Dawn's Innocence

"You didn't. After she gets some rest and a good meal, she'll be fine." Will covered Kacie's sleeping body with a throw and turned to face Carter. "You need to hunt. She staved off the worst of your hunger with her blood, but you need more."

"You're right. I'm not fully back to my old self yet. Better, but I could use a top off. Perhaps, you'd like to join me in the woods for a little sport."

"Sure."

Carter felt great, thanks to Kacie's way too generous donation. He gently ran a finger down her sleep lax cheek. "Thank you." He tucked the blanket tightly under her chin and flipped off the light, pulling the door closed as he tiptoed out of the room.

The wolves trusted him with their lives. Shayla had risked hers to save him. Evan believed in him, looked up to him with the same adoration in his eyes that he held for his father. And Kacie, she'd offered her blood to a starving man instead of running away. Why weren't they afraid of it and of him? And what was it that they saw hidden so deeply within him that he himself could not see?

Chapter 64

Evan obligingly let his mother scrub him from head to toe, rinse him in the hot soapy bath water, and give him another thorough going over before she released him from the tub. He held up his arms and let her dress him for bed. Smiling over all the attention she and his dad smothered over him. "Mama, I wasn't being bad on purpose. I swear. I won't do it again. Uncle Carter needed me. I just wanted to help."

Ruby stared into her son's eyes. They were round and a dark, rich brown, like the color of chocolate drops. Filled with sincerity and a little boy's dreams. "We'll talk about it in the morning. Right now, I just want to get you cleaned up and into bed. It's nearly midnight."

"Daddy, wasn't I brave?" Evan grinned up at his father. He could always count on his dad to be in his corner. Even if there were times his mother wasn't. Evan knew he was in big, big trouble and imagined all kinds of punishment. He cared, but he didn't care what his mother did to him. He'd been right to do what he'd done and he'd do it again. He grinned over his mother's shoulder as his dad winked down at him.

"Very brave, but very stupid. You could have been hurt tonight. You worried your mother and me to death. The whole pack was out looking for you." Hanning kept his voice stern and even, but inside, he was glowing with pride at the man his little boy was slowly becoming. He returned his son's grin and winked. Ruby was up in arms, still trembling with worry. She mothered Evan to the point where his skin was red from all the passes with the washcloth and the rubbing from the towel. Kid would have bruises if she kept it up.

Ruby dressed their son with the efficiency of a woman on a mission. Evan was bright and shiny as a new penny. Wincing but wisely keeping his mouth shut as Ruby worked a comb though his wet hair. Sometimes, Hanning worried that she mothered their son to the point of smothering him, not with love, but with good intentions.

Yeah, he knew that feeling all too well himself. She loved them both to death with duty. Evan was just a little boy. He did the things kids did. And the reasoning behind what he'd done made sense in Hanning's adult mind.

Evan was smarter and wiser than the sum of his meager six years on the planet. Rarely did he intervene once Ruby had decided on a punishment for their son. This time, he was going to. The punishment should fit the crime and Evan had done nothing wrong. Ruby was reaching into a drawer and going for the dreaded nail clippers. She was going to groom the hide right off the kid. Gently nudging his wife to the side, he scooped Evan up and flung him over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes. His reward was the musical sound of Evan's laughter and the wiggling of his flat belly against his shoulder. "You were very brave."

"Hanning, don't encourage him," Ruby warned. Hanning was too soft on their boy and too lax in his fathering. She was going to see to it that Evan was thoroughly punished for sneaking off and scaring the ever loving shit out of her. Usually, Hanning went along with whatever the plan was. Tonight, she sensed one hell of a fight between the two of them brewing. Evan wanted to prove he was a big boy. Then he could give up his Spiderman doll and start doing chores.

She was tempted to turn him over her knee and paddle his butt. She couldn't do it. Not with Ramon's death and the memories of how he'd died so fresh in everyone's mind. Evan had seen enough pain. She'd seen too much pain. And the only thing she wanted to do was shelter her little boy from the horrors of the world. Evan was growing up too fast in her opinion. He was still her little boy. He would always be her little boy. And she'd protect him for as long as she could. Hanning dropped Evan on the bed. His thin body bounced on the mattress before settling on the covers.

There were things she'd wanted out of life for herself. But, sometimes life gave you a few consolation prizes to compensate for its bigger disappointments. Evan was her gift. But not even he, sometimes, was enough to ease the ache inside of her over all the choices she'd never gotten to make. Ruby leaned over and gave her precious little boy a peck on the cheek. "Good night, sweetie," she cooed. Hanning stepped back and let her finish the job of tucking Evan in. She pulled the blankets up tight beneath his pointed little chin and let him have his Spiderman doll, just one more night.

Hanning switched off the lamp and ushered Ruby out bedroom. Otherwise, she'd sit in there all night and keep watch over their son while he slept. Evan was absolutely fine. Carter hadn't harmed one hair on his little head. Ruby hovered near the door, resenting the hell out of him for inserting himself between her and Evan. It was only going to get worse as Evan got older. Evan was going to grow up and Hanning was going to have a hell of a fight on his hands with Ruby, to let his son do exactly that.

Hanning had considered giving Ruby another child, but that would mean she'd actually have to let him between her legs. And no act disgusted her more than making love to him. He took what she offered... the duty fucks... as he called them. They were cold lays, functional and purposeful, and about as fulfilling as having teeth drilled without Novocane. That was ok, he did his job and afterwards while she ran to the bathroom to clean him off of her, he finished in his palm. His duty, much like hers was to pretend, that and to parent their child. There was no divorce in their world only duty, duty, and more duty. And their son was the only thing that bound the two of them together and made all the duty and the pretending worth a shit.

No doubt about it, his son was special and worth everything Hanning was forced to endure. Ever the picture of solidarity, he eased an arm around Ruby's shoulders and pulled her to his side. He hoped to hell, his son never picked up on the truth of what his parents were. Ruby had it all wrong in her assumptions as to why he'd dragged them across the country. It wasn't out of a sense of duty to Eloise. He'd done it out of a sense of duty to his son. No one should have to be forced to love out of duty. Duty made for a cold bed partner and he prayed to God his son never had to live that life. "G'night, Sport."

Evan smiled at his parents and snuggled down into the covers. "Night, dad...mom," he said through a yawn. He wasn't going to get into trouble for what he'd done. He could tell it by the determination etched into his dad's expression and from the sag of resignation in his mom's shoulders. He loved both of his parents and sometimes, wished they loved each other as much as they did him. His little boy mind shifted gears quickly and he was already thinking of something easier to think about than things he wasn't old enough to understand.

Ruby exhaled a breath and shrugged out from beneath Hanning's heavy arm. Evan was tucked in for the night and the house around them had grown quiet as others bedded down. Now that the drama of the day was over and her son was safe, it was time to turn her attention to her husband and do what she had to do to keep him happy. "Come to bed?" she asked, practically choking on the words.

Hanning smiled a bitter smile, knowing how much it was killing Ruby to offer herself up in the guise of marital bliss. Her dark hair hung in a lank ponytail over her narrow shoulders. Lines of stress and strain bordered the corners of her eyes. The grooves at the edges of her lips, across her forehead, and between her brows were from the constant frown on her face.

When he'd first agreed to the mating he thought they might stand a chance. And on the exterior they were one of the more successful couples. But, inside, where it counted, they were both dying a little day by day, being pulled under by the duty that was so heavy on their shoulders. "Get some rest," he said, planting a kiss on her furrowed brow. He felt guilty, knowing that he'd been the one to put those deep lines marring what had once been a pretty face.

Chapter 65

Kacie groaned and rolled over on the bed. Waking up in strange places was becoming a bad habit. She felt like she had been run over by a truck. Her limbs were stiff and heavy. Her head throbbed and was so dizzy that she immediately flopped back onto the pillow and pulled the covers over her face.

"Ah, finally awake. I must apologize for taking so much and for any pain I caused you." Carter frowned at Kacie's expression as she subconsciously rubbed her neck and glared at him. He'd tended to her while she slept off the effects of her donation. Carried her from the couch to the bed and taken off her shoes and socks, covered her up and watched over her. Kacie had slept like the dead. Carter had a carafe of the Shaman's special blend tea at the waiting. With all the grace only his kind could muster, he poured her a mug full and deposited it into her hand. "The Shaman left this for you to drink. He insists. Says it'll help you recover faster."

"What is it?"

"I don't know, but it smells like sewage to me," Carter answered.

"Nice, Carter, really nice," Kacie mumbled sarcastically. She rested her forehead in her free hand as she wiggled to sit up in the bed. "Damn, how much did you take?"

"Quite a bit, I'm afraid. Your blood saved my life."

"Then we're even." Kacie winced at the taste of the bitter herbs and at the foul smell of the tea. She forced the swallow trapped in her mouth down her throat and shuddered with a gasp. "This stuff is wretched."

"A sip of my blood might heal you faster. I'm willing to reciprocate the favor." Carter pulled up his sleeve and extended his fangs.

"No, keep it. I'll take my chances with the tea."

"Why Kacie, why'd you do it? Why risk your life to save a thing like me?" Carter asked.

"You did the same for me. If not for your blood, I could have died that night. The wounds Seff inflicted were bad and I was in such pain. You healed me and made me whole again. I wanted to repay you."

"You owed me nothing. I am not completely whole. But, I am healed again. Kacie, no amount of blood can ever make me whole on the inside. I'm damaged. I've lived too many centuries and seen too much of life to not be."

"Evan looks up to you, you know." Kacie couldn't stomach the tea and Carter's willingness to give her blood kind of cinched the queasiness in her belly.

"Yes, although I can't recall what I might have done to impress the boy so."

"And Shayla, she loves you."

"I'm afraid all I'll ever do is cause her heartbreak and pain."

Kacie choked down another swallow of the tea and rested her chin on her knees. She had to admit, as awful as it was, she felt marginally better as the herbs went to work. Studying the stoic self-damning vampire seated across the room from her, she said, "Shayla thinks you're worth the risk."

Carter chuckled at the idea of that. "I could try with every breath and every waking day to be worthy of her and fail. I guess that's the problem with longevity. A lifetime stretches out so long. I almost, almost envy humanity and the short breath of life they're given. For my kind, love is so fleeting, both a blessing and a curse. Sometimes, to live with it or without it can be equally damning, don't you agree? But to protect those we love and of course, ourselves, far too often we deny the only thing that could give us peace."

Carter had really hit the nail on the head with his statement. He'd said exactly what was on her mind. "Reading my thoughts?"

"Perhaps, just a bit. The Shaman has cleared you. Assuming you can choke down that tea. You're free to go whenever you're ready." Carter stood and crossed the room, stopping at the edge of the bed to give her hair a gentle ruffle. The two of them were more alike than what he wanted to admit. Wanting what they were too afraid to have. They were bonded through blood and in thought and deed. "Let me know if you change your mind about my blood. I'm quite old and it's powerful stuff."

"Not a chance." Kacie smiled up at Carter. This was the Carter she remembered, cool, confident, and in control. He cared too much. Protected others from the wrong thing. He was back to his old self. Maybe still a bit crinkled around the edges, but definitely back. She watched him walk gracefully across the room to the door. "Carter, you're welcome." She returned Carter's head dip and smile as he pulled the door closed behind him.

Tristen stomped past Kacie's open bedroom door. Noticing the neatly made bed that hadn't been slept in last night as he peeked inside. Where the hell was she? His eyes trailed to the stack of neatly folded clothes at the foot of the bed. The clothes she'd left outside when she transformed into a wolf and promptly ditched him somewhere in the woods. The sight of her clothes and that tidy bed pissed him off royally. He wasn't sure whom to be pissed with though, her or himself. She got over him pretty damn easily. And he was acting like a lovesick fool. What did it matter where she was? They were quits anyway. She was a free agent and so was he. So what.

He turned a cold shoulder to Eloise and his grandpa who were in the midst enjoying a huge breakfast and chattering love talk across the table at one another. He so wasn't feeling listening in on all that lovebird shit this morning. In fact, today was probably going to be one of those days where he didn't like anybody, including himself. And it'd definitely better for everyone if he took his coffee and retreated to the garage.

Eloise sensed Tristen's foul mood and wondered if her daughter's absence last night had anything to do with the scowl etched across his face. She knew where Kacie was and couldn't be prouder at the sacrifice her daughter had made. Eloise owed Carter thanks. Thanks she'd never offered, for rescuing her, her pack, and her daughter that cold night in Texas, not so very long ago.

"Good morning, Tristen." She tittered cheerfully as he stomped past clutching a mug of coffee as if his life depended on it. "We really need for you to sit down and discuss the wedding plans with us."

Was that today? Shit, of course it was. The wedding was tomorrow and he had volunteered to help set up the bluffs for the big event. Idiot. And naturally, he had eagerly accepted his grandfather's invitation to stand up with him as a groomsman for the ceremony. Fantastic. Seemed like he was going to have to bite back his temper, paste a smile on his face and deal. Otherwise, risk a pounding from his grandfather. "What can I do for you, Eloise?"

Eloise pulled a paper out of the stack piled at her right elbow. "Here are the plans for the layout. We need a tent put up here, the wedding altar here, and rows of chairs, here, here, and here."

Tristen followed her elegantly coiffed nail as she pointed to the various locations. "Ok. Shouldn't be a problem." Hell, setting this shindig up was going to take all damn day. So much for retreating to the garage for a respite, but at least he wouldn't have to deal with anyone except for Daniel. And Danny Boy loved the verbal sparring...and well, if it got physical, Danny was down with that too.

Eloise bit her lip, clamping down on the smile with her front teeth. "Since you're already going to be there. Nash and I are stopping by along with the rest of the bridal party for a quick practice session of the ceremony."

Wonderful. Tristen suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. He was in a heller foul ass mood and he'd have to see Kacie today. And wasn't that just icing on the cake. "No problem," he lied. In desperate need of some liquid fortitude, he drained the contents of his mug and got up for a refill. Seeing Kacie today was going to be a very big problem. And God help any male he smelled on her skin. His irritation sure as hell didn't need that mental picture to add fuel to an already blazing fire. "Well, if Daniel and I are going to get all this done today. I'd better get my butt in gear."

Kacie dragged her butt up the front porch steps and in through the front door. Exhausted and heavy was how she felt. The tea had helped a little, but what she really wanted more than anything was a hot shower, her comfy pajamas, and her bed. The smell of fresh cinnamon rolls hot out of the oven lured her into the dining room for a quick bite. Nash made rolls worthy of song and prose. The blend of cinnamon, creamy frosting, and light, fluffy roll was almost worthy of tears.

Great. The one person she so could not face this morning hovered over the coffee pot, draining the carafe empty to the last drop. He clutched the very last cinnamon roll in his massive hand. He didn't even turn to acknowledge her existence as she reached around him into the cupboard for a mug. "Excuse me, but you are going to put on some fresh coffee aren't you? It's the least you could do since you've taken the last cinnamon roll."

"Rough night, princess?" Tristen growled sarcastically. The glass carafe rattled as he slammed it back into the coffee maker empty. His nose wrinkled as he stomped past. Scowling as he took in her rumpled clothes, disheveled hair, and the unmistakable scent of vampire on her skin. Oh no, she didn't, he thought in outrage. But, the proof was in front of him and yes, she had. And she wanted the last cinnamon roll? He didn't think so. His eyes glimmered in fury as he bit down, devouring half the roll in one bite and dumped the tattered remains of roll and crumbling bits of icing into her hand. "Enjoy."

Before Kacie could stop herself, her hand balled into a fit, crushing the roll into ball. She let the doughy, sticky ball fly, striking him in the back of the head. "So sorry, it must have slipped. Guess I wasn't that hungry after all." The roll landed on the floor with a splat at his feet. Daintily, she sidestepped the sticky mess and sashayed out of the kitchen, still clutching the empty mug in her hand.

Tristen growled as he scooped up the leftovers off the floor and tossed them into the trash. He was thoroughly pissed. Steaming mad and cursing as he brushed crumbs and flakes of icing off the back of his neck. "Damn woman."

Nash shook his head at his grandson. He motioned for Eloise to stay seated and let him handle it. There was not going to be an episode of Jerry Springer in his kitchen. "You should be lucky she likes you otherwise you'd be wearing your balls for earrings by now." He strolled past his grandson and made a fresh pot of coffee.

"No she doesn't. Not any more at least. She hangs with the vampires now." Tristen washed the stickiness of his fingers and grabbed for a paper towel.

"Son, she fed Carter last night. He was in danger and she brought him back from the edge. She risked her life to save his. You could have given her some credit and the last cinnamon roll." Nash said, rinsing the empty pan beneath a spray of hot water.