Dawn's Never Ending Glow

"I'm trying, Janine." He pulled the blankets around his body to shield his nudity from any passersby in the hallway. Her scent was heavy, permeating the bedding and enveloping him with her summertime smell. Janine stood in the doorway, staring at him with a look of such hopeless contemplation, as if she'd completely given up on him and was ready to close the door behind her for good.

"That's the only reason why I'm still here," she replied, casting one last glance at him before she left, closing the door behind her.

Chapter 34

Marcus shifted his weight uncomfortably, ready for the long night shift of guarding the rogues to be over. Sam made a round through the rows of blooming decorative bushes that hedged the property. The house was quiet. So far, the events of the previous evening had managed to keep the rogues subdued and in check.

"Alex and Chance are coming," he said to Sam, pointing to a cloud of dust billowing behind the SUV barreling up the gravel lane. "Thank God." He stretched, grateful that soon, he'd be burying himself under the covers fast asleep. He was glad that he hadn't been there to see what happened last night. He knew there was something different about Anna. But, his new knowledge of what it was chilled him to the bone. He still cared for her deeply and hoped she was ok. He chuckled to himself lightly, he'd have to remember, not to piss her off or he'd get his ass barbecued.

Lance leapt free from the roof landing silently in the front yard. Nodding to Alex and Chance as they got out of the SUV. "Where's John Mark? I thought he was coming?"

Alex shook her head. "He's meeting with Dane. We've got real problems. Somehow, we've got to figure out how to feed the multitude," she said, pitching her thumb to the house. "How many are there?"

Lance shook his head. "Too many. My best count is twenty vampires and five humans. Not enough to go around. I guess someone is going to have to do without."

"Not a happy thought." Alex didn't relish being the one to handle a house filled with hungry rogues. "Dane wants you to bring one of the humans back with you."

"What for?" Marcus interjected. He didn't want to go in there to fetch one out.

Chance shrugged. "The Rogue Master is hungry and needs his din-din."

"Let him starve," Bryce said, crossing his arms.

Alex scowled at them. "Think about it guys. We feed him. Nurse him back to health. The sooner he's back to normal and out of here, the sooner we get our lives back and we're not stuck babysitting a bunch of rogues."

"Get out of my way." Sam pushed through Bryce and Lance. "I'll go in and get one of them." She opened the door, greeted by multiple sets of eyes all looking at her anxiously. "Find something to make a blindfold out of," she ordered as she went inside.

Sam shooed the rogues away from the door. "Someone, human. Needs to come with me," she said. She could hear the hum of questions echoing through the house. "Your master is fine, recovering quickly," she said reassuringly. She hoped, in a way, she was telling the truth. The rogues were lost without him, in a Lord of the Flies kind of way, it was just a matter of time before someone vied for control.

"I'll go," A small voice eagerly said from a corner of the room. The girl was pretty and youthful, short dark hair, so dark it was almost black, framed a pixie face. Bright, round emerald eyes almost too big for her petite features, blinked up at Sam. "I'm Angel."

Sam suppressed her disgust. Was this guy a pedophile or what? He was centuries old, while the girl, Angel, may be pushing a ripe old age of twenty. "Ok, I'll have to blindfold you."

Angel smiled at the Son or Daughter, in this case. Any vampire was ok with her. She was a big fan. "That's ok. I trust you." She trotted across the room and gathered up her shoulder bag, turning to follow the vamp outside. "I'd do anything for the master. He's the greatest."

Sam shot a glance to the brothers, rolling her eyes. Frowning at them to squash their smart assed comments before they started. "You understand what he wants, right?"

"Oh yeah. I know." Angel slid into the SUV and bent close to Sam allowing her to affix the makeshift blindfold. "He promised me that if I did what he told me to, when the time was right, he'd turn me into a vampire." She giggled nervously. "That's so cool."

Sam didn't know exactly how 'cool' it was. But the girl, stupid and delusional, was willing. She tied the blindfold and climbed in beside the girl. Pounding on the back of the seat to get the show on the road before she lost it and showed Angel how 'cool' vampires really were. "Ok, let's get this over with."

Chapter 35

Anna stood in front of the mirror surveying her new body. Except for her towering height and humongous feet, she was relatively unchanged. She was learning that added height came with a benefit. She guessed that she was at least four inches taller. But, her weight hadn't changed a bit. She looked thinner, willowy and graceful. All the lumpy problem areas smoothed to curvy perfection. The bathroom lighting made her skin glow, pale and iridescent. The changes were going to take some getting used to.

She spun, checking out her denim clad butt. Somehow, in the midst of all the chaos of last night, her purchases had found their way to her room. She was ashamed and wary of what her friends might think. If they hadn't abandoned her and still were her friends at all.

Gathering her hair into a ponytail, preparing to twist it up into a tight and tidy bun, she let it fall, showering loosely in a pale cascade around her shoulders. Her life was anything but tidy at this point. Her whole life was different now, taking a direction that she never could have anticipated. None of her old rituals applied.

She didn't have a job to go to. She had an endless future filled with unknowns and risks. She couldn't spend a leisurely morning sipping coffee. Hell, she couldn't even stand the smell of it. And sunlight, the beautiful, warm, golden, rays. She'd never see them through her own again. She'd never eat anything that she cooked.

Anna pushed her hair back away from her face and fished a bottle of foundation out of her overnight bag. The stuff was pale beige, slick and nauseatingly chemically smelling. She ran her fingers along her jaw, spreading the thick paste out, frowning and frustrated when it rolled off her skin in damp, pasty flakes. Frustrated and exasperated, overwhelmed with all the changes, she threw the bottle, shattering it against the marble tiled bathroom wall.

Toby heard the bottle crash into the wall and the glass as it fell sprinkling the floor with thousands of tiny shards. Anna's soft cries echoed off the dense marble burrowing deep into his heart. He bounded out of the bed and opened the door finding her crumpled on the tile, curled in a ball sobbing. "Hey, hey, hey," he said softly. "What's the matter?" He brushed away the bottle's shattered remains and sat next to her gathering her up into his arms.

Anna was embarrassed and even more ashamed at her emotional display. She buried her face deep in the folds of Toby's t-shirt and gave herself over to her tears, unable to stop the flood. "I don't know what to do," she sniveled uncontrollably. "I wanted this. I want us to be together forever. But it's so hard."

"Hey, it's ok." He rocked her gently in his arms shifting her body off the cold, hard, tile and into his lap. "It's not so bad." He smoothed her hair with his hand and rested his cheek on the top of her head. "It takes time to get used to."

"I can't do anything right," Anna said. Mortified by the fact that she couldn't stop crying. "I almost killed Patrick. I brought The Rogue Master to our doorstep. For all I know I could be the cause of a war." She was crying harder, her voice trembling. "I don't have a job." She jerked her damp cheek out of his hand when he tried to wipe away her tears. She deserved to suffer. She wasn't worthy of his comforting touch. "I can't even put on makeup any more. I don't know why you want me. I'm a train wreck." The wellspring of tears kept falling dampening the cotton of his shirt. "I'm not normal."

Toby chuckled at her last comment. "Honey, none of us are exactly normal." He stayed put, holding her allowing her to cry it out. She was more human now than she ever had been before. Flawed, uncertain, and out of control, this was the part of her that he loved the most. When she was open and exposed, her walls down, letting him in, allowing him to comfort her.

He accepted Anna the control freak; her obsession with order was just a part of who she was. But, he loved Anna the person the woman who was sitting in his lap bawling her eyes out. The woman who sighed his name in passion. Anna, the woman whose love for him reflected in the depths of her pale blue eyes. This woman, when Anna let her out, was beautiful, honest, loving, and above all else, human.

He waited until the last tear fell. "Are you ok?"

Anna scoffed, letting her hair fall across her cheek, hiding her face. "I feel stupid."

"Don't you dare say that." Toby pushed her hair back tucking it behind her ear. Tenderly, he guided her face up to meet his. "Nobody picks on my girl." He planted a soft kiss on the tip of her nose.

Anna nuzzled closer, resting her cheek on the hard expanse of his chest. "I love you." She closed her eyes and smiled She was so lucky to have found him. Toby was the one constant in the boiling chaos of her life.

Toby held Anna tightly in his arms. They sat on the bathroom floor, bodies locked together. His butt was numb from the cold, hard, tile. But he wouldn't move a muscle, until she was ready to get up and face the world.

Anna could have stayed there in Toby's arms all day, safe in the refuge of the bathroom. But she had to face the music eventually. She couldn't hide forever. She needed to see Patrick, to make amends. She had to confront her fear and know the truth. Would the brothers accept her? Still see her and not the awful terror of her raw power? Would they still call her a friend? "I need to see Patrick."

"Ok, I'll have him stop by." Toby was trying to shield her from the truth. Keep her safe. He didn't want her roaming the halls, accidentally bumping into The Rogue Master or any of his minions. Her emotions were raw, the wound new, open and exposed.

"No. I'll go to him," Anna said, determined. She clamored onto her feet and brushed the bits of glass off her clothes. "I need to clean this up first." She scowled down at the greasy, beige splatters of foundation on the walls and floor.

"Anna." Toby took her hands giving them a squeeze. "I need to tell you something." If she was that determined to leave the confines of their room, she needed to understand. "The Rogue Master, Roark. He's here."

Anna gasped trembling. "He's here? WHY?"

"Anna." Toby bit his lip in hesitation. "His injuries were extensive. He was going to die without help. No matter what he is, we couldn't just leave him there to die in the middle of the alley." He kept a tight hold on her hands, stilling her quivering fingers in his palm.

"I..." the world tilted on its axis. Anna felt Toby's arms around her guiding her to the edge of the bed and setting her down. "I thought I killed him." She was shivering involuntarily. A part of her was relieved that she hadn't taken a life. But, another part was appalled. Repulsed that he was under the same roof as she was.

"Anna, you're safe. Nothing will happen to you. The Great Father won't let it. I won't let it." Toby grabbed a throw and wrapped it around her shoulders pulling it tightly around her neck.

"I need to know why he did it. Why me?" Anna stood on trembling legs, tossing the throw to the floor. "I need answers!" She bolted to the door and dashed down the hall.

Luckily, she hadn't learned to use her sense of smell. And her control over her longer limbs was awkward, slowing her down. Toby caught up with Anna. Quickly grabbing her around the waist and pinning her to the floor. "Anna you don't need to do this."

"Yes I do. The bastard owes me an explanation. He OWES me!" Anna struggled beneath Toby's body overpowered by his strength. Her anger boiled over, out of control, blooming into rage. She felt the power surges reeling along her skin, roaring through her consciousness, demanding to be released. "Toby I don't want to hurt you," she warned, not sure of how much longer she could hold back.

"Then don't." He held fast, hoping her love for him would keep the demon at bay. "You can't go to him like this. You'll kill him. Do you want that on your conscious?"

Anna let out a soulless cry that echoed coldly down the stone halls. The power was building, her control of the force waning. Her palms glowed with the brilliance of white light. The power inside of her had to go somewhere. She had to let it out. "Get away from me! I can't stop it!" She gasped. The demon was taking hold, damning her.

The Great Father ran through the halls at top speed. The air crackled with power and raw, unleashed energy. He had to stop it while there was still time. If the force built and was released without a point of focus, the whole compound could crash down around them, crushing and killing them all.

He flung Toby off Anna and grabbed her up in his arms. Ripping through the filmy fabric neckline of her blouse, he bit down, drinking deeply and quickly, weakening her. Taking the full brunt of her power into his body swallow after swallow. The energy seared through his body, burning him with its heat.

Anna's body hung limply in The Great Father's arms. She was so tired, unable to move, but the dark oblivion of unconsciousness wouldn't come. She wanted it so badly to sweep her away, but the darkness eluded her. She smelled the earthy, sweet, scent of blood. The torrent slipped past her lips and rolled across her tongue, replacing what she'd lost. Desperate for more, she latched on, drinking.

The voices of The Sons, countless and soft singular whispers combined into a gentle symphony in her mind, grounding her and comforting her. She wasn't alone. She wasn't rejected. She was a part of the whole, one with them, her voice adding harmony to the rhythm. Anna's mind was calm, soothed, ease replacing rage, her power dormant and sleeping someplace deep inside of her.

A spasm of pain gripped her body. She clamped her lips, refusing to give in. The agony was unbearable. Worse than before when Toby had given her his blood, turning her. A cry escaped her lips. A soulful, agonized whale of torture. She was so cold, burning in the chill. She rode it out helpless in agony's grip. Soon, her suffering ended. She grabbed a hold of the extended hand, accepting help to stand on her own feet.

The Great Father held Anna close steadying her on her feet. "You're going to be fine," he reassured. He understood her suffering, the terror of being controlled by a beast. The fear she had of being abandoned. He had taken the worst of her rage, bore the burden and freed her of the horror she was about to unleash. He took her fear and turned it into something worthwhile. Creating a place for here where she belonged. "Moni Te-betho-kish-thoe, Silver Moon, you are one of us now."

Anna stood. Blinking and speechless staring up at the Great Father, marveling at the kindness and wisdom reflected in his deep brown eyes. Suddenly, her friends surrounded her, sharing smiles, patting her on the back, and enveloping her with hugs and words of welcome. She belonged.

Toby bowed to The Great Father. "Thank you for saving her."

The Great Father returned the gesture. "I look forward to your wedding celebration."

"Father we will be honored by your presence."

Chapter 36

The shop had been swamped all day, until now. Robbie, Lori, and Janine all ran registers, serving out treat after treat, barely keeping pace. "At this rate we'll be millionaires by fall," Janine said to Robbie, fanning her face with dollar bills as she counted down her register.

Robbie scoffed, "I doubt it. After the festival, business will slack off some until July Fourth."

"Hey, if you're going to be a millionaire, don't forget the little people. I want my cut," Lori chimed in as she made a round through the dining room, hurriedly wiping off the sticky tabletops.

Janine was grateful for the fast pace of her job. She had little free time to think about Patrick. She didn't know what she was going to do. She wasn't, wouldn't, and couldn't give in. Last night's tryst had been great. Fantastic. She'd be a fool to try to deny it. Thinking about the moment made her heart race and her body tingle, stirring her want back to life. But, sex wasn't enough. She needed commitment, and more than just needing it, she deserved it. Having Patrick assume that she knew how he felt, wouldn't do. She needed to hear it.

"So." Robbie eyed the fading bruise on her neck with a curious eye. Not a bite mark. Janine had an actual honest to god hickey. "Are you and Patrick?"

"No," Janine replied defensively, "We are NOT back together." She knelt on her hands and knees behind the counter, scrambling to scrape up some spilled strawberry sauce. "It was... Oh I don't know what it was."

"Fabulous, earth shattering, monumental, the best hour of your life...," Patrick said, leaning over the counter, grinning down at Janine as he finished her sentence.

Janine rose up on her haunches. Startled and damn annoyed that he' d snuck up on her. "Hour?" she huffed, her face red with embarrassment. "Patrick, I CAN tell time. It was DEFINITELY, not an hour. More like five minutes, MAYBE."

Robbie smirked, chuckling and sneaking off to the stockroom. "Lori, can you help me for a minute?" She had the impression that Janine and Patrick needed some time alone to talk. And it was fine, as long as there were no customers in the store. She wanted to see the two of them back together again. They were just so damnably cute together and so insufferably miserable apart.

"It was long enough for you to regain a healthy appreciation for me," Patrick boasted, glaring down at her.

"Oh yeah?" Janine stammered, climbing to her feet. "I wasn't the one whimpering like a pup." She pressed her hands on the counter, leaning close. "I think YOU developed a new appreciation for ME."

"Sure did. I'm still in the giving mood, if you're in the appreciating mood." He grinned wolfishly. He loved bantering back and forth with Janine. Just like old times. It wasn't the real reason he stopped by though. He wanted to see her. Just to be near her.

Janine slammed her hands on the counter, "What do you want?" She wanted to savor the moment in her memory. Savor the caring, passionate, Patrick. Not deal with the yammering asshole that was standing before her now.

"I want another chocolate shake. Watching you lick the fudge along the rim was so worth it. But, you can keep the cherry."

"Too bad that's all you ever do is watch me while I'm having fun." Janine's temper was boiling. Her cheeks hot with fury.

"Ooh, that's gotta hurt." Robbie's voice echoed from the backroom accompanied by Lori's youthful laughter.

"BUT OUT!" Janine and Patrick shouted in unison.

Janine snatched his money off the counter and slammed it into the register. Turning her back, she made the shake. Allowing extra time so that it would be good and thick. Men suck! She thought adding a heavy layer of whipped cream to the top. Before she knew what she was doing, she hurled the confection through the air, smiling in smug satisfaction as it landed with a dull sounding splat on his head, dripping down across his chin.

Patrick stared in disbelief, dumbfounded. The sticky, sweet mix rolled down his face and off the ends of his hair, pooling under his chin. He crumpled the cup in his fist. Clamping his lips tightly, controlling his anger. He glared at her totally speechless.