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

by Betty Shreffler

  She leaned back and looked up at his beautiful green eyes layered with gold. "Please don't carry that with you. I understand how it happened."

  "I'll always carry it with me. If it hadn't happened, maybe I'd still have you."

  He saw the pain in her eyes. His chest tightened. "There's no going back is there? To how we were before I was bound to Natalia?"

  "Part of me wishes we could go back. I love you, Adrian. I'll always love you. You were there for me when I needed someone the most. You gave me incredible intimacy, love, protection, friendship. You taught me what it is to be a vampire. There's no one that can take that away. You have a permanent piece of me."

  Adrian's hand raised, cupping her face. "I'll always love you. You were the woman that brought me back to life. You showed me I was capable of loving again, of having intimacy again, but I can't lie and say that I'll be okay. Not having you, not being able to touch you, it's not something I'm ready for. I want you with me. I want to kill the wolf waiting for you to return so that I can I have you to myself again. I want more than a piece of you."

  She could feel her heart shattering into a million pieces. His beautiful eyes were filled with hope and pain. Pain she couldn't bear to see. "I wish I could give you more, Adrian. I hate to see you in pain. I hate to see you hurting."

  His hand caressed her cheek before dropping. Her heart sank when his hand did. Her chest ached. She didn't want to lose him, but she couldn't bring herself to choose him.

  Adrian looked out the glass windows, into the darkness, before pulling her in and kissing her softly on the forehead.

  "I'll miss you, Kayci. I'll miss you every day."

  He pulled away, his body tensing as he walked away from her.

  "You should go."

  The pain in his voice tore at her insides. She reached out for him, turning him to her. She could see the pain floating beneath the surface, nearly suffocating him.

  "I don't want to say good-bye to you, Adrian."

  "Then don't."

  Adrian swept her into his arms, bringing his lips down on hers. She could feel the heat, the need, the love. It broke her to pieces.

  Adrian stiffened when he felt her hesitation. He pulled back to look at her beautiful gold eyes. He could see the pain and confusion in them. He reached up, caressing her cheek one last time.

  "Even if you did choose me, I know you'll never love me like you love him. He's the one who brought you out of that spell, not me."

  Epilogue

  Two Weeks Later…

  Kayci kept her eyes on the tall, lengthy vampire with chin-length curls as she moved gracefully between the crowds of humans on the Chicago streets, making their way to their chosen place of entertainment.

  Liliana slowed and turned right into a chic lounge. Kayci stopped and remained at an unnoticeable distance before returning to her steady pace once Liliana dipped inside. She stepped into the entrance of the lounge and watched Liliana peruse for her intended victim. Liliana took a seat at the bar, apparently finding what she was looking for. Kayci smirked, disappearing from view. She turned the corner of the building, into the alley, and put her energy into her leap. She landed smoothly on the one-story rooftop of the lounge. She stood, keeping a watchful eye on the lounge entrance.

  Twenty minutes later, Liliana walked out of the lounge with a man, holding her hand in his arm. She led him down the alley. Kayci stepped along the edge of the rooftop, watching Liliana find a cozy spot. At the back of the building, Liliana pinned him against the wall, extracting her fangs, leaning in for the bite.

  Kayci dropped behind her, barely making a sound. Liliana released the man, turning to see what was behind her. Kayci looked at the dazed, middle-aged man. "Run," she told him.

  His mind seemed to snap him into fight or flight, aware of a predator before him. He stared at her golden eyes briefly before taking off down the alley.

  Liliana swung her fist, aiming for Kayci's face. Kayci grabbed her wrist, tightened her grip as she pulled Liliana's body into hers. With one quick motion of her right hand, the blade slit Liliana's throat, severing her head. Liliana's body burst into ashes. Kayci slipped the blade back in its holster, smiling as she left the alley.

  Upcoming Novels By Author Betty Shreffler:

  When Hunter Meets Seeker

  (An Arcane Society Novel)

  Releasing Early 2017

  Fire On The Farm

  Releasing Early 2017

  Read on for the first three chapters of:

  When Hunter Meets Seeker

  When Hunter Meets Seeker

  Author Betty Shreffler

  Prologue

  “What is your name?”

  A sharp, painful smack of a wooden staff cracked the outside of her thigh.

  She grimaced. “Anya Carlisle.”

  “What are you, Anya?”

  The staff snapped with precise efficiency against her shoulder.

  “An Arcane Hunter,” she growled.

  “What is the sole purpose of an Arcane Hunter?”

  Anya’s own staff rang in her ears as she blocked the next blow.

  “To hunt and kill preternatural demons. Those that live among us, hidden by their powers. My duty is to balance the scale.”

  Anya’s eyes caught the twitch in her trainer’s shoulder. She shifted her foot and ducked as the lengthy, thin wooden staff of pain missed her left shoulder. She swung her own, hitting the backside of Dillon’s knee. His leg reflexively bent forward giving her the opportunity to spin and swing, applying another debilitating blow to her trainer’s back.

  His teeth clenched as he stomached the pain. He lowered his staff. She cautiously lowered hers.

  “Very good, Anya. You’re quickly exceeding my expectations. You’ve surpassed your brother’s skills.”

  Anya instinctively swung her staff forward, blocking another strike intended for her ankles. Her staff cracked against her trainer’s. His eyes gleamed proudly.

  “You’re ready.”

  She followed Dillon to the wall and tucked her staff into its place in the rack.

  “How will I know when I’ve found them?”

  She looked to her longtime mentor and trainer.

  He smiled, the wrinkles in his warm chocolate eyes creasing. “You’ll know when you’re around them. Your instincts will tell you. Instincts I am confident you possess.”

  Anya pulled the soft white towel from atop the bench and her shoes. She wiped the towel over her face and neck, removing the damp sweat settled there.

  “My first kill? What will it be like? What will I be like after?”

  Dillon placed a firm hand on her shoulder. Her eyes drifted to his.

  “You’ll kill quickly. The troubling sensation will fade. It’s your duty, Anya. Remember that, always.”

  Chapter 1

  Anya clenched her fist and teeth and swung—once, twice, a third time—her knuckles reddening from the course impact of her tender skin against the boxing bag. She swung her body, raising her leg high, contacting the bag just below her shin. Her best friend, Jackson, staggered in his attempt to hold the bag still.

  “Easy, girl, this bag didn’t do anything to you.”

  Anya rolled her eyes and shoved another fist into the bag.

  “All right, what’s going on?”

  She slowed the force of her swings. “I’m done, Jackson. I’m walking away.”

  Jackson stared at her, confused. “What do you mean you’re walking away? Isn’t it your duty as an Arcane Hunter to protect schmucks like me?”

  Her fist hit the bag, taking with it her anger and confusion. She placed her hands against the bag, leaning into it. “I used to believe that when I was younger. I thought I had been born into a destiny to protect the innocent. I’m not so sure anymore.”

  She glanced at Jackson, admiring his toned biceps, short, dirty-blond hair and pleasant face. He was an attractive guy that women often flocked to, but she wasn’t one of them. His personality had always been a pe
rfect match to hers, but only as a friend. Romantically it just wasn’t there, never had been. Only once in their ten years of being friends had he shown interest in her. At sixteen, she and her twin brother, Leo, had moved to Jackson’s town. As the new girl, every boy in the school saw her as fresh meat. Jackson had been one of the only boys to treat her as a female worth respecting. She’d grown fond of him quickly and appreciated that he wasn’t buddies with her popular, cocky, football-star brother, even though he played on the same team as him.

  Jackson helped keep the lascivious boys away because everyone assumed they were a couple. Because of Jackson, her first year at Middleton High had been better than any other year at the multiple schools she’d attended. On her seventeenth birthday when he admitted he had a crush on her at a high school party, it was incredibly difficult to admit she didn’t feel the same. Thankfully Jackson healed quickly from his wounds when a girl on the marching band showed interest in him. Their friendship took a backseat to his new obsession, Leyna, but it couldn’t keep them apart. Every fight he and Leyna had sent him to Anya’s house as an escape from Leyna’s nagging. His frequent visits came more often when her training started. He loved having a “tough” female best friend that he could work out with and ask “girl” questions. Not that she was the best one to give advice.

  Her own relationships had been few and then completely nonexistent once her training as an Arcane Hunter began. Jackson had been the only friend she could confide in once her world got turned upside down by the knowledge that demons existed and she’d been born into a legacy required to hunt and kill them.

  She sighed heavily. “The last one, he seemed like a normal guy, had a family, a normal job, but the Arcane Society insisted he be destroyed. The man begged me not to kill him. Said he detested what he was and that he just wanted to live a normal life.”

  Jackson’s expression contorted, sadness filling his eyes. “That’s rough, Awn. What did you do?”

  “I apologized for what I had to do. Told him if it wasn’t me it would be another hunter and I could at least give him a merciful and peaceful death.”

  Anya turned away from Jackson; she couldn’t bear to see the dejection on his face. She walked to the bench and grabbed the towel out of her gym bag and wiped her face and neck with it. She heard him approaching. She grabbed her bottle of water and chugged.

  “You did what you had to do. From what you’ve told me about the Arcane Society it would have been worse for you and him if you hadn’t followed through.”

  She lowered the bottle. “That’s just it. What if I stop? What if I refuse to do their dirty work? I’d like a normal life, Jacks. I’d like to make friends, have a normal job, have a relationship and not have to hide what I am.”

  Jackson lifted his own bottle, popping the top. He took a swig and looked at her as the thoughts evidently formed in his head. “What would happen if you stopped taking their orders? What would Leo do?”

  She glanced at the gym mats, contemplating the consequences. She looked back at Jackson. “Leo’s busy working on acquiring a position in the Society’s ranks. We barely ever see or speak to each other. I’d be amazed if he’d even notice if I stopped responding to the Society’s orders.”

  “He’d notice. You know how he is.”

  Anya frowned. “Seems that’s the only time I ever receive his attention is when I’m beating him at something or making him look bad.” Anya leaned down, shoving her towel into her gym bag, and pulled the strap over her shoulder. “This isn’t about him though. This is about me. I’ve already made my choice. I’m done.”

  Jackson grabbed his own bag. “Should we celebrate your mutiny then? Thomas and Joe want to go out to Donatello’s tonight.”

  They stepped in line with one another. Anya eyed him questioningly. “Seriously? Donatello’s? It’s a strip club. What fun am I going to have there?”

  Jackson pushed the exit door open for her. The sun’s bright rays blinded her momentarily. She squinted as she walked out.

  “It’s not just a strip club. It’s a nightclub with a bar and dance floor. The strippers are in the back. If you’re willing to pay, you get the private shows.”

  “I’ll think about it.”

  “I’ll pick you up at eight.” Jackson gave his boyish grin as he headed to his sporty Subaru.

  Anya tossed her bag into her Jeep. “You’re buying drinks then.”

  Chapter 2

  Anya stepped into her one-bedroom studio apartment and dropped her bag by her bed. She pulled her tank top over her head and padded to her bathroom shower. She jumped in, turning the water to a cooler temperature. Placing her hands on the walls, she let the silky water pour over her face. Flashes of the demon she’d killed the night before crept into her thoughts. She shook her head and opened her eyes, grabbing for the soap.

  There was no going back, she was done. She couldn’t continue doing the dirty work of the Arcane Society. All her recent orders had left her with a sullen empty feeling after each kill. The demons seemed like normal citizens or at least they were trying to live that way. Her duty was to balance the scale. Lately it felt the scale was tipping more toward the Arcane Society’s preferences.

  Her own brother had become swept up by the power the Arcane Society possessed. Hungry for his own power, he’d played the politics perfectly and killed mercilessly, raising him to the status of their golden prince, destined to be a member of the board.

  She couldn’t even remember the last time she recognized him as a person with humanity or compassion. It had been too long. As soon as he hit puberty, she’d become nothing but competition to him or an annoying sister that got in his way. Once they started training they’d split apart further because she’d grown in her hunter skills far faster than he had. Perhaps because her social and romantic life had been nil, leaving lots of room for studying demonology and combat training.

  Leo, on the other hand, had been preoccupied with his popularity contest, dating every attractive female that would give him the time of day, and many did, as well as his beloved football. He was the star quarterback and more than anything Leo enjoyed being the star of everything.

  Anya stepped out of the shower, ringing the water from her long, wavy, auburn hair. She wrapped a towel around herself and walked to the round mirror. She admired her oddly colored eyes—one a mixture of golden hazel and pale green and the other a solid pale green. A feature she and her brother shared. The only feature they shared.

  While her hair was wavy and auburn and her body molded into a petite, toned, tight package, her brother had jet black hair, the height of a giant and muscles to match. Muscles that never left him no matter how much junk food he ate. Another feature they didn’t share. If she even looked at a cupcake she’d gain weight. That didn’t stop her from enjoying them though. Cupcakes were her secret indulgence, but she always spent the time in the gym to make up for it.

  After a blow-dry, light makeup, denim jeans, a flowing tank top, and dangly earrings, she nibbled on her most recent leftovers while she awaited Jackson to arrive. If only she’d learned to cook, she might be enjoying something better than leftover rice and chicken. With a dead mother, and a father who was more interested in his position in the Arcane Society, leaving them moving across the country too many times to count, she never learned to cook. Thankfully living in Atlanta, GA, gave her a plethora of restaurant options. She was working on learning to cook though. She’d successfully mastered a grilled cheese sandwich and warming a can of soup. Jackson praised her grilled cheese–making skills and assured her it was a valuable asset to have in a relationship.

  Like she’d know. Being an Arcane Hunter had her going out at all times of the day and night. Her neighbors looked at her strangely enough with her odd behaviors, then add the random blood and cuts. There was no way she could explain those behaviors to a guy she was dating. Unfortunately her relationships consisted of either long bouts of celibacy or short flings. Another reason she wanted to quit the Arcane Society
. She’d like to find someone while she was still young and able.

  A honk outside her door had her stuffing the Styrofoam container back into her fridge and grabbing her wallet and keys as she rushed out the door. Jackson smiled and waved out the open window of his blue Subaru WRX. Through the open window she could see Thomas and Joe socializing in the backseat. She hopped in and Jackson quickly put the car into reverse, exiting her driveway before she had her seatbelt clicked.

  Joe leaned into the front. “Glad you came, Awn. This bar is dope. I’ve been there two times this week. The entertainment is addictive.”

  Anya rolled her eyes. “Uh-huh, you mean the strip shows in the back? Pretty soon you’ll be a regular with a nickname and a hole in your wallet.”

  Joe shoved her shoulder like she was one of the guys, which admittedly she’d become just that. Her femininity ended with her looks. She could put a beer down faster than any of them and probably throw a punch harder too. A test she always avoided when they got drunk and taunted her to give them her best shot. She feared she’d break bones and she’d never stop feeling sorry about it.

  “Does Lily know you’ve visited this place twice this week?”

  Joe waved his hand in the air. “Lily does her own thing. She doesn’t care what I do as long as I come home to her at the end of the night.”

  She may not know much about relationships, but she surely wouldn’t be comfortable with that arrangement if she did have one.

  “Jackson says you’re looking for a new job. My sister works at the hair salon on Fifth and George. She could put a good word in for you.”

  Anya looked back at Thomas, surprised. “I don’t have the slightest clue how to do hair or nails.”