Dawn's Path: Completed Work

He had Angel cornered. She teetered on the balls of her booted feet, her heels hanging off the edge. On such a narrow outcropping, there was no place for her to hide, and nowhere for her to run. Lance leaned in closer, towering over her as he dipped his head lower. His mouth hovered inches from hers. Angel would never allow it. She'd jump before she let him steal so much as a brush of his lips to hers. "Kayla needs you to be there for her."

Angel would fight him if he crowded her. And he was Bryce's best man. He really didn't want kicked in the balls or his nose broken today just because he was doing a friend a favor. He snickered and backed off as she gauged the distance between the ground and the edge of the cliff. Angel was a wickedly spiteful little thing. She could make the jump without a problem. Or risk brushing against him to climb down. Or, his personal favorite, just give in and kiss him. Like he knew she wanted to. But, his dark angel was always so predictable. And so easy to goad into doing exactly what he wanted her to do. Eager to avoid any physical contact, especially with him, she jumped, landing with cat like agility on her balls of her feet.

Glaring up at him with a scowl that could have turned a lesser man into a pillar of salt. Angel turned and ran into the woods. He tried not to take it too hard. After all, she had chosen to jump off the edge of a cliff instead of kissing him. Instead he took it as a personal triumph that she hadn't tried to rip his face off before she jumped.

Angel looked up to see Lance grinning down at her with that smug grin he wore far too casually. He leaned with one foot resting against the rock wall behind him. Watching her squirm in discomfort. He knew she would jump rather than give in and acknowledge the attraction sizzling between them. And in doing so he'd gotten her to do exactly what he wanted her to do. One of these days, she was going to fool him, and probably herself, and call his bluff. And she was going to kiss the shit out of him. Teeth, tongue, lips, heavy breathing, she would give him a kiss he'd never forget. With a huff, she stomped over the spindly, fragile, blades of dried winter grass and into the woods.

Chapter 2

Kayla looked wistfully at the door as a flutter of anxiety ran through her already frayed nerves. Angel wasn't coming. In an act of desperation, she'd sent Lance to find her and to beg, if he had to, for her to come. Kayla had been wrong to throw Angel out of the wedding party. She'd just been so focused on making everything perfect that she forgot how hard Angel struggled with friendships and closeness. Angel's arguments against this and that had finally worn her out. It was her wedding and, at the time, she had wanted the kind of grand events she saw in the bridal magazines Janine was constantly shoving under her nose.

With less than an hour till she would tie her life to Bryce's forever, the picture perfect weddings in the magazines didn't seem to matter so much. Kayla sure as hell hadn't been Angel's friend when she'd excused her from her duties as a bridesmaid. At least, for all her grouching, Angel had tried to be a friend. It wasn't last minute jitters or cold feet that had Kayla a bundle of nerves. It was more to the point that she couldn't go out there and start a new life with Bryce until she resolved this final issue in her old one.

She wasn't going to ask Angel to be a bridesmaid. That would only add insult to injury. And it would be hard enough to earn back Angel's trust without rubbing her nose in it. She just wanted to apologize for being so selfish, that and to confess that Angel had been right about everything. Lavender was not a good color for a night wedding. Stiletto heels would get stuck in the soft, muddy, ground. A four-tiered peach flavored cake with pink icing was over the top. And when it had been time to make all those little bags filled with birdseed, nobody had shown up to help out. Kayla was getting her picture perfect wedding. But, it had nothing to do with the pictures in the magazine and everything to do with her groom and the people there to share her happiness with her.

Kayla was going much smaller and simpler on the grandness scale. Having a traditional brotherhood ceremony. No pictures, for obvious reasons. A hundred years from now if a picture showed up somewhere of her looking the same as she did now, it might be a little tricky to explain. No lavender taffeta dresses or stiletto heels. No huge wedding cake, birdseed bags, or campaign fountains. Her wedding was a celebration of life and love. But, she wasn't certain she could go through with it without Angel.

Angel was haunted by her past. Struggling to make it through each and every day. Still trying to figure out where she belonged and what her life was about. Angel needed this just as badly as she did. A happy day filled with happy memories. Something to drown out all the bad. And Kayla had taken it from her. But, she could give it back. Make Angel feel as if she were the best friend Kayla saw her as.

Kayla glanced up from the engagement ring glittering on her finger and met Lori's sympathetic glance. Lori and Janine had done their best to fill in the void. Hovering around her like bees buzzing around a flower. Helping to make things perfect by gently nudging her to swallow her pride and apologize to Angel. Kayla appreciated the both of them and all the hard work they'd done to help her with the wedding. She was thankful for their friendship. But, it wasn't the same as having her best friend at her side.

When the door burst open Kayla breathed a hefty sigh of relief. She didn't care if Angel gave her hell for sending Lance after her. All that mattered was that she was here. Closing her eyes to draw from her inner strength. She shooed Janine and Lori away. She needed one last private moment with her best friend before she committed her life to Bryce. "You made it."

Angel kicked the door closed behind Janine and Lori as they exited. "Look if this is about the dress." She clamped her mouth shut before she said something completely out of character and apologized. Kayla looked positively radiant and absolutely in love, glowing from head to toe. For a second, Angel thought she was going to go off on a girlie crying jag and start babbling utterly female nonsense. But, she held it together and kept it in.

Kayla cut Angel off. "It's not about any damned dress. I could care less if you show up butt naked, as long as you're there." The rare smile on Angel's lips let her know that things between them hadn't changed. Angel could pretend. She could grump and scowl. Spew scalding sarcastic comments. But, they were still friends. Angel was hurt. And she'd never let her live it down. Kayla could accept that. It was just Angel's way. But, the damage she had done, while not forgotten, was forgiven.

"I wasn't planning to go that far," Angel groused. Crossing the room, she plopped down on the velvet-upholstered bench to sit beside Kayla. Careful not to disturb the intricate shell and beadwork dangling off the dress's white leather fringe she draped an arm around Kayla's shoulders and gave them a squeeze. She rarely touched anybody, especially not voluntarily. And maybe it was that Kayla had asked her to come, for no other reason than she wanted her here, that was behind the sudden moment of weakness and gushy, feminine emotions. "Don't be nervous."

"I'm not," Kayla lied. Inside she was quaking like the San Andreas Fault Line. But, she felt better now that Angel was here. That Angel had crossed the room and sat beside her and actually hugged her; willingly made physical contact; was a shocker. And it told her under no uncertain terms how special their friendship was. Angel never, ever willingly touched anybody. Usually, she'd rather gauge your eyes out than allow you to touch her. Today really was a magical day.

Kayla knew the reasons why Angel shied away from any form of physical affection. At one time, she'd shared Angel's fear of allowing anyone to put a hand on her. Touch was pain. A caress could become a harsh slap just as easily. Pleasure was punishment and humiliation. And something that was supposed to be beautiful was so ugly. Bruises faded with time. Injuries healed. But, the wounds scarred deeply. Hidden beneath the surface, behind smiles and layers of makeup. Buried down inside where nobody saw them but you. And sometimes those scars were the only form of sanity. The only gauge of what was real and what was not, a person had.

Kayla looked at their reflections in the mirror. Her pallor stood out in stark contrast to Angel's darker complexion. They were opposites. Day and night. She was the very picture of Middle America, apple pie, hometown parades, and church every Sunday morning. Blue eyed, blonde haired, a living Barbie doll. Angel was the brooding, brown eyed, black haired, epitome of gothic leather and depressive angst. And they truly were best friends. Kayla wished it wasn't their pasts that had brought them together and held them bound. But, rather their futures and the hope in them that kept them friends. Maybe, in a way it was. If Angel were without any hope, promise or not, she would have left by now. "I guess its show time."

Angel gave Kayla's shoulders one last squeeze and stood. She wasn't very good at the mushy girl time stuff. But, Kayla understood everything she couldn't say. By pushing past her aversion to touch, Angel had reached out to her in a way she had few others. And in doing that, a simple hug, she'd said it all.

The beads knocked together, creating a symphony of sound and color as Kayla rose from the bench. Carefully she shifted the soft leather belt draped around her waist. After today, her life would be different. She would be a wife. Bound to a man, her man, forever. After today, everything would be about the two of them. And she'd never be alone, drifting in an uncertain world. Bryce had pulled her back when no one else could reach her. He'd made her want to believe again. Given her hope that there were good things to look forward to. And helped her work her way through the dark maze of all the bad. He'd accepted her for who she was. He'd never treated or seen her as a victim of her horrible past. And because of him, with his gentle coaxing, she'd taken her first brave steps into the light of hope and love.

Kayla wanted what she'd found with Bryce for Angel. Angel deserved good after so much bad. There was only so much she could do though. So much anyone could do. Angel had to want it too. She had to want to move forward, out of the dark and find the bravery to step beyond it into the light. Kayla reached out and took Angel's hand in hers. Wrapping her palm around Angel's fingers to give them a tight squeeze. Staring down at their locked fingers, she remembered the last time Angel had held her hand with such tightness and ferocity. It had been the night that she'd been transformed.

Although it had only been a couple of months ago, it seemed like a lifetime. That night was nothing but vague memories of pain and bitter cold. Bryce held her in his arms. His blood had turned her into what she was. But, it was Angel's hand holding hers that jerked her out of death's grip. Angel's promise, whispered in such urgency and truth, somehow got through to her on a level Bryce's pleas had not. She'd drunk that night for Angel. Not for Bryce, Keene, or even herself, only for Angel.

Kayla had always borne a certain measure of guilt for bringing Angel into this world. She'd been the one to introduce her to Roark. And in doing so, she'd condemned Angel to a living hell nobody should ever have to endure. In drinking, in living instead of dying that night, she'd absolved herself of the guilt. Angel would have died with her that night. Not physically. But spiritually, Angel would have never survived. Kayla had been so cold and close to death. Angel had grabbed her hand, held it tightly, and made a promise. Angel didn't take her vows lightly. And to this day, she lived by her word. The promise was a simple one. Angel had promised to live if she did. Kayla had drunk that night for love, for hope and a future. To return the life she'd taken from a terrified, starving, tormented dark eyed girl, and for her salvation.

Angel gently unwound her fingers from Kayla's and met her eyes. In them she found so much understanding, friendship, and connection. Angel had tried so hard to escape her past. But, Kayla had truly mastered it. Managed to move forward with her life instead of wandering the maze of her past over and over again. Angel meant every word she'd promised on the bluffs. She was still trying to live. But, where Kayla had found her way out of the maze of horrors. She just kept stumbling from one dead end to another. Her pain exhausted her. Her fear shamed her. And her hope dulled little by little. Maybe, for her, there was no way out. No escape. And she'd spend her whole life searching endlessly for something that didn't exist.

No gift seemed meaningful enough to give Kayla on one of the most meaningful days of her life. Useless baubles, expensive crap to collect dust, none of it was right. Nothing said best friend. Nothing conveyed the proper depth of importance or truly summed up Angel's feelings for her friend. Trust was of more value than a pair of silver candlesticks. Promises that were kept didn't end up stashed on a shelf and forgotten about. And a shared past, no matter how horrific it had been, could not be wrapped in pretty paper and bows. Extending her left arm, she offered the only wedding present she felt was worthy of giving. Her trust, her promise, and her past, flowed through her veins.

Kayla nodded in acceptance and understanding. Blood was life. Blood was binding. And blood was forever. Angel offered her everything that she was. Her gift. And Kayla would never receive a gift of more worth in her long life. She extended her wrist to Angel. There was no hesitation in Angel's expression. No glimmer of reluctance in her eyes. Locking stares with Angel, she bit and drank, taking Angel into her body as Angel did the same to her.

Blood flowed, merging with blood, two halves made irrevocably into a whole. The women drank from one another sealing their lives and souls as one. There were no secrets, no hiding, and no separation. Much as a drop of water fell and became an ocean, so it was with their blood. It flowed, from one to the other and ebbed into the collective consciousness Kayla shared with the brotherhood through Bryce. Everything. Every life. Every past. And every future was one.

A gentle rap on the door interrupted the tender moment of sharing. Withdrawing her fangs and licking the wound on Angel's wrist closed, Kayla called out, "Just a minute."

Angel sealed the punctures on Kayla's wrist with the tip of her tongue and watched the wounds fade. Roark had managed to take so much from the both of them. But, he hadn't taken everything. He hadn't killed the part of them that made them who they were. He'd damaged them. He'd harmed them. But, he'd never managed to break them. "Go, before you're late to your own wedding."

Kayla nodded and took a deep breath. This was it. And as scary as the thought of it was, she was ready to begin her future. "The job of bridesmaid is still open, if you want it."

"Very much," Angel said. And she meant it. "But, I'm fresh out of lavender taffeta." She had nothing to wear to a wedding. Let alone anything dressy enough to be a bridesmaid. Janine had gotten the message loud and clear when her attempts to dress Angel 'like a woman' had ended up as nothing more than a pile of shredded rags on the floor. After bawling like a baby over the abuse of designer labels and expensive fabrics, Janine had left her and her black wardrobe alone.

"No lavender taffeta. Angel, you look perfect just the way you are. But, could you try to smile...just a little?"

"Now you're pushing your luck," Angel teased. Smile? Once. Maybe. Just for Kayla and only for today.

Impatient and demanding another knock sounded at the door. Janine pounded her fist against the wood furiously. She had planned many weddings and prided herself on the masterpieces she created. Each and every one of them had started on time, until this one. She ran a tight ship and she needed Kayla to get on board. A kernel of worry blossomed in her mind and took root. What if Kayla had changed her mind at the last minute? "Kayla, the wedding can't start without you. Please, hurry up. You're ruining my reputation as a wedding planner. We're going to be late!"

Lori elbowed Janine out of the way and gently rapped on the door with her knuckles. Janine had all the tact of a runaway freight train. Kayla was nervous enough without Janine's badgering. What the situation called for was a little feminine grace and gentleness. "What Janine means to say is that Bryce is about ten seconds from a total melt down and another five seconds from coming down here. Please, don't keep the poor guy waiting."

Janine agreed with Lori. Bryce had been waiting long enough for someone special in his life. Kayla couldn't cancel on him. She couldn't back out now. Janine would haul that woman to the bluffs herself to get this wedding pulled off without a hitch. Bryce deserved his happiness. And Janine would do anything to see that he got it. She opened her mouth to tell Kayla that much and ended up with Lori's palm smooshed against her lips. "What?" she mumbled against Lori's palm.

Lori shook her head, threatening Janine to keep her big mouth shut with a hard glare. Kayla wasn't changing her mind. The delay had nothing to do with the wedding or marrying Bryce. Lori had a unique perspective on Kayla and Angel's friendship. During her captivity with Roark, she'd suffered just a small portion of what these two women had been through. And the experience, the horror of feeling so helpless, still gave her nightmares. This was their time. And while she hated that Bryce was out on the bluffs waiting for his bride, probably pacing the ground bare. He'd keep for another few minutes while Kayla had her time with Angel.

Kayla snatched up Angel in a hug, squeezing her tightly. Angel didn't shy away. She hugged her back. And the gift of her trust, of her friendship, was all she needed to make her wedding day complete. "Thank you, Angel. For everything," Kayla said.

Angel returned Kayla's hug and released her. Pausing to straighten Kayla's dress and settle the fringe over her shoulders, she said, "You ready to get married?"

Kayla nodded. "More than."

Chapter 3

Raindrops fell. Pooled in the shallow places. Time passed and the shallow places grew deeper and wider. Watery fingers stretched across the flat ground always searching. Digging at the rock. Pushing at the land. Clawing for purchase with relentless, greedy hands. A trickle became a stream and the stream grew into a river. Water flowed, spilling into the ocean. Winds blew across the waters, carrying the drops skyward. On clouds the drops rode to distant places to fall on the land, tumble into the stream, and flow ceaselessly to the vast ocean. Life is water. Water is life. Through every living thing it flows. From the thirsty ground it is stolen and to the earth's parched lips, so it returns.

Blood flowed into the cup and the cup was passed from one set of lips to another. Drinking down vows and swallowing promises, the blood bound soul to soul, life to life, and heart to heart. There was no one, only the whole. Bride and groom. Man and woman. One life shared by two. Given to the other. Bled into the cup and consumed. Future and past, each life ceaselessly, inseparably, and eternally bound to the other.

Bryce whispered the words reverently, his palm resting over Kayla's pounding heart. Without reservation, he drank from the cup, of his blood, of her sweet blood, and of the blood of the ancients. Magic rent the air with a ripple of power. Flowing from him into her. In his whole life, he'd never been more certain of anything than he was of this. All the scattered pieces finally fit together and he was whole. He'd led a life of service and sacrifice. And now, it made sense why. It'd all been for this moment. All of it had been to prepare him for her.