Dawn’s Awakening (4 page)

He was angry with her. She always knew when Callan was angry. Before, the thought of that anger would have had her heart knocking in terror. Now it had her lips tightening in frustration. She didn’t have time to deal with his irked mood.

“What the hell is going on?” she hissed as they made their way through the long steel-and-cement bunker beneath the ground. “I was halfway through those caves when you pulled me out. Do you have any idea how long it’s taken us to clear out those explosives and lay the sensors through there?”

“I’m aware of the order I gave you a week ago to find another project,” he growled as they turned from the main bunker and headed down a short corridor to another large map and imaging room. “Do you think we need to lose six of our women, our sisters, to those fucking explosives, Dawn? Son of a bitch, what the hell has gotten into you?”

“You pulled me out because we’re women?” Outrage raced through her. “That is so damned bogus, Callan.”

“You’re damned right I pulled you out because you’re women. The fact that you’re not the only one that would suffer if you died didn’t occur to you, did it, Dawn?” he snarled. “You hide your head in the shadows and try to pretend it’s just you. What happens to your mate if you die?”

“I haven’t mated.”

“And I don’t want to hear your lies to yourself,” he snapped as they turned again.

This was Mission Central. It was larger than the other room; the murmur of voices—electronic, Breed and human—filtered through it as they strode along the central walkway.

She bit back the enraged words trembling on her lips and fought to use logic instead. He liked logic. It had swayed him before.

“My team is specifically trained for just what they’re doing,” she hissed. “Those are still my people, my team, Callan.”

“I need those women elsewhere. They were to be trained for new missions and you knew it,” he growled as they stood aside for the black-clad operators working to get one of the viewing screens operational.

“That’s my team, you agreed. And those caves were my project.”

They moved into another corridor, heading she knew for the top secret mission control room. Here, the operations going out weren’t mercenary in nature, but those of national security.

“Those women need to learn to work with the male members of this community and I’m tired of asking you nicely to obey those commands,” Callan snapped, his head swinging around to glare at her. “You don’t make the decisions around here, little sister. I do. I needed you to train a new team—”

“Of men,” she sneered. “Come on, Callan, you know that’s not going to work.”

“I know you have no choice now.” He stopped at a metal door, slid the secured card along the sensor and stepped inside when the door unlocked. “I’m short on teams and we have an emergency. That means you’re up. And, by God, you better hope you’re ready for it, because failure on this one is not an option.”

The door clanged shut as one particular scent threatened to overwhelm Dawn’s senses. She stared across the room, unable to move, to speak, to do anything but soak in the heat, the nectar of his scent and the regret that filled her.

“Hello, Dawn.” Seth Lawrence rose from the long table in the center of the room. “It’s been a while.”

CHAPTER 2

Dawn’s Awakening.

Dawn stared at Seth, and felt the animalistic side of her nature give a slow, sensual, mental stretch. Her body tensed as her muscles wanted to soften. She tightened her thighs as they threatened to weaken. But nothing could shut down the scent of him moving through her pores.

He stood across the room, dressed elegantly. A silk suit, dark of course. Today it was a dark gray, to match his eyes. Thick dark brown hair was conservatively cut; he was clean shaven, the strong planes and angles of his face showing arrogant aristocracy. The sharp blade of his nose, the strong set of his chin, the hewn lines of his jaw.

Beneath the silk his body was powerfully corded. She could sense it. She could feel his strength pouring off him, and the female animal inside her responded to it. He was a strong, able mate. He would be a protector and a partner. He was virile, he would have endurance. He would breed strong children and ride her through the storm that mating heat brewed inside her body.

Her breath shortened. She felt as though she couldn’t drag enough air into her lungs, she couldn’t focus, couldn’t see anything but the man watching her so solemnly from across the shadowed room.

“Why is he here?” She was amazed that her voice sounded so calm, so confident as Callan moved around her.

“If you had hung around the house the last week instead of deliberately defying me, you would know,” he snorted. “Come over here. I’ll explain everything.”

She flushed at the subtle ass-chewing but did as she was ordered. Callan could be pushed sometimes. When it came to family, he had an incredible amount of patience. But she knew she had pushed him as far as she dared. And she knew she wouldn’t be here unless something was about to go seriously wrong.

Moving across the room, she took the seat farthest from Seth, and closest to the vent that provided ventilation and air-conditioning. His scent wasn’t as strong here, the elusive smell of an aroused male, powerful and in his sexual prime, didn’t torment her as it would farther down the table.

There were others in the room; she knew they were there, her senses picked them up and identified them. But she only saw Seth, even as she forced her eyes to lower, she kept sight of him from the corner of her eyes.

Jonas was at a smaller viewing screen farther back in the room, talking on a link. Mercury Warrant, Lawe Justice and Rule Breaker, his personal security force, stood silently, not far from him.

Styx was there. Stygian Black, the huge, dark black Wolf Breed, stood beside him. Stygian was darker skinned than most Breeds, his DNA having come from a rogue black wolf it was said, and possibly a voodoo priestess from New Orleans. The records found in the lab he nearly destroyed bare-handed had hinted at a broad selection of DNA mixed into his genetics.

One of Dawn’s Lionesses was in attendance, Moira Calhoun. She was Irish, and a hellion if ever there was one. And standing closest to the door was Noble Chavin, a mysterious, less-than-social Jaguar.

“Meet your new team, Dawn.” Callan waved toward the Breeds her senses had picked up.

Dawn glanced at the four then stared back at Callan.

“I’m command?” She rarely commanded men. They rarely got along with her, and she sure didn’t get along with them.

“You’re command.” He nodded his head, his long hair feathering over his shoulders, more like a lion’s mane than a man’s head of hair. But he was pride leader for a reason.

“And we’re here why?” She pushed back her anger, showing him the respect he deserved while in front of others.

“Because every other team is currently out busting their asses around the world and we have a major situation on our hands.” Jonas moved forward as the other Breeds took their seats around the table.

Dawn slid her PDA from the protective holster at her side, jacked it into the connector set within the table and waited for the mission information to load.

She scanned the stats as they came in, fighting to keep her eyes off Seth as he watched her. She could feel his eyes caressing her.

Then the information loading into the small, palm-sized screen had her stiffening, restraining a growl and fighting back primal fury.

Her eyes lifted to Seth, her gaze tracking over him, making certain he was unharmed, that nothing showed of the attack that had been made on him. Her gaze rolled over his face, his shoulders; she inhaled carefully, desperate now to detect any sign of injury.

“As you’re seeing, the situation is pretty damned imperative,” Jonas bit out. “We’ve had one attempt made on Mr. Lawrence in the last week, and intel has come in that we can expect another.”

“Cancel the meeting.” Dawn didn’t look at anyone else. She made the demand of Seth, her voice resonating with the fury building inside her. “You can’t afford to take this chance.”

“And if I hide now, then I may as well lock myself into a bunker and hide for the rest of my life.” Those sensual, seductive lips curled in disgust. “The meeting stands.”

“It’s two weeks,” she snapped. “How can you possibly expect us to cover you during the house party from hell, Seth?”

“I don’t, Dawn,” he admitted frankly. “The team is Jonas and Callan’s idea. I won’t back down. The board of directors to Lawrence Industries meets biannually to discuss the policies of the company as well as any other issues that come up. This year, a motion to dismiss the funding of Sanctuary is on the table by several of the older members. If we cancel the meeting, you can bet that funding will be placed on hold until the next meeting.”

Could Sanctuary do without that funding?

“Jonas, there’s no way to do this.” She glared back at the director of the Bureau of Breed Affairs. “Not one team alone, and not with the area laid out to defend against.” She waved her hand to the property that showed up on the viewing screen across the room.

“Lawrence Estate is reasonably secure—”

“It’s a security nightmare,” Dawn bit out.

Seth let a mocking smile curl his lips as he tilted his head in acknowledgment.

“Be that as it may, if I alter the location or the current plans, it will be a sign of weakness. If the Breeds’ enemies want to get rid of me, they’ll have to come to me. Jonas’s intel suggests they’ll make the attempt during this time. It’s our best chance to control the outcome and learn why they’ve decided the support of Lawrence Industries to the Breeds is a threat to them.”

“And it could be someone totally unrelated to the company that just doesn’t want you supporting Sanctuary,” Dawn argued.

Seth shook his head. “This is about someone within Lawrence Industries or close to it. Someone who believes they can take control if they can kill me.”

“And you’re playing right into their hands,” she snapped.

“Enough.” Callan’s voice was calm, but the warning edge to it wasn’t lost on Dawn. It wasn’t lost, but it was ignored.

“Cancel the meeting, Seth.”

He pursed his lips and watched her for a few moments, his long, powerful fingers tapping silently against the table before he slowly shook his head. “Canceling the meeting will only allow my assassins to catch me by surprise. If I’m going to die, Dawn, I’m going to face my murderers.” He turned to Jonas then. “But she won’t be part of the operation. Choose someone else or the deal is off.”

He rose to his feet as though it were a board meeting. As though he could decide whether she was there or not.

“Choose someone else and I’ll shoot him myself,” Dawn snarled, jumping to her feet and slapping her palms against the table as she glared back at Seth. “What’s wrong with me heading this operation?”

He tilted his head and stared back at her as he buttoned his jacket casually, his movements unconsciously graceful.

“You’re a woman,” he stated. “This isn’t a mission I want a woman involved in.”

“Well isn’t that just too bad for you, sweetcheeks.” She threw her hip to the side, propped her hand on it and regarded him with mocking sweetness as she wrinkled her nose back at him insultingly. “If you’re insane enough to go through with your own execution, then I want to at least watch. I haven’t seen a good comedy flick in a while.”

His eyes narrowed back at her.

“Dawn, sit down,” Callan ordered.

“When he does.”

“As far as I’m concerned, this meeting is over.” Seth turned to Jonas. “When you have the proper team formed, let me know.”

“Callan, have an enforcer collect my travel bag, I’ll be heading out with Mr. Lawrence.”

She was insane, that was all there was to it. Where the hell were these words coming from? Shooting out of her mouth as though she somehow controlled the situation.

No one spoke. Dawn could feel the tension building in the room as all eyes settled on her and Seth.

“You will not—”

“Let you walk out of here into a firing squad,” she snapped.

“Dammit, Dawn, I know what I’m doing,” he snapped back.

“Oh, do you?” she drawled. “Well, Seth, why don’t you just instruct little ole me and my team while you’re doing it. Because you’re not doing it alone. And you’re not doing it with another team.”

She wanted to be as far away from him as possible. Being in the same country with him was bad enough. Being stuck on an island, a sultry, heated island, was going to be hell. Dawn could feel the sweat beginning to crawl down her back, the fear that knotted her stomach and the arousal that throbbed deep inside her sex.

And she felt fear. Fear that someone, that something, would take him out of this world and then she really would be alone.

His lips tightened as his eyes swirled with anger, the gray darkening like a violent thundercloud.

“You heard me, Jonas,” he stated, his voice commanding.

“Callan, have you sent that enforcer after my travel bag yet?” she asked.

No one spoke, and she didn’t risk tearing her gaze from Seth’s long enough to see how far she had pissed her pride leader off.

“I’ll tell you what we will do.” Callan rose to his feet slowly. “We’ll leave you two alone to discuss this for a few moments before we return to finalize the mission.” His voice was carefully bland as the others rose to their feet and began to move toward the door.

Dawn could feel the amusement. Male amusement, of course, as she continued to face down Seth. She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, couldn’t make herself back down.

How long had it been since she had been close enough to really smell him? So close that his scent was almost a taste against her tongue.

So long. Too long. She had avoided him during the rare visits he made to Sanctuary. She had refused the occasional missions that would have placed her anywhere close to him. She had fought her need for him, her body’s need for him, and every demand that roiled inside her that she rub against him, stroke him and share the hunger that ate her alive.

She could have continued to avoid him, she told herself. This meant nothing. She was just concerned about him. He was her sister-in-law’s brother. That was it. She latched on to the excuse like a life preserver. Seth was family. She had to protect him. She would never forgive herself otherwise and neither would Roni ever forgive her.