Dawn Released

The morning was bustling with the sound of throaty bird cries welcoming the rising dawn. Eloise longed to stay put and pretend that she could take part in the bigger world around her and forget the little corner in which she lived for a few more minutes. Time was of the essence and she couldn't afford to waste it. Not when she wasn't sure exactly how much of it she had left. Hastily she jerked her fingers away from Nash's warm inviting lips. "What happened last night?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Nash asked with an amused glint in his eye. He certainly remembered. Last night had been the highlight of his life. A woman had not held him in such thrall in decades. A part of him had died with his wife. He'd conceded to the fact that the intimacy he'd shared with her was gone forever. That the part of him capable of loving a woman with such tenderness and utter, absolute completeness was carried into the spirit world with her, Eloise had rekindled what he thought was lost. Until her, tasting her sweetness on the tip of his tongue and feeling the warmth of her in his arms had brought him back to life.

Eloise pulled the blankets up around her chin, painfully aware of the fact that she was naked. "I remember," she retorted, blushing furiously red. For a man who had not been interested in her last night, he certainly appeared interested enough this morning. The covers were tinted from the heavy press of his erection. She needed to think about something else than what was under the covers. "I meant what happened with Seff," she said, clearing her throat.

"I don't know." Nash stretched and sat up in the bed, lounging on the pillows against the headboard. "I take it as a good sign that he and his guards haven't busted down the door yet."

Their bodies were inches apart. Separated by his jeans and the thick quilt that she held bunched in her fists. The treasures he'd seen and that quilt now hid from his view tormented him. He was stiff and achy. Easily stirred back to hardness from the mere thought of her lush, curvy body. He'd seen her naked before and she'd never been one to be shy over the lack of clothing. She was proud of what the goddess gave her and not afraid to show it. Now, she acted like a virgin, shy, blushing, embarrassed of her nudity. He sat with his legs stretched out and his head kicked back on the pillows. Not sure of what she wanted from him. Though he knew, without a doubt, what he wanted from her.

"That's not a good enough answer," Eloise huffed. She was humiliated at how casually he was about his rejection of her. He'd turned down what she'd offered and now he was acting like what they had done didn't affect him in the slightest. She was already insulted by his refusal and her wounded pride was beginning to simmer into anger.

"Get dressed and we'll go find out." Nash threw back his portion of the covers and hopped out of bed. Eloise felt vulnerable enough without him accidentally exposing her. Obviously, she was embarrassed by her behavior last night and wanted to forget it. Not going to be easy for him, but she might eventually come around. He shuffled over to the closet and rummaged through an assortment of t-shirts and sweats. Pulling a pair of sweats and a shirt that looked like they might fit from the drawer for her, and a t-shirt for himself.

With the tip of his toe, he nudged tattered remains of his shirt under the bed. He tossed the clothes at her as he pulled on the t-shirt and made his way to the door. Stepping over the wet bundle of draperies and the ruined remnants of her clothes left in the middle of the floor last night in his haste to get her naked.

"Nash." Eloise bit her lip hesitantly. Why was this so hard for her? What had happened between them was just one of those things. A brief encounter, it didn't mean anything more. Not to him, at least, and certainly, not to her.

"Yes, Eloise." His hand rested on the doorknob as he glanced over his shoulder and waited for her to speak. Her discomfort was almost palpable in the air. She grasped the covers tightly, pulling them up to her chin. Her green eyes flicked around the room, looking anywhere but at him.

"I..." she hesitated, damning herself for the question she was going to ask. Despite what was going to happen when they left this room. She had to know. This might be the only time she got the chance to ask. Time was against her, but if she never found out the truth, the question would consume her till it drove her insane. "Last night..." she winced as his shoulders tensed. "Why didn't you?"

Nash's shoulders dropped as he exhaled a thoughtful sigh. The truth was as good of an answer as he had and he might as well throw it out there for her to do with what she would. "Eloise, I didn't want to take advantage of you. What Seff put you through was unforgivable. I couldn't do that to you." He lifted his hand from the doorknob and moved to the bed. Scooting her over he sank down onto the mattress beside her. "I want..." he cupped her chin in his palm and drew her face close to his. "When or if we ever do that... I want it to be because you want me. I want to be the one to make you crazy like that. I don't want it to be because of a drug induced hormone surge. I want it to be you. All you. All me."

Eloise closed her eyes and rested her chin in the warm, gentle, embrace of his palm. "It wasn't because you didn't want me?"

Nash stifled a chuckle. Not want her? How could she be so obtuse? Not want her? He was almost insane with want and need. "Eloise, how on earth could you think that I didn't want you? Woman, I want you worse than I've ever wanted anyone in a very long time. I haven't felt what I do for you for another woman for decades. Not want you? I want you right now. I'll want you tomorrow, and the day after that, the year after that, the century after that. I'll want you for the rest of my life. How could you ever doubt that?"

"You love me?" Eloise's eyes snapped open. Nash's eyes were on fire, burning with the intensity of his words. He loved her? He didn't love her? She loved him? She didn't love him? She hadn't stopped to think about love. Love was such a luxury in her world. People mated for the well being of the pack. Mates were carefully selected. Genetic matches and bloodlines carefully examined before a mating was consented. Maybe if a couple was very lucky, they were actually in love. Maybe, if they were lucky, they came to love one another. And maybe if they were extremely blessed, they stayed in love for the rest of their lives.

"Yes Eloise, I love you. My world is very different from yours. That fact is something we're both aware of. In my world, when a man and woman make love, that love creates an unbreakable bond between them. Maybe, on a rare occasion a couple escapes the bond and it can be broken. But, sometimes, not even death has the power to sever the ties between mates. I didn't take advantage of you last night because I love you. I know how I feel, but I couldn't trap you like that. Not without knowing you felt the same way."

Eloise sat on the bed with her chin in his palm, staring up at him, listening and letting his words soak into her mind. Love. It was a big, frightening, and very foreign concept. Something, she'd never expected to find. Nash wanted her, for her. Not because of her superior genetics. He'd risked his life for her. Not because he had anything to gain from doing so. He'd kept her safe from herself when so many others would have taken advantage. "I don't know what to say."

"Quit trying to figure it out. I can see the wheels in your mind turning. Either you love me or you don't." Gently he lowered his face to hers, keeping her chin trapped in the palm of his hand as he brushed a soft kiss across her lips. Rekindling the embers of the fire that had been raging and consuming him since the moment they met.

"I've never been in love before," Eloise whispered against the heat of his lips. She inhaled his breath, taking it deep into her lungs and savoring it. She felt the impact of the kiss all the way down to her toes. Shivering as the powerful sparks ignited by their kiss zinged up her spine. She'd had her share of men, but none of them made her feel as alive and cared for as he did.

With Nash, she felt an array of emotions and sensations that she'd never experienced before. For him, she'd die. Without him, she'd wither. Thoughts of him were what had seen her through the dark times. The memory of his lips, and his warmth, of his embrace had been what kept her going when she thought she had no future left. And now, all she had was future, a future, for as brief or as long as it may be, with him.

"Are you scared?" Nash felt like a teenager all over again. Ignited with a zeal and passion for living that he'd forgotten could exist. He wrapped her up in his arms, holding her for all he was worth.

Eloise rested her cheek on Nash's shoulder and lifted her lips to the curve of his ear. Rubbing her face against the rough stubble of his jaw, she closed her eyes and relaxed against his chest. Letting him support her weight in his strong arms as she simply reveled in the sheer magnitude of the new undiscovered territories she traveled. "Terrified."

Chapter 46

Ruby rested her head on Hanning's shoulder. Evan was tucked snugly into the curve of her hip, staring in wonder at the remains of the fence. The day she and Evan had spent away from Hanning had been sheer torture. She had done her best to put on a brave front for her 'little man', but she couldn't help but worry about her husband and her pack. Finally, after the weeks of siege under Seff's tyrannical rule, they were safe and the worst behind him. "What happens now?"

Hanning bent his head and buried his nose deeply in Ruby's hair, inhaling the scent so familiar to him. "That's up to us." The fence was down. Forever. He and his family were free to explore the world that stretched beyond its boundaries. Or they could stay here and rebuild. Whatever they chose. For the first time ever Ruby and he had the freedom of choice to decide what was best for them and for their rambunctious son.

He'd never in his wildest dreams imagined a life beyond the boundaries that restricted him for so long. It seemed that now that the fence was down, he couldn't imagine staying here and not at least visiting all the places he'd read and fantasized about since he was Evan's age. The whole world and everything in it was within his grasp.

Ruby had no great schemes for her life. She only wanted to live in safety with Hanning and raise their son into a fine man, like his father. Hanning had visions of a new life in a new place. He wanted a fresh start. She couldn't deny him that. She wouldn't restrict her son to the childhood she'd had. Growing up staring out at the world through a tall strip of fence, wondering what else there was beyond its boundaries.

Evan wiggled out of his mother's arms and wandered, never too far out of her reach. He knew better. Carter was nowhere to be seen. The big guy was nice to him and gave the best piggyback rides. He wanted another one from his strange new friend. "Mama, where's Carter? He didn't leave without saying goodbye, did he?"

Evan had been irrevocably changed by the events of the last twenty-four hours. The little world he knew was gone. His horizons widened considerably Changed by his introduction to the pack from the north and the vampire that had accompanied them. "Honey, I don't know. I'm sure he hasn't left yet." She tried not to let her personal feelings for the vampire show. He hadn't been the bloodsucking fiend she read about in books. In fact, he'd been cordial with all of them and gentle and patient with her son. Evan had a new friend and perhaps, Carter did as well.

Shayla hung close to her sister and brother in law. Her newly found freedom felt strange to her. Today was the first morning she hadn't awakened in terror of what the day might bring. She wasn't afraid of what tomorrow had to offer. Because she had a tomorrow as sure as the sun would rise. Tomorrow was a luxury she could afford to dream about. Without Ramon, she had nothing holding her here.

Her sister had her own life to live and a family to care for. She could stay close to them, but then, she might find herself precariously living through them. And that wasn't fair to them or to her. She needed to try on her newly found freedom and see how it fit before she could decide what was best for her. She'd have the luxury of exploring all of life's little niches figure out where she wanted to be. She could try each and every one on and choose the best, not for anyone else, but which life truly was the best, for her.

She could feel Carter's brooding presence creeping along her flesh, setting the delicate hairs along her arms on end. He wasn't far away. He wasn't afraid of the sun. He just simply didn't like it. Preferring the dark shadows, perfect for hiding, to the light, which exposed everything it touched. His mind was a maze of dark places and she could get lost in it forever if she chanced to wander through them.

He was an enigma to her. On the outside, he was cool and aloof. Always the observer, casual and removed from whatever was going on around him. But, on the inside, the depth of his feelings carved their way through the black granite of his casual exterior in veins of deep and vibrant colors. Carter saw everything. He felt everything. And he showed nothing.

In a way, she'd miss his ever present companionship in her mind when their connection faded to nothing. Although, he puzzled her, she doubted if he saw anything in her that sparked even the faintest hint of curiosity. After all, as long as it was, she only had this lifetime to live and had not walked on this planet but a blink of an eye. In contrast to the darkness that shrouded him, she was transparent as glass. She had no great secrets to hide and knew of no shadowy places.

She followed behind Hanning and Ruby as they walked along the narrow streets of the complex. For the most part everything was still intact. The Grand Manor was demolished. Nothing but a smoldering skeleton of ruble left to mark where it had proudly stood for over a century and a half. She felt Carter more strongly now. The deeper she walked into the neat, orderly neighborhoods, the stronger the connection they shared called to her. "I'll catch up with you guys later," she said absently to her sister as she cut through a narrow causeway between the houses. Carter's pull was irresistible and the need to find him consumed her.

Carter sheltered from the blinding morning light in a place worthy of his grand stature. The storage shed was lined with cardboard boxes arranged in perfect rows. Emergency rations for the 'what if'. As if a few dusty boxes would be enough to see them through when the 'what if' ever occurred. In his long life he had seen his share of 'what if's' and knew as certain as the blasted sun burned a blinding path across the sky, more "what if's" would inevitably follow.

He was hungry. Damned hungry. Last night had exhausted his energy reserve and game, as much as he hated weak, watery, animal blood as a form of sustenance, was much more difficult to find amongst the barren, sparsely vegetated planes surrounding the compound than he had anticipated.

The few jackrabbits he had managed to scare up did little to sate his need. The wolves, their scent and the memory of Shayla's powerful blood drove him insane with thirst. The jackrabbit had paled and soured on his pallet when compared with the shimmering life force he'd drawn from her.

"Carter?" Shayla felt certain he was in here, hiding amidst the boxes. This place was seldom used. A relic from the cold war, the dusty building had been reserved as an emergency shelter kept stocked with rations and supplies necessary for survival.

Carter shrank back into the shelter of his shadowy corner as the rays of light spilled across the threshold. The windowless cavern of concrete and cinder block trapped Shayla's scent inside. "Go away," he bellowed. His powerful voice echoed off the walls in a booming, forceful grumble.

"Carter? Are you ok?" Shayla stepped further into the room and inched the door closed behind her. She flicked the power switch, not surprised when it failed to bring the overhead lights on. Her fingers locked around the thick, long, cold, metal handle of a flashlight. She shone the beam down the narrow aisles. "Carter, where are you?"

"You'd stay away if you knew what's good for you."

Shayla followed the sound of his voice. His emotions were foreboding and filled with whispered warnings that set her instincts to flee in alarm. Her throat was burning, dry and parched. His thirst was almost unbearable. The deep hunger he felt wrenched at her stomach. "Carter, I can feel how hungry you are."

"Are you here to offer your throat?" Carter pressed his back to the cold concrete wall, evading the weak beam of the flashlight as she wandered dangerously close to his hiding place. The scent of her filled his nostrils and consumed his thoughts. A few sips would ease the raging hunger within him, but he'd never be completely sated. Never. As long as he lived, the hunger would be with him.

"I'm not offering my throat." Shayla let Carter's presence fill her mind. He was hurting. He had hidden, not only from the sun, but also from her. He had locked himself away because he didn't trust himself around anybody, especially her. She could feel the effect of her scent on him and the desperate effort he spent to keep his hunger under control. "I'm not afraid of you."

"You know what I am. You've seen what I'm capable of. If you're not afraid, then you are very stupid."

Shayla stopped and pushed the boxes aside. Scrambling in between the narrow space she'd created between the bottled water and cases of canned corn. "I'd let you drink. I can feel how badly you hurt. You trusted me and I've trusted you. I'm willing to trust you again."

"With your life? There's no one here but us. I could drain you and no one would be able to stop me. Do you really have so much faith in me?"

"Yes." Shayla sat on a box, crouched beside his cowering body. She gathered the dark walnut length of her hair in her fingers and slid the makeshift ponytail over her shoulder, exposing her neck. Her heart pounded in her ears as she considered what it was she intended to do. Offer her blood and put her life in the hands of someone she knew had killed, not in self-defense or by accident, but on purpose, for no other reason than he'd wanted to.

"I expended a lot of energy last night. The price of my need will be great. I won't be able to stop until I've fully quenched my thirst. My bite will not be pleasant. You foolishly place your trust in me. Only a fool trusts a fool." Carter pressed his back against the hard brick, grinding his molars as his fangs extended in hunger. "I know the fool I am and I'm foolish enough in my own right to accept what you so freely offer."

He reached out and slid his finger down the bounding pulse point in her throat. The sound of her heartbeat, the opening and closing of valves and the rush of blood through the chambers filled his ears and consumed his senses until they honed in on her like the predator he was. He damned the darkness inside of him as he locked her in his powerful embrace and lowered his lips to the thundering point. "Feel my bite and remember this accursed thing that I am. This thing that you have willingly offered yourself to."

Shayla held absolutely still as Carter's breath skated across her throat. His lips were warm and his exhale searing in its heat. Scorching pain jolted through her body as he pierced her skin with his fangs. Driving the points deeply into her flesh, he pinned her against the harness of his chest, stilling her reflexive buck at the force of his bite. There was the flash of pain and then a surge of pure bliss tingled along her core spreading outwards along her limbs. She felt his relief as he drank deeply of the life spilling from her into him.