Dawn Awakening

She tugged his ear and leaned to whisper to him. "By the way, you owe me a bra."

He shrugged casually, rubbing his cheek across her lips. "Casualty of war my love. Maybe, eventually I'll rip through every one of them and you'll have to go au natural. Then I'll start gnawing my way through your tops, and then..." he trailed off, gently tracing the pebbled skin of her nipples with his thumb. He liked the thought of her naked. Hey, he was a guy, unapologetic and greatly stimulated by the visual in his mind's eye.

"Hey," she teased, stilling his fingers with the palm of her hand. She liked what he was doing with his fingers. But, a little light headed from feeding him, she didn't want to pass out in the heat of passion. "What do I get to gnaw through?" She rose up on one elbow, staring him down with pretend disapproval.

John Mark stretched out, putting his hands behind his head and crossing his legs at the ankles. "Anything you want babe, anything you want."



Chapter 27

Kore sniffled in disgust at the animal, dead at her feet. Farm animals, Ha! She hadn't had a decent meal in weeks. Her brother had really outdone himself this time. Pushed her too far to the tether of her patience and tested her last nerve. She was hungry and filthy, dressed in rags and forbidden from consuming human blood, all thanks to her brother's obsessive tendencies toward the extreme. She could wring that redheaded bitch's neck with her bare hands.

Her dear brother was always blathering about something: the importance of timing, waiting for the right opportunity, the joy she'd feel at welcoming her new niece into the fold...he never shut up about the girl. Sometimes, she wondered if he was simply floundering for excuses. If he really had the balls to do what needed to be done. Perhaps, she should do the deed herself. Suck that cunt dry and leave her to die at her brother's feet. One problem with that train of thought, the Sons were at the girl's beck and call. She must have a snatch made of pure gold to have immortals jumping through hoops for the mere pleasure of her company.

"You," Kore snapped at the nearest minion to her, "clean this up." She had almost as little tolerance for the filthy masses as she did for her brother. Almost. At least, some of them showed a little promise. Like the female, scrabbling at her feet to do her bidding. The male at the female's side, fists clenched in rage, had the nerve to narrow his eyes and scowl at her in raw hatred before quickly lowering them to the ground in submission. Good boy. The things she could do to an immortal, after all, they healed so quickly, was the stuff of nightmares.

The rogues under her tender loving care were close to the breaking point. Confused. Frightened. Dirty. And hungry, so very hungry. Violence and pain were the only things that brought them to heel. They were untrained, ragged, and still so human. Totally unaware and unappreciative of the gift they'd been given, the rare opportunity of dying, one final time, for her cause. Pushed hard enough long enough, they'd turn on the hand that had created them like a pack of rabid dogs. Her time was running out.

She'd had her eye on this place for a long time. The location suited her. Gentle rolling hills, thick patches of lush, green farmland, fat bushy pines, and soaring tree tops, the perfect backdrop from which to build her empire. Thanks to her brother's insane belief that the girl was somehow related to him, her clever plans had been pushed forward by a few decades. No matter, she always got what she wanted. And after she got it, her brother would at long last, be rotting in his grave.

*******

Kiros grew impatient with the game. He could barely hazard a trip to the periphery of the town without a Son breathing down his neck, hot on his heels in pursuit. Bastards. What did they do? Grow the sons of bitches on trees? He'd met the Great Father once, long ago, long before the warrior had become a vampire. His search for his kin had led him to this, then remote and wild location. He should have killed him when he had the chance.

After so many years, one got used to killing. There was something about them man, even then, a hint of greatness perhaps, so rare in a human, that had him hesitating at the final moment. Greatness should be cultivated like a rare rose, not stamped out under foot. Little did he know, how great the man would become. If he had, he would have killed him. Even the whisper of the Great Father's name instilled terror deep in the souls of the heartiest of his kind. No one dared to cross him for fear of his mighty sword.

Tonight all that would change. He'd give the Great Father and his band of warriors a run for their money. Sick of waiting, irritated by his sister's endless nagging, eager to be rid of the filthy minions of his own creation, he was claming his prize, one way or another.

***********

Janine sat on the front porch, idly pushing the swing back and forth with the ball

of her foot. On her lap sat a colander of green beans. On the wooden boards of the porch, sat a paper grocery bag overflowing with green beans yet to be snapped. Leigh always seemed to have something "critical" that needed to be done. Something to keep Janine's hands busy and her mind remotely occupied. Today, it was snapping green beans for canning later on in the week. Oh well, at least it wasn't balling yarn, again.

My god, is this how Alex grew up, Janine wondered. Sweltering in the August heat on the front porch, taking green beans from a grocery bag, snapping off their ends and placing them in a colander for canning? Watching the world go about its business, while she sat on this porch, sequestered on this remote piece of farmland so removed from it all?

Alexander and Leigh had tried to explain that this wasn't a farm. Hell, it looked like a farm to her. It had all the qualifications: a garden as big as a city block, a horse, an old red barn faded from decades of summer sun, acres of flat ground, and trees as tall as a skyscraper, no cable or wi-fi, and a smelly ass pig, oddly enough, named Suzy. If it looked like a farm and on a hundred degree day, smelled like a farm. It was a farm.

Janine missed the excitement of the city. The endless throngs of people coming and going in a river of faces, shapes, sizes, and colors. She had a masters degree for god's sake, and here she sat, sweat beading on her upper lip, snapping green beans and rolling skeins of yarn into fat balls. Her life was passing her by. Day by day, she felt it slipping away. Yet, as much as she hated to admit it, she was getting used to the slower pace, the whisper of the hot, summer breeze rustling in the trees, and the quiet. Oh, the country was never completely quiet. But, compared to the roar of the city with all its people and traffic. The country was a silent as a whisper.

Janine snapped away at the green beans. One by one, the grocery bag was getting emptier and emptier and the colander fuller and fuller. Wasn't the joke on her? She was wasting away. Waiting for...something. Yeah, she knew exactly what it was she was waiting for. Patrick. To tell her what she already knew. That he loved her. That he wanted her. They'd promised each other they'd try. And she was. Thanks to her unemployed state, she had not a dime to her name. And thanks to Patrick's penchant for duct tape and log chains, she hadn't gotten laid in months.

She missed sex a hell of a lot more than she missed the city. Ok, so it wasn't sex she missed as much as the knowledge that for the time it took to do the deed, usually, like the speedy checkout lane, five minutes or less for most guys, the way she felt when the guy's attention was fixed on her. Like for that brief period of time, she was the only thing that mattered in his universe. Adored. Important. Vital. And weren't those emotions her c-celled rabbit couldn't evoke. She could get off and temporarily sate her body's needs. But, there wasn't any cuddling with a sex toy.

Over the years, she'd dated plenty of duds. Guys she wished, like her sex toy, she could flip a switch and forget about until she needed them again. Patrick wasn't like anyone she'd ever met before or ever would again. It wasn't the whole vampire thing. She'd been involved in this life for a long time. There was something...fragile... about him, something so vulnerable and guarded. He was capable of so much, only to settle for so little. He'd let people in...only so far. Accept their love...to a degree. And the rest was nothing but vacant space, so desperately in need of filling.

He was capable of giving love, in his unique way. He worked tirelessly to keep those he loved safe. Luckily, she was on the list of those worthy of his love. And it was a very short list. She'd spent all summer picking away at the wall surrounding his heart. Trying to get him to get over himself and open up. Let her, and those closest to him, in. Every time she thought she was getting close to her goal. He'd throw her for a loop. Like the chains and the duct tape were his way of telling her he wanted her, that he wanted everything, but he just wasn't ready. She could have him, but only on his terms. And his love came with so many conditions.

Lucien loved Alex freely and openly. Given Alex's rare absence from the farm. Janine had no doubt they were knocking boots right this minute. Lucien wasn't afraid of his nature. Alex's love had tamed the tiger.

When it was she that should be frightened of him, Patrick was terrified of her instead. Scared of what he might do. And he threw it in her face time and time again. The big, scary vampire thing was getting a little old and a lot overdone. She got it. His fear was the mortar holding the wall together, that, each doubt, each death built brick by brick. He was comfortable behind the wall. And she was tired of pounding her head against it over and over again. So, here she sat, on Alex's front porch snapping green beans while the second hand raced on and on, wondering how much try she had left in her.

























Chapter 28

"So, what are we going to do?" Robbie asked through a mouthful of soggy cereal.

The cabinets were practically bare and she'd resorted to the supper of champions, Cheerios and the last dribbles of the milk from the fridge. Gingerly, she rubbed the sore spot on her neck and frowned at John Mark. "We're both running out of food."

"Sorry about that," he replied sheepishly. He wasn't sorry, not really. Sorry he'd hurt her, yeah. But, not sorry in the least about the afternoon tryst that had led to what had to be the most glorious moments in his entire life. "I'm a growing boy, what can I say?" He stood behind Robbie, staring down in to the empty bowl. Gently, he stroked the tender spot on her neck with his index finger and grinned at the sudden flush of heat along her skin.

Robbie swatted at John Mark, chagrined by his pleasure at her response to something as seemingly insignificant as a touch. She'd been locked up in this house for three days. Corrine was handling the shop with her usual fierce efficiency. There was a vampire out there lurking in the shadows, just waiting for an opportunity to get his hands on her and now, she was out of food.

Despite his every reassurance that there was nothing to worry about, she worried. Especially about how close John Mark and she were getting. More than anything she longed to go to the shop and put in a hard day's work. Fill her mind with something other than the danger she was in. Idle hands were the devil's playground and boy...had they played today. She needed some time away from him to think things through. It was too easy locked up in the house with him to forget the future and what she wanted for herself. Too easy to get wrapped up in the moment and lost in him without thinking about where they'd end up.

"Maybe I should just go out there, lure him in, and let you kick his ass," she grumbled.

John Mark shook his head. "That's a really bad idea. There's too much risk involved." He snatched up the empty bowl and headed to the kitchen. He wasn't using Robbie as bait. Ever. Besides, he didn't mind being holed up with her. Every second they were together softened her, just a bit, to the idea of him...of them...together.

Robbie smiled sarcastically. "Honey, I wont let the bad vampire get you." God, he could be so stubborn. What did he expect her to eat? There was something unidentifiable wrapped up in plastic wrap in the back of the freezer, other than that and dry cereal, she was out of food. And so very out of patience with the whole mess. Who did he think he was kidding? He wasn't going to last much longer either. How many times could he feed from her before he drained her dry?

John Mark merely grumbled in response and wrinkled his brow. Robbie got the impression she wasn't fully getting through to him. So, she appealed to the one thing she could, his ego. "Couldn't you arrange something with The Sons? I mean, c'mon. The U.S. Government put a man on the moon. There has to be away to pull this off. After all, there's a bunch of you guys and only one of him."

John Mark raised a brow at Robbie. She was so twitchy. Nervously shifting in her chair and toying with the edge of the summery print tablecloth. He wasn't going to be able to keep her here much longer. She was so much like her dad. Couldn't sit still. And never gave up once she sank her teeth into an idea.

He knew what she was up to. Goading the brothers and him into action. She just didn't understand. This wasn't an ordinary human they were dealing with. A vampire's main asset was time. This vampire could wait virtually forever before he made his move. Until then, there wasn't much he or his brothers could do to flush him out. Except use Robbie as bait. " Forget it. I wont put you in jeopardy," he finally said. "If you're still hungry, order a pizza."

Robbie did not like the set of John Mark's jaw. In those two sentences he'd shut down all communication between them. He wanted to keep her safe. She got it. But, being a prisoner in her own home? Not acceptable. "I'm not hungry," she grumbled, shooting him her meanest, most "I mean business" scowl. Not, that he was going to let her win, or out of his sight, for that matter.

John Mark could see it coming in the way Robbie squared her shoulders and narrowed her green eyes to slits. Funny, he felt exactly the same way. Determined. Annoyed. Frustrated. Why couldn't she see what he was trying to do and simply cooperate for once? He shouldn't have taught her to block him. The best way to avoid a fight was not to get in one in the first place. Instead of putting her out and having some peace and quiet. He'd have to deal with her.

Maybe, they were beginning to get on each other's nerves, just a little bit. For days, they'd been confined to these four walls. And there was so much tension between them, so many things brewing beneath the surface. They avoided talking about her parent's deaths, although it was on the forefront of their minds. They avoided discussing where the attraction between them was headed. And they sidestepped anything remotely having to do with what happened in the bedroom this afternoon. There was just so much to talk about and neither one of them really knew how to go about it.

Maybe, Robbie didn't need a guy's company as much as she needed a girl's. Yeah, maybe that was it. She needed to do girl things with other girls. Paint her nails and do all those girlie things John Mark had no clue about. What did women do when they were together anyway? For the past few weeks, he'd been her only companion. Corrine was too old to have much, besides the shop, in common with Robbie. She needed friends...girlfriends. And he had the perfect pair in mind. Janine and Alex. Of course!

Alex was the poster child for vampire/human relationships. And Janine...well, Janine could, aw heck, he didn't know, give Robbie a makeover or something. John Mark held up his hands in resignation. "Let me make a call or two."

Robbie had no clue what John Mark was up to. But, he was up to something. She could practically see the light bulb over his head flicker to life. He'd retreated to the bedroom with his cell phone in hand, securely closing the door behind him, leaving her parked on the couch in front of the TV. Bored out of her skull and annoyed at how much she paid for cable when there wasn't a damned thing to watch, she paced around the living room in annoyance. John Mark was taking so long. What was he doing?

Time crept by, the late evening slowly faded into the dark purples and grays of twilight. Robbie sighed and tossed the remote on the coffee table. Idly, she picked up one of her mom's goofy, totally unreliable, gossip magazines and began to thumb through the pages. With a groan, she dropped it on the empty seat next to her. Who cared which budding starlet had her original nose? Unable to tolerate being pinned up in the house another second, she tiptoed to the front door and carefully, inched it open.

The dusky smell of a late summer's night, thick with the mouthwatering aroma of backyard barbecues, and earthy with the scent of freshly cut grass, hung heavily in the air. A damp wall of humid heat stretched over the neighborhood like a hot, wet blanket, soaking her upper lip with sweat the minute she stepped, almost timidly, onto the porch. Confined to the air conditioning for most of the day, Robbie basked in the sudden rush of warmth.

On a night like tonight, the shop would be hopping with customers eager to get relief from the sweltering humidity anywhere they could find it. The dog days of summer, the time of summer when everything singed to a crisp from lack of rain, the time right before school started back in session and everyone was covered in a fine layer of sweat, was her favorite time of year. And she was missing it.

John Mark was going to be pissed when he caught her outside. What did he expect her to do? If she stayed in that house another minute, she was going to lose her mind. Her bare feet crunched over the crisp, sharp, stubbly layer of sun scorched grass and padded over the bare patches of dirt, where her dad had tried, year after year, to coax a lawn to grow. The sidewalk dug into the soles of her feet. She didn't care. It felt too damn good to be out. And she sure as hell wasn't going to risk a trip inside to grab her flip-flops for a quick trip up and down her street. Not with John Mark as her personal watch dog.

Robbie paused at the edge of the driveway, checking out the neighborhood. Everything seemed quiet enough. The heat and humidity had chased even the stoutest of porch sitters inside. From somewhere down the block, probably Mack in his sheriff's cruiser, a car idled along the deserted streets. No bad guys tripped her radar. Everything was perfectly and absolutely normal.

For a moment, Robbie considered that John Mark had made the whole thing up as an excuse to get close to her. The tender lump on her forehead told her differently. Really, how much trouble could she get into walking around the block? The neighbors had their porch lights on. This wasn't the dark corner behind the store. And it was barely nightfall. People were up and about. Someone would hear it if something happened to her. They'd see. These people lived for stuff like that. Old misses Jones practically took up roost at her front window, like one of those damned hens her grandmother used to talk about. Nothing would happen. It was just a quick trip up and down the street. John Mark would never know she left.

John Mark pressed Janine from his end of the conversation. The woman was in one hell of a sour ass humor tonight. Patrick had, no doubt, done something to piss her off. Again. He should have tried Alex first. He rolled his eyes at Janine's endless tirade on the other end of the line. She babbled something about being too busy snapping string beans to stop by tonight. Since he was a beggar, he couldn't be choosy about when Janine decided to grace Robbie with her presence. Irritated and frustrated, he muttered a quick goodbye and snapped his cell phone closed. Tomorrow morning, but not before ten, would have to do.