Brother Remembered - Black Dagger Brotherhood FanFic - Sumter Colony 2

Chapter 1

Night sat on the deck in the pre-dawn light, waiting for the sun to show itself above the horizon as he had done every morning for the last several decades since learning he was a daywalker. It didn't much matter to him that the temperature was well below freezing or that his breath fogged with every exhale. Missing the dawn was something a male such as himself simply did not do.

Around him, the wood of the cabin and deck was beginning to gleam a rich golden hue in the expanding light. The songbirds of the Alaska forest surrounding his two-story log home were active, as they had been for some hours. A grin spread across his face as he watched the red crossbills squabble over the sideyard bird feeders he stocked for them throughout the winter, and he cocked his head when he heard a moose bull bellow deeper in the trees.

He glanced over his shoulder when the door behind him opened and smiled at his son, Ace, who, blessedly, brought two gigantic insulated travel mugs of coffee with him. Ace was undoubtedly his son; they shared the same black skin, black hair, and square jaw. Ace, however, had managed to inherit his mother's green eyes as opposed to his own brown. Night took the mug offered him and toasted his thanks before settling back into his chair, refocusing on the horizon as he sipped.

Ace dropped into the chair next to him at the table with a soft grunt, scooted another chair to himself, and used it as a makeshift ottoman for his size ten wolverines. After twenty-some-odd years on the planet, he knew to keep quiet and let his sire enjoy the break of day. As he had been doing for the past year, he wondered if he'd be a daywalker, too, after he transitioned into adulthood.

They sat together, sipping the warm comfort-in-a-cup, enjoying each other's company in companionable silence. Dawn was a magical time; it didn't happen all at once, yet Night knew when it occurred as surely as he knew his own name. He closed his eyes when the moment came, relaxing into the sun's light bright enough to have chased all the twinkling stars from the sky. Magic. Pure magic. He smiled and sighed, content, even if only for a few moments.

"So, the new group comes in tomorrow," Ace reminded him, breaking the silence of the morning's reverie.

Night glanced over. "We ready?"

Ace bobbed his head. "Yeah, for the most part. I'm going to head into town for some last-minute supplies. You need anything?"

"Check with Charlie at the hardware store and see if that new rope has come in yet. And, might as well grab some more carabiners." Night sipped, running through his ever-present list of supplies in his head. "Get some coffee, milk, bread, and eggs, too. We'll be out after Last Meal."

"Gotcha. You going to run through the gear again while I'm gone?"

"Nah. You went through it yesterday. I trust you."

Ace smiled over his coffee as he watched the crossbills take flight. "Thanks, dad. That means a lot."

Night arched an eyebrow. "No need to thank me. You're an excellent survivalist and an asset to the business."

"Yeah, I guess. Not as good as you, but..."

The older male scoffed; it was easier to compliment his son than contemplate his personal contribution. "I've got centuries of experience on you, Ace. Don't be so hard on yourself."

Ace squirmed as he flushed and cleared his throat. He changed the subject. "You haven't seen Stephanie in a while. You should probably give her a call. You need to feed."

Breathing out a great sigh, Night slumped. "I know. I just..."

"Don't want to get serious. She's human. I get it."

Night drained his mug. "It's not that she's human as much as she's started to get possessive. I don't want to be attached to her."

As if on cue, Night's phone buzzed, and when he checked it, he saw that it was Stephanie texting, as she did every morning.