Pray for Dawn Read online

  “What are you talking about?” I asked when Mira just stared mutely at the old witch.

  “Nothing specific,” LaVina quickly said, releasing Mira’s face. “Just idle dreams and broken nightmares.”

  Using the blood that was still on her fingers, she traced a symbol on Mira’s forehead that caused a knot to form in my stomach. I knew a few old symbols from my travels, and this one felt positively ancient. Older than the pagans, older than Mesopotamians, older than most civilizations that had crawled across the Earth. The monster that lived wrapped around the remains of my soul recoiled at the sight of it and my skin crawled. While I couldn’t name the source of the symbol, something told me that I was looking at the original marking for chaos.

  Energy sizzled in the air around LaVina and Mira, as the old witch started speaking in a tongue I had never heard before. My ears started ringing and the air started to grow too thick to draw into my lungs. I thought I would soon begin choking. Mira lay as still as death while LaVina worked her magic, her eyes closed, but a glimmer of lavender light still shined beneath her eyelashes. I didn’t like this.

  “LaVina?” I pressed, touching the woman’s arm. The witch immediately stopped what she was doing and smiled at me. She placed her hand in mine and I helped her to stand again. She walked back over to the bench where she fiddled around with some unseen objects.

  “So, you were saying that this nightwalker has been drinking from a warlock,” she said, changing the subject to the real reason we had come to her in the first place. I was tempted to pull her back to our previous topic, but decided to drop it. It was more important that we got Mira well and sane again.

  “Yes.” I sighed.

  “Powerful one?” she asked, glancing over her bony shoulder at me.

  “Very powerful.”

  “Hmmm…” she said as she slowly turned around again. She leaned up against the bench and crossed her arms over her middle. “Did you know different types of blood affect nightwalkers in different ways?”

  “I’m not surprised,” I said, shoving my hands into my back pockets. “Naturi blood is poisonous to nightwalkers.”

  “In that same vein, some nightwalkers can’t drink shapeshifter blood. They’re too close to that nature tie, and it makes them sick for several nights on end.”

  “Mira can drink shifter blood,” I countered, recalling Mira’s special meal with the lycanthrope Nicolai in Venice.

  “Hmmm,” she said again with a nod. “I’m not surprised by that. For some, shifter blood can temporarily make a nightwalker stronger, heighten senses, and satisfy the thirst for longer. However, blood from a powerful witch or warlock does none of those things.”

  “Then why drink it?” Lily inquired. I looked over my shoulder to find her rising and walking down to the stand on the last stair.

  “Because it can have special side effects,” LaVina said, smiling up at the girl.

  “Like what?” Lily asked.

  “I don’t know. Why don’t you tell us, Mira?” I asked, turning my attention back to the nightwalker. Mira had dropped her head and was once again running her fingers through the dirt. She refused to look up at us, but there was a new stiffness to her shoulders.

  “Go to hell, Danaus,” she muttered.

  “Oh, think about it,” LaVina chided. “Weakness, trembling hands, circles under her eyes, hallucinations. At the root, Mira’s still human.”

  “She’s not sleeping,” Lily murmured. My gaze jerked from the teenager to the nightwalker. Her shoulders were now slumped as if she were cowering away from me. Could it be something as simple as not sleeping?

  “That’s not possible,” I said, pinning my gaze on Mira. “You can’t be awake during the day. Nightwalkers can’t be awake during the day.”

  “Ryan’s blood is special,” Mira admitted in a low voice. “I drink it and I can stay awake during the day.”

  “How long has it been since you last slept?” I demanded.

  “I need this,” Mira said, clenching her fists in the dirt. “It’s my only edge against Aurora. What if she sends someone for me during the daylight hours?”

  “How long?” I repeated.

  Mira pushed to her knees so that she was now facing me, her fists clenched at her side. “She’s going to come for me during the day! I won’t be helpless against them.”

  “How long has it been?” I shouted back at her, taking a step toward her.

  “Ten days!” she shouted back, tears slipping down her cheeks. “I’ve not slept in ten days!”

  Pacing away from Mira, I shoved my hands through my hair, but managed to hold my tongue as I caught sight of Lily intently watching me. Ten days. Humans were known to hallucinate after just a few days without sleep. Vampires were resilient creatures, but even their minds couldn’t possibly withstand such an extended period of deprivation. James had mentioned that Mira was up during the day, but it never occurred to me that she was never sleeping. I had just thought that she was waking earlier in the evening or maybe staying up a couple hours past sunrise—not staying awake the entire day.

  “How long did you think you could keep this up?” I demanded, losing my tenuous grip on my temper.

  “Months, if I had to. Whatever it takes!” she shouted at me.

  “Leaving you at Ryan’s mercy.”

  “Better at the mercy of a warlock that is just trying to help me defeat the naturi than at the mercy of an entire race that wants to see me dead.”

  “You think Ryan is a better option than the naturi?”

  “Of course he is.”

  “Ryan doesn’t care about you,” I snarled, taking a step closer. “He only cares about how he can use you. You’re a member of the coven. You’re one of the most powerful vampires in all the world. How could you think something so stupid as this notion that he cares about protecting you?”

  “Fine, maybe he doesn’t care about me, but he at least doesn’t want the naturi to succeed in wiping out humanity. At least we have that in common! Keeping me alive helps that goal. We can’t let the naturi win.”

  “I don’t want the naturi to succeed either, but this isn’t the best way to beat them.”

  “They’re going to come after me again.”

  “I know,” I murmured. I knew it like I knew the sun was going to rise in a few hours and that Gaizka would come hunting for the rest of my soul. Little inevitabilities that we couldn’t escape. Once Aurora had her forces pulled together, she was going to come after Mira again and she wouldn’t stop until the nightwalker had suffered a gruesome, excruciating end. If the naturi won, Mira faced a horrible death.

  “I won’t let Aurora have me without a fight. She’ll come during the daylight hours when I am vulnerable. They’ll steal me away again and no one will be able to find me. Not even you and all your magic tricks. I swear I won’t sleep again until Aurora is dead,” Mira vowed.

  I turned to look at LaVina, who was watching Mira intently. I had no way of winning this argument with Mira. She was being completely irrational, and in truth, I couldn’t completely fault her. The naturi had grabbed her once already in her long lifetime and subjected her to two weeks of endless torture in an effort to break her will and use her as a weapon. But her plan was flawed. “How do we get her to sleep again?” I demanded, looking up at LaVina.

  “No! I can’t!” Mira argued, but I kept my eyes locked on the old witch.

  After a moment, she shrugged. “Just get her to drink from someone other than this warlock. The fresh infusion of blood should dilute the power of the warlock’s, forcing her to sleep again when the sun rises,” LaVina replied.

  “I won’t do it, Danaus.”

  I looked back down at Mira to find her sitting on her heels, her arms folded over her stomach as if she were trying to guard herself against me. She was frowning at me, but there was no missing the desperation in her eyes. I felt trapped.

  “Ryan is using you,” I said, trying to find the best way to build my argument. “He’s locking yo
u to his side. Soon, he will be force you to do horrible things in order to get at his blood. You’re stronger than this.”

  “Do you think I don’t know this?” she snapped, lowering her eyes to the dirt floor. “My leash has enough owners. I don’t need another. At least, not one of my own making. But I’ll also do whatever it takes to survive. I’ll not let the naturi have me again.”

  “This route risks the lives of others,” I said. Taking a step forward, I knelt before Mira, cupping her face in my hands. Her skin was cool and almost waxy to the touch, as if the life had already seeped out of her. “You could have killed Tristan tonight if I had not arrived when I did. If you go much longer without sleep, someone will die at your hands. Are you willing to risk Tristan’s life? Or Gabriel’s? Or mine for that matter?” I had thrown in the last as a joke, hoping to bring a smile to her lips. Instead, she raised her right hand and laid it against mine as she shook her head.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Her fear was a palpable thing in the room, seeming to form a cocoon around us. Lily and LaVina slipped away, and for a brief period of time, it felt as if I were finally alone in the world with Mira. The naturi were gone. The bori were a distant memory. The coven was just a bad dream. I rubbed my thumbs over her high cheekbones, wiping away a stray tear.

  What am I to do? she asked, using the mental path we had trod so many times before it had begun to feel like a lover’s familiar caress.

  Tonight, you’re going to hunt and then you will sleep safely through the day with me watching over you, I replied, using the same mental touch.

  Mira’s head snapped up so that she could look me in the eye, surprise and hope filling her expression. I stared at her pale parted lips, wishing I could see another wry smile dance there. You will? she demanded.

  I will protect you until you can protect yourself, I confirmed.

  Tonight?

  For as long as you need me.

  Mira turned her face and pressed a kiss into the palm of my left hand, then looked back at me. “All right. I’ll feed from a human and sleep tonight,” she said.

  “It’s about time.” I sighed. A part of me was stunned that I was advocating for a nightwalker to feed. But then, I had seen and felt the chaos that ensued when she did not. It was safer for all those involved if Mira remained on her diet of human blood.

  Pushing to my feet, I took Mira’s hand and helped her up as well. I turned to find LaVina leaning against the bench, watching us with a thoughtful frown. “Thank you for your help,” I said.

  The old witch snorted and waved off my comment. “Didn’t need me. I wasn’t of much help. You just needed to know how to put some sense into that one,” she said, jerking her head toward Mira.

  “Why have I never met you?” Mira inquired as I started to walk toward the stairs. It seemed as if every muscle in my body tensed at that exact moment. Mira was having one of her moments of clarity and it was not exactly the best time. I was hoping to escape LaVina’s place before she started thinking about it too deeply.

  “I don’t come into the city much and that is where your domain is,” LaVina replied.

  “Mira, we should be going. It’s getting late and Lily’s tired,” I interjected, but the nightwalker didn’t even look over at me. She just continued to stare at the witch.

  “And yet, Danaus knows you. Are you a part of Themis?”

  “His silly organization of so-called researchers? Bah! Bunch of utter nonsense,” LaVina replied, leaving me straining not to roll my eyes. “The boy came into town last summer looking for you. I pointed him in the right direction.”

  I moved to grab Mira’s shoulder to stop her from lunging at the old witch, but I stopped sharp when Mira simply smiled at LaVina. A broad grin grew across her face and laughter seemed to twinkle in her eyes. She was actually amused by the witch’s bold honesty.

  “You wanted him to kill me?” Mira inquired.

  LaVina gave an unlady-like snort and pushed away from the bench, but didn’t take a step toward us. “As if I thought for a second that he would do such a thing.”

  Mira gave a soft chuckle and shook her head as she turned back toward the stairs. “Watch yourself, witch,” Mira said under her breath.

  “You too, vampire,” LaVina replied.

  The car ride back into the city was quiet, with Mira seated in the front seat beside me, while Lily sat in the back. We returned to Mira’s house to find Gabriel and his silent companion waiting for us to return.

  “Danaus, this is my new bodyguard, Matsui.” Mira introduced the Asian man from earlier as we paused in the kitchen beside the breakfast nook.

  I nodded to the Asian man and then turned my attention back to the nightwalker. I was going to hold her to her promise to feed tonight, even if it meant that I had to accompany her on her hunt. “What’s your plan? Do you need me to go with you?” I demanded.

  “No,” Mira said, shaking her head. “Gabriel will help me tonight. It’s the safest option. I would never do anything to harm him.”

  “Mira?” Gabriel said, placing his hand on the nightwalker’s arm. “What’s going on?”

  “I need to feed. I need to finally sleep and I can only do that if I drink from a human,” Mira said, placing her hand on his. “Will you help me?”

  “Happily.”

  “Mira, what about Lily? I promised that I would protect her as well,” I said before the nightwalker could leave the room with her warm meal.

  “I guess we’re having a sleepover then,” Mira said, cocking her head slightly to the side as she looked down at Lily. The teenager looked skeptical, but wisely kept her comments to herself. “This is the safest place in the city. Danaus will be with me during the day, but Gabriel and Matsui will be there to protect you. They will get you whatever you need during the day. Tomorrow night, we’ll see about getting you some new clothes and settled in the town house with Danaus.”

  “What do you mean, ‘settled’?” she asked.

  Mira arched one eyebrow at the young girl and crossed her arms over her chest. “Daniel left a message for me. Said a runaway saw the killer. I’m assuming that you’re the runaway. You’ve now fallen in with us, which means you’re here to stay for a while. As such, you’re going to need clothes and some other basic necessities of life. We’ll see to that tomorrow.”

  “I’m staying with you and Danaus?” Lily asked, her mouth falling open in shock.

  “You are if you can tolerate being around a pompous vampire hunter and a bunch of vampires,” Mira said.

  “That’s so awesome!” Lily cried, launching herself at the nightwalker. I made a grab for her but missed. Lily wrapped her arms around Mira in a quick hug that caught the nightwalker completely off guard. “You guys are great. I’d love to stay with you. You’re the only ones that don’t make me feel like some freak.”

  “You’re not a freak,” I said, putting my hand on her shoulder as she came to stand beside me again.

  “Why would we think you’re a freak?” Mira asked, her brow furrowing as she looked from Lily to me.

  “I can see auras. Didn’t he tell you?” Lily suddenly seemed to shrink in on herself. She took a step backward, starting to partially hide herself behind me.

  “No, that only makes you more valuable,” Mira said, with a shrug of her shoulders. “Go upstairs and find a room to sleep in. Danaus will inspect it while I grab a bite.”

  Frowning, I followed Lily up the stairs. We peeked into five different bedrooms before she finally chose one with soft yellow paint and a striped comforter on the queen-sized bed. I didn’t like where this was going. Mira was making the assumption that we would be keeping Lily indefinitely. While I had to admit that I hadn’t made any specific plans for the child after we finally managed to catch Abigail Bradford’s killer, I didn’t see how it would be possible for us to raise her. I had to return to London and Mira…Mira was a nightwalker. She couldn’t properly raise a child. In the end, Lily needed to be turned over to the authorities o
nce we were sure that she was safe.

  While Lily kicked off her shoes and hopped onto the bed, I walked over and quickly checked the windows, making sure they were shut and properly sealed. All the security measures that lined the interior of this house were properly in place. Mira was right. This house had to be one of the safest places in all of the city.

  I shoved my hands into my pockets as I walked back over to the bedroom door. “It looks like there’s some pizza down in the kitchen if you’re hungry,” I said, turning and leaning my shoulder against the wooden doorjamb. “Gabriel will make sure that you have something for breakfast and lunch.”

  Lily pushed up from where she had been lying in the middle of a pile of pillows and sat in the center of the bed. “You’re not going to be around?”

  “I haven’t seen it yet, but I imagine that Mira sleeps in a sealed room for her protection. I’m either going to be sealed in the room or guarding the door from the outside. I won’t be able to hang out tomorrow. I’m sorry.”

  Lily dropped her eyes to her hands in her lap, causing her dark hair to fall around her face. “These naturi she talked about…” she said in a low voice. “They hurt her?”

  “Yes,” I sighed. “A long time ago, they did some very horrible things to her, things she can never forget. She needs to feel safe. At least for one day.”

  “And you trust Gabriel and Matsui?” she said, lifting her head to look at me with a sharp, focused gaze.

  “I don’t know Matsui, but I know Gabriel and I trust him,” I admitted, hoping that she wouldn’t use this as a new excuse to run. I couldn’t be in two places at once and Mira needed me. Unfortunately, if it came down to it, I wasn’t sure that Mira had the strength and control she would need to hypnotize Lily into sleeping through the day the same way she had with Shelly when we were in Peru. If I was stuck, I could always see if Tristan could do it. “Gabriel has done a very good job of protecting Mira, and he will do whatever it takes to keep you safe tomorrow.”

  “All right,” Lily said, with a nod. “She got a TV around this place?”