Till the Break of Dawn

by Tracey H. Kitts

  “Sweetheart, you had a bad shock. We just saw our first dead body yesterday and it happened to be a friend of ours.” Jamie put her hands on my shoulders and pulled me close. “If you want to call him, why don’t you just do it?” she asked softly. “But don’t let yourself be tormented by his ghost, not when the real thing is so easily accessible.”

  I pulled back enough to look up at her. “Easily accessible? Is that what you think? I wouldn’t begin to know how to get in touch with him after all this time. What am I going to do, write to his fan club? And what about Jesse?”

  Jesse, the gorgeous man whose ass I had been admiring for weeks now. He was more than just eye candy. Whatever else happened I wanted to believe we’d become friends. He didn’t deserve to be hurt.

  She shrugged. “I like Jesse, I really do. But if you cared for him the way you need to if you’re going to continue your relationship, you wouldn’t wake up asking for someone else. As for getting in touch with Marcus, didn’t you ever look at the cards he sent you?”

  Over the years I would get flowers from time to time. The cards read only, “Thinking of you.” He never signed them, but I’d always figured they came from Marcus. I hadn’t gotten any flowers for a few years now. I tried not to think about what that might mean.

  “There was never a number on the cards. Besides, he might not have sent the flowers.”

  Her look said I must be stupid if that’s what I thought. “He probably has the same cell phone number.”

  “After seven years?”

  “You told me once that Marcus doesn’t like change.”

  She had a point. His number probably was the same. But what would that say about me if I called Marcus as soon as Jesse was out of town? After all, we were seeing each other. The least I could do is tell him something. He was off taking care of his sick father and here I was contemplating how to get back in touch with an old flame.

  When Jamie spoke again her voice was soft and the concern I heard there made me want to cry. “I never meant to stir anything up with my stupid bet. Just hearing someone say his name looks like it’s killing you. Don’t feel guilty over Jesse. You’ve only been seeing each other for a few weeks.”

  I sighed. “Yeah, but that doesn’t make it right.”

  “Are you fucking him?”

  “No, but I wanted to.”

  She laughed. “I don’t think that counts.”

  “Before he left to see about his dad, I was going to ask him to spend the night with me. That counts.”

  Jamie walked toward the bed, raising an eyebrow at my comment as she glanced back over her shoulder. “So, is it semi-serious then?”

  I let out a frustrated growl and threw myself across the bed beside her. “I think I was trying to make it that way. When Jesse is here I want to be close to him, I enjoy having him around. But the minute I’m alone I want to see if I can get Marcus back before it’s too late. Suddenly, I have this urgency to be with him again, to have him back in my life.”

  “Even if that means having him in your after-life?”

  Her bad pun made me smile. “I think so.”

  “I hate to ruin the best mood I’ve been in for a few days by bringing this up, but Bill called.”

  Hearing about Mandy’s brother brought my mood down considerably too, but it couldn’t be helped. Besides, what happened to Mandy wasn’t his fault.

  “When did he call?”

  “About an hour ago. You didn’t think I was up this early on my own, did you? He said that his dad was home and he felt like the old man was taking the news better than he had. David is there.”

  She paused after mentioning Mandy’s fiancé and we shared a look. My heart broke for this poor man even though I didn’t know him.

  “All of the arrangements, wedding plans and stuff …” Jamie couldn’t continue. She put a hand over her eyes and I sat up to hug her.

  “Is David having to cancel everything by himself? Does he need us to help?”

  She shook her head. “Bill said it’s already taken care of. The funeral will be Friday night.”

  Well, that was just weird. “Friday night? Are you sure?”

  She wiped her eyes and answered with a sniff, “Positive.”

  “What about a viewing? Is anyone taking food to the house? Shit, I feel so helpless.”

  “They’re not having a viewing. Just the funeral. Seven thirty, Friday night.”

  *****

  My hands shook as I tried and failed to zip the back of my black dress. Jamie walked over and finished the job for me. My long hair was held in place loosely, secured with what I called a “hair stick.” As I checked my reflection I noticed how pale I looked, even for me.

  “Are you sure this is waterproof?” Jamie asked, holding up my mascara.

  “Absolutely.”

  We were both trying hard not to cry, thinking about the event we were getting ready to attend. But neither of us thought we would be able to hold off the waterworks forever.

  “You did call Jesse, right?” she asked.

  “Of course. I told him about the funeral arrangements as soon as you left the other day. His dad is better, but he is still in the hospital. Jesse didn’t want to leave him.”

  “And did you say anything else about … you know?”

  I gave her a scolding look. “No, I did not. Telling him that I’ve decided not to see him anymore under the circumstances is really inappropriate. And over the phone at that.”

  “You’re right. It does sound bad when you put it that way.”

  “That’s the way it is.”

  It seemed odd to put on my favorite black pumps. Normally, when I wore the shoes I was going to do something fun. Most people I know hate funerals and I am no exception. What made this one so difficult wasn’t simply the fact that I’d known the deceased; she was my age. Actually, she was one year younger. It was such a waste of life.

  “Are you sure it’s okay to wear a sleeveless dress?” I asked Jamie. “I mean, it’s knee length. I don’t want to show skin at a funeral.”

  “It’s the South. Did you forget that even at night it’s going to be eighty-something degrees? You look fine.” She smiled. “You might even pass for elegant. Now, how do I look?”

  Jamie was wearing black pants with a sleeveless, dark blue top. The heels made her long legs look even longer. She had to be over six-feet with those things.

  “Other than looking like an Amazon, you look great.”

  The strangest thing about this funeral was not the fact that it was taking place at night. It wasn’t in a church or even the chapel at the funeral home. The funeral was at the graveside. Cars were parking in a lot across the street in order to make room. It looked like half the town was there. I wondered, somewhat bitterly, where were all of these people while Mandy was being butchered? Then I remembered I wasn’t there either.

  As soon as we arrived I felt his presence. I leapt from the car almost before Jamie had parked.

  “Where the hell are you going? It isn’t even time yet. We’re early.” I kept moving at a frantic pace. “Dawn! Slow down, people are looking at you.”

  “No,” I called over my shoulder. “They’re looking at you yelling at me.”

  Jamie’s door didn’t close completely and I glanced back in time to see her bump it closed with her butt. “What are you doing?”

  “He’s here, Jamie. I can feel it.”

  “You’ve completely lost your mind.” I stopped suddenly and she bumped into my back. “All right then, where is he?”

  “There.”

  I pointed across the street to the waiting crowd, hardly believing my own eyes. “Marcus.” Even though his name was little more than a whisper on my lips his head turned sharply in my direction. As tall as he was, Marcus had no trouble seeing me over the crowd. His long dark hair was pulled back tightly and as he took a step forward I realized this was the first time I’d ever seen him wear a suit. The black suit was simple and elegant and tailored to every muscular
curve of his body. Watching him walk toward me felt like a dream. Was he really here? Was this happening?

  He was close enough that I could smell his cologne. Just the familiar scent of him was enough to break my heart. I was frozen to the spot, waiting for him to get closer and half expecting him to disappear at any moment. When he reached for me I didn’t hesitate.

  Falling into his arms was the easiest thing I’d ever done, his embrace the best gift I’d ever received.

  Chapter Eleven

  Marcus stroked my hair, soothing me the way he always used to do. I could feel the stick I’d had securing my hair being lifted by his deft fingers. He held me tighter and I cried. For so many reasons I needed to cry. The loss of my friend was bad enough, but lately I realized I’d spent years not only missing him, but needing him. And now here he was, back in my life for reasons I didn’t yet understand and holding me exactly the way I needed to be held. He was so much bigger than me that when he hugged me I felt completely wrapped up, blocked effectively from the rest of the world. No one existed outside of his embrace.

  I’m not sure how long we stood there before the camera flash interrupted us. When Marcus lifted his head there were pale pink tears in his eyes. I’d forgotten that vampire’s tears were mixed with blood. However touching his tears might have been, the effect was lost when his eyes glowed, becoming solid green as he glowered at the reporter standing behind me.

  “Get out of here,” he growled.

  He stepped in front of me and I accepted his protection. “Where is security?”

  “Here,” a man answered from across the road. As he ran full out toward the reporter I noticed his fangs. One thing was certain, no one else wanted security to be called on them.

  “Holy shit.” If Jamie hadn’t spoken I doubt I would have noticed her again with Marcus so close.

  All of the sudden, things were starting to make sense.

  “You’re the reason she was having the wedding at night,” I said softly.

  Marcus turned back to me, looking down as he stroked my hair again. “Yes.”

  My heart beat frantically. How had they known each other? Were they lovers? That wasn’t possible. Mandy was pregnant and vampires couldn’t have children. Still, that didn’t bring me any comfort as I asked, “How did you know Mandy?”

  “She was my friend.” His deep voice held warmth when he spoke of her and I knew he was telling the truth. “She was engaged to another friend of mine.”

  “David?” That made sense now too. Someone who traveled all the time and she didn’t say much about him personally. Was he a werewolf or human? There were a few humans who worked for the P.F.C., but not as fighters.

  Marcus put his hand against my back, leading me across the road as he reached for Jamie’s hand.

  “I think you know him as Harry,” Marcus said.

  While Jamie and Marcus greeted each other I tried to remember where I’d heard the name Harry before. Then it hit me.

  “You mean she was engaged to Hellacious Harry? The naked werewolf?”

  Despite the circumstances he smiled and I felt my knees weaken. “That’s David’s stage name.”

  I knew that Marcus was from Texas and that when he actually got time off that’s where he went. But when Mandy said she had been living there it never occurred to me that they might know each other. Texas is a big place.

  There were so many things I wanted to say to him, none of which were appropriate to bring up at a funeral. We had both lost a friend and poor David had lost his whole family before it even got started.

  When I saw David, standing alone beside the coffin he looked up and our eyes met. He recognized me. Even though we didn’t know each other that well, I didn’t know what to do except hug him.

  “David, I’m so sorry for your loss.”

  He held me tight, patting my back as he whispered, “Thank you.”

  When I stepped back from him Marcus took my hand and pulled me aside while Jamie offered her condolences to David.

  I reached for my hair stick in Marcus’ coat pocket and he said, “Leave it down.” I gave him a questioning look and he added softly, “Your hair is beautiful.”

  The service was over quickly, but it felt like a lifetime. Having to watch Mandy’s father and brother suffer was somehow even worse than the misery on David’s face. Maybe it was just more painful to me because I had known them for so long. My only comfort was the fact that Marcus sat next to me and never once let go of my hand.

  After the funeral when we were all standing around in the parking lot, Jamie made a suggestion. “Why don’t we go back to Our Place? I know we’re closed tonight, but I was thinking it might be good to have a few people over. It’ll give you two a chance to talk.” She nodded toward Marcus who was standing behind me with his arm around David. “Besides, his friend there looks like he could use a drink. Alcohol does work on werewolves, doesn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it just takes a hell of a lot of it.”

  As I turned toward Marcus I almost couldn’t speak. I was so glad to see him. It was a shame that it took something like this to make me realize what I wanted.

  “Marc?” I paused. It had been so long that I’d even forgotten how I shortened his name sometimes.

  He looked at me expectantly and I realized I was just staring at him like an idiot. I could feel myself blushing.

  “Would you and David like to come back to the bar with us? Shit, I didn’t even tell you we opened a bar, did I? It’s called Our Place, but it’s not actually open today. We closed it out of respect for … um, everything.” Oh, my God I was sounding more and more like a moron. “What I’m trying to say is that some of us are going back there for a few drinks and maybe something to eat. Would you and David like to come?”

  “I could use a drink,” David said softly.

  “Sure,” Marcus said.

  Within the hour we were sitting in a cozy little corner of Our Place waiting for Terry to cook some onion rings. Well, I was waiting on the onion rings. Marcus was sipping his Re-Vita Life. It’s a blood substitute that I was surprised to find Jamie had ordered a supply of. It’s not as if we had a lot of vampire customers. Anyway, O positive was his favorite.

  When he reached over and took my hand it felt as if electricity shot through me. Just that soft brush of skin against skin and I was under his spell. It wasn’t because he was famous, or even because he was a vampire. It was just him. Marcus was the sexiest man I’d ever met. No matter how hard Jesse tried or how tight his jeans were, the touch of his hand would never have the same effect. I reached for my iced tea, thinking it might cool me down. Normally I would have had an alcoholic beverage of some sort. But I didn’t want anything to dull my senses tonight. I wanted to remember exactly what it felt like to be close to him again, nervousness and all.

  He was telling me how Mandy and David had met much the same way that he and I had, at one of their shows. She had become like a little sister to Marcus.

  “How long had they known each other?” I asked.

  “About four years.”

  We spent the next hour getting to know each other all over again. I told him how the bar got started and he told me how his career was going. While I ate my onion rings, I pretended not to already know most of it. I was a fan, after all. The room was buzzing with conversation around us. No one was exactly enjoying themselves under the circumstances, but it was good to be around friends. David sat alone at one corner of the bar. Several times I thought about going over to him. But then I wondered what I would say. He seemed content to drink himself into oblivion and if Jamie could help him get there then she would. When I saw that she was serving him my “Shadow of Fuck” drink I laughed. It took me a second to realize that Marcus was watching me. His smile was so tender. I thought vampires were supposed to disguise their emotions.

  “Why do you order onion rings when you don’t eat onions?” he asked.

  As he spoke I broke open the golden shell around another ring and pulled o
ut the onion before eating the batter. He laughed softly; the sound flowed over me and made the hairs on my arms rise. Damn, that was sexy.

  “Even though the circumstances are terrible, it’s great to see you again,” he said.

  “Marc, I know it’s been a long time I’m so—”

  “You don’t have to apologize for wanting to live your life,” he interrupted. When he looked at me I knew there was so much more he wanted to say. “I understood the choice you made then and I understand it now.”

  I didn’t know what to say. When I hesitated he moved closer and put his arm around me.

  “Living with a dead man is a hell of a thing for a twenty-three-year-old to take on.”

  I looked up, meeting his pale green eyes. Without hesitation I replied, “I’m not twenty-three anymore.”

  Now it was his turn to be speechless. Marcus just looked at me, welcoming me with his eyes. I wanted to reach out and stroke his goatee the way I used to. Then I remembered we weren’t a couple anymore and even if I was going to stop seeing Jesse, for the moment, I had a boyfriend.

  “I’m not the same woman anymore,” I said softly.

  Marcus leaned in close and for a second I thought he was going to kiss me. His voice was so soft that if I hadn’t been as close as I was, I might have missed his words above the crowd. “Then why do I still—?”

  “You must be Marcus?”

  “Damn it, Darrell, can’t you see we’re having a conversation here?” I snapped.

  Wow. Where did that come from? I couldn’t think of a time I actually minded seeing Darrell. He was good looking, after all. And he was a nice guy. That’s why he’d been among the small group we invited to come with us. We made sure there were no rabid fans to pester either of the wrestlers. Well, no rabid fans except Terry. What the fuck did Darrell want?

  “Sorry, Dawn.” He turned his attention back to the vampire. “It seems so strange to call you by a normal name.”

  Marcus smiled good-naturedly. “Everyone is used to Nightmare.”