Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Zabrze watched the shaking vampire approach his desk.  For the life of him, or the death as it were, he could not figure out why vampires seemed like lesser beings.  They were stronger, faster, smarter and over-all superior to humans, yet the vermin who surrounded him were unwashed mice who tremble in his presence.  These creatures were the reason that he hated admitting what he was.  Luckily, humans never saw his species that way.

He sneered at the coward before him, waiting for the report on the newest nuisance to his existence.  If the youngest Saunders sister was not disposed of, Zabrze would revel in the chance to kill the man.

“If you are not here to tell me that the girl is dead, then you had better have something good to tell me.”

The vampires eyes widened, telling Zabrze everything that he needed to know.  The incompetent fools had failed.  He wished that he was surprised.  Since it took over twenty years to find even one of the girls, he doubted that the miscreants would be able to dispose of her.

“I suppose that I should feel honored that you came here to allow me to kill you myself when you could have just  stood out in the sun and ended it quickly.”

Zabrze stood slowly.  He smiled wickedly when the coward backed up.  This was going to be fun.

“She wasn’t alone!” The coward blurted out nervously, taking a step back.

“Really, and who made you and your men run away from a young, unexperienced werewolf?”  Zabrze slowly walked around the desk, leaving the space between them clear for when he was ready to lunge.

“Serenity was there.”

That stopped Zabrze’s advance.  The notorious Jerrit Serenity.  The man of legend.  the man that made vampires tremble more than Zabrze.  The man was a famed vampire killer who know more about the beasts than they knew about themselves.  This could be a very fortuitous opportunity.  He could take out the girl and the mystery man at the same time.  Two birds...one stone.

Zabrze leaned against his desk and crossed his legs calmly.  “This changes things.”

The coward visibly relaxed.  Oh, how stupid this man was.  This was not good for him.

“You are going to go after her again.”  The coward tensed.  “This time, you are not going to fail.  You are going to take out the Saunders girl and you are going to stop Serenity from coming after us.  If you do not succeed at either of these tasks then you will not come back at all.  If you bring me any more bad news then I will rip off your limbs and leave you to wallow in your agony.  Have I made myself clear?”

The coward visibly shook in fear.  “You...you are asking me to take m men on a suicide mission.”

Zabrze shook his head, not taking his eyes off the sniveling vampire.  “I am not asking anything.  Your men knew the risk when they signed on.  ow, they will prove that they are up to the challenge by taking down a single wolf.”

The cowards eyes grew wider.  He wouldn’t be able to keep them in his head if he kept them open that wide.  “The girl was not a wolf.  She was a tiger.”

Zabrze frowned.  “The Saunders are a wolf pack.”

The coward shook his head.  “The girl last night was a tiger.”

“Then you tracked down the wrong Were.”  Zabrze was beginning to rethink his leniency.  Maybe he should simply go through with his plan to rip the coward apart, simply for his own enjoyment.

“Not unless there is another Saunders family in the Were community with a daughter named Dawn.”  The coward snapped his mouth shut.  Sarcasm had never gone over well with Zabrze.  He fisted his hands to keep himself from ripping the man’s tongue out.

“You have until sunset to find yourself more men.”  Zabrze left the threat unspoken.  The man knew, full well, that if he was still around after that he would not make it through another night.  There was no need to say it out loud.

The coward nodded stiffly and left.

Zabrze did not like being surprised.  The news of the Were-tiger did not bode well for him.  Something was wrong with this situation and he could not put his finger on what it could be.  There was no way that the girl was anything other than a wolf.  If the men did not succeed in killing the girl then he was going to have to change his tact.  He needed more information.

Dawn came awake slowly keeping her eyes closed against the bright sunlight streaming into the room.  Her muscles were tense and sore but she was surprised to find her head clear considering how much she’d had to drink at her party.  She wished that she could go back to sleep but there was no hope of that.  Her mind was already alert and she was not going to be able to fall back into her dreams.

It had been such a strange fantasy, even for her.  She had had dreams of being an animal before, she’d also had dreams of gorgeous men coming to her rescue, but never had she had a dream that combined the two.  It had been so real that she couldn’t bring herself to accept that it was in fact a dream.  Her subconscious was clinging to the unbelievable delusion that it could be real.  Wouldn’t that be something?

Dawn finally gave in to her consciousness and opened her eyes.  She shielded her eyes as the sun momentarily blinded her.  Her vision adjusted faster than she expected, bringing the room into focus.

Dawn sat bolt upright.  The room that she was in wasn’t her own and she did not recognize it.  She was in a king sized bed with a thick comforter that was so soft and fluffy, she was sure that it was filled with down feathers.  There was little else in the room since the bed took up most of the space.  There was a bookshelf against the far wall packed full of the most beautifully bound books that Dawn had ever seen.  The sunlight was coming through a large window that took up most of the wall to her right.  The rest of the walls were a typical antique white and completely bare.

Someone moved in the bed next to her.  Her heart stopped in fear.  She could not remember everything that had happened but surely she wouldn’t have made a mistake that she would regret.  Surely Crystal would not have allowed her to do something so stupid.  She was still dressed so it was unlikely…still.  She closed her eyes and took a deep breath that did nothing to alleviate her fears.  Shaking slightly, she opened her eyes and looked at the figure lying in the bed next to her.

“Oh thank God,” she breathed as her gaze settled on Crystal.

She should have known that Crys would not let anything happen to her.  It was a relief to know that she had put her trust in such a great friend.

Dawn caught the scent of bacon and eggs from somewhere beyond the closed door.  Her stomach growled loudly telling how long it had been since she had eaten.  She had no idea what time it was but she could never resist bacon.  She crept out of bed so as not to wake her friend and quietly opened the door.

She shut the door silently behind her.  She was at the end of a short hallway which opened into a living room.  There was a black leather sofa against one wall with an entertainment system against the other.  A fireplace was set unlit in a far corner next to a thick black curtain that lined the wall, casting the room in shadow.  Judging by the size and the sliver of light that framed it, Dawn assumed that there was either a sliding glass door hidden behind it ro a very large window.

Dawn cautiously crept down the hallway.  She had no idea what to expect as she neared the corner but she was definitely surprised by what she found.  A counter lined with barstools obscured the bottom half of a kitchen, which would have been completely normal except for the man moving around it with his back to her.

He wore a black t-shirt that was tight enough to show off the well-defined muscles of his back.  He had a knife attached to the belt at the base of his spine, which both unnerved her and was a total turn on.  His dark hair hung down to his shoulders.  Dawn had to suppress a gasp as the man turned around holding a skillet full of eggs.  Her heart seemed to stop as she stared at the man’s unforgettably perfect features.  His blue eyes shone brightly even at a distance.  Dawn could do nothing but gape at the man who had literally escaped from her dreams.

He made up two plates with eggs and several strips of bacon.  He turned to a toaster which popped the moment he drew near.  He assembled the food on the plates in a way that made Dawn’s mouth water, or maybe she was just that hungry.  He placed his edible masterpieces on the counter in front of the stools at each end.  Dawn stood mesmerized by his movements which distracted her from her hunger.  She was craving something more than food.

Jerrit tried not to pay attention to Dawn as he prepared her breakfast.  She was not easy to ignore.  Her clothes were askew and her hair was disheveled, but still, he couldn’t stop his mind from wandering to places it should not go.  Her wondrous scent drifted over to him, distracting him from his chore.  He could feel her unease as she stood staring at him and for some reason he did not understand he wanted to comfort her.  He just wished that he could let her know that he meant her no harm, but she would never believe him.

“You know that it’s not polite to lurk in doorways,” he said, causing Dawn to jump, “You can come and sit down.  I don’t bite.”

He smiled at his inside joke moving around the counter.  He took a seat in the stool that sat closest to the wall.  He hated sitting in a place where someone could sneak up on him, so he sat sideways in the chair and leaned his back against the wall.  Plus, it gave him a great view of the girl.  Double the reward.

He pretended not to notice as she took a slow step into the room.  She seemed to be waiting to see what his next move was.  He made sure not to look at her as he propped his feet up on the lower bar of the stool, nonchalantly.  He picked up his fork and started to eat his meal.  Dawn’s stomach rumbled loudly from behind him.  He knew that she had to be starving since she hadn’t eaten since early the night before.

“I meant it when I said you could sit, you know.”  He pointed to the plate at the end of the counter with his fork as he glanced at her.  “That plate is for you.  You must be hungry.  The alcohol has made its way out of your system by now so you should be able to keep it down.  And if not, the bathroom is the first door on the left down the hall.”

The man’s blue eyes met hers.  Some part of Dawn felt compelled to sit down.  Against her better judgment she found herself moving toward the plate of food that he had said was for her.

Before Dawn could sit down with her dignity, she tripped on the stool.  Luckily, she grabbed onto the counter and caught her balance before she had a chance to fall on her ass.  Of all the times to prove that she was a klutz.  She sat down quickly to make sure that she wouldn’t do it again and put her face in her hands.  She could not figure out why embarrassment was winning out over her fear of being held hostage by the gorgeous man sitting a few feet away from her.

The man had half stood like he was going to help her, but he didn’t touch her which she was grateful for.  She was not sure how she would react in her current state of panic. but she was pretty sure that it would be somewhere near the realm of hysteria.

“So are you feeling better than you did last night?”  He asked as he sat back down in his seat.

Dawn could do nothing but nod.  She kept her face in her hands to hide her mortification.  She was way more embarrassed than she should have been.  It was like she could not control her emotions as well as she should have.  Normally, she could laugh off tripping over nothing, but she could not get passed the fact that she had just made a fool of herself in front of the man.  What did she care?  He was extremely gorgeous and those kissable lips of his were quirked up i an attractive smile, but he was still just a man.  Even that logic did not quell her emotion.

Her stomach growled once again, reminding her that she was sitting a foot away from a hot breakfast.  She let out a long exasperated sigh before she put her hands down.  Without looking at the man she pulled the plate toward her.

Dawn took a small bite of the most delicious scrambled eggs that she had ever had.  All thoughts of caution disappeared as her primal need for sustenance took over.  She practically shoveled the food into her mouth.  She could barely taste the delectable food in her haste to get it to her stomach.

Jerrit watched in amusement as Dawn attacked her plate.  She was not even trying to be lady-like.  The girl could eat, which was a refreshing change from the other girls he had known in his life.  Still, she was eating way too quickly, and was going to make herself sick if she didn’t slow down.

Jerrit laid his hand on Dawn’s arm which he instantly regretted.  She cringed away from him in fear.  She was obviously terrified of him.  This was nothing new.  He was feared by a lot of people, but he had usually given them reason to fear.  He hadn’t done anything to Dawn and yet she had nearly fallen off the stool to get away from him.

“I’m sorry,” he said timidly.  He cleared his throat then tried again.  “You need to slow down, cub.  You’ll make yourself sick eating that fast.  There’s enough food for ten.  You can have more if you’d like.”

Dawn’s cheeks turned the most attractive shade of red that Jerrit had ever seen.  “Sorry,” Dawn wiped at her mouth with the back of her hand, “I didn’t realize how hungry I was.  That puts me at two embarrassing moments in less than five minutes.  Impressive even by my standards.”

Jerrit smiled.  “It’s alright.  I just don’t want you to soil my carpet.  It sucks to clean.”

Dawn let out an amused if uncomfortable breath, but she kept her eyes on her plate.  Her amusement was short lived as fear radiated off of the girl.

“You’re not going to kill me, are you?”

Jerrit was taken completely off guard by Dawn’s question.  “What would make you think that I want to kill you?”

The girl’s eyes shifted to the base of his spine.  Realization dawned on him.  He had put his knife on this morning, just like every morning.  He had forgotten that he had two guests in his place who had no idea what he was.  No wonder the girl was so worried.  She was thinking that he was going to keep her against her will and who knew what other horrors were running through her mind.

“I probably should have left that accessory out of my wardrobe this morning.”  Jerrit lifted his hands to show that he meant her no harm.  He slowly moved to pull the blade from its sheath.  Without getting up from his seat, he tossed the knife into the sink on the far counter.  “I assure you that I mean you no harm.”

“If you really want me to believe that then you’ll do the same thing with the throwing knives strapped to your thigh.”

The man raised an eyebrow.  The concealed sheath that he wore attached to his pant leg was not obvious and Dawn was surprised that she had noticed it herself.

“You are observant.  I must say that I’m impressed.”

Dawn did not respond.  The man pulled several throwing knives free and threw them all at once toward the sink.  They landed solidly in the wall above it.  The man had not even looked as he had thrown the weapons.  He held a single knife out to her.

“Would you like to give it a try?”  He gave her an impish smile.  “It’s strangely therapeutic.”

Dawn hesitated wondering what game he was playing.  Still, she would feel better being armed against him.  She took the blade but kept it rather than throwing it.

“So you don’t want to have to clean your carpet but you don’t mind putting holes in your wall?”

“A funny conundrum, isn’t it?  Should I be worried that you decided to keep the weapon?”

Dawn gave him an innocent look.  “Are you worried that you can’t take me if I decide to attack?”  She took a bite off of a strip of bacon.  Dawn was much more comfortable with the man when he was unarmed and she had a knife in her grasp.

He gave her a knowing smile then went back to eating.  With her fears ebbing Dawn’s thoughts began to wander.  She tried to figure out how she had come to the man’s apartment.  Her dream had given her an answer but reality was much more elusive.

A wave of nausea came over Dawn as one possibility came to her.  Oh please, God, let me be wrong.

“You’re not…I mean, my friends didn’t…”  There was no easy way to ask what she needed to.

The man raised that seductive eyebrow again, making Dawn lose her nerve.  Tears began to fill her eyes, as though the situation was not awkward enough.  The emotional response was not one that Dawn had learned to control.  Instead she tried to just avoid uncomfortable situations but they were always inevitable.

The man’s eyes widened in fear.  “Are you crying, cub?”

Dawn wiped her eyes with the back of her hand.  “No.  Um, I just don’t handle uncomfortable situations very well.”

“So you are going to say something uncomfortable?  Should I brace myself?”

“Forget that I said anything.”

Dawn avoided looking at him for as long as she could but the feeling of his stare was too strong to resist.  Their gazes met and Dawn was lost in those blue depths again.

“There is not much that you can say that can offend me, darling.  Please, tell me what you were going to say.”

The genuine sincerity in the man’s eyes gave her the confidence that she needed to say what she really did not want to.

 “My friends didn’t…hire you, did they?”

“Hire me, for what?”

Dawn cleared her throat awkwardly.  She looked away from him as she answered.  “Well, they, um…they said that they were gunna get me a man for my birthday.”

The man took a second to digest what she had said.  “Do you mean like a male escort?”

“That’s a nice way to put it.  I would have said that my friends were just trying to get me laid.  But let’s go with yours.  It doesn’t sound so bad.”

The silence in the room was deafening.  Dawn could still feel those mesmerizing eye on her but she could not look at him.  Her friends had been threatening to get her some action for years but she had never thought that they would actually stoop so low as to go through with it.  The thought of having to pay someone to sleep with her made Dawn’s skin crawl.

“Your friends would actually hire someone to have sex with you?”  The amusement in the man’s voice made her feel even worse.  “Are you really that desperate?”

“My friends think so.”

“Some friends you have there.  But, I can honestly say that no one has hired me for your amusement.”  Jerrit left out the fact that he was, in fact, being paid to watch out for her.  She did not need any more ego shots at the moment.  Sleeping with her would just be a bonus for him.

Dawn let out a relieved sigh.  “Then you must be friends with Crystal.  Was I so gone last night that she had to call in the cavalry?”

“You don’t remember?”

He had wondered why the girl had been so on edge.  She had no idea what was going on.  She had seemed so lucid the night before, even in her lushed-up state.  Breaking the news to her again was not something that he wanted to have to do.

“I remember eating at Old Chicago’s and the water Vodka.  I’ll have to kill Crystal for that one.”

“Water Vodka?”

“Oh yea.  The very amusing joke that you play on the drunk to get them to drink water between shots.  It’s really easy to convince inebriated people that they are drinking Vodka when it is, in fact, water.”

“I might have to try that some time.”

“I’m glad I can help you get your jolly’s at the expense of others.”  Dawn shook her head.  “Anyway, I remember dancing at the club with Crystal.  She told me that someone was checking me out but when I turned to look everything went dark.  Other than a really strange dream, that’s all I got.”

Jerrit’s hopes rose.  She might have convinced herself that what had happened had only been a figment of her alcoholic fantasies.  “What did you dream about?”

An attractive smile curved her lips.  “I really don’t want to say.  I have a really active imagination so my mind comes up with some pretty crazy stuff.  I don’t need you to have any more embarrassing stories that you can hold against me in the future.”

“You haven’t done anything that I could hold against you.”

Dawn scoffed.  “Like not remembering how I got here and tripping over the stool.  I don’t even want to think about what I did last night.”

He had to admit that she was not the most graceful of creatures.  But that just made her more appealing.

“What if I promise not to hold any of it against you?”  He placed his hand lightly over hers.  She did not pull away this time, or even flinch.  “I would love to hear about your dream.”

Damn those blue eyes.  She was going to have to be careful to keep her wits about her when she looked at him.  She was stronger than that.  She would resist him.  She did not want him to know how her mind worked, seeing as he already had so much control over it.

“What does it matter, Jerrit?  It was just a dream and I don’t even really know you that well.”

The man gave her a sly smile.  “If you don’t remember last night then how is it that you remember my name?”