Chapter Twenty-four

Dawn and Mark said farewell to her brother at the front of the restaurant. Stephan had invited her to his family reunion. She told his that she would think about it. Not knowing how she would feel being immersed into so big of a group before she was ready. He told her that it was in a few months if she really did feel ready to meet everyone.

Mark turned Dawn away from the direction of the valet. "But what about your car?"

"It's alright." Mark's voice was both soothing and flat.

He escorted her around the corner. Dawn hung onto his arm with shaky hands. She didn't know what was going on. Or if she had done something wrong.

She knew something seriously was going on when she saw Parro and Patience waiting for them around the corner. She looked up at Mark pleading for him to tell her what's going on. That she was getting scared.

Mark looked mournful. "I didn't want to ruin your dinner, so I didn't tell you what Patience told me. I didn't want you to get hurt knowing what happened."

"What are you saying?"

Mark held Dawn who started to tremble. "We won't let anything happen to you again. I'm sorry. So sorry. Nicholas escaped custody tonight."

Dawn gripped his shirt and gasped for breathe. Mark held her tighter in response. He had hoped she would have taken this better, but he didn't think she would freak out like this. One thing he was happy about was that she wasn't running. Dawn just felt like the sun was covered by the darkest storm cloud over her heart.

Mark had to brace himself when Dawn passed out in his arms. "I'm so glad I waited."

Patience stood in front of Mark. "At least she won't run when I'm carrying her."

Mark frowned. "Not funny. This is tough for her."

"I know. We should get going. Darien already got someone to pickup your car for you. It's back at your place by now." Patience held her hands out. "May I?"

Mark looked down at Dawn and sighed. He gave her over to Patience not really wanting to. Patience cradled Dawn in her arms bridal style easily. Mark caressed Dawn's cheek before he sighed and went to Parro to ride on his back.

~~~~~

Dawn rose up from where she laid on shaky arms. Even her legs felt heavy and wobbly as she move them over the edge of what she was laying on. Her breathe grew ragged as she remembered what made her faint. Nicholas had escaped. He was out there free ready to take her happiness away all over again.

She looked around and found herself in someone's elaborate office. It was very stylish and artsy in a way. Shelves upon shelves of what looked to be spiral bound sketchbooks rested against the wall farthest from her. A sleek large glass desk stood before the shelves with frosted bottom half of the desk. A rug that looked like it was one of the stars from Van Gogh's starry night with its blues, golds, yellows, and navy blues. She sat on a navy blue suede couch that rested against the floor to ceiling windows that looked out to the city.

She got up and placed her hands on the glass looking out over the city. She could see Price Tower not too far away. Just a few long blocks down the street. The sun was just rising and shinning off the tallest building in the city. Price Tower was the only landmark she had familiarized herself with because it was a dominating presence in the city. She's even been inside it once when she was a florist's delivery girl a few years back.

The door opened and Dawn glanced over her shoulder. Mark sighed with a smile as he crossed the room. "How do you feel?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her waist as she still faced the view.

"Shaky. Have I really been out all night?" Dawn leaned her head back and breathed in his soothing scent.

He placed his chin on her shoulder. "Yes. I slept on the floor right next to the couch just to be near you in case you happened to wake up."

"Where are we?"

"Patience's office. We couldn't go back to our place. Nicholas could go there. Right now they're trying to figure out the next step."

Dawn's forehead scrunched up with frustration in herself. There was so much she didn't know. "Who's they?"

Mark smiled as he slipped from behind her and took her hand. "Come and see. Patience has an agency that helps locate people. In this case they're trying to track Nicholas down and found out his possible whereabouts."

He took her out of the office and down the hall to a large room with people conversing and walking here and there with reports in hand. There was so much activity that Dawn pressed herself more into Mark's side. Mark just wrapped his arm around her waist and held her to him. She did the same and leaned on his shoulder.

At the end of a long conference table Dawn saw Patience and Targ talking with a woman who looked like a panther next to Targ. They looked like they were in a deep discussion about something. They stopped when Patience looked up and smiled. Mark led Dawn over to that end of the table and helped her to sit down.

"I'll be right back with food for you." Mark kissed Dawn's cheek before he hurried out of the room.

Dawn fidgeted a little in her chair feeling very out of place even with the people who looked like great cats and ones with wings among others. She just glittered. They were so much more. They probably could do more than she could.

"Dawn." She looked up at Targ who grinned. "I'd like you to meet my other half." He gestured to the panther lady sitting next to him. "This is Pana."

Dawn dipped her head to Pana. "A pleasure to meet you."

"And you. Targ has told me so much about you. Your gift is very interesting."

Dawn bowed her head. "Thank you."

"Now that introductions have been done. We really need to figure out a place to take Dawn and Mark for their safety." Patience said jumping back into the discussion. "It has to be a place Nicholas wouldn't think or even know about."

"We could always take them to the Montana mansion. Barely anyone is there right now and its only known by certain people. Even defendable if need be." Pana offered.

"I agree. They will be safe there. It's quiet and personal with very few visitors." Targ confirmed as he looked to Dawn. "Would that be alright? Us taking you away to protect you."

"Will it really make it hard for Nicholas to find me there?" Dawn swallowed afterwards as her voice became the southern bell again as it shook.

Targ smiled. "Yes. Only a few will know you're there so there won't be a leak to him. It would also give us the free rein to track him without worrying about you being here in the city."

Dawn looked to Mark as he returned with a plate for her. "What did I miss?" He asked looked over at Patience.

"We think we have a place for you two to go and stay for some time. The Montana mansion that Targ's group has. We were just seeing if it were alright with Dawn to take you guys there."

Mark looked at Dawn. "Would you be alright with that? Going away with me to Montana?" Dawn blushed and nodded before she picked up a muffin and started to eat it in little bites. Mark turned to the other three. "When are we going to leave? The sooner Dawn is away from that sicko, the better."

"We'll contact Darien and see if we could use his jet. That will be the fastest way to get you there. I'm also going to see about flying you two to the airport creation style." Patience got up and went to deal with the plans.

Targ looked to Dawn. "Will you let one of our doctors check you out while we are at the mansion?" Dawn fervently shook her head no. "But we need to understand how and why you changed. How you can do what you do."

"Please Targ. Don't ask that of her. She doesn't want to be a lab rat. I won't allow it." Mark held Dawn's hand as she set the muffin down. "She doesn't want to be anyone else's experiment."

"Someone else ran tests on her?" Mark nodded. "What kinds of tests and when?"

"Please don't talk about it right now." Dawn spoke to the air between them.

Targ sighed. "Alright." He then perked up a bit. "I'll tell you about the mansion while Patience gets everything dealt with."

Both Pana and Targ happily told Mark and Dawn about the Montana mansion. Dawn ate while they spoke and listened intently. She liked how fondly they were speaking of the place. The more they talked, the more her curiosity spiked to go and see the mansion. She never thought she would feel like that about a place again. So many things that were coming back to her that she thought were gone forever.

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