Dawn's Path: Completed Work

A gentle knock on the door brought her out of her revere. "Can I come in?" The woman standing on the other side asked. Tala recognized the voice immediately and her wolf went on high alert. The voice belonged to the vampire she'd met in the foyer. The one who had looked at her like she was a particularly tasty appetizer. And she'd brought along a friend.

"That depends," Tala said, preparing to go all fangs and fur on the two vampires. "Are you going to try to eat me again?"

"That was an accident," Janine huffed. This woman really knew how to hold a grudge. "Besides, I wasn't going to eat you. I um...just wanted a taste."

"Ha. Ha. Maybe, the two of you should stay out there," Tala said. "I'm not on the menu. And I'm not in the mood for company right now."

"I said I was sorry," Janine whined. Adjusting the packages in her arms she shot Alex a pleading look. Alex wasn't necessarily the social type. But, apparently neither was the woman. The two of them might get along just fine. "I come bearing gifts," she sing songed. "Expensive ones."

Alex sighed and knocked on the door. Janine had dragged her along on this welcome wagon mission against her will. Janine was always getting herself into trouble. And her new lease on life hadn't changed that one bit. "I won't let her hurt you."

"Neither will I." Tala could promise the women that. Her wolf could be quite nasty when cornered. And neither she nor her wolf gave a damn about expensive gifts. The best gift these two could give her would be to leave her alone.

"You might as well let her in," Alex said in her calmest most rational voice. Needless to say, Tala was a little pissed about Janine's attempt to eat her. And Alex didn't blame her one bit. But, she also knew her best friend too well. And Janine was not only embarrassed by what she'd almost done. But, she deeply regretted it. And for some reason Janine thought it her personal mission in life to make the lives of others better by inserting herself into it. "I promise you, she won't leave either of us alone until you do."

For some reason, Tala believed the woman begging her to let them in. And Tala really did feel bad about the whole incident. Luckily, it went better than it could have and all she'd done was scare Janine. It could have gone much, much worse. "One false move and I swear I'll do more than hurt her. You've got five minutes and then I'm throwing the both of you out." Tala padded to the door and turned the knob, pulling the door wide. She could barely see the top of Janine's blonde head and the fiery red of the woman that accompanied her for all the packages loaded into their arms. Other than hanging on the racks at the store, she'd never seen so many new things. "What's this?"

"A peace offering," Janine said. She'd learned a long time ago never to pass up on an open door. Barging her way in, she smiled innocuously and plopped her load of packages on the bed. "Hi, we haven't been formally introduced. I'm Janine and this is my BFF, Alex."

"Hi," Alex said dutifully as she set her pile of packages on the sofa. She tried hard not to do it. But, she wrinkled her nose at the woman's unusual smell. Janine was right. The woman did have an intriguing scent. Not human. Not Animal. But, a mixture of the two combined as one. Embarrassed, by her lack of what Janine would call 'social graces' she stuck out her hand in greeting.

Cautiously Tala took Alex's extended hand and gripped it in hers, giving it an extra hard squeeze as a warning that she was more than capable of handling herself if they got any bright ideas to snack on her. "Tala." She eyed the mountain of packages piled on the bed and the sofa. "That's some peace offering."

"Well. It's not my official job. But, I have taken it upon myself to be the Sons' fashion coordinator. I like to consider my abilities a gift from the goddess herself," Janine said emptying the packages onto the bed. "Here, you might want to try some of these on," she said tactfully. Pawing through the various heaps of clothing, she chose a pair of jeans, a bra and panty set, socks, and a cute little sweater that did wonders for Tala's deep russet complexion and dark hair.

"Sorry, I forgot. Nudity makes you guys nervous," Tala muttered. She took the clothes from Janine's hands and retreated to the bathroom to change. What was the big deal? Drew had seen her in far less than a towel. And yes, he'd looked. But, he'd managed to at least pretend that her lack of clothing didn't bother him. She shook out the underwear and pulled off the tags. She sighed and tried not to think about how many pairs of jeans the purchase price of this one pair of silk panties would have bought. When in Rome, she supposed.

"It doesn't," Janine said, her voice sheepish and squeaky. She shot Alex a confused look. Should she have bypassed the clothes all together? Did Tala want to run around nude in front of everyone? Sure, the woman had a great body. She was tone and fit, lean with good muscle tone. But, and Janine was no prude, clothing wasn't optional. Was it? Maybe, it was a cultural thing and Tala didn't know any better? After all, she kind of came with her own fur coat.

Alex shrugged and pushed aside the pile on the sofa. How the hell was she supposed to know? The goddess had been remarkably silent when it came to visions lately. And Alex was just as clueless about the wolves as everyone else at the compound.

Tala emerged from the bathroom, marveling at the fit of the jeans. Janine had done very well guessing her size. Maybe, as odd as it was, Janine did have a gift from the goddess after all. "It's ok, I understand, really," she confessed. "Our worlds are just a little different. I'm used to being naked in front of people. Shifting fully dressed can really get expensive. So, we ditch the clothes first."

"That makes sense," Alex said. She shook her head clearing away the buzzing feeling she always got right before a vision struck. Anxiously, she cradled her head in her hands and swallowed back the nausea rising in her throat.

Janine felt the hum of power in the air and knew what was coming. Alex cradled her head in her hands, staring blankly at the floor. A vision. Sometimes Alex remembered every detail of her visions, sometimes not. She frisked her friend, fishing for the pocket sized notebook and pen Alex always carried. Sometimes her visions were pictures, sometimes words, sometimes both. Sometimes they made sense, and sometimes they didn't. Only Alex could interpret their meaning. And sometimes, she wasn't very good at it.

Tala stood open mouthed, watching Alex. Shivering from the cold wash of power that had suddenly plummeted the temperature in the room to below freezing. A human wouldn't notice the difference in the temperature or in Alex. It was the power that made the room so cold. And nothing any thermometer would register. "Is she ok?"

"Yeah. Alex is a prophetess. Visions are her gift and her burden," Janine answered. She held the pad of paper steady as Alex began to blindly scrawl what looked to her like chicken scratches across the page. Sighing wistfully, she said, "If only Alex was able to foretell the next big sale at Hanna's."

Alex came to and blinked. Staring down at the paper, she tried to make sense of what she'd scribbled on the page. The vision wasn't as bad as others had been. She saw Tala and the Great Father's side by side with crowns on their heads. Only they weren't humans they were wolves. Companions, lovers, mates. She saw children and wolf pups, hundreds of them, playing at Tala and the Great Father's feet. It was a vision of things to come. Alex did not believe in jinxing the future or perhaps, contaminating it by sharing the shadowy pictures of future's history.

The future was fluid, changing course like a river. Always flowing and it never happened quite the way she predicted it. Clamping her lips closed, she tore the page from the notebook and carefully and slid it into her pocket. Whatever was to come between Tala and the Great Father was their business and she would not influence any decisions on anyone's part. But, she had to say something to sate the women's curiosity. "Kokumthena blesses you greatly. You and your family will be happy here."

"Ah... thanks," Tala said uncomfortably. Alex had seen more than what she'd told. Tala recognized little of the scribbles Alex had drawn on the page in her vision state. But, whatever it was should remain between Alex and the goddess and was obviously not Tala's to know. She diverted her attention to folding the clothes Janine had picked out. Letting the matter drop.

"Oh, isn't this exciting?" Janine knew Alex had a secret. Something she hadn't told Tala about the vision. Alex was stubborn as a mule and tightlipped as a clam when it came to the telling of her visions of the future. She just wondered if the vision solely pertained to Tala or if a certain man were involved too. Alex didn't believe that the future was set in stone. And that destiny played a part in anyone's life. Janine didn't agree. And she didn't need Alex's gift to see what and who was in Tala's future.

Janine snapped the tags off the clothes and handed them to Tala to put away. Someone had to lighten the mood. It was weighted with questions and hidden truths. And she guessed it was up to her to do so. She grabbed Tala and hugged her tightly. "We're so glad you're here."

The air whooshed out of Tala's lungs. For a little thing, Janine was unnaturally strong. Went with the territory of being a vampire, she supposed. "Thanks," she wheezed. Good thing she was more durable than a human. Janine could have broken ribs with that hug. Patting Janine on the back she broke the contact. "I should really get this room straightened up. I can't thank you enough for the clothes. They're exactly what I would have picked."

Janine tapped her temple, beaming with joy from Tala's praise. "Like I said, it's a gift."

Alex latched onto Janine's elbow and dragged her to the door. "Very nice to meet you. But, we really should get going," she said politely. She needed time to think about the vision and be sure she was interpreting it correctly. It wasn't Tala and the Great Father that had her confused. He certainly had the right to fall in love and have someone special in his life. No doubt about that. But, it was the children, the babies and the wolf pups, she didn't quite understand. Vampires were sterile. And they could not reproduce by conventional means.

"Likewise," Tala said. Latching the heavy, ornately carved, oak door behind her two new friends, she exhaled a sigh of relief. The women were nice enough and the clothing really was appreciated. But, meeting Janine and Alex had left her emotionally drained. Visions. Expensive clothing. Endless chatter. The vampires were definitely a strange bunch. And they probably thought the same of her.

The confusion of exactly how she was going to pull off the melding of these two very different worlds was definitely something she'd have to think long and hard on before she brought the pack across the country to their new home. Just expecting the two different groups to play nice and get along when it was in their predatory natures to dominate everything around them, was not going to go well. As much as she'd rather avoid him and her attraction to him, she was going to have to put aside her personal feelings and work with Drew to come up with a plan. She had a sneaky suspicion that it wasn't just her pack but her entire future that depended on it.

Chapter 60

"Damn. Like I told you. There are rogues everywhere. In hiding. I only know where a few are," Carter said defensively. He'd been minding his own business, hunting for lowlife killers in the bowels of the city when the brotherhood had snagged him and dragged him into a dark alley. The bastards shook him like a maraca trying to rattle him into talking. Carter had never seen Keene up close, only from a very careful distance. The son of a bitch was huge and every bit as lethal as rumor had it. Outnumbered and outgunned by six to one, Carter shielded his power, appearing as hapless as any other rogue wandering the streets these days. It was best this way. Better for him to learn what the Almighty Sons were planning if they didn't suspect he was more than he pretended to be. "Shit. Whatever it is I don't want any part of it," he simpered.

"Well, you're in it whether you want to be or not," Keene said. He was doing his best, standing toe to toe, to intimidate the rogue into talking. Marcus, Will, Chance, Sebastian, and Sam formed a tight semi circle around the rouge, cutting off his escape route. Carter was not what he'd expected. And if not for the lingering traces of power rippling along his skin Keene would have thought Carter was as useless as tits on a boar. Disguised by his prettiness and aloof, devil may care, almost hapless attitude, he blended in well with his façade. One would think the man was a newborn instead of centuries old.

"Damn, why me? All I did was help the bitch out. I didn't mean any..." His words were choked off mid sentence by Keene's beefy fingers wrapped around his throat. There were few men taller than he. But, Keene was one of them. A wall of muscle and male aggression, out weighing him by probably a good seventy pounds and none of it fat, and at least four inches taller than Carter's six-foot four inches, Keene hefted him off the ground and held him there with one hand.

"Don't call Angel a bitch," Keene gritted. "And we do appreciate your assistance. However, we require it again." Keene kept his tone even, menacing, and tinged with a hint of lethal force. They needed Carter's cooperation. They sure as hell didn't need Carter going so deeply into hiding that he couldn't even find his own ass. The plan was to send Carter ahead to draw out the rogues and possibly, O'Sullivan. Simple enough for a man with as much power as Carter was scrabbling to shield. Too bad, the man just didn't know his full part in the plan, yet.

Keene wanted to get back home to his wife and his woods. He really didn't have time to play politician or nursemaid to a bunch of rogues. "All you have to do is tell the rogues there's a new sheriff in town and arrange a little meet and greet." He dropped Carter onto his feet and pushed back him against Will's broad chest. "Now, that doesn't sound too difficult does it?"

"Easy," Carter wheezed. Bouncing off Will's hard as a rock chest and ricocheting into Keene's, he battled against his baser instincts to rip their heads off like wings from a fly. Keene was not a man to be trifled with. He was used to dealing with rogues and the likes of which Roark associated with on a regular basis. But, killing him would only bring more brothers into the city. And Carter would most likely lose his head in the process. The thing was, he agreed with Keene. The rogues needed a new leader. But, not the brothers who were of a more kill first ask questions later type of mentality. "What makes you so sure the rogues won't kill me?"

Carter's eyes fixed on the black markings of the tattoo scrolling down Keene's right bicep, marking him as Roark's. There were some rogues who viewed Keene as a god. And there were others saw him as Satan's right hand. Carter had managed to avoid Roark and thusly, Keene for years. He knew him by reputation alone. The big son of a bitch narrowed his steely gray eyes and stared him down. Keene was well known as Roark's bodyguard and as such ruthless and merciless in his duties to keep the deceased Rogue Master safe. Not that Keene's prior reputation mattered. He was a Son now, and more lethal than ever before. Given his cold smile, Keene was enjoying his job way too much these days.

Self-consciously, Carter rubbed his right bicep. He bore no such mark of ownership to anyone. Eric didn't like to mark up his property. And for all the decades of running and hiding, Carter knew he was out of time. His days of serving nobody except for himself were over. And he'd run out of places to hide. O'Sullivan was here and it was just a matter of time before he caught up with him. "How do you know I won't run the minute you let me go?"

Keene shook his head in dismay. He couldn't afford the luxury of being sure of anything these days. And he couldn't risk that Carter would run. There was only one way to make certain that he couldn't. "I hoped it wouldn't come to this and you'd cooperate willingly." He felt the tingle as his fangs unsheathed and lengthened. Carter's eyes widened. Pressed against Will's chest and flanked by Marcus and Sebastian, he had nowhere to run. He wouldn't want his secret getting out. He didn't want anyone to know about his power. And a blood bond would tell far more secrets than the ones he wished to remain undiscovered.

"I can be reasonable," Carter mumbled. Trapped by the brothers with Keene towering over him, he released a fraction of his power. Enough to give the Sons warning that they did not know exactly whom they'd managed to capture in their net. Keene didn't even so much as flinch at Carter's display of power. Carter could not afford to risk any further show of force without tipping his hand. But, he would rather die than enter into a blood bond with anyone. He'd spent his life trying to escape from one and he'd be damned if he'd spend the rest of it trying to run from another.

He backed up into a firm chest and felt arms like steel tighten around his biceps locking him in place. He was a free agent. And he could kick himself in the ass for not following his policy of strict non-involvement and getting involved. He'd been trying to save lives. And now, it was his on the line instead. He didn't want to kill the brothers. He didn't want to kill Keene. He just wanted to live a very long life of obscurity as far away from Eric as possible. "Trust me, you don't want to do this," he warned. The brothers were physically stronger than he and with one's arms wrapped around his waist and one on each limb, he could not battle his way free without unleashing his power. And that would bring O'Sullivan and more trouble than the Sons could imagine not only to this city but to their very front door.

Chance held Carter's leg still while Sam affixed hurried to affix the tracking device around his ankle. The guy was a hell of a lot stronger than he looked. With five brothers on him he still managed to give them a run for his money.

"Ok," Sam said, getting the hell out of the way of the reach of the man's kick. She pulled the receiver out of her pocket and locked on the signal. "We've got him."

"What the hell is that?" Carter's voice was hinged with panic. He shook his leg and tugged at the band around his right ankle. The blood bond he'd expected to fight his way out of never happened. Instead, the brothers had attached something to his ankle. The thin metal device fit securely and was no wider than a thin watchband. But, it was annoying as hell.

"Tracking device," Keene said. "Its just a little assurance that you will play nice."

"Play nice," Carter snarked. Sure he'd play along, until he could get the damned thing off.

"So, I take it we have your full cooperation?" Keene retracted his fangs and stood patiently. Watching in amusement as Carter reshielded his power and toyed with the tracker. Technology was a wonderful thing. It could bring the strongest of vampires to their knees in a matter of seconds with nothing more than a blip on a screen.

"I have your word that you'll take it off, if I do what you say?" He gritted his fangs and tugged at the band. It wouldn't budge. If he truly wanted to be rid of the thing, he'd have to amputate his foot. And contrary to pop-culture, severed appendages did not grow back. He'd made it this far into his long life unscathed and he'd like to keep it that way. Of course, a lost limb might be a better option than facing his old master again.