Dawn Reclaimed

"By pack law you're already married," Drew answered. He hated pomp and circumstance. What was the point of having a ceremony when they were already married? He didn't get it. Ceremony was a way of solidifying the already known.

"Claire is human. She doesn't exactly adhere to our rules. She wants a wedding. She wants the cake, the dress, the flowers, and if she needs those things to feel at home and happy in her new world, then I intend to see that she gets them."

Drew smiled and nodded. The words that came from Grant's lips were exactly what he needed to hear. Not so much the words, but the sincerity behind them. Grant wanted his mate's happiness above all else. And that, Drew understood completely. He felt the same way about his Tala. "In that case, the honor is all mine."

"Grant, how soon is soon? Does Thomas know when the baby is due?" Tala asked. Her voice was hinged with concern. She never knew her mother. Her mother had suffered the fate of so many female wolves before her, dying on the birthing table. Their brother had endured the same loss as their father. He had never recovered from his wife's death. Claire meant so much to Grant. Tala worried that Grant would follow in his brother's footsteps if she weren't to pull through the delivery.

"He has nothing but guesses. Maybe within this month or next."

"So long?"

"Claire's human. The baby is half human. She understands the risks of bringing this child into the world." Grant lowered his eyes. They stung with tears at the thought of losing her. "She's asked that we do everything possible to save her life and the life of our son."

"Does she understand the repercussions of what she is asking?" Drew asked. If things got bad, an attempt could be made to save her life. But, it might cost her more than death. To live as a vampire, for some, was worse than the cold of the grave.

"She does. It's a risk we're willing to take. I just found her. I'm not ready to let her go."

"And she feels the same for you?"

"Yes." Grant met their eyes conveying feelings that there were no words to explain.

"You realize that you will live perhaps several lifetimes to her one. She is human. And her life short in comparison," Drew said gently. Before he became a vampire, he had a human wife. He'd tried to share his gift with her. But his blood found no purchase in her body. He'd drained her. Killed her. Desperately attempting to hold on to something that wasn't meant to be. She drew her last breath in his arms. He knew the pain of loss and the bitter irony of the grave.

"Yes."

"What will you do as she fades and withers away? What will you do when her time comes? Will you be able to let her go then?"

Grant drew a breath and blew it out. He had considered his options and they were few. Basically, beg the vampires for help and risk her life to their bite and blood or let her go. He didn't know what he'd choose. The decision, ultimately, wasn't his to make. She had to decide her destiny. He could not and would not do it for her. Either way, he'd love her for what time they had together. No matter how long the life, it was fleeting and temporary. Nothing lasted forever, not even immortality. "What choice will I have?"

Drew nodded. None of them had any choice. Death was the inevitable. And a lifetime together, even a long lifetime, was too short. He believed that love extended beyond the grave and never ended. Life could be ended in an instant. Something had to last, if not love, then what? "We will do everything we can for her."

Tala shook her head in agreement, "Anything."

Grant bowed his head. "Thank you."

Hunter groaned and shifted his weight. The hard floor bit into him. Reminding him of how stiff and sore he was. He shouldn't have shifted. His body barely healed enough to change forms and snap back again. And he was feeling it. How else though would he ever have made Gina believe his story? There was no way she could refute what she'd seen with her own eyes. He couldn't let her continue to believe that the things she'd seen weren't real. Although, letting her think she was crazy or had gone temporarily insane due to the stress of her trauma would have been easier, for both of them. Now she knew the truth, the burden of what she'd do with it was his.

Gina held Hunter's head in her lap. Gently smoothing a hand over his brow. Wrinkled with pain, heavy, thick lines etched the smooth surface. "Are you okay?"

"I should be asking you that. Aren't you afraid?"

"No. I guess maybe I should be. But, I'm not. Actually, I'm relieved to know that I haven't totally gone completely crazy after all," Gina confessed. She was shocked and startled to learn that she shared the world with hosts of beings that she'd never realized truly existed. But frightened, of Hunter, never. After everything she'd been through how could something like a werewolf or a vampire frighten her? The real demons were in who a person was not what a person was.

Hunter eased up into a sitting position, tucking the comforter around him. "Glad I could be of assistance." He snickered under his breath.

"What does it feel like? To do that? You look awful."

"It hurts like a bitch," Hunter answered. "Your body feels like its being ripped apart and then put back together. The wolf and I share a consciousness. It's like being two parts of the same whole."

"So you control the wolf?"

Hunter nodded, "Just as much as the wolf's instincts control me."

"But you don't act on the instincts."

"No. I have years of practice. I have to be in control. Instinct or not, I am accountable for my own actions, not the wolf."

Gina nodded in understanding. "I like the sound of that." She scooted over and climbed up to sit on the side of the bed. Hunter was well built and very attractive. She'd seen all his best attributes. And boy, were they good. Muscular as hell, hung like an ox, good looking with strong, angular, hard masculine features, surrounded by an aura of danger, Hunter was every woman's fantasy boy toy. And sitting next to him on the floor while he was completely naked, blanket between them or not, was awkward to say the least.

"I'm sorry about your clothes," Gina got up and began fishing through the dressers and closets. "There's got to be something you can toss on."

"Sorry about that..." Hunter could have sworn his cheeks heated at her attention to his current stitchless state. "I've spent half of my life naked in front of other people. My pack, when we shift and run together, we usually strip first. Cheaper that way, clothes get expensive fast. I forget how sensitive people can be."

"I'm not sensitive," Gina retorted. Locking her fingers around a hangar and tossing a pair of navy sweat pants at him. "Run around naked if you want. I thought you might be cold." She spun on her heel ad turned away as Hunter stood, dropping the blanket and sliding into the sweats. "I've already seen it all anyway. Not all that impressive," she mumbled.

"Humph." Hunter could smell her lie and feel the heat of her embarrassment. He allowed her some dignity and kept his trap shut. He was trying to earn her trust and gain her secrecy about his world. The sooner, she could go back to hers, the better. He scrambled around, plucking bits of shredded clothing up off the floor and tossing them into the trash. "The clothes were loaners anyway. Got them off the vampires." He shrugged. Clothes meant little when they could be destroyed beyond oblivion in the heat of a shift. He didn't own one stitch that he could call his favorite. He liked only one color though, black.

Gina stood with her arms crossed over her chest, watching as he picked up the tattered clothing and remade the bed. "What can you tell me about the ... man that saved my life?"

Hunter stretched out his hand. He could do better than tell her. He could introduce her. "Would you like to meet him?" After all, what was the harm? He was going to be in her head for a very long time. He shuddered, realizing that much as she was going to share mental space with Dane. He was going to be sharing Patrick's brain for the next decade or so... or however long it took for the psychic link to fade. Longer than what he wanted to think about.

"I..." Gina realized that leaving the room filled her with trepidation. She had to face her fears. She couldn't spend her life in the confines of this room. The cinderblock walls hadn't set her off since the first time. She could face what might be waiting beyond the closed door. She had a life to get back to and a news anchor position to snatch. She had to get back to the business of living again. Otherwise, she might have well as died in that chamber of horrors. "Ok." She put her hand in his.

Hunter grabbed Gina's hand and held it lightly in his. Slowly and carefully, he opened the door. "Hello, Barbara. We thought we'd get out of this place for a while and take a walk."

Barbara jumped up in surprise, eying the clasped hands. Warily watching the nervous woman as Hunter gently pulled her out of the door. "I think that's a good idea. Will you need me to go with you?"

Hunter gave Gina the once over. She was nervous. Eyes as wide as quarters. Hand trembling slightly in his, gripping his tightly. "No. I think we're can handle it." With a gentle pull Gina stepped through the doorway.

Barbara nodded and ran her eyes over Hunter's half clad exterior. He wore a pair of loose navy blue sweatpants and nothing else. "Do you need something more to wear? The halls can be drafty." Not bad. Not bad at all. Too bad, for her, even though he was older than she chronologically, he looked younger than her son. She wondered if the cougar rule applied in this situation.

Gina eyed the woman suspiciously. The woman had helped nurse her back to health. But there was something... in her eyes, that wasn't quite right. The woman's eyes seemed to glow with a light that was more than human. She couldn't quite explain it, but somehow she knew what the woman was. She wouldn't be afraid. If there were vampires here, there were vampires everywhere. She couldn't spend her life afraid of shadows and things that went bump in the night. "Thank you for taking care of me, Barbara."

"Oh, it was my pleasure. Believe me, it was just as much for me as you. It felt good to be useful again," Barbara said waving her hand nonchalantly. "I'll go find you both some clothes for later," she said eying Gina's socked feet. "And some shoes."

"Thank you, Barbara, " Hunter said. Barbara bustled down the hall. Leaving Gina to his care. He tugged on Gina's hand. "Come on. I'll show you around."

"Hunter. That woman, Barbara, she's a vampire isn't she."

"Yes, I assure you. You're safer here than you could ever be anywhere else in the world. Gina, we're the good guys." Gina took a few tentative steps away from the door. Leaving it open behind her in case she wanted to dart back in. She pressed a hand to the wall. Feeling rough stone beneath her fingers. The hall looked ominous. Long and foreboding despite the warm glow of overhead light and the umber walls covered with nature scenes. "Gina, do you think for one second I'd let anyone hurt you?"

Gina shook her head. She really didn't think Hunter would let so much as a fly land on her arm if she didn't want it to. Despite his improving limp, he could hold his own and keep her safe at the same time. "No. But..."

"Come on. We'll take a few steps at a time," Hunter coaxed. Tugging gently on her hand, he waited for her to decide. She had to take these first few steps. Gently and patiently, he'd take them with her until she was strong enough to take them on her own. Her faith in the world had been shattered and her confidence shaken to its very core. With time, care, and his help, she'd find it again. Waiting to die in those long painful hours had created a bond between them that would never be broken. They were more than acquaintances, their relationship deeper than friends; they were survivors.

Gina's legs were wobbly beneath her. She'd lost count of her days in confinement. How long had it been since she'd really used them? Timidly. Holding Hunter's hand in a death grip she took her first steps toward living. One step at a time, just like he'd said, one step at a time. She focused on the floor beneath her feet, smooth concrete with a slight downward slope. She couldn't look up and see how far she had to go before she reached a corner. The safety of her bedroom inched farther and farther away with each footfall. She took it, one timid, frightening step, at a time.

Grant rounded a corner, following his senses. His brother's scent was thick in his nostrils. He only wanted a glimpse of him. See the eyes of his brother. See if they still held him in condemnation and contempt. Surprised to see Hunter, protective as an alpha male guarding his mate, coaxing a very frightened and timid woman down the hall. His brother's voice was soft, speaking calming and reassuring words to Gina, easing her along.

"Who's that?" Gina gasped. Planting her feet against the hard concrete floor. "I've seen him before," she said focusing in on the tall, dark man watching them in the hallway. "Was he there?" She didn't know whether to run to the man and thank him or run away. She stood appraising him.

"He was the one who found us," Hunter ground out. "My brother, Grant." Bouncing between holding on to his rage and letting it go, he took small steps with Gina at his side. A part of him still hated Grant for rescuing him and saving his life. But, Grant had also saved Gina. She deserved a second chance at life, whether he wanted one or not. Grant saved her from a certain death at the hands of a maniac. Something he'd failed miserably to do. And he owed his brother for saving her life. No matter what Grant had done to him as a consequence. At least Gina was safe again. He inched a reluctant Gina closer.

Gina ran her eyes over Grant. Now that Hunter had said so, she could see the resemblance. Their noses were similarly shaped, aquiline and nobly curved. The shape of their eyes, interchangeable with thickly fringed black lashes and a slight upward tilt in the outer corner. Their mouths, lips pursed in identical expressions, poised to speak. They stood, stances matching, with feet shoulder width apart, shoulders back, postures rigid and tense.

Hunter and Grant were as different as they were identical. Grant was big, tall, and broad shouldered, but the smaller of the two brothers. He was well dressed, if not a little rustic, in a pair of shit kicker boots, low riding faded denim jeans, and a gray and blue plaid shirt worn soft with age. He wore his hair longer than Hunter. Sleeked back from his face in an unruly mess, as if he couldn't be bothered with a comb. His hair was s shade lighter than Hunter's blue-black. Grant exuded an aura of peace and pure contentment with life. He was, in general, happy with where his life was going.

Hunter was larger and stockier built. He wore his hair in a short buzz cut. And, Gina could not recall, seeing him dressed in anything besides black T-shirts, jeans, and sweats. He was always ready for action. Not a happy, relaxed, or content bone in his body. He never showed weakness, or hadn't yet. He rarely showed emotion.

Tension swirled in the air between the brothers like winds building to form a tornado. The atmosphere crackled with the energy of a storm ready to unleash its fury. Circumstance had torn these brothers apart. Grant had given Hunter a second chance at life that he didn't want. And Hunter had given his brother nothing but grief in return. So many things that should be said and needed said, that never would be. The brothers, despite their differences and similarities, had one identical trait. They loved each other, but neither one would be the first to admit it.

Gina tugged her hand free and closed the distance between the brothers. Hunter reluctantly followed behind her. "Grant, thank you. Thank you so much for saving my life." Her bottom lip trembled as she spoke. Filled with gratitude and thankfulness, hot tears sprung to the corners of her eyes. Her voice was hoarse and choked with emotion. She wanted to leap into his arms and give him a big hug. Fall to on her knees at his feet and kiss them in thanksgiving. Instead, she said, "I only hope I can make the life you gave back to me one that you'll be proud of. And that you'll call me friend."

Grant smiled and took her hand, giving it a gentle squeeze. "Gina, I call you friend now. As for the life that you live in the future, as long as you live. Really live it and embrace every second of the gift you've been given. I'll be proud." He released her hand and met his brother's gaze. "Hunter."

Hunter held his brother's eyes until Grant looked away. Submitting. Like always, Grant submitted first. "Come to check up on me?"

"No. I'm here on personal business," Grant answered. He wasn't going to let his brother push his back against the wall. He wasn't going to get into a verbal or physical altercation in front of Gina or anyone else.

Gina stifled the fear that twisted in her gut. The brothers bristled at each other. Eyes snapped at the challenge. She wondered if they'd been at one another's throats from birth. From the way they were practically growling and snarling, she couldn't tell which one, if either, would back down first. "Hunter?"

Hunter's nostrils flared. Gina's voice broke through the red haze of his rage. She had seen more than her share of violence and hurt. She couldn't understand what his life had been like. Watching Grant play father to his children because he'd been so paralyzed with his grief at the loss of his wife that he was too inept to raise them himself.

What did he feel for his brother? Jealousy? His children looked up to Grant when they didn't respect him at all. When Grant fell flat on his face and almost killed Tala, the pack forgave and welcomed him back. And now, Grant had a mate, pregnant with his firstborn. Grant was a golden boy, blessed by the goddess, holding the brass ring in his fist. Did he wish the fate he'd suffered on his brother? On the adopted brother that had snatched the first chance of happiness he'd had in years brutally out of his grip? Was he that low?

Hunter blew out a breath, willing his temper to calm. To damn his brother to suffer his fate was to damn his brother's mate and the child she carried as well. He didn't want that for Grant or anyone else. No one deserved to experience the degree of Hell he lived in everyday. "What of your mate?" he asked stiffly.

"She is well." A smile curved Grant's lips as he thought of Claire. Any distain he had for his brother washed away when he filled his mind with thoughts of her love. "I haven't gotten an answer on the date yet. But, we are planning a small wedding ceremony on the bluffs." He cleared his throat nervously. "It would mean a lot to the both of us if you could attend." He nodded to Gina. "You're welcome too, of course."

"I'd love to," Gina answered. Smiling at Grant's sloppy, crooked, grin, she was a sucker for love and weddings. Always believing that someday, she'd have her own. She imagined acres of white taffeta and lace, a huge cake, oceans of flowers, and all the trimmings. "Please send your fiancé my congratulations."

"I'll do that."

"Yes, congratulations brother," Hunter said. He had no intentions of going to the wedding. What company would he be? Looming in the background like a black storm cloud ready to burst and rain on the parade. He was better suited to attend a funeral. And would have been attending one, his own, if not for his brother. "We should be going," he said taking Gina's hand.

"It was good to see you out and about, Gina. I'll see you at the wedding." He nodded in the general direction of his brother. " You too, Hunter." He looked over his shoulder as Hunter and Gina made their way down the hall. Clasping hands tightly. Anchoring themselves to one another, safe havens in a sea buffeted by storms, holding on until the breakers calmed and the fury was over. He had hopes for Gina. But, for his brother, hope had died long ago.