Darkness at Dawn

by Devin Harnois

  Dawn seemed a long time coming. Everson stayed alert, scanning the street, but his mind was on Jennifer. Then came the sounds of her arrival—the door opening, the grunts and shuffling as she changed from a werewolf back into her human shape.

  “Good morning,” he said when her face appeared in the window.

  “Back for more, I see.” She grinned.

  “You too,” he countered. She laughed and it made him smile. Jennifer disappeared from the window and a moment later the back door of the building squealed open. His body heated when she appeared in the alley. This is so, so wrong, he told himself. Her hips swayed a little as she walked. She was putting on a show for him.

  “Nice to see you again, Richard.” She walked right up to him and slid her hands up his arms. Everson let go of his gun, felt it bump against his side. He kissed her, and her hands went up his shoulders to the back of his neck. No matter how wrong it was, he wanted her.

  She pulled back enough to look at him. “Will your people expect you back soon?”

  “Not today. I told them I’d be out late. Wanted to make up for the time I lost last week.” The commander hadn’t put up much of an argument. He wondered if that was a good sign, or a bad one.

  “That’s what you told them. But what’s the real reason?”

  “I didn’t want to rush off like yesterday.” There. Let her take that any way she wanted. He pulled off his glove and touched her with his bare fingers. Despite all the dark places he’d wandered, this was the strangest territory he’d ever been in.

  “But you do have to go back.” Her eyes closed for a second and she leaned into the touch.

  “Eventually.” Everson pulled his hand away. “Do you know someplace safe? I don’t like being out here…when my focus is off.”

  A knowing glint filled her eyes. “Yes.” She took his hand and led him across the street. They went around the building she’d been using, through the narrow alley to the back. He saw the door she must have used to get in and out. It was a faded and chipped grayish color that might once have been blue. She tugged him along past it, into territory he hadn’t explored even before the incident. There were more of those two and three story brick buildings and a taller apartment building at the end of one block. They passed into an area of houses built close together. Every other house was torn apart or falling down. It was a depressing scene, highlighted by the early morning sun. Everson blinked at the golden disk for a moment.

  “You transform every morning, don’t you?” he asked Jennifer. “From a nasty into…this.”

  She stiffened a little. “Yes. Like I told you, the days belong to me.”

  “What about the nights? What do you do then?”

  Jennifer stopped, her head tilted up. “Shh.”

  He let go of her hand and reached for his gun. He glanced around. Nothing. He fixed his eyes on Jennifer, watching her for cues. Her nostrils flared and she turned toward one of the destroyed houses. A soft growl trickled from her throat. Everson’s eyes flicked between her and the house. For a few seconds, nothing happened. Then there was a scrape and a rustle and something appeared around the side of the house.

  Everson had seen things like it before out in the daylight when most of its fellow nasties hid away. Unlike most of the others, this creature had a common name—manticore, named after the legendary monster. It was blood colored, with a feline body and a human face. Its teeth were small but razor sharp, and its mouth was full of them. The manticore was also infectious.

  Everson took aim at it. He didn’t want that thing to get any closer. Jennifer put a hand up. “No,” she said. Before he could protest, she went on. “You’ll make too much noise. Let me take care of it.” Her growl deepened and she moved toward the nasty.

  The manticore opened its mouth and made a half-growl, half-hissing noise. It raised its barbed tail and Everson’s stomach tightened. He’d watched an armed and armored man impaled on those barbs. How could a naked woman possibly think she could face that thing?

  “Jennifer—”

  She stopped her growling long enough to tell him, “Shh!”

  Jennifer had to know what she was doing. She lived out here. She was a nasty herself. Telling himself that didn’t make him any less nervous as she got closer to the manticore.

  The creature stood its ground, lifting its tail higher as Jennifer closed the distance foot by foot. Then it did an amazing thing. It took a step back. Then another, and another. Jennifer gave an inhuman roar. The manticore turned and ran, and Everson’s mouth dropped open. It stayed that way as Jennifer ran several steps after the other nasty, chasing it across the yard. When the manticore was out of sight she came back. Her expression was smug and she put a little extra sway into her walk.

  “He knew his place,” she said.

  Everson swallowed and tried to get his thoughts back in working order. It didn’t help that there were other parts of him stealing blood away from his brain. “Manticores are afraid of werewolves?” he managed.

  “Most things are.” She smiled, and for the first time he really saw the predator in her. He wasn’t afraid, but for a moment he felt a heightened concern. If she attacked him, what would he do? It finally got through to him that Jennifer was dangerous, not just in his head, but in his gut. If anything, it excited him more.

  She took his hand, and looked at him like she knew exactly what he was thinking. “Come on.” Her voice was soft and low.

  Everson followed her.

  Down more streets, around and over debris, they walked without a word. They stopped in front of a house that stood out more than any house they’d passed that morning. After a moment, Everson realized what made it stick out. It looked lived in. Jennifer tugged him up the sidewalk. He’d expected her to take him to someplace functional. They’d passed plenty of houses that had to have usable beds in them. But she’d brought him all the way out here, to this specific house. He suspected it was her house.

  They stepped onto the porch and he had a dirty flash of where she might be able to carry her house key. Jennifer pushed open the door and gave him a long look before stepping inside.

  The morning sun streamed through the large front windows, highlighting the polished wood floors and the clean furniture. This was her house all right. She caught him looking around. “Welcome to my humble home,” she said. “Do you want to leave your gun here, or do you want to bring it upstairs?” She arched an eyebrow.

  He glanced down at it before meeting her eyes again. “I’ll…take it upstairs.” Not to protect himself from her, but he was still outside the wall, and the closer he kept his gun out here the better.

  “All right.” She turned, and without waiting for him, went down the hall. He followed her, touching his gun in an unconscious gesture. Jennifer turned and went up a set of stairs. The door to her room was open, and the windows there caught the morning sunlight even more than those downstairs. The room was flooded with natural light, and Everson wondered if that was why she’d chosen this house.

  Jennifer stood in the middle of the room, bathed in light, her hair turning to gold again. Facing the window, she closed her eyes and stretched her arms out, worshipping the sun. Everson lifted the strap for his gun over his head and set the huge weapon on the floor. She turned at the sound. He took his goggles and helmet off and laid them next to the gun. He pulled off both his gloves and dropped them, then he stepped forward and set his hands on her shoulders. She let out a soft sigh and he trailed his hands down her arms, the simple touch seeming like something more. She touched his armor and moved around to the fastenings. “Ever done this before?” he asked.

  “No.”

  “Then let me.” He took a step back and went through the familiar motions of removing his chest armor. He pulled it over his head and set it down near his other gear. Everson watched Jennifer’s face as he pulled off his boots, then his leg and arm protection. Beneath that was his uniform, made of lightweight, breathable material.

  “Is it hard to run in all
that?”

  “You get used to it,” he said.

  “I guess you can get used to a lot of things.” She stepped closer and touched his face. Her fingers trailed down and she started to unbutton his shirt. Everson was aware of how bizarre this was, how wrong. The enemy. She was the enemy. But he was also more drawn to her than he’d been to any other woman.

  She slid her fingers along the bare skin of his chest, and he couldn’t hold back any more. He wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her against him. Leaning down, he kissed her. He pushed his tongue into her mouth while she moaned. All the while a voice in the back of his head reminded him she was a werewolf, a nasty. Why couldn’t he stop himself?

  Everson moved her toward the bed and she gave no resistance. Her hands roamed down his back and around his waist as she slid onto the bed on her knees. Before he could join her, Jennifer grabbed his belt and tugged at it. The last of his clothing fell to the floor, and then her hand was on him. Fingers capable of crushing bone moved against him gently. At another time, he would have let her go on for a while, but her touch was maddening. He pushed her back onto the bed. She let go of him and lay down, smiling that dangerous smile of hers.

  “I didn’t think you’d make it this far,” she said. “I thought you’d run away.”

  He leaned over her and bent his head to her shoulder. “I don’t run away,” he whispered against her ear.

  “Brave soldier.”

  He shifted to get between her legs, but she gripped his shoulders and rolled. It seemed effortless. He was on his back in a blink, his shoulders pinned to the bed. Now he was a little nervous. He was unarmed, completely at her mercy.

  “What’s the matter? Don’t like a woman on top?” She sat on his stomach, and he felt how wet she was.

  “This is wrong,” he managed.

  “But it feels good, doesn’t it?” She shifted to brush against his cock.

  “Yes.” No denying that.

  “We should take all the good we can get.” She bent down, her golden hair brushing his face as she kissed him.

  Jennifer let his shoulders go. He put his arms around her, tried to pull her close, but she moved out of his grip. “Wait…” She leaned back and shifted up on her knees. She tossed her head, her hair falling behind her shoulder. Jennifer fixed him with her blue eyes, both deeper and lighter in the bright sunlight streaming through the window. She moved down his body. Without taking her eyes from his face, she lowered herself onto him. His breath caught and then left him in a sigh. Jennifer didn’t stop. She kept sliding down until he was all the way inside her. Her eyes fell shut as she moaned. She stayed that way for a long moment, and he started to wonder if something was wrong. Then she opened her eyes and he saw nothing in them but lust.

  Everson brought his hands up to grip her waist, and this time she didn’t pull away. She leaned down for a long kiss. As her tongue slipped into his mouth, she started to rock her hips. It felt like she had control over every single one of her muscles. He’d fucked athletes, dancers, fellow soldiers—no one else had moved like this. As much as he would have enjoyed lying there and letting the sensations wash over him, he’d never been the passive kind. He sat up, putting her in his lap. He sucked gently on one of her nipples, and she slowed to give him better access. She lifted his face for another long kiss. He trailed his lips down to her neck. When he felt her lips press against his neck, he became sharply aware she could bite him at any time. One bite and he would never be human again. The danger of it, the insane risk he was taking, made it all the more exciting.

  Maybe he was as broken down as the guys who came back bug-eyed and gibbering.

  He turned, trying to get her down on the bed, but she shifted, wrapping her arms around his waist and pulling him with her as she moved toward the headboard. Jennifer reached behind her, gripped the headboard and leaned up, using her arms as leverage as she pushed against him. A sheen of sweat formed between her breasts, sparkling as it caught the light. “C’mon, soldier,” she panted. “That all you got?”

  He put one hand on her hip and braced the other against the wall. He fucked her as hard as he could, slamming into her, the bed thumping against the wall. She fucked back just as hard, making little grunts. One of her hands shot up and she grabbed his arm. His back slammed into the headboard, his head and shoulders hitting the wall. Dazed, it took him a moment to realize she’d switched their positions. Jennifer had his shoulders pinned against the wall, and she was fucking him like there was no tomorrow. Despite the pain in his head and the headboard digging into his back, he was getting close.

  He only had one more chance. He wrapped his arms around her and twisted, putting her against the headboard instead. Then he dragged her down until she was flat on her back. Everson was finally on top. Either the dominance surprised her, or she was close, or both. It only took a moment, before she cried out. The things she’d been doing to him earlier were nothing compared to what her inner muscles were doing now.

  “Fuck! Fuck!” Pleasure rushed through him. It left him shuddering, panting, and exhausted.

  A long moment passed. Jennifer asked, “Are you okay?”

  “Huh?”

  “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”

  “What? No.” He leaned up to look at her. “I’m sore, but it’s the good kind of sore.” He couldn’t help a little smile.

  She smiled back. “Good. I tried to be careful, but I didn’t know if I was careful enough.”

  Careful? That was careful? What the hell would she consider rough? “It was fine. You didn’t break the fragile little human.” So…now what? Time to go, he supposed. Even though he’d been okayed for extra time, he was still going to be late. Probably get chewed out again. It might be the last straw and he’d end up suspended. Everson started to get up. Jennifer pulled him down for a deep kiss that went on long enough for him to wonder if he should stick around for round two.

  “Want me to walk back with you?” she asked.

  “I suppose it won’t hurt.” He chuckled. “And you can chase off anything we come across.”

  “Worried about monsters?” she teased.

  “I’d rather save the bullets.” He stood up, and his legs felt a little shaky. It took a moment for him to get them under control so he could bend down and pull up his pants. He turned around to see Jennifer watching him, her head propped up on her elbow. Holy shit, she was gorgeous. “You want to put some clothes on too?” he asked.

  “What for?” She stretched a little. That had to be deliberate.

  “I don’t know…you always walk around naked?” He’d only ever seen her naked, and now, perversely, he wanted to see her with clothes on.

  “No.” She sat up and slid off the bed, all smooth grace. “I put clothes on when I get home in the morning.” She went over to the closet and opened the door. “What do you want me to wear? Something sexy?”

  Everson pulled his shirt on and started buttoning it. “Something…simple.”

  She lifted an eyebrow. “Jeans and a T-shirt?”

  “Perfect.” He moved to the other side of the room and started pulling on his armor with his back turned to her. With everything back in place and his gun slung over his shoulder again, he turned around.

  Jennifer wore a pair of jeans and a pale blue T-shirt that brought out her eyes. No bra. “Is this good?”

  “Yeah,” he said. She looked human, and he realized that was why he’d wanted her to put clothes on. “I suppose you get all the clothes you want, huh?”

  She looked down and fingered the hem of her shirt. “In a way. I go around and find what I like, what fits me.”

  Stealing from the dead. It wasn’t a condemning thought, but a sad one. “Let’s go.”

  As they left the house, Everson switched his com back on. It was quiet, but considering how late he was, he should probably check in. “Base, this is Everson.”

  The response was immediate. “This is base. Where the hell have you been?”

  “I told you I�
��d be out late. I’m on my way back.”

  “You better double time it, soldier. The commander is ready to hand you your ass.”

  Everson rolled his eyes. “I found some great spots for a supply run. Daytime nasties aren’t bad out here either.” He caught Jennifer’s worried expression and held up a hand, trying to tell her to relax.

  “Unless it’s a warehouse full of chocolate and beer, I don’t know if it’s going to help you. Double time, Everson.”

  “Copy that. I’ll be back as soon as I can.” He switched off and turned to Jennifer. “I’m not sending them to this area. I’ll tell them about The Shops—the place where we meet.”

  “So you come out here for supplies?”

  He nodded. “We can’t make everything in the city, and it’s never enough.” There were supply convoys that ran between safe zones. A dangerous job. If Everson hadn’t liked going out alone so much, he might have volunteered to guard the supply runs.

  “Is there anything you need? I might be able to find it.”

  A little cautious thought fluttered through his mind, making him wonder if she might be trying to gather intelligence. But while nasties had some kind of organization, sending Jennifer to get information out of him was far beyond them. At least, he hoped so. “Computers and weapons. And food, but it’s hard to find anything that hasn’t gone bad.”

  She nodded, thoughtful. “I think I saw a computer store not far from here. I’ll check to make sure.”

  “Thanks.”

  They left the house and walked in silence for a while. Everson kept thinking about food. “Jennifer, what do you eat?”

  “Chocolate.” She shrugged. “I find fruit in the summer and fall. Apple trees, strawberry patches, things like that.”

  “You can’t possibly survive on that.”

  She glanced at him, then away. “The wolf eats.”

  He wanted to ask what it ate, but he didn’t think he’d get an answer. “You turn into the wolf at night?”