Dawn's First Light

Chris felt the thoughts that buzzed in her husband's mind like a swarm of angry hornets. She eased into the study and sat beside him on the sofa. Placing his head in her lap, she ran her fingers though his short black hair. "Rough day at the office dear?" she asked, teasing lightly. She slid her hands across his brow, smoothing out the lines of worry and stress. And exhaled in relief ash he relaxed with a heavy sigh. "When all of this is over, you still owe me that honeymoon," she said, gently.

"If it's ever over," Dane grumbled. Chris was his anchor. She was his calm in the ocean of chaos that was constantly his life. With just the lightest of her touch, she made the troubles of their world seem manageable. He wrapped the soft silky ends of her honey brown hair around his fingers. "Love you."

She wrapped her fingers around his and brought them to her lips. How different things were for the two of them now. When they'd first met, she thought that he was a harsh, demanding, tyrannical man. She had been captured. And the brothers had taken her in to protect her. She was a new vampire, created and then abandoned. If it hadn't been for Dane, she wouldn't have survived, or worse, she would have ended up in the hands of the Rogue Master. Somehow, against all odds, they'd fallen in love and were married. Now, it was her turn to protect him. Even if the only thing she could really do was offer comfort and shelter from the storms raging like a typhoon in his mind.

******

Lori laughed as Keene riffled through his closet and pulled a yellow sundress off a hangar. Casually, he tossed the dress in her direction. She fingered the eyelet frills and smirked at Keene. "Is there something about you I should know?" she asked half jokingly. Her in a dress? Who was he kidding? The last time she'd bothered to get dressed up in anything besides her work uniform or a tattered pair of jeans was graduation day. She folded the soft eyelet fabric and gently set it on the bed.

Keene snorted and rolled his eyes at Lori's teasing insinuation. He was more of a black leather or, if he were feeling particularly casual, combat fatigues kind of guy himself. He picked up the dress and shook out the wrinkles. Dangling the dress by the thin spaghetti straps attached to the simple bodice, he held it to his chest and raised his eyebrows. Yellow was not his color. But, on her, the color would look divine. The sunshiny shade of yellow would bring out the brilliant green in her eyes, the golden brown of her tanned skin, and the white-blonde sun streaked highlights in her hair. "I like it."

Scowling at the three hundred dollar price tag hanging from the dress and the designer label, Lori ground her teeth. Janine. The woman lived to shop and spend other people's money. A pair of shorts and a t-shirt would have been fine for a picnic. But, not in Janine's world, her universe didn't work like that. Lori couldn't get past the imploring expression in Keene's eyes. Sometimes, it was hard to remember that he wasn't her age. That he'd grown up in a place and time so different from hers. "Fine," she gritted, snatching the dress from his hands.

Undaunted by Lori's grumbling tone, Keene sifted through his dresser drawers. Janine had stocked Lori well with a number of silky, lacy undergarments. He had to congratulate the woman on her taste. He pawed past the beige bra and panty set and picked out a lacy pale blue number.

"Don't push your luck, Bud," Lori grumbled at his selection, tucking it back into the drawer. Blue under yellow? Not in this lifetime. The bra and thong underwear, not that there was that much to the scraps Janine had stashed for her in the drawers, would show under the thin, pale fabric. She nudged Keene out of the way and settled for the most conservative underwear she could find. Wiggling into the beige strapless underwire bra and matching lace boy shorts, she hoped Keene enjoyed the show as she dressed.

She thought as soon as she agreed, Keene would bite her and get down to business. He had yet to spring a fang out of hiding. Had he lost his nerve? It wasn't that she was looking forward to it. In fact, the thought of drinking his blood left her kind of queasy. She was nervous about the whole thing. And it would have been a big relief just to get it over with. Instead, they were going out on a date, their first date. Keene moved behind her to help slide the zipper into place. The act of having him watch her dress and help to zip her up was more intimate than anything they'd done so far. And her nervousness ratcheted up another degree.

"What do you think?" Lori asked, spinning to model the dress. The skirt moved freely, swishing around the tops of her knees. She really did feel pretty in the dress. Feminine. And pampered, considering the dress cost more than she made in two weeks.

Naked beneath him was better. Keene kept that opinion to himself. He stepped up behind her and gathered her hair into a ponytail in his palm. Running his lips over the back of her bare neck, he inhaled her fresh scent. Her warmth was the sun on his face. The brilliance of her beauty, its golden rays. "You look like summer."

He knew he was intentionally putting off what needed to be done. The instinct to protect her and the instinct to raise that skirt over her hips, bend her over the edge of the bed and rip away the scrap of lace loosely called underwear battled within him. Once she saw him for what he was through the bond of their blood, she might hate him forever. He'd killed. He'd done terrible things in Roark's service. His past was black...cold and terrifying. He wanted one perfect afternoon with her before he had to show her the truth.

Lori shivered at the warm sensation of his soft lips nibbling at the back of her neck. Heck with the picnic. She wanted to shove Keene down on the bed and get down and dirty with him between the sheets. They had tons of time for first and many more dates after that. She could feel Keene's thick erection pressing into her backside through the heavy material of his combat fatigues. If she had to wear this ridiculous dress, shouldn't he at least have to put on something not so GI Joe standard military issue? Heck, GI Joe her ass...decked out in black fatigues, a snug, form fitting black t-shirt, and the perpetual 'I'm a big scary vampire sneer' he flashed everybody who wasn't her, he looked ready to kick some serious ass.

She giggled at the absurdity of going on out on a picnic with a vampire. The daylight would sting his eyes. And it wasn't like he could actually eat. Keene was doing this for her. Trying his best to be normal for her sake. And she appreciated his effort. Slipping out of his arms, she brushed her hair up into a loose ponytail gathered at the nape of her neck. She could do the girlie thing, for him. Eying the sandals that probably cost more than she made in a month, she slipped into her battered Keds sneakers. Ok, so she wasn't willing to go totally girly. But, she was passable. "You look like Rambo," she said, chuckling under her breath.

"Who?" Keene asked as he followed Lori out into the hall.

"Never mind." Lori rolled her eyes and led the way to the kitchen. Modern pop culture was lost on Keene. Didn't he ever watch TV? Skip that, of course he didn't.

Keene had always held a morbid fascination for kitchen gadgets. He considered his fascination morbid and a bit twisted because he couldn't eat and the scent of human food repulsed him. But, kitchens were amazing. Technology certainly had come a long way since his mother's butter churn and iron woodstove. There were so many interesting things to play with. He pushed the handle on the can opener. Opened and closed the refrigerator door, amazed by the light that came on inside. Grunting as Lori rooted for food, he flicked the dials on the stove, gazing in wonder at the blue flame that suddenly flickered to life.

"Keene, stop it," Lori huffed as she reached round him to turn off the stove. "You're going to burn the compound to the ground. Sit." She ordered him to a stool at the breakfast bar well out of reach from anything he might be tempted to play with. Anna would ring his neck if he so much as chipped a mug. Sifting through the contents of the fridge while watching him over her shoulder, she settled for a bag of grapes, bottled water, and a few leftover slices of ham from the breakfast she hadn't touched earlier this morning. She couldn't trust the curious vampire in the kitchen very long. Who knew what kind of destruction he could unleash if he found the Cusinart? "I'm ready."

"Is that enough food?" Keene asked as he took an insulated bag from her hand. She had a whole kitchen filled with food to choose from and she'd only packed a few bites of this and that. He'd never understand women. They were always so worried about their imaginary excess weight. Always starving them selves for no reason. Lori was perfect. He riffled through the cabinets to find something else to stuff in her bag. Some of the things looked a bit familiar. Cookies. Cupcakes. Foods the girls he'd cared for seemed to enjoy. He began scooping them up in his hands to put them in the bag.

"It's plenty," Lori grumbled, snatching the bag from Keene before he could stuff it to the top with junk food she did not need. He'd never have to worry about his weight. He was only trying to show his affection for her. But, the whole pushy vampire thing was starting to get on her nerves. She did not need fattened up. She'd inherited what her mother called 'the family curse' and had to work extra hard to keep any pounds from going straight to her hips. "Now, lets go on that picnic."

****

Alex had been uneasy all day. She paced the confines of the tiny room she called an office. The room was littered with scrolls and scraps of paper. She was a scribe... her self-proclaimed job title. She used her background in Native American Cultures to translate scrolls and catalog the artifacts the brothers had managed to save from the explosion. Most of the brotherhood's history was stacked in totes, scattered across her desk, or piled on the shelves lining the walls. In the months since she'd come to the compound, she'd barely made a dent in the mess.

She preferred her job title to the job the goddess had imposed on her. Seer. She had visions, some of the past and some of the future and some of things she could not make sense of at all. The goddess was particularly cryptic in her messages. And most of the time, Alex kept what she saw to herself. What was the point of telling anyone else, if she couldn't understand them herself? She wrote down what she 'saw' in a notepad and added it to the ever-growing heap of stuff to decipher.

Alex sat in her chair at her desk and then got back up to pace the room. Her dad was always teasing her to conjure up the winning lottery numbers. If only it was that easy. Lately, she'd been catching flickering glimpses of wolves in the periphery of her 'cosmic viewfinder' and she had no idea what the visions meant. She had that tingly, edgy feeling she got when a vision was coming. Alex dragged her hand through her chin length crimson hair and wished that Kokumthena would just get it over with and show her the vision.

Chance worried about her, as he always did when she got like this and locked herself away. But, the visions were often bloody and frightening and they left her totally disoriented afterwards. She didn't want him or anybody else to see her when she first awoke from a vision. Alex exhaled a sigh as she sensed her consciousness drift away and the vision began to unfold.

She saw the man, Roark. Bathed in the blood of his enemies, primarily anyone who didn't play for his team, his hard, cold stare cut right through her. Darkness swirled around him in thick tendrils. "Blood will have blood," he shouted into the inky blackness.

Gasping and scrabbling to grab hold of reality, Alex awoke with a start. She sat on the floor and cupped her head in her trembling hands. Why couldn't the man just leave them alone? Wasn't it enough that he'd murdered the Great Father and stolen his human life? She had no idea if her vision was of the future or of the past, maybe even of the close present about to come into play. The only thing that she was certain of was that the Rogue Master wasn't done with them yet.

Chapter 43

Keene chose a heavily shaded spot and spread out the blanket across a thick, green, cushiony layer of grass. He wanted to be able to look at her in the daylight. As fleeting as the sunlight was, inching closer and closer on its downward path toward the western horizon, even underneath the dark shade, he could barely stand the harsh rays. "Is this all right?"

"Perfect." Lori dropped down on the blanket and stared up at Keene. She could tell the sunlight bothered his sensitive eyes. But, he took off his heavily shaded lenses and shoved them in his pocket, nevertheless. "So," she asked when he dropped to the blanket next her. He stretched out his long legs and lounged back on his elbow in a posture of casualness. He could pretend all he wanted to. But, he was anything but carefree and easy going. Keene was one hundred percent aware of his surroundings. Gritting his teeth against the sunlight as he toyed with the hem of her dress. "How does this courting thing work?"

"That's easy." Keene wrapped a hand around Lori's waist and dragged her in line with his body. Her skirt fluttered around her thighs as a stray breeze caught the hem, showing off her tanned legs. He ran his fingers along the soft, bumpy eyelet fabric of the bodice and pressed a kiss to her bare shoulder. "First, a man has to show his interest in a woman."

"I think you've done that," Lori said. Giggling at the warm, wet feeling of his lips on her skin, she wiggled in his arms. "What's next?"

"Then he showers her with affection." Keene leaned up on his elbow and planted a series of soft pecks over her cheeks. "And he steals a kiss or two," he growled in desire, claiming her mouth in a passionate kiss. She arched her back against him and toyed with the ends of his hair, winding the strands between her fingertips.

"Ok, got it," Lori said breathlessly. Keene was an excellent kisser. His lips teased the corners of her mouth as he traced his tongue over the seam of her lips. Her toes curled in her Keds from nothing more than a casual peck or two. His hand rested on the curve of her hip, his fingers working the skirt dangerously high up her thigh. The exposure made her a little nervous. Most of the town held the belief that the woods were haunted. But, sometimes a brave soul or two dared to trespass. "Then what?"

Keene sat up and opened the lunch bag. Guiding her head to rest on his thigh, he plucked a grape from the stalk and smoothed it over her lower lip. The grapes were plump and succulent. The glossy, deep purple flesh was cool and slick on his fingertips. He'd never eaten a grape before. And he wondered if they were as sweet as her lips. "And then he offers her food."

Lori opened her mouth, taking the delicate purple fruit from his fingers. Biting into it, her mouth flooded with the sweet juice. She blushed at the intensity of Keene's stare as he intently watched her chew and swallow. He couldn't eat. But, maybe he could taste the lingering tartness of the juices on the tip of her tongue. She reached up and guided his mouth to hers. Teasing his lips open, she stroked her tongue in and out of his mouth. Not even the fruit she'd eaten from his hand could compare with the raw taste of the man holding her in his arms.

He could not imagine the grape tasting as good as the woman in his arms. Sweet and her skin cooled from the gentle evening breeze, tantalizing and decadent, he kissed her deeply. Tasting the mingling flavor of the fruit and her on the tip of his tongue. Growling low, he guided Lori onto her back and balanced his weight over her. He slicked his tongue over her collarbones and nibbled a path to the valley between her breasts. She panted beneath him, arching her back and lifting her hips to press against him.

They were alone in the isolated woods. Surrounded by wild and nature with only the ancient oaks and the furry creatures that lived in the trees to spy on them. There was something primitive about the breeze rustling through the leaves, dappling her skin with pale glimmers of light. "When all the pieces are in place he starts his slow seduction, wooing and luring her in."

"What happens when she takes the bait?" she asked huskily. Keene's hands on her waist and his lips, traveling a daring path over her skin made her dizzy with desire. She could almost forget they were out in the open where anyone could happen across them. It almost slipped her mind that they were the hunted. The breeze traced over the ends of his hair. Catching the sunlight, his hair blazed like red flames around his angular jaw. His fingers hooked in the strap of her dress and began easing it down her shoulder. Uninhibited by the natural beauty of their surroundings, she wiggled her arm free.

"All of this is not without risk on his part. The female possesses the most tangible and sweetest of bait herself. A man must be careful not to get snared in her trap." Gently, Keene eased the bodice down to reveal one of Lori's perfect breasts. He grunted at the lace blocking his path. Palming the flesh with his palm, he felt the nipple trapped behind the lace ripen to fullness.

"What happens if he does?" Lori kicked her feet free of her sneakers and curled her toes up in the loose folds of the blanket beneath her. His hands were magic on her breast, teasing the nipple to the point where it was taut and aching for more of his touch. She wished they were back in his room, encased in privacy and darkness. Keene dipped his head and traced his tongue underneath the lace of her bra. She sucked in a breath and arched her back for more. The tip of his tongue teased and tickled the sensitive flesh.

"He's helpless against her power."

"As helpless against hers as she is against his?" Lori opened her eyes and stared up at the speckled green and brown canopy of leaves and tree limbs hovering above their heads. Tiny bits of sky, golden orange in the evening light, shone through the dense canopy.

"More so." Lori had no idea of the power she held over him. There was nothing he wouldn't do for her. Yield to her every whim if only to see her smile. Keene crushed his mouth against hers in an urgent kiss. Pleased by the soft moan rising in her throat, he softened the kiss to build her enthusiasm. Taking his time and slowing the friction between their joined lips and tangled tongues, he savored her taste in his mouth and scent on his skin.

She made him feel things. Dangerous things that could result in getting them both killed. Through her, he came alive again. He was nineteen and human, his heart beating in time with hers. He felt love. And more then that, hope for the future. The brothers gave him a cause to live for. But, this woman, sighing from pleasure into his mouth, gave him life. Leaning up on one elbow, he traced a path down the arch of her nose and outlined the supple pink flesh of her lips with his fingertips. She stared up at him. Her green eyes glittered with longing and emotion.

"So, they're in love?" Lori asked. Opening her mouth, she nibbled his fingertip gently with her front teeth. The pad of his finger was sweet with the juice from the grape he'd fed her. Keene stared down at her with a gaze so intent it made her insides melt. Closing her eyes she could see a different future unfold than the one she'd so carefully planned for. He was in it. Holding her. Kissing her. In love...forever...with her.

"Head over heels," he confessed. Keene rolled onto his back and snuggled Lori to his side. He toyed with the end of her ponytail, slicking the silken strands over his palm. He closed his eyes and felt the warmth of the fading sunlight brush over his cheeks. For a few fleeting moments, he let himself live without fear or worry. It was a nice change of pace, just to exist with her in his arms. "The question is, does she love him in turn?"