Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) (11 page)

“At least he is one of the good guys.”

“Yes, exactly. He is one of the good ones. After I learned he was a vampire, I decided to do some research on vampires and learn more about them. So today I went to the library, looking for books on vampires. The clerk at the library suggested I go to a shop called Wymsical Treasures. I went there, and the owner of the shop is a witch. She gave me herbs and a talisman to help protect my home from unwanted vampires.”

“Are you kidding me right now? There are vampires
and witches
?!”

“Not just that. There are more than vampires and witches. There are also werewolves, demons, spirits,
and other beings
.” Like herself, she thought.

Elise’s eyes widened. Kayci read the shock on her face. “These things seriously exist?! How are they so well hidden?”

Elise was fairly composed. Kayci supposed it helped Elise was full of wine and had already seen Adrian as a vampire.

“Well, they aren’t things. They are like us, with feelings, fears, and lives of their own, except for maybe demons and spirits. I don’t know anything about them. They stay hidden among humans because they are so much like us. They look just like us. You could go through your whole life and never know you came across any of them. Each of them—vampires, witches, and werewolves—all apparently have some kind of peace treaty that keeps their existence a secret and keeps them from fighting with one another. They seem to avoid conflict with humans.”

“Then why did the witch need to give you stuff to protect you and your house from vampires?”

Kayci bit her lip and looked away. She wasn’t sure if she could tell her the next part or if what she was going to say was accurate. It was only a theory, but a theory she believed.

“Kayci, what’s wrong? You look nervous. It’s making me nervous.”

Kayci looked back at Elise, her best friend since elementary school. She had to trust she would accept her for what she was. She took a deep breath.

“While I was at the shop, I reacted to a talisman that affects vampires. The witch did an experiment to figure out why. There’s a reason I’ve had special abilities all my life. It’s because I was born with vampire blood in my system.”

“What does that mean?” Kayci heard the anxiety in Elise’s voice.

“It means I’m a half-breed vampire.”

Elise stayed quiet for a moment and then erupted with laughter. “Was this all a setup tonight? Am I on one of those punk’d shows? Seriously, you’re joking, right? Adrian isn’t even a vampire, is he? That was all a setup, wasn’t it? Early April Fools’ joke?”

“Elise, stop, please. It’s not a joke.”

“Are you trying to tell me in a nice way that Adrian has already bitten you and started turning you into a vampire, because this isn’t funny, Kayci.”

Kayci could hear the frustration in Elise’s voice. Her own frustration soared.

“This isn’t a joke. This isn’t a prank. Adrian is a real vampire. He has not bitten me. I am not in transition to becoming a vampire. This is all real, Elise, and I am living it. You think you are freaked out. Try being me! For twenty-seven years I’ve wondered why I’m such a freak, and today I find out that the reason is that I’m part vampire and that my father is likely a vampire and still alive. He gave me up for adoption to keep my existence a secret from the very organization that Adrian works for! If they found out I exist, I could be in serious danger. I’ve never felt so alone in my life! And the one person that I need to be able to rely on is you. You are the only person I trust and want to be able to share what’s going on with me. I need you to be there for me and not treat me like I’m crazy or a monster.”

Kayci fought back tears threatening to escape. Elise sat quietly. Her expression changed numerous times before returning to the comforting friend she was. Her eyebrows furrowed. Her head tilted. She looked serious and thoughtful.

“Does Adrian know you’re part vampire?” she asked calmly.

Kayci’s nerves and frustration settled. “No,” she replied softly. “I don’t know if I can tell him. If he knew, it would put him in a difficult and dangerous situation. Keep my secret and help protect me from the vampires he works for, which could put him in danger, or tell the vampires he works for about my existence and put me in danger.”

“I suggest not telling him for now.”

“That’s what I was thinking too.”

“I understand now why you told him you couldn’t see each other.”

Kayci’s eyes widened. She nodded. “Yeah.”

Elise leaned in and hugged Kayci.

“I don’t think you’re a freak, Kayci. You’re still my best friend. I suppose it’s nice to know where your abilities came from and that your birth father may still be alive. My mind is exploding with questions more than anything.”

Kayci felt relieved. The pressure on her chest lessened.

“Is it my turn for an interview?” she asked jokingly.

“Yes, it is,” Elise replied, serious.

“Your abilities—are they the same as vampires, and what abilities do vampires have? Is it like the movies? Turning into bats and being staked?” Elise shaped her hand in a fist and pretended to stake the air.

Kayci rolled her eyes. “Really?”

“Well, I don’t know. I only know what they do in the movies.”

Kayci wrinkled her nose. “Well, the drinking blood to survive is accurate.”

“Ugh, gross! I’m glad you don’t do that.”

“You think you’re glad. The thought of it makes me cringe. Remember the first time you ever tasted your own blood. It tastes like metal. It’s gross. I don’t understand how they can drink it.”

Elise laughed. “Well, you better get used to the idea, because your boyfriend drinks it. No busting out the wine bottles when he is over. Just hold out your wrist for him.” Elise mimicked the gesture.

Kayci rolled her eyes as she shoved her arm away. “Not happening.”

Elise laughed. “So what’s the other abilities they have?”

“They are very strong, very fast runners, can jump really high. I don’t know how high though, just high. They heal very quickly, have heightened senses and emotions, and sometimes have extra abilities that carried over during the transition of human to vampire. They cannot go into the sun, or they’ll die, and they can only die a couple other ways besides the sun. No turning into bats, hanging upside down, living in coffins, or being staked.”

“None of the fun stuff then.” She smiled teasingly. “Your abilities are the same, aren’t they? Remember the first time your parents took us to the beach. I could have sworn you started smoldering. Your mom
freaked
out. She ran over and pulled you under the umbrella and lathered you with sunblock. You’ve used sunblock ever since. To be honest, there may have been a couple times when we were kids that I thought you were a vampire, but then your parents said the doctor diagnosed you with a sun sensitivity disease. Isn’t it nice to know that you don’t have the sun disease after all? You’re just part vampire,” Elise said lightheartedly.

“I’m sure that never would have shown up on the test results no matter how many tests they ran. Honestly, it is a bit of a relief, but also brings more questions.”

“Oh yes, questions. I have more. What was the deal with you and the hammer, the witch’s stuff she gave you, and why are you afraid of the vampire organization Adrian works for?”

“The hammer and nail were to hang up the talisman on the front door. It deters vampires. Actually, it harms them if they come near it. The witch, her name is Rosemary. She is very kind, by the way. She gave me verbena herbs to put at my windows. Enchanted verbena herbs are also a vampire deterrent.

“Rosemary told me that if the organization Adrian works for knew about me, I could be in danger because there are no other half-breed vampires. It’s never been done before. She is concerned that the Covenant may see me as a threat to their existence and their control over the vampires.” Kayci paused and drew a deep breath.

“Not only that, but the verbena and talisman will keep a vampire by the name of Danika from entering my house. Adrian came tonight to tell me she is a dangerous vampire he’s been sent to track down and bring back to the Covenant. In his efforts to capture her, she realized I could be used as a tool to keep him from coming after her. She saw me with him last night. Adrian fought with one of her vampire companions to protect me. She knows he cares about me. She set him up to come to my house so she could find out where I live.”

“That happened after I left last night?”

Kayci nodded her head.

“Wow, it just keeps getting better, doesn’t it?”

“Yeah. I have a plan though. Tomorrow I’m going back to see Rosemary. I’m going to ask if she can make me a talisman that will extract more of my vampire side so that I can protect myself against Danika if she does make an appearance, or any other vampire that wants to harm me.”

“I’d like to go with you.”

“Really?” Kayci asked, skeptical.

“Yeah, I’m really curious about meeting a witch. Maybe I can get an interview,” she said half jokingly. “Seriously, if I could write a story on everything I learned tonight, it would be phenomenal. Too bad it would be categorized as fictional and I’m a columnist. I’m supposed to write about true facts, and no one would believe any of this as true facts. Not to mention, I really don’t want a group of vampire leaders hunting me down for exposing their existence.”

“Yeah, that definitely is a hindrance.” Kayci smiled. “I’m so relieved I can talk to you about all this. And yes, you can come tomorrow. It’ll be nice to have you there with me.”

“The nerd side of me thinks it’s cool you’re part vampire. You’re superhuman with superpowers. We’re like Lois and Clark, except we’re both chicks, and I don’t love you
like
that
.”

Kayci laughed wholeheartedly. “You are a nerd. I’m not superhuman. I’m just me. And we’ll see if Rosemary can even do the spell. Maybe I’m not a half-breed vampire and there is another explanation for why I am the way I am.”

Elise stared at her as though she was a fool. “I don’t think you believe that, and neither do I. Being part vampire explains a lot of things about you.”

Kayci sighed. “You’re right. It all just seems so insane. Three days ago I was a seminormal human that had a normal life. Now my world has changed drastically.”

***

Adrian stood in the nearly empty condo looking out into the ocean. The salty breeze masked the dreadful scents behind him. He closed his eyes and tried to regain his self-control. His grip on the railing had tightened to the point that the railing creaked. He looked back in the living area that now held the dead bodies of two humans and the ashes of four vampires. He had followed Danika’s scent on the vampires from Kayci’s house, through the woods, into town, and ultimately to the high-rise condo that Danika had been using as a hideaway. When he entered the condo, he found the vampires viciously feeding on the two humans. In his fit of rage, he tore the vampires’ heads from their bodies. It had been too late though. The vampires had wounded the humans too severely.

As he turned to leave the ghastly scene before him, his phone buzzed inside his pocket. He swiped the screen to answer.

“Yes.”

“I have news. A vision. More trouble is coming. It is imperative that you find Danika, and soon.”

“What kind of trouble?”

“A very old vampire. His intentions are unclear. There is something else. Something we have not yet experienced.”

“It’s going to take a bit of time. Danika has moved locations, like I said she would.”

“Call me if you need me.” Vladimir disconnected.

As Adrian pocketed his phone, he heard the chime of the nearby elevator. He quickly made his way across the condo to the front door, hiding just out of site to the right of the door. As the door opened, Adrian recognized the scent of the vampire entering, one of Danika’s closest companions, Reece. The vampire that had replaced Adrian. Reece entered with a recently turned vampire. No more than a day or two old. It took only a few steps for Reece to realize another vampire was in the room with them. He turned around quickly, but clearly wasn’t surprised by what he saw.

“She said you’d find this place. I came to see if she was right. Danika told me not to bother picking a fight, but I couldn’t help myself. I’m the violent type.”

Adrian snickered. “Must not’ve thought you could handle me alone.” He nodded to Reece’s companion.

Reece’s lip curled. Adrian had hit a nerve.

“I needed a witness to confirm I killed the Covenant’s lapdog.”

Adrian sighed from the petty insult. He didn’t have time to squabble. Adrian gave the newly made vampire a once-over. The young guy had been turned for obvious reasons. He was physically large like Reece. His neck had nearly disappeared among the muscles in his arms and shoulders. He was easily six foot four inches, three inches taller than Adrian, but with scrawny legs holding up his robust torso. Reece was a large vampire as well. Shorter than Adrian though. Around five feet ten inches, yet stocky and solidly built.

Adrian considered his options. The fight with Reece and the newly made vampire would take a while, and time was something he couldn’t waste. Adrian let his fangs extract. His eyes slowly transitioned from green to gold. His vampire energy steadily increased in intensity. When he felt ready, he utilized his vampire speed and sprinted toward the giant fledgling vampire. He forcefully clutched the vampire in his arms. The sudden impact startled the vampire and made it difficult for him to gain control. Adrian’s force quickly propelled them both through the living room to the balcony.