Dawn Discovered

Drew lit a smudge stick and waited until the dried, braided lengths of sweet grass, lavender, and white sage was fully ablaze. He took a plume from his pocket, an eagle's feather, and used it to waft the pungent smoke over Gina's writhing form. She was drifting in between realms. Bouncing in and out of the spirit world and the world she called reality at regular intervals. He chanted in the ancient words he'd said countless times before, as the smoke hung heavily in the air, purifying her for her journey.

Nash's wolf grew more and more edgy as the Great White Wolf chanted. The ancient language spoke to his soul. Awakening his wolf and the wolves of his pack. Calling them out. His skin prickled as he held his wolf back, exercising every bit of self-control he had.

Grant sensed the coming of his wolf and quickly shucked out of his jacket and shoes. The cool, damp grass helped him to keep his wolf at bay. Once Gina was safe, and his brother at her side in his wolf form, then he'd shift to join them.

Tristen panted against the pull of his wolf. Grinding his teeth and biting hard on his tongue, the pain and the coppery taste of his blood did little to help him keep focus. He wanted to make sure Gina was safe. That she was going to be one of them before he gave his wolf free reign. He wanted to see her shift, see for himself, with his human eyes what kind of wolf she would be. The magic crawled across his flesh like thousands of fire ants, biting their way along his body. He couldn't stop the power of the calling. Man gave way to wolf as his body changed. The sand colored wolf that emerged from his flesh shook off the tattered remains of clothing with a ripple of his powerful body.

Dane and Patrick moved closer to Thomas. Ready to defend him if the wolves should get any bright ideas to eat the good doctor for dinner. Dane didn't think the Pack would bother with Thomas. But, being overly cautious never hurt.

The chanting boomed to a crescendo. Echoing though the silent woods. The air was filled with magic and the power of the ancients. Voices joined in. Lending their strength to the growing energy field that surrounded the small cluster of bodies surrounding Gina.

Gina felt as if she were going to split in two. Power surged through her body and ripped along her limbs. Her skin crawled and rippled. Flesh tore and muscle contorted, as bone crunched and shattered within its fleshy confines. The pain was unbelievable. The chanting in her ears grew louder and louder. The ancient tongue speaking in words she'd never heard yet understood with perfect clarity. In the viewing screen of her mind, soulful eyes, glimmering brilliantly, met her eyes.

Glowing white surrounded Gina. She was in a place unfamiliar to her. In the distance she heard wolves howling and a voice, soft as a spring rain, and as musical as chimes dancing in the wind. A form emerged from the glimmering mists and began to take shape. A wolf, the eyes that had held hers, bolted through the white stirring wisps of mist as it ran. Its powerful body was covered in ginger colored fur tipped with chocolate brown markings on its muzzle, ears, and bushy tail.

Gina reached out. Not afraid of the fearsome creature that slowed to a trot and came to a sit in front of her. Gingerly wagging its tail and pushing out its nose as it approached. The fur would be soft. Gina knew it. Its powerful body would be wrapped in coils of muscle. Its eyes were intelligent. She sensed that this wolf meant her no harm. That somehow she and the wolf were connected. All she had to do was touch her. Extend her fingers just a little farther and she'd feel the wolf beneath them.

"She's been waiting a long time for you," a soft, utterly feminine voice whispered from behind Gina's shoulder.

Gina glanced over her shoulder. Clumsily losing her balance and landing on her butt as she beheld, what she could only describe as an angel. She thought angels had wings. But, this one did not. The woman had a look of wisdom and absolute peace engraved on the deep folds of her bronzed wrinkled skin. Her eyes were dark, fathomless pools of obsidian, seeing everything and holding nothing back from within their depths. Silvery white hair flowed and blended in with the gleaming, spotless, white of the woman's robes. Gina dropped her eyes to stare into the white mists that enveloped her. The woman, the angel, was too beautiful for her to look upon.

Hands were warm and gentle on her cheeks as the woman cupped them in her palms. "My Lost Child," the voice said lovingly. "Welcome home."

"Please," Gina stammered, fearful that she'd contaminate the beautiful and pure angel with the stain of her humanity. "I'm not good enough for you to touch."

Laughter washed over Gina like a cool spray on a hot day. Refreshing and renewing as it rolled along her skin. "Child. You. Are. Perfect. Just as my father intended you to be. Look at me."

"I can't, you're too beautiful." Gina closed her eyes as soft, feminine fingers guided her face up. "Who are you? Did I die? Is this heaven?"

Kokumthena giggled. Humans. So one dimensional in their concept of what the afterlife had in store for them. "Dear one, you are the beautiful one. I am but a shadow of what you are. Of course, you're not dead. You have a long and happy life ahead of you. Why would I take that from you? I'm here to deliver your gift. The gift that has been passed on from generation to generation and now waits for you to open it."

"You're the goddess?" Gina's eyes snapped open. Wincing at the bright, glowing halo that surrounded the ethereal shape kneeling at her side. "I thought that was just a story. I didn't think it was true." Gina's brows wrinkled into a frown. "You knew I was coming?"

"No. Not for sure. I hoped. But, the choice was yours. At anytime, you could have walked away and your life would have followed a different course. Just like the course your life currently follows, one of your making. I could do nothing to influence that, your destiny is your own."

"I don't understand. If I'm not dead, what am I doing here?"

"Aren't you just too cute." Kokumthena bent and kissed Gina on her forehead. Humans tickled her. Everything for them was so black and white. Clearly defined. "You're here to accept your gift, if that's what you choose. Meet your wolf." She stroked the wolf's lush pelt. Relishing the luxury of the thick, soft fur beneath her fingers. The wolf had been waiting for her rightful recipient to come for a very long time. Eagerly, she yipped an introduction to the befuddled girl kneeling at her paws.

"My wolf." Gina hazarded to stroke her fingers over the rich chocolate colored felt of the wolf's muzzle. Rewarded with a gentle nudge at her palm by the wolf's cool nose. A greeting. "I want this. This life. Whatever it is. Wherever the wolf takes me. This is my choice. And I make it of my own free will." Gina dropped her head and allowed the wolf to curiously sniff her hair.

"The choice is not without cost," Kokumthena warned. "This is the shadow land. A thin barrier that separates the world of the living from the world of the dead. Souls cannot be allowed to escape. Once on this side, a soul cannot return to the living. The living cannot enter. I have never understood why they try, but they do.

"When your wolf is not in her earthly form, this is where she lives. When you are not in your form and the wolf inhabits the body she shares with you, this is where you come. You no longer belong to yourself. You will not live to serve yourself or your desires any longer. You and your wolf are one. You cannot live without the wolf and the wolf cannot live without you.

"The wolves, and their human hosts, guard this place. Defending it with their lives. Are you willing to give your life to defend a place that is as real as the air you breathe? Just as invisible and crucial? Without this place, life cannot exist. The energies of all living things create this place and reinforce the barrier. This place is real, yet not real. It exists and yet it does not. Can you believe in and protect such a place. Die for something you cannot see, feel, or touch. Do your believe?"

Gina considered the goddess's words. Her life had almost been stolen away from her. And now, she was being asked to willfully give it up to defend something, that as the goddess said, was beyond the realm of reasoning and science, a place as real as any other place. And yet, not tangible as the world she'd always known. Hunter believed. Could she? When she thought about it, the place was no more real than love. She couldn't see the love she had for Hunter. She couldn't touch it. There was no meter to measure it. Yet, her love existed. And yes, she'd die for it.

"I do believe. I have to. I'm sitting here. And that makes it very real. I will give my life, if that's what it takes to protect the barrier. There are people. Souls, that contaminated humanity while they were alive. They can't be allowed to continue to torture humanity now that they're dead." She thought of the man. If he had lived, how many others would have died at his hands? If there were even a possibility that he could come back, in whatever form the undead happened to take. She'd willingly put her life on the line to spare someone else from suffering as she had. Definitely.

"Very well then. Open your heart and accept your gift. Take care of one another. Love each other. Give of your self and let her in as she gives of herself and lets you in." Kokumthena placed a palm on the wolf's head and the other she planted firmly on Gina's forehead. "Be one."

A wave of sheer agony rocketed through Gina's body. Her flesh tore away. Yielding to fur. Bone shifted and reformed, lengthening and shrinking to form legs. Her hands clinched in spasm as paws molded and claws sprung out as her nails peeled away. Her face contorted and twisted. A row of sharp, white teeth filled her elongating snout. Her spine shattered in a burst of pain as the vertebrae realigned to form a tail.

Sound, deafening sound, banged in her ears. Her nose burned as a new series of scents, familiar things she'd known all her life, changed in to foreign smells. Her eyes opened. Stunned by the black and white beauty of the grass beneath her paws. Shaking free of the nylon wrapped around her body. She stood on four legs instead of two. She maintained awareness of who she was as the wolf's instinct took over operation of her new body. Her new voice lifted high into the sky as she howled, overwhelmed by the newness of the life around her.

Hunter got the hell out of the way as Gina's body shimmered. It seemed to take an eternity for the wolf to emerge. But, it had. He watched in rapt wonder at the dramatic changes that transformed his woman into a creature of power and amazing beauty. The wolf stood, blinking as she watched him, with intensely glowing green eyes. The sound of her voice was music that reached into his soul. He didn't bother with taking the time or the trouble to control his wolf long enough to peel away the layers of cotton, denim, and leather that covered his body. Tossing back his head. He gave his wolf free reign.

The dark wolf shook his fur free of the tattered rags that hung from her massive body. Gingerly, he approached the female. Automatically knowing that the she-wolf was his mate. The ginger colored wolf sniffed at him. Acknowledging that he was her chosen mate as well. Communicating with a language known only to one of their kind. The female trotted for the woods with a flick of her tail. Inviting him to tag along on her expedition.

The dark wolf wasted no time. Following the female into the dark woods. A sand colored wolf trotted tightly on his heels. The rest of the pack howled in the distance. Welcoming their newest member with eager enthusiasm.

Abandoned clothing littered the bluffs. The only ones left after the mass exodus of the fur covered were two kids, one in his early to mid teens and a little girl. The vampires stared after the Great Father and his queen with unblinking fascination.

Thomas packed away his medical kit and blew out a relieved breath. All's well that end's well, he thought as he slung the heavy bag over his shoulder. He declined Dane's invitation to return to the compound. Instead, he climbed on the back of the ATV driven by Patrick.

He had business to attend to and wasn't going to stick around on the bluffs or hang out with a bunch of guys at the compound playing pool. Not when he hopefully had a warm bed and a hot female to curl up next to. At least, he didn't think Jan would really lock him out. She had been hot and ready. Wet for him. That kind of need didn't go away. He ought to know. He'd suffered that feeling enough to know what torture unresolved need could be. Oh yeah, he definitely had plans. Plans that would quench the fire that burned in both of their nether regions, at least until the next time the opportunity for a one-night stand with her arrived.

Patrick sniffed. No wonder Thomas had been so pissed off when he answered the phone. The guy smelled like sex. He climbed on the ATV and cranked over the starter. Pressing on the gas once Thomas had a firm hold around his midsection. He didn't ask any questions. What Thomas, or whom Thomas was doing before the call wasn't his business. But, after he dropped Thomas off, he planned to do a little investigation.

He had the woman's scent. Tracking her should be easy enough. After all, he had to take care of his boy. Make sure that the girl checked out ok. There was something about her scent that bothered him and piqued his curiosity. He didn't like surprises. And he was damned well going to make sure that Thomas didn't find himself in the middle of one.

The pack circled the ginger colored wolf with curiosity. Sniffing. Baring fangs. Low growls filled the cold silence of the woods. Paws crunched lightly over the grass as the Pack inched closer. The she wolf stood in the center. Holding her ground. Allowing the sniffing. The sharp teeth were a cause for concern. They could rip through her silky fur and soft flesh with one clamp of powerful jaws.

Her mate paced nervously on the outskirts of the circle, tolerating the Pack's inspection of her. If the Pack rejected her, he was outnumbered and powerless to protect her against them. They'd rip her to pieces, and him too.

Instinctively, the she-wolf understood what was expected of her. She hunkered down on her forelegs in a pose of submission as the white wolf approached. His fur glowed with a silvery light under the white moon above. She lifted her head and exposed her throat. Feeling his sharp teeth press against the defenseless flesh. The pecking order unspoken, but clearly established, he snuffled as he released her. The Pack followed suit behind their leader. Melting into the shadows of night. The she wolf, found her place, to the right of her mate, and joined the shadows.

The she-wolf knew nothing but instinct. She trotted beside her mate, following suit as he fell in with half of the Pack. Positioning his body for the hunt. The buck didn't know what hit him. One minute he was lazily grazing. Snuffling out tender shoots pushing through the earth and the next, death had him in its steel jaws. The deer's life was torn and ripped away by rows of deadly white teeth.

The she-wolf licked her chops hungrily. Waiting for the higher members of the Pack to take their fill before she got her turn. There wouldn't be much left for her. Scraps. She crouched low in the grass, inching closer and closer, eager to steal a hunk and sate the emptiness that rolled like thunder in her hollow belly. Ignoring the low growls of warning and narrowed eyes that registered her approach. She slid in, risking the nip of powerful jaws snapping into her flesh. She sank her teeth into a hindquarter held in place by a band of muscle and sinew and ripped it free of the carcass. Darting triumphantly into the border of the woods, she shook the piece in her mouth at the higher, more powerful wolves.

After she had consumed her fill. She chewed lazily on a length of femur. Freeing the white bone of the remaining chewy, tasty, marrow. She shared what bit remained with her mate. After the hunt, the Pack disbanded. Disappearing into the night with their stomachs full and hunger staved off by the buck's sacrifice. She sat in the grass. Her head tipped as her mate nuzzled her ear. Affectionately running his long pink tongue along the velvety inside, grooming her.

















Chapter 37

Thomas tried the doorknob. The brass handle turned easily in his fist. Jan hadn't locked him out after all. She had to be pissed off and frustrated. But, she hadn't turned him out. He pushed everything he'd seen at the bluffs out of his head. The magic and mystery of what he'd witness sizzled in the back of his mind. But, it took a backseat to his thoughts about Jan. She was no doubt, sleeping fitfully in the warm bed. Well, she wouldn't be asleep much longer. The two of them had unfinished business. He didn't contemplate anything beyond finishing the unfinished. What the unlocked door could actually mean. Or if he'd wished it had been locked, shutting him out, or not.

Jan awoke the second she heard the shower turn on and the heavy clunk of Thomas's jeans hit the floor. Glancing at the clock, she frowned. It was after midnight. Was she surprised that he'd come back so late? Maybe. Pleasantly? Maybe? Was the offer still on the table? As far as she was concerned, it definitely was. Her body needed sex, real sex. And given the fact that he had come back, she had to assume he was still interested as well. She pretended to be asleep as he tiptoed into the bedroom and crawled into her bed. His skin steamy hot and damp from the shower.

Damn, Thomas didn't want to wake her. He was hard and tense. The feeling of her warm body curled against his chest and the soft brush of the scanty silk nightgown she wore did little to improve the throbbing erection between his legs. He wanted nothing more but to ease up the hem of that nightgown and burry his length deep within her. Sex would have to wait until they were both fully awake and ready. She'd worked a lot of hours. And he'd seen things tonight he'd rather forget. He nuzzled in, curling his body tightly against her back and draping an arm around her waist. Her twin sized bed was much more comfortable than his king sized bed at home, warmer and more inviting and damn cozy. He didn't stay awake long. He fell asleep as soon as his head hit the pillow. And dreamed about things his conscious mind dared not to dream.

Jan blinked in the darkness. Thomas's body relaxed against her back as he drifted to sleep. His arm rested casually across her waist as if it belonged there. His breath was heavy and steady across her neck. She should have locked the door. They were both exhausted from the long hours at the hospital. And this wasn't a damned slumber party. She should wake him and toss his ass out. But, somehow having him close, dreaming in her bed, softened her attitude.

Lonely nights were a bitch. And she'd be hard pressed to wake up an enemy and pitch him out into the dark. Thomas wasn't an enemy. She'd stopped seeing him as one after their second romp. He was something much more dangerous and she should, if she had any sense, send him packing. Obviously, she lacked an elemental sense of self- preservation. She was sharing her bed. Not her body, but her bed. He was definitely dangerous and getting under more than her covers.

She succumbed to the fatigue that draped over her mind and body. Eyelids lowering, she fell. In the harsh light of morning, she'd return to her senses. Shields up. Heart protected from Thomas. They'd share some coffee and a bit of light conversation. Afterwards, she'd see to it that he was out the door. And it would never be left unlocked for him again.