Dawn's End

Things were different now. His art drew a nice profit. More than enough money to pay the bills with a bit of padding left over. Jess had her houseful of kids. He finally had control of his gift. They'd gone their separate ways as husband and wife and found their happiness. He wasn't bitter or regretful. Jess was the mother of his son. He bore her no hard feelings and hoped she felt the same. There'd always be the question of 'what if' hanging over his head. Would things have been different if he'd told her the truth about his gift? The next time, he vowed. If he ever fell in love again, there'd be no secrets.

A smile crossed Cindy's face as she spotted Robert perched on a stool with his elbows resting on the counter at the far end of the bar. She'd only been at work for a couple of hours and her feet were already killing her. The day after Christmas was one of those days that was unpredictable. Some years, the bar was completely empty. Some years, like this one, the bar was wall to wall people. Her only hope was that her relief, a perky girl who attended the local junior college, showed up on time for her shift.

Nervously, she ran her hands over her hair to smooth down the fly away pieces that had escaped her ponytail. Robert had a distant look on his face, as if his thoughts were miles away from anywhere remotely close to here. She ignored the customer glaring at her as he tapped his finger on the rim of an empty beer mug. Jonesy was just going to have to wait. He'd been indulging in a little too much after-Christmas cheer and she was about to cut him off anyway. Finally making her way to the end of the bar where Robert sat, she asked, "What can I get you?"

Robert returned her smile with a crooked, sexy as hell grin. She'd seen that smile a hundred times on different faces. This was the first time in a long time, however, that smile was directed at her. A furiously hot blush spread across her cheeks at the knowingness and familiarity in his grin. It was one of those grins that had an intimacy behind it. "Ummm, what do you recommend?" he asked, pretending to study the very limited menu.

Cindy rested an elbow on the bar. Leaning on the counter, close enough to smell the freshness of soap and a light trace of cologne. "Well, most people come here for the company, not the food."

"Ok, well, how's the company here?" Robert asked. He'd missed flirting. Before he'd learned control of his gift, he hadn't bothered with playful banter with the opposite sex. Too frustrating, like an itch he couldn't quite reach.

Cindy smiled widely and replied, "Much better since you walked in the door." She poured up a beer and passed it to Robert. Out of the corner of her eye, she caught Jonsey's drunken scowl of irritation. "I've got to get busy," she said, taking Jonsey's empty mug from his hand and filling it from the tap. "You sticking around for a while?"

"Enjoying the company too much to leave," he said, taking a sip from his beer. He didn't know how long her shift was today and he was content to sit here and watch her work. Today, she wore a faded pair of blue jeans, snug in all the right places, and a worn flannel over a curve hugging t-shirt. He liked the view. A lot.

Robert wasn't much of a drinker and took his time, nursing his beer. Cindy was good with people. Judging from the tips stuffed into her jar on the counter, they liked her too. Just when he thought the crowd would never thin out. The bar grew quiet as seats emptied and tables opened up. Finally, with a moment to catch her breath Cindy leaned on the bar and wiped away the ring of moisture from his half empty glass with a flick of her rag. "I didn't get the Christmas tree put away after you left," she said, hinting an invitation.

Robert got the drift. Whether they'd actually get the Christmas tree put away before New Years or Easter for that matter was up for debate. "We really should get that done," he said, accepting her invitation. He wasn't experienced at the whole relationship thing. And yes, after one night together, he believed that they were on their way to a relationship. It was new and exciting, and full of possibilities. He waited as she counted down the till and handed off to her relief. Unsure of himself, he held out his hand, grinning like a schoolboy with his first crush, when she took it. They left the bar hand in hand. He marveled at the contact and that finally after years of terror at the thought of touching, realized that he wasn't afraid.

Chapter 61

Maggie tried to shake free of Megan's trembling grip. The closer they'd gotten to the compound, the more remote the scenery, the more anxious Megan got. "Are you sure this is safe?" Megan whispered as she clung tighter to the sleeve of Maggie's sweatshirt. Megan's eyes took in the long winding corridors in wide-eyed wonder. She might be scared half to death, but she was curious. Which was the main reason Maggie had brought her here. Megan would never have believed a word she said until she saw it for herself.

For Maggie, it wasn't hard to imagine the world that existed alongside the human world. She grew up here. Believing. Seeing the reality of humanity's fictions. The Sons were good at hiding in plain sight. When she was a kid, the subterranean compound was nothing but a winding maze of dark, dank, very black and abandoned mine tunnels.

Necessity had forced the Sons underground. The woods had been quick to reclaim the empty space left behind when the Sons rebuilt miles beneath the earth after the rogues attacked. It hadn't really been that long ago, not even a decade. She'd been a kid when her mother snatched her, along with her sister, and headed for the safety of the mines. They hid with the other human members of the Sons while the battle waged high up above. Wounded and dead trickled in. Her mother tended them as best she could. Her sister had been brave enough to help. She'd hidden on the border of the ring of light cast by the lanterns, too afraid to help, and too afraid of the darkness to wander off on her own.

The town still thought the tunnels existed, forgotten and abandoned. Few knew of the secrets and the lives they sheltered deep in the underbelly of the earth below. "You don't have to whisper. They can hear you," she said to Megan. Exasperated by the girl's fear, she finally managed to free her sweatshirt of the sweaty hands gripping her sleeve. "You're perfectly safe."

"Ok," Megan answered with a breathy whisper. Amazed and a bit terrified, she stared at the high uneven ceilings of rock above her head. Every kid in town knew the scary legends about the mineshafts. About the kid who'd gone in them on a dare and was never seen again. On a clear night, it was said, that his voice could be heard on the night winds, calling for help. The story was passed down from kid to kid. Whispered over the safety of campfires. Giggled over at slumber parties. Nobody really believed the tale. Then again, nobody wanted to take a chance that it might be true either.

Glenn and a bunch of his buddies had gone out to try to look for the entrance to the tunnels once. Glenn insisted that the story was bullshit and was hell bent on proving it. GPS in hand, they went out determined to debunk the legend. Instead, they got lost, and the County Sheriff had to set up a search party to find them. Glenn and the other boys had never talked about what they did see in the woods.

She had never been so far out in the woods before. The barren trees and spiny tangles of brush went on for miles in every direction. She doubted that she could ever find her way here on her own, even if she ever wanted to. Maggie drove the twisted, curvy, narrow, windy gravel road as easily as if she'd been driving to the Super Center. Like the drive was nothing. Megan started to get nervous when she lost sight of the main road and telephone poles gave way to tall pines and the menacing branches of skeletal trees stripped bare by winter.

Megan slid closer to Maggie as a figure rounded the corner headed in their direction. The guy was scarier than any legend ever could be. Dressed head to toe in black leather, his heavily booted feet never made a sound as he approached. He was big, bigger than the biggest member of the varsity football team. Sheer size aside, he was intimidating and she ducked, practically cowered behind Maggie as he stopped to glower down at them.

Maggie rolled her eyes. Out of all of the Sons, Toby was the most innocuous of them all. Although she couldn't blame him for giving into the temptation of rattling Megan's cage. Megan acted like a frightened rabbit. Maggie was tempted to give the girl a good shake just to see her startle. She shot Toby a warning glare and dragged Megan by the hem of her overpriced wool coat to meet him. "This is Toby. Toby, this is Megan."

Megan stared up at Toby. His dark hair was different, slicked back instead of its usual chin length black waves. His eyes glittered with a playful mischief. Up close, he wasn't nearly as intimidating. Slouched at the shoulders, his height and bulk wasn't as noticeable. She knew him from someplace. She couldn't exactly place him in his disguise of black leather and menace. "Hi," she said meekly over Maggie's shoulder.

Toby nodded with a grin. The girl was terrified. Fear radiated off of her like an acrid perfume. Her eyes were the size of quarters. He could hear her heart beating, racing in her chest like prey just before the predator closed in. "Monster Absolute Zero energy drink and Snickers bars." He chuckled as her mouth dropped and an expression of realization spread across her face.

Megan had been haunting the all night convenience store up by the interstate since school started last fall. Senior year had been a lot harder than she anticipated. She had put in a lot of late nights studying. Those extra hours of class work meant sugary snacks and energy drinks. Her mother kept the cabinets and the fridge stocked with healthy things. She needed the sugar and caffeine to fuel her brain. The gas station had plenty of each. The guy behind the counter was friendly and she'd stuck around more than once past curfew engaging in playful flirtatious banter with him. "You're that Toby?" she asked, her cheeks flaming in embarrassment.

Toby grinned as he answered, "The one and only. Did you pass your finals?"

Megan nodded speechless. The guy she'd been buying Monster drinks and Snickers bars from was a vampire. She fisted her hands to keep from grabbing Maggie's sweatshirt and dragging her toward the exit. Not that she'd probably find it before the minions swept down on them. Before she knew what Toby was. Before her painful introduction into this world, she would have never have had a clue of the truth. Trembling, she wondered who else she met in everyday life was one of the undead. The bagger at the grocery store? The grandmotherly old lady that ran the public library? Her sadistic gym teacher? Who?

"I knew you would. It's ok, kid," Toby said with a wink to Megan. "If everybody knew it wouldn't be much of a secret would it?"

"Why?" Megan asked. She couldn't imagine that a vampire would need money. Although their surroundings were posh, minimum wage at the convenience store would hardly cover the bills.

"It's a front. What better way to watch who comes and goes from the town than an all night gas station right off the interstate," Toby answered with a shrug. "I've gotta go. My turn for patrols today." He took a few steps and turned, "Oh, Anna's just pulled a fresh batch of cookies from the oven if you're interested." He walked away laughing at the shocked expression on Megan's face.

"Cookies?" Megan asked. She assumed all vampires were bloodsucking demons of the night. She couldn't imagine they actually baked cookies or worked at all night gas stations. Following Maggie down the hall, she stuck close, inching closer when one of the undead would cross their path. Some mumbled greetings as they passed. Some ignored them entirely. They were of all shapes and sizes. Some looked younger than she.

Maggie led Megan to the kitchen. She didn't necessarily want a cookie, but Megan looked like she could use the sugar rush. Anna was one of the most human of the vampires in the compound. Perhaps, if she started with the gentler of the vampires, Megan wouldn't pass out when it came time to take her to the Great Father.

Megan sat on a stool and nibbled the edge of a chocolate chip cookie. The chocolate was still soft, so warm that it melted on the tip of her tongue. She felt kind of like a rabbit that had been offered a juicy carrot by the fox. The woman, a tall and willowy blonde watched with curiosity as she took the bite. As good as the cookie was, Megan had to fight to force the bite past the lump of fear in her throat.

Everything looked so normal here, from the stainless steel appliances to the white tile on the floor and the dishes drying in the dish strainer on the counter. Megan didn't really know what she expected to find when Maggie led her through the maze of hallways, but normalcy wasn't in the top ten of her list. A torture dungeon complete with chains and an iron maiden, maybe. Freshly baked chocolate chip cookies and the rambling drone of a big screen TV in the next room weren't even close.

Anna watched the frightened girl take a bite and set the cookie aside on the plate. Anna eyed the cookie with longing. She cooked and baked like a fiend. Always the fruits of her labor had to be boxed up and taken to someone who could actually enjoy them. It wasn't that she regretted her life or the decisions she had made. Sometimes though, she missed the simple things she had taken for granted before her change, like warm chocolate chip cookies on a cold winter's day.

"Oh my GOD! I love those boots!" A feminine voice squealed. Megan spun almost too fast on her stool to see the woman drooling over her choice in footwear. "Do you see, Patrick! These are the boots I wanted for Christmas."

A man next to her shrugged and shoved his hands deep into his jeans pockets. "You said boots," he mumbled in defense.

"You doof, I meant these," she said, pointing to Megan's boots. "Not combat boots." She stomped her foot for emphasis and frowned at the heavy, lug soled boots on her feet.

Megan listened to the two banter back and forth over boots. The man had one of those faces that made his age hard to guess. He looked trapped someplace between a teenager and a man. The woman was tiny as a china doll, petite and very slender with blonde ringlets that cupped an angelic face. Her mouth made a perfect O as Megan's fear dawned on her. "I must apologize for my wife," the man mumbled. "For her fashion is a religion and she forgets herself sometimes when in the presence of fine footwear. I'm Patrick," he said, sticking out a hand.

"Megan." She gingerly shook his hand.

"Janine," the woman said. Eying her up and down with a glimmer of approval in her eye. "We look about the same size. You really must check out my closet before you go. I think we have similar tastes."

Megan suppressed a giggle as Patrick rolled his eyes and dragged Janine from the room. She was overwhelmed by the people she'd met so far and that they were perhaps, just as human as anybody else. She came here for answers and found herself with nothing but more and more questions. Who were these people? Were they just pretending to be people until she let her guard down?

Maggie slid off her stool and motioned for Megan to follow her. Megan was on information over load. She needed to get her to the Great Father before the girl blew a circuit and shut down completely. "Are you ok?"

"I think so," Megan answered. She felt dozens of sets of eyes on her back as she followed Maggie out of the kitchen. When she turned to look over her shoulder, pretending that she was casually brushing her hair out of the way with a twist of her head, there wasn't anybody watching her. "This isn't what I expected."

Maggie stopped just short of the entrance to the long hallway that led to the Great Father's study. "What did you expect? Moats? Coffins?"

"Something like that. I don't know. I just didn't expect them to be so...,"

"Ordinary?"

Megan winced and nodded. "Yeah."

Maggie took Megan by the elbow and led her down the hall, leaning in to speak as she did so. "That's how they survive. By blending in."

"They're vampires," Megan whispered in protest.

Maggie pulled hard on Megan's arm, stopping her in the middle of the hall. She held Megan's shoulders in a tight grip and gave her a hard shake. "They're still people," she hissed, glaring at the teenage girl's open-mouthed expression of shock.

"The vampire that attacked me was NOT a person," Megan countered. She twisted free of Maggie's grip and took a step back out of reach. "He was one of them!" she spat vehemently, pointing down the hall toward the kitchen.

"Not one of them. Something else," Maggie argued. She wanted Megan to learn one thing out of her visit. Not all vampires were killers. She'd hoped Meagan would see the difference.

Megan crossed her arms over her chest and frowned at Maggie. She didn't get it. Maggie hadn't been attacked by one of them. She hadn't felt their fangs in her neck. She hadn't known the terror of being left for dead. It wasn't her blood on the snow. She didn't understand. "Why are you defending them? Why are you friends with them anyway? You're dating one of them. How can you kiss him?" Her mouth formed a hard line as Maggie looked away from her and down to the floor.

Megan gasped in shock as realization hit home. "I almost died because of one of them! You want to be just like them don't you? You're going to have your vampire boyfriend turn you into one of those things! Aren't you!" Her body quivered in anger. Stepping back to run from Maggie, she stopped, realizing she had no place else to go.

Megan's accusatory tone infuriated Maggie. Megan had no right to judge her or any of her friends. These "things" as Megan called them were her family. "Come on," she barked, snatching the sleeve of Megan's coat in her fingers. Maggie hadn't realized how strong Cole's blood had made her, or how fast she'd become till she felt the tremors of Megan's shock and the futility of the girl's struggle beneath her steely grip.

Megan dragged her heels across the rough stone floor, uselessly trying to free the sleeve of her coat from Maggie's grip. Maggie wasn't that much bigger than her. But, she was certainly stronger. Megan had no choice but to follow behind or lose the sleeve of her new coat in the struggle. "Where are we going?"

Maggie scowled over her shoulder at Megan's frightened face. "You wanted answers. I'm going to give them to you."

Drew was as possessive of his daughter as he was of his wife. No one here would harm his baby girl, yet he scowled disdainfully at Chris as she rocked and cooed softly at the bundle in her arms. "She's absolutely perfect," Chris said. Her voice was heavy with adoration for the miracle dozing in her arms.

Dane felt a shudder of his master's protectiveness run through his body. Drew had begrudgingly handed baby Cat over to Chris. But, he didn't like anyone handling his newborn daughter but him or her mother. Dane gently smoothed his hand over the soft knit cap covering the baby's tiny head. The infant truly was a miracle. He loved his wife more than anything. Chris was the reason he woke every morning. She'd forced him out of a long, long life of emotional desolation and gave him a purpose beyond his brothers. She hadn't asked to be what she was. He sensed the pain of her loss. A grieving for the children they'd never have, as she held the baby in her arms.

Tala sat on the sofa with one hand draped around her husband's palm. She could feel the tightness in his forearm as he watched Chris and Dane make over their daughter. Drew was as protective of Cat as a father wolf over his pup. It was good for Drew, and for their daughter, to be exposed to new people. One day, he'd have to step aside and let their baby girl experience the world. She stifled a laugh when thoughts of her daughter's future suitors and the terror they'd suffer at her husband's hands entered her head. Of course their baby girl would fall in love with someone exactly like her father and that would drive Drew insane.