Chapter Seven

"What do you mean, you're tracking him!" Nick bellowed, as he stood in the living room with the rest of the family; Heath had decided that they had the right to know what was going on, even if he was going to beg them to leave matters in his hands.

"He was at the line shack; like I told you." Heath looked at the note he'd handed his stepmother, as he answered his hot tempered brother. "And like I said, I am asking the family to let me track Eugene by myself." Heath wasn't surprised when Nick growled under his breath; it was something the blonde haired cowboy had expected. However, Heath was relieved when, after a moment of silence, the hot tempered rancher agreed to trust him and leave matters in his hands. Heath then looked to Jarrod.

Like Nick, Jarrod didn't like it. A portion of him wanted desperately to go find Gene and demand answers. After all, Gene had been his responsibility for many years. Okay, that 'boy' was an adult now. Still, it didn't matter. Eugene was still a Barkley. However, Jarrod had learned a lot about Heath since the blonde haired cowboy joined the family and trusted him without question. That being the case, he finally nodded and said, "All right, Heath. Gene being an adult, I'll leave this in your hands. Though, I want to make it clear; I would appreciate your word that you'll let us know what's going on as soon as possible."

"Agreed," Heath gave the famous Stockton attorney a crooked smile, and then he looked at the women; neither looked very pleased. However, he was elated when Audra nodded ever so slightly, indicating her consent.

"I think we should trust, Heath." Audra told her family.

Heath was also relieved when his stepmother gave in with a sigh, and consented as well. "But you tell him I want one very good reason for this! I don't care how old he is." Victoria said in the firmest voice anyone had ever heard her use.

"Yes, mother." Heath's grin spread just a little wider than before; he'd expected her to say just that. He then turned around and left the room.

~oOo~

"I tell you I don't like it!" Starrs, Dawn's eldest brother, who stood six feet two inches with pitch black hair that touched the back of his neck, stood on top of a cliff talking to his mother, Ella. The woman was almost the spitting image of Dawn, though her hair was going white and she was a few inches taller. He had been looking for Dawn's return and was growing antsier by the minute. "I say let me go look for her! Something has happened!"

Ella said nothing, as she stood alongside her son with her hands clasped behind her back. She had been troubled by dreams for a few nights now; all of them held her daughter and two strangers in them. Normally she would be extremely upset and demanding that her son do just as he said, only she couldn't for one simple reason; her dreams always had the younger stranger caring for her daughter while the older stranger watched over, and protected, them. Also, there was also a strong feeling of 'don't go looking for her, not yet anyway'. Just as her son was about to repeat himself, Ella shook her head. "Not yet, Starrs, not yet," She then turned and walked away.

Starrs growled slightly and then went about his business; he had to. While he had been in many fights and was known to be hot tempered and stubborn, the one thing he'd never done was go against his mother's wishes. He wasn't about to start now.

~oOo~

Gene was standing outside the cave behind Dawn inspecting her wings after he'd removed the bandages. They had taken the chance even though the sun was starting to set. After all, they could only take being inside the cave so long. He couldn't help but stare at her right wing; it was already completely healed. Sure, with it being the one least hurt, Eugene had expected it to heal first. He just hadn't expected it this fast. He said as much too. "I'm amazed! Do your people heal faster than us too?" he asked as he re-bandaged her left wing.

Dawn's smile spread from one side of her face to the other. "Mother always said I healed faster than most. Said; she thought it was because of what the man upstairs needed me to help with the animals I watch over."

"You believe in deity too?" He asked as he finished with the bandaging job and then stepped in front of her.

Dawn couldn't help but laugh, and laugh loud. "Why is it human beings seem to think the creator's power is limited to what their small world holds…and even deny the fact that there is life about them they know nothing of? " She then chuckled again and told Gene not to bother answering, as she didn't expect him to be able to read everyone's minds. "I sometimes wish our people could coincide with each other, but that is impossible."

In that moment, Gene realized that just how little time he might have with Dawn, and he didn't want it to end. Why should he? He'd never met anyone like her, and he wasn't thinking about her wings and not being human. No, he was thinking about the talks they'd had and the laughs they'd shared. She made him feel alive and his innate loneliness fled. He began thinking of the gentleman Dawn had said had created the Greek Goddess Aurora, and the fact that he and the woman he'd fallen in love with could not be together. He looked at Dawn and shocked her as he asked why that was the case. "Is it simply because he was human and she was not?" He had to admit it would make sense.

Dawn might have thought his question was only out of curiosity, but after the kiss they'd shared and the look that was in his eyes, she knew better. Not sure if he could really love her in such a short time, she sighed and asked him to rewrap her one wing and leave those curiosities alone.

Gene inwardly sighed as he began re-wrapping her wing; though, he vowed to get her to give him a straight answer.