Chapter Thirteen

Previously: "Lower your voice." Ella glared at him. "And, you heard me. I will not repeat myself. Now, go find them and help them!"

"If you know all that, why not just tell me where they are at?" The moment Starr asked the question, he knew the answer. It was his gift to find people, not hers. "Never mind, don't answer that. I'll be back as soon as I can." He turned away from his mother, muttered that his sister better have found a mate worthy of her, and then ran straight for the edge of the cliff. However, just before he would have fallen off Starr was up in the air and flying away from his mother.

~oOo~

Heath stood under a tree and watched as the sun began to go down, though it would be a good half hour-if not more-before it would be dark. Out of the corner of his eyes he could see Gene lying on the ground facing Dawn; his head was on her lap. Every now and then he'd stiffen or curl up in a ball. Gene's wings were larger than when Heath had first seen them. Also, Gene's hair was to his shoulders now. "I can't tell you exactly what he'll look like when the change is complete, just that it won't change who he is inside." Dawn's words, spoken after they'd set up camp, came to him again.

"This isn't a dream." Heath thought silently as his mind turned to his family. "It's a nightmare. Gene and Dawn can say not to worry about what to tell the family, but how can I do anything but think about it? Mother and the rest of the family will demand an answer."

While Heath was deep in his thoughts, Dawn was running her hand down the side of Gene's face. "Is it too late to stop this?" Heath's question-asked early in the day, after he'd tried to get them to see how wrong it was for Eugene just to up and disappear on the family, rang in her ears. For Heath, and the family she'd never meet face to face, Dawn felt sorrow. However, she could not say she regretted going along with Gene's request that he be the one to join her world and not the other way around. Gene had turned on his brother and gently rebuked him. "I don't want her to answer that, as I have no desire to have it stopped." Now Dawn's mind was on the night she'd put the process of changing Gene into play.

"Gene?" Dawn knelt down on the floor of the lodge and turned Gene-who was now lying on his stomach- on his side, half afraid she'd find out that he was one of the very few who died as a result of the transformation. She was relieved when he opened his eyes and clasped his hand upon her wrist.

"I'll be fine, in time." He smiled and then surprised her by telling her his mother was right.

"About what?" Dawn asked, the confusion she felt could be seen in her eyes, her slightly turned down mouth and be heard in her voice.

"She once told me that if you had the right person by your side, it was the same as having the wind under your wings…because you could do anything you wanted to with their support." He started to close his eyes and then said barely above a whisper, "You're going to be the wind beneath my wings; I know you are."

Dawn felt a lump in her throat and her heart felt as if it was swelling up inside her as she leaned over and kissed the side of his forehead. "And you'll be mine." She whispered softly.

When an unearthly sound rang through the air, Heath jumped away from the tree while Dawn quickly laid Gene's head upon the ground and then stood up herself. "It's a wolf." Heath, who had moved from the tree to her and Gene's side faster than he'd moved in a long time, turned and looked at Dawn. Remembering the night Nick was bitten, Heath pulled his gun out.

Dawn didn't have to ask why Heath had done such a thing, though she wished she could tell Gene's brother that he was wrong…even if she knew he was right to make the choice he had. The sound from the wolf was too eerie, and she could feel its pain. She opened her mouth to speak only to have the crazed wolf come out of some nearby bushes. However, before it could spring at any of them, Heath had shot it.

While a part of her cried for the slain animal, Dawn gave Heath a small smile. "You have proven to be our saving grace twice now. I am sorry." She looked at Gene, who was starting to have what appeared to be minor convulsions and then back at Heath. "I wish there was another option, but as he said, my people are not of the group that can take mortal husbands or lovers. This is the only way we can be together."

"What about your family? Surely they'll object. What then?" Heath asked, more than concerned that Eugene would find himself living among people would only ostracize him once he was among them. Before she could answer him they were shocked to hear the voices of two men off in the distance.

Dawn practically flew to Gene's side while Heath put himself between his brother and her. He would have preferred to hide both of them, but there was no time. All he could do was prepare to defend them…which he was sure he would have to do. Before he could count to five, two men stepped into view. Heath swore under his breath. While he did not know the men's names, he had seen them in Stockton before. Both were known to be troublemakers and, from the smell of alcohol, both were obviously drunk.

"Hey, if it's ain't the Barkley bas…" Hank Jensen, a tall, lanky brown haired fellow who hung around the Stockton saloon started to speak only to have his friend- a short, rather plump red head fellow by the name of Gideon Parks, hit his arm and point towards Dawn and Eugene.

"Do you see what I see?" Gideon started towards the pair only to have Heath pull his gun and tell him to back off.

"Come on Barkleyyy," Hank said with a slur in his voice. "Can't hurt to let us look, neverrrr seen a woman like th..at before."

"Don't come any closer or…" Heath started to warn them only to get the shock of his life as a gust of wind blew between him and the two men. One minute he was telling the men to back off, the next he and Hank were both staring, eyes wide open as they watched Gideon being swept off his feet and lifted up into the air.