Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (9 page)

Adrian’s senses went off like a siren when he sensed another vampire approaching behind him.

“Do you miss it?” He heard the familiar snakelike voice and turned to face Danika with an expression of scorn.

“Miss what,
Danika
?”

She moved in closer, like a panther stalking its prey. She reminded him of the creature—sleek, wild, and predatory.

“What it was like to truly hunt. To find your kill and
ravage
it.”

“
You
tried to make me into a killer, but that’s not what I am.” His temper simmered.

Danika’s eyebrows furrowed in pretend puzzlement. “It’s not, is it? And what do you do for the Covenant
exactly
?”

“That’s different.”

“Is it? Why are the humans more valuable than the vampires you slaughter?”

Adrian’s lip curled in frustration. She was trying to get under his skin, and it was working.

“You’re bringing them to their death by creating them against the consent of the Covenant. Their deaths are on your hands,
not mine
.”

“Is that what you tell yourself to be able to live with your actions? You’re better off admitting you’re a killer. Life would be less depressing. It’s who you are, after all, Adrian. Don’t you remember how much you enjoyed the hunts
and
the kills?” Danika smirked.

He revealed the tips of his fangs. His nostrils flared. His lip curled. It took everything in his power not to kill her on the spot.

“This is not the time or place to provoke me, Danika. The Covenant has asked me to bring you to them alive. I can always ask for forgiveness later and tell them it was an accident that your head came back separate.”

Adrian grabbed her arm forcefully. He wasn’t letting her go this time.

Danika’s eyes lowered. She scowled at Adrian. She tried to pull her arm from his grasp, but his grip was deadlocked. Danika glanced at Adrian’s hand on her arm and then back at him.

“You think I came to see you without leverage?”

Adrian raised his head. She had his interest. He waited for her to continue.

“She tastes sweet, if you’re wondering.”

Adrian’s grip tightened. He leaned in closer. His fangs escaped his control.

“What are you talking about?” He knew she meant Kayci.

Danika smirked again.

“The little brunette you killed Conan over. Just wanted to let you know we have her. She’s very sweet, and so is the taste of her blood. Not sure how much longer she’ll last though. My boys have been a bit rough with her.”

Adrian’s face twisted into an expression of rage.

“You’re lying.”

“Am I?”

Danika jerked her arm from his grasp the moment he hesitated. “You’re obviously concerned for the pathetic human’s life.” She roughly pulled his face close to hers and whispered, “Good-bye, Adrian.”

Adrian looked around. Six of Danika’s minion vampires circled him, ensuring he didn’t follow Danika. He shoved the nearest one between him and Danika out of his way. All six moved in closer and took their stance. He either had to make a scene in public and potentially reveal what they were or back off. He grimaced in anger.

Danika strolled through the crowd of dancers, glancing back at Adrian only once. Her coven vampires were holding him back well. She could see the look of angst and rage on his face. She grinned. Her plan had worked. Now it was time to hunt and then wait for Adrian to be the foolish protector he was. She pulled her cell phone out of her pocket and dialed.

“Follow him when he leaves,” she ordered, then disconnected.

The door she exited came out to a backstreet between buildings. She followed it while listening for voices. She heard a couple of young men some yards away. She quickly made her way to them. She found them drunk and laughing at each other’s ridiculous jokes. Danika scanned her surroundings. No one else was near.

“Hi, boys.” Her words were smooth as silk. She instantly had their attention. Her energy pulsed.

“
Hell-o
, beautiful.” The man’s arrogance made her grin. “Come to join the fun, have you?”

She flashed a smile at the tall yellow-haired guy.

“Oh yes, fun is exactly what I want.” Her teeth slipped out of her smile. Her eyes flashed gold. Both men stared at her with puzzled expressions.

“Too bad I’ll be the only one having a good time.”

She slammed her fist into the friend of the yellow-haired guy. The blow knocked him to the ground. He hit his head against a pile of haphazardly piled crates. He didn’t get up. The yellow-haired guy looked suddenly sober.

“What’d you do that for?” he asked with confusion and irritation in his voice.

Danika didn’t answer. She clutched him in her arms and bit viciously into his neck. She savored the rush of warm blood invigorating her own body. Minutes later she released him. He collapsed to the ground near his friend, his body unmoving and lifeless. She licked her lips clean of blood.

She thought of Adrian.
He doesn’t know what he’s missing.

Chapter 6

Kayci and Elise abruptly stopped their laughing as a forceful and impatient knock banged on Kayci’s front door.

“Who is that?” Elise asked. Her eyes widened, clearly startled.

“Not sure. Stay here.” Kayci slowly headed for the door. She was fairly intoxicated and desperately tried to gather her wits.

As she moved closer to the door, she heard Adrian’s voice. His tone startled her.

“Kayci, open up.”

Kayci looked at Elise before opening the door. “It’s Adrian.”

Elise seemed to settle a bit but was blatantly curious at the unexpected late-night visit.

Kayci opened the door to see Adrian displaying his full vampire appearance—fangs bared, eyes sharp and bright gold. His cheeks unusually blushed. His posture tense. She stepped back in surprise and instinctively tried to hide him from Elise’s view.

“Has anyone been here since I left?”

Adrian was seriously disturbed by something. Kayci stared at him, bewildered. She glanced at Elise and then back at him.

He realized Elise’s presence and stepped back from the door to hide his appearance. He quickly tried to compose himself in an effort to conceal his fangs and golden eyes.

“Just Elise. Why?” Kayci asked.

“Dammit.” Adrian’s expression changed from concern to comprehension.

He peered into the darkness. He could sense them.

“She set me up,” he muttered.

Kayci looked in the direction Adrian stared. She saw nothing, but remembered the last time he behaved this way.

“Adrian, what is going on?!” Kayci demanded.

Adrian looked back at Kayci, his golden eyes filled with concern. “You’re not safe. We need to talk.”

“What do you mean I’m not safe?!”

Adrian looked up in frustration. He caught a glimmer of a bright light above his head and examined it more closely. When he focused on the charm dangling above the door, the bright light flashed boldly into his eyes. He squinted in pain. He recognized the heat rising on his skin. He stepped back instinctively as his hands began to smolder.

Kayci stared at Adrian. She had forgotten about the talisman.

She stepped out of the doorway and went to Adrian, who stared at his scorched hands.

“Adrian, I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

Adrian tried to smile. His discomfort dissipated now that he had stepped away from the talisman. Luckily for him she hadn’t hung it on her door like she was supposed to have done.

“Are you a witch?”

“No. Met one today though. She gave me a few things to help keep unwanted guests from entering my home.”

“Like me?” Adrian asked, disappointed.

“No,” Kayci admitted. “Others. Like the one that attacked me and the one from outside Blue Moon.”

Relief flooded through Adrian.

“Luckily for me you didn’t hang it in the right place. Otherwise, I’d be in a lot more pain right now.”

Kayci stared up at Adrian and smiled. She reached out and touched his hands and rubbed them as they healed before her eyes. She was fascinated by how quickly his skin regenerated. She started to tell him how much slower hers regenerated, and quickly caught herself.

She looked up to see him attentively staring down at her. His golden eyes mesmerized her. They glistened under the bit of moonlight that illuminated her porch. She hadn’t realized before how bright and beautiful the golden color really was. She had been too distracted. Now she found herself entranced like a moth drawn to a flame. As he gazed down at her, the familiar butterflies returned. This time she didn’t push them away. Perhaps the alcohol influenced her. Either way, she couldn’t bring herself to pull away. She wanted to be closer. And the humming sensation between them.
What is it? Why does it feel so captivating?

“I’m glad I put it in the wrong place too,” she replied softly.

Adrian felt the energy between them increasing. It was as hot as the small flames that had burned his skin, except pleasurable. She desired him, and with the alcohol she had consumed, her guard had finally come down. He was experiencing her true feelings and didn’t want it to end. He brought his hand to her face and gently brushed his thumb across her cheek and through her hair. She reached up and touched his hand as it ran along her neck, gently pulling him closer. Their combined energy continued to vibrate, turning into a strong pulse as he brought his lips down on hers.

She eagerly took his kiss and reciprocated the same amount of passion. His hunger for her rose with each movement of their lips. Her sensuality engulfed him. He had an overwhelming desire to ravage her and claim her as his own. He ran his hands affectionately across her neck and back and let her know without a doubt how much he wanted her. She pressed back against him, willing him further. The humming between them consumed him, snuffing out all else.

Kayci flicked her tongue across Adrian’s fangs. The painful and stimulating sensation caused a shiver up her spine. She exhaled deeply and gave in to the numbing pleasure that overwhelmed her body as their kisses intensified. She moaned beneath his lips, begging for more. The world around them disappeared. She succumbed to the moment and forgot all else.

When she heard rustling from the front door, she remembered Elise’s presence and grumbled when Adrian slowly pulled away. Kayci opened her eyes. Adrian’s vampire appearance was fully displayed. Kayci heard Elise’s shock from the deep inhale of breath followed by a whimper.

Kayci immediately pulled Adrian inside the house behind her. Elise stepped back, giving them both plenty of room to enter, an expression of terror on her face. She turned and looked at Adrian, who had already transitioned.

“Elise, calm down.”

“What are you?!” Elise demanded.

A surge of protectiveness swept over Kayci. “Elise, stop! He’s not dangerous. He’s a vampire, but a good one,” she added.

Elise looked from him to Kayci and back to Adrian, with her hands protectively outstretched in front of her. “They are fucking real?!”

Kayci chuckled a little. “Yes, they are. He’s not the one that was hurting people though. He’s the one that stopped anyone else from getting hurt and saved me, remember?”

“Yes, but seriously, vampires are actually real?! You aren’t trying to turn her into one, are you?!” Elise asked accusingly.

“No, I would never do that to her,” Adrian responded.

Elise sighed heavily and looked at Kayci fiercely. “You were just making out with a vampire.”

Kayci rolled her eyes. “Yeah, that’s the complicated part I couldn’t tell you earlier.”

Adrian started to move toward Elise but stopped quickly when he saw the expression on her face.

“Please don’t fear me. I would never do anything to harm either of you.”

Elise gave a sigh of defeat.

“I need time to wrap my brain around this.”

She collapsed onto the couch and poured herself another glass of wine. “Yep, Kayci, makes sense now why you said his lifestyle was different than yours. Dinner dates would be
awkward
.”

The tight ball in Kayci’s gut twisted. She looked at Adrian and mouthed,
I’m sorry
.

Adrian gave a reassuring smile and gently rubbed her hand.

Elise witnessed the gesture and smiled. “All right, vampy, come have a seat. I have
a lot
of questions.”

Kayci took a seat on the couch with Elise, while Adrian sat back in the chair, eyes focused on Elise, calmly prepared for the interrogation.

“Elise, I do have to say something before you begin your interview.”

Elise looked at Kayci. “What’s that?”

“You can’t tell anyone that vampires exist. You would put Adrian in serious danger if you told anyone.”

Elise studied Kayci with furrowed brows.

“That’s a given. People would think I’m crazy, but why couldn’t I?”

“Vampires stay alive by keeping their existence a secret. If people knew about them, very bad things could happen for both people and vampires.”

“Hmm.” Elise looked at her wineglass and then took a long swallow. “Considering that I am pretty wasted and freaked out, let’s see how much of this I remember tomorrow. Now,
Adrian
.”

Elise eyed Adrian closely. “You appear completely human, so you can control when you look human?”

“Yes and no. Our vampire appearance has a lot to do with our emotions. The more strongly we are feeling—angry, sad, passionate”—he glanced at Kayci, who instantly started to blush—”the more we appear like a vampire. We look more like humans when we are content. New vampires have a hard time controlling their emotions, so they have their vampire appearance more often.”

“How long have you been a vampire?”

Adrian hesitated to answer. “About a hundred and fifty years.”

“Wow!”

Kayci hid her shock. “You don’t look a day over thirty.” She smiled at Adrian to assure him that his vampire age didn’t scare her.

Adrian nodded and smiled, relieved. “I was thirty-one when I was turned.”

“So you were human once?” Elise asked.

“Yes, I was a young, naïve soldier then.”

“In the Civil War?”

“Yes.”

“Unbelievable,” Elise muttered before taking another sip of wine. “You’d make the story of my career if I could publish it.”

“Please don’t,” Adrian asked politely, his tone firm.

Elise smiled. “Don’t worry, Adrian. I’ll be lucky if I remember half of this conversation. Come tomorrow I’ll be asking Kayci how drunk we got and telling her about my bizarre dream.”

Adrian smiled, amused.

“How did you become a vampire?”

“That’s a conversation for another day.”

“Oooh, that’s a hot button. Stay away from that topic, Kayc.”

Kayci studied Adrian. Clearly that topic made him uncomfortable. Why? she wondered.

“Are there a lot of other vampires?”

“Yes.”

“How many?”

“Many.” He offered no explanation.

“Why should Kayci trust you?”

“I care for her.”

Elise made eye contact with Kayci and smiled.

“Why did that vampire attack Kayci?”

“He was a fledgling vampire. Newly made vampire,” he elaborated. “He hadn’t been taught how to properly live among humans nor how to feed from humans without hurting them.”

“You can do that? Feed from humans without hurting them?”

“Yes, we can. It takes practice, but it can be done.”

“Did you feed tonight?” Elise’s eyes narrowed.

Adrian hesitated before answering.

“Well, that was a fun interview.” Kayci interrupted before Adrian could answer. She didn’t want to hear his response.

She stood and addressed Elise. “Adrian came here tonight to tell me something important. We’re going to go into the kitchen…to talk…alone.” She gave Elise a pointed look and motioned for Adrian to follow her.

Elise drank the last of her wine, stretched herself onto the couch, and pulled the blanket up to her neck.

Adrian felt Elise’s watchful eye as he followed Kayci into the kitchen.

Kayci leaned against the counter. Her hand went to her brows and then dropped as she sighed, embarrassed. “I’m sorry. We were having a girls’ night when you arrived. We had nearly drank two bottles of wine.”

Adrian’s eyes flickered in surprise.

“I was feeling sour about our last conversation and was wallowing in the wine.”

He smiled. “I understand. I felt the same.” His gold-flecked eyes roamed her face, sending sparks across her skin.

The way he looked at her told her he wanted to kiss her again as much as she wanted to kiss him. She wouldn’t bother denying the chemistry between them. Perhaps having some kind of a relationship with Adrian wasn’t as crazy as she’d thought. She was a half-breed, after all.

“So what did you come here tonight to tell me? You were pretty shaken up when you showed up on my doorstep.”

Adrian brought his hand to his face and rubbed the bit of facial hair he had. “Might as well start from the beginning. The vampire you saw me meet at Blue Moon is a dangerous vampire planning an uprising against our leaders. She is making fledgling vampires without our leaders’ consent and does nothing to teach them how to properly live among humans. My job was to bring her in to face the penalties of her actions. She is very clever though and has many more coven vampires than I expected.”

“Coven?”

“It means a group of vampires that live together, hunt together, and protect one another.”

Kayci nodded. “When you say leaders, do you mean the Covenant?”

Adrian tipped his head to one side, a question in his eyes.

“I spent the day educating myself on vampires, witches, and werewolves. I learned a few things.”

He grinned, impressed.