Dawn Redeemed

"How do you know I won't go shrieking in terror instead of petting you?"

"I'm too cute for that," Torr teased while he shimmied out of his shorts and tossed them in a loose pile on top of his jeans. "Just stay back and give my wolf a minute to adjust before you approach us, ok?"

Erica swallowed hard and leaned against the tree. "Ok." Bile rose in her throat as Torr's flesh shuddered and vibrated with the stress of his oncoming shift. A gasp froze on her lips at the sounds of agony trapped in his clenched molars. Her knees trembled and time seemed to stand still, the world spun behind her closed eyes. She couldn't watch his skin split apart and his limbs jerk and contort. The sound effects were bad enough. Her fingernails dug in the rough bark of the tree and she held her breath, waiting for it to be over.

Erica peeked from under feathery lashes to steal her first glimpse of the magnificent beast sitting on its haunches patiently watching her. Even though on the exterior, the wolf was just a wolf, she could sense Torr staring back at her through those keen, intelligent, tawny colored eyes. The wolf raised up on his four legs and shook out his thick ruff. His fur was the color of expensive chocolate and looked every bit as decadent. At his full height, the tops of his shoulders were slightly taller than her waist. His head was bigger than hers. Long, sharp, white teeth adorned a mouth wide enough to encompass her thigh and snap it like a dried twig with his powerful jaws. "Torr?" she whispered, timidly pushing off from her perch at the base of the tree.

The wolf was equally cautious, inching toward her with careful steps. His nostrils flared as they sampled her scent. A grumble of recognition rolled through is big chest. He dipped his head and nudged her palm gently with the tip of his black nose. Sighing in approval as her fingers explored his fur with hesitant strokes.

The wolf's fur was every bit as soft as it looked. Erica smoothed her hands down his ears and over his broad neck and powerful shoulders. The wolf was patient and gentle with her, giving her time to touch and to feel him. His fur had a musky wild scent that stirred in the air as she brushed his fur with her fingertips. He was a powerful and amazingly beautiful animal. In this state, it was difficult for her to solidify it in her mind that the wolf she stroked was actually Torr on the inside.

Her nose wrinkled as the wolf skated its long, wet, pink tongue across her cheek. Giggling, she pushed his big head away. Without no small amount of effort, the wolf sank onto its belly and hefted its bulk onto its back. Staring up at her with its tongue lolling out of the corner of its mouth, it looked more like a cherished pet than a dangerous predator. Erica dropped to her knees beside it and playfully rubbed its wide, flat stomach. "Torr, can you come back now?" she asked, scrambling to her feet.

The wolf nudged the female back and rested its muzzle on his paws. Shuddering and quivering, as the change began, the wolf faded and the man emerged. Torr groaned and hefted his weight onto his palms and knees. Momentarily dazed, he blinked up at Erica. She stared down at him, mouth open with rapt fascination. Timid, trembling fingers reached out to him and felt along his skin, as if to convince herself it was really him and she wasn't seeing things. "You ok?" he asked in a gravelly voice.

Erica nodded and exhaled. The warmth and smoothness of his skin reassured her. Nope, this wasn't a dream, it was real.

Torr wiggled into his shorts and stretched the kinks out of his back. He ached from head to toe and his temples throbbed. When he shifted too rapidly or changed forms too close together. The aftereffects were much worse. Totally worth it though. Erica was still circling him with a look of wonder on her face, randomly poking at him in fascination. Grinning, he grabbed her hand and stilled her inquisitive fingers. "See, I told you you'd pet me."

Chapter 104

Ruby smoothed her hand over the cheerful summer print skirt and stretched her bare legs across the blanket. She'd kicked off her sandals in the heat of the day and waggled her painted toenails idly. The trampy look she'd sported last night had failed in its attempt to woo her spouse back to her side. Today, she was going for the girl next door look with a frilly sundress and poofy hairdo pulled away from her face by a wide, brightly colored headband. Dejectedly, she watched Hanning splash at the edge of the creek playing with Evan. He didn't seem the least bit interested in her appearance, or in her, at all.

She'd labored all morning preparing all of his favorites. A thermos of freshly squeezed lemonade sweated a damp ring onto the blanket. A half eaten platter of fried chicken attracted flies and other various pests and the chocolate chip cookies sat untouched in the picnic basket. Disheartened, she tucked her feet under the hem of her dress and fanned herself with an unused paper plate. Was there really any point to going to such extreme measures to win him back when he didn't seem to give any sort of response at all?

The summer heat was almost unbearable. Ruby was hot and miserable. The babbling stream looked cool and inviting. She padded across the flat grassy clearing and dipped her toes into the stream, sighing with the instant relief from the relentless heat the cold water provided. She waded further out, the current swirled around her and tugged at the hem of her dress.

Hanning watched Ruby out of the corner of his eye. She was miserable. The heat of the day wasn't the only cause for her discomfort. She wasn't one to handle rejection well. He knew he was being a complete ass to his former wife. Internally, he chastised himself for being such an insensitive prick. But, he couldn't bring himself to change his behavior.

The picnic lunch she'd packed had been absolutely impeccable. At least over the years she had learned a thing or two about him. She'd painstakingly prepared all his favorites. Although he had barely touched them out of sheer stubbornness. She had taken as much care with her appearance as she had with the food. Soft curls bounced along the tops of her shoulders. The colors of the dress highlighted her skin tone and deepened the rich shades of brown in her eyes. The neckline was conservative, giving hint to hilly cleavage beneath the summery print without revealing too much. He feigned nonchalance, pretending not to notice.

Evan, stripped down to his Spiderman undies and dog paddled around him in the cool, shallow water. Ruby was wading farther out, a fair distance away from them. Her hands skated over the creek's crystalline surface as she stared down through the water at her toes with a forlorn look on her face. As if at any moment she'd burst into tears. Yeah, he was a real gentleman.

Seeing her suffer triggered some innate sense of justice somewhere deep in his subconscious mind. After all, she'd started this fight and she deserved what she got. He squashed the vengeful thought and thoroughly chided himself for being such an asshole. No matter what had passed between them. She was still the mother of his child and he owed her some measure of respect. "Let's swim out to your mom," he said, spanning Evan's waist with his wide hands to keep the kid afloat.

"Ok." Evan paddled furiously, splashing water with his arms and legs thoroughly drenching everything within his path.

Ruby dodged the worst of Evan's splashing as she reached out to take him from Hanning's fingers. "What a strange looking fish I've caught," she teased.

"I'm not a fish. I'm a little boy," Evan crooned. He bobbed up and down in the water. Flatfooted, the water was an inch above his head. He let his body drift downward and then sprung up on his toes only to repeat the motion again and again. "Look Mom, I'm swimming."

"I see that," Ruby giggled as she dabbed at her ruined mascara with a fingertip. Awkwardly, she avoided any conversation or even as much as looking in Hanning's general direction. She'd had enough humiliation in the past couple of hours to last her the rest of her life. She glided further down the stream and encouraged her son to paddle along beside her. The rocks beneath her feet were slippery with moss and other forms of aquatic life. Late spring rains had added to the depth and width of the stream as well to its gradually increasing current. Losing her balance on the loose shale bottom, she toppled gracelessly beneath the water's surface.

Hanning reached out and anchored Ruby by the scruff of her neck, pulling her up till she broke the water's surface. She looked a little worse for wear. Her hair was plastered to her head in limp clumps. Mascara ran down her cheeks in inky, black trails. The sundress sagged and drooped like a loose second skin. Evan clung securely to his belt staying afloat. Hanning steadied Ruby while she scrambled to regain her footing and what was left of her dignity.

Ruby scrambled up onto the bank and stood dripping puddles in the grass. Hanning and Evan hedged past her and found their way to the blanket to sun themselves dry. She wrung out her skirt as best she could and squeezed the excess water out of her hair. Unable to control her emotions another second, the tears came and she sobbed softly to herself. Already drenched what did the tears matter anyway? Beyond mortified, she found a dry spot in the grass and flopped down. Her dress clung to her thighs as she wrapped her arms around her knees and drew them under her chin. The back of her hand came away with thick black smears of makeup as she rubbed at her lashes.

Hanning frowned at the sight of Ruby's trembling shoulders. He quickly shooed Evan off the blanket and gathered the edges up in his hands. Gently, he laid the soft fleece across her shoulders and dabbed at her ruined makeup with a corner.

Ruby didn't have the strength left to shrug him or his sympathetic gesture off. On the inside, Hanning was probably laughing his ass off at her expense. That thought made her cry even harder. "I'm so tired of trying," she said through hiccupping, shaky breaths. She flopped her arms into her lap in resignation and let Hanning continue to dry her. "No matter what I do, it always turns out wrong."

Hanning eased down onto his knees beside Ruby and gathered up her wet hair into his palm and draped it across the blanket. "Quit trying so hard. I appreciate the effort, I really do. But, this isn't you. You're trying too hard to be someone you're not. I never know who you're going to throw at me next. A lot of times, I didn't like the old Ruby, but at least I knew who she was and so did she."

"Hanning, I've got to save us and if that means that I have to become someone else to win you back, then I will. Anything, whatever it takes to make you love me again." Ruby unceremoniously dabbed her nose on the hem of the blanket as another deluge of tears broke loose.

"Shh," Hanning wiped the tears streaming down her cheeks with his fingertips. "I never said that I didn't love you."

"Only that it wasn't enough."

"No," Hanning soothed. Relieved that the downpour of tears was slowing, he said, "You hurt me, badly. I don't know if I can move past that or not. You told me Evan wasn't mine. You told me that you married me solely out of duty. I could accept that. And I can accept is that you never really loved me. What I can't accept is that you spent our entire marriage wishing I was someone else. Ramon was my best friend. You wanted him more than you ever wanted me. What am I supposed to do with that Ruby?"

"I'm so sorry. I meant to hurt you at the time. I knew what I was doing. I just didn't realize how wrong I was about everything. If I could take it all back, I would." Ruby sighed and shivered despite the weight of the heavy blanket and the boiling sun beating down on the dark fabric. "You're still my husband, at least for the time being. Could you do something for me?"

"What?"

"Hold me."

Hanning slid his arm around Ruby's shoulders and drew her close into the protective shelter of his chest. The heat of the blanket and the dampness of her wet clothing against his skin was uncomfortable. But, not nearly as uncomfortable as the side of his wife that she had allowed him to finally see. He took for granted that Ruby was strong enough to weather through any crisis with her usual cool efficiency and emotionless detachment. The last thing she would ever want anyone to see was any sign of weakness. Her current state of vulnerability had taken him by surprise and he didn't know how to react. He sat quietly, offering her what comfort he could, silently contemplating the woman she'd kept hidden from everyone, including him.

Chapter 105

Theresa waved off the throng of gnats that circled in a cloud around her head and scowled down at her brother. The musky scent of corn hung heavily in the hazy air. "What the hell are we doing here?" she asked, fruitlessly batting at the pesky insects with the back of her hand.

"Shut up and get down," David hissed. He wrapped his fingers around Theresa's calf and gave her jean clad leg a hard tug, knocking her to the ground.

"David, what the fuck!" Theresa sputtered in annoyance. "We've been walking for hours. Why are we in the middle of nowhere up to our asses in corn?"

"I'm trying to save our asses," David grumbled. He spotted his target emerging from the woods that bordered the cornfield and crept forward on his belly.

"What are you talking about?" Theresa shimmied up beside him and stared out across the field, trying to see exactly what held her brother in such rapt fascination.

"Shut up!" David hissed in a whisper. The doe lifted her head and perked her ears toward the sound of their voices. His coiled muscles sprang into action. Moving in fast, he leapt onto the doe's back and sank in his fangs. The doe kicked and struggled beneath him. Finally realizing her fate, she stilled and accepted the death that was about to come.

"What the hell are you doing?" Theresa asked in revulsion.

David lifted his head from the doe's neck and licked the tips of his fangs. Survival off animal blood was a useful trick. Provided a vampire wanted to stay alive and off the radar. Animal blood lacked a certain flair. A certain heat that only human blood contained, but it would do, temporarily. "Theresa, this is just how it is."

"I don't understand," Theresa said. The scent of blood teased at her senses. The whole blood drinking thing repulsed her. She would rather sink her teeth into a fluffy croissant fresh out of the oven covered in butter and jam than the filthy hide of an animal. A hot cappuccino sounded a hell of a lot better to her than hot blood. At first she hadn't believed David. He'd stood back and let her try to eat. She hadn't even gotten past the first bite before the violent nausea set in. "We've been wandering for hours. We haven't seen anything but farmhouses and cornfields for miles. What are we doing here?" she whined.

"Looking for someone." David answered. Reaching over the carcass he gripped his sister's collar in his fist and dragged her closer. "Eat."

"David, who in the hell do you expect to find out here?" Theresa's head reeled as the desire to feed rocketed through her body.

"Nobody. Eventually, they'll find us. I'm counting on it."

"Great." Theresa rolled her eyes at her brother's cryptic response. Perhaps a little taste wouldn't be so bad. She was so hungry. Choking on the first sip, she forced it down. "Can we really live like this?"

"If we want to live, we don't have any other choice." David sighed in satisfaction as his sister drank. If she could come that close to killing their parents, he couldn't trust what else she might be capable of. Her control dangled by a thread. He created her and keeping her safe was his responsibility.

Leaving the city, removing her from the constant temptation and endless throng of life was the only option he had. At least if he failed, the Sons would find her before she could cause too much damage. Better she die quickly by their sword than to suffer the burden of guilt for the rest of her life. Maybe, if he could find them or they found them before Theresa lost it all together. They'd take her in and give her the education that he had not been able to give her. "Hurry up, we've got a long, long way to go."

"Wonderful."

Chapter 106

The sun was drooping like a slowly deflating orange balloon in the western sky by the time Torr pulled into the driveway. He turned off the truck and sat. She was a little shaky and he'd insisted on driving her home. Sweat rolled down his back and he felt a bit like an ice cream cone left to melt in the hazy, summer heat. All in all, Erica seemed to be taking things pretty well. She had plenty of questions, of course. Who wouldn't? He still had a big favor to ask of her and he was rapidly running out of time. Today had not been the day to ask. He'd given her enough to ponder for now.

He found himself not looking forward to spending the evening alone. The little house held no appeal for him. He needed to be around people. Erica and Fallon were the best company he could ever imagine. But, he didn't want to push his luck too far. Erica was just learning to accept him. If he crowded her, she might bolt and take Fallon with her. He cranked the key over in the ignition and backed out.

Erica was edgy. The almost sex with Torr had left her body unsatisfied and in a hale storm of hormones. She hurried Fallon through supper and helped her aunt with the clean up in record time. Now, she found herself with nothing much to do, but wait for time to pass till bedtime. She thought about calling Torr, just to hear his voice. Thinking the better of it, she pushed the thought out of her head. She didn't want to be one of those women who bugged the shit out of their boyfriends. Torr had totally opened himself up to her. He had to be feeling a bit raw and very exposed. She was going to call him tomorrow anyway.

"I want you to get your bath tonight," Erica said to Fallon. "We've got to get up early tomorrow."

"We do?" Fallon asked, glancing up from her I-pod.

"If I'm going to work and you're going to school in the morning we do."

Fallon leapt off the kitchen chair and did a little happy dance. "You mean it? We're going back?" She beamed when her mother nodded. "Can I use your phone?"

"Whatever for?" Erica asked. Her little girl was rapidly leaving the little girl stage behind and growing into a tween. Before long, Fallon would be begging for a phone of her own and demanding unlimited text messages. Erica dreaded it.

"I've got to call Marianne and tell her!"

"Bath first," Erica ordered, shoving Fallon toward the tub.

"After I finish in the bath then I can call Marianne?"

"Yes."

Fallon bit her lip and hesitated for a second, gingerly running her toe along a grouted square of tile on the bathroom floor. "After I call Marianne can I call Dad to say goodnight?"

Erica dropped the stopper into the drain and turned on the water. "Sure."

Fallon sat on the fuzzy toilet seat cover and plucked her socks off her feet. "Mom, what changed your mind?"

Erica adjusted the water temperature slightly and added a generous dollop of Mr. Bubble to the water. Absently, she swished the bubbles with her fingers. "I'm sure there is a certain amount of danger involved with just being around your Dad and the others like him. I met your Dad's wolf and that helped some." She snickered, "He was more like a overgrown puppy than a ferocious wolf.

"Someday, that will happen to you. No matter what I do or how hard I try to protect you from it. It's going to happen anyway. I could take you somewhere far, far, away and never let you see Nash and his family or your dad again. But, avoiding the inevitable isn't going to change a thing. I can't isolate you from the only people that can help you get through this. You're my baby girl and I have to do what's best for you."