Dawn's Destiny

Her lips parted to say something. But, his lips hard and urgent were on hers and stopped the words from coming. The kiss froze time and stopped the world from turning. Doc's lips were coaxing, questioning, and gentle. His tongue traced along the seam of her lips and slid between. Searching and finding the tip of her tongue he tortured her with the slowness of his caress.

The Shaman shuddered against the force of her response. A kiss shouldn't be this good. He took and she gave, meeting his demands. His tongue darted around the sweet confines of Barbara's mouth, exploring and tasting. Against his will, his arms tightened around her, pulling her into a tight embrace, pressing her to his chest. The stolen moment seemed to last forever. That was good. He didn't want it to end.

Thomas wasn't supposed to be wandering the long corridors of the living quarters alone. Yes, he'd heard the Shaman's warning not to come until he called. But, Thomas just needed to sneak a peek in on his mom before he went home to steal a few hours of sleep. He hadn't expected the house to be so quiet without her in it. And maybe, it was just the little kid in him, still afraid of monsters under the bed and boogey men hiding in the back of the closet, that didn't want to be home alone. The monsters weren't in the closets or under beds. They were here, in this compound. And Thomas simply didn't have the good sense to be frightened of them anymore.

He headed straight to Doc's rooms. If anyone knew where his mom was, he did. Thomas stopped at the open door and peeked through the beaded curtain barring the entrance. He stood there in shock at what he saw. His cheeks blazing, he cleared his throat to get their attention. Not that it worked, nothing short of a dousing with a garden hose would have broken the two of them apart. "Mom? Ah, did I come at a bad time?" Obviously, he had. His mother? Doc? Embroiled in one of the hottest kisses he'd ever had the embarrassment of witnessing.

His brows lifted in confusion and amusement as he shifted his eyes to the debris littering the floor. "I can come back." Thomas wasn't really sure what he'd interrupted and he shrank, wishing he were anywhere else but here. Sheepishly, he stepped back out of the open door.

"No, don't be ridiculous. Don't go." Barbara wrestled out of the Shaman's hold. Face hot and glowing with embarrassment, she turned toward her son. "We were just, ah..." Her flush deepened as an explanation eluded her.

"Kissing," Doc sputtered, filling in the blank. He refused to be embarrassed by Thomas's unwelcome intrusion. The truth was what it was and there was no need to sugar coat it with excuses. And really, why would he try?

Barbara groaned inwardly at Doc's unabashed bluntness. "Um, yeah. Kissing," she breathed. Shooting the Shaman a look of pure horror, she brushed her hair back from her face. Nonchalantly, she tugged on the hem of her blouse. As if getting caught making out by her son happened everyday.

Thomas stammered and came up with nothing to say. It was his turn for the blush of embarrassment. "I'll be in the rec room waiting for you." He snickered, amusement overriding the awkwardness of the moment. "Take all the time you need," he said hightailing it out of there.

"Well?" Barbara huffed. After the passion of their kiss and its interruption, he'd all but shoved her out of the messy confines of his quarters. Gaping at her in horror. The expression splayed across his face. As if she were something disgusting that he'd found on the bottom of his shoe, or rather those ratty, tattered moccasins he wore. His reaction shamed her more than getting caught by her son.

She crossed her arms defensively and glared back at him. "What is your problem?" The question was rhetorical in nature. Since she already knew what his problem was. Her.

"Woman, are you getting ready to throw something else at me?" Doc asked, taking a few steps back. Increasing the distance between them. He shouldn't have reacted as badly as he did. Pushed her away. But, if he hadn't the kissing wouldn't have stopped. And he would have responded to his body and its almost unquenchable yearnings.

He shrank beneath the heat of her scowl. He didn't mean to. But, he'd hurt her fragile feelings. She felt rejected. And yes, he had rejected her. For her own good. She responded to his kiss with overwhelming enthusiasm. Enjoying it as much as he had. And if he'd wanted to, if they hadn't been interrupted, she would have given into his lusty advances. That would have been a disaster. He was her maker. Her teacher. As much as the moment would have been enjoyable for both of them, ultimately he had a responsibility to her. As pleasurable as it might be, a relationship would complicate her already confusing new state of being.

"Barbara. My name is Barbara," she said, frowning. Given his rejection, she should be happy with the fact that he realized she was a woman at all. She was on the verge of having a full-blown melt down, a hissy fit of epic proportions. She didn't understand why her emotions were so volatile. Usually, she was calm and cool in any situation. But, there was something about him that brought out her strongest and most extreme reactions.

Barbara squared her shoulders and moved past him. Her son was waiting for her, or at least she hoped he hadn't left yet. Time was difficult to track now days. She mussed that it was because the passing of hours and minutes had little meaning to a vampire, who had an endless supply of them.

"Barbara," Doc mimicked coolly. He ground his molars when she didn't as much as look over her shoulder. But, walked out, and slammed the door in his face with a resounding boom. "Damn woman, you frustrate the hell out of me." He knew she heard his angered confession. But, at least with the thick, heavy panel of dark wood between them, he'd didn't have to worry about her turning around and smacking him.

Barbara turned and grinned. The biting comeback was out of her mouth before she could stop it. "Sexually, no doubt," she retorted. Vampire hearing did have its advantages after all. Satisfied that her words had hit their mark, she turned on her heel. The door behind her opened and Doc emerged. She didn't bother turning around to look at him. She stomped down the hallway. Sniffing out the scent she knew so well. The Shaman followed at her heels. Like a well trained terrier.

"This isn't over," he hissed furiously. Sexually frustrated? She wished he were sexually frustrated. He hadn't had those urges in over a century. Well, at least until today, he hadn't. Barbara twitched her tail and stormed down the hall. And damn, was it a fine tail. The pockets of her jeans wiggled and it was all he could do to tear his eyes away from them. Her blonde hair bobbed at the tops of her shoulders, shimmering and catching in the light with each step she took. Her waist was small in contrast to the curviness of her hips. And that butt, perfect for squeezing, caressing, and obviously, groveling after. Doc tamped down the wayward lust overriding his common sense. Not happening. Hadn't happened in over one hundred years. And she was not woman enough to break his longstanding dry spell.

"Oh yes, it is." Barbara rounded a corner and pasted a calm smile on her face as she entered the rec room. "Hi, baby," she said. Nature fought a war with nurture. The hunter in her growled hungrily scenting out the prey in its midst. The mother in her wanted to touch, to cuddle her baby boy in her arms, and reassure him that he was safe with her. "I'm glad you stopped by." Nurture won for now. Squashing the instinct to see her son as food, Barbara sat next to him on the couch and ran her fingers through the fringes of his disheveled hair.

Thomas always had been such a smart and inquisitive child. He was even more so as an adult. Not fooled for a second by her forced chatter. Curiosity lit his eyes as they shifted between her and Doc. Studying the pair of them in fascination. "So tell me about your day," she said. Completely ignoring the Shaman, standing in the corner, glowering and sulking in the wake of his defeat, she focused all her attention on her son.

Thomas stared into his mother's eyes. Glimmering with health and vitality. She was so strong, not realizing that her loving pats were leaving a trail of bruises across his brow. He hated when she treated him like a child. It grated his teeth when she called him 'baby' or the absolute worst, 'her baby boy'. But, he was so happy at her newly found health. Thrilled that they could put the illness and her death behind them. That he humored her and smiled like a banshee at the feel of her hands in his hair.

He kept the conversation brief. Skimming over the highlights of his day. Luckily, the ER wasn't busy. And he'd managed to sneak in a catnap during his lunch break. He'd learned during med school how to survive on two or three hours of sleep. And he was good to go for a few more hours before fatigue caught up with him again. He didn't want to ask. But, eyeing the healed skin on his wrist, he felt he needed to offer. "Mom, are you hungry?"

"Oh honey, I can't ask you for that," Barbara chided lightly. Her son was too good for her. Although, the hunter in her screamed in triumph. Wanting more of the sweet goodness of his blood. She declined. Ignoring the empty pit in her stomach and the burning ache in her throat. "Of course not, I'm ok."

Doc stepped in. Sensing the fragile strand of control that Barbara was desperately clinging to. He sniffed the air, catching Thomas's scent. He had not yet recovered from his mother's last feeding. "I'll take her hunting."

"I.. I've never shot a gun in my life." She had no idea what the lunatic was talking about. She was under the distinct impression, having watched every vampire flick ever made, that this was how vampires lived. She was simply relieved that killing wasn't part of the equation. A sip was plenty. She licked her lips and locked her eyes on the pulsating vessel running beneath her son's jaw.

"Barbara." The Shaman gently placed a restraining hand on her shoulder. Ready to pull her back, if she should attack. "You don't need a gun. Come, I'll teach you."

Unwillingly, Barbara inched away from her son and stood. The hunter in her groaned in disappointment that she was giving the prey away. "I don't understand," she stammered.

"Mom, go with him. You can trust him." Thomas scooted across the sofa. Warily eying the fangs protruding from his mother's upper lip. She could have a little from him. But, the look she gave him. The blank, blackness of her dilated pupils, gave him the hint that she wouldn't willingly stop once she started.

"Thomas, you should go. Come Barbara. Its time you learned." Doc snatched Barbara's wrist and gripped it tightly with his fingers. Dragging her away from Thomas. "Don't fight me."

"But." She stumbled against the strength of his tug. Finally, she gave up and relaxed against him. He wouldn't let her harm her son. And that was a very good thing. As much as a jerk as he had been to her, he was watching out for her. Taking care of her as he'd promised. "Teach me to hunt?" she asked reluctantly. Her mind whirred in confusion and embarrassment. "Sorry, baby."

"S'ok mom. I'll call you later." Thomas exhaled a relieved breath as Doc hauled his mother from the room. Until she could master her nature, he'd have to keep his distance and stay away, for both of their sakes. An aching twinge of heartbreak shot though his chest at the realization that, despite his best efforts, he was still going to lose the woman he'd fought so desperately to save. Their relationship, no matter how good it was, would never be the quite the same as it had been.





Chapter 21

Tala lounged on the blanket and basked in the bright, white light from the moon above. Drew was stretched out beside her. His chin tilted up into the brilliant dazzle of stars. Shirtless, his bare chest shimmered translucently in the pale rays of the moon. If it were noon instead of midnight, he would have easily been mistaken for a sunbather. "Beautiful moon tonight," she whispered. Tracing patterns with her fingertips and connecting points of starlight, she smiled. "Look, I made a flower," she giggled.

Drew chuckled. Giving her a light jab in the ribs. "So are you going to go all furry and fangy on me tonight? You know, the full moon and all."

Tala snickered and jabbed him back. Poking her finger hard into the tattooed serpents head tattooed around his ribs. "Are you going to go all vampy on me? You know, fangs and all that?" She swatted him playfully as his fangs shot out from beneath his upper lip and he growled.

She wore a loose cotton t-shirt and sweats easily pulled off in preparation for the shift and slid into afterwards. Hunting with Drew was always exhilarating. Moving with stealth and preternatural speed. Tracking the prey. Springing forth and claiming the bounty in series of well coordinated powerful motions. His hunt was beautiful and breathtaking, a lethal dance.

Not that her wolf was any slouch by no means. Not as graceful as he was as a vampire. But she kept pace with ease. Once the pray was spotted, Drew would spring into action and take it down, unable to absorb nutrients from a dead carcass, he'd drink his fill and then step aside. Letting her wolf finish the meal. Her wolf looked forward to it and panted eagerly inside of her mind. Ready to run, to hunt, and to play with her mate.

Drew and she were enjoying a rare moment completely alone. Bathing in the cool glow of moonlight, relaxing and enjoying one another's company. No stress. No demands. And it was sheer heaven. Tala slid up into a sitting position and stared down at Drew. "Let's let our wolves out tonight."

Drew scoffed, "Tala, I'm not a werewolf." He dismissed her errant thoughts with a casual wave of his hand. Whatever happened to his brother and had been passed down to him was a gift from the goddess. And the goddess was fickle. Drew rejected her suggestion. Imagining scurrying about with four legs and a bushy tail, although he'd done it a couple of times, he still couldn't fathom himself as a wolf and not a man.

Tala raised her eyebrows curiously at his abrupt dismissal. "Drew, I'm not a werewolf." She waggled her brows at him playfully. "The moon is full tonight and it could be a lot of fun."

"Are you daring me?"

"Yup. I think you're afraid to cut loose and have a little fun," she teased. Drew was a lot afraid of what he was. And yeah, she got it. She was a bit leery of her new fangs too. He had yet to teach her a thing about being a vampire. And maybe, her fangs didn't come with an instruction manual anymore than his wolf had. There were some things a person had to simply experience to figure out. She could not imagine herself stalking through the dark shadows of the night, searching for a neck to snack on. And maybe, it was the same way for him when he thought of his wolf. They both had a lot to learn about their dual natures and about each other. Drew had yet to consume so much as a bite of food. And she had yet to sample a drop of blood.

"I am not afraid to cut loose and have a little fun," Drew said defensively. He preferred to control both sides of his nature and not let either one have the upper hand. He preferred two arms and two legs, walking, clothing to giving into his wolf. To Tala, becoming the wolf was as natural as breathing. To him, becoming the wolf was another story. He hadn't mentioned it. He hadn't questioned her. And he didn't push to do so now. She had fangs. And she was more like him than she wanted to admit. Would she need blood as he did to survive? And how would she take to her vampire nature, if she did?

"Ok, whatever." Tala huffed. The trap had been set. Now all she had to do was to sit back and wait for Drew to step into it and accept her challenge. One day, he would have to bait her in much the same way. Blood was a necessity to a vampire. And sometime soon, she was going to have to break in her fangs. She didn't want to think about it any more than he wanted to think about going all furry. But, they were both going to have to learn. She hopped up to her feet and stripped to her birthday suit. Calling on pack magic, she drew the power into her and set her wolf free.

Drew sucked in a breath at the ripple of power over his skin. Tala was beautiful naked. Her skin bathed in the silver glow of moonlight. And her wolf was no less magnificent. A sleek black-coated animal with golden eyes slowly began to emerge from the shimmering contorted shape of Tala's transforming body. The shift from form to form was a painful thing to endure. And the two times he'd done it, he'd felt as if his entire body was being ripped limb from limb. He could not deny that part of himself any longer. His wolf needed this. He needed this. Gingerly stripping, not exactly possessing Tala's comfort with nudity, Drew let the magic and the power roll through him. And he became the Great White Wolf.

The freedom was incredible. The woods were alive with sights and smells. The two wolves, opposite in color, like yin and yang, dark and light, complementing and completing one another, ran and celebrated their freedom. The pack ran with them. Hunting in tandem and feasting on the kill.

Drew awoke a shivering mass of aching limbs and confused thoughts. His wolf was happy to fill in the blanks. Battering the edges of his mind with random images and the raw joy of belonging and running with the pack. Tala groaned beside him. Her hair a tangled mess of twigs and leaves, hanging in a snarled mat over her bare shoulders. Drew pulled her to him. Dragging her down to kiss her desperately on the mouth. She tasted like game and blood from the kill, wild like the night, and sweet with the earthy musk of woman and wolf. There were cameras hidden in the woods. The brothers monitored every possible inch of their sanctuary. And he didn't give a damn. Let them watch.

Grasping her hips, he settled her over his aching erection and thrust himself deep inside of her. Nothing had ever felt so good as her tight, slick core wrapping around him. Grappling with his hands around her narrow waist, he surrendered himself to the sensation of her and the pleasure of their joined bodies. Perhaps, it was the full moon. Or maybe, it was the wild of the wolf still lingering within him. Or possibly the woman on top of him, gasping his name as she rode him with abandon. Whatever the cause for his sudden lack of societal restrictions, he reveled in it.

Tala moaned at the force of Drew's grip around her waist and the urgency in which he thrust himself inside of her. His fingers caught in her snarled hair, tugging at the strands. The ground was hard and unforgiving beneath her knees. And the air held the slightest bite of chill. None of it mattered. She didn't care if someone might stumble across them. The moon rode her hard, bathing her in silvery shimmering light. And as hard as the moon rode her, she rode Drew with the same zeal. Matching his eager thrusts with wild bucks of her hips. His thumbs circled her sensitive nipples, teasing them with a caress of warmth and pure pleasure. Causing her to arch her back and ride him faster desperate for the release that would complete them both.

Tonight was not about slow, seduction or the skill of a lover's welcome touch. Tonight was about melding the man to the wolf, the woman to the man, and the vampire to the woman. There were no sweet words or gentle promises, only the silver light of the moon shining down on bare flesh and the heated grunts of pleasure reaching wildly, crazily for its zenith. Tala was almost there, hovering so close to the edge. And the flick of Drew's fingers, toying with her engorged clit, sent her sailing over.

Drew was there with Tala. His groin tight and pulsing, his cock weeping moisture from the tip as her walls tightened around his shaft, riddled with the spasms of a well-fulfilled woman. He shot hot jets of seed into her. Filling her. Hissing at the scalding heat of their combined release trickling over his testicles. With a grunt and phrases without meaning on his lips, he sat up. His cock still buried to the hilt inside of her, already hardening for more. Clutching her to his chest, he tilted his chin, exposing his throat to her. Crying out in an explosion of pleasure as she drove her fangs into his neck. He came again from the joy of it. Stretching out on the soft, cool ground, allowing her to take from him what she needed, he cradled the back of her head and stared up into the silver wash of moonlight and the twinkling stars in the sky.