Dawn's Promise

"The Shaman said he'd be fine. Here, he needs to drink this, and take one of these when he wakes up." Alex handed Candace the bag of herbs and the red pill clutched in her palm, leaving room. His mother and father were there, caring for him. He didn't need her hovering around too.

"Mom," Chance croaked, forcing his eyes to open and focus on her worried expression. His mother sat next to him on one side of the bed and Will on the other. He sat up slowly, fighting against the pain of strained, over exerted muscles, screaming out in protest to the slightest movement. Even his toenails and the ends of his hair hurt. Strong arms pulled him upright as another set fluffed the pillows behind him and gently settled him back. With a pained grin, he turned to Will and said, "I did it."

"You most certainly did," Will praised, getting up to retrieve a glass of water to mix the Shaman's potion and wash down the pill. The opinion of two medical professionals was better than one. "I heard you have a hell of a left hook. John Mark sure didn't see it coming."

Chance snickered, "Good." He was a firm believer that a little pain was therapeutic for the soul. Hopefully, John Mark had gotten a little religion. He took the glass from Will and held his breath, gulping down the brown, foul smelling concoction and the red pill. Immediately, he felt the pain in his limbs dull to a tolerable ache.

"Chance," Candace said, running her hands along his hair, smoothing it out of his eyes. "You have to stop this foolishness right now." She frowned in disapproval of his smug grin. Her son was putting up a good front for Will's benefit. But, she knew him too well. He was exhausted and hurting.

Chance wanted to avoid an argument with his mother. He scooted around her, planting his feet firmly on the floor. Chagrined by his nudity, he snatched the sheet from the bed and wrapped it around his waist. "I need a shower." He had every intention of seeing the trials through to the very end and nothing she could say would stop him. He weaved on rubbery legs. Small, delicate hands grasped his arms, keeping him upright. "Alone mom," he ordered, dragging the sheet behind him as he walked to the bathroom.

Safely sequestered on the other side of the door, away from his mother, Chance dropped the sheet and took inventory. Everything was still there, exactly where it was supposed to be, ten fingers and ten toes, and the dangly bit between his thighs, all safe and sound.

He groaned and muttered a curse. Alex had seen him naked and not at his best either. He had been so cold. He'd probably taken shrinkage to a whole new level. He could vaguely remember her undressing him. And he sure as hell hadn't been concerned, at the time, about what she saw, or didn't see. Fully aroused and at the right temperature, his cock was a thing of wonder and great beauty that made women weep with awe. Yeah, right. But, the damn thing wasn't exactly a shrinky dink by any means. Great. So much for a lasting first impression.

Chance sighed in relief as the warm spray blasted the ache out of his muscles and washed away splatters of mud and other gunk left behind from his swim down the drain. He stood underneath the water, basking in its heat. Once he felt his body was clean and thoroughly thawed, he turned the tap off and climbed out of the shower. Determined that no one else was going to catch him naked, he pulled on a pair of loose fitting cotton sleep pants left on a hook on the back of the door. The shower had felt wonderful, but it had left him completely exhausted. Wearily, and somewhat unsteadily, he shuffled out of the bathroom and climbed back into bed.

Will grinned sympathetically and sat down on the bed next to Chance. He remembered his trials all too well. For as long as he lived, he doubted he would ever live long enough to forget the agony of the first day, and the one that followed, and the one that followed that. Meaning to prepare Chance, not to scare him. He said, "It only gets worse."

Chance groaned and pulled the blankets over his head. That was not what he wanted to her. If his dad was trying to comfort him, he had a hell of a way of doing so. "How could it possibly get any worse?"

Will chuckled and pried the blankets from Chance's fists. "You'll find out." He cocked his head, listening to the soft clank of dishes being carried on a tray and the light fall of footsteps coming up the hall. "Your mother is back. Eat and rest up. You're going to need your strength."













Chapter 38

Anna showered and dressed, hungry after spending a lazy afternoon in bed with Toby. He'd been slow and gentle with her, taking the greatest of care, seeing to her every whim. She smiled to herself coyly. She could get used to that kind of attention. He was going to be busy down in the tech lab for the next couple of hours, leaving her to her own devices. She made her way into the kitchen to be snatched up an eager embrace. "Oh Anna, you're finally here!"

"Hi," Anna said, prying Janine's arms free. "What's for dinner?" she asked, stepping around the female vampire, Candace, who was busily pawing through the cabinets in desperation. Anna took the cans from Candace's hands and set them on the counter. "Here, let me help. This food is for a human, right?"

"Yeah," Candace replied uncomfortably. "My son." She smiled sheepishly in appreciation. She tried struggling with handling the bits of rotting meat and decaying vegetables in the fridge and decided opening a few cans might be easier. But, it wasn't. The problem wasn't with the food in the fridge. The food was fine. The problem was with her. Food held no appeal and it was so hard to prepare a meal when she couldn't bear the smell. "Thanks."

Anna expertly assembled the contents she retrieved from the cabinets and fridge and set about preparing dinner. "You know, I wasn't born rich and beautiful," she teased joking with Candace. She'd learned to cook the hard way, working her way through college as a short order cook in a greasy spoon.

"Boy, is that an understatement," Chris teased, entering the kitchen. She smiled, relieved that Anna was fine. And also surprised to see her best friend again, so soon.

"Chris! How have you been?" Anna said, looking up from her dutiful chopping.

Chris wrapped an arm lightly around Anna's shoulders and gave her a friendly squeeze. "Good, how are you and Toby doin?" An aura of happiness and contentment surrounded her friend. She suspected that it wasn't just their reunion that had contributed to her friend's relaxed state, but being close to Toby again.

Anna smiled a secretive smile and answered, "Fine." She scooped the chicken breasts into a pan, sautéing them in butter and fresh vegetables. She made enough for the three humans in the crowd and for leftovers later on. She had bigger things to tend to than cooking all weekend.

Chris sat down at the table and joined the women engaged in feminine chatter and small talk. Chris pushed out a chair out for Alex, welcoming her into the conversation. And smiled at Robbie, comfortably parked, due to a lack of chairs, on the floor, scooting back to rest against the wall, chiming in here and there. Chris smiled to herself, thinking, how odd it was that women who didn't eat would still congregate around a kitchen table for girl talk.

Anna plated up the meal and fixed a tray for Candace, piling it high with extras for Chance. Candace said he wasn't feeling up to par and Anna guessed he might not want to venture all the way to the kitchen for snacks. Anna acknowledged Candace's grateful nod with a smile.

Anna selected a bottle of wine, popping it open as she dished out food for Janine and herself. She precariously balanced the filled plates and glasses and made her way to the table. "Garlic chicken, anyone?" The vampires casually sauntered away from the strongly scented meal leaving Janine and her to enjoy their meal and the bottle of wine in peace. "Nothing clears a roomful of vampires like garlic, does it?"

*******

Chance hungrily gobbled up the food, scraping the plate clean. "That was fantastic." He grinned at his mom knowingly. She'd never cooked like this before she'd been turned. "Whoever the cook was, tell them it was fabulous and hit the spot." Chance stretched back in the bed, patting his bloated stomach.

John Mark and Patrick burst through his bedroom door, loudly joking and bantering back and forth. "Wepe-nipe, Cold Water, how you doin'? Patrick said, snickering.

"Bite me!" Chance retorted.

"Nah, you're not my type."

"You going to be ready for tomorrow?" John Mark asked. Given the condition he was in when Alex hauled him into the compound, John Mark thought Chance might have changed his mind about the whole thing. "Or are you going to candy ass out on me?" He stood over the boy, staring down at him. His arms crossed over his chest and brows lifted in a dare. Laying the bait, waiting for Chance to bite.

"I'll be there." Chance gripped his left hand in a fist, hiding the pain in his fingers from punching John Mark. "How's the jaw, sweetheart?" He didn't see any damage on John Mark's skin. Chance frowned at John Mark's snort, grumbling, "That was just a love tap."

John Mark frowned. "You cost me a hundred bucks. I didn't think you'd make it the first mile." More bait.

"Lets see if I can make it two hundred." Chance nodded at Patrick. "This time if you win the bet, I get half. After all, I'm the one doing the work."

"Deal." Patrick and Chance shook on it. This kid was going to make him a rich man or at least keep Janine well stocked in whatever in the hell it was she spent his money on. "See you first thing in the morning." Patrick left, chattering furiously with John Mark, negotiating the wager.

Candace scowled at her son. Her brow wrinkled in disapproval. "Do you have to encourage them?"

Chance shrugged and blew off her scowl. "It's all part of the game, Mom." He yawned over-exaggeratedly, hoping she'd get the hint. Once she left closing the door behind her after giving him a thorough tucking in, as if he were still five years old, he sank down under the covers and thought about what kind of tortures John Mark might have in store for him in the morning.

Chance awoke feeling refreshed and invigorated. He didn't know what was in the bag of herbs he'd forced down last night. But, whatever it was the Shaman could make a fortune selling it on the market. He stretched climbing out of bed and dressed, ready for day two.

He saw Alex ahead of him, walking through the dimly lit halls. Trotting, he caught up with her. "I just wanted to say thanks," he said, falling in to step beside her.

Alex smiled at Chance shyly. "It was no big deal," she said dismissively. She thought about his naked skin, although it was cold and pale, the sensation of touching him had burned her fingertips. She pushed the shiver that ran up her spine out of her mind.

"To me it was." He timidly wrapped an arm around her shoulders, squeezing lightly. Keeping things casual and friendly between them. "I appreciate it."

Alex shrugged out from under his arm, shrinking away from his contact, "Well, in that case, you're welcome." They rounded a corner she stopped in front of a door, resting her hand on the brass knob. "Chance, good luck today."





















Chapter 39

John Mark was in the gym, waiting for him arms crossed, grinning smugly. "Welcome to hell."

Chance groaned inwardly, seeing the ladders and twisting lengths of rope hanging from the ceiling. What was he? Tarzan? He held his head high, listening intently as John Mark laid out the rules of the obstacle course. "Great," he muttered under his breath. Grasping the rope, he psyched himself up for the twenty-foot vertical climb.

John Mark nodded to Robbie. Robbie aimed the paint ball gun at Chance, wincing at the pop and Chance's yowl of pain, as the ball exploded in a riot of color on his chest.

"Fuck!" Chance cursed, dangling from the rope ten-feet up. His skin stung from the impact of the ball. "You didn't say anything about this! Damn it!" He cursed sharply as another ball found its mark, exploding on the fragile skin of his inner thigh. That one was too close for his liking. Climbing like an ape, he shimmied up the rope to the top.

"Just a little motivation for you, sweet cheeks. You'd better get moving boy!" John Mark shouted up to him. He took the paint ball gun from Robbie and aimed at Chance's groin to get his point across. Chuckling as Chance double timed it up the rope.

Chance swung on the rope building momentum. Once he was moving fast enough, he leapt free, grabbing hold of another rope, and making his way across the course. He yelped as another ball exploded against his right flank, dripping neon yellow paint down his calf. Biting his bottom lip, he reached out, sliding down the rope. John Mark was going to get a foot straight in the teeth for this one Chance vowed as he sprung from the rope, clamoring for the paint slicked rungs of a ladder.

An hour later, Chance had his feet firmly on terra firma. Panting wildly and covered in dark purple bruises from Robbie's assault with the paint gun, he had completed the test. He was too tired to muster the energy to kick John Mark in the teeth, for the moment anyway. "Now what?" he asked, guzzling down a water bottle in one gulp.

"Physically, you're almost there, one last test to pass. Are you up for a little mental workout?" John Mark asked.

"You mean like an exam?"

John Mark chuckled, "Not exactly. Come on. I'll show you." He guided Chance to the sweat lodge. "He's all yours," John Mark said handing Chance off to the Shaman.

"Come learn the story of our fathers," The Shaman said, stripping down and motioning for Chance to do the same. Chance stood hesitantly, not too sure about the naked part of this particular trial. "Its our custom," the Shaman patiently explained. "Clothing traps essential energies."

Chance wasn't about to let a little thing like nudity come between him and passing the trials. He tossed his clothes onto the floor, abandoning them and followed the Shaman into the sweat lodge. He was shocked to see Dane, Will, and Patrick sitting in the lodge on the floor waiting for him. More than just a bit embarrassed about his small, thin body compared to the muscular bulk of the vampires, he sat and focused on the steam rising in white puffs from the coals in the center of the circle.

He didn't say anything. Just listened to the soft chanting and rhythmic prayers being offered up by the brothers. Something inside him stirred, awakened by the music. Chance let go and went with it, swaying in time to the voices. He closed his eyes and felt his awareness drift away. The men told stories, tales older than time, and Chance quietly took them all in.

Chance opened his eyes when the room grew quiet. He felt at peace. Finally beginning to accept his destiny. The men sat calmly and so still, he could not see them so much as breathe. "Enough for today," The Shaman, said, shooing Chance out of the lodge. Vampires were as impervious to heat as they were to Cold. The same was not true for Chance. Too long in the lodge and he'd dehydrate.

Chance was holding up fine physically. His body was strong and so was his heart. The Shaman sensed the myriad thoughts and questions buzzing like a swarm of angry bees through the boy's mind. The boy needed to be alone with his thoughts, time to digest, time to think about his destiny and what waited ahead for him.

Chance slid on his coat and boots. The day was not quite half over and he wanted to take a leisurely stroll through the woods. Take time to enjoy their quiet and beauty. He wanted to retrace the steps of the trail he'd run yesterday and find the spot on the bluffs he'd been too busy to fully appreciate. He inhaled a deep breath of the cold air, filling his lungs with the scent of pine and earth. He felt a sense of relief at being alone. Stuffing his hands deep into his pockets, shivering against the early February chill, he headed out along the narrow winding trail.







Chapter 40

Candace huddled around the kitchen table, giggling and gossiping with the girls. Janine and Anna, the only ones who could indulge, were sipping coffee and nibbling at cookies. Alex stared longingly into her mug. Chris rested her chin on her hands and wished she could snag a taste of one of Anna's signature cookies, piled high on a plate in the center of the table. Robbie was with them because she missed girl talk, normal, ordinary, girl talk.

"So," Robbie looked eagerly at Candace, "How long are you staying?" She wanted her to say she was considering staying forever, becoming a member permanently. She liked Candace and enjoyed seeing Will so content. And Chance kept John Mark busy and out of her hair so that she could do things like this, just sit and talk with the girls.

"I'm not sure." Candace replied hesitantly. "Sometimes I think this is the best place for me. But, I just don't know about Chance. Do you really think it is healthy for him to be surrounded by people...like us?" Judging by the scowls aimed in her direction, the women were insulted by her question. She bit her bottom lip, desperate to change the subject. "Besides I'm not used to sitting around doing nothing. What could I have to offer? I'm not a warrior. Before all this happened, I was a data processing clerk. Nothing extraordinary."

Chris laughed and chose to ignore Candace's breach of manners. After all, they were an odd lot. "I was an account rep for an insurance company."

Anna stared at Chris over her cup of coffee and snickered. "I live the glamorous life of an architect."

"Yeah, I was a librarian and then after my parents were killed in an accident, I took over the family business. Peddling ice cream, hardly warrior material." Robbie chimed in. |Her voice heavy with loss when she spoke of her parents. But, she was hoping her story would make Candace would realize that she did have something to offer.

Janine giggled, lifting her coffee cup high in a toast. "A shop that thanks to my previous career as a junior financial analyst, will be operating firmly in the black this season." She tipped the mug and took a sip.

Alex kept quiet, listening. She was a museum curator, an expert in Native American cultures. Looking back at her previous career, she mussed that she had always been in the loop. She just had never realized it.

"See," Robbie said enthusiastically. "You never know what Ka-tet has in store for you. Everyone has something to contribute. Anna designed this place. Janine makes sure we don't dress like total fashion rejects. Chris keeps Dane off our backs. And I kick rogue ass." The women seated around the table shook their heads in agreement.

"Speaking of the fashion challenged, here's my latest project coming into the kitchen now," Janine teased, eyeing Patrick lovingly, with joy. "Oh. Hi Patrick, we were just talking about you." She winked at the girls and smiled at him.

"It figures, I'd find you in the kitchen," Patrick teased. She was obsessive about her weight. Worried over every pound. To him, she was flawless. And he liked her curvy body just the way it was.

"Girl's gotta eat," Janine countered with a frown. She burst out in pearls of laughter as Patrick swept her up out of the dining room chair and threw her over his shoulder, smacking her firmly on the ass.

"So does a boy." He carried Janine caveman style out of the dining room. "Later, girls." Waving, Janine looked up from her perch across Patrick's shoulder and laughed as Patrick carted her out of the room.

"I wonder if she's next," Robbie said exchanging meaningful glances with the women still seated at the table.

Anna clapped her hands gleefully. "Another bachelorette party!" She had never had so much fun in her life as she had the night of Chris's party. Except for the hangover, that she definitely would rather not repeat.