Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (17 page)

Adrian blushed, as if his wealth wasn’t something he was used to sharing.

“I’m surprised this is news to you, Kayci, with the fact that you’ve had to hide your own identity as a half-breed vampire.” He sounded accusatory.

Kayci blushed. Did Adrian feel betrayed, as if she’d been hiding her identity all along and yet judged him for being a vampire?

“Adrian…” She struggled to find the right words.

“I didn’t know I was a half-breed vampire until two days ago. I didn’t know when I first met you or at the Blue Moon when we ran into each other. I found out on Saturday when I went looking for information about vampires. I met a witch, and while I was in her shop, I reacted to the same talisman that now hangs on my door. She ran some kind of blood test, and it was positive for vampire blood. The witch told me I was a mix between human and vampire. It wasn’t a complete shock—it actually made sense somewhat. All my life I had strange abilities, which it turns out I share with vampires.

“When you told me that the vampire Danika was after me, I asked the witch to create a spell that would help release more of my vampire nature so I could defend myself. You came the night that I had the spell done. Thankfully, you did come, because I may be strong, but not strong enough to fight all three vampires alone. I wanted to come here tonight to apologize if you thought I was hiding anything from you and to thank you for saving my life last night.”

The guilt in Adrian’s stomach coiled. She wasn’t hiding anything from him after all. This was all new to her, and that was why Elise had said he was the only one that could help her.
He didn’t want to think about what would have happened if he hadn’t arrived when he did.
He lowered his head and took a deep breath. Her nervous and expectant gaze told him all he needed to know. He pointed to the new necklace around her neck.

“The necklace. It harnesses the spell?”

Kayci instinctively reached up and touched the necklace, running the rough edges across her fingers. She had forgotten that she’d been wearing it. It felt that much like a part of her.

“Yes,” she responded nervously.

“Good. Don’t take it off,” Adrian replied. He motioned toward the couch and chair. “Would you like to sit down? We have a lot more to talk about, and I’d like to start with my apology.”

Kayci nodded before moving to his couch. She was relieved to feel his hand on her lower back, once again guiding her. Maybe he wasn’t upset with her and still held affection for her. They sat facing each other, both prepared to share what the other didn’t know.

“I’m sorry for sounding accusatory when I asked about you being a half-breed vampire. I assumed you knew what you were. I shouldn’t have assumed.”

Kayci smiled at his humble apology, at him showing his softer side. A side she had a feeling others didn’t see often.

“You don’t have to apologize. I probably would have assumed the same thing if I was in your shoes. It’s strange, but I’m actually relieved to have an explanation for all the strange traits I had growing up, but I’m also terrified. I don’t know anything about vampires other than what the witch told me and what I’ve experienced so far, which hasn’t been good. Every vampire I’ve met except you has tried to hurt me.”

Adrian caught his breath. Her experiences with vampires had all been situations where her life had been threatened. No wonder she tried to get rid of him the other night. He felt a strong desire to show her a different experience, but her safety was still a concern, with the Covenant wanting to meet her and as long as Danika was alive. He could control at least one of those issues…

“Would it help if I answered any questions you have? I’m sure you have many. When I was first transformed, my mind raced with questions.”

Kayci reached over and gently placed her hand into Adrian’s.

“Yes. I’d like that,” she said with an appreciative smile.

Adrian looked at their hands intertwined and then back at Kayci’s blue eyes. He saw a flicker of gold shining through the blue. He enjoyed being able to read her emotions now. She was too skilled at hiding them. Once he felt the familiar humming of their energies, he sat back comfortably into the couch cushions and smiled at the fascinating creature in front of him.

“Was it difficult transitioning from your human life to your vampire life? I mean, I’m not sure what to expect, being the only half-breed vampire that exists. I wonder if I’m going to age slower, if I can always survive on human food. I even wonder if I’ll be able to have children. Not that children are something that I want, but I want to know if I have the option. You know what I mean?”

Kayci took a breath. She smiled out of embarrassment.

“You’re right. My mind is racing with questions.”

Adrian gave her a reassuring smile. “Believe me—I understand. Unfortunately, my answers to those questions can only be guessed. If you were a vampire, I would know the answers. You’re the first of your kind, so all your abilities and experiences are yet to be discovered. I can, however, tell you that my transition was difficult. I went through denial of the creature I had become. I saw myself as a monster. I withdrew from vampirism and treated it like it was something I could avoid. I refused to drink blood and nearly starved myself, which only caused me to go mad. Fortunately, the vampire that had turned me had developed a liking toward me and would not let me kill myself. I learned everything about living and hunting as a vampire from them. They helped me create a new life as a vampire. From there I learned I had abilities that not all other vampires had.”

“That you could hunt other vampires?”

Adrian’s face contorted. “Not exactly. Before becoming a vampire, I served in the military. I was quite skilled at tracking—animals or people, it didn’t matter. I did well in the military. Had a natural knack for it, you could say. Those skills seemed to carry over into my vampirism. I discovered that even as a vampire, I was stronger, faster, and had a quick mind for combat, more than others. In addition, my tracking skills had become quite honed. I felt as though I had become a bloodhound. The moment I smelled the blood scent of a vampire, it was as if everywhere they went they left behind a DNA marker for me to follow. I didn’t use those skills until the Covenant enlisted me for that purpose. Apparently, I was not the first vampire that the Covenant had seen with these skills. The Covenant found my assets particularly useful and now rely on me to track down rogue vampires.”

Kayci thought she heard underlying resentment in Adrian’s tone. “You said some vampires like having jobs. Did you choose to work for the Covenant?”

Adrian frowned. “If I had the choice, I would not work for the Covenant.”

“Why don’t you have a choice?”

“The vampire that made me did so without permission from the Covenant. Therefore, I became a complication to their leadership as well as the vampire population. The Covenant does not permit vampires to create vampires as they please, which has its benefits. Vampires could easily become unmanageable if they were allowed to create as many vampires as they wanted. If allowed, vampires would surely become targets of humans, witches, or werewolves. Humans enjoy living a life where witches, werewolves, and vampires are fairy tales, only for entertainment purposes. They don’t want to know that real creatures go bump in the night. Humans don’t want to live their lives in fear. They’d rather be naïve, and I understand that. Witches and werewolves wouldn’t want vampires to become the dominant species, because then they would have to live in fear of vampire tyranny. Right now all species are in balance and the Covenant helps maintain that balance, which is why I am sent out to dispatch of any vampire that threatens that balance.

“Once the Covenant found out that I existed, they offered me a deal. A deal I managed to receive because I had saved the life of one of the Covenant members. I would be permitted to live as long as I use my skills to do their bidding.”

Kayci caressed Adrian’s hand in hers. She could see the topic frustrated Adrian.

“How long do you have to work for them?”

Adrian raised his eyebrows. “I wish I knew. Unfortunately, the Covenant doesn’t offer any retirement plans.”

Kayci smiled at Adrian’s attempt to make light of a dour topic, but inside she sympathized. She wondered why he would agree to the deal, and then realized survival motivated him. Honestly, she was glad he had agreed to it, or she never would have met him.

Adrian caressed Kayci’s hand. She felt the spark between them ignite and wondered if Adrian felt it too.

“Well, enough about me. I know you have more questions about vampires, so let’s hear them.”

Kayci pictured the dark-haired female vampire that grabbed her arm in the communal area.

“What do you think the vampire in the common room wanted to say to me?”

“That spitfire is Angelica. She likes to go by
Angel
. With your golden eyes and demeanor, you appear to be a new fledgling. Knowing I work for the Covenant, the others probably assumed I received permission to turn you. She likely wanted to bait you into a vampire ménage à trois or ridicule you for being a virginal vampire because of the way you reacted to the scene on the couch. Either way, I made it clear that you were with me and not here for sport.”

Kayci nodded in surprise. “Well, all right then. She’s a wild one. I’ll be sure to steer clear of her.”

Adrian smiled. “She’s not so bad. She’s just trying to show off in front of the others. In a coven, vampires tend to show off for attention and squabble for their position in the pecking order. Angel does a lot of showing off.”

“There’s so much to learn,” Kayci announced, vexed.

“You’ll learn it all. I’ll help you,” he assured her.

Adrian wanted to tell her how good it felt to share so much about vampires with her and how pleased he was that she was like him, but he wasn’t sure she had accepted being part vampire yet or how she felt about it. To him it was better not to say anything, for now.

“I am impressed with how well you continue to handle everything. Perhaps you were always meant to discover your vampire nature.”

“Part of me says you’re right. The other part is still trying to wrap my brain around it. Can you explain something else for me?” Kayci asked.

“Of course.”

“I’ve heard a couple times now that vampires can drink from humans without hurting them. Even the guy making out with the two vampires seemed strangely calm as the women fed on him. He even seemed to be enjoying himself. How is that possible?”

“Ah yes, vampire enchantment. It took vampires centuries to hone the skill, but eventually we learned how to use our aura to seduce humans. It puts them into a euphoric state where they don’t feel pain, or much of it. Some humans enjoy being fed on, like the one you saw in the communal area. Vampire junkies we call them. They come to the parties often and keep our existence a secret because they have a fetish for being bitten and don’t want to lose their means of satisfaction.” When he saw her shocked reaction, he added, “It’s strange…but some humans get aroused by the mix of pain and pleasure. Probably why the movies romanticize vampires.”

Kayci’s dreams of Adrian came rushing back like flood waters rushing through an open dam. She bit her lip and looked away. Her cheeks were warm. She had a feeling that her eyes were golden.

Adrian caught the change in Kayci’s body language. He genuinely wanted to know her thoughts. The heightened humming of her energy indicated they might be about their last intimate interaction.

Kayci returned her gaze to Adrian. “Your enchantment doesn’t work on me though, right?” she asked anxiously.

Adrian found her flushed face, golden eyes, and anticipative gaze appealing.

“No, my enchantment does not work on you because of your vampirism. Anything you’ve felt has been
natural
.”

Kayci noticed the way he emphasized the word
natural
, as though he was aware she had feelings for him.
Damn eyes
, Kayci thought. She tried to ignore the sensations, but her heightened emotions were becoming difficult to control.

“Do you feel the humming sensation between us? I’ve felt it the last few times we’ve come in contact. I wondered if you’ve felt it too.”

Adrian smiled at the way Kayci avoided saying
when they kissed
.

“Yes, I can feel it. I noticed you had some kind of energy emanating off of you the first time I saw you. I thought you were like me at first, but your scent and demeanor were human. I couldn’t figure you out, and it made me all the more curious about you.”

“What about now? Has my energy, scent, or demeanor changed?”

Adrian gently and slowly brushed his fingers along the top of Kayci’s hand and wrist. He immediately saw the fine hairs on her arm raising and goose bumps forming.

Kayci stared at the spot Adrian caressed. The gentle touch of Adrian’s fingers running along her skin may have been simple, but it felt completely tantalizing. Kayci closed her eyes so she could focus entirely on the sensation rushing through her body. She slowly opened her eyes and met his gaze, aroused.

“Yes, you’ve changed, Kayci.”

Kayci saw that Adrian’s eyes were transitioning to gold. His voice had lowered and sounded more sensual.