what Roark planned to do to this woman sickened him. Once Roark left her an empty shell with her humanity barely intact. If he didn't kill her in the process or force Keene to do it in his place, he'd grow bored with her and move on to another.

Keene was armed, the blade hidden beneath the stiff and uncomfortable suit coat, poking him in the back through its sheath. His master was a sick, twisted, arrogant son of a bitch. And there wasn't a damned thing Keene could do about it. He was damned to this life of servitude, condemned.

Roark found him choking on his own blood, fatally wounded on the battlefield during the Civil War. And Keene hadn't wanted to die. When Roark offered him an almost endless lifespan, he'd eagerly accepted. At the time, the cost hadn't mattered. He'd only wanted to live. There were many times since that fateful day he'd regretted his decision, wishing his master had passed him by and left him to the Angel of Death instead. He would have been at peace long ago if Roark had.

Roark gathered up his psychic energy and blasted Anna with a wave. "Sleep." He frowned when she faltered slightly, looking up at him from the pages of her folder, slightly confused.

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" Anna shook off a wave of dizziness, dismissing it to low blood sugar. She'd been so busy working on the project that she hadn't stopped for lunch. The nutrition bar she'd found stashed in the back of one of her desk drawers and eagerly wolfed down had worn off hours ago.

Roark nodded to Keene. Together they sent out a psychic assault she couldn't resist. It was unusual that his abilities had no effect on the woman. The last bitch that he'd abducted from the Sons, had some resistance. But, he'd cracked into her psyche as easily as a thief broke into a locked safe. Anna was strong, just like he knew she would be. He was pleased to be presented with such challenging prey.

Anna felt a jolt jar through her mind and gasped at the sudden siege of pain in her temples. Right before she succumbed, her last thought was of Toby. An apology. She hoped he would realize what was happening to her. And do something. She slumped helplessly in the chair, unable to stop the unconsciousness sucking her down.

Toby winced in a moment of agony, gripping his head. Once the pain subsided, he searched out Anna through their link. But, there was nothing but blackness. "Shit." He muttered, pushing speed dial on the phone as he snatched a set of keys off the hook. She was in danger. He should have never let her go back to the city. He should have demanded that one of the trackers be at her side at all times. He hoped they'd get to her in time. Before it was too late. He barked orders into the phone, driving recklessly one handed down the gravel lane to the highway.

Roark wasted no time claiming his prize. He selected a well-hidden spot, biting through the panty hose and into the vein along the shapely bend of her knee. His mouth filled with her blood. Almost spitting out the bitter tasting liquid as it flowed, he cursed. She was marked, tainted and contaminated by the blood of another vampire. As a food source, she had little value to him. He hated dining on leftovers. But, as a source of amusement, she'd entertain him. He ran his tongue along the wound sealing it shut and chuckled under his breath.

Keene watched as his master knelt and drank from the unconscious woman. The scent of her blood filled the room. His gums ached in response to the stimulus, longing to find purchase in her flesh. But, he didn't take his meals from the unwilling. There were too many around who would give their blood freely. He wouldn't degrade himself to this level. He shielded his thoughts and his desires, keeping them well hidden and to himself as he stood over his master, guarding the bastard he one day intended to kill.

Chapter 9

Lance and Bryce darted through the throngs of exhausted and bored commuters. Desperately trying to reach Anna. Toby's message had been vague and unclear. The only thing they knew for certain was that Anna could be in trouble. They reached the glass front of her office building and found the doors tightly locked for the evening, barring access to the general public. They didn't have time for this. And they didn't have a scan card to unlock the doors. Bryce grasped the door handle in his hands and pulled with all his might. Triggering an alarm and having the place swarming with cops could work to their advantage.

Roark shot Keene a satisfied, smug grin. His mission complete, he could feel her presence in his mind. Now, that he had her blood in his body coursing through his veins, he could find her, no matter where she tried to hide. The link would last for months, perhaps longer. Sometimes, he didn't know the limits of his power. But, he doubted even the Great Father himself could break the link without permanently damaging her.

He grinned slyly and nipped the end of his finger. He wasn't done with her yet. His blood in her would complete the bond between them. And he liked the personal touch he had in mind. Just a little of his blood would go a long way. He pried Anna's mouth open and ran his finger along the inside of her cheek and over her soft, pink tongue. Contaminated with his blood, she'd be a less than tasty snack to the bastard that drank from her. And he had complete access to her mind, to do with her, whatever he wanted.

"Master, we need to go." Keene could smell the sweet earthy scent of the Sons riding through the currents of air from the ventilation shafts. If he didn't get Roark out now, he might not be able to at all. And he had no intention of dying to defend the bastard. Whipping out a lighter, he climbed up onto the conference room table and lit the corner of his folder beneath a sprinkler in the ceiling. The burning paper would cover their scents and confuse the trail. And buy them time to get out without being captured.

The sprinkler system came to life, showering them with a cold spray. The shrill wail of the fire alarm was hell on his sensitive hearing, temporarily disorienting him. Keene crammed the wet wad of burned paper into his pocket and wiped away the damp ashes, grinding them into the carpet to hide the evidence. The woman was in enough trouble as it was without getting blamed for starting a fire and setting off the sprinkler system. He shot her sleeping form one last pitying glance before he left the room.

"Very well, my work here is finished anyway." Roark turned to Anna and ran his finger along her neck. "I'll see you again, soon." Chuckling under his breath, he retreated for the time being and left the office, following Keene to a stairwell on the opposite side of the building.

Bryce pushed open the stairwell door, slightly winded. The woman would have to work on the fifty-third floor, wouldn't she? He ran down the hall and pulled his weapon from its sheath at the base of his spine. Cold drops of water from the sprinklers above drizzled down his back. Lance was close on his heels. Bursting into her office, he searched looking for Anna. The acrid smell of burnt paper stung his nose and panic seized his heart as he entered the last room to find her, semi-conscious, holding her head and moaning softly to herself.

"Anna, what happened?" Bryce couldn't find any signs of injury. There was no scent of danger in the air, only the faint smell of burned paper and damp carpet.

"I don't know. One minute I was presenting to my new clients and the next I was slumped over in the chair. I must have passed out or something." She frowned down looking for the folders. Her mind barely registered the fire alarms. She was just so damned foggy. "Where are they? My clients?"

"I didn't see anyone coming out of the office." Bryce was gentle, wiping away the tiny rivulets of water that ran down her cheek with his sleeve. Anna was obviously out of it. Confused. Her hair had fallen out of its tight bun and clung to the sides of her neck in damp tendrils. Her suit was wrinkled and wet, the pale lavender silk obviously ruined. He didn't see any evidence of anyone in the office but her. And the smell of smoke was strongest in this room. Toby had called frantic about her safety. And although she didn't seem to be harmed, something was definitely off about this whole picture.

Anna brushed Bryce's hands away from her face and scowled up at the ceiling. For some reason she could not make sense of anything. "Why is it raining in here?" She was still dizzy and had a ferocious headache, so much worse than any migraine. A little out of it, she just couldn't get why she was wet and there was so much noise.

"That's the sprinkler system Anna. There might be a fire somewhere in the building and we need to go." Bryce helped her onto her wobbly feet and took his time leading her out of the office. Any minute, the fire department or security would be here, investigating the cause and he wanted Anna out of this place before that happened. It was so obvious that she had no clue and the last thing she needed in her dazed state was to spend hours explaining what she had no idea of.

"A fire?" Anna leaned heavily on Bryce and let him lead her down the hallway. The plush carpeting squished beneath her feet. At least her head felt better without the alarm blaring in her ears and the sprinklers were off. "Oh," she said, still a little confused by it all. Something didn't make sense. Who left someone unconscious in a potentially burning building? My God, the place could have gone up like the Towering Inferno. "They left me here when the fire alarms were going off? Security didn't know I was still here. I could have been barbecued."

"Office is clear," Lance said, popping his head around the corner. Anna didn't look so hot. And it had nothing to do with her soaked clothing. She was pale. Even for her, her skin tone was a deathly shade of white. Leaning heavily on Bryce, teetering in a way that had nothing to do with the three-inch stiletto heels on her feet, Anna looked as if a gentle breeze could knock her on her ass. Sheathing his weapon, he caught Bryce's cautioning shake of his head.

"Why are you guys here?" Anna asked, as she took her purse from Lance and leaned on Bryce for support. She was still so dizzy. Damn what was wrong with her? She vowed never to skip a meal again. Food was her friend. And hypoglycemia, obviously, was not.

"Toby called and thought you might be in trouble," Bryce explained, punching the button to summon the elevator. They had managed to get her out of the office and to the bank of elevators. Carrying her down fifty-three flights of stairs was damn near impossible. He had to hope security hadn't cut the power to the elevators when the alarms went off.

"In trouble? I think I passed out because I didn't eat today. I was so nervous about quitting my job and then I had the meeting to get ready for. I just got busy and didn't make time to eat." She allowed Bryce to drag her into the elevator. A spot behind her right knee was positively throbbing with each step. She wondered if she hit it on something and was now beginning to realize it. At least, her head was clearing up a little. "I was feeling dizzy when I started the presentation. What the hell happened to my clients? Maybe, I finished my presentation and they left. Maybe, I passed out afterwards and just don't remember?" She struggled to put the missing pieces together, trying to make sense out of it.

"Don't worry about it now. Lets concentrate on getting you home, into dry clothes, and fed. Toby will be here soon." Bryce kept tight hold on Anna as the elevator descended. She was shivering, chilling from being damp. He could think of a dozen ways to warm her up, but none of them were decent or very gentlemanly.

"I didn't mean to cause this much of a fuss," Anna said weakly. She hated the weakness in her voice, the dizziness in her head, and the fact that she had to lean on Bryce. She rested in his arms appreciating the warmth of his body in warding off the chill. "I wonder if they found any fire?"

Lance sniffed the air and punched the button for the second floor. There was no way they were getting out the front door undetected. Anna was strong enough to make it down one flight of stairs with a little help from Bryce. They'd have to sneak out the service exit in the back and hope nobody saw them. He on the other hand, was going to stick around for a while. There were too many loose ends that didn't make sense. Anna didn't set that fire. But, somebody sure as hell did. And whoever it was, was in the same room with her. "Nope, No fire here. I'll let Bryce take you home. I'm just going to stay put and have a look around."

Good plan. Bryce nodded and tightened his hold on Anna. She was so wobbly on her feet. And she seemed so much more fragile than usual wavering on those spiked heels. "Ok. I'll join you when Toby gets in."

"Guys, I don't need a babysitter," Anna protested. What she needed was a good meal, a hot bath, and some answers.

Bryce pushed a shank of damp hair away from her cheek, ignoring her protests. "Anna, apparently, you do," he teased. Something about her story wasn't adding up. She had clients and was giving a presentation, but the folders were gone. The clients were gone. Who would leave a woman all alone passed out in an office? And her scent, it was off. She didn't smell right. The elevator doors whispered shut. Leaving Anna and he in the elevator, and Lance behind to check out the situation. "Anna, who was the client?"

"O'Rourke was his last name. He was kind of a strange guy. And he had a sidekick with him, a man named Mr. Keene. I don't know what it was about them. But something gave me a severe case of the creeps." She shrugged. The elevator dinged and the doors to the second floor slid open. Good. The downward decent left her feeling a bit woozy. She'd much rather take the stairs than risk throwing up all over Bryce. "Why?"

"Was Mr. O'Rourke a medium height guy with long brown hair? Was Mr. Keene bald and ugly as fuck?" Bryce felt his hackles rise. Protectively gathering her to his side, he scanned the empty hallway before he steered her out of the elevator toward the back stairway.

Despite her dizziness and overall feeling of disorientation, Anna chuckled at Bryce's description of her clients. "I wouldn't call Mr. Keene ugly as fuck, but, yeah. Why? What's that got to do with anything? Do you think they set off the fire alarms?"

"No, I don't." The back stairwell was blessedly clear of fire personnel and security guards. Gently, he helped her down the stairs and out the freight exit. He thought something much worse and if he was right, Anna was lucky to be alive. "Never mind." He leaned her against the fender of the SUV, keeping one hand on Anna to steady her and using the other to open the door. Quickly, he stuffed her inside and closed the door so that she couldn't overhear his conversation with Lance.

"Call Dane. Roark was definitely here." Normally, Anna was very sharp and never missed a thing. She would have been twisting her neck in an attempt to read his lips as he spoke to Lance over the cell phone. Something else that was definitely off. "I think he left her alive as a calling card for us."

Lance nodded and punched a number on his phone. Melting into the darkness he gave Dane the low down and requested more help. Sam and Marcus were on their way. Good fighters. Capable in the field and Lance appreciated the help. He slipped deeper into the building for a closer look.

Chapter 10

Bryce wrapped Anna up in a thick fleece throw and planted a mug of hot soup in her hand. He wanted to take care of her and seeing the smile cross her lips as she sipped the chicken noodle soup made him very happy. Knowing she was safe. That fact alone made him even more so. He didn't ask her any more questions. He just sat next to her and kept her company until Toby arrived.

*****

Sam punched the accelerator. Cursing every vehicle driving the speed limit. If Anna had indeed met with Roark, she was lucky to still be alive. Sam didn't care what the bastard said about feeding solely from willing donors. She didn't trust him. She cast a glance at Marcus, who was staring out the window lost in thought.

Marcus saw the bright orange din of the city lights glowing in the distance, acting as a beacon. Roark was no player. And he was not a fool. What was he after? If he wanted to start a war, he would have killed them when he had the chance and he definitely wouldn't have left Anna alive. Maybe, she was mistaken and the whole thing was a false alarm. He didn't know. But, if Anna had been placed into danger, he'd kill the bastard himself. Nobody hurt his friends.

*******

Toby slammed the gearshift in park and snatched the keys from the ignition. He trotted up the walkway and didn't bother knocking when he got to the door. He needed to see Anna to make sure she was ok. The blank spot in his mind where her familiar presence had been was a bitch to endure. He hated the emptiness of it. He exhaled a relieved sigh, spotting her curled up on the couch beneath a heavy blanket, sipping soup. "Anna."

"Hi Toby. Sorry about the false alarm," Anna said more than a little embarrassed. She hated that she caused him to worry. It was such a dumb thing for her to do. "I guess I forgot to eat today and passed out. It wasn't any big deal." She took another sip out of the mug and swallowed down the chicken broth. "Bryce made me some soup and I'm fine now."

Toby cast a glance at Bryce and got a shrug in return. Bryce wasn't going to discuss it in front of her. "That's good." Toby knelt next to her and wrapped his arms around her. He wrinkled his nose, burying it deeply in her hair. Her familiar scent was off. He glanced at Bryce out of the corner of his eye in questioning. He turned his attention back to Anna when Bryce nodded answering his question. Her scent was off. Something was wrong. "Tell me what happened?"

Toby sat patiently listening as Anna repeated her story. When she was finished, he fished his phone out of the pocket of his jeans and pushed a series of buttons recalling an image. "Anna, think hard. Was this the man?"

Anna stared at the image displayed on the screen. She was amazed and a little confused. Why would Toby have a picture of Mr. O'Rourke? "Yeah, that's him. What's all this about? You guys act like something major has happened. I passed out. He's a client. End of story."

"Anna, I need you to pack a bag. You're coming back to the compound with me." Toby grabbed her hand and pulled her up off the couch. Her life was in danger. If Roark had so much as tasted one drop of her blood, he was linked with her. And if she'd tasted his, she was linked with him. It would explain her sudden absence from his mind and why she'd hadn't felt the emptiness in hers. Roark was in there taking his place. Leaving her in the city, where he might possibly, and very likely be, posed too big of a threat.

"Why? Would someone explain what's going on?" Anna planted her feet in protest. "I'm not going anywhere until you do."

"Anna, there isn't time," Toby insisted, dragging her to the bedroom to pack her things. "The guy, your client and his associate, are very dangerous vampires. The Rogue Master and his Second that abducted Sam and Marcus. I think he may have attacked you and taken your blood." Toby plopped her suitcase on the bed and started filling it with random bits and pieces of clothing.

"Well it's over now, so I'm ok," Anna said pulling the clothing out of the suitcase and tossing it on the floor. She refused to be terrified and to run off and hide. The situation was an easy thing to fix. All Toby had to do was drink her blood and offer her his in exchange. Simple. No more Roark in her head. No more danger.