Dawn's Shelter

Thomas lowered his body to his knees at Jan's feet. "No, you didn't. You were trying to save me, and you did." Gently, he took her chin in his fingers and pulled her face down to meet his. "You kept me from fighting. I think we both know what would have happened if that fight had been allowed to take place." He brushed his lips across her cheek and whispered, "See, I was right. I'm not that easy to kill."

"I don't know what I would have done if you died." Jan sniffled, "I'm sorry, Thomas. I should have told you what I was planning to do. But, I was afraid that you would have tried to stop me."

"I would have. I might not have survived the fight. But, it was worth taking the chance to keep you safe. I wouldn't have let you do it. I would have stood and faced Torr, no matter what the consequences might have been."

Jan skated her fingers across the smooth flesh of his chest. "The vampires healed you."

"Yes. That is the power of their blood."

"I don't understand."

"Neither do I. I used to try to make sense of it. But, now, I accept it for what it is. Magic." He stole a quick peck from her lips and smiled thoughtfully. "Sort of like you. My feelings for you defy definition. I only know that they're there, that I feel them, and that they are truly and genuinely magical."

Tears bubbled up in the corners of Jan's eyes and she gave a little sniff. "It's not magic Thomas, it's love." She cupped his face in her hands and kissed him. Deeply thrusting her tongue into his mouth. Tasting the wild taste of her man. Magic, intensely powerful magic of love zinged through her nerve endings, curling her toes.

Thomas reciprocated the kiss. Jan's mouth was sweet and soft against his lips. Her tongue demanding as it slicked against his. The events of the day melted away and were replaced by urgency and need. He leaned his forehead against the bridge of her nose, staring into her eyes. "I'm going to go take a shower," he husked. "Want to come?"

Jan cast him a doubtful look. He appeared fully recovered from his injuries. But, surely he had some residual effects and desperately needed some rest. "Are you sure you're up for that?"

Thomas chuckled and hopped onto his feet, giving her a full view of exactly how up for it he was. Winking at her, he asked, "What do you think?"

Jan giggled as she ran her eyes along his hard, swollen, length. His near death experience had not deterred his sex drive in the least. Smiling she followed him into the bathroom, stripping and tossing her clothes onto the floor in eager abandon in a trail from the bed to the shower.

She slid into the shower stall behind him. White clouds of steam enveloped her and a deluge of hot water and fragrant body wash sluiced along her skin. She pressed her lips to the space between his shoulder blades and rested her forehead against the strength of his back. Her arms wrapped around him as her hands ran a slick coating of soap over his chest. Washing him clean and the blood down the drain in a wash of pink stained bubbles.

Thomas spun in Jan's arms and pulled her close to his body, crushing her breasts against his chest. Her heart pounded against his skin as her lips brushed against the healed bit of flesh over his left pec. There was no word in his mental vernacular to describe what he felt right now. No way to describe how wonderful she felt wrapped in his arms. A hot stream of water sprayed across his back. Sending a shower of droplets rolling down across her cheeks. Gently, he ran his thumbs over her face and stared deeply into her eyes. Groaning when her tiny hand slid down his belly and her fingers circled his arousal.

Jan stroked Thomas's erection. Her eyes locked with his. Flecks of gold sparked to life as she tightened her grip, running her palm along his hard length. She tipped up her chin and offered her mouth to him. His tongue drove inside, darting and searching, driving her to madness, past the point of logic and thought, to a place where only the magic of sensation dwelled.

His fingers snaked across the curve of her stomach and traveled down between her thighs. Gently, spreading her legs with his palm, he slid his fingertips along the slick moisture of her tender flesh. She shuddered and gasped from the pleasure of it. Clutching onto his shoulders for support as he found the special places that hid within her soft depths.

Thomas ran his tongue along the delicate outline of Jan's collarbones as he probed inside her hot, wet folds. Her hips bucked instinctively against his fingers as he continued his seductive massage. She felt so good. The moment more right than any moment ever had. He dove his fingers deep inside her, first one, than a second. His palm kneaded the blossoming nub at the top of her sex until it pulsed in time with her beating heart and she cried out in need. Withdrawing his hand, he circled her waist with his arms and lifted her. Almost whimpering when her thighs gripped around his waist and her arms locked tightly around his shoulders. Eagerly, he guided his erection along her slickness and slowly slid into the heart of her.

Jan cried out as he slid into her swollen and throbbing walls. The world shattered as he rocked and bucked burying his length into her depths. Her nipples were hard and tender, becoming even more sensitive as they brushed against the coarse light brown covering of his chest hair. She dug her fingers into his shoulders and clung tightly to his waist with her thighs. Holding on to him with all her strength as she sailed higher and higher with each needful thrust of his hips.

Thomas buried his face into the curve of her neck. Nipping and suckling the tender skin as he pressed deeper and deeper into her. Her walls were slick and tight. Squeezing him with each thrust of his hips. He tried to hold back. Prolong the magic and wonder of the moment as it unfolded. Her muscles tightened and contracted as she reciprocated, wildly bucking against him. Bringing him closer and closer to release until he thought that he would explode.

He held Jan tightly as her orgasm ripped through her. And at long last, he caved, fulfilling his desire. Shooting hot jets of completion into her hot, tight, depths. Gently, he slid her down his body and clung to her as he rocked her in his arms. He rubbed his cheek across the top of her head, daydreaming of the future yet to unfold. "Marry me."

Jan blinked up at Thomas. She'd already given her consent and said yes to his proposal. Yet, he was asking her again. "That's the plan," she answered as she snuggled closer. Enveloped in the protective heat of his arms, she stroked his chest with the apple of her cheek.

He had risked everything, even his life for her. He didn't want to wait. His fingers stroked the bruised and swollen flesh of his mark on her neck. He wanted everyone to know that she belonged to him and no other. He didn't have a ring. And it didn't matter. He felt like he might be cheating her out of the big fancy wedding every woman dreamed of as a little girl. And he would give her that, if she wanted it. Later. He wasn't interested in the wedding, only the commitment of the vows. The promise that he belonged to her and she to him was all that mattered. "Now."

"Right now? We're in the shower, Thomas." Jan reached up and took his cheek in her hand. Grinning as she teased him. Now was perfect. She was about to be a wife and hopefully, someday, a mother. She was marrying, not because she had to or out of a sense of duty. But, because she'd found the man she truly loved and she wanted the world to know.

Thomas reached down and turned off the tap, snatching two towels off the warmer. "I guess we could get dressed first, if you insist." He secured one of the white downy soft towels around his narrow waist and began gently drying her hair with the other.

Jan sat on the edge of the bed as he carefully dragged a comb through her hair. "Where are we going to get married at this time of the night?" she asked. Glancing at the digital display on the clock, it was nearly midnight. And unless he was planning to catch a redeye flight to Vegas, they weren't getting married tonight.

"I know the perfect place."

Chapter 29

Eloise took Nash's hand as she climbed out of the idling SUV. Sliding her fingers free from his grip as soon as her feet hit the ice slicked pavement beneath them. She scanned the parking lot. Looking for a luxury sedan with a familiar Texas plate parked amongst the pickup trucks and economy cars and finding none. The window of the room Torr had rented was dark. The curtains pulled tightly across the pane of glass. He was gone already making the return trip home. Like she should be and would be all too soon.

Torr's father was a bastard, a ruthless son of a bitch. She didn't envy Torr the task of telling him he'd failed. He might pay the ultimate price for the freedom he'd granted Jan. She'd never really thought much about Torr beyond the promise of his DNA. She'd never bothered to look beyond the mask of playboy indifference he wore. He was a decent man, beneath it all, where his father or anybody else could see it.

She heard a deep warning grumble echo from the shadowy corner of the building. Her omegas! They were safe. Unsure of what to make of Nash's appearance or his hand, splayed protectively across the small of her back. "All is well," she said to the dark shapes that emerged from the shadows. She cared for her omegas as if they were part of her family. And unfortunately, she could not relieve them of their duties just yet. She had more task to ask of them.

She wanted desperately to speak with Jan. But, Jan needed time before she approached her. Jan was wary of her and didn't trust her. Eloise couldn't blame her daughter for that, only herself. She had done nothing worthy for her daughter to considering placing trust in her.

She scowled and stared at the dark window. Kacie wasn't back at the hotel. A little prickle of worry ran along her spine. It wasn't like Kacie to be gone so long, especially, in a strange place. Eloise began to worry that something had happened to the one daughter that might actually still like her.

"Eloise?" Nash's fingers clinched at the small of her back. The scent of worry radiated off of her in pungent waves. "Are you all right?" he asked gently. Trust between them was in its infancy and it was fragile. He tried not to pry, but to give her space, to decide how much she was willing to trust him with.

"I'm fine." She bit back the worry that rose in the back of her throat and picked her way over the icy parking lot to her room. She slid her room card into the reader and turned the knob when the light flashed green. The omegas and Nash were tight on her heels, sensing that something had her deeply worried. "Please, come in."

Nash followed her into the stuffy confines of her hotel room. This was no place for her. The room was shabby and tacky, stinking of humanity and must. "You should stay at my home tonight. I have plenty of space. Perhaps you'd feel more comfortable there."

"The room is fine. I'm concerned about Kacie. She hasn't returned yet." His offer was tempting. She had no doubt that his home was comfortable, immaculately clean, and spacious. Open and welcoming when compared to this cheap, tawdry hotel room or the stifling, although plush opulence of the brotherhood's underground lair.

Nash was already clumsily pecking away a text on his cell phone. Alerting the pack to be on the look out for Kacie. Generally speaking, his woods were a safe place. But, she might have accidentally wandered out of his territories. Or worse, she'd been spotted by humans and was being hunted.

He grunted when he got a response from Tristen. He didn't read or speak 'text' and was in need of an interpreter to fully understand the symbols, numbers, and letters meant to form sentences. He showed the display to Eloise. Chuckling as he read, "I believe this says that Kacie is at my house."

Eloise scowled at the display. "I think that's what it says." She snorted and tossed her purse down on the cheap watermarked and battle scarred desk, relieved that Kacie was safe. She undid her tight bun and ran her fingers through her hair. Flopping down on the worn bedspread, she was comforted by the suitcase stuffed with her favorite clothing. A little piece of home, perhaps the only bit of her former glory days that she had left.

"I want to thank you, Nash. For your concern and your hospitality." She ran her fingers along the jagged teeth of a zipper. Smoothing her nails against the complicated patterns, bright colors, and sleek fabrics that made up her wardrobe. "It's been a long time since anyone was genuinely nice to me. I appreciate the sentiment."

"Eloise, I like being nice to you." Nash sat on the bed beside her. His movements sent a cloud of dust into the air. "You don't have to go back."

"Yes I do. This is my mess and my problem and I'm going to go back and face my pack...or what is left of it. I owe them that much." She sighed and looked up at Nash. The dim lamplight shone across the hard planes of his high cheek. Cloaking his eyes in shadows. "I've decided that Kacie and my omegas should stay behind. They're safe here. I can't say the same if they return to Texas with me. Will you look after them?"

Nash tipped his head in agreement. What Eloise was doing, trusting him with her daughter and her omega protectors was not an easy thing. And it spoke volumes of what she anticipated waiting for her when she arrived in Texas. She didn't expect to walk away from this. "Of course. You have my word. I will protect them."

"And you'll look after Jan as well?"

"I think Thomas has that well in hand. Jan is well protected." He admired her bravery. She was foolish to risk herself to return to the unknown. But, brave nonetheless. His promise to protect her daughters and her loyal bodyguards was all he could offer as a means to ease her worry. "You should speak to your daughters before you go."

"I'm not sure Jan will see me. And Kacie, she'll demand to return with me. I won't let her. I've already put the both of them through enough. I just want them to be someplace safe, someplace where they can be happy."

"You would be safe here as well. You could find happiness here couldn't you?" Nash gently took her fingers and wrapped them in the warmth of his big hand.

"Neither one of my daughters truly wanted the life I'd chosen for them to live. Now they have their chance to find the lives that they want to live. As for me, my place is with my pack. It's the only life I've ever known." She curled her fingers into a ball in his palm, absorbing the warmth and kindness of his firm grasp. Nash had no sense of duty to her. No command to obedience to her. No gain by being nice to her. No reason to touch her or to hold her hand gently in his. His gesture, the simple act of offering comfort to another being, touched her deeply.

"When does your flight leave?"

"This morning, I'm booked for the first flight out." She withdrew her hand only to find it snatched back and tightly tucked against his palm. She didn't fight him. She held on to the comfort of his skin brushing against hers. This might be the last bit of kindness she experienced, maybe for the rest of her life.

"Grab your suitcase. You're checking out. I won't let you spend your last night here alone. You'll spend it with your family."

Eloise hid a tear of gratefulness as she gathered her belongings and zipped them in her suitcase. Returning to Texas was going to be hard and Nash's gentle, kind nature was making leaving all the more difficult. She gave the cheesy hotel room a once over and flicked off the light. Dragging her suitcase behind her as she left the room and closed the door.

Chapter 30

Kacie stretched out in front of a roaring fireplace and sighed, patting her overstuffed stomach. The food had been fantastic, way too much, but fantastic. They had missed supper and gorged on leftovers instead.

Tristen's family was so different than hers. Her pack lived in individual homes, not gathered under one roof as a big communal unit. There everyone took care of their own. Here, everyone took care of each other. She leaned on one elbow looking up at the little girl staring down at her with curious brown eyes.

"Hello, I'm Marianne." She extended her hand down toward the woman. "And you are?"

"I'm Kacie." She sat up and accepted the hand offered to her, giving it a light shake. The girl was dressed for bed in a pink one-piece, fleece, footie pajama set with black skulls and crossbones patterned across the fabric. The girl wore her long, sleek hair in pigtails. Surveying her with intense scrutiny, she wrinkled her nose at Kacie.

Marianne wrinkled her nose and leaned in closer. Kacie wasn't human. She smelled of wild and wolf. But, she didn't smell like one of the pack. She crouched on one knee and leaned in closely, studying the woman. Kacie smelled of her brother. Marianne had never encountered a wolf not of her pack before. Gina spent quite a bit of time, trying to teach her the politics of social interactions. Marianne didn't quite get it. Why, if you had something to say or a question to ask, you couldn't simply do so. The subtleties of human communication made no sense. She'd been brought up on honesty to the point of bluntness. And it was a loss to her why humans didn't appreciate the truth. "Are you Tristen's girlfriend?"

"Ah, no." Kacie reflexively brushed away the little girl sniffing her with unabashed curiosity. "What are you doing? It's rude to sniff people."

Marianne cocked her head to the side and studied Kacie as she considered her answer. She considered anything other than the absolute truth, no matter how much tact Gina tried to teach her to use, a lie. And she didn't lie. "You're not human are you?"

"Ahhhh," Kacie hesitated, unsure of how to answer the innocuous girl's question. The girl was absolutely guileless. Marianne was in that awkward pre-teen stage, between little girl and teenage terror. And in her manner of speaking, the raw honesty of her questions, Kacie assumed she was meeting one of Tristen's siblings.

"Mouse! Beat it!" A teenager barked as he sauntered across the room. Raising his eyebrows at Kacie, he grinned slyly, almost crookedly in a grin that was so much like Tristen's she almost burst out in a fit of laughter. She wondered how many other brothers and sisters of Tristen's were going to come out of the woodwork to sniff and leer at her. "Hi, I'm Daniel. That is my little sister, Mouse. She has no manners and I apologize for her rude behavior." He ran a hand through his short, spiked black hair and glided his brown eyes over her curves. Not very slick, this one, she thought. He extended his hand. Grinning slyly as she placed her hand into his, he lifted her knuckles to his lips and brushing them across the tops, like he'd seen in the movies.

"Daniel! Get lost!" Tristen barked as he sank down onto the rug next to Kacie and slid a mug of hot chocolate into her hand. "Are they bothering you?"

"No. Of course not," Kacie lied. She hid her smile as the teenager shot Tristen the bird and the girl blew him a raspberry. "Who are they?"

"My little brother and sister." Tristen caught Mouse's raspberry and his brother's digital term of endearment out of the corner of his eye and waved them off with a sharp flick of his wrist and a glare. "Daniel and Mouse."

"She said her name was Marianne." Kacie sipped her cocoa and studied Tristen.

"It is, but everyone calls her mouse."

"Oh." She glanced over to the huddle of kids gathered round the TV. Her eyes flicked over to the adults cuddling on the couch and to another couple, cooing softly at a baby wrapped in layers of soft blankets. Tristen's family seemed to appreciate honesty. And she was curious. "Who are they?"