Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (33 page)

Thorne shouted to him. The resonant ringing in her ears kept her from hearing their words clearly. She continued to focus on the searing-hot towering flames persistently trying to reach them. A strong arm wrapped around her waist, forcing her body through the air. Her arms collapsed. The flames of the fire swarmed her legs, burning her pants and scalding her skin beneath. She coughed as the smoke filled her lungs.

Kayci was placed on the ground outside of the warehouse while Adrian and Thorne doused her clothing. The burns throbbed and oozed blood. Walking wasn’t an option. She coughed again, trying to extract all smoke from her lungs.

“We have to go,” she heard Adrian say.

Kayci was lifted off the ground. Adrian held her close to his body.

“We’ll go to my place,” he instructed.

“Natalia?” Vladimir asked.

“She got away.”

Chapter 28

“How’s my daughter doing?” Thorne asked.

Adrian closed the balcony door behind him. “She’s sleeping. She’ll be fine,” Adrian assured. “She usually sleeps while she heals.”

Thorne nodded, his expression pensive.

Adrian looked from Thorne to Vladimir. His arms crossed his chest as he rested his weight against the railing. “What happened?” he asked.

“Natalia was in alliance with Danika. I was unaware. Her behavior was becoming suspicious, but I never expected something like this. She must have given Danika the location of where Eva was. She had been privately going to the Dawning. She was going to embrace the Dawning soon.” Vladimir looked at Thorne when he said the last comment, clearly hoping to offer consolation.

Thorne’s head dropped, his expression full of sorrow.

“When Thorne, Beatrice, and I arrived at the warehouse, Orrick was missing, Natalia had a blade to Eva’s throat, and Kayci had been beaten severely. We fought Danika’s coven. One of her coven vampires locked us all into the lower floor. Kayci managed to free herself and Eva. Reece attempted to kill Kayci. Eva sacrificed herself and saved her. Danika had planned for us all to die in the explosions. When she fled, she triggered several bombs. Kayci held back the flames until you got there. It was a blessing you arrived when you did. Kayci was growing weak with fatigue and losing her power over the flames. We were beginning to burn to death when you arrived.” Vladimir grimaced from the memory.

“What happens to the Covenant now? You and Natalia are the only remaining members.”

Vladimir’s fangs appeared below his lip. “She left us to die. Even her own brother. Her own blood. Natalia…” he seethed, “will need to face the consequences of her actions. She is no longer a member of the Covenant. As for the Covenant…” Vladimir’s shoulders lowered. His seething anger began to settle. “Eva had plans after her death. She disclosed those plans to Beatrice and myself.” Vladimir looked at both Adrian and Thorne, gauging them.

“Eva wished to invite Kayci as a new member of the Covenant. She proposed it to the entire Covenant. As you can imagine, that did not go over well with all the members. After receiving the rejections of Florence, Orrick, and Natalia, Eva had a private conversation with Beatrice and myself. She knew that the Covenant was dividing and was going to need new leadership after she was gone. Leadership that was powerful and stable. She hoped to turn Kayci to a full-blood vampire, and with her skills as a sorceress, Eva believed she would be a formidable force. One that vampires would undoubtedly fear and comply with. Eva felt that after Kayci was turned, her seat on the Covenant would be accepted. From there she planned on preparing Kayci to take over the Covenant as well as to recruit new members. She wanted you back on the Covenant, Thorne. She planned to enlist you as a member, Adrian.”

Adrian let out a breath. His hands left his chest and settled on the railing in a fist-tight grip.

Thorne glanced at Adrian’s shift, then returned his attention to Vladimir before asking, “What of Florence, Orrick, and Natalia? What of their resistance to this plan?”

“Eva believed Florence to be the cause of the division amongst us, not Natalia. Eva planned to kill Florence if he didn’t secede from the Covenant.”

“You and Beatrice agreed to all this?” Thorne asked.

Vladimir leaned against the railing and nodded. “Yes. Florence and Hasasha led the raid against you and Katriana. I always resented him for it. Beatrice agreed with Eva that Florence was hindering the Covenant from generating progress. She felt he was becoming too dominating and resistant to change. Eva knew the Covenant would fall to a rogue coven if changes weren’t made. If the Covenant wasn’t assembled into a stronger, more reliable faction.”

“How do you feel about my daughter leading us?” Thorne asked casually.

Adrian allowed his displeasure to show. “You’re actually considering this?” he asked.

Vladimir looked from Adrian to Thorne.

“I believe it is in our species’ best interest to have a stable and dominant Covenant once again. I believe Eva was correct when she insisted that Kayci can aid in that goal.”

Adrian stepped closer to both Thorne and Vladimir. His fangs extracted as his irritation grew.

“Neither of you will touch her. Do you understand? You can present the idea to her, and if she accepts, we’ll choose what action to take next. If she says no, then it’s done. She won’t be forced into it.”

Thorne looked at Adrian, clearly ready to argue, and then his expression changed to solemn.

“Who shall take leadership if she does not accept?” Vladimir asked. “Would you want to lead again, Thorne?”

“I would not,” Thorne replied coolly. “It’s no longer of importance to me.”

“What about you?” Adrian asked Vladimir.

Vladimir shook his head. “Being the leader of the Covenant has never been something I’ve wanted. I’ve seen what Eva and Thorne have had to endure. Covenant leader is a responsibility I would rather not take on.”

“Yet you both believe Kayci should endure it and have that responsibility?” Adrian asked.

Thorne remained silent, obviously struggling with what he felt was the best choice for Kayci as well as the vampire species.

“She would be less vulnerable as a vampire, and she would have us all there by her side,” Thorne said, as if justifying it more to himself than the others.

“There are vampires that I know that would be valuable and reliable members of the Covenant. I can reach out to them,” Vladimir offered.

“Thorne, making Kayci the Covenant leader puts a target on her back. You know this,” Adrian stated between gritted teeth.

Vladimir lifted his hand to end the rising tension. “There’s no point in arguing over the topic. We should propose the offer to Kayci and let her decide what she wants. If she chooses not to turn and be the Covenant leader, then we’ll figure out what to do next…together.”

“I’ll talk about it with her.” Adrian refused argument. “I’d prefer that neither of you be there to influence her.”

Thorne put his shoulders back, reaching his full height. “I could say the same about you,” Thorne retorted.

Adrian’s lip curled in frustration.

Vladimir’s tone sharpened. “We should all be there for the proposal.”

Adrian’s frustration mounted, and it wasn’t just toward Thorne and Vladimir’s suggestion that Kayci should be Covenant leader. Part of him wanted her to say yes. Part of him wanted her to be immortal like him. His selfish desire combatted his need to protect her.

Adrian glanced through the glass door to Kayci resting peacefully on his bed, then shifted back to Vladimir and Thorne.

“Let her at least rest and have a day to herself before you propose the offer,” Adrian stated.

Thorne and Vladimir nodded.

“No later than tomorrow night,” Vladimir insisted. “We’ll have to take action immediately if she chooses not to turn or to be the Covenant leader. We don’t want word to spread that the Covenant has fallen.”

Chapter 29

Kayci opened her eyes slowly. Grogginess and fatigue plagued her. She found she had no physical pain though. A relief. She looked down at her legs. Fresh skin covered what was once scorched and blistered skin. She pressed down on her ribs. Only slightly tender. She touched her lips and face. No lacerations remained. She slowly sat up on Adrian’s bed. A large glass of water awaited her on the nightstand. She drained the cup of the liquid.

She looked out Adrian’s windows and saw him standing on the balcony, looking out at the lights of the city. The eye-catching white, yellow, and amber specks dappled across the black. She understood how it could captivate a vampire. As Kayci stood, she noticed that her clothes had been removed, surely from being burned. She now donned one of Adrian’s T-shirts over her bra and underwear.

The idea of him undressing her provoked intimate thoughts. She bit her lip and then pushed the enticing thoughts aside as she made her way out to the balcony.

“How do you feel?” Adrian asked as she opened the door.

Kayci moved right into Adrian’s open arms. He wrapped his arms around her, holding her close.

“I’m feeling good. Just a little fatigued.”

Adrian kissed her gently on the lips.

“You lost a lot of blood. It might take a while to recuperate.”

“The water was nice. Thank you.”

“I thought you might need it.”

Kayci rubbed her hands along Adrian’s sides. Their usual humming sensation began to rise. She had begun to take comfort in the sensation. The violent memories of the evening soon crowded out the warmth.

“Did Danika survive?” she asked nervously.

“No,” Adrian assured her. Kayci relaxed as soon as he answered.

“Thorne and Vladimir?”

“They’re fine.”

“Natalia?”

“She got away. She’ll be hunted down and made to pay for her betrayal.”

Kayci felt relief in hearing that, as well as pity for Vladimir.

“Any of Danika’s coven vampires survive?”

“None that I know of.”

“Good,” Kayci said as she shuddered. Adrian tightened his arms.

“What will happen to the Covenant?”

Adrian lowered his hands. “Let’s go inside.”

Adrian sat on his couch and admired Kayci in his T-shirt as she sat down next to him. His arousal pressed against his jeans. He disregarded the tempting thoughts so he could focus on their conversation.

“Before Natalia betrayed the Covenant and Danika kidnapped Eva, Eva had spoken privately with Vladimir and Beatrice. Eva had plans to embrace the Dawning, but before she could do so, she wanted to prepare her replacement as Covenant leader. Eva saw that the Covenant was breaking apart and losing its stability. She believed part of the blame was that Florence was opposing her rule as well as interfering with progress she was trying to accomplish. Some of that was true. However, it wasn’t all Florence. Natalia had her hand in it as well.

“Eva believed that in order to bring stability and control back to the Covenant, she needed to make changes to the members as well as leadership. Eva believed you were the solution. Eva wanted to turn you into a vampire and offer you the position of Covenant leader.”

Kayci’s head tilted as she sighed. “Eva had this discussion with me when I met her and the Covenant members. I thought it was crazy. I barely know anything about vampires, let alone how to lead them. As for becoming a vampire, I’m not sure how I feel about that topic,” Kayci said softly, aware it was a subject they had yet to talk about.

Adrian leaned forward with his elbows on his knees and his folded hands beneath his chin, obviously thinking about something serious. He turned his head toward Kayci with an emotionally weighted expression.

“Thorne and Vladimir plan on offering you the same proposal that Eva did. They’re going to propose it to you tomorrow night,” Adrian admitted. “Thorne and I have been invited to be members of the Covenant and lead with you.”

Kayci’s stomach bunched into a knot. She’d hoped she wouldn’t have to take Eva’s proposal seriously for a long time, or at all. Now it was real, and a choice with consequences.

“How do you feel about being a vampire?” Adrian asked nervously.

Kayci’s voice came out soft. “I don’t know, Adrian. It wasn’t something I actually had to think about until now.”

She saw the concern in his eyes. It made it more difficult for her to say the truth.

“I’m not sure it’s something I want. At least not now. Maybe I’ll change my mind in the future, but if I’m honest with myself, I don’t think I’m ready to turn into a vampire. So many of you didn’t seem to have a choice in the matter, so you adapted to vampire life and culture. I’ve seen beforehand what it is to be a vampire, and I’m not ready to accept that life.”

Adrian understood. Choosing to never see the sun, to never have children, to have to bite humans and live on their blood wasn’t something most humans would choose. After all she’d seen and experienced with vampires, she had every right to be turned off by them.

“I understand why you wouldn’t want to be a vampire. It’s not a choice that most would agree to. I’m not upset.” He pulled her against his chest. His words were caring, yet he sounded disappointed.

“What about the Covenant?” Kayci asked. “What happens if I don’t want to be the Covenant leader? What is going to happen to you and the other vampires out there?”

“That’s something Thorne, Vladimir, and I will have to figure out. It’s not your responsibility or your concern. You shouldn’t feel obligated to fill the position because of what you are or who your family is or—”

Kayci pulled back from Adrian to look him in the eyes. “I am concerned about each of you though,” she interjected. “If the plan was to have me restore order and lead with each of you, then your problems are going to continue. Another coven like Danika’s may try to step in and take over. Your existence may become public.”

Kayci couldn’t shake off her anxious thoughts. She didn’t want anything to happen to Adrian, Thorne, or Vladimir. She could only imagine how terrified humans would be if they found out about the existence of vampires and how quickly they would want to exterminate what they believed to be monsters. There would no doubt be a war among both species, and then witches and werewolves would be threatened as well. Who would align with whom? How bad would the war get? She had no idea how many vampires, witches, or werewolves were actually out there in the world.

“Maybe I could still be a part of the Covenant as I am?” Kayci suggested. “Perhaps Thorne could be the leader again, and I can offer my assistance when needed?”

“Thorne has already admitted that he does not want to be Covenant leader. I believe he did it for Eva and to help protect Eva. He was never as committed as she was. Vladimir has also declared that he will not be named Covenant leader.”

“What about you?” Kayci asked apprehensively. “Would you want to be Covenant leader?”

“I’ve been considering it in the event you declined. Although I don’t believe it would be a good fit for me or that I would be beneficial for our kind. I’ve always been the solitary soldier type. I’m better in the field. Better at being invisible and making decisions on my own. I’m not great at compromise or dealing with matters of vampire law either.”

“Do you believe I would be?”

“I do. I’ve seen you command the attention of a room full of thousand-year-old vampires. I’ve seen you risk your life to protect the ones you love numerous times. I’ve seen you stand up to one danger after another and not yield to your fear. And after everything that has been done to you, you’ve remained untainted. You’re still considering others before yourself now as you debate whether or not being a leader of a vampire government is something you’re capable of. From what I’ve seen, you’re a natural-born leader, just like Eva and your father. Had you been raised by Thorne and Katriana, I believe you would have stepped right into the position.”

Kayci contemplated everything Adrian had said. There was truth to the fact that being the Covenant leader wouldn’t be a topic of debate had she been raised by Thorne and Katriana, but she hadn’t been. That wasn’t her life. Yet even though Adrian and her father’s world frightened her, she couldn’t turn her back on it either. It felt very much a part of who she was.

“I imagine there are other vampires out there that would jump at the opportunity?”

Kayci leaned into Adrian’s chest as his arm pulled her in.

“I can guarantee that there are.” Adrian ran his fingers through her hair absentmindedly. “However, Covenant members are chosen, and for good reason. Not all vampires have the species’ best interest in mind, nor would they lead with a formidable but kind hand.”

Kayci smirked. “It sounds like you are trying to talk me into it.”

“On the contrary. I spoke against you being Covenant leader. I believe you would be beneficial to our kind, especially with Thorne, Vladimir, and myself there to assist you. However, the Covenant leader is a dangerous role. Rogue covens always want to take down the Covenant, starting with the Covenant leader.”

Kayci felt insulted yet foolish, because she didn’t even want the position. Maybe her curiosity led her emotions, or she didn’t like Adrian’s concern about her vulnerability. Either way it didn’t matter. When Thorne and Vladimir made the proposal, she already knew her answer.

“Will you be there when Thorne and Vladimir have their discussion with me?”

“Yes.”

“Do you think they’ll be disappointed when I tell them it’s not what I want?”

Adrian’s hand in hair stilled, resting against her head. “I think they’ll have to decide quickly who should temporarily run the Covenant while new members are recruited.”

“You’ll all be at risk during that time, won’t you?”

“Our existence is always at risk,” Adrian replied.

Kayci swallowed, forcing out her question. “Adrian, what’s to come of us if I never want to be a vampire?”

Adrian’s chest tightened. He didn’t want to imagine Kayci growing old without him.

Kayci recognized the furrowed brows and somber expression. She stood up and began pacing.

“Maybe I just need more time, Adrian. This is all happening so suddenly. Perhaps if I had been given a few more years to adjust to being part vampire and a witch, I would be more inclined to want to be like you and Thorne. Maybe I would want to be Covenant leader. Why must I choose now? And if I choose not to be like you and Thorne, I’m afraid I’ll lose you both. I’m afraid I’ll be making a mistake by not being a part of the Covenant.”

Adrian left the couch and quickly approached Kayci. He reached out, touched her arm, and turned her toward him.

“Stop thinking.”

Adrian pressed his lips against hers. Kayci let the familiar humming sensation calm her. She relaxed her shoulders and cleared her mind as Adrian’s fangs swept over her tongue. She moaned at the tickle of pleasure. She pulled away from his kiss.

“I’ve longed to be with you since that night,” she whispered.

Adrian lifted her behind, pulling her legs around his sides. His lips found hers once again. He carried her in his arms as he led them to his bed. He growled from the need that stirred wildly inside of him. He laid her beneath him before climbing onto the bed to join her. He planned to move slowly. He had to, or he would surely ravage her. He yearned to be inside of her. To feed from her. To have her invigorating blood filling his mouth as he gave her untamed pleasure.

He lifted his T-shirt from her petite, muscular body. He admired her firm breasts held tightly by her black lace bra. His eyes glistened as she unclasped it, giving him full access to the firm cream flesh. He growled as he removed the matching lace below. His erection pressed firmly against his jeans. He held her tightly as she leaned forward and began working the button and zipper, releasing the rigid pressure.

Adrian took his time tracing the curves of her naked frame. He wanted to enjoy every bit of her and as slowly as he could. His fingers roamed around the length of her breast before flicking the hardened nipple. He nipped at it and watched the pleasure spread over her face. He kissed her once more as his hand roamed south, then lingered at the wetness between her legs, massaging the folds beneath his fingers. Kayci arched her back and moaned beneath his kiss. It drove his kiss deeper.

Adrian trembled slightly, his energy radiating and mingling with hers—a deeply arousing sensation. His vampire instinct hammered at his self-control, but his desire to avoid hurting her won out. He eased back from the intensity of his kiss and reluctantly stopped touching her below.

Her eyes opened and looked up at him, displeased. She saw his fangs and understood. She smiled mischievously.

“Slower,” she whispered. “No problem.”

She pushed her hand against his chest, forcing him to lie on his back. She lifted her leg over his side and straddled him from above. Kayci reached down and held his tightly swollen erection in her hand and guided it between her legs. She drew him into her slowly, gauging his reaction. Feeling secure with his self-control, Kayci began shifting upward and forward and then back again, pushing him deeper.

The heat between them rose and swirled like a raging storm. Adrian knew she felt it just as much as he did. Her eyes flickered with vampire gold, her lids half lowered in a sexual daze. Adrian held her on each side of her thighs and pulled her onto him with more passion. He’d bring her to her climax soon, before his urges took control. His fangs pinched his lips as he painfully held back his desire to aggressively thrust them into her flesh. Tiny drops of blood escaped his torn skin.