Dawn's Darkest Hour

Daniel swirled a generous dollop of cream into the coffee and studied Eric. "I'd hate to see how you treat your enemies."

Eric chuckled and leaned forward with his elbows on his knees as if he intended to share a secret. "That you would. Fortunately, for them, they're all dead."

"Nice," Daniel said sarcastically. He kept quiet eying Eric as he sipped the coffee. "What do you want? Really."

"Friends trust one another with their secrets. I consider us tight as brothers. Tell me something, Daniel. What secrets are in that brain of yours?"

Daniel eyed the open door. Gauging the distance between the vampire, the bed, and his ticket out of here. In his human form he'd never make it to the door in time. His wolf didn't stand much of a chance either, not with that tranq gun hanging off Eric's belt. The door had been left open to taunt and tease him. Tempt him with the one thing he could not have, freedom. Daniel squashed the urge that seized his leg muscles into tight knots. Shrugging he said, "I'm just a guy. I don't know anything."

Eric followed Daniel's eyes to the open door. They tracked back and forth from him to the door. Daniel was tempted but not stupid enough to make a run for it. "Oh no Daniel, you're so much more than that."

Daniel munched on the bacon and calculated what to say next. He forced his eyes away from the open door and focused them on the man sitting across the room. He knew the basic specs about the vampire's abilities, but not where Eric's mind was. "Yessette said you were pissed about the carpet." If he could stir the vampire to rage, he might get his opening.

Eric chuckled deep in his throat. "Possessions mean little when you're as old as I am, Daniel. What I wish to acquire is so much more important."

"And what's that?" Daniel asked. The plate was empty on his lap and the last of the coffee drained from the carafe.

"You."

"Me?" Daniel choked.

"I told you that I want to be your friend. I wasn't creating a falsehood. I can give you anything your heart desires. Yessette, you can have her if you wish, in every way possible. Money. The finest of possessions are yours for the taking. Nothing is beyond my capabilities to provide. Just ask and it's yours."

"What do I have to do in return?" Daniel asked skeptically. Anything was a big word, looming over his head like a storm cloud ready to burst. In his experience, nobody did ANYTHING for NOTHING. He wasn't a complete idiot. The vampire had SOMETHING he wanted from him. Daniel just needed to figure out what and how to use it.

The way Eric offered up Yessette like a possession sickened Daniel. His feelings for her had run the gamut from fear, to hatred, to lust, and now to pity. She wasn't human, granted. But, she wasn't a thing to be used as a bargaining chip either. What was the realm of Eric's power? If anyone in the room wasn't human, it was Eric.

"Nothing much at all, simply be my friend." Eric scooped up the empty dishes and left the boy with much to consider. Youth and foolishness often times went hand in hand. On that fact, he was banking. Shame, the boy hadn't thought to ask exactly what the duties of friendship entailed. No matter, the boy would find out soon enough.

Chapter 93

Robert Black listened to the harried explanation for the call his ex gave on the other end. His son was missing. In her panic ridden state, much of what she'd said from hundreds of miles away didn't make sense. Cole had simply gone out one night and never come back. He ran a hand through his unruly hair and drew in a breath. "Do you want me to come?"

Jesse hesitated on the other end. Robert's offer to be at her side during this time of crisis touched her. Bill would be furious if he found out she'd called him. He still honestly believed that Cole wasn't missing but was out screwing off somewhere. She wished she could share his lack of concern. Go about her life like ordinary. There was no way she could do that until she knew for certain. "I...I don't know."

Robert sighed at Jesse's indecision. He hadn't heard from her in years. She was scared out of her wits for Cole or he wouldn't be getting a phone call now. They hadn't parted on the best of terms back then and Cole had been the one to pay the price. Guilt gnawed at his insides hard. He hadn't been much of a father to his son. "Jess?"

Nervously, she chewed on her bottom lip. If Robert did come back, what could he do? Hold her hand while she worried? Search for their son? Without a clue of where he might be? The police had nothing and like Bill really didn't believe Cole was missing. How could one man do any better? "No, stay there. Cole might show up at your door," she said with resignation. Both of them knew that there was no chance of Cole searching out his father. Her son's hurts toward Robert ran too deep for that. "You'll call...if you see him?"

"Of course," Robert answered, nodding stupidly at the phone. "You'll keep me posted?" He listened to the frantic wails of a baby that pierced through the silence between them. If he'd been a different man...quickly he shut off the thought before it took root in his brain. Jesse had gone on and made a life for herself. This was not the time to dwell on past mistakes or a future that wasn't meant to be. "Jess, thanks for calling. Don't hesitate if you need anything. I can be on the next flight out of here."

"Thanks. I'll let you know." Jesse quickly ended the call before she begged Robert to take the next flight home. Bill was a good husband and a good provider for her and the kids. She'd always hoped he'd develop a soft spot for Cole in time. Having Bill adopt Cole as his son was her idea and she'd pushed and pushed until he finally caved. She thought if Cole had Bill's last name, proof on paper that he was his legal son. Things would change between the two of them. They did. Without the monthly child support checks, Bill began to see Cole as a burden. And Cole's resentment of Bill for taking the only thing he had left of his father away from him blossomed into hatred. At first, Robert had made a genuine effort to be a father to Cole. He saw the adoption as her final betrayal. Afterward, he stopped being a father to his son and became a stranger.

Robert paced the wooden floors of his cabin. He had his fortress of solitude. The mountains cradled the tiny shack, effectively isolating him from the rest of the world. Cut off from the outside by towers of rock and thick forest. He sold artisan tidbits over the Internet for a premium. Sculptures of wood and stone that snooty collectors snatched up with unparalleled fury. His pieces, bits of his soul, were on display in all the finest lobbies and waiting rooms, on shelves and fancy lighted stands, all across the country.

The rugged, inhospitable terrain was his temple and he a humble worshiper. He needed this place to keep him centered and grounded. The silent nights and clear blue skies helped him keep his head on straight. But, he was alone here. Out there, life hadn't stopped. It just kept marching on without him. He was the one who stopped. He just put down the pieces and quit playing the game. After losing his wife and his son to another man, not much seemed to matter anymore.

He didn't know Cole. His son was a stranger. A name an address and a phone number scribbled on a scrap of paper somewhere in his desk was what his son had become. Robert tried hard to conjure up a mental picture of Cole in his mind. He saw an eight year-old boy. The age Cole had been the last time he'd laid eyes on him. He had no idea of what his son even looked like now nonetheless what kind of man he was growing up to be.

Robert typed furiously on the computer and pulled up a flight schedule. His eager fans would have to wait. For far too long he'd been hiding from the world and his son. Duty tugged hard, demanding a response. He had a son and his son needed his father. Minutes later, flight booked, hotel reserved, and duffel bag packed, he hopped in his ancient jeep and began the long trek back home.

Chapter 94

"Why Carter, what an unexpected surprise." Bianca kept it light and cool. Carter was a man on edge, gauging by his strained appearance. She tightened the belt on her dressing gown. The satin flowed down along her thigh like a sleek waterfall, revealing a good length of leg. Distraction enough for most men to keep them off her scent, but not him. She didn't need his shit. Not now. She stared at Carter's stony reflection cast in the mirror in front of her. "I take it this isn't a social call."

Carter wanted to throttle Bianca by her thin little neck and wring the truth out of her. What was her game? "You play all sides of the fence don't you," he accused. "What in the hell are you up to? I know you're helping Eric. You set one of your own up to take the fall. What I don't know is why. Wouldn't you come out much better if you handed O'Sullivan over to the Sons on a silver platter? Solve a lot of problems, for the both of us, wouldn't it? What's in this for you?"

"A girl has got to keep all her options open now doesn't she?" Bianca answered coldly as she snapped an earring in place. The diamonds twinkled like stars on her earlobe. "Perhaps I'm not quite as willing as you to serve a master. You have some nerve to stomp in here and accuse me of anything. Turncoat," she snorted bitterly. "You sold you soul for much, much cheaper than I." Coyly, she tilted her head and swiveled on the padded bench to face Carter. "How is Yessette these days?"

"Bitch!" Carter hissed. She knew exactly how Yessette was. She always had known the truth about Yessette. That Bianca should rub it in his face infuriated him. He clenched his fingers into fists at his side. Here, in his old rooms, he was considered a threat. One word from her and the men he once called brothers would rise to her defense. "I didn't come here to trade accusations and insults. We have a mutual problem."

"Oh really?" Bianca raised her brows in curiosity. "What would that be?" She padded over to her closet and riffled through the numerous selections. Decisions. Decisions. She expected better company than Carter today. Show some leg. Show some cleavage? Show both? Sometimes, a girl could have too many choices.

"Daniel."

Bianca chose a vintage silk blouse in a vibrant hunter green and a soft brown woolen skirt from the racks and carefully held them against her body for inspection. Quickly, she returned them and dug in deeper. Too businesslike. "Who?" she asked, taunting Carter for no other reason than to see some sort of a flush on that pale skin of his.

"Bianca," Carter growled through clenched molars.

"Ok, ok," Bianca conceded, narrowing down her choices between two selections. "What of him? He's just a child. Eric will grow bored with him eventually. Besides, from what I hear, Yessette is keeping Daniel quite entertained."

"What?" Carter could not believe what came out of Bianca's mouth. Had Eric gone insane? Did he want the wrath of the Sons to come down on all of their heads? Yessette could not be trusted around a living, breathing person. She'd slaughter Daniel.

Bianca hung her final choice for the day on a hook on the inside of the closet door and turned. "Carter really, I thought you were smarter than that," she said with mock pity. "Yessette is just as much of a tool as you are." She reached up and patted his cheek condescendingly. "I assumed you knew about their arrangement. You didn't actually believe you had her all to yourself did you? She's hardly the chaste virgin of yesteryear you've pined after all these centuries."

Carter gripped Bianca's wrist in his fist and threw her hand away from his face. "I'm no tool. I'll deal with Yessette."

"She should have been dealt with long ago. You didn't have the balls to finish her off then and you don't have them now. I could do it for you. If you'd like." Pulling Carter's chain when it came to Yessette was too easy. Yessette was Carter's only weakness. The only real card she had to play against him.

"Leave her out of this." Carter watched Bianca through eyes narrowed with outrage. If anyone were going to make the decision to end her life, it would be him. Her existence was his fault. And Bianca was right about one thing. He didn't have the balls to do what needed to be done to absolve himself of the burden of his mistake. "What are we going to do about Daneil?"

"We?" Bianca snickered. "I didn't know there was a "we". Why is this "our" problem? There's nothing to link the boy to me. He means nothing to me."

"If he dies, it's going to become a problem for all of us very quickly." Carter discreetly dipped his head as Bianca slid a long length of shapely leg into a silk stocking. She flaunted her body much as she flaunted her words, to get a rise out of him.

"I've got my own problems. I've got Sons crawling all over the city looking for that boy. I've got a dead girl and the media just itching for someone to pin her murder on. I've got the Sons ransacking my city like a bunch of damned vigilantes. Don't talk to me about problems."

Carter chuckled coldly, "Ah the burdens of leadership. Hardly been in charge a month and you've got the Sons breathing down your neck." He towered over Bianca's smaller frame and knelt close to her ear, his breath making the tiny bauble dangling from her earlobe flutter. "Give the brothers the boy and be rid of them."

The tiny hairs on the back of Bianca's neck stood at full attention. Carter's words fluttered over her skin, sending a prickling sensation down her spine. "Thanks for the advice," she muttered under her breath. "How do you suppose I do that?"

Carter slid his fingers down the silky arm of Bianca's dressing gown and down to her fingers. Gently, he took the dainty chain from her fist and slid it around her neck. A weighty diamond pendant swung at the hollow of her throat. How tempting, to pull the chain so tightly that it choked her. She wouldn't die though. With deft movements, he fastened the clasp. "I think we could help each other obtain a common goal."

"What's your goal, Carter?" Bianca fingered the pendant at her throat.

"The right choices can make all the difference." Carter winked and pulled a low cut, rust colored, knit shift out of the closet and hung it over the black pencil skirt and blouse Bianca had planned to wear for the day. "It's a cold world out there," he said. "Better be prepared for it."

Bianca watched him close the door. Talk about game playing. Carter was a master. She slid out of her dressing gown, leaving the silk at a puddle around her feet and rearranged the hangars. She zipped up the skirt and tucked in the blouse. She looked unapproachable, like a severe schoolteacher. Not the look she hoped for. In a huff, she pulled off the clothes and tossed them into the closet. Begrudgingly, she put on the shift. The knit clung to her curves like a glove. She looked soft, feminine, and utterly approachable. She doubted though, that Carter was talking about her clothing when he spoke of choices.

Chapter 95

Hunter maneuvered through busy streets, just another nameless face amongst thousands, trying to survive the day. Already the rubble left from their little accident earlier this morning was being scooped away in a flurry of efficiency that only a city of this size could manage. The officials weren't there long investigating the explosion. Too quickly the incident had been chalked off to a faulty gas main. More than likely, the city counted the loss of one more condemned slum a blessing.

Hunter's body begged him for rest. Legs ached in protest to the constant hours of pounding they took in his heavy combat boots. He couldn't afford the luxury of giving in to his body's demands. Not as long as his son was out here somewhere. With everyday that passed the odds of finding him grew slimmer and slimmer. The thought of what could happen to his youngest at the hands of a mad man spurred him harder.

Frustration tore at his weary mind. There were plenty willing to lend a hand. Only, he wouldn't let them. The situation was dangerous enough without adding more of the pack into the mix. They were all good men. Men with families, wives and children, to think they'd sacrifice themselves for his son, not happening. He stood to lose one son. The possibility of Tristen, his eldest son, falling into the wrong hands was an unacceptable risk. Risking anyone else but himself was not a chance he was willing to take. He'd have to make due with the help he had at hand.

Vampires scoured the city along side of him. They were good men. Seasoned and well organized. But, as good as they were, tracking was not an innate ability they possessed. At least, the vampires seemed to be safe enough from the bastard who had taken Daniel. Son of a bitch obviously wasn't interested in them, primarily, because Daniel's captor was one of them.

There had been no ransom demands. No demands made of any kind. Hunter would have gladly paid any sum to get his son back. Vampires didn't have much use for cash. No. They dealt in something more valuable than a few bits of gold. Secrets. Hunter had no more precious secret than the one he'd passed down to his son.

The city, stubborn bitch that she was, refused to relinquish any clues to the whereabouts of his son. Hunter knew Daniel was out there somewhere and he was damned sure going to find him. Time ticked relentlessly away. Each second that Daniel remained away from the power of his pack, the more dangerous the situation became. Impatiently, Hunter stood at a corner, waiting for traffic to slow long enough for him to cross the street. He'd been over and over this stretch of concrete at least a dozen times. There wasn't anything here and he knew it. But at this point, the place of his son's abduction was the only place he could think of to go.

Yessette liked to play tricks on Eric and sneak out of the house when he wasn't looking. He always went into such a frenzy to try to find her. Carter had turned into such an old pooh recently. He wasn't fun at all anymore. At least she had Daniel to take Carter's place. She was trying very, very hard to be good. Although, his scent made her hungry, she'd remained on her best behavior. If she hurt him, Eric wouldn't let her play with him anymore.

Eric liked for her to look her best. He spared no expense when it came to dressing her or providing her with expensive baubles. She'd snuck into his safe on her way out, just to give her something to do, and pocketed a few thousand dollars in loose bills. Now that she had a new playmate, she wanted to buy something to wear that he would like.

Playing human was always such a thrill. Rarely, did she hunt in the daytime. If she was pretending to be one of them, she couldn't very well eat them, now could she. Her blonde hair swung in loose ringlets across the back of her wool cape. She stared in wonder at all the life, all the lives, bustling around her. Completely oblivious to the danger she represented. How easily they found death, these pitiable little creatures.

She marveled at the soft tap-tapping sound of her boots on the pavement as she walked along the crowded sidewalks. The world around her was tinted a soft rose color through the lenses she wore perched on the bridge of her nose. The shadows cast off the towering buildings eased the fretful glare of the sun. Her heart was light, practically dancing as she rounded the corner of the department store. In here was a virtual wonderland of goods. Silks, wools, expensive blends of fabrics in a rainbow of colors and textures, any design and combination she could possibly desire at her fingertips.

From the middle of the closed intersection, a couple of workmen lazily leaned on their shovels, leering at her. Their beady little eyes glittered with desire. She didn't care. Misguided affections made an easy meal. Later. First, she had to work up an appetite with a little shopping. Teasing them with what they couldn't have, she wiggled her hips as she walked the remainder of the block to the store. Out of all games, she liked hunter and prey the best.