Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1)

by Betty Shreffler

  “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 to
ld 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.

  “Yes, the Covenant is a group of old strong vampires that uphold our vampire laws. All over the country there are vampire covens, but there is only one Covenant. When vampires get out of control or break laws, the Covenant resolves the problem.”

  “Your own vampire government. That’s ingenious.”

  “It keeps our existence a secret and keeps our population under control.”

  “Do ya have strict rules, like China? Only one vampire per family?”

  Adrian smiled at her attempt to make a joke.

  Kayci blushed. “That bad, huh?”

  Adrian swept his hand along her arm gently. “I’m impressed with how well you continue to take it all in.”

  Kayci shrugged. “The wine helps. So…how does your hunt for this vampire affect me?”

  “She saw me with you and saw me kill one of her coven vampires to protect you. Now she is using the fact that I care for you as leverage to get me out of her way.”

  Kayci’s heart fluttered when he said care for you. She’d come back to that later though. She was now on this vampire’s radar…

  “How does she plan to use me as leverage?”

  “She found me tonight when I was…” Adrian hesitated. “When I was feeding.”

  Kayci cringed. She didn’t want to think about Adrian feeding on someone like the vampire that attacked her had tried to do.

  “She told me she had taken you. I believed her.” Adrian swallowed the lump in his throat, clearly disturbed by the thought. “It’s something she would do. When she told me, I became enraged. I came here to see if it was true. The whole thing was a setup. She had a couple of her coven vampires follow me to see where you live. Now she truly does know I care for you and where you live.”

  Kayci’s eyes widened in fear. She thought of the verbena and talisman. The fact that she was protected in her home lessened her anxiety.

  “The witch I met, she gave me verbena to put at my windows and the talisman to hang on my door, which clearly needs to go on the door, not above,” she acknowledged. “Those items will keep any vampire from entering my home.”

  “You’re right. They will, but I don’t feel that’s enough protection. You’ll have to leave your house for something or another, and the vampire, Danika, is very clever and deceptive.” He paused a moment, considering his words carefully. “I want you to stay with me for a while until Danika has been captured.”

  Kayci’s guard immediately went up. As much as she wanted to see where Adrian lived and to spend time with him, she refused to be confined to a vampire’s home, a vampire that she really didn’t know all that well. She had a job to do and a life to live. She wasn’t going to put everything on hold because another vampire may or may not come after her.

  “No,” she responded. “I have a job and a life. I’m not going to hole up in a vampire haven until this crazy vampire is caught. I don’t need you to put yourself at risk to keep protecting me. I’m not without the ability to protect myself.”

  Adrian seemed shocked. “Kayci, you’re human. You’re not strong enough to fight off one vampire, let alone more. You would only have to stay with me for a few days. If anything happened to you, I would feel responsible. It’s my fault that Danika knows who you are and where you live.”

  Kayci read the concern in his eyes. She hadn’t felt like she mattered to a man in a long time. She admired his protectiveness, yet his idea that she was a helpless human aggravated her. She didn’t want to be his continuous damsel in distress, or perceived as one. She struggled not to reveal she wasn’t a fragile human and had the same capabilities he had, but the idea of the Covenant finding out about her terrified her.

  Kayci took Adrian’s hand in hers. She instantly became aware of the same humming sensation as when they kissed before.

  “Adrian, I appreciate your concern for my safety, I really do, but the answer is still no. I’ll do everything I can to avoid putting myself at risk. I promise. You have a job to do, and you don’t need to be babysitting me. Your focus should be on finding this woman before she creates anymore vampires or wreaks anymore havoc in town.”

  Adrian’s head lowered. He looked at her hand as he caressed it gently. He returned his gaze to her with an expression of unease. “I can see there’s no changing your mind. I’ll leave you my number. Call it if you need me for any reason. I’ll come by and check on you.” His tone refused argument.

  Kayci used his hand in hers to pull him closer. The intense energy began to vibrate. She bit her lip to hold back her strong desire to kiss him uninhibitedly.

  “Yes, you can come by whenever you’d like.” The words came out as more of an invitation. He gave a zealous smile.

  “Good,” he whispered before pulling her nearer and pressing his lips against hers once more.

  Electricity shot through her body. Their kiss quickly grew in intensity, and she couldn’t help herself from wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his body closer. She moaned with pleasure as his hand caressed her backside and lifted her onto the counter. Their hands aggressively roamed one another. It didn’t take long for the strange humming sensation to engulf her senses and make all else fade.

  Adrian heard Kayci’s heartbeat pounding heavily against her chest. It echoed in his ears. Her scent filled his nostrils, overwhelming his senses and leaving him dizzy. His vampire needs heavily combated his physical desires. His fangs extracted. He meant to pull back, only to be enticed by Kayci’s moaning as his fangs repeatedly grazed her tongue.

  Adrian brought his kisses from her lips to her cheek, nibbled her ear, and continued fervently alongside her neck. Her whimpers for more willed him further. He struggled to gain self-control as her heartbeat quickened and the humming around them became deafening. He growled at the overpowering desire to feed on her and his weakness in resisting that desire. Her blood surged just beneath his teeth. He pressed his fangs gently against her skin. It would only take a little prick to taste her. His fangs increased their pressure as one hand held the nape of her neck and the other continued to roam and knead her body.

  “Uh-hum! I can hear you two!”

  Adrian’s senses came rushing back as he heard Elise shout. He instantly pulled away from Kayci. He’d almost fed from her. Frustration coupled with his intense sexual longing left him light headed. He staggered away from her. She too appeared faint and burning with desire. Part of him was grateful for the intrusion, yet the majority of him craved to have her moaning beneath him again with his fangs deeply embedded in her flesh. He quickly tried to shake the thoughts from his mind. Guilt developed in the pit of his gut. Thankfully, Kayci had no idea how close he’d come.

  “Sorry,” Kayci shouted back.

  She bit her lip and gazed at Adrian, who appeared as dazed and lustfu
l as she was. She stepped down from the counter and adjusted her shirt. She couldn’t believe how intense, how intimate, things had progressed between them. She was ridiculously responsive to his touch and his kisses. She took a deep breath and tried to not think about the sensual encounter.

  “You were going to give me your cell number?” she asked, her words breathy. She was still reeling from their embrace.

  “Yes, I was,” he said just as breathlessly.

  Kayci snuck out to the entryway, took her cell phone out of her purse, and returned to the kitchen. Adrian was obviously still reeling, his vampire appearance visible.

  “I’m ready,” she said with cell phone in hand.

  As he said each number, she quickly tapped the screen. “Got it.” She set the phone on the counter and looked at him. His eyes were transitioning back to green right in front of her.

  “Your eyes are beautiful whether they are green or gold.”

  Adrian smiled. She could barely see the tips of his fangs now.

  “Call me anytime, Kayci. I mean it, and please be careful.”

  He wrapped his arms around her back and brushed his fingers through her hair before giving her a quick, gentle kiss.

  “The sooner you catch her, the sooner we can see each other again.”

  “Then I’ll hunt dusk to dawn.”

  Kayci smiled. “Quite the romantic, aren’t you?”

  Adrian let out a good-humored laugh.

  “What do you expect? I was born in a time when you courted ladies.”

  “I don’t even want to think about how many ladies you may have courted throughout the years.”

  Adrian grinned. “It’s far less than you think. I can promise you that.”

  Kayci smiled, relieved by his comment.

  “I’m going to call your phone so you have my number.” She picked up her cell phone from the counter and dialed his number, then disconnected after she heard the buzzing in his pocket. “Call me when things have slowed down.”