Dawn Discovered

"Son, there are those out there that would seek to destroy her. Her innocence and her humanity is enough to draw them to her. There are predators everywhere. To them, she won't be Gina. She'll be a meal. Son, you have handed her over to them. I only hope I can find her before they do."

"Dad...." Daniel hadn't stopped to consider that Gina would be alone. Vulnerable. Defenseless. "I'm sorry."

Hunter cast a glance at his son. Daniel was thinking. Considering his options. If he told where he'd sent Gina, he could save his ass. But, that would defeat the purpose of what he'd done. If he didn't tell where Gina was, he knew what would follow. Hunter was certain of that. He'd be severely punished. Hunter closed the door behind him. Giving his son time to stew and think things over.

Gina gripped the arm of her seat as the plane ascended. Pulling her back firmly against the arms as gravity scrambled to maintain its hold on the plane. Outside the window, the lights of the city grew dim as the plane climbed higher and higher into the sky. Carrying her farther and farther away from Hunter and everything she knew and loved.

"You don't fly often do you?" The voice next to her asked, silkily, smooth and breathtakingly seductive. Gina's eyes popped open. She'd been so engrossed in her thoughts that she hadn't noticed the passenger in the seat next to her. She glanced over at the man with the voice sexy enough to make any woman's panties wet with desire. He was impeccably groomed. His hair gathered into a slick, deep brown ponytail that trailed across his shoulders to end at his mid-back. His accent made her think of far away exotic places and erotic nights. His eyes were a piercing steel gray without a hint of softness or compassion in their cold depths. His skin was pale, almost translucent beneath the white lights overhead. Obviously, he didn't get out in the sun much. Not without a reason. Immediately, Gina knew what he was and pressed as closely to the wall as she could.

He regarded her. The pallor of realization that blanched her cheeks and sent her heart pounding in her chest. Humans rarely detected what he was. Of course, there were exceptions. Humans entrusted with knowledge of the dark secret. And perhaps, she had somehow acquired such divine trust from one of his kind. "O' Sullivan. Eric O'Sullivan." He extended his hand and shot her an acknowledging smile. He wasn't surprised when she didn't offer her hand in return. And there was little doubt she knew precisely what he was.

"Gina," she rasped. Sinking farther into her seat, she regarded his extended hand as if it were a snake. She didn't know if he was friend or foe. He might be a Son or a Guardian. And if that were the case, she had to keep her cover under tight wraps. If he wasn't then she had to assume he was a predator. And he was going to be hungry when the plane landed in LAX.

"Didn't things work out?" He asked as he slid the edge of his nail across the dimple in her ring finger.

"I'd rather not discuss my personal business with strangers, Mr. O'Sullivan."

"It's a very long flight. Perhaps, by the time we land, we'll be better acquainted." O'Sullivan regarded Gina with interest. "Please, call my Eric. All my friends do."

"We're not friends." Gina turned her shoulder away from him and stared out into the dark nothingness of the night sky. He couldn't attack her here, on the plane. For the time being, she was safe. When they landed, she'd stick to the light. Stay close to other people. And hope like hell, he wasn't that interested in a midnight snack.

Eric chuckled under his breath. Noisily rustling his newspaper as he unfolded it. She was a cute little brunette, with a short pixie hair cut and round green eyes the color of a meadow in springtime. Her eyes were reddened and tearstained and her clear, freckled complexion blotchy from crying. He straightened the lapels of his suit and analyzed her from the corner of his eye as he feigned disinterest.

In another time and place, he would have thought differently about her. In today's civilized society, those thoughts were forbidden. He hadn't gotten to live to be so very old by being stupid. He hid his dietary preferences well from the watchful eye of the brotherhood. He was merely curious about the woman sitting next to him. The fact, that Gina knew what he was, piqued his curiosity all the more. Once they landed he'd have the opportunity to acquaint himself with her further.

His predator was one that was never truly sated. And all the rules left him nauseated with a foul taste in his mouth. An occasional pitchfork or angry mob was nothing compared to risking a run in with the Guardians; or even worse, the wrath of their righteous counterparts, the Sons. This time...this age was about finesse and pretending to be something other than what you truly were. In the dark ages of mankind, he was feared, revered, and respected. These days, humans had no clue and no fear.

He had to wonder, especially since she knew what he was, if she was somehow connected to the brotherhood. He couldn't see enough of her skin to detect their trademark indigo swirls on her neck. But, if she were a Son, one of their human donors, why would they put her at risk and allow her to travel, unprotected, without an escort? The world was indeed a dangerous place. And she was traveling headlong into the thick of it. Into the one place the brotherhood could not protect her adequately, into his backyard.

Drew paced the living room. "I've alerted the Guardians of Gina's absence. If she turns up in the city, we'll know." He was concerned for the woman. She would be better off if she'd never heard of the Sons or known the wolves. Her knowledge of his kind placed her in great danger. She knew no fear of his kind. And the absence of her fear could get her killed.

"Thank you," Hunter said, bowing low to the Great White Wolf. Everyone was doing everything that they could to help. Patrols combed the town, the city, airports, train stations, and bus terminals. Her apartment was under constant surveillance. If she turned up in any of those places, he'd know.

Tristen heard Toby's voice in his ear. According to the tracking device on her phone. Gina had just crossed the state line. She was traveling a bit ahead of him. The green and white sign indicated that he was thirty miles from the state's border. She was traveling west, but where? He realized that he could be on a wild goose chase. She could have ditched her phone. He was sure, knowing how Daniel's mind worked, his brother would have told her to do so. But, the vampires had the city and routes in and out of it under patrol and her cell phone signal was the only possible lead they had. Toby's voice shouted excitedly. His dad's truck had been located, at the airport. Tristen hung a u-turn and headed back east. This time, he hoped, following the right lead.

"Danny, you have to tell us where she is," Marianne implored her brother.

"No. I did this for us," Daniel replied in stubborn determination.

"How does breaking dad's heart help us any?" Marianne pressed. She was worried. Gina had been gone for hours. Only Daniel knew where she was.

"He's back with his wolf isn't he?" Daniel justified. The fact that his dad had shifted only strengthened his resolve. He glanced at his digital clock. In fifteen minutes, his dad would come storming up the stairs, demanding an answer. An answer his dad wasn't going to get.

"How could you do this to him? And what about Gina?" Marianne brushed back a tear. She hated it when she cried. "What about me. You're ruining everything. Even if dad does find her, she won't want to come back to us now. All because of you." She sniveled and brushed her tears away with her hand.

"Oh, come on! You can't really believe that Gina would have been any kind of a mother to you, do you? She's human. She'd never understand us." His little sister and the deluge of tears tore at his conscience. For Mouse's sake, maybe he should tell. He hadn't realized how close Mouse and Gina had become. He thought it was all an act for his dad's benefit.

"I didn't want her for a mother. I wanted her as a friend." Marianne ran from Daniel's room. Crying as loudly as she could as she bolted down the hall. Daniel still saw her as a little girl. And she'd poured on the water works extra heavy to try and extract information out of him. Frustrated, she'd cried real tears when her act didn't work. Daniel really believed that what he'd done was the best for everyone concerned. The result was as he'd hoped it would be and to him the outcome justified the means.

"Son of a bitch," Toby muttered as he typed furiously. He'd finally managed to hack into the airport's security cameras and databases. He fast-forwarded through the myriad footage, scanning through the last three hours worth of video feed. He slowed a part and ran it through again. It was Gina all right. Emptying her bag onto a conveyor at a security checkpoint. The tracking device on her phone was leading them on a false trail. "Gina, where are you going?" he asked.

He pulled up another database of all the flights with late evening departures. Searching the passenger logs for her name. There was no Gina Klein, or Gina Kleinschmidt, as she was known, listed on any of the logs. But, there was a Gina Smith, a Gina Rowe, and a Gina Brown, three different women flying to three very different locations. London for one, Maine for the other, and the third, to sunny Southern California. Which flight was their lovely Gina taking? He quickly eliminated the flight bound for Europe, creating a forged passport took skill and was too risky. Toby chose to investigate the other two options, scanning through footage from the boarding areas.

He knew Gina was too warm blooded for Maine. He saw her image enter the plane. He rewound the footage and watched more carefully. Another passenger who had embarked the same flight earlier caught his eye. He typed on the keyboard, honing in on the frozen frame of video footage. "Shit." Gina must be a psychotic killer magnet. He recognized the man. A very dangerous rogue that the Guardians had driven out of the city a little over a year ago and thought was gone for good. "O'Sullivan." He hit speed dial on the phone. Booking tickets for the next available flight, unfortunately, it wasn't due to leave the city until six in the morning.

Drew snapped the phone closed. "We've found her." His voice was grave. She'd been at the compound recently and the women had gone to visit her at the cabin. He could only hope the rouge didn't pick up their scents on her clothing. "She's due to arrive at LAX at three this morning. Hunter, I'm sorry. Gina is in greater danger than we anticipated." He knew of the peace negotiations between the Guardians and the West Coast Rogue Master. They hadn't gone well. It seemed, the hunting was poor on the west coast. There were many more humans than animals to choose from. And the humans were more to their liking.

"How fast can we get there?" Hunter asked. Gina was on her own, defenseless against a very powerful and dangerous Rogue Master. By six, it could be too late. If the flight left on time, it wouldn't arrive till eight with the time difference. And then, he had the task of finding her in one of the most crowded, urban areas of the country. He had to get the information out of his son before he left for the airport.

Gina's eyes grew heavy. The cabin was dim and filled with the sounds of people dozing off. She draped her jacket over her shoulders and rested her head against the wall. For the moment, she was safe from the passenger sitting next to her. There was little he could do to her in an airplane. She tried to stay awake. But, her eyelids sank closed and her frazzled mind shut down.

O'Sullivan leaned closer. Her breathing was slow and even. She even drooled a bit from the corner of her mouth. She was sound asleep as were most of the passengers on the plane. He drew in nostrils full of air. Sifting through the layers of humanity that surrounded him. He latched onto the smell of her soap and perfume and scented deeper. She smelled of wood smoke, something he couldn't identify, and, as he inhaled again with a grin, vampire, a Son, no...several Sons. Nothing smelled quite like the brotherhood did. Their diet gave them away. Their scent was sweet. But, not as cloying as the scent of a vampire that lived off a strictly humans only diet.

Curious. Very curios. Eric was too invested in her to let her disappear into the throng of humanity into which the plane was about to make its descent. He wanted to know more about the mystery woman, brave enough to travel alone into the heart of his territories unprotected. He could take a sample from her and find out. But, wouldn't that ruin the game. If the Sons were involved, Carter was involved. And Eric so enjoyed playing with his one time protégé.

Gently, he brushed his fingers over her cheek. "Love, we're landing," he said softly.

Gina jolted awake, startled by the coolness of fingers snaking across her cheek. She froze in fear. Her mind tried to register where she was. After a few minutes of staring at the other passengers as they stirred, preparing for the landing. She squashed her fear. She had to be brave for Hunter's sake. She had to go through with this. "Oh," she said trying to be casual, "Thanks for waking me."

O'Sullivan gave her a coy smile. She could pretend. And so could he. "My pleasure. You'll not need your jacket. The temperature is a balmy seventy-five degrees tonight." He poured on the charm. "If I could ask, what brings you to my fair city? Business or pleasure?"

"Neither," Gina answered. She turned her attention to the spray of lights in all the colors she could possibly imagine glowing in the distance outside of her window. L.A. looked like a brilliantly, shining, glitter of jewels from this altitude. She grabbed her bag and prepared for the plane to land. She realized the danger she could be in, if he took more than just a casual interest in her. She sensed that he was not like the vampires she'd known previously. He was dangerous. Lethal.

"Son, you have to tell me where Gina is staying. Her life may be in danger." Hunter had been working on his son for almost a half hour now. And the boy was no closer to giving in now than he had been when Hunter first posed the question. "You said you didn't want to hurt anybody. You said you sent Gina someplace safe. I know she's due to arrive in L.A. any minute. Where is she staying?"

"If I tell you. You'll bring her back. You'll try to separate from your wolf again. I won't tell you a damn thing, Dad." Daniel hadn't realized how severe the vampire activity was in L.A. He hadn't meant to send Gina into a city filled with blood-starved fiends. He hadn't meant to endanger her.

"I'm going to L.A. to find her. And I will find her. If you tell me, I might get to her before the Rogues do."

"She runs the same risk as any other human who lives in the city. What's the problem?"

"She's been around the Sons. A vampire might pick up their scent on her clothes. She's on the same flight as a very dangerous rogue. Withholding what you know might get her killed. Do you understand that? If the rouge detects vampire scent on her, he could kill her." Hunter shook with rage and impatience. His son would not budge. He was tempted to threaten the boy within an inch of his life if he didn't tell.

"Let me beat it out of him, Dad." Tristen towered over his brother. He really wouldn't mind remodeling Daniel's face.

"Enough damage has already been done," Hunter said. "Daniel, please tell me. I know you're young and you don't understand. You've never been in love before and you don't know what it's like." He slid Gina's ring off his pinkie and placed it into his son's palm. Closing Daniel's fingers into a fist around the ring. "You can't understand the bond between mates. This was your mother's and now it's Gina's. As your mother once held my heart now she does. If she dies, a part of me will die with her."

"I'll tell you if you promise not to separate from your wolf." Daniel felt the ring's stone bite into his palm. The ring was heavy, as if it weighed a ton instead of a few ounces.

"Daniel, you can't live my life for me as I can't live yours for you. I can't promise what decisions I'll make in the future."

"Then, I can't tell you."

"If she dies, I can't live."

"If you die, neither can I." Daniel's hand trembled as he opened his fingers and dumped the ring into his father's palm. "Dad. I can't lose you again."

"Son, without her, I'm already lost," Hunter said. He slid the ring back into place on his little finger. "I'm sorry for all you and your brother and sister have suffered. If I could take it back, I would. Please don't punish me for my mistakes. Don't punish Gina. Tell me where she is."

Daniel sighed and got up off the bed. He dug beneath the mattress and pulled out a piece of paper. An address was neatly scrawled across the page. With his eyes cast to the floor, neither looking at his dad or his brother, he said, "Dad, I'm sorry."

Hunter took the slip of paper from his son's hand. "As am I. Thank you, Daniel. Thank you." He opened his arms and wrapped them around his son. Together, locked arm in arm in an embrace, they cried. Tears of pain and suffering flowed and mingled as one. Finally, Hunter released his boy and tousled his hair. "I love you, Daniel."

"I love you too, Dad." Daniel wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Go get her. Bring her home. And tell her how sorry I am. I made a huge mistake and I regret it more than she'll ever realize."

"When I bring her home, you can tell her yourself."

"I will, Dad. I will." Daniel meant it. He was supposed to be learning how to become a man and he'd behaved like a spoiled child. He couldn't take back what he'd done. That was something he deeply regretted. Punishment didn't matter to him as long as his dad was able to bring Gina home. He deserved any punishment dished out to him. And he'd gladly buck up and take it, like a man.













Chapter 30

Gina slid into the thick of a herd of exhausted passengers shuffling wearily off the plane. Inside she was in a flurry of panic. The airport was quiet and foot traffic was light. Disappearing in a crowd was going to be more difficult than she'd imagined. She didn't dare look over her shoulder. He was following her, at a distance, but still following. She supposed that she could just be paranoid. After all, he'd been sitting right next to her and had gotten off the plane at the exact same time she did. Could be merely coincidence. She spotted a sign. The ladies room, even in the dead quiet of the airport, following her in there would be risky.

She hustled her steps and ducked inside. Trembling and terrified, she rested her head against the cool, smooth, stainless steel stall door. Her fingers fumbled along the hip pocket of her jeans. Searching out the emergency cell phone Dane had given her. He'd said to use it anywhere and anytime she needed to. She needed to now. The problem... she'd tossed it into the back of a truck. Staring at her distorted reflection in the stainless steel door, she realized, she had no phone, nowhere to turn, and no one to run to. She was absolutely and totally on her own.

She crouched on the cold terra cotta floor. Waves of panic rolled and crashed inside of her mind. She was trapped, stainless steel, hard and unforgiving surrounded her, dully reflecting the garish glow of florescent light. She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing. She couldn't afford to lose it. O'Sullivan wasn't the only dangerous thing out there. Her experience had been that humans were every bit as lethal and posed just as much as a threat as he did.