Dawn's Destiny

Tala drank. And the taste of him was sweet, thick, rich, and decadent. He offered her his throat in the ultimate display of trust. She was gentle with him. Reveling in the hot slickness of his orgasm and the feel of him already beginning to harden inside of her. And she was so ready for more, for everything he had to offer. Swiveling her hips in tight little half circles and slow undulations up and down his shaft, she took her time savoring him and the magic of the night.

Joined, their bodies slick with sweat and the thick musk of mating and sex, she followed his gaze up to the sky. There was more out there than the two of them could ever imagine. And here on the ground beneath her, trying so desperately to hold out until she was there with him was the man she'd spent her whole life imagining and never thought she'd find.

Tala came for him. And the sound of her labored gasps and the sweet buck of her hips, grinding against his cock filled him with male pride. He let go of everything and everyone except for her. Joining her in the place where there was nothing but pleasure and the two of them. Afterwards, they held each other, unabashedly naked. Their bare limbs intertwined. They stretched out on their backs, gazing up at the stars, tracing new constellations with their fingertips, and giving planets too distant to matter ridiculous names.

Drew burst out in a fit of laughter as Tala named a planet in his honor. And she did likewise when he dubbed a distant blip in the sky as the Tala galaxy. The truth was. This woman was his sun and he was just a planet locked in orbit around her. He placed a gentle kiss on her lips and rolled her over onto her back, sliding into the wet heat of her. "Be my wife, Tala."

Tala gasped as the first shivers of pleasure rocketed through her. This man was her entire world. The pull of his gravity held her feet to the ground. And without him she would drift away into the cold nothingness of space. Her heart pounded wildly in her chest. There were no words to describe her joy. Planting a kiss on his lips, she breathed the word he wanted to hear. "Yes." Drew playfully nipped on the pads of her fingers before placing a kiss on her palm. And the feeling of it was wonderful. "Drew?" she asked hesitantly.

"Hmmm."

"We could make a baby."



Chapter 22

Claire hustled along the dark, narrow, bumpy gravel road leading to the cabin. The suspension system of the yellow Mustang she'd bought when she graduated from nursing school four years ago, and much like her education was still paying for, groaned in protest. She hadn't meant to get here this late. Hadn't intended to fall asleep on the couch all day. But, she had. She hadn't planned on the long lines at the Super Center when she went to pick up a few last minute things for her vacation. But, she had. And she hadn't anticipated bumping into one of her more chatty patients in the parking lot and spending an hour on the phone with her mom. But, she had. And now it was late. Way after nightfall and the pitch black of the darkness swallowed her whole. Her headlights barely cut a path through the night wide enough to see by.

Maybe, coming out here this late was an exercise in stupidity. But, she'd already practically lost one whole day of her vacation. And she didn't plan on losing another. Besides, she wasn't tired after sleeping the whole day away. There was definitely a Camp Crystal Lake vibe to the woods and the cabin so far off the beaten path. And yeah, she was a single white female alone in the dark. But, she wasn't a virgin. Ok, it had been a while. But, not technically long enough for her to wear white to her wedding. And she definitely wasn't stupid enough to run screaming into some bad cliché of a horror movie scenario. Something like, going to the basement to see what made that noise and forgetting to turn on the light first.

Besides, she'd been coming out here every summer since she was a little girl. And there was nothing in the dark that wasn't there in the daytime. The cabin had electricity. But she'd have to fumble around by flashlight until she found the breaker box to turn the power on. Her dad didn't come out here this early in the season. And even if he had, he wouldn't have left the power on when his visits were so sporadic this time of year.

Stupid, stupid, stupid, she should have forced herself to keep moving instead of stopping by Happy's drive through on the way home and stuffing her face full fries while she watched TV. As tired as she'd been, she'd fallen into an immediate carbohydrate coma. That was the price of slovenliness and working night shift the night before she went on vacation. She was really no better off than she would have been if she'd worked her originally scheduled day shift other than for the ten percent differential she got for working nights. And an extra ten percent did not a car payment or a student loan payment make.

She eased up on the gas and navigated the car in line with the cabin's front porch. She scolded herself for being so inflexible. She still had seven days and six nights left. Determined to unwind and leave the world behind. She pulled her cell phone out of her purse and tossed it onto the dash. No calls, not tonight, not tomorrow morning, and not for seven glorious, relaxing fun filled days of reading smutty romance novels.

Claire scrambled out from behind the wheel and snatched an armload of bags from the trunk. Fumbling with the key her dad kept under a flowerpot on the front porch. She slid it into the lock and jiggled the doorknob. And all but fell inside as the door creaked open. She toed her way in cursing under her breath as she tripped over something in her path. "Damn, I forgot the flashlight."

The cabin was enveloped in a shroud of darkness and she could barely see her hand in front of her face. But, she wasn't afraid of the dark or anything that might be in it. She inhaled deeply. The scents of cedar, pine, and summertime invaded her nose. Taking her back to less confusing days when her family would spend endless weeks crowded in the warm, cozy, cabin. Happy times where she had not a care in the world or an electronic leash to connect her to it.

Carefully, she sat the bags down with a light thump and stumbled back to her car. Her fingers wrapped around the handle of the flashlight. The light, shone weakly. Barely cutting a hole in the darkness. She picked her way, mindful of the tree roots that snaked inches up from beneath the ground silently threatening to trip her, to the electrical box hanging on the south side of the cabin's exterior. Praying that a fuse wasn't blown and she wouldn't have to go back into town tonight to get one. She opened the box and frowned in surprise. The power was already on. Eager to get on with her vacation, she quickly dismissed it and assumed her dad had been here recently and just forgot to turn it off.

Claire followed the narrow beam provided by the flashlight back to her car. Scanning the car's contents, she sorted out what could wait until daybreak and what had to go inside right now. Casting a last glance at the cell phone with all her will, she forced herself to forget it. The world as she knew it would still be there in a week. And if by some cosmic joke the world ended, imploded in a ball of flames, sometime within the next seven days. She probably wouldn't be alive to know about it anyway.

Gathering the remainder of the stray bags. There was absolutely nothing she could live without until dawn. And therefore, she decided to cart everything inside. She stomped her way to the cabin. Juggling the bags and the flashlight, she fumbled for the lamp on the end table. Dropping the flashlight and spilling her bags, screaming as strong fingers wrapped around her wrist and jerked her deeper inside of the cabin.

"Shh, I'm not going to hurt you." Grant clutched the wriggling woman in his arms and pressed his hand to her mouth. Cursing when a sharp set of teeth clamped down on the tender flesh of his palm and bit him. "Don't do that again," he hissed, pressing her closer to him. She fought like a wildcat. Her screams muffled as she panted against his palm. Her eyes widened with fear. Her body twisted and bucked, trying to free herself from his grip.

Claire bucked and twisted in her assailant's arms. After all the lectures about personal safety that her father had pounded into her head for years. Here she was, in one of the few places she felt the safest, a victim. The coppery taste of blood stung her tongue. Good, she thought, at least she'd inflicted some small measure of damage. Doubting if she'd live long enough to worry about contracting a disease. Hoping that he would at least have the decency to kill her quickly. Gathering her strength in one last attempt to free herself from his iron grip she stomped mercilessly on his toe.

"Stop that!" Grant blinked against the throbbing in his big toe. He hadn't expected anyone to be out here this early in the season. And he sure as hell hadn't guessed that anyone would come pulling up this late at night. He only wanted a safe place to rest for a while before he had to move on. He didn't know what was on his trail and he wasn't sure if or when they'd cross paths again. But, he'd rather reduce the chances that they would. And get the hell out of dodge. "I'll let you go, if you stop fighting me."

Wild eyed and frightened Claire nodded in agreement. Her mind raced and she cursed her idiocy at leaving her cell phone in the car. Stupid move. She was miles away from anywhere. The solitude she longed for would be the only witness to her death. People knew where she was, of course. But, no one would come looking for her, knowing how desperately she needed the time away from the world. No one would miss her till seven in the morning eight days from now when she didn't show for her shift.

She had to come up with a plan. If she could get to her car, she could call for help. Make a run for it. Hide in the woods. Hope she happened across some hiker with a semi automatic. Like Rambo, and kicked this son of a bitch's ass. Unless he let go of her, she couldn't do a damn thing about her situation. She stood perfectly still. Fighting against the revulsion bubbling in her gut.

"Thank you," Grant said backing away. Watching her warily. She was afraid, even in his human form he could smell the acidic scent of her fear. Her body was tense. Weight balanced on the balls of her feet. Eyes shifting to the door as she judged the distance. Her mind calculated the likelihood of the success of her attempt. "Don't even think about it. You have no idea how fast I am. You can't out run me."

He pulled out one of the shabby kitchen chairs and spun it so that it sat in the center of the room. The red checked gingham print chair pad did little to hide the chair's decrepit state. "Have a seat." Grunting in satisfaction when she did as she was told and perched on the edge of the chair.

"May I?" Grant asked. Licking his lips he eyed the bags loaded with food. He was hungry and whatever was loaded down in those grocery bags was a better alternative than stale crackers and peanut butter.

"Help yourself." 'Prick', she mentally added. If this were a normal situation and any ordinary day, if she had simply been walking down the street and saw him. She would have thought him worthy of a second, maybe a third glance. His hair was neatly cropped close to his scalp, thick and dark walnut brown almost black in color. His eyes, creased with lines of fatigue, were a rich, deep, mahogany brown. His jaw strong and hard, with the softest looking, entirely too kissable lips covering a row of perfect, white teeth. But, clad in an old pair of her tattered pastel green sweats and a wrinkled t-shirt of her father's he'd stolen from the dresser. The only thing she could see was menace and danger.

"Are you alone?" Grant asked. Judging by the amount of food in the grocery bags and the stack of romance novels spilled across the floor. She wasn't expecting company.

"No. I'm expecting some friends. They should be here anytime. And they are going to be pissed off. " Claire jutted her chin out defiantly. Hoping she could mask her lie behind a little false bravado.

Grant surveyed her face. Cupped by long, golden strands of hair in varying shades of blonde her chin jutted out at him in defiance. Her blue eyes shifted nervously to the left and tiny white teeth nibbled at the border of her full, pink lips. She was lying. "I doubt that. It has to be almost midnight."

"We keep odd schedules," Claire retorted.

Claire watched helplessly as the man riffled through her purse and snatched her car keys. The Mustang's alarm beeped shrilly. He'd engaged the locks and unless she could get her keys back, squashed her plan. He tossed the keys onto a high, rough beam, spanning the ceiling. Too high to reach without climbing up on a chair, and climbing would take time she didn't have. She blinked away a hot, steaming tear before it could roll down her cheek. "I give you whatever you want. Please, just leave me alone. Don't hurt me."

Grant looked up and closed the wallet. He hadn't been scrounging from money. He was no thief. He'd been checking out her driver's license. Getting to know the beast he was dealing with. She was even prettier in person than she was in the thumbprint size snapshot. Local girl. "Claire, I'm not going to hurt you."

"Then what do you want?"

"Nothing..." Grant scoffed and dragged his hands through his hair. Yeah, he wasn't making a very good first impression. Manhandling her. Crouched on the floor in women's sweatpants and a stolen t-shirt riffling through her things. He probably looked like an escapee from a loony bin or at the very minimum a Ted Bundy type. "You're not exactly catching me at my best. What you're seeing. This really isn't me at all."

"What happened to you?" Claire asked, suddenly curious about the man who held her captive. Vulnerability was apparent behind the discomfort in his expression. She had her doubts about his harmless nature. But, she wondered if her captivity was simply an unlucky consequence of being in the wrong place at the wrong time as was his being here in the first place.

Grant shuddered at the softness and concern in her voice. Caring and compassion were more than he deserved. He was a lone wolf, expelled and driven into the human world. And that world was a bigger and more complex place than he'd ever imagined. Shamed and guilty, he'd earned his fate. Not her concern. "Nothing," he answered gruffly.

"What happens now?"

"We get some rest. Dawn will be here soon." Grant grasped Claire's wrist as gently as he could and dragged her over to the bed. Luckily the bed was shoved into a corner. With one side against a wall, keeping her in it would be easy. His wolf was still with him. He'd wake at the slightest sound, the slightest shift of the mattress. "Claire, you're safe as long as you behave."

"Ok," Claire stammered. She did as she was told and climbed into the bed. Pressing her back to the wall. She stiffened when he scrambled in beside her and drew her in line with his chest, wrapping and arm around her waist to spoon her. Great. His breath was hot against her skin. Arms sweltering. And the intimacy of touch was too overwhelming.

"Please, don't try anything funny. Know for a fact that the slightest twinge of a muscle will wake me," Grant warned. He didn't plan on sleeping a wink. He simply didn't have a better plan at the moment short of stealing her car and the twenty dollars she had in her wallet. Throwing her off balance by climbing into bed with her was a far better alternative to gagging her and tying her to a chair. And the spooning, well, that had its benefits as well. He marveled at the way their bodies fit together. And her rump tucked in tight against his groin was just this side of heaven.

"Ok," Claire answered in a small voice. She broke out in a sweat from the heat of his body. She went rigid as his nose pressed against the curve of her neck and his exhale tickled against her skin. As much as he frightened her, she'd never felt the odd fluttering sensation rolling in the pit of her stomach and it wasn't fear. Oh hell, maybe Ginger was right and she was going to get lucky on her vacation. Leave it to her though to be attracted to a criminal. "What's your name?"

"Grant," he sighed, breathing her in. She was soft. Her scent tinted with fear. Her heart fluttering and her muscles tense beneath his arms. "Please, try to relax. I promise I won't hurt you. I don't mean to frighten you."

"But, you are," Claire whispered.

"I know. And I'm really, truly sorry. If I had another option I'd take it, gladly. This will be over soon enough. I'll leave and you'll go back to your life. Now, try to get some rest. Dawn will be here soon."

Claire's mouth fell open at the heat and sheer seductive feel of their bodies pressed together. He wasn't trying anything funny although, he was fully capable of doing so. Judging by the erection pressed against her butt, he more than had the equipment for the job. And that should terrify her. Instead her toes curled and all sorts of thoughts that shouldn't be there ran through her head. He inhaled deeper, running his nose along her hair. Snuggling into the curve of her neck, the brush of his stubbly cheek and the sensation of his fingers gently stroking the soft fuzz of her arm did crazy things to her. Wonderful, it hadn't even been an hour since he'd taken her hostage and she already had Stockholm syndrome.

Grant nuzzled Claire's hair. Grinning at the sudden musky scent of desire masking the pungent reek of her fear. She lay rigid and awake in his arms. Gently stroking the soft skin on her forearm with his fingertips, he tried to get her to relax enough to fall asleep. She was not unaffected. But, judging by the lush scent of her, sleep was the last thing on her mind. It was difficult for him not to press his lips to the base of her neck and taste her. His erection was hard and extraordinarily painful in the tight confines of the too small sweatpants. The soft pressure of her shapely rear against his cock was sheer torture. He wrapped his hand around her hip and eased her forward a little bit. Breathing in relief at the absence of such wonderful pressure.

The twin bed was narrow. And their bodies touched in awkward places. Grant faked sleep. Breathing heavily in teasing exhales down her spine. He took liberties with his hands, cupping the curve of her waist. And as soon as his wayward erection was under control, he tucked her tightly against him. A sleeping man might brush his lips against her neck. And though he was no sleeping man, he pretended to be one so that he could sample a tiny taste of her. Her soft, supple skin was a decadent treat. And if someone like her was waiting for him at the end of this hell, being human might not be so bad.

The old rules no longer bound him. Yes, he still had his wolf, for the moment. But, the pack had withdrawn its magic and he was free. He could do so many of the things he'd only dared to dream of. He could make love to a woman. Sink his cock deep inside of her. And not have to worry about a permanent bonding. His soul and his heart were his to do with what he chose.

It wasn't just that Claire was the first available human female to cross his path that made him want her. She was girl next door pretty. So pale in contrast to the darker coloring common to the females of his pack. She did not have Tala's delicate features nor she was not dainty like a china doll. Claire had curves and plenty of them, beautiful, plentiful breasts, and a nice shapely round ass. She was tall enough that holding her brought the top of her head just under his chin. And they fit together in a way that Tala and he never had. She was made for a man. Made for him. And if the circumstances were different and he'd was truly human as he no doubt would be soon enough, he'd gladly spend the rest of his short life loving her.