Dawn's Promise

"I'm Patrick and the one making out with the mat over there is Will," Patrick said. Damn, he didn't know who was prouder of the kid, Will or himself. Although, father and son had never met, Patrick could see the similarities in their mannerisms, in the way they moved, and in the way they spoke. The kid could not have been more like his dear old dad if he'd known him from day one.

Chance draped a towel over his shoulders and clasped Patrick's hand in a shake. "Good to meet you." He walked over to Will and shook his hand in a gesture of friendship. "Good fight."

"We wanted to talk to you about a few things," Will said. He caught the clean white towel Chance threw at him and sponged off. Slipping between the ropes and out of the ring, Will reached for his t-shirt and pulled it over his head.

"Oh yeah, what?" Chance pulled on his warm up jacket and zipped it up to keep from catching a chill.

"Your mother," Will replied.

"Mom?" Chance's mouth gaped. He shut it and glowered at the two men standing in front of him, waiting for an explanation. What the hell did these guys know about his mom? Had they seen his posters around town? Did they have any information about her disappearance? And what were they doing here instead of going to the police?

"You're going to have to come with us. We'll explain on the way," Will said. He saw the suspicion in Chance's expression. Chance kept his movements casual, non-threatening, calmly gathering up the used towels and pitching them into a hamper, nonchalantly, increasing the distance between them.

"Sorry guys, no deal. You tell me here. I'm not going anywhere with you." His eyes darted around the gym, looking for an exit and potential weapons, if he should need to resort to violence to escape. He didn't anything about these guys except their names and that they could fight. Which was enough. Something was off about these two. And he didn't like it. He stood on the other side of the hamper. He was a fast runner. He could make it to the door before they caught him. But, how far he'd get after stopping to unlock the door, he wasn't sure.

"Sorry kid," Patrick sighed. He knew the kid was going to bolt as soon as he got close enough to the door. He could sense the kid winding up for a fight. He found Chance's mental signature, panicked and harried, the synapses rapidly fired in a flight or fight fury, hyped up on the adrenaline pumping through his system. "Sleep," he ordered. Chance wavered for a moment, resisting the command and then dropped. Chance's fall halted as Will reached out to catch him. "I'll go get the truck," Patrick said, leaving the father to tend to his son.

Will lowered his sleeping son to the mat, tucking a rolled up towel under his head. He did a quick sweep, not detecting any cameras, and exhaled in relief. He crouched over Chance, running his fingers through his sweat-dampened hair. God, he saw so much of himself in his son. There was quite a bit of Candy in Chance too. Chance was the perfect combination of the best of both of them. He had his mother's caring temperament and his father's stubborn resolve. Chance had his mother's nose and his father's jaw. A good-looking kid, even if Will did say so himself. Chance was beyond a doubt the greatest miracle Will had ever seen in his life.

The glow of headlights shining through the plate glass window was Will's cue to go. Carefully, he gathered up his cargo in his arms. Chance was heavier than he looked, but no burden to carry. The streets were empty and deserted, perfect for sneaking out undetected. Gently, Will tucked Chance into the narrow bench seat in the back and buckled him in.

Patrick threw the truck in gear and glanced over at Will. "The kid will be fine. He's a lot like his dad."

Will smiled at the complement. This was about as warm and fuzzy as Patrick ever got. And from him, the encouragement meant a lot. He shifted sideways in his seat and stared at his son the entire way back. And felt something he'd never felt since his induction into this world. Gratitude.

Chapter 9

"Will?" Candace jumped to her feet as the door opened. Depressed and overwhelmed by the emotional reunion with Will, she'd paced for a while, and then sat on the loveseat to ponder over the meaning of life. She took a step back as the man with the burr haircut, Dane, came with a petite, redheaded female at his heels.

"He's gone to get your son," Dane replied in a matter of fact manner as he sat on the sofa.

"My son, you're bringing him here?" Candace gasped. She kept away from him to keep him safe. To keep him out of her world. Now, she had brought in face to face with danger. "No. Will promised me." Her face reddened in outrage. Will had said he was going to talk to the brothers. But, he hadn't mentioned a word about bringing Chance here into the lion's den.

"Don't worry no harm will come to him." Dane dismissed the woman's on coming hysterics.

Alex seeing Candace's distress interjected, "It was safer to bring him here. For you to see him in a controlled environment than to take you to him." She remembered Chris's first encounter with Anna. Chris had almost killed her best friend and given away their secret when she attacked in broad daylight on the crowded streets of town. And she hadn't faired much better with Janine.

"You're going to let me see my son?" Hope spread through Candace at the thought of holding her son again. "You're going to help me and the others?"

Dane smiled and nodded. He knew Candace could be reasoned with. Out of the three rogues, she had the most to lose and the most to gain by complying with the rules. "We're going to try."

Candace shuddered and began pacing. "What do I tell Chance? How do I explain this to him? What if I...?" She couldn't say it, refusing to believe that she'd do such a thing to her own son. "What do I tell him about his father?"

"Let's just handle one thing at a time. First, before you see him, you need to feed. It will help to reduce the risk." Dane approached her and pulled the tracking device out of his pocket. Crouching on one knee, he motioned for her ankle. He hoped the tracking devices would be a reliable alternative to forming a blood bond. A blood-bonded vampire could be tracked for hundreds of miles and it was a useful tool. But, bonding was intrusive and often times formed a permanent link. Something he didn't want to put any of his brothers through just for the sake of feeding a rogue. Bonding was a sacred act and not to be entered into lightly.

"What's that?" Candace asked, hesitantly extending her leg and pulling up her jeans to be fitted with the device.

"A tracking device. If you try to run off, I'll be able to find you. So please, don't try."

Candace shook her head as the link of cold metal encircled her ankle. "I wouldn't. But, just exactly what are we eating?" She was hungry. Starved. They didn't seem like the type to randomly pick victims off the streets. What did they eat?

"Deer." Dane smiled at her shock as he flipped on the receiver. The device was working perfectly. Toby would have her on the computer screen, tracking her every move.

"Deer? Is that how you do it?" Candace reeled at the revelation. She didn't have to kill. And she didn't have to stalk the shadows looking for victims. "You don't have to hunt people? You don't drink human blood?" Candace was awestruck. Her need for human blood was almost uncontrollable. She'd never considered that there was an alternative. None of them thought there was another way.

"I didn't say that," Dane replied as he led her out of the door and through the halls. "We take from willing donors, human members of our organization. We take only what we need and nothing more. Animal blood helps to curb our need. But human blood is a must."

"I knew there was another way. There had to be. We've been taking just a little from different people here and there. But, the hunger never stopped. We were constantly driven, needing more. And sometimes, there were accidents." Regret slammed Candace hard in the chest. She hadn't meant to kill anybody. But, she'd slipped up a time or two, waited too long between feedings, and lost control. Shame burned her cheeks as the cool night air washed over her skin. If only she'd known. If only she'd come here for help sooner. Maybe, she wouldn't have killed at all.

"Well good, you're one step ahead of the game. You're willing to learn. It's hard to train a rogue. Once they've gotten the taste for human blood, accepting a substitute is nearly impossible for them. Now that you know, you'll be expected to obey the rules. All of them," Dane said, pinning her with a warning glare. "We don't kill. Ever. You won't be held accountable for your past actions. But, from this day forward, if you kill, take a human life, you will pay for it with your own."

He guided Candace deeper into the woods. He nodded to John Mark who was lurking in the thick underbrush nearby, watching. "Do you need help or do you want to try it on your own?"

Candace caught a wild musky scent of prey on the air. She trembled from the harshness of Dane's warning. If she slipped up, he'd kill her without question or remorse. That was ok, she was ready to put the past behind her and start over. She hated killing. The death she'd caused with her own hands, sickened her and the guilt was practically unbearable. In a way, it was a relief to know she didn't have to kill. And that if she did, she'd never get the chance to do it again.

Her mouth watered and her fangs extended hungrily. "I think I got it." She bolted into the pines tracking the scent. When she caught sight of the buck, she leapt, bounding onto it's back, dropping it and sinking her teeth in eagerly releasing a torrent of crimson life.

John Mark stood silently beside Dane watching as Candace fed on the buck. She went after the deer with the enthusiasm of a newborn. "I think she's going to adapt well enough. What about the others though? Just exactly what are we going to do with them?"

"I don't know yet," Dane replied. He'd just have to try as he had with Candace. Either they'd accept the rules or they wouldn't. He was giving them a second chance. Whether or not they took it was up to them.

*****

The rocking sensation of his body jostled Chance awake with a start. His head was throbbing and his mouth was so dry he couldn't have swallowed his own spit. After a minute, he realized he was being carried over someone's shoulder, through a thick mass of trees, in the dark, out in the middle of nowhere, through the woods. He stiffened, preparing to fight. "What the fuck? Put me down!" He struggled against the steel band like arms holding him like a limp sack of potatoes.

"Relax kid, you're ok," Patrick said. Grinning at Will's struggle to keep hold on his son's body. "You want me to put him out again?" he asked. Snickering. Will was trying so hard not to hurt his little bundle of joy that he was going to end up dropping the kid on his head. And wouldn't that make for a series of funny jokes all at Will and Chance's expense?

"Nah, I got this," Will groaned against the sneaker pressed into his solar plexus. Damn kid was strong as an ox and twice as stubborn as a mule. "I'll put you down if you promise not to bolt." Will grunted and set Chance down on the ground. Preparing for the inevitable. The kid was going to run. He knew it. Patrick knew it.

Chance felt the springy, slick loam under the soles of his tennis shoes. He stood for a minute, trying to gather his bearings. He wasn't sure where he was. This deep in the woods, with not so much as moonlight to guide his way, he had to be miles from the city, from anywhere. But, he sure wasn't going to let these two psychopaths cart him off deeper into the woods. He was a good-looking guy and who knew what they had planned for him in their demented brains.

He spotted a break in the trees and a wide clearing on the other side. All he had to do was run. His feet barely set into motion before he was tackled from behind, landing face first into the mud and dirt of the forest floor.

"I told you not to run." Will held Chance, pinned face down against the muck. He planted his knee into the small of the boy's back and the other pressed against his shoulders. Chance fought him like a tiger, scrabbling for a leverage, sputtering curse words Will was sure his mother didn't know could come out of her son's mouth. "I've got all night. Eventually, you'll wear down."

Chance's hands slid on the frost covered ground, unable to find anything to grab onto. He panted with the strain of trying to knock his attacker off his back. After a few minutes, he realized he was beaten. A grumble of frustration escaped his lips, puffing out white steam into the cold night air. "All right! All right! Let me up."

"Are you going to try that again?" Will asked. He kept his son pinned beneath him. The bluffs were just on the other side of that wide clearing. He wouldn't risk Chance trying to make a run for it again and falling over the steep cliff not more than five hundred yards away.

"No."

Will eased up onto his feet, waiting for Chance's next move. He held out a hand to help him up, nodding as Chance begrudgingly accepted and allowed him to pull him onto his feet. Some species ate their young and Will was beginning to understand why.

"Well, if you have it under control now," Patrick said, smirking at Will. "Can we move along? I've got better things to do than to baby sit the likes of you two." He pulled a palm-sized flashlight out of his hip pocket and flipped it on. The thin sliver of white light cut through the dark, leading the way. "This ought to help," he said, nudging Chance to get him moving.

Chance stumbled through the woods, sandwiched in between the two men. He thought he could take the smaller one, Patrick. But, he wasn't too confident about his abilities versus the bigger one, Will. "Where are you taking me?"

"I've already told you," Will answered. "To see your mother." His bicep pressed in tightly against Chance's shoulder as they walked. He could hear the boy's questions buzzing in his mind, like a swarm of angry bees. "We'll be there shortly, then all your questions will be answered." He grabbed Chance's arm before he tripped over an unseen root poking up through the hard packed ground. "Please, pay attention."

Chance jerked away from Will's grip. "I got it," he grumbled. He did not want this guy touching him. His mind raced. Was his mom in danger? What had they done to her? He was certain that if these men had harmed her in any way, he'd figure out a way to kill them both.

*****

Candace paced nervously, always under Dane's watchful eye. "How much longer?" She was anxious to see her son. Make sure her baby boy was safe and unharmed as Will promised. There were so many things to explain, so much lost time to make up for. She couldn't wait to hear about his classes, his work, his...life. She'd missed so much. Three months or more had passed since she'd talked to her son. Where would she begin?

"They're close. You won't have to wait much longer." Dane scowled, Candace's anxiety was beginning to rub off on him. He needed something to distract her. "Why don't you continue to practice shielding yourself. Go to the mirror and focus on what you looked like before the change. How you moved. How you talked."

"You're sure this will work?" Candace had her doubts. Her eyes were almost a glow, a bewitching green hue. Her skin was pale, practically translucent. Out in public, she'd always shied away from crowds. Terrified that one wrong step would give her away. She took a deep breath concentrating hard, trying to recall how it felt to be bound to gravity, so heavy in her own skin. Slow. So many things she had taken for granted, the way she spoke, the way she moved. Always wishing for something different, now she had something different, in abundance. And if she went out there fanged and moving so quickly that he couldn't track her with his eyes, she'd scare Chance to death.

A smell, a scent so familiar to her that it sent her heart into a frenzy wafted in from under the heavy oak of the door. "Chance!" Candace tugged on the doorknob, twisting the metal in her hands. She pulled uselessly on the locked door. "My son!" she exclaimed, trying to appeal to Dane. Not only were the locks vampire proof, but so was he. "Please."

Dane sighed and blocked the door with his body. To him, she moved humanly slow. And he was so used to seeing fangs, the white tips peeking from beneath her upper lip wouldn't faze him. But, to Chance, she looked like a monster in his mother's body. She moved too fast. Spoke too quickly. And the fangs...she was too emotionally excited to retract them. Too out of control to allow around her son. She'd either attack him and drain him or she'd break his spine from holding him too tightly. She could literally love him to death. "Candace. Focus."

*********

John Mark guided Neil through a series of winding, twisting hallways to the exit. "One wrong move and I'll take you down." He patted the length of lethally sharp steel blade sheathed at his side. Out of the three, he thought this guy was the shadiest. Too cooperative. Too agreeable. He didn't trust it.

"Oh, trust me, no need for that. I'm ready to grab a bite, even if it is," he shuddered, queasy at the thought, "an animal." Neil flashed his brightest smile, hoping the big guy believed him, because he sure as hell believed the big guy meant business. If a cheeseburger had been served to him on a silver platter, he would have eaten it. Forced it down, just to score a few points to get this giant off his back.

Neil sniffed as he followed John Mark outside. A human had been through here recently. His mouth watered. He wasn't one for killing. But, a sip or two of warm type O negative, sure sounded good about right now. He looked up at John Mark questioningly and instinctively licked his lips.

"Don't even think about it," John Mark growled. He didn't recognize the human's scent and could only assume it was Will returning with his son. "All humans are under our protection. Especially, the ones that roam these halls and these woods."

Neil held up his hands in surrender. Ok, so the human belonged to someone. Geez, why hadn't he thought of that? He could have found dozens of people in Vegas who would let him drink their blood for the right price. He could have kept them stockpiled like juice boxes in the fridge. Damn. Good to know these survival tips. Handy tidbits like snacking on animals and keeping humans as pets. Assuming, he ever got out of this mess, he'd be sure to thank them for the pointers. "Hey, no harm done, right."

He followed John Mark into the woods, resenting the tracker cinched around his right ankle. Too much like house arrest for his tastes. The scent of a deer nearby caught his nose and the hunt was on. Instinct and hunger won out over personal preferences. Neil trapped the filthy animal in his arms and swallowed down his disgust at the taste of dirt, biting down to drink of the meager wellspring offered by the deer's life.

****

Marcus followed the vampire through the tunnels. Warm blood coursed through his veins, giving him a renewed vigor and strength. Patrick, the one who had taken him out, was congenial enough, patiently waiting as he tracked the deer, occasionally offering helpful pointers along the way. He was still hungry, a gnawing that the deer's blood hadn't satisfied. He pushed it out of his mind as he walked through the by now familiar door. "Hey, thanks man. I promise next time I'll do better. I've never been hunting before. City boy, I guess." he grinned at Patrick, apologetically.

"You'll get the hang of it." Patrick reassured him. The man certainly wasn't much of a hunter. But, necessity made the quickest teacher of them all. He'd learn, in time. Patrick understood, better than any of his brothers, the strange situation these three found themselves in. His past wasn't much different from theirs. He could sympathize. He'd awakened cold and alone, and hungry so hungry. And he'd done the only thing he could have, followed instinct. "Just give a yell if you need anything," Patrick said as he closed the door, bolting Marcus inside.