Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (24 page)

After declining dessert and paying their bills, Kayci strolled with Elise to the parking garage where their vehicles were parked. Kayci partially listened to Elise chatter about her next article. Her attention divided. She couldn’t ignore the hairs raised on the back of her neck or the eerie feeling they were being watched. Kayci scanned the parking garage as they entered but didn’t see anyone who concerned her. She lifted her nose to the air, wondering if she would smell the vampires, like last time.

“So what do you think, Kayc? Python craze or cancer survivor won the race?”

Kayci’s attention snapped back to Elise when she heard her name. “Oh, um, cancer survivor, of course.”

“That’s what I thought too.” Elise openly studied Kayci’s expression as they walked. “Are you okay? You seem distracted. Are you looking for someone?”

“Oh no, I’m just making sure it’s safe.”

Kayci could tell Elise didn’t believe her. Elise surveyed the parking garage with a worried expression.

“Are there…are there vampires?” she stammered.

A black sedan came screeching around the parking garage bend, aiming right for them. Kayci shoved Elise forward, moving them both out of the way just in time. The black sedan sped past, barely missing them. The close proximity caused a gust of wind to sweep over them. Kayci stepped out to try to read the plate number as Elise screamed profanity at the driver. The black sedan screeched to a halt and then switched gears into reverse.

The driver aimed for them. Kayci jumped to where Elise stood and then grabbed her arm, nearly dragging Elise in her heels as Kayci forced her into a run. Kayci glanced back to see four vampires step out of the black sedan. She could hear her and Elise’s heartbeats pounding in her ears.

“You have to run faster, Elise.” Kayci tugged hard on Elise’s hand.

They couldn’t outrun them. She would have to fight them. Kayci pushed Elise in between two cars and then pressed on her shoulder.

“Stay down,” Kayci told her.

Kayci swallowed her guilt at Elise’s expression of fear. She never should have agreed to dinner.

Kayci stepped into the roadway of the parking garage to face the four vampires. There were only three now, and she couldn’t see where the fourth had gone. She recognized one of the vampires. The one that had attacked her alongside Danika the night they came to her house.

“Hi, sweetheart. Remember me?” he taunted.

His crooked smile revealed his fangs. Obviously transformed in his late twenties, the vampire had enduring stamina as well as a muscular and broad physique. Kayci remembered how difficult it had been to fight him before. It sent a shiver down her spine.

“Unfortunately yes, you’re Danika’s
puppet
. What do you want from us?”

Kayci struck a chord with that comment—his face twisted into a scowl.

“You’re going to make this all the more enjoyable, aren’t you?”

The strongly built vampire stalked toward Kayci. Kayci stepped back. She glanced at the second vampire. A tall, bald-headed, scrawny guy covered in tattoos. His straight fangs looked awkward amid his crooked, dirty teeth and cruel smile. The third vampire was a small, curvy, auburn-haired female of Hispanic descent. If she wasn’t displaying fiendish eyes and a wicked fanged smile, she would have been pretty.

“So where’s your little friend? She’ll be fun to play with before we
devour her
.” The scrawny, tattooed vampire asked mockingly.

Kayci heard a whimper from between the cars and knew the others had heard it too.

“Found her!” Kayci heard the fourth vampire shout from a few cars over.

“The little bitch was trying to call the police,” the vampire complained as he dragged Elise out from between the cars. Another tall, scrawny vampire that looked like the other’s twin had her in a headlock and his hand over her mouth so she couldn’t scream.

A knot developed in Kayci’s throat, cutting off her breath, the moment she saw the terrified expression on Elise’s face. Kayci shifted toward the vampire she recognized, who seemed to be the leader.

“Please let her go. She has nothing to do with this. You came to kill me. She doesn’t need to be collateral damage,” Kayci pleaded.

The three vampires smirked at Kayci. Trying to reason with them was a futile effort. She reached for the blade tucked in her pocket, flicked it open, and raced toward the vampire holding Elise hostage behind her. Kayci felt her body warming and heard her heart thumping in her ears. Her adrenaline and vampire senses had kicked in.

She charged at the scrawny vampire. Gripped his arm in her left hand, yanked him off Elise with ease, and then swung her body behind him, bringing the blade to his neck. She had only a moment of hesitation before firmly slicing the blade across the vampire’s throat. Kayci held the vampire’s shoulder as leverage as she yanked back on his head, tearing the remaining flesh and bone from his body. Blood spewed over her and Elise before the vampire burst into ashes.

Elise screamed in terror. Within seconds, the Hispanic female had Elise in her grasp, covering her mouth so she couldn’t scream. The vampire dragged Elise toward the black sedan. Rage boiled inside of Kayci as she watched her best friend try to fight for her life. As her anger increased, so did the bubbling and coiling in her gut. It twisted and writhed, clearly ready to be deployed.

Kayci again rushed after the vampire restraining Elise, but the burly lead vampire seized her in his grasp. The force of him grabbing her arm whipped Kayci around, bringing her face to face with him. While holding her arm tightly in his grip, he knocked her pocketknife from her hand. She watched it slide across the cement and stop under the nearest car. Kayci formed her now empty hand into a fist and slammed it down hard on his wrist. He lost his grip. Kayci bolted after the female vampire hauling Elise to the black car. Kayci had almost reached them, when she felt a tight grip yank her hair. As she turned to face the lead vampire, she was stunned by severe pain bursting through her neck, head, and shoulders. The vampire’s bite had been vicious and unexpected.

The strong vampire wrapped his arms around Kayci, holding her steady as he eagerly and violently drew her blood into him. Through watery eyes, Kayci saw the scrawny vampire rush past her and the vampire draining her. He grabbed Elise’s legs and helped shove her into the sedan. Kayci’s knees weakened as the blood left her. The warming witch energy amassed from her core, through her arms, and into her hands. She remembered the words and said them quickly. As amber sparks flew from her fingertips, she gripped the vampire’s arms. Slowly the sparks turned into tiny flames that scalded and then began melting his flesh. The vampire howled in pain, retracted his teeth from her neck, then released her.

Kayci turned, swung her arm with as much force as she could, and put her fist to the vampire’s cheek and jaw. It was like hitting a wooden board. Her punch at least stunned him and knocked him back a step. She could see that his arms were already beginning to heal. Kayci ignored the pulsing pain in her neck and ran after the two vampire’s trying to kidnap Elise. When she felt her attacker’s grip on her once again, she spun back toward him and clawed at his face and eyes. Blood instantly seeped out of the gash in his face. His anger escaped with his growl. He swung at Kayci, punching her in the abdomen. The blow knocked her back several feet, slamming her against a parked car. She buckled over from the pain and the wind that had left her. She coughed as she tried to suck in air. She looked up to see the vampire charging toward her. The cut on his face was already healing. She reached up and blocked his fist and delivered a blow to his ribs. She thought she heard a snap of bone but wasn’t sure. Everything was a bit hazy. The vampire let out an irritated growl, grabbed a handful of her hair, and then used it to slam her head against the car she had fallen into.

Instantly dizzy, a dull pain grew in the back of her head. She reached back and felt wet liquid. She was bleeding. The vampire sprung forward and grabbed a handful of her hair again. He forced her head to the side this time, exposing her bloody neck. His teeth tore through her healing skin. Agonizing pain spread down her neck, shoulder, and arm. The vampire eagerly sucked the blood from her veins and gripped her hair harder each time she tried to pull away. His lips harshly scraped her sensitive skin with each drink he took. She fought back nausea and the rising vomit. Her legs seemed ready to collapse at any moment. He pressed his weight against her and held her steady as he continued to drink. The surrounding parking garage and vehicles became blurry. Her body felt overwhelmingly fatigued. What was once a cool evening air was now a bitter chill throughout her extremities.

Kayci’s fear skyrocketed. She had to do something, or she would die. She focused on the flicker of energy lingering at her core. It twisted and turned, seeming to swell into a larger mass in response to her will to survive. She drew from that energy and repeated the same spell as before. It came out as barely more than a whisper. She could hear the dry hoarseness of her voice as she said it.

She placed both hands on the biceps of the vampire. As soon as he realized what was happening, he growled and released the fist-tight grip on her hair. He immediately stepped away from the touch of her hands, removing the pressure of his weight against her body. Kayci saw the badly burned vampire dart toward the black sedan and jump into it just before she collapsed onto the cement floor.

Chapter 16

The woman was drenched in sweat. Blood had soaked the bed sheets around her. She cradled the baby in her arms. Their eyes met, and the woman smiled a loving smile. A smile only a mother can have for her newborn child. She wiped the brow of the baby and kissed her on the forehead.

“I will always love you. I will always be with you.” She whispered the words softly under her breath. The baby lay quietly in her comforting arms, undisturbed by the activities around her.

“Thorne, take her from me. I must finish the spell before I breathe my last breath.”

The tall, slender man reached down, using his large hands to gently fold the baby into his arms. He watched as the candle flames rose. An unseen wind swept through the room, blowing the flames higher and wilder. The wind circled them all and settled above the child like a cloud. It hovered momentarily while the woman spoke an old language known to her family for generations. As the woman finished her last word, the indiscernible cloud swept into the child. A small cough came from the child’s mouth.

The man looked back at his wife, the woman who had just bore his child. She lay quietly on the bed. Her arms crossed her sides. Her hands gently held her own swollen belly. Her expression peaceful. The man looked down at the small creature in his arms. He would do anything to keep her safe.

Kayci awoke to agonizing pain throughout her body. She coughed repeatedly until she felt her muscles contract and the air filling her lungs. Her limbs were heavy and awkward to move. Her muscles throbbed from head to toe. She slowly lifted her upper body up until she was sitting with her head between her knees. She saw the dry blood on her clothes and on the cement floor of the parking garage. She had clearly been left to suffer.

As she sat there waiting for her body to accept movement, she saw a figure out of the corner of her eye. She tilted her head in the direction of the stranger. He quickly strode toward her. He was tall and lean with light-brown hair and appeared to be in his early forties. He wore a long navy-blue jacket that contrasted with his pale skin. Kayci feared it was another vampire but was too exhausted to run. She had no energy and barely whispered any words before he leaned down in front of her, inches from her face.

“I apologize that I could not get here sooner. You were more difficult to find than I expected.”

Kayci was confused. Everything was still hazy. The man spoke like he knew her, only confusing her further. Before she could answer him, he scooped an arm under hers and across her back. He gently lifted her off the ground. At least the man wasn’t trying to harm her. She rested the weight of her body against him.

She muttered between shallow breaths, “Did Adrian send you?”

“Save your energy. We need to get you away from here.”

Kayci didn’t argue. She let the man assist her to her car. She stumbled as she tried to retrieve her key from her pocket. She struggled to move any body part. As she pulled the keys out, she dropped them on the ground. The man leaned her against her car and retrieved the keys.

“You’re going to need medical attention. I think you have a concussion.” The man opened the passenger door and gently helped Kayci into the passenger seat.

“I don’t need a…hospital. I’ll heal. I just need…to sleep,” she told him.

The man watched her carefully as she settled herself into the seat. He made his way around the vehicle to the driver side. Once inside, he turned the key. Before driving off, he looked at Kayci drifting off to sleep. Dry blood covered her upper body and clothes. Her hair was tousled and wet with a mixture of blood and sweat. Remnants of a bite remained on her neck. He was sure she had a concussion and possible broken ribs. He was pleasantly surprised to hear her say she would heal, but that moment of pride was quickly vanquished by the sight of her. She looked as though she’d been in a horrible accident. He disregarded the rush of anger spreading over him. He needed to stay focused.

***

Adrian leaned against the railing of Kayci’s porch. When she didn’t respond to his knock on the door, he had given her cell phone a call. After getting her voice mail and then no call back, he started to worry. He assured himself he was just tense from the lack of success with his scouting mission tonight and decided to stop lingering and head home. As he stepped off the porch, again avoiding eye contact with the talisman, he heard a car approaching. He looked up to see Kayci’s car enter her driveway with a different driver. His body tensed.

Adrian recognized the vampire that exited the vehicle. He watched in disbelief as he went to the passenger side, opened the door, and took out Kayci’s heavily battered and bloodied body. Adrian reached the car within seconds. Even with Thorne’s help, Kayci was barely holding herself up. Adrian’s rage was so blinding he didn’t even react to the fact that Thorne was alive and standing next to him. He instead lifted and cradled Kayci in his arms.

“What happened?” Adrian growled.

It didn’t take long for Thorne to read the expression of concern on Adrian’s face and realize why he was there. Pride and trepidation filled him.

“She was attacked by a vampire, likely more than one. I’m unaware of the details. I got there afterwards and found her in this condition.”

Adrian, still livid, turned toward the house with Kayci in his arms. Thorne followed closely behind.

“She has a talisman on the front door. Destruction spell,” Adrian warned.

“Another entrance?” Thorne asked.

“No, only entrance, and verbena at every window. No vampire can enter without her permission.”

“Of course,” Thorne replied, fascinated to learn she had skills from both her mother and himself. A slight smile formed across his face.

Kayci stirred. “I can…remove the charm,” she muttered. “Just help me…up the steps.”

Adrian eased Kayci down into a standing position after carrying her up the steps. She hobbled to the door while Adrian and Thorne remained at a safe distance. It was apparent any and all movements were painful for her. Adrian’s chest tightened.

Kayci wobbled and then leaned against the door. As she reached above her head, she moaned. Her left hand instantly went to her side, as if to stop the piercing pain coming from her ribs. Her fingers just barely reached the charm. She pulled it off the nail with what little energy she had. As her arm dropped to her side, the charm fell from her hand, hitting the floor with a soft ting against the cement, yet remained intact.

Adrian kicked the talisman away before he caught Kayci’s collapsing body in his arms. He scooped her up, then carried her through the threshold. The memory of the last time he’d had to do this was still fresh and stirred the reverberating anger inside of him. As he made his way toward the stairs, he glanced back to see Thorne closing the door behind them, locking it, and then checking their surroundings from the living room window. He clearly did not intend to follow. As Adrian carefully carried Kayci up the stairs, he remembered Vladimir’s vision. It suddenly clicked. Thorne was the vision. He was the old vampire Vladimir and the Covenant feared would soon arrive, and Kayci was the unknown mystery.

Thorne remained downstairs to give Kayci privacy. He looked around her comfortable home. The first floor layout had a decent-sized living room that had two archways. One led to a kitchen, the stairway, and a half bathroom. The other archway led to a smaller room that Kayci had turned into a small office and storage space.

He could clearly see she enjoyed a simple and earthy style. Her suede couch and chair were a matching brown, with a beautifully quilted blanket lying across the top of the couch. Her coffee table and end table were made of solid wood with intricate designs carved into the legs. Candles scattered the rooms, providing her home with a soothing fragrance. Her television was small, but her bookshelf was large and overflowing with books. A few picture frames and wildlife paintings hung on her light-green walls.

Thorne saw a family photo of Kayci and her adopted parents sitting on the entryway stand. He held it in his hands. He studied the faces in the photo surrounding Kayci. He was thankful for the couple who had taken such care in raising his daughter. He set the photo down and walked to her bookshelf. He gathered something of interest and settled into the living room chair. He had a brief awkward feeling of being an invader in a stranger’s home, and then settled himself. Everything would feel foreign to him for a while.

Adrian had finished removing the bloody clothes off Kayci. He had run a warm soap-filled bath and placed her into it. Her ribs were evidently broken, by the severe bruising on her abdomen. The large bite marks that had ripped her skin and left gaping wounds were slowly closing and being replaced by newly regenerated skin. Adrian stopped tallying the injuries on her body in an effort to restrain his writhing anger. He gently tilted Kayci’s head back and poured water through her hair. It added to the water’s already reddening color.

“Adrian.” Kayci said his name softly. Hearing the weakness in her voice only increased the rage boiling inside him. “They have Elise. You have to find them.”

If Danika and her coven vampires had Elise, it wouldn’t be long before they killed her. If they hadn’t already.

“I’ll find them. Kayci. I promise.” He only hoped Danika had a reason to keep Kayci’s friend alive…

“Where did they attack you?”

“The parking garage south of Piani’s on Fifth.” Her voice rasped. She continued slowly. “They were waiting for us, knew we’d be coming back to our cars. I killed one and fought another. The same one that attacked me with Danika. I was able to wound him, but they still got away with Elise. Why did they take her? What are they going to do to her, Adrian?” she asked, her voice rising. She fought back tears.

“I don’t know, but I’m going to find out.”

Adrian helped Kayci out of the bath and into warm, comfortable clothes. He cradled her once more and carried her to her bed. Before leaving her side, he kissed her gently, slipping his tongue in to meet hers. When she responded eagerly, it gave him relief that her energy was improving. He rubbed her cheek affectionately before pulling away.

“I may not be back until tomorrow night. Get some rest. I’ll call you as soon as I find them.”

He didn’t want to waste any more time. He knew Danika and her coven would torture Elise for play.

Thorne heard footsteps on the stairs.

“Will you be staying until I return?” Adrian asked as he walked into Kayci’s living room.

Thorne set down the book he had been reading and gave his attention to Adrian.

“I think it would be best if I did, don’t you? For her safety and mine.”

Thorne studied Adrian, clearly tense with rage.

“Adrian, do you know who did this to her?”

“I don’t have time to explain everything tonight. The vampires that hurt Kayci also took her friend. She’s asked me to find her, and I need to make a move while there’s still time.”

“I see. That’s very honorable of you.”

Thorne studied Adrian, who stared right back. Thorne stood up, reaching his full height of six foot four, four inches above Adrian. Thorne stiffened.

“I feel inclined to ask a favor of you myself.”

Adrian stopped him before he continued. “I won’t be sharing your arrival with the Covenant. I’ll leave that up to you.”

Thorne nodded, giving a half smile of approval. “I look forward to the next time we meet, Adrian.”

Adrian nodded. “She still doesn’t know who you are. Break it to her gently.”