Dawn’s Awakening (20 page)

Her body was stiff, the fragmented memories of the dream almost, just almost, receded. She could almost remember. She could still taste her own fear, hear her own prayers and the answer she had been given.

And as she stared into Seth’s eyes, she knew he had heard. He knew. He would have heard her prayers. She knew she prayed in her sleep, where she refused to pray while awake. She didn’t pray, because she knew He didn’t listen.

But Seth did. He had heard her and he had brought her back from the dream. He had kept her from her screaming. He had kept her from feeling the pain. She knew that in a distant part of her consciousness. She might not remember the dream, but she knew the pain she always awoke to. Until now.

“Hold me.” Her voice was harsh, desperate. “Don’t make me be alone.”

But he was already gathering her closer, the muscles in his powerful arms flexing around her as those prayers, a child’s prayers, echoed in her head.

“You’ll never be alone again,” he whispered at her ear. “Don’t you know, Dawn? God sent me to you. Tell me what to do, baby, just tell me what to do.”

“Just hold me.”

She wasn’t shuddering, she wasn’t praying. She held on to him like a lifeline and felt a coil of dread begin to unravel in her soul. Because she remembered the eyes, and she knew, knew, somewhere at some time, she had seen those eyes again.

Seth stared into the dimness of the room and felt Dawn slip slowly back into sleep. He still rubbed her back in slow, easy circles as he held her tight to his chest, his heart racing furiously.

Terror had clenched his heart when she had jerked out of his arms, her arms and legs slamming to the bed as though jerked in place by some unseen force. And then she had begun praying.

Distantly, he remembered hearing the rumor that Dawn never prayed. She never attended the religious services provided for Sanctuary, and refused to be in the pastor’s presence. She was one of the few that claimed God hadn’t made Breeds and He hadn’t adopted them.

But she prayed in her dreams. In a child’s broken voice, hoarse with pain, she prayed in her dreams. God save me…

And he knew what she had pleaded to be saved from. She had prayed to God as they raped her, and they hadn’t stopped. They had hurt her, over and over again. She had been taught in those labs that she didn’t have a soul. That she was created by man, not by God. That God had no interest in Breeds. A child suffering through what she had suffered through, how could she help but believe it was the truth?

His little Cougar Breed believed God had abandoned her. And then everyone else had as well. Callan had left her to Dayan’s insanity and then Seth had left her to the mating heat. Dawn had known only betrayal, only pain.

And yet here she lay in his arms, relaxed, sleeping deeply.

Seth had demanded monthly reports on Dawn after he left her. For years, he had called Jonas personally, making certain she had everything she needed, providing what he could to make her safer, more comfortable. And through those years he had gained some information on her.

He knew she often woke the estate with her screams, until the past few years. He knew most nights she didn’t sleep at all. She dozed through the day, sometimes she napped in the forest. She made few friends, she trained religiously, and the male Breeds within the compound lived almost in fear of her. Jonas hadn’t mentioned why. Dawn had been amused at the accusation, her gaze glittering with laughter.

He saw glimpses of a prankster in her, a smart-ass if ever one had been born. A strong, stubborn, determined woman, far different than that shadow of a broken child that he had glimpsed ten years before when his chauffeur had mauled her breasts and called her a Council plaything.

And now here she lay in his arms, more a lover than any other woman who had ever touched his body.

But still plagued by the shadows of a past that she refused to remember, and the God she believed had deserted her.

He sighed tiredly and kissed her brow, a smile, both of sadness and of thanksgiving, curving his lips as she purred for him again. A slow little rumble as she tucked herself tighter against him, her thigh sliding between his, her little fingers flexing against his flesh.

She was his. Now he had a find a way to save her.

“Sleep, baby,” he whispered as she muttered against his chest and tried to turn. “Right here, Dawn. I have you safe.”

She relaxed against him once more, her breathing light and slow, and a few moments later another little purr. And how he loved those purrs.

How he loved his Cougar Breed.

CHAPTER 13

The house came awake several hours later. The tragedy of the other night wasn’t forgotten, and the guests were filled with snide questions and brittle remarks concerning the deceased.

It seemed there were few people who had truly liked Andrew Breyer aside from Seth, Dane Vanderale and Ryan Desalvo. The other guests, while outwardly shocked, some even appearing grief-stricken, were gluttonously excited over the fact that someone had actually died.

Dawn could feel the excitement humming among the guests, which totaled nearly a hundred. Hell of a board meeting getaway, she thought as she followed Seth and watched how effortlessly he played the perfect host.

The evening’s festivities were yet another party. Despite her objections, the band that had been hired for the event had flown in that afternoon and set up in the huge ballroom at one side of the house. The many French doors lining the room were thrown open and crystal chandeliers cast a golden glow over everything.

Drinks flowed freely, a buffet had been arranged for those whose hunger hadn’t been assuaged by the outdoor barbecue earlier, and many of the couples were dancing slowly in the center of the floor set aside just for that.

Dawn stood beside Seth, aware of his hand at the small of her back as he once again talked with the CEO of Foreman Motors regarding the vehicles they supplied Sanctuary. Timothy Foreman was also on the board of directors of Lawrence Industries and, Dawn knew, one of those who had been voicing concern over the gifts that the company was making to the Breeds.

Dressed in yet another black uniform, she was aware of the looks the other women were suddenly giving her as Seth made no secret of the fact that they were now a couple.

Dash’s orders to stay on his ass not withstanding, Seth seemed to want her at his side as well.

She restrained the sudden need to fidget as the Foreman daughter looked her over once again, a moue of distaste on her lips.

Dawn stared back at her, lifting her brow mockingly. Patience Foreman didn’t stink of corruption, merely a small degree of selfishness. Her pale blue eyes were curious, a bit arrogant and definitely disapproving as her gaze flicked over Dawn’s clothing again.

“Would you like one?” She indicated her uniform. “I hear it’s all the rage with the teenagers this year.”

Unfortunately, that was the truth.

Patience’s look was one of supreme offense. “Not hardly. I would have thought Seth had enough money to actually buy you some clothes.”

“Why would he?” Dawn blinked back at her. “I make enough money hunting that I can buy my own.”

Patience’s eyes widened in shock as Dawn felt Seth’s hand press warningly against her back. She smiled back at him placidly, catching the twinkle of amusement in his eyes.

“Patience is such a girly girl,” Mrs. Foreman said proudly. “She’s never had so much as a speck of dirt on her.”

Dawn gazed sympathetically at Patience. “I’m so sorry. I promise I won’t tell anyone.”

If she wasn’t mistaken, Timothy Foreman’s cough was completely faked and the clearing of Seth’s throat was more a muttered laugh than anything else.

Surprisingly, Patience’s lips twitched in amusement. “I would appreciate that,” she replied drolly. “And I’ll be certain not to tell anyone your taste in clothes leaves much to be desired.”

“Yeah, I’d hate for anyone to find that out,” Dawn replied. “It could be embarrassing in my line of work.”

At that moment the comm link at her ear beeped demandingly. Dawn reach up and activated it before turning away and flipping down the mic hidden in her hair. “I’m here.”

“Additional agents have arrived,” Noble reported. “We have four incoming. Your presence is requested in Dash’s suite.”

Dawn let her gaze rove around the room. Catching Styx’s eye, she indicated that he should take position at Seth’s back. With a quick nod Styx moved across the room, his powerful, bold presence receiving more than a few appreciative female looks.

“I’ll be right back.” She turned to Seth as he leaned closer to her, his gray eyes concerned now. “Styx will keep you company.” She shot him a grin as he grimaced at that information.

“If you’ll excuse me.” She nodded to the Foremans politely.

She left the group quickly, made her way through the house and then to the upper floor. The place should have come with a map, she thought as she moved past the other guests then took the stairs quickly before maneuvering through the hallways to Dash’s suite.

She gave the door a quick knock, then waited until it opened. She knew the moment she saw Dash’s expression, the compassion and sympathy in his eyes, that she wasn’t going to like what was awaiting her.

She stepped inside anyway, aware of the door closing behind her as she faced the two men she had hoped to avoid, preferably indefinitely.

“Well, what an honor,” she drawled mockingly. “Pride Leader Lyons and his henchman, Director Wyatt. To what do we owe the pleasure? Or were you just looking for a really cool party to attend?”

“Dawn,” Dash said warningly, his voice darker, more commanding.

“Oh yeah, that whole respect thing.” She shrugged her shoulders as she shoved her hands into the back pockets of her uniform pants. “Sorry ’bout that, Dash. I must be low on sleep or something.” Or tolerance. Forgiveness. Or maybe it was understanding she was low on. Understanding how her brother, the man she had depended upon totally, could have betrayed her as he had.

She watched the wariness that flashed in his beautiful golden eyes, the regret and the anger. In Wyatt, she saw only cold silver eyes staring back at her from a savagely remorseless expression.

“I’m busy right now,” she told them both. “So if you just wanted to say hi, consider it said and I’ll go back to the party. It’s really great. My uniform is all the rage.”

She swallowed back the pain, the incredible fury at the knowledge that these two men had stood with Seth in that office in Sanctuary. That they had shown him that disc, the images of the child that she had been, the animal those labs had turned her into.

Callan grimaced, his canines flashing as he pushed his hands through his hair and glanced at Dash. There was a flash of retribution in his eyes.

Seeing him dressed in a silk business suit, his heavily muscled body flexing dangerously beneath it, Dawn knew she should be wary. Callan was normally a patient pride leader, but he didn’t tolerate disrespect at all. And that was too damned bad tonight.

“Dash, you aren’t needed right now.” Callan flicked his gaze to the Wolf Breed. “I’ll take care of this.”

Dash crossed his arms over his chest and stared back at Callan. “I’m her commander here, Callan, that supersedes your authority over her outside Sanctuary,” Dash pointed out to him.

“Then I’m telling you to leave,” Jonas growled. “I am your superior.”

Dash laughed at that. “If you want to try me, Jonas, we can go head-to-head right here, I’m all for it. But it’s not something you want to do.”

“And all this flexing of male Breed muscle is really swoon worthy,” Dawn injected sweetly. “But completely juvenile. Can I get back to the party now? Seth promised me a dance, you know.”

“We’re going to talk,” Callan snapped. “Now.”

“We have nothing to discuss, Pride Leader Lyons,” she informed him coldly. “The time for talking to me is, oh, I’d say about ten years past.”

As she stared back at her brother, she found herself, amazingly, wanting to cry. There was a difference between battling tears and wishing one could shed tears. In this case, Dawn wished she could shed the tears and maybe, in the process, ease the agony filling her as she stared back at him.

Jonas didn’t matter; he was just a prick and everyone knew it. A calculating, manipulating, game-playing son of a Council member. That was what everyone knew him to be, so there was no foul there. A Breed could expect him to do something so utterly evil. But Callan. Callan, who she thought loved her, she couldn’t make sense of at all.

“Dash shouldn’t have told you,” Callan sighed, shaking his head. “Not yet.”

“Really?” She blinked as though in amazement, when she wanted to scream at him in fury. “Perhaps he should have told me sooner, Callan. Then maybe, just maybe, my mate wouldn’t have gotten over me. Maybe he wouldn’t have slept with other women instead of me.” Her voice rose before she snapped her teeth together in fury. “Oh, how calm and regretful you were before I came here,” she whispered. “Telling me that my mate, my fucking mate, slept with other women. That he would marry another. That he deserved a life outside me.” She was shaking now. She jerked her hands from her pockets, and before she could stop it her finger was pointing at him accusingly. “You nearly cost me everything I hold dear with your bloody interference.”

“Or did I save your sanity at a time when you could ill afford to divide your strength between a mate demanding your presence in his bed, and the strength you needed to deal with what Dayan did to attempt to destroy you?” he asked. “Tell me honestly you could have slept with him, Dawn, and I’ll accept your judgment of my actions.”

She hated that tone of voice. The grieving resonance, the pain in his eyes as he stared at her. The way his fists clenched at his side.

She remembered the day he had found those discs. How he had drawn her into a room alone, closed the door on the others and laid them slowly on the table as she stared at them in horror.

A tear had slid down his cheek. A single tear as he asked in a voice savage with raw emotion why she hadn’t come to him.

Dawn shook her head now, as she had then. “I don’t know. No more than I knew when I came here how I would respond. But since that question has been answered to everyone’s satisfaction now, perhaps it could have been then.”