Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (19 page)

“Yes?”

“How old are you as a vampire?”

The corner of Vladimir’s mouth raised into a half smile. He returned his gaze forward once more. “I’m five hundred and thirty-two.”

Kayci’s eyelids shot up.

“Are there Covenant members older than you?”

Vladimir looked back at Kayci with the same half smile. “Your curiosity is endearing. I see why Adrian is so fond of you.”

Kayci blushed. She didn’t expect Vladimir to be familiar with her and Adrian’s relationship.

Her tone became sharper, more concerned. “Has the Covenant met with Adrian?”

“Yes.”

“Is he still alive?” Kayci’s throat went dry. Her stomach tightened.

“Yes, he is.” He seemed to approve of her immediate relief.

“To answer your question about the Covenant members, yes, there are members older than I.”

“It’s unbelievable that vampires have survived for centuries, let alone millenniums.”

“It is, isn’t it?” Vladimir agreed.

“Vladimir, what should I expect at the meeting?”

“A lot of questions.”

Kayci sat quietly the remainder of the ride, worried about the outcome of the meeting. She hoped that the Covenant wouldn’t see her as a threat. She hoped the members were all like Vladimir. He seemed reserved yet tolerant and kind.

The car pulled up to a high-rise building and then drove under it into a parking garage. Once stopped, Vladimir stepped out of the vehicle and held the door open for her. As she stood, she noticed the vehicles in the parking garage were expensive. She assumed the building they were about to enter was even more elaborate than Adrian’s building. She wasn’t wrong.

As they entered the building, they came into a great foyer. Kayci immediately noticed the floors were made of cream-colored marble and shined brightly beneath the giant, white floral crystal chandeliers. The furniture consisted of high-end aqua-colored sofas that had backs shaped like a peacock’s fan. The chairs were smaller samples of the same style, with matching round ottomans in front of them. Large well-attended magnolia trees were set out on each side of the sitting area. An extravagant water fountain dominated the center of the room. The peaceful sound of the trickling water eased her anxiety.

Vladimir stepped toward her to regain her attention. He motioned for her to follow him. He led her to a massive elevator with giant platinum doors and walls with shiny-coated burled wood. Her nerves were amassing so quickly that she knew her eyes were golden. Vladimir, who hadn’t looked at her often, now eyed her with interest.

The elevator rose nearly to the top floor. When the doors opened, two vampires stood in the corridor. Guards? Vladimir nodded at them as they passed by. Kayci felt their eyes on her. It only rattled her nerves even more. Vladimir led her down the short hallway to a set of two colossal wooden doors. He opened one and motioned for her to enter. Kayci held her breath as she moved across the threshold.

The room, filled with warm colors of reds and browns, had a moderately sized wood fireplace lit on the far end. There were numerous dark-red high-back chairs and a marble coffee table in front of the fireplace. Several vampires filled the seats. She immediately saw Adrian, and her heart skipped a beat. He started to rise but was stopped suddenly by a vampire much larger than him. Adrian’s expression gave away his irritation.

As soon as Adrian saw Kayci, he wanted to be by her side. Wanted to protect her. Florence was intentionally keeping him contained like a dog on a leash. His eyes transitioned, and his fangs extracted. He narrowed his eyes at Florence. Florence took his hands away from Adrian yet still lingered, reminding Adrian to stay seated. Adrian realized the Covenant had intentionally brought Kayci to meet them before giving him the chance to speak with her.

Eva observed them closely. She could sense the connection between Adrian and the half-breed vampire. Clearly Adrian cared deeply for the young woman. She found it interesting. Eva motioned for Kayci to take a seat.

“Please, don’t be afraid. Come, sit with us.” The woman’s voice was gentle. Vladimir led her over to a chair but stayed close enough to make Kayci feel like he was hovering.

The woman smiled at Kayci. Her smile was charming and seemed sincere.

“My name is Eva. Myself and the other vampires here are a part of the Covenant. Perhaps Adrian has told you of us.”

Kayci glanced at Adrian. She wanted him to be next to her, instead of Vladimir.

Kayci nodded to Eva. “Yes, you control the vampire laws. You protect the whole vampire existence.”

Eva smiled a proud smile. “I’m sure you can understand then why we wanted to meet you. You’re the first of your kind.” The vampires focused on her with intent stares.

“I don’t understand it fully myself,” Kayci admitted.

“Of course.”

Eva elegantly stood up and gently waved her hand at the vampires. “I’d like to speak with her alone.”

The vampires in the room reacted differently. The largest one seemed the most annoyed, yet they compliantly left the room. Adrian obviously didn’t want to go with them but clearly didn’t have a choice, as the large vampire nearly dragged him out. Kayci looked back at Eva. She was staring into the fire. She seemed fixated on it, then broke away, bringing her attention back to Kayci.

“Your mother was a very powerful witch.”

“You knew my mother?!”

“I did. I knew your father too.”

Kayci was speechless for a moment. This was not what she had expected at all.

“What happened to them?” she asked desperately.

“Your father was a rebellious soul—he was also my brother. We used to oversee the Covenant together until he met your mother. After he met her, he lost interest in his duties and spent all his time making your mother fall in love with him. She didn’t accept him at first. Witches and vampires have always coexisted, but never joined together. Eventually over time though, she did fall in love with him. He always was the charming type.” Eva smiled.

Kayci listened quietly and attentively while trying to hide the shock of their familial relation.

“Your mother had heard of witches who had tried to temporarily bind a vampire’s curse in an attempt to create a child. Every attempt ended badly for both the vampire and the human involved. Your mother though, being a witch, felt that the spell might work on herself. She was foolishly in love and powerful enough to try it. She did come from an extended line of witches dating back nearly as old as I am.”

Kayci imagined that was long ago.

Eva stared at Kayci, studying her. Kayci noted her glazed stare. Did she see her brother’s eyes looking back at her?

“Your mother was right. She had been powerful enough. Her spell worked, and she became pregnant with you. When the Covenant found out what my brother and your mother had done, they considered it an abomination. Something like that had never been done before, and it frightened witches and vampires alike. The Covenant planned to kill them both, but they escaped. I believe your mother performed a masking spell. They disappeared without a trace, nowhere to be found. Not the best vampire hunters or any witch’s tracing spell could find them. I heard from my brother nine months later. He had sent me a letter.” Eva appeared thoughtful, as if remembering what the letter said word for word.

“Your mother didn’t expect that you would be so powerful so young. Carrying you had drained her. My brother had watched her waste away to nearly nothing. When she gave birth to you, she did one last spell before she died. She cast a masking spell on you. You were invisible to all of us. However, the spell she cast on herself and my brother died with her. You were no longer safe with him. He had given you up for adoption to humans. He knew it was the only way you would be safe. I never knew your name, or where you were, or if you had even survived. As for my brother, I never heard from him again.” Eva sounded forlorn.

“Now you see, being born from two creatures so powerful is why many would want you killed. You scare them. Anything that threatens their existence scares them.”

“Eva, I didn’t even know I was part vampire until a few days ago when I reacted to a talisman meant to ward off vampires. This is as much of a shock to me as it is to the Covenant. I assure you I am not a threat of any kind, nor do I wish to make my identity known to any species.”

Eva moved in closer to Kayci. Her voice lowered.

“My darling niece, I may be a vampire, but I’m not cruel. I have no intention of hurting you. I helped your father and mother escape.”

The shock washed over Kayci. “You did?”

“I may be loyal to our vampire laws, but I don’t see you as a threat to our existence. Not all vampires are like me though. When we become vampires, we ultimately become more emotional, powerful versions of ourselves. If we’re evil as humans, then we’re evil as vampires. The same goes for those of us who were compassionate humans.”

Kayci looked at her aunt, her vampire aunt. She suddenly noticed how beautiful she was, as well as their similarities. They shared long, dark hair and milky skin. They were about the same height. Her aunt was much thinner than she was though, but still had similar curves. She wondered if she resembled her father at all.

“What were their names?” Kayci asked softly.

Eva smiled. She seemed pleased. “You mother’s name was Katriana. Your father’s name is Thorne.”

Even his name sounded powerful. She wished she had met him. She wished she would have been raised into this life rather than it hitting her smack in the face at this point in her life.

“So what happens now?” Kayci asked.

Eva’s expression softened. She sat in the chair she occupied earlier, staring into the fire.

“I have lived for countless centuries. I’ve experienced everything I wanted to experience. I don’t want to live forever. I want to know what’s beyond this world.”

Kayci remembered the Dawning. That was what her aunt wanted.

Eva stopped staring at the fire and smiled at Kayci. “Nevertheless, I think it’s important for you to know that once I’m gone, you would be in line to be the next leader of the Covenant. It’s your birthright.”

Kayci was speechless for a moment.
She couldn’t be serious!

“Eva, I’m not even a full vampire. How could I lead a group of vampires and decide what happens amongst all the rest?”

“You need to embrace your true nature and leave behind your human life. You already have vampire blood in you. If you were to die now, you would come back as a full vampire. You have that choice, unlike so many of us…” The last few words trailed off with Eva’s thoughts. Her eyes drifted toward the fire, once again lost in her memories.

“What about the rest of the Covenant? Do they want me killed?”

Eva glanced toward the large wooden doors and then back at Kayci, her expression serious.

“Once I tell them that you are indisputably my niece, they won’t have a choice. They’ll have to accept you.”

Kayci nodded. She wasn’t sure why that was so, but she believed her aunt. She sounded certain in her declaration.

“I think it’s time we ask them all to return.”

The thought of all those vampires coming back in the room made Kayci want to bolt. There were several of them, all hundreds of years old and very powerful. She wasn’t sure how the next several minutes would play out, but she hoped she survived them. Eva walked to the double wooden doors and opened one. She spoke softly to a vampire outside the door. Moments later all the vampires Kayci saw earlier came back into the room, even the one that had lingered over Adrian.

Each eyed her closely. Vladimir still seemed as calm and polite as he did earlier. Adrian seemed to have reached his limit of patience. His brooding glare and hunched shoulders clearly expressed his tension. The large vampire that hovered over Adrian before followed him closely, elevating Kayci’s nerves. Adrian appeared as uncomfortable with it as she was.

The dark-haired vampire and the red-haired vampire both sat in the same seats as before, expressions unreadable. The vampire with long, blond hair stood near Vladimir. With them standing side by side, Kayci noticed that the female and Vladimir were twins.

With the Covenant vampires’ entrance, Kayci chose to stand by the fireplace, feeling less vulnerable there than in the chair.

“I’d like to introduce you to each of the Covenant members, Kayci.” Eva seemed to be telling the Covenant members as well.

“You’ve already met Vladimir.”

Vladimir nodded at Kayci politely.

“The woman standing next to him is his sister, Natalia.”

Kayci took notice of her unwavering glare.

“The gentleman behind Adrian is Florence.”

He too watched her suspiciously.

“The gentleman sitting to my left is Orrick, and this lovely woman”—Eva motioned her hand to her right—”is Beatrice.”

Beatrice was the only one to smile at her.

“It’s a pleasure to meet the first half-breed vampire.”

Kayci smiled at Beatrice. “It’s a pleasure to meet you as well.”

“How long have you known that you’re a half-breed?” Florence nearly growled.