Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1)

by Betty Shreffler

  “You’re sure?” she asked, nearly hissing.

  “Yes. I waited outside the hotel during and after their meeting. She was escorted out by Adrian and Vladimir. Not a scratch on her.”

  Her eyes narrowed. “I see.” Her face contorted from the rage boiling inside of her.

  “You see the young redheaded woman there?” Danika pointed her out to Max.

  Max nodded.

  “See the two men groping her?”

  Max nodded again.

  “Turn the two men into one of us. Let them feed on her as their first meal.”

  “Not a problem. Would you like them brought to the suite?”

  “Yes,” she hissed as she stormed away.

  ***

  Kayci poured the wine into the clear glass, corked it, and set it aside. She took a long swallow before returning with the glass to the living room, where Adrian waited for her.

  “Is it helping?” he asked.

  “Yes, thanks for the suggestion. It’s taken the edge off.”

  Kayci sat next to Adrian on the sofa and took another sip before lowering the glass from her mouth.

  “I can’t believe I just had a meeting with the vampires of the Covenant and came out unscathed,” Kayci said. “Honestly, Adrian, I don’t think I’ve ever been that scared in my life.”

  Adrian smiled. “I don’t think they knew you were scared. You hid it well. I have no doubt you left an impression on them.”

  “Is that good or bad?”

  “Not sure yet,” he admitted. “But the meeting went better than I’d expected.”

  “Why is that?”

  “Because the oldest vampire that I know to exist and who is also the prominent ruling leader of the vampire species is your aunt, and she was willing to fight to protect you tonight. Not to mention that you’ve won over half the Covenant members already. Vladimir and Beatrice like you as much as Eva does.”

  “Florence, Orrick, and Natalia sure didn’t.”

  Kayci set the empty wineglass on the coffee table and repositioned herself to face Adrian. “Do I need to be worried about them?”

  “I hope not. Right now Eva has control over the other members, and as long as she is the Covenant leader, I don’t see any of the other members trying to harm you. If they decide you’re an asset, I don’t believe any of them will want to harm you.”

  “What do you mean by asset? How could I help them?”

  Adrian studied Kayci closely. The energy reverberating off her was something he hadn’t been able to figure out. Not until after Eva announced that Thorne was her father. He had heard the rumors of Thorne’s offense, exile, and ultimately his escape. He had even been recruited to help locate him. Now more than ever, he was relieved he had shirked that responsibility and left it up to others. If the rumors were true and Kayci was a product of both witch and vampire, then the other energy he had been unable to identify until now was witch energy.

  “Eva made a point to confront the other Covenant members’ fears about what you are because you were born from both a witch and a vampire. In some of their minds, that combination could be deadly for both vampires and witches. However in Eva’s mind, she sees you as an ally and something to be coveted. She doesn’t fear you. She sees your potential skills as an asset.”

  Kayci wondered if that was all she was to her aunt, a weapon against enemies. What if she was only a tool for Eva to use at her disposal? She hoped that wasn’t the case.

  “What skills are you referring to? I noticed the same comment, but, Adrian, I don’t have any witch powers whatsoever. I don’t know anything about witches or witchcraft other than the little bit I’ve seen from the witch who helped me make this necklace.”

  Adrian reached up and curiously touched her charm between his fingers. He could feel energy exuding from the stone. He sensed its energy mingling with Kayci’s. The sensation of the two energies mixing beneath his hand fascinated him. He could even feel the stone slightly pulling at his own energy. That mild pull caused tingling in his fingertips and continued up his arm and across his neck and back. Mesmerized by the stone and its effect, he became fixated on its intricate colors while twirling the stone in his fingers.

  Kayci brought her hand up to Adrian’s and gently pulled his hand from the stone. The stone obviously caused a reaction in him, based on his incognizant gaze.

  He must have realized what she was doing when she pulled his hand away. He smiled at her with visible fangs and let his fixed stare rest on her eyes. He slowly let his hand drop from the stone, and as it did, his hand grazed her skin, causing a warming sensation and a burst of arousal, which evaporated as his fingers departed. Kayci bit her lip and looked away from his fixed stare. She was embarrassed at how easily his touch stimulated her.

  Adrian’s voice was more husky now, as if fresh out of sleep. “Kayci, witches aren’t naïve. They can often see glimpses into the future. The witch wouldn’t have made you that amulet if she didn’t have good reason to.”

  “So what are you saying?”

  “Perhaps you should visit this witch again and learn what you can about that part of you. She’ll know how to help you and clearly is willing to.”

  Kayci frowned. “I doubt I have any witch powers. I never noticed any while growing up, and I noticed the vampire attributes just fine. Besides even if I do have witch abilities, I’m not sure I would want to know. The more abilities I have, the more I can be taken advantage of.”

  Kayci thought of Adrian’s involuntary job working for the Covenant. She didn’t want the same life. She pitied Adrian’s situation.

  Adrian gently ran his hand across Kayci’s neck and pulled the hair away from the beautiful face that displayed a forlorn expression. He enjoyed the reaction to his touch, and the gold flicker in her eyes.

  “Perhaps being able to protect yourself better will make you feel less vulnerable.”

  Kayci met his gaze. Adrian was staring at her with such adoration. It comforted the deepest corners of her mind.

  “I didn’t thank you yet for coming to my rescue again when Natalia tried to attack me. I’m sure that would have gone sour very quickly had she reached me. I don’t want you to think that I always need saving though. I don’t want you to think I’m vulnerable. If you think that of me, I may begin to believe it, even feel it, and I’ve never been the kind of person to feel vulnerable.”

  If he was honest with himself, he did want her to be vulnerable, but only to let him in. But he couldn’t be selfish. She was strong, and she needed to know that.

  “Kayci, I don’t see you as being vulnerable in any way. You’re a very strong woman, and not because you’re a half-breed vampire. You have an aura of strength surrounding you. You can see it in your actions, the way you care for others, and the way you take care of yourself. I can’t help wanting to protect you. It’s instinctive for me. Ever since the first moment I saw you, I’ve wanted to know you, and now that I do, there’s no going back for me.”

  Kayci stared at Adrian’s striking green eyes before looking over his chiseled jaw and handsome face. Strength and sex appeal seeped from his rugged exterior. He was without a doubt the most attractive male she’d ever seen. As she stared at the vampire that just expressed his fondness for her, she remembered Rosemary’s reading: Adrian would grow to love her. The feeling growing in the pit of her stomach was an awful combination of nerves, temptation, and her own affection for Adrian. She was relieved he didn’t see her as a damsel in distress. Perhaps now she’d allow herself to be vulnerable for just a little while.

  Kayci leaned in toward Adrian and took his face in her hands. She pressed her lips against his and welcomed the feeling of his fangs against her tongue. When she felt the tickle of the tiny pricks on her tongue, she moaned with pleasure.

  Adrian reacted to her moan and eagerly squeezed her behind while lowering her on top of him. He pulled her toward him and pressed his erection firmly against her, showing her how much he wanted her.

  As his erecti
on pressed against her, Kayci gripped his shoulders. His hand roamed beneath her shirt, touching her skin and finding his way to her breast, adding to her arousal. She wanted him wholeheartedly. She wanted him inside of her. The humming of their energies elevated that feeling. She lost herself in the moment.

  Adrian caressed and pinched the nipple beneath his fingers before exploring the warmth and wetness he knew was below. When his fingers made their way to her crevice, he plunged deeply, reveling in her breathy and enthusiastic moans. He grabbed a handful of hair between his hand while gripping the nape of her neck. He pulled her down to him and covered her breathy moans with his mouth. He sensed her climax was soon to come and made sure to steady his touch.

  As her breath escaped and the sensation of her orgasm overtook her, Adrian willed every part of his vampire nature not to plunge his teeth into her. He yearned for just a small taste of her. He tilted his head back and closed his eyes, trying to steady his breathing. The scent of her alone edged his hunger toward total loss of control.

  “Let’s go upstairs,” Kayci coaxed breathlessly.

  He knew she wanted more of him. He wished he could give it. He wanted to explore every crevice of her body, and slowly, but he knew that was nearly impossible. The feeling of her body warm and longingly against his was near torture. If he let his arousal continue, he would need to feed from her.

  “Kayci, I can’t.” The words came out in a painful stammer.

  Kayci immediately noticed his teetering self-control. She slowly backed away, remembering the last time they were intimate. His vampire nature was taking over again. Kayci watched as Adrian sat up and put space between them, his face still vampiric, his eyes a very bright gold. A look Kayci hadn’t seen on Adrian yet, a look of hunger and pain.

  “Is it the same for all vampires? That when you’re aroused, you also want to feed?”

  Adrian avoided eye contact. He was still reeling from the hunger.

  “Yes, but I’m worse,” Adrian said between a tight jaw.

  Kayci’s brows furrowed. “What do you mean?”

  Adrian’s hunger settled enough that he was able to look at her.

  “When vampires have sex, the only way for them to climax is through biting their partner and feeding. The blood that’s taken isn’t much. I wish it was the same for me. I don’t think I’ll be able to take just a little from you, Kayci. I don’t want to hurt you. You’re only half vampire. I could kill you if I took too much.”

  Adrian looked away uncomfortably.

  Kayci wasn’t sure how she felt about being bitten, but she was curious to know more. “Why couldn’t you stop yourself?”

  Adrian stood up and began pacing.

  “Remember I told you that a vampire took a liking to me and taught me most of what I know about vampires?”

  Kayci nodded.

  “That vampire also took me on as her lover.”

  Kayci cringed from the thought of Adrian with another woman, let alone a vampire woman. She stayed silent, trying not to reveal her jealousy.

  Adrian stopped pacing and leaned, arms crossed, against the archway in her living room.

  “She was twisted and violent. Her bedside manner was the same. I didn’t know any different. She was the first vampire I was with, and it was many years before I realized how twisted she was. Her way led to draining me to near death several times. She left me weak and at her disposal. I didn’t know better. All I knew was that when she let me drink from her, I drank heartily and became stronger and more powerful. I came to learn that when a younger vampire drinks from an older one, they gain some of their strength. I wanted to be stronger, and with that I acquired her same vile habit. There were others after her, human and vampire that I ravaged just as fiercely. I hurt them, and because of that I chose to avoid relationships for decades. I vowed not to let anyone feed from me either. That feeling of being a monster returned every time I got close to anyone. Because of her, I couldn’t get close to anyone.”

  Kayci sat silently absorbing Adrian’s horror. Part of her was disgusted. Part of her empathized with how naïve he was as a new vampire. What the vampire did to him, what she turned him into, pissed Kayci off.

  “Kayci, please say something.”

  “Does it hurt?”

  “Does what hurt?”

  “Being bitten.”

  “No, I wouldn’t,” Adrian stated firmly.

  “Answer the question.”

  “Yes, it hurts to be bitten. Then it becomes euphoric because of our enchantment. You wouldn’t feel the enchantment, only pain, and I don’t know if I could stop feeding from you.” He hung his head.

  Kayci stood up and approached Adrian. “You haven’t had a relationship for years in fear that you would hurt someone, yet you’ve pursued me. As protective as you are, I don’t believe you’d hurt me, Adrian.”

  “I’ve barely stayed in control. I don’t know what would happen if I bit you. It’s been a century since I’ve been in that situation. The hunger may be more than I can handle.”

  “Do you realize that what you’re telling me is that we could never take things any further than what we just did?”

  Adrian remained silent. He didn’t want that. Kayci obviously didn’t want that either.

  “What if I was a full vampire? Would it be different?” Kayci asked, even though she had a feeling of what the answer was.

  “I could still hurt you, but wouldn’t kill you.”

  “I want you to try. I want you to feed from me when you’re not aroused. That way your self-control is in check. Consider it practice.”

  “No,” he replied adamantly. “I’m not willing to risk your life.”

  “Adrian, I’m not fragile, for God’s sake! I want you to do this. You need to learn to control yourself when your arousal is at its peak. It’s not much different than when I train my clients. We’re going to retrain your muscles to react differently, so to speak. Instead of being extremely indulgent when you are aroused, you’ll learn to hold back. The best way to start is when you’re not aroused at all. When your self-control is in check.”

  Adrian wanted to give in. He wanted to taste her so much that his mouth salivated from the thought of it. His fangs even reacted to his thoughts.

  “No. Just the thought of feeding from you arouses me.”

  “Fine.” Kayci grabbed her wineglass and headed to the kitchen.

  “Kayci, what are you doing?” Adrian asked, concerned when he heard the kitchen drawer open and a small exhale of pain come from Kayci.

  Kayci stamped back into the living room with the wineglass half full of her blood, her palm already healing from the wound. She handed the wineglass to Adrian.

  “Baby steps. Start with tasting my blood without feeding from me.”

  Adrian rolled his eyes. “You’re too damn persistent.” Adrian took the glass from her hand and set it on the coffee table. He took the hand she had cut open and brought it to his mouth. He pulled her in close and wrapped his arm around her before plunging his teeth into her palm.

  Kayci exhaled a slight hiss of pain as his fangs penetrated her skin. It was less painful than the blade she had just swiped across her skin, but it still stung. Adrian observed her reaction and eased up on his eager sucking. As she settled into a peculiar mixture of pain and pleasure, she noticed Adrian seemed to settle as well. His eyes glazed over, and he looked at her with desire as he drank from her. With each purse of his lips, she felt him suck more fervently.

  The moment her blood touched his mouth, he wanted more. She tasted just as he thought she would—sweet and savory all at once. He eagerly lapped the blood from her palm, taking what she was willing to give. As he drew more of her blood into him, he felt his arousal increasing. Fiendish thoughts began creeping into his mind. Thoughts of throwing her onto the couch. Plunging himself deep inside of her and drinking from her firm body over and over. But he wasn’t going to. He wouldn’t let himself hurt her. He wouldn’t treat her like that. He wanted to have her gentl
y and passionately. He wanted to share their pleasure and know what it was like to have her love. This was going to be it, and he was going to enjoy what she was willing to give, and no more than that. He gave her palm a gentle kiss before quickly pulling away. He watched as her hand instantly began to heal.

  Adrian put her hand in his and pulled her nearer. He licked his lips before tenderly kissing her on the forehead.

  “Thank you.”

  Kayci looked up at his tender expression.

  “For what?”

  “For trusting me and for being a light in a world of darkness.”

  Kayci leaned her head against his chest and smiled. There was no going back for her either.

  Chapter 13

  Kayci awoke in her bed with the moon still up and darkness just outside her bedroom window. She had dozed off at some point but knew she hadn’t gotten up here by herself. Adrian had brought her to her bedroom. She smiled at the strong arm that lay heavily across her abdomen, holding her closely. She turned herself to face him and smiled when his beautiful green eyes opened and stared at her.

  “How long have I been asleep?”

  “A couple hours.”

  “Did you sleep at all?”

  “No, I’ve been watching over you.”

  “You probably should’ve been out hunting Danika instead of watching over me.”

  Adrian caressed her cheek and ran his fingers through her hair. “After your crazed idea of letting me feed from you, I wasn’t going anywhere.”

  Kayci appreciated that he stayed. It was an odd experience, being bitten by a vampire for the first time with the intention of preventing him from ravaging her in the future.

  “I think that idea was fueled by the wine.”

  “I gathered that much,” Adrian replied as he ran his thumb gently across her temple.

  Kayci rubbed her hand along his shirtless muscular arm while taking pleasure in the indentations of his muscles.

  “It wasn’t that crazy of an idea. It worked, didn’t it? A need was fulfilled, and the anticipation is probably gone now. Perhaps we could try it again, but with a little more steam?”