Dawn's Path: Completed Work

The stroke of warm masculine fingers over the coldness of her skin startled her. No doubt, the male was just as startled by her as she scrambled on her hands and knees out of his reach. It was not wise to touch someone so soon after the change. Not when the wolf, although the body surrendered, could burst free from her skin. She expected to hear her wolf growling in her head and scratching at the borders of her mind in eagerness to teach this ignorant male a lesson in manners.

Of course not. Her wolf was making plenty of noise in the space they shared in her skull. Just not ones Tala expected. Her wolf preened in approval at the brush of his fingers across her skin. Nudity had never been an issue. Being naked as the day she was born was just a part of her world. But, she'd never felt naked before. Maybe, it was the distance from her pack that had her feeling so exposed. Or maybe, it was the heat flicking in his dark eyes and the bulging evidence of his erection, painfully apparent behind the fly of his tattered jeans that had had her cheeks warming in a blush. Tucking her knees to her chest to hide the important parts from his prying eyes, she glared at him in disapproval.

The Great Father cleared his throat and shifted his eyes away from her disapproving glare. He got it. Nobody wanted to be visually groped. And his staring at her so openly amounted to exactly that. He shifted his thigh in an attempt to disguise the unmistakable bulge in his jeans. The heat of her stare, the fact that she saw, and she knew the effect she had on him, that her nostrils flared scenting his desire with her more than human sense of smell, did nothing to ease the ache.

Her hair, tangled and matted with bits of crinkly autumn leaves and twigs, draped over her shoulders to form a sleek velvet cape dark as night. Her heart rate kicked up a notch, fluttering in her chest. Shunting blood to her cheeks to warm them in a crimson blush of awareness. His fangs responded to her involuntary reactions, lengthening to twin sharp points. The beast inside of him prowled, pacing back and forth through his mind. Sniffing and growling, scratching at his soul to break free.

Magic rent the air with ripples of power as the two of them, more alike in their predatory nature than they wanted to admit, studied one another. They were just two predators sizing one another up. But, there was so much more to it than that. Something within her called to him. Beckoned the wildness inside of him and brought it to life. He sensed she was the secret his brother guarded so jealously. The one he'd never breathed word of during his life. And that through her, he'd find the answers he so desperately sought.

Awkwardness stretched between them, holding its breath, waiting in fragile silence. She shivered and huddled, gripping her legs tightly to her chest. Her bottom lip quivered from the cold. Her eyes never broke away from his, matching his stare, daring him to speak, to say nothing, to act. She had the haughty manner of a princess. Despite her nudity and vulnerability, she held her head high and thrust out her chin in defiance. Questions fluttered across her delicate features, demanding answers. He had none to give her either as a peace offering or to gain her trust. Straightening out of his crouch, he slid his arms free from his jacket and offered it to her.

Tala was freezing. The air held the bite of winter's chill and the promise of an oncoming storm and she felt the cold of it down to the marrow of her bones. She held her ground though. Not budging to take the proffered jacket from his hand. The last thing she wanted to do was surround herself with his scent and warmth. He was definitely the man she'd been looking for. There was no mistaking the ripple of his power snaking over her skin. He definitely had the presence of being one might attribute to a great leader. Stoic, almost stony, he masked his bewilderment beneath a confident exterior. Everything about him, from the way he thrust his shoulders back to the line of his jaw screamed authority.

He was a man used to being in charge and having people obey him without question. And obviously, he expected the same of her. Eying her in silent demand as he offered his coat. The power of his strength enveloped her body. And the alpha in him, just as potent as any male's in her species, appealed to her wolf on a number of levels Tala didn't want to think about and sure as hell didn't want to respond to in any way, shape, or form. She'd been kidding herself when she falsely clung to the belief that she'd volunteered to journey here in her father's place to protect the pack. She had. But, it wasn't the only reason. She'd done it to escape the certainty of a future she wanted no part of. And this male represented everything she'd hoped to evade.

Her wolf screamed 'mate' in that part of her brain they shared. Tala wanted to laugh in her wolf's face. This male couldn't mate in the technical sense of the word. He definitely had the equipment and it was obviously functional. But, he was all bark and no bite and positively no threat to her in the baby-making department. How odd that was that she was as fertile as the Nile and he was not. Yet, her wolf refused to acknowledge their differences. Maybe, she should play a cruel trick on the horny she-wolf inside of her and let her have her way about this.

After all, the male was certainly attractive enough and more than capable of showing both her and her wolf a good time. But, her wolf biology and the spiritual nature of the wolf, denied her the freedom of a love 'em and leave 'em lifestyle. When she finally did get down to business with a male. It would be on a permanent 'only death do you part' basis. One time was all it took to form a lifelong bond. And she'd rather do without than be partnered with anyone. Not now. Not later. Not ever. Not with him.

No matter what her wolf wanted. She was the brains of the operation. Her wolf only sought to fulfill the instinctive need to breed. And she'd have to deal with the aftermath of the pairing. Her father had reassured her, she'd know when the time was right. She wasn't so certain about that. She'd never felt the stirring inside of her that told her she'd found her mate. Well, that was before now.

Tala studied the male through veiled, narrowed eyes and scowled at him. What was it about him that affected her wolf so intensely? Ok, so it wasn't only her wolf that was affected. But, she wasn't here to land a husband. She was here to save her father and her pack. Their lives depended on the outcome of this meeting and on his acceptance of what he was and the legacy that had been handed down to him. He didn't even know about the wolf sharing his skin. And while wagging her tail at him might ensure her and her pack's place here. It wasn't how she wanted to go about things.

She hated the change and the pain and confusion that it always left in its wake. Naked, sitting on the ground, glaring at the man that was supposed to be the great savior of her pack wasn't exactly making a good first impression. Reluctantly, she snatched his jacket and pulled the sleeves over her shoulders, zipping the front closed to hide the worst of her nudity from his prying eyes. He wasn't human. At least, not much more human that she was. But, he wasn't quite as educated about her world as she was about his. An introduction fully clothed would probably go better for her. Scrambling to stand on her wobbly legs, she swatted his hand away as he moved to assist her. While her wolf might appreciate his touch, she did not. "My name is Tala."

"Tala." The Great Father stifled a grin as she swatted at his attempt to help her to her feet. So much for any further gestures of gentlemanly behavior on his part, she'd only resent them anyway. He stood, stretching to his full height and stared down at her. She was much smaller up close than she'd appeared at a distance. The top of her head barely struck the middle of his chest. Dwarfed by his jacket, the sleeves dangling over the ends of her fingers and the frayed hem striking her mid thigh, she looked almost childlike in stature. Her name translated into 'she wolf' in his native tongue. It suited her. Wild and untamed, and sweet as sugar on the tip of his tongue he tasted the word. "Tala, what are you doing in my woods?"

"Psaiwiwuhkernekah Ptweowa, the Great White Wolf, sent me to find you." Tala frowned at the expression of confusion wrinkling his brow. He truly knew nothing of his heritage or the duty that had been passed down to him. The depth of the secret between the two brothers shocked her. She had expected that he might not understand he now carried the wolf spirit. But, she did not expect, that of them, his brother had not uttered a word. "Your brother sent me. To ask for help."

"Who are you?" The Great Father closed the distance between them and towered over her. Staring her down, his brown eyes flashing in pain and rage at the mention of his brother from her lips. He'd known there were secrets between his brother and him. He'd even suspected that she and what she was were somehow connected to his brother. But, only now, did he begin to put the pieces together. Tala was not an immortal. Not in the sense of the word that he knew. She was not human. But, she was no vampire either. He captured her jaw with his fingertips before she could twist away from his reach. Turning her head left and right, lifting her face into the light, he studied her features. And in them, he saw traces of his brother and of himself in the shape of her eyes and the curve of her mouth.

"A child of Psaiwiwuhkernekah Ptweowa." Tala tolerated his hardened glare as he raked his eyes over her face, studying her features for glimpses of the truth. He must have found what he was looking for. Because he released her jaw and his fingers trembled as he backed away from her in shock. Too many generations had come and gone for them to be technically related. But, the same blood that flowed through his veins flowed through hers. And he'd seen it, evidence of the family and the tie of their shared blood in her face.

"My brother." The Great Father grappled to accept the truth so obvious in her words. Wound into her very DNA. His mind reeled. There were so many secrets his brother had not shared. His brother, the Prophet, had children, mortal ones, born before his transformation. They'd gone across the Great River long ago. Sometimes, when the mood hit him, his brother would lose himself to the memory of days long past and speak of them. But, of these children, the children of the Great White Wolf, his brother had not uttered a word. Why? Why had he kept their existence a secret from him? And why had he sent them here now? Told this female scrabbling to stand on wobbly legs to ask for his help? "Can you walk?"

There was time for questions and answers later. He needed time to process what Tala had told him. So much of him wanted to be angry with his brother for lying to him for who knew how long. For having a secret life, a family, he knew nothing about. It wasn't Tala's fault. And as for her plea for help, of course, he'd help. How could he not? The world was a harsh place. And for her and those like her it was probably far harsher a place than he could ever imagine.

She tested her legs and nodded up at him. Keeping pace with his wider stride with clumsy steps. For now, he shifted his focus on providing for her needs instead of the stinging sense of betrayal surging through his mind. He'd dwell on his hurt later. After he'd seen her taken care of. She'd been out in these woods for weeks. Watching him. Tracking him as he tracked her.

And now, it all made sense: his brother's unexplained disappearances for months at a time, his brother's ramblings in the days leading up to his death, and the terrifying changes his body had been going through afterwards. He craved food when he shouldn't. He reveled in the sunshine when the light should have blinded him. And the beast scrabbling at the corners of his mind, battling for control, threatening to burst free from his skin when all this time, he'd thought he was alone or as alone as a Son could be in his own head.

He wasn't a man. Hadn't been in almost two centuries. He wasn't a vampire. His strange hunger pangs proved that. And he did not want to admit to, to claim, or to have any part of the legacy his brother had left behind. He was a freak of nature that shouldn't be. Not man, not beast, not vampire, something that could not be defined. He was the thing his brother had been in secret for almost two hundred years. The question tumbled from his lips before he could stop the words from falling. "What am I?"

His question and the expression of utter desperation on his face took Tala by surprise. She stood in the gray of his shadow cast by the pale, lemon yellow sun over their heads and bit her lip. She didn't know how to answer him. He was like her. But, yet, not like her. He was a vampire, yet not a vampire. And he was, in that moment with the question floating in the space between them more human than any human being she'd ever met. Gingerly, she stretched her fingers up to stroke his cheek. She could give him a greeting card answer or she could simply tell him the truth as she understood it.

"You are the Great White Wolf. You carry his spirit inside of you. Your brother lives in him and in you. And what you do with this knowledge. Whether you embrace it or turn your back on it. Is up to you. Your brother was a great man, leader of his pack and protector of his family. As to what you are, only you can decide that."

The Great Father closed his eyes. Rubbing his cheek against the warmth of her soft fingers, he cherished the gentleness of her touch and of her words. "I don't want any of this."

Tala nodded in understanding. How well she understood the war raging inside of him. Destiny was a hard thing to accept and the inevitability of it, even harder. He could turn his back on the legacy and the people entrusted to his care. But, she sensed he wouldn't. He couldn't even if he wanted to. What had happened and what would happen had already been put into play long ago and there was no turning back for any of them now. "I know."

Chapter 47

The Great Father led Tala through the underground maze of the compound. Curious eyes burned holes in the back of his skull as he opened a door tucked her into a guest bedroom. The brothers weren't used to strangers. And they sure as hell weren't accustomed to seeing him playing tour guide as he highlighted the various comforts of the compound she might be interested in utilizing during her stay. His Sons knew better than to ask questions or to expect him to explain her presence here. Given her scent, not entirely human, but a lush blend of musk and earthy pine rather than the perfumed soaps the females were so fond of, he understood their interest and their concern.

Her current state of dress didn't help to quell their curiosity either. Wearing nothing but his jacket, she padded barefoot in the hallway beside him. Her eyes wide and filled with trepidation and hinged with curiosity as they passed brothers in the long corridors leading to the guest room. She was nervous and her anxiety had been mounting since they entered the compound and walked deeper and deeper beneath the ground. She wasn't any more comfortable in his world than he was having her here.

Remaining unnecessarily formal and cordial to his guest, he averted his eyes as she slid free of his jacket and handed it back to him. She wrapped a towel around her torso and tied it securely in a knot above her breasts. Her backpack and her clothing were safely tucked in their hiding place in a thick copse of pine. His mind was a hailstorm of thoughts and muddy confusion and he'd simply forgotten to retrieve the bag. Today, he could be afforded some exemptions from chivalry and propriety. "I'll have one of the females bring you clothing and food. After you have rested, we'll talk."

Tala nodded thanked him as graciously as possible. Her wolf did not like being deep underground. It wasn't natural. The air smelled fresh, piped in through a series of ductwork from above, no doubt. But, no sunshine or moonlight would ever reach the subterranean depths. The only illumination came from the artificial bulbs in the lamp on the bedside table. The place was a maze of intersecting corridors and creatively disguised rock and lavish furnishings.

Her wolf bristled and growled in displeasure at being confined in the room. Stalking the corners of her mind, her wolf made it known as he reached for the doorknob to pull the door shut behind him. It'd been so long since she'd indulged in human comforts such as a hot shower and actual soap, fuzzy warm towels, and a soft bed, the feminine side of her welcomed the sequester. She had to one request. And maybe, she didn't have the right to be choosy. But, after weeks of living off whatever wild game her wolf had hunted to keep them fed, she wanted food, real, human, served hot on a plate and eaten with a knife and fork, food. "No rabbit or venison, please. And a cup of coffee would be great."

The Great Father chuckled at Tala's request. He had no idea how to operate a modern kitchen. For all his authority over the brothers, Anna did not allow anyone in her kitchen. And in that he was not an exception to the rule. He'd never balked at his kitchen exile before and wasn't about to start now. Hell he didn't know curds from Cuisinart. And even as a human he'd never been notorious for his culinary skills. He was not fit to pour her a glass of water let alone actually cook for her. He'd been tracking her wolf for weeks. And he could understand why her inner human would not crave a simple meal of venison and roots. "I'll see what I can do."

"Thanks." He was glorious when he smiled. He had one of those grins that could twist a female's insides into knots. And she was not exempt from his charm. Cocking her head, painfully aware that she was wearing nothing but a towel, she studied him. His legend was well known amongst her family. But, his given name didn't seem to suit him. Tecumseh was a mouthful to say in this day and age. And even though nobody would believe he was who he said he was, he probably didn't tempt fate by answering to the name. Surely, he'd found something more conventional to call himself, something trendy and more in pace with the here and now.

Blushing at her girly reaction to him and his disarming smile, she snatched the silk comforter from the bed and wrapped it around her shoulders. He was timeless. Bits of sliver wove through his dark hair and laugh lines crinkled the corners of his eyes and his full lips. She could see him as he might once have been. If things, if his life had been different.

Nana was the oldest living relative she had. And at the ripe old age of one hundred seventy-five years old, she was still spry enough to put the youngest of them through their paces. Tala had never thought about it. How long she'd live. Or exactly how old she'd be when she finally did die. The pack was in danger of extinction. Ambition and the thirst for power claimed far too many lives amongst the pack. Battles were to the death. And it was females like her, or more importantly mating rights earned through bloodshed, that were the spoils of war. Children were rare. Females that survived pregnancy and childbirth were even scarcer than cherished young. She wasn't running from her destiny. She was here, trying to find a way to survive it. "You got a name?"

The Great Father's brows knitted in a frown. He had been known only as The Great Father for so long that his mortal name had no meaning to him. History recorded his deeds by his human name. Places were named after him. Memorials erected in his honor. But, he stopped being that man, at least in title, long ago. He was also father to a great race, something history knew nothing about, and it had to stay that way. His name had died with the changing times. And he had fallen into a trap, failing to keep up with them. Tala would never call him father as the brothers did. He would not allow it. And as for his name, he'd never stopped to consider what he should call himself or more importantly, what she should call him. "Aquewa Apethotha, Child in a Blanket, rest and we'll talk later."