Embrace The Dawning (The Covenant Series Book 1) by Betty Shreffler

Greg.”
    Kayci sunk into the couch and pulled a blanket over her legs. Elise followed, setting her wineglass on the coffee table and snuggling under the other side.
    “His name is Greg Owen. Like I said, he is an accountant, but in his free time he likes to go boating or paddle boarding or hang out at the beach. He has a condo that is walking distance to the beach. It’s really nice. He drives a nice car, has a clean house, and seems to have his shit together. I really like him. Is it too soon to call him my boyfriend?” Elise asked half jokingly.
    Kayci grinned. “Yes, it is. Don’t scare him off. Sounds like he might be a keeper. So where is he from?”
    “He’s from Ohio. Went to Ohio State. Was living up there and then took a job here in Naples a couple years ago as an accountant for a prominent law firm.”
    “Wow, yeah, he is successful. So when are you two hanging out again?”
    “We’re going out to dinner Monday night.”
    Elise’s phone buzzed. She nearly jumped to get it. She looked at her phone and then at Kayci. “He just texted me!”
    “What did he say?”
    “That he had a great time today and is looking forward to dinner Monday.” Elise radiated delight. “I think I’m in love.”
    Kayci smiled, happy for Elise, and for a little while she had been distracted by her friend’s giddiness, but as Elise texted Greg, Kayci’s thoughts drifted to Adrian, and the morose feeling returned.
    ***
    Adrian stalked into the dance club Seracha’s, ignoring the liveliness of the crowd. His mood had grown increasingly somber, and his only thought was to feed and then hunt. He scanned the dance floor and made eye contact with a young blond woman in a short black dress. She and her friend eyed him sexually. His vampire energy ignited instantly. It radiated around him.
    He took two steps down to the dance floor and made his way through the crowd to where the blonde stood on the edge of the dance floor. As he came near, he reached his hand out to her. She eagerly took it, oblivious to the fangs beneath his charming smile.
    The lights were pulsing and slowly changing colors. The effect enhanced Adrian’s ability to charm his dance partner. She moved right into his body and began following his rhythmic movements. He reached down and cupped her face, bringing her nearer. As the lights pulsed and everyone drunkenly swayed against one another, he drank from her.
    It wasn’t long before his hunger was satisfied, giving him the opportunity to abandon the woman on the dance floor. She continued to sway to the rhythm of the music, unaware of his departure. To anyone around her, she appeared heavily intoxicated. Her friend eventually joined her and helped her off the dance floor. She stumbled away with barely any evidence of a bite mark.
    Adrian’s senses went off like a siren when he sensed another vampire approaching behind him.
    “Do you miss it?” He heard the familiar snakelike voice and turned to face Danika with an expression of scorn.
    “Miss what, Danika ?”
    She moved in closer, like a panther stalking its prey. She reminded him of the creature—sleek, wild, and predatory.
    “What it was like to truly hunt. To find your kill and ravage it.”
    “ You tried to make me into a killer, but that’s not what I am.” His temper simmered.
    Danika’s eyebrows furrowed in pretend puzzlement. “It’s not, is it? And what do you do for the Covenant exactly ?”
    “That’s different.”
    “Is it? Why are the humans more valuable than the vampires you slaughter?”
    Adrian’s lip curled in frustration. She was trying to get under his skin, and it was working.
    “You’re bringing them to their death by creating them against the consent of the Covenant. Their deaths are on your hands, not mine .”
    “Is that what you tell yourself to be able to live with your actions? You’re better off admitting you’re a killer. Life would be less depressing. It’s who you are, after all, Adrian. Don’t you remember