Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) Read Free

impressed with the vitality she’d displayed in her fight with the young vampire.
    Ah yes, the precarious vampire. He did need to end his lingering and hunt down that disaster of a creature. He had a job to do not only for the Covenant, but to make sure the fledgling didn’t come back for Kayci either. Freshly turned vampires were popping up all over town in recent weeks. Undoubtedly the work of Danika Panetierre. The one vampire senseless and crazy enough to challenge the Covenant. Something he once admired about her, until he learned what a heartless, soulless, vile creature she was.
    Adrian returned to where the vampire attacked Kayci once he saw her bedroom light go off. Lying on the pavement was her pocketknife covered in blood, and a pool of more blood, now soaking into the pavement, slowly becoming part of it. He picked up the pocketknife and held it up to his nose. His fangs extracted as the scent of rich metallic blood filled his nostrils. He had the vampire’s scent locked in. Adrian wiped the blood on the nearby grass and clicked the blade closed before pocketing it.
    Adrian dashed through the wooded swampland, following the trail of the wounded vampire. Kayci had cut him deep, and it would take him a while to heal. After a couple miles of tracking the fledgling’s scent, Adrian came upon him feeding on a deer beneath the brightly lit moonlight. He slowed his pace and hid in the shadows. A twig snapped nearby, and Adrian cursed himself for not being aware of another vampire presence. A second fledgling struck out at Adrian, fangs bared. Adrian unclipped the pocketknife and swiped it across the fledgling’s neck, spilling blood heavily across the forest floor. His body burst into ashes.
    Adrian used a nearby cypress tree as leverage and sprung himself through the air. His boots hit the back of Kayci’s attacker, knocking him to the ground with an exasperated thud. Adrian gripped the fledgling’s head and tilted it to the side, exposing his neck. Adrian extracted his fangs, sinking them deep into the fledgling’s neck. The vampire thrashed and tried to fight back, but Adrian’s strength couldn’t be matched. Moments later Adrian dragged the heavily drained corpse to a cypress pond and watched as the fledgling’s body sunk just beneath the water. Adrian departed the moment he saw a couple alligator tails make their way toward the vampire’s body.
    As Adrian arrived back in town, he took his time walking the streets to his favorite bar, Blue Moon. He wanted to enjoy the cool breeze of the night and distract himself from the task he had just been obligated to complete. As he passed strange faces beginning their night of barhopping, he couldn’t help but wonder who those fledglings were before Danika woke them from their deaths only to be hunted down and slaughtered. He hoped one day she would be held accountable for her carelessness.
    Adrian couldn’t help but notice the joy on the faces of those strangers either. Especially the couples who strolled hand in hand, smiling and talking. It brought his thoughts back to Kayci. He hoped she was faring better than when he’d left her. He tried not to think about her attractive smile and the magnetic energy he felt when he was near her. He chastised himself for even having the foolish thought of seeing her again.
    As he turned the corner onto Crossway Avenue, his mood became somber. As he came to the entrance of Blue Moon, he slipped in, barely noticed. The familiar scents of the bar—a mixture of alcohol, blood, and sexual desire—overwhelmed him. He hadn’t realized just how comforting the aroma of the bar had become until he felt himself relax. Upon scanning the bar, he quickly sensed the presence of others. He wasn’t the only predator in the place tonight. Adrian acknowledged them with indifference, then sauntered onto the dance floor, disappearing among the crowd.
    ***
    Kayci pulled her comforter up to her chest. The shower, two aspirins, and three