Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (25 page)

Chapter 17

Danika twirled Elise’s hair around her finger as Reece and Collin tied her down to a chair.

“I can smell your fear. It’s pathetic! You humans are such fragile creatures.”

Elise whimpered. She’d never been so terrified. Her adrenaline pumped so intensely she couldn’t think straight. She watched Danika circle her like she was prey.

“Your half-breed friend is hurt pretty badly. Might be a while before she comes to save you. Lucky for us, really. It’ll give us more time to become”—Danika grabbed Elise firmly by the shoulders and leaned in closely to whisper in her ear—”
more acquainted with one another
.”

Elise let out a small sob. A couple tears ran down her cheeks. She knew there was nothing she could say to make them release her, so she clamped her lips.

Danika clicked her tongue. “Where are my manners?” She ran her fingers down Elise’s shoulder and arm. “A pretty thing like you would make quite the predator. You could always join us. Become immortal, never age, be forever beautiful. Doesn’t that sound wonderful? A little of my blood in you, a broken neck—you’d wake up good as new, even better actually.”

Elise sobbed louder.

“I didn’t think so. You’ll make much better prey anyway.”

Danika forced Elise’s head to the side. Elise squealed as Danika brought her fangs down on her neck, violently puncturing her skin.

Elise cried out. A burning sensation ran down her neck into her shoulder and arm. She squirmed and tried to pull away, but it only caused Danika to tighten her grip and suck harder. Elise sobbed heavily, tears pouring down her cheeks onto her chin and chest.

“Please stop!” she begged in between sobs.

Danika reeled her head back, blood staining her teeth and lips. She licked the blood clean off her mouth. Elise’s head fell forward as Danika released her. Her tears mingled with the blood dripping onto her clothes.

“Fix her up. We don’t want her bleeding to death
too soon
.”

***

Even through the phone, Vladimir could sense there was something wrong by the sound of Adrian’s voice.

“I need your help,” Adrian told him.

“What is it?”

“An opportunity to catch Danika. She and her coven vampires attacked Kayci and her friend this evening. For some reason they left Kayci alive and took the girl. Danika is up to something. This girl must be part of it. I’ll be able to track them, thanks to Kayci killing one and wounding Reece. I won’t be able to do it alone though.”

“Where shall I meet you?”

“Fifth Avenue. South parking garage.”

Adrian squatted over one of three blood stains. Kayci had fought hard. He recognized her scent in the blood that heavily covered the cement below. He stood up and moved to the next spot. The blood that saturated the cement came from the vampire that Kayci had killed. Adrian’s nostrils flared, and his fangs pinched his bottom lip. He had the scent locked in, as well as Reece’s.

“You look like you’ve got something?” Vladimir asked as he quietly approached.

Adrian stood up, his eyes a bright gold when he looked at Vladimir.

“It’s her boy toy, Reece, and another I don’t recognize. They left their stench all over this place.”

“Can you track them?”

“Yes,” Adrian said confidently.

“Good, I’ll let the others know.”

“Not yet.” Adrian gently placed his hand on Vladimir to stop him. “Give me a little more time. The Covenant won’t care about whether or not this young woman survives.”

Vladimir returned the phone to his pocket.

“I can only give you a meager head start. Natalia can see the same things I can. I’ve had visions. It won’t be long before chaos erupts, and Danika is at the center of it. Whatever we do tonight to spoil her plans will be beneficial.”

Adrian’s eyes had settled back to their green color.

“Thank you, Vladimir. A head start is all I need. Follow me.”

***

Kayci rolled over and grumbled from the pain. She reached down and touched her ribs gently. Her broken ribs were healing, but she still felt weak. She wasn’t sure how long it would take to fully recover. It made her feel helpless that she had to stay in bed while Adrian searched for Elise. The worry formed a massive knot in her stomach.

As she lay there, she heard rustling downstairs. She remembered the vampire that had helped her. Adrian must’ve left him there to look after her. Kayci gently tossed the blanket off and slowly rolled sideways. She lifted her upper body up with her right arm and eventually rested her feet on the floor.

As she walked down the steps, she could see the back of the vampire. He was tall and thin but not scrawny. She assumed his muscles were concealed by his elegant clothes. He had light-brown hair cut short, and wore navy trousers with a shirt tucked into them. His suit jacket had been folded nicely over the back of her chair. He was closing the curtains in the living room to protect himself from the sunlight that would come in the morning. There was something familiar about him, as if she’d met him before. Brief images flashed in her mind. A man holding a baby. A woman laying peacefully in a bed. A vision or memory?

Kayci stopped and stared at him. He had the same powerful and regal presence that Eva had. His hair nearly matched her own hair color. Kayci stood motionless at the bottom of the steps, using the railing to hold her weight. She could clearly see his side profile now. The resemblance obvious.

“Thorne.”

He looked calm as he turned toward her and gave her a brief smile. She could see he had been a handsome man transformed in his late thirties or early forties. He had a charming smile and soft eyes.

“Yes, I am.”

She could only stare, jarred by the shock.

“Please don’t be alarmed, Kayci. I’m here to help.”

Kayci remembered him lifting her off the ground in the parking garage. He had brought her home.

“How did you find me? How did you know where I live?” She could hear the slight defensive tone in her own voice.

“My blood runs through you. I have been able to sense you all your life. I knew when you were safe, happy, or sad, and I knew when you were in danger. I came as quickly as I could.”

“Why now?” she let go of the railing. Her adrenaline was pumping. She walked into the living room as though nothing in her body hurt.

“If you knew I was safe, why didn’t you come sooner?”

He took a hesitant step toward her, then paused.

“You already had a life, and you were safe without me in it. Revealing myself would have put you in danger.”

“Or revealing yourself would have put
you
in danger?” she accused.

Thorne smiled a half smile. “You have your mother’s temper.”

The comment took Kayci by surprise. She looked away, then met Thorne’s gaze once again. Her voice much softer now. “I saw her a couple times. Once in a vision or memory just before you found me and before that, during my Hanu ritual. She was beautiful. I can see why you fell in love with her.”

Thorne sat in the same armchair as before.

“I’m pleased to hear that you were able to see her. She loved you more than anything in this world. She would be proud of you, that you embraced your heritage. She was a powerful and good witch. Having you took too much of that power from her. It was more than she could bear.”

Her heart broke to see Thorne’s eyes with such sadness when he spoke of Katriana. As Kayci’s temper settled, she was quickly reminded of her concussion and broken ribs. She gently sat down on the couch.

“I wish I could have been raised by the both of you instead of coming into this world now,” she said. “My adopted parents were wonderful to me, but there is so much I don’t understand about who I am or what I am.”

“You’re special. A little mix of this and a little mix of that.”

He smiled at her, and she read humor in his bright-blue eyes.

Kayci chuckled. “Eva said you were charming.”

“You met Eva?” He sounded more serious. “So the rest of the Covenant knows of your existence?”

Kayci caught the hint of concern in his voice.

“I only met her once. She introduced herself as my aunt and told me about you and Katriana. She said she even helped you both escape the Covenant’s persecution. She protected me against the rest of the Covenant. They weren’t as welcoming as she was, except for a couple of them, Vladimir and Beatrice.”

Thorne’s expression became thoughtful.

“They are more reasonable than the rest.”

Kayci studied Thorne’s ageless face and pale skin.

“May I ask how old you and Eva are?”

He seemed pleased by her question.

“We’ve been around for several millenniums. We come from a time when the year was three digits instead of four. When there were empires ruled by emperors and smaller civilizations trying to develop into stronger political units. We managed to survive by traveling, adapting, and becoming a part of the prominent forces.”

Kayci’s eyes widened.

“Did you and Eva start the Covenant?”

Thorne shook his head no.

“We may be old vampires, but there were older vampires before us that began the Covenant. We took over by necessity. The previous rulers weren’t strong enough.”

“Strong enough for what?”

“They weren’t strong enough to manage the war against vampires.”

Kayci looked at Thorne expectantly wanting him to explain.

“There have always been rogue vampires set on being the dominant species. Vampires who feel that we shouldn’t live in secrecy. The Covenant’s main purpose is to stop these kinds of vampires. Living in secrecy is the only way we can live peacefully.”

Thorne’s expression transformed back to his charming smile. “Now, Kayci, enough about me. Tell me about you, your talents, and of course, Adrian.”

Kayci smirked. “I’m a little too old for you to be the protective father.”

Thorne smiled back. “You’ll never be too old.”

“I’m not sure where to begin. I’ve only just recently learned that I’m part vampire and part witch. Growing up, I ran faster and was stronger than others and able to heal quickly. That all changed when I was running one evening and I was attacked by what I now know to be a fledgling vampire. A couple days later I wanted to know more about vampires, for my own safety. My research led me to a witch’s shop where I reacted to the very talisman that hangs on my door. The witch conducted a blood test for a supernatural presence. The blood test confirmed I had vampire blood in me. I was shocked and horrified, but after she explained the abilities that vampires have, it made sense.

“After Eva told me that she was my aunt and that my mother was a witch, Adrian suggested that I go back to the witch’s shop and find out if I was capable of magic. She conducted the Hanu ritual for me. Now my vampire senses are much more active, and I’m performing spells, or utilizing magic, is more like it. She said I’m a sorceress like Katriana. The Covenant doesn’t know I can do magic though. Although Eva, I’m sure, suspects it.”

Thorne stayed quiet for a moment. “It sounds like this woman has done a lot for you.”

“Yes, she has. She is a very kind woman. Her name is Rosemary. I thought it was crazy that I met her by chance, but she said my Craft brought me to her.”

“I agree with this Rosemary. Nothing in this world is by chance.”

Hearing Thorne say that brought a thought to Kayci’s mind.

“How did you and Katriana meet?”

Thorne’s expression transitioned with the change in conversation. He smiled. Kayci thought she saw a sparkle in his eyes.

“The Covenant needed the help of a powerful sorceress to heal a werewolf bite inflicted on one of our members. Vampires can die from a werewolf bite unless a witch can remove the venom. It takes being able to stop the venom from traveling through the blood and then pulling it out of a vampire’s body. Not an easy task, I can assure you. I had found a witch named Sarah willing to help us, but she wasn’t powerful enough to remove the venom. Sarah recommended your mother, Katriana, knowing how powerful she was. Katriana agreed to help, as most witches would. The Covenant has maintained peace for centuries. The Covenant vampires are respected by many species.

“The moment Katriana had opened her door, I was smitten, and that infatuation only grew as I watched her work. Afterward I came by her home often, finding every excuse that I could to see her.”

Thorne seemed to drift off into his memories and then let out a brief chuckle.

“Your mother used to say I haunted her in her dreams before we met and then haunted her in life after.”

Kayci smiled, warmed by her father’s words. “Eva said Katriana wanted nothing to do with you at first.”

Thorne half laughed.

“This is true, but it was only a matter of time before she could no longer fight her feelings. Your mother was strong willed and gifted. From what I can tell, you have been blessed with many of her strengths.”