Dawn's Path: Completed Work

Drew finished the kiss, sealing their lips together. Gently, nipping at her lips, he finished her thought with one of his own. "Collide."

"Yes...collide." Tala closed her eyes and relaxed in his arms. With gentle fingers, she ran her hand along his muscular forearm and wrapped them around his wrist. Coaxing him as close as two people could be, pulling his weight down onto the top of her. Reveling in the sensation, the safety of being trapped beneath him. Cradling his weight between her thighs. Drowning in the dark depths of his eyes. "Drew, please. I want this."

The sound of Tala's feminine voice, laden with passion, washed over him like a bath of molten lava. Searing him. God he wanted to. Her eager lips pressed against his. Her delicate fingers and hands caressed down the planes of his torso, searching out every inch of him. Igniting his flesh with burning desire. He couldn't form thought. He couldn't stop. He kissed and suckled. His hands stroked and probed with the same intense need as hers. Her gentle flesh yielded and molded against him. And their bodies locked together in an embrace. "Tala," he groaned. The only thought, the only cognizant word he could whisper, over and over again, was her name.

Drew gathered his resolve and forced his weight up on the palms of his hands. Tala lay beneath him. Her hair in a loose tangle, the strands fallen free from the braid. The straps of her camisole pushed down her shoulders to reveal her breasts. The points freed from the confining bra. She was beautiful and willing. The gates of heaven open, and all he had to do was step inside. "Tala, love." He guided her chin gently. Tilting her chin to force her eyes to meet his.

Reluctantly, Tala opened her eyes. "What's wrong?" Drew's body was rigid and tense. Hovering above her. She felt his desire. He wanted her. But, he stopped. And she had no idea why. She was willing to risk the bond for one night with him. Her father could not control her life in all things. And if she had nothing else, she'd have this with Drew.

"I can't do this." Drew inched the bra back into place and tugged the edges of her shirt down into place. He sat and pulled her onto his lap. "I can't. It isn't right." He had her confession of love and he thought that would be enough. But, it wasn't. He wouldn't be content to sneak around in the shadows. He would not risk a permanent mating bond with her only to have her punished by being forced to be with another man. He couldn't take it, seeing her with someone else, whether she loved the man nor not.

"What do you mean? I love you. I want you." Tala blinked away a tear of frustration. She was willing to give herself to this man only to have him reject her again. He realized the sacrifice she was willing to make and it wasn't enough.

"Tala. You have to tell your father about us or there will be no us. I already have had my soul ripped in two halves. Part of me is wolf. Part is vampire. But, I am still a man. And I will not sneak around behind his back. I will not live a lie."

Tala pushed her way free from Drew's hold and sat beside him, tucking her knees under her chin. He'd asked her to do the only thing she'd never done. Go against her father, go against the pack, and risk not only her own future. But, her father's in doing so. Hot tears of frustration stung her cheeks. Drew had no right to demand anything from her when he had so many things he had not truly admitted about himself.

"You're wrong about one thing, Drew. You do live a lie. I'm not the only one with a sacrifice to make. It isn't just your fate you're playing with. But, that of my entire pack, and mine too. You want to put stipulations on what we have. Well, I can do that too. I have a lot to lose. And so do you. Only I can admit it. I may not be willing to risk my father's life or the lives of my pack mates. But, I can at least admit it. You can't even do that. I wanted one night with a man I love. That's all."

"If you won't confront your father, then there's no need for this to go on any further." Drew could not do what she asked. He knew what she needed to hear. But, his vow would be a hollow promise. And he wouldn't do that to her. His hands encircled her cheeks and gentle thumbs traced away the hot trail of her tears. "Don't cry, Tala."

His heart sank as he sensed the conflict that raged within her. And to her it seemed that he was forcing her to choose. He wasn't. A relationship built on deceit and lies was bound to fail. Crumble like a house built on a sand foundation. He wanted his love for her to be public, open to the knowledge of all. Not hidden, stashed away like a dirty secret. He couldn't live that way and he wouldn't.

"Would you still want me if my father says no and I openly defy him?"

"Yes. The only thing I ask is that you tell him the truth about us."

"You're forcing me to choose."

"No I'm not. I'll be there by your side when you talk with him. if you want. I don't want a bunch of lies coming between us or between you and him. If he consents or he doesn't is unimportant. As long as he knows is all that matters. He is a grown man and he will have to make his own decisions about his life. Does he want his daughter's happiness more than he wants the grandchildren he longs for?"

"Drew. You're not being fair."

"Yes. I am. I'll demand that my brothers treat you with honesty and respect. How I choose to live my life has no bearing on my ability to lead them. Just as your decision on how you choose to live yours has no bearing on how much the pack means to you or how much you love your father."

Tala groaned and rose to her feet. She stared out across the grassy meadow, highlighted in shades of gold and rose with the light of the oncoming dawn, tranquil and peaceful, unlike the storm that raged inside her heart. "I...I know."

"Tala, I love you. Let that knowledge be your strength. Lean on my love and learn to trust the love that you have for me. You will find the courage." Drew stood next to her and enveloped her in his arms. But, he felt no comfort in the act of holding her. The contact made him ache and burn. If she failed, if her will faltered, his heart would be crushed and he would not seek out another. She was the only one he wanted, or would ever want. But she had to choose her path and he could not do it for her. He pressed his lips to her forehead. "You know where to find me if you need me."

"Yes." Tala tried to draw strength from his embrace. His arms neither comforted her nor gave her the fortification she so desperately sought. She was on her own. Either she'd meet his demand and tell her father the truth or she would cave and live her life miserable without him. Carrying her father's precious bloodline to the next generation. She needed time to think. Time to process. And she needed him to accept the part of himself that was like her.

"Drew, please, you must come to terms with who you are. What you were destined to do. This whole thing with my father would be a hell of a lot easier, for the both of us if you did. Just try, Drew. Set your wolf free. If not for your sake, then for mine and for the sake of the pack."

Drew shook his head in denial. He'd fulfilled his brother's dying wish and given the pack a home and the full protection of the brotherhood. And yet, she still wanted more from him. He was terrified of the wolf inside of him. Frightened by the changes happening to him. And he wasn't ready to face them yet. He didn't know what being two halves of the same whole would do to the brotherhood. Not when his own brother had never told, never hinted at the wolf living inside of him. He'd kept the wolf a secret. Hid his other life from the people closest to him.

And while he understood why the secret of the wolf had to be protected. Drew supposed part of the reason for his fear was that he'd accepted long ago that he would never father a child. It was the one thing that terrified Tala above all else. And she'd told him that it was now possible. He could be a father. And he knew on the fringes of possibilities that it wasn't his wolf he feared most.

"Tala, let me walk you home," Drew said gently. Releasing her from his arms he felt the chill in the distance between them. She asked things of him he wasn't ready to give. And he'd asked the same from her. And where did that leave them? In love, aching for one another, and still so alone.

"No need. I can find my own way." Tala's feelings ranged from hurt to rage. She needed to be away from him before she was reduced to begging like a love struck schoolgirl for him to stay. She didn't lie either. Drew was all about to the truth. Demanding that she told it. But, he could not face his own truth. And that was a travesty and perhaps the biggest lie of them all.

Drew was gone before she could so much as blink an eye. Disappearing into the surrounding woods without so much as his scent left behind. Her body trembled. Weak legs barely supported her weight. Her wolf howled in heartbreaking agony. Begging her to go after him. Go get their mate. Squaring her jaw. Tala forced her steps to go in the opposite direction of the compound. There was no easy trail to follow. But she had no trouble finding her way. Her wolf always knew the way home.

Tala stripped, leaving her clothes in an abandoned heap. She could take no more rules imposed upon her. Craving the freedom and the simplicity of her wolf. She gave her body over and let the wolf take her away to wherever she would.

Chapter 79

After hours of solid, unbridled, passion, Angel was pleasantly sated and more than just a little sore in all the right places. She wished she could pick up the phone and order delivery. They had thoroughly christened every room in their new suite. And all that loving left her hungry. "Lance. I'm starving."

Lance chuckled at how quickly Angel could shuffle her thoughts from one need to the next. "Hours of great sex will do that," he said. He molded his body around the curve of her back and snaked his fingers seductively along the jut of her hip. He was hungry too, just not for food. Sighing, he gave in as she swatted his hand. Shuffling his eyes from the heat of her stare, he fished out some clothes and began pulling them on. He knew a sweet little spot at the boundary of the bluffs. It was just before dawn and the deer often frequented the trail to nibble on their way to drink from the nearby stream. Should be an easy hunt. And then afterwards, they could get back to the honeymoon. "I am the man of the house and providing for my wife is my duty."

"Your wife can more than provide for herself," Angel retorted jokingly. Plucking whatever clothes came off the hangers in her closet she dressed. She was too hungry to be picky about what she wore. And she wasn't going to be overly discerning about what she ate either. A quick sip off the first four-legged creature she came across and then straight back to bed for another round. She had her favorite hunting spots and it shouldn't be too difficult to score a quick meal.

Lance tucked Angel's sunglasses into his pocket. She was forever forgetting that she wasn't as human as she once was. It was close to dawn. And while spring mornings were beautiful, vibrant with new life, they were a bit hard on the eyes. The day promised to be a good one with a light breeze and mild temperatures in the low sixties. And maybe, they would put off another round between the sheets to watch the dawning of a new day. The first of many they'd share as husband and wife.

Angel gave Lance his way and while she still avoided the bluffs, she let him pick their hunting spot. And he was right. The hunting was better here. After a quick snack on an unwitting young buck, she let him talk her into watching the sunrise on the bluffs. He was right about that too, the day was going to be beautiful. Cool morning breezes washed over her skin. The sky above was already beginning to lighten with the first golden rays of dawn. The world was quiet. Blinking its sleepy eyes as it awoke to greet the new day. Lance held out his hand and she put hers into it. And together, walking hand in hand, they followed the worn trail to the bluffs.

The spring morning had her thinking about green, growing things, fluffy white Easter bunnies, and pastel Easter eggs in baskets. The winter was behind them. And the glory of summer awaited them. Next winter's chill was a long way off. It was too much to hope that winter would bypass them and leave them reveling in the glory, warmth, and promise of spring. Life didn't work that way even for immortals. And winter would come again with cold, and snow, and howling winds. But, she'd never have to endure it alone.

Lance pulled Angel back and guided her to the steep cliffs on the far side of the bluffs. He sensed the presence of others out on the grassy planes of the wide clearing between the rocky walls of granite, limestone, and loose shale. The Great Father and Tala stood talking. And Lance could tell by the man's stance and the angry cross of Tala's arms over her chest, the conversation was not a good one. "The view is better over here," he whispered to Angel.

"Ok." Angel saw the couple engaged in conversation. They stood toe-to-toe exchanging heated words. Angel didn't think they noticed that they weren't alone or if they did, they gave no sign of it. They were too wrapped up in each other. And in the words they spoke, to notice much of anything else around them. From the distance, Angel could not overhear the words of their conversation. And that was probably for the best. She followed behind Lance, scaling the rocky outcroppings, climbing higher and higher to the highest point of the steep cliffs. The narrow ledge Lance led them onto was barely wide enough for the two of them to sit on. But, the view and the closeness were worth the climb.

Angel snickered in realization. She and Lance had been on this ledge before. But she had been frozen solid at the time. Her heart surrounded by ice. Here, she'd sought refuge from the demons plaguing her mind. This time, she was warm, in love, and her heart beat with renewed purpose and vigor. This time, she scooted over making room for Lance instead of trying to push him off the edge.

Angel and Lance sat on the narrow ledge staring down at the tiny town nestled in the deep valley below. Bathed in the glowing golden glow of the dawn, they watched the world wake to the promise of a new day and the beginning of a new life. For once in her life, everything was right with the world. And no matter how hard she tried she couldn't find one thing that was lacking.

From her vantage point, she could see the empty meadow. The Great Father and

Tala were gone. And in their place a large black wolf darted for the dense cover of oak, budding maples, and pine trees. Instinctively, even if she hadn't known about Tala's abilities, Angel would have known the wolf and Tala were one in the same. Angel couldn't see Drew anywhere in the surrounding periphery. But, she sensed him nearby. Watching. Raw agony and heartbreak chipped away at her bubble of happiness. And the pain she felt was his, leaking through the link they shared. She blinked away the tear he would not shed for himself.

Lance draped his arm around Angel's shoulder and cradled her to his chest. He sensed the Great Father's pain. All of the brothers would. There were just some secrets you could not hide. Lance hated that Drew hurt. But, as he well knew, sometimes pain was necessary. Pain cut to the heart of who you were. Suffering broke down walls. And on the other side of it was hope.

The small burg below, nestled in a valley of evergreens, opened its sleepy eyes. Coffee percolated in pots. Newspapers unfolded. Children flicked through TV channels searching for morning cartoons. Spoons clanked against bowls of cereal. And showers ran as humanity prepared for another busy day.

Humans knew a lot more, lived a lot more in the short spans of their lives than the brothers truly gave them credit for. Their lives passed so quickly from one stage to the next because they had so little time. Most people endured their losses, picked themselves up, and brushed the dust from the seats of their pants. Moved on quickly to the next big adventure, to the next love and the next stage of life. And ultimately other than wasting their short lives wanting people and things they could not have. What choice was there for them but to live it to the fullest? Life came and it went so damned quickly for them. Lance envied humans, not that their lives were so short. But, that they were so damned resilient.

Time passes slowly for vampires. Change happened so slowly it was almost imperceptible. But, things were changing rapidly in their world. Their leader had changed. And perhaps, it was about time the Great Father did. Lance had tried to resist the pull of change. He'd tried to force change on others while he remained in a state of suspended animation. Angel had pulled him out of himself. Pushed him headfirst into change. Rebuilt and reformed him. He'd needed the changes she'd brought about in him. He just hadn't stopped to realize it at the time. And now, sitting on the cliff she'd tried to push him off of, he realized he had changed, for the better, for himself, and for her. And he'd never been happier.

Angel looked up and spotted a pale, distant, pinpoint prick of light refusing to fade into the brilliant blue backdrop of the perfect sky. It was the morning star, shining so brightly against the golden rays of dawn. Closing her eyes, she made a wish. Not for herself, but for all the souls sharing this world with her. She wished that happiness would find them. She wished that fences would be mended. And most importantly, that love would always find a way.

Epilogue

It had been weeks since Tala and he had their discussion on the bluffs. And in the passing of time, things hadn't gotten any easier. If anything, they were harder now than ever. Nash and he had come to an impasse. Nash was a natural born leader and a protector of his pack. And out of his pack, he protected Tala the most fiercely of all. Drew saw evidence of her wolf in the woods. The essence of her clung to the trees and filled the air with the gentle musk of woman and wolf. But, of her, he had not caught a glimpse. Both she and her wolf had kept their distance. The same could not be said of the shaggy brown male alpha wolf tracking his scent. The wolf was cunning, there behind him one minute and when he turned to confront the man in the wolf's body, gone the next. Always watching him with those all too shrewd, all too human eyes. Calculating. Waiting. Sizing up his competition.

Drew had claimed that he was Tala's man. And hadn't he done a real bang up job at that. He sensed her hurt and her pain through the link he'd formed with her. But, he'd done nothing to comfort her. He was still too wrapped up in himself and his denial to be of any use to her, to the pack, to the brotherhood, and most of all to himself. He wandered the woods as he'd always done. He had not ventured back to the compound in days, maybe longer. After all, time had little meaning and he often lost track of its passing.

The presence of the wolves in his woods called to his wolf. Pack magic flowed through him. Always there, filling him with the stinging burn of its power. Beckoning his wolf to be one with it. He walked through the woods in broad daylight. Marveling at the spectacle of sunlight winking through the new leaves on the branches over his head. Hunger rumbled in his empty belly. But, he had no instinct to feed. His brother visited him in visions. Staring at him with ghostly eyes filled with disappointment. The goddess stroked her ethereal fingers through his spirit wolf's thick fur. The pack called to him night after night, the music of their howling, chilling song echoing through the woods. And he wanted no part of it.