Dark and Beautiful Nights (The Vampire Covenant Series Book 3)

by Betty Shreffler

  "Her name was Deirdre. She was the sister of Drima—the one who bound you to Natalia. She was determined to get revenge and kill me and anyone that got in her way. That's what happened to Alex. He got in her way."

  Adrian looked at the burned coffin.

  "She nearly killed you, too."

  He looked over at the second coffin. "Is she still in there?"

  Kayci nodded. "I removed the link between you so I could bring your spirit back."

  "We need to bury her body," he pointed to Deirdre, "and get him home so you can heal him."

  Alex grumbled beneath her. Drool filled the corner of his mouth. His eyes opened, but his expression remained blank. Slowly, clarity filled his eyes. His hand instantly went to his head. He violently turned his body and hurled onto the floor. Kayci rubbed his back as he convulsed.

  "Alex? Can you hear me?"

  Alex barely nodded.

  "You have a concussion. Once I get you home, I'll heal you."

  His head nodded slightly before he leaned back, lying his head in her lap. He looked up and saw Adrian.

  "You did it," he murmured.

  Kayci's gut tightened. Yes. She had.

  Chapter 21

  Kayci wiped the last of the fenugreek paste off Alex's forehead. She tilted his chin, examining him.

  "Only a little bruising left. That will be gone by tomorrow."

  "Thank you," Alex praised.

  "It's the least I can do. Thank you for helping me."

  Alex rubbed her arm affectionately. He titled his head to the shop area.

  Adrian coasted around the remodeled shop she'd insisted they come to. He looked around, clearly admiring the changes.

  "You kept a lot of Rosemary's style but added your own," he said, smiling proudly at her as he stepped in the doorway.

  "I wanted to keep her memory here as much as I could while still making it my own."

  "You did a beautiful job."

  The corner of her mouth raised appreciatively.

  "I should get back home. Elise is probably freaking out. I have a ton of missed calls from her."

  Adrian tilted his head.

  "He's dating Elise. They started dating a month ago," Kayci explained. "A lot has happened in the last two months."

  Adrian's eyes widened. "It's been two months?"

  Kayci nodded, embarrassed. "I'm sorry it took me so long to figure out how to release you."

  Adrian stepped toward her, wrapping his arms around her and pulling her in close. Her body tightened. He kissed her forehead tenderly, like he always did and she softened.

  "Don't be sorry. I knew you would bring me back. No matter how long it took." He leaned back, studying her face again, seemingly cataloging every detail.

  Alex stood from the chair. "I'll let you two catch up. Okay if I take your car, Kayc?"

  Kayci nodded, easing herself out of Adrian's arms. She dug the keys from her pocket and handed them to Alex. "Let everyone know we're okay," she told him.

  He nodded, no doubt understanding what she meant. She looked back at Adrian as Alex left.

  "We should probably get you home, too. I made sure your apartment was kept clean. I'm sure you're ready for a shower and clean clothes."

  He glanced down at his torn, bloody, dirt smudged clothes. "Yes, I am."

  ***

  Cass stood, leaning his shoulder against the pillar of the porch. He saw Alex approaching—alone.

  "Where's Kat? Is she all right?"

  Alex nodded. "She's fine. She did what she always does. She saved me and Adrian and took out Deirdre. I got knocked out and when I woke the crypt was a bloody, burned mess."

  Cass' chest tightened. "He's back then?"

  Alex joined him on the porch. "He is," he responded with sympathy.

  "She didn't come back with you?"

  Alex blew out a breath. "No. She stayed with Adrian."

  Cass shifted, crossing his arms, trying not to lose control. His nostrils flared as he clenched his teeth.

  "I think she wanted time to talk with him, to get him acclimated now that he's back."

  Cass stared into the night. He imagined what he'd be doing if he hadn't seen her in two months. "That's not all that's going to happen, Alex."

  Alex rubbed the back of his neck. "You don't know that."

  Cass didn't answer. His blue wolf eyes continued to stare off into the night.

  Evidently uncomfortable with the silence, Alex pointed to the front door. "Is Elise in there?"

  "Yeah. Had to come out here to get away from her. She's been a jabbering lunatic waiting for you to get back."

  Alex smiled. "Thanks for looking after her."

  Cass nodded.

  Alex took a step and then stopped. "You gonna stay and wait for her?"

  Cass tipped his head. "Haven't decided."

  ***

  Kayci pulled a clean shirt she'd left at Adrian's apartment from his dresser. She pulled it over her head as she heard Adrian's shower turn on. She walked out to the balcony and closed the sliding glass door behind her. She leaned against the door, her head tilted back, taking calming breaths. She pulled her cell phone from her pocket—several missed calls from Elise and one from Cass. She shoved the cell phone back in her pocket, taking a deep breath. How did everything get this screwed up?

  The shower turned off. She glanced back to see Adrian's toned, naked body walk out of his bathroom. Her stomach fluttered. Shit.

  He smiled at her admiring him. She turned her head back to the sights beyond the balcony. She stared out at the lights of the city, listening to the waves crashing in the distance. What are you doing, Kayci? What are you doing?

  The balcony door opened and she jumped. Adrian walked out, closing the door behind him and moved toward her, wearing only his sweatpants. She froze like a deer caught in headlights—big, beaming, scary, headlights.

  He put his hand to her waist and pulled her nearer. "The last time we were apart, I couldn't wait a minute longer to have you in my bed. How do you think I feel now?"

  He pushed her against the glass door, trapping her in his arms and claiming her mouth with his. His growing erection pressed into her, causing her stomach to flutter. Her energy rose, reverberating off her. One hand fisted her hair in his palm while his other squeezed her ass tight against him.

  "It's been too long," he said breathlessly.

  Her head swam with dizziness, confusion, desire. Strong hands lifted her, spreading her legs around his hips. Pinning her body with his, he enclosed his hands over hers, and raised her arms over her head. His lips left her mouth, kissing her cheek, jaw and neck. A low, anticipative moan left her lips as his fangs grazed her skin. He bit into her, his lips massaging her as he drank from her. The humming of their energies consumed her, increasing the already aching need pulsing at her core.

  "I missed you," he breathed into her ear. "I missed the way you taste. The way you smell. To have you with me now, touching you, you don't know how much I wanted this."

  Her tongue caught in her throat. She couldn't think clearly as his mouth continued to ravage hers. When his fangs grazed her tongue, arousal shot straight up her spine. She moaned beneath his torturous kiss. He released her hands, holding her firmly against him as he opened the door, taking them through it. His lips returned to hers as he squeezed her ass in his hands. They reached the bed and he lowered her onto it. With eager strokes, his fingers caressed along the outside of her thigh, holding her steady as he thrust his hardened erection into her. She ran her fingers through his damp hair as his mouth consumed hers.

  His fingers grazed over her skin as his hands trailed to her jeans. She stiffened as the first button came undone. Cass. This isn't right. I can't do this.

  Sensing her hesitation, Adrian stopped. "What's wrong?" His eyes studied her face again, staring at her as though he didn't recognize her.

  Her heart sank into her chest as his concerned and confused eyes searched her face.

  "There's something wrong, isn
't there? I've seen it in your eyes since the first moment I looked at you."

  She reached up, holding his face in her hand, rubbing her thumb along his jaw. "A lot has happened in the last two months. I can't explain it all tonight."

  She started to sit up. He backed off her. Her phone buzzed in her back pocket, startling her. She reached for it. A text from Cass.

  Come home to me, beautiful.

  Her body instantly warmed. She tried to hide the emotions flittering just below her chest.

  Adrian watched her intently.

  She shoved the phone back into her pocket. "Adrian, I haven't fed tonight. The amount of magic I did has drained me and there is a lot I need to work through." She leaned in, kissing him on the cheek. "I'm so sorry. I can't stay with you tonight."

  She stood up, her heart sinking as she moved away from him. If she could cry, smooth tears would be streaming down her face.

  "When my senses cleared, I could smell him on you."

  Her body tensed. She stopped, frozen in place.

  "I hoped, maybe, you had turned to him for comfort while I was away and that now that I was back, you'd no longer need him, but I'm wrong, aren't I?"

  She swallowed the massive lump in her throat. She couldn't speak. She couldn't move. Her heart ached as though a knife was slowly stabbing through it. He stepped off the bed, coming to her. Nerves convulsed in her belly.

  His hand took hers, gently turning her toward him. His eyes burned with need, anger, possessiveness. His hand raised her chin to him. "I told you I would fight for you—always. That hasn't changed. I know you still love me, if you didn't, you wouldn't have fought to bring me back."

  Chapter 22

  Kayci's shoes dangled in her hand as she walked barefooted along the beach. The cool sand was a comforting contrast to the heat of her emotions. She found a spot near the pier and dug her ass and toes into the sand. She laid her shoes next to her and folded her arms around her knees. The ocean waves crashed on to the sandy beach, making its way to the tips of her toes, pulling the sand from her feet.

  She watched the tiny clams dig their way back into the sand. She wanted to do the same. She wanted to bury herself away from the hurt she'd caused Adrian, from the pain she'd seen in his eyes, from the unnecessary death of Deirdre, from the guilt she'd feel when she looked into Cass' eyes knowing she had wanted Adrian's touch when he'd given it. She still loved him, she had to admit that to herself, but all she wanted now was to see Cass, to receive his forgiveness and have his warmth spread around her and his soothing scent overwhelming her senses. She reached for her shoes, ready to go home.

  A sensation whipped over her shoulders, neck, and arms—a warning. She quickly stood as the sound of footfalls came across the sand. A strong hand gripped her, holding her steady as a knife sliced across her throat.

  "I made a deal with the devil for this spell. It better work."

  Chapter 23

  Her body drifted, weightless, her senses unable to find anything to latch on to. Where was she? Was her body being moved? Was she knocked out? Was she dead? In another realm?

  A soft ting sounded in the distance. Slowly, the sound increased, moving closer or her senses were coming back. She couldn't be sure. She focused on the sound, desperately trying to discover what was happening.

  "She still in here?" a muffled voice asked.

  Liliana? No. That’s my voice.

  "Yes. She's still present. Her soul is there, locked inside. After a given time, she'll fade, become obsolete. Her body will become yours," a sharp woman's voice replied.

  What? What do you mean my body will become hers?

  "Can she hear me?"

  "Yes. I'm sure she can."

  "Good." Kayci's own voice sounded satisfied, wicked. "Think she can hear my thoughts too?"

  "Possibly. I've never done a spell of this magnitude. It's hard to say."

  Can you hear me, Katerina? I hope you can. It's Liliana. I've taken over your body. Got a sorceress to do a body snatching spell. Soon, your soul will die and I'll live on as you. I meant it when I said you don't deserve Adrian, but now, I no longer have to watch as he swoons over you, because I will be you. I'll receive the love from him I've always wanted.

  An obscured figure came into view—a mirror. Liliana was looking in a mirror at her body. Liliana turned Kayci's body, admiring her features.

  "Not bad, Katerina. I may actually come to like this new body, possibly even better than mine."

  Liliana looked over at a steel table. Her natural body lay flat upon it. Her usually light green eyes were closed. The lengthy, thin body appearing lifeless.

  "We'll have to keep it safe for a while, but eventually, once you're gone, I'll have to say good-bye to my old body. Pity really, I was quite attached to it."

  Kayci's anger surged.

  "Ouch!" Liliana snapped. "She's still in here. I can feel her anger."

  The aged, raven-haired woman with recognizably bright green eyes reached in her bag and handed Liliana a bottle.

  "When you feel her fighting you, drink this."

  Liliana used Kayci's hand to reach out and take the bottle. "It's been a pleasure working with you, Delilah."

  Hearing her own voice with Liliana's words sounded wrong, foreign, perverse.

  The raven-haired woman twitched her nose, eyeing her with discomfort. "We're even now. The murdering witch will be dead soon and you've given my daughter's body back to me. I'll be able to consecrate her, unlike her sister, Drima."

  "I guess we're all getting what we want."

  The woman's nose twitched again. She apparently disliked looking at Kayci's face. "Do your best to avoid the ones closest to her. Although you may run into trouble with having to run the Covenant."

  Liliana snickered. "I have every intention of taking Adrian and leaving this hell-hole town. The Covenant can fall to Thorne or Vladimir for all I care. First chance I get, I'll kill Alex and be sure to tell that hideous mutt, Cass, to go back to his rabid pack."

  The rage coursed through Kayci.

  "Owe! You bitch!" Liliana brought Kayci's hand to her head.

  The woman huffed. "Better drink that before you leave. That Katerina is a feisty one. I knew her mother, Katriana. Didn't care much for her, but they are powerful. They come from a powerful line of sorceresses. Descendents of Kresimira herself, one of the originals." The older woman clutched her bag. "Best of luck, Liliana, or should I say—Katerina?"

  Liliana clicked Kayci's tongue. "Might as well get used to the sound of it. Katerina it is."

  The woman's bright green eyes narrowed, becoming dark. "Remember, Katerina, this spell never happened and I never met you. Don't ever call upon me for anything again or I'll burn both bodies." Her voice dripped with venom.

  "Understood," Liliana affirmed.

  Delilah walked to a flight of stairs and disappeared up them. Liliana turned to the full figure mirror. She turned Kayci's body in front of it, left, then right, then admired her ass, running her hand over the jeans that covered her.

  "You are seriously toned. I'm really going to enjoy being in this body. Think Adrian will be excited to see me?" She giggled with excitement. "Let's get this place closed up and find out."

  Liliana walked to her natural body and lifted it, gently placed it into a coffin and sealed it closed. She headed toward the stairs and flicked the light switch as she moved up the stairs.

  "It's an old crematory. Don't think anyone will come snooping around here or be surprised to see a coffin, will they, Katerina?" Kayci felt Liliana smile. "Perhaps I should call you something else. I do need to get used to thinking of myself as Katerina now."

  ***

  Adrian gripped the railing. It crackled under his applied pressure. He couldn't remember having been this angry in decades, possibly more. The last two months he'd spent in endless silence thinking of nothing but getting back to Kayci—the woman who had brought light into his life, shown him he was capable of loving again, of intimacy again had develope
d love for another. His fangs bit into his lip. He removed his death grip, pacing across the balcony floor, plotting his next move. He should go to her. Would he find Cass at her home? Would she want to see him? When she'd left, he didn't know where they stood. She'd practically ran out, her eyes full of confusion, desire, pain. He wanted to soothe every one of her emotions, yet anger filled him that she'd even let herself develop feelings for Cass.

  A tap on his door sent his thoughts scattering. Kayci. Maybe she'd taken time to think things through and chose to come back to him. How he hoped she would be standing on the other side of his door. He opened the balcony door and crossed the apartment. He opened his front door. Instantly, a weight lifted off his chest. He stared at her smoky blue eyes sparkling with vampire gold.

  "I'm sorry I left earlier. I needed time to think and now that I have, I came back to apologize. It's been a difficult two months without you. I lost myself and, foolishly, I let Cass take advantage of my loneliness. I don't want to be with him. I want you, Adrian. Only you."

  You evil bitch. How can you do this?

  Simple, K. You don't deserve him. I do.

  Liliana raised Kayci's arms and folded into Adrian's chest as he wrapped his arms around Kayci's body. His lips took hers, giving her uncontrolled passion. Liliana pushed them inside his apartment, kicking the door closed behind her. She roamed Kayci's hands across his muscular back and gave an excited moan when he lifted her, putting her legs around his waist and shoved her against the door. His kisses deepened, flicking his tongue across hers. Her eager moans increased.

  "Take me to the bed."

  Please, don't do this.

  Oh, but I want to. I've wanted this for a very long time. Now, I'm going to have him and you're going to watch and suffer just as I have watched and suffered.

  Adrian laid Kayci's body on the bed. He stood over her, admiring her bright eyes as he reached his hand down and unfastened her jeans. Liliana pulled him down to her, running her tongue across his, tempting him further. She reached down, cupping him in Kayci's hand, massaging him and pulling the eager moans from his lips.