Dawn Awakening

"Or you become a vampire. Chaos...fate...bad luck...good luck...destiny...whatever got us here, here we are." Robbie envied the flippant way John Mark had always seen the world. The way he'd always been the bendable one. Flexible and relaxed, just able to just go with it and let whatever happened, happen. If she could be a little more like him, instead of always trying to sort the events of her life into some sort of order that made sense, she wouldn't be having this internal conflict now. Her head was a jumble of confusion and randomness and she didn't like it one bit. "My question is what do we do now?"

"I dunno. I'm just enjoying the moment." He slid his hands underneath her sweatshirt, brushing his fingers over her stomach as he played with its frayed end. The curve of her neck was soft beneath her lips as he brought them up to nuzzle the sensitive flesh behind her ear. Tucking her snugly between his thighs, her backside pressed against his ever growing erection, he tickled and teased her belly with his fingers and the shell of her ear with the tip of his tongue.

He liked the way Robbie squirmed in his arms; the way she responded to him, even if she wasn't aware she was responding, or the logical part of her mind didn't want to respond, her body had ideas all of its own. He'd never been part of her pre-planned future. She hadn't seen him as anything beyond a good friend, maybe her best friend, until recently.

She'd had him neatly categorized and filed away on some shelf in her mind and now, she was desperately trying to sort him. Shelve him into another section that made sense. Perhaps...in the erotica section...or maybe in romance...along with the other mysteries she couldn't quite solve, he didn't know. And he wasn't about to let her shove him in some slot on a shelf to be forgotten about and covered in dust. Finally after all this time, she'd opened his book and he was going to make damned sure she read every last word. He wanted to be her favorite book. The one she cuddled up with at night and read cover to cover over and over again.

"No plan?" Robbie asked. People, events, hell, the whole universe at large fell into categories to be neatly filed away on the shelves of her mind. John Mark was asking her for the first time ever to just relax and go with it. She'd never done that before.

Planning ahead made her life and all the things in it manageable. Without a plan her entire life might fall into the vacuum of chaos and then where would she be? Directionless as a speck of dust sucked up into the funnel of a tornado. It was too scary. As frightening as the things John Mark's fingers, skating so slowly and delightfully across the bare skin of her stomach and the sensation of his lips and tongue gently caressing the shell of her outer ear, made her feel. Totally out of control, hungry for more, and for once wanting to ride on the wild currents of the vortex threatening to sweep her away.

"Repeat after me." It was time to make his move. Her mind and her body warred on opposite ends of the battlefield. And everything he wanted hung in the balance. Robbie wouldn't make it easy for him. Then again, she never had. Maybe, he was aiding the enemy, arming her body and her heart in the battle against her head. But, no one had ever accused him of playing completely fairly. He'd never break the rules. But, he'd bend the hell out of them, if it meant winning for once and for all.

John Mark moved so quickly, Robbie didn't have time to react. Easing her back on the sand, her hair fanned out, framing her face in stark relief to the paleness of the moonlit beach like flames licking hungrily at the earth. He leaned on his elbow, looking down at her into her emerald eyes. With the fingers of his free hand, he traced the outline of her lips. "Spontaneity."

"Spontaneity," Robbie obediently repeated. His fingers traced the word as it formed on her lips. Her heart jack-hammered in her chest, thumping against her ribs with wild beats stirred by the softness of his touch, the warmth of his breath, and the hardness of his body, stretched out beside hers, dwarfing her with its bulk. His eyes were velvet black against the darkness of the night, moonlight captured in their depths, reflecting the white light. Almost as if his eyes were their own sky, their own universe, and she was just a speck, lost and floating in the weightlessness of his gaze. With no small amount of effort, she broke their hold and stared up at the real sky, the real stars, and felt the cool caress of the real moon graze over her cheeks. "I've never gone without a plan before. I don't know if I can."

"You didn't plan for me did you?" John Mark asked. His mouth formed words against her lips. Automatically, as if her body were a separate entity from her mind, she curved her mouth against the question, tasting and savoring it on the tip of her tongue. He was so close to winning. He could feel her surrender. See the white flag blowing in the breeze in truce. Almost close enough for him to reach out, snatch it up, and hold it victoriously in his grasp.

"No," Robbie replied truthfully. She arched against the touch of his hands, skimming the sensitive skin of her waist, up under her sweatshirt to stroke the hard ridge of her ribs. The heat from his palms seared her like a branding iron. And the gentle pressure of his lips on her mouth, swallowing her admission like the sweetest candy, had her returning the kiss, searching to snatch the word back from the tip of his tongue.

"It's not so bad." John Mark broke the kiss, balancing his weight on his elbows to stare down into her eyes. He was lost, a man flailing in an emerald sea of such beauty. Drowning in the waves of her emotions pulling him under and robbing him of breath. He wondered who was really winning this war. Who was really the victor and who was really surrendering? He felt like both.

Robbie wrapped her arms around John Mark's neck and drew him close until his forehead rested against hers and the tips of their noses brushed. They stared into one another's eyes, brown meeting green and green meeting brown, neither one wanting to be the first to yield to the other. Locked in a battle of wills and drowning in an ocean of possibilities.

She knew how to keep her head above water. And for once, instead of fighting against the current, trying to control it, and plan for every possible outcome. She let it go. Let the water carry her along to whatever distant shore it would. Robbie tipped her chin and brushed her lips against his. And so the battle ended. Both of them were victors. Both of them were losers. Each one of them gave and sacrificed a part of themselves to the other, for the better good, and to win the war. "No, it's not so bad."

If victory had a flavor it would be as sweet as Robbie's kiss on his lips and as sugary as her breath coating his tongue. Slightly bitter with a twinge of regret for all the losses they'd endured to find their way, at long last, into each other's arms. Loaded with rich decadence, dripping with the promise of things yet to come. "Robbie, why haven't you ever..." He paused looking for the right words to ask without completely ruining the moment. "...been with anyone?"

Robbie slid free from John Mark's arms and sat up, turning away in embarrassment. Of course, he knew about her untouched state. He'd stopped at the last minute instead of plunging full steam ahead. Maybe, he thought she was backwards because she hadn't. "I never met the right guy I guess. I didn't date much in high school and in college, I didn't want to get distracted and blow my scholarship." She traced patterns in the pebbled soil with her finger, shyly looking up at him. "What about you? You've...ah....before?"

John Mark sat up and slid closer to Robbie till they were sitting, hip pressed to hip. Wrapping an arm around her waist, he rested his head on her shoulder. "Not really. My reasons were a little different than yours. But, no, not unless Rosie Palmer and her five sisters count anyway."

Robbie snickered and eased out a relieved breath. She didn't really want to know about John Mark's past with other women and it was a load off her mind that he didn't have one. "You never met the right guy huh?" she teased, poking him in the ribs with her elbow.

John Mark yanked Robbie by the arm, dropping her onto her back on the sand. Mercilessly, he ticked her belly until she snorted with laughter and begged him to stop. "Smart ass." Rolling over, on top of her, he pinned her head between his hands and pressed his groin into the cup of her pelvis. "I was waiting for someone," he said, running a trail of kisses and playful nips along her collarbone, "to notice that I was the right guy for her."

Robbie cupped John Mark's cheeks in her hands and pulled his face down till their lips touched. "I think she's finally figured it out." His mouth was a heavenly whisper across her lips. Kissing her with such fervor and abandon, he thrust his tongue against hers, meeting each desperate stroke with an equally enthusiastic reply.

John Mark rolled onto his back, pulling Robbie along to rest above him, straddling him with her thighs. Her weight pressed right where he wanted it the most. Gentle and hot pressure, dizzying friction against his groin, and the moist slick glide of her mouth and tongue over his lips. "It took her long enough," he whispered. Fisting her hair, he claimed her mouth for his own.









Chapter 37

"It'll be daylight soon, better get you inside," John Mark said, breaking the kiss. Disappointed that things hadn't progressed to the point where he was as on edge, hot and bothered, body raging with new sensations that left her practically writhing in their wake, Robbie wrapped his jacket over her shoulders and inhaled deeply of its scent. Watching the way his body gracefully moved as he put out the fire and led the way through the woods. He hadn't even broken a sweat and she was steaming like the coals on the beach.

"Aren't we going back to my house?"

"I've got some errands to run today," John Mark replied with a smile. Damn, she was sexy. Her hair tousled in a tangle of red curls from where he'd fisted the strands. Lips swollen from the pressure of his kiss, and eyes heavily lidded with desire, her body shaking with the heat of the fire he'd built and stroked to life. Bits of sand clung to her clothes from where she'd been writhing on the beach beneath him. Yeah, oh yeah, he was leaving her hanging, dangling by a thread. And he was right there with her. The both of them so close to toppling over the edge it hurt, physically hurt.

He retrieved a pair of beat up sunglasses from his pocket and handed them to her. She pushed them up her nose and stared up at him in confusion. He'd wanted her so badly less than five minutes ago and now he was playing Mr. Cool. "You don't think I am safe to be around people yet?"

"Just a safety precaution." John Mark patted her hand reassuring her. "I don't want you waking up hungry and end up having to explain Bobo's disappearance to Mrs. Jones."

"I'd have better taste than to eat that damned cat. Give me some credit John Mark," Robbie said, faking offence as she rolled her eyes at him. "Although, getting rid of that furry bastard would be doing the world a favor. The town council would probably name a street after me or something."

That cat was the menace of the neighborhood, terrorizing the squirrels, crapping in flowerbeds, and jumping out from bushes at passersby to swipe at them with his claws. There was nothing endearing or lovable about that cat. But, Mrs. Jones loved him, ill temper and all. Even her husband ranked lower on the scheme of things than that cat she'd taken in as a stray kitten and nursed back to health.

"True," John Mark chuckled, holding the door to the cabin wide for Robbie to enter. "Home sweet home." He smiled over his shoulder at Robbie and closed the shutters tight against the light of day. "Make yourself comfortable. I'll be back soon." He eyed the bed longingly and gave her a peck on the cheek. There was nothing he wanted more than to wile away the hours with her. But, it was his turn to make patrols today. And Lucien wasn't one to grant days off for any reason.

Robbie sank onto the bed with a heavy sigh. The sheets were cold against her skin and the bed empty. Her mind wandered as she thought over the events of the last few weeks. So much had changed in such a little amount of time it was hard to keep up with it all. Closing her eyes she reviewed a mental list of those changes, trying to categorize them in her mind's dewy decimal system for future reference. Secretly, she wished her parents were still here, especially, her dad, to help her think things through and put them into proper perspective. What would he think about John Mark? And where would he tell her to put him?

Robbie awoke to a warm fire blazing in the hearth. She hadn't realized she'd fallen asleep or that while she was asleep the sun had made its trek across the sky and was sinking like an orange balloon beneath the horizon. The smoky, pungent scent of sassafras wood burning on the hearth filled her nose, its warmth infusing her chilled limbs.

"Good you're awake. The deer will be running soon," John Mark said. His patrol had been long and uneventful. Not a trace of the rogues to be scented on the air. Maybe, Kore had gotten a clue and left town while she still could. Lucien wasn't convinced that was the case. And neither was Patrick. The two of them together were the voice of gloom and doom. If that was the case, and Kore and the rogues were out there, just biding their time, he wanted Robbie able to take care of herself. Maybe it was Lucien's prophetic voice of doom or Patrick's constant tales of gloom that had him anticipating the worst. But, he wanted Robbie ready. Just in case.

"Sounds good," Robbie replied, stretching and shaking off a yawn. Not really. In actuality a pizza with extra cheese sounded a hell of a lot better than her liquid diet. But, she didn't mention it to John Mark. He'd just scowl and remind her that she wasn't exactly human anymore. Pizza was off the menu, along with everything else.

John Mark watched with pride gleaming in his eyes as Robbie scented out the trail and took the buck down on her own. One word echoed in the back of his mind "ni, mine." She was his. Marked by his blood, flowing in her veins. His creation. His responsibility. And his love.

Robbie trotted over to John Mark, wiping away a trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth with the hem of her sweatshirt. "I wasn't so messy this time," she said waiting for a word of praise. Letting that deer go hadn't been difficult after her failure on the last hunt. She'd taken a couple of sips and withdrawn, backing off to watch the deer go free, bounding into the woods haphazardly, dazed from the hunt, but not dead. She didn't ever want to kill anything ever again.

"No, you did great. You're gaining more control now. You're learning faster than I ever anticipated. Soon you'll be able to go back home and to the shop. There's a lodge meeting tonight. Lucian wants you to come." John Mark took her hand leading her deeper into the woods.

"Are we going there now?" Robbie asked. Her eyebrows arched with self-doubt. Sure, she was technically a Son, or rather a Daughter. But, what in the heck could she have to offer them? She wasn't a warrior like John Mark. She wasn't stealthy like Patrick. Hell, she could barely keep the books at the shop in order. What was she going to do? Make ice cream sundaes for everyone? Line the brothers up in alphabetical order? She had no skills and there was nothing special about her.

"Yeah, its not far from here. See if you can find it." He was testing her, seeing if she could master her senses. Lucien had taught him that anything could be used as an opportunity for learning. Sure, last night had been about learning self-control. God, he'd wanted to. And she'd wanted to. And making out on the beach hadn't helped a bit. Tonight, he'd teach her, continue training her to take care of herself.

Robbie lifted her nose into the night air and focused her hearing. "Oh, its this way," she said as the sweet vampire fragrance wafted in the breeze. She grabbed his hand leading the way.

His shoulders slumped. In a way, he was disappointed. Soon she would no longer be dependent on him. She would be ready to decide the course of her life on her own. He wanted to keep her all to himself, reliant on him. But, in his heart he knew that wasn't fair to her. The choice to keep him around would be hers and hers alone. "You need to make contact with the donors. Get to know them, see if you connect with one."

"Ok," Robbie drew closer to him as they approached the camp. Was he trying to get rid of her? Was he so ready to pawn her off on the others? Was he hanging out with her out of a sense of duty? Last night, it hadn't seemed that way. Last night, she'd felt closer to him than she had any other person on the planet. She'd wanted to and she could have sworn that he wanted to. But, he'd held her off, kissing her senseless, sensitizing her body to his touch until she was a mass of quivering nerve endings. And for what?

The orange flames from the bonfire danced merrily into the starlit sky. Sounds of people talking and laughing filled the air. John Mark led her though the crowd, introducing her to the members. Most she recognized. She'd known them her entire life. She was surprised by how many seemingly ordinary people were involved, in one way or another. They were equally interested in her. A spark of recognition flashed in their eyes, when they realized, she wasn't as ordinary as she once was. They knew. And they weren't afraid.

Exhausted from meeting so many new faces in the brothers and reacquainting with so many old friends, the endless hours of dancing around the fire, and from Lucien's attempts to instruct her in the fine art of sparring, which she failed at miserably, Robbie flopped down on a log and stretched her legs. The sky was growing a light gray with the brightness of the promise of a new day on the horizon. The bonfire smoldered, sputtering as flames attempted to lap up the last bits of charred wood in the center. Robbie drew closer, trying to glean some warmth from the embers. The brightness of the morning forced her hand to her eyes, to shield them from its blinding onslaught. Unable to tolerate the light, she scanned the flat meadow, searching John Mark out.

She found him, leaning against the base of a tall oak, staring out into the dawn. "Hey there," she whispered softly, slipping up beside him. Sometime during the festivities, he'd gone off on his own, whether to hunt or to engage in some other activity, she didn't know. But, he'd never been too far away. She'd felt his eyes on her, gauging her, all night.

John Mark glared down at Robbie his jaw square with determination. He felt certain that he could stave off his need to be near her. Certain that he could fight the demon of the blood bond that bound them together if that's what she wanted. He grunted in reply.

Robbie withdrew her hand as if it were burned. "What's wrong?" she asked. Her eyes were wide with shock at his gruff reply. His mind was closed to her as if he'd built a wall between them. One made of steel, impenetrable, and cold so cold.

He pushed his body away from the tree. "I dunno." He didn't know how to start this conversation, not really sure if he wanted to. She was ready to resume her life. Did she want him in it? He kicked the ground with the toe of his boot analyzing the clouds of dust as they drifted up. She'd said that she loved him. He could read it in her thoughts. But was love enough? She hadn't said that she wanted to be with him, not forever though.