Before Daybreak Read online

  Before Daybreak

  Fiona Davenport

  Copyright © 2021 by Fiona Davenport

  Cover designed by Elle Christensen

  Edited by Editing4Indies

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Created with Vellum

  Contents

  Before Daybreak

  Prologue

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Epilogue

  Epilogue

  About the Author

  Before Daybreak

  After spending five centuries searching for his destined consort, Braeden Bancroft stumbled across her at his cousin’s birthday party. He couldn’t wait to start their lives together.

  Callidora Yellen wasn’t ready for her fate. She had goals she wanted to accomplish before settling down with an adoring, but overprotective, daywalker.

  Can Braeden convince Callie that her dreams are safe with him?

  Prologue

  Callidora

  Most daywalkers learned how to fight at a young age, but all of my training had focused on self-defense. My parents wanted to make sure I knew how to get away from a nightwalker on the rare chance one of them got close to me. Whenever I insisted that I was ready to advance to the next stage of training and get to the good stuff, they put me off with some garbage about how I’d never need it. Being the only child of centuries-old daywalkers had certain disadvantages. Like being figuratively wrapped in bubble wrap for your first sixteen years and wondering if the rest of your immortal life would be the same.

  “You’re sure Ren doesn’t mind training me?” I asked my friend Sheridan, twisting my hands together as my nerves got the better of me.

  “He wouldn’t have agreed if he had a problem with it,” she assured me.

  The Bancrofts were a massive family, especially compared to mine. Sheridan had lots of aunts, uncles, cousins, and siblings. Asking her if one of her male relatives would be willing to teach me how to battle nightwalkers seemed like the perfect idea at the time since my parents had categorically refused to discuss the possibility with me. But now that the day had come for me to do my first training session with him, I was starting to second-guess myself.

  My uneasiness was probably in large part due to the fact that I’d only met Ren in passing once before. But I’d spent plenty of time with Sheridan’s immediate family. “I kind of thought your dad or brother would be the one doing this. Not one of your many cousins.”

  “I think Ren is my second cousin, actually. Or is he my first cousin once removed?” Sheridan shook her head and sighed. “I always get confused by how it works.”

  I narrowed my eyes at my friend. “You know what I meant.”

  “True.” She flashed me a smug grin. “But getting on your nerves seemed like a smart plan. I figured if I irritated you enough, maybe you’ll forget to be nervous.”

  “Nice try, but it’s not going to happen.” I crossed my arms over my chest and tapped my foot on the floor. “Now, spill. Was your dad against the idea of me training at your house?”

  “Not hardly. Ren is cool, but he wouldn’t have agreed to meet you here if my dad wasn’t okay with the plan. They’re more like brothers than cousins.” Her bright blue eyes twinkled with mischief. “Now that I think about it, I wonder why I haven’t been calling him my uncle all this time.”

  “Sheridan,” I gritted out through clenched teeth.

  “Sorry.” She held her palms up in a gesture of surrender. “Back to your original question. My dad doesn’t agree with how your parents have neglected your training. He thinks they’re putting your safety at risk by limiting your ability to fight. And he’s not okay with it.”

  He’d never voiced his censure to me, but I wasn’t surprised he felt that way since he was incredibly supportive of Sheridan. “Yeah, but actively going against their wishes is totally different than thinking they’re wrong.”

  “My dad was the one who asked Ren to train you because he’s worked with other female daywalkers before, while the only ones my dad has trained are my mom, Aura, and me.”

  “Oh.” Knowing the plan had Kieran Bancroft’s stamp of approval filled me with relief.

  “And Ren has done some of my training, too.” She executed a perfect spinning roundhouse kick and grinned. “He’s got mad skills, and he’s going to help you become a badass vampire slayer just like he’s been doing for me.”

  I already knew what she was going to say, but I still asked, “And you don’t think it’s dumb for me to do this?”

  Sheridan shook her head and smiled. “Not even a little bit. How else are we going to face off against nightwalkers together after we turn eighteen?”

  Her answer was a big part of why we got along so well. Most teenage daywalker females dreamed about the day when they’d meet the man they were fated to spend the rest of their life with. But not Sheridan and me. We wanted to make our mark on the world first. To help save the humans who were destined consorts of our kind. To hunt down and destroy the evil vampires who wanted nothing more than to eliminate all daywalkers from the face of the planet.

  I’d kept my dream to myself until I met Sheridan and she flat out told me she was going to become a badass vampire slayer when she grew up. I knew there would be no support for my goal from my family. My mother pretended I was no different from the daughters of her friends, and my father still acted as though I was six years old. “My parents are going to pitch a fit if they find out what I’m doing.”

  “They’re not going to find out, and even if they did, they have nobody to blame but themselves. It’s their fault you had to search out a trainer on your own.” Sheridan clenched her fists and set them on her hips. “I get being protective of your kids. My dad has shielded all of us from the evil in this world as much as he can, but he’s also made sure my siblings and I can handle anything that comes our way. Your parents have done you a disservice by coddling you the way they have.”

  “Which is why I didn’t hesitate to volunteer to head up your training when Kieran asked,” a male voice said from behind us.

  I whirled around and found Ren standing only a few feet away. Sheridan hadn’t been kidding about him having mad skills—I hadn’t heard a thing when he teleported into the room.

  Although I’d never felt the tiniest hint of attraction to a male—and never would until I met my destined mate—I subjectively knew that Ren was gorgeous. With the stereotypical Bancroft dark hair and bright blue eyes, I was certain he got a lot of unwanted attention from human women. And judging by the smug curve of his lips, he was well aware of his attractiveness.

  The man was doing me a huge favor, so I refrained from rolling my eyes as I walked toward him and thrust out my hand. “Thanks. I really appreciate it.”

  There wasn’t a single speck of reaction when his palm slid against mine. Not that I expected there to be. Not until I reached the age of majority and could I sense my fated pairing.

  Ren’s expression softened, and I couldn’t help but wonder if he had the gift of clairvoyance when he murmured, “No thanks are necessary. You never know, we could discover when you turn eighteen that we’re destined to be together, and I’ve been helping you out of a selfish instinct all along.”

  I yanked my hand from his grasp and took a step back, shaking my head. “I hope not.”

  His eyes widened as his head jerked back
in surprise. “Come on now, I’m a hell of a catch!”

  “It’s not you, it’s me,” I mumbled.

  He chuckled softly and shook his head. “That’s what everyone says when they’re trying to let someone down easily.”

  He was right. He deserved more than a cliché for an explanation. “I had to sneak behind my parents' back to meet with you today. They think Sheridan and I are hanging out doing teenage girl things at her house.”

  “That’s technically true.” He waved his hand in a circle. “You’re both sixteen, and you’re in the basement of Sheridan’s home. Hence, you’re doing teenage girl stuff at her house.”

  “I’m a sixteen-year-old daywalker, and the only thing I’ve been taught is to run if confronted by a nightwalker. Maybe land a good punch or two before taking off. But that’s it.” I strode over to the weapons on the wall across from me and trailed my fingers down a wooden stake. “We have a training room in our basement just like this one, but I’ve never been allowed to touch any of the weapons there.”

  “I’m more than happy to teach you how to use them.” Ren shrugged as his brows drew together. “But I don’t understand what any of this has to do with not wanting to find your fated mate.”

  I heaved a deep sigh. “You know how daywalker men can be.”

  “Um, yeah...because I am one,” he joked as he pointed at his broad chest.

  “And when you meet your destined consort, I’m sure you’ll be just as overprotective with her as all male daywalkers are with their women.” I pulled a wooden stake from the wall. “She’ll probably never need to use any of the training she had before you found her. Because you’ll be there to do all the killing for her.”

  “You’re wrong.” He shook his head, his expression turning utterly serious. “I hope like hell my destined consort never has to fight for her life, but if she hasn’t already learned how to kill a nightwalker, you can be damn sure I’ll teach her everything she needs to know.”

  “But what if mine wants to wrap me in bubble wrap like my parents have done my whole life?” I asked, giving voice to my deepest fear about meeting the man who could own my heart but would also have the power to break it.

  Ren gripped my shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Fate wouldn’t pair you with someone who couldn’t be exactly what you need. Your partner won’t try to stifle you. He’ll help you become the best version of yourself that you can be.”

  Hopefully, I wouldn’t have to test that theory for a long time. I’d hate to find out he was wrong before I’d achieved what I set out to do.

  1

  Braeden

  “Too bad Cian, Aura, and Abel took Ronan out for a drink. I’m sure he would have been more than happy to help,” Narkissa, my brother’s consort, said with a decidedly unsympathetic grin.

  I’d been stuck with the job of playing nursemaid for a bunch of teenage girls who were celebrating the eighteenth birthday of my cousin’s daughter, Sheridan. Her older brother, Ronan, had skirted the duty because he only recently turned twenty-one, and they had whisked him away, taking him out for a drink. I mentally groaned at the thought of all the fun they’d have without me.

  “I should’ve gone with them,” I muttered. “At least then I would’ve done something to earn the headache I’m sure to end up with tonight.”

  I couldn’t really be annoyed with Ronan, though. Narkissa was right that he would have been more than happy to help. He adored Sheridan and wouldn’t have complained for a second about staying to babysit the girls.

  My brother and sister-in-law were about to take their children home, so I wandered off to check in with Sheridan about the plan for the night—so to speak since it was nearly five in the morning. Though our kind of vampire could walk in the sun, we preferred the nocturnal life due to our incredibly pale skin and sensitive eyes that were much sharper at night. It also helped keep the fact we weren’t aging less noticeable.

  Sheridan stood with ten young girls—okay, to be fair, most of them were eighteen, and the rest were only a year younger. Still, compared to my five hundred and forty-three years, they were practically in diapers. My eyes strayed to the female my cousin was speaking with, and I immediately revised my generalized categorization.

  The dark-haired daywalker was clearly young, but she had the body of a woman with curves in the right places despite her slender frame. My body had absolutely zero reaction to her, but I still appreciated her beauty.

  They both turned to look at me when I approached, and I was struck by the woman’s incredible eyes. They were hazel, but the greenish-brown was so bright they appeared gold. The maturity in them and the way she held herself with confidence took me aback a little. Most girls her age retained some childish qualities, still developing and finding themselves. But while this female had an innocence about her, she obviously knew who she was.

  I smiled, a little relieved because I had a feeling she would be interesting to talk to, so I wouldn’t have to suffer through a night of inane teenage chatter.

  “Hey, Braeden,” Sheridan greeted me happily.

  “Happy birthday, cousin,” I said, giving her a side hug and a kiss on the top of her head, which only came to my shoulder. I liked to tease her about being short, but in reality, the height discrepancy was because I was six-foot-six.

  “Thanks!” She beamed up at me, then gestured to her friend. “This is Callidora—we call her Callie—Yellen. She lives a few blocks away from me.”

  I inclined my head and smiled, “Very nice to meet you.”

  “You, too.” Callie cocked her head to the side and smirked. “You got stuck with babysitting duty, huh?”

  I laughed and shrugged, holding my hands out to the sides. “Guilty.”

  She sighed dramatically. “Well, there went our plans to sneak out to a strip club.”

  Sheridan snorted with laughter, and I shook my head with an amused smile. “And what exactly would be fun in that for you girls?”

  “Shock value.” Her tone and expression were completely serious, and I wasn’t sure what to think until she winked.

  I laughed and began to reply when suddenly, she pitched forward from someone bumping into her from behind. I reached out to catch her, but it turned out, she didn’t need any help. With an agile move of her body, she caught her balance and stayed upright. However, the cup she’d been holding had been crushed to her chest, and red liquid was splattered on the bodice of her dress.

  “Oh, crap,” she sighed, looking at the blood rolling down the front of her clothes. “My mother is going to kill me. She loves this dress.”

  “We can get the stain out if we take care of it right now,” Sheridan assured her and grabbed her hand, about to drag her off. “Braeden, will you take her drink, please?”

  Callie smiled gratefully and held out the almost empty glass of chilled bagged blood. Daywalkers found the taste of warm human blood incredibly distasteful, especially when it was fresh. Most of us used a service that delivered bagged blood.

  I reached for the glass, and our fingers brushed.

  The cup dropped from my fingers and shattered on the hardwood floor. My body sprung to life, my blood turned hot, my pulse raced, and my cock hardened to steel.

  Callie’s golden eyes had gone wide with shock as we stood there with our hands hovering between us, our fingers just barely touching.

  “Oh, my gosh,” Sheridan cried out happily. “You guys are destined to be together!”

  A wide grin split my face, but it faltered when Callie snatched her hand back, her expression one of...was that dread? What the fuck? No, I had to be reading her wrong. She was probably just nervous.

  This was the moment most daywalkers lived for. At my age, I’d begun to wonder if it would ever happen. Now, I knew it was because Callie hadn’t been born yet. My eyes swept over her, and I silently patted fate on the back. Absolutely worth the wait. Not only was she stunning, but Sheridan didn’t have friends that weren’t on her level. So I already knew Callie would be ki
nd and intelligent. And thinking about her earlier teasing, she had a great sense of humor.

  We would be an excellent pair, and not just as friends. I had no doubt that we’d be just like my brothers and cousins. I could see myself falling for her in no time.

  Unable to keep from touching her, I grabbed her hand back, then tugged her into my chest when I decided to move us somewhere more private. In a flash, we were in my—make that our—bedroom.

  “Wait, I still need to take care of my dress,” she protested as she tried to wriggle out of my embrace.

  “Forget the dress, beautiful. I’ll buy you as many as you want.” Slipping my hand into her hair, I cradled the back of her head to hold it where I wanted it. “Later.” Then I sealed my mouth over hers.

  There was no other word to explain what happened when our lips touched than magic. Sparkly fireworks burst behind my eyelids, and I felt an enchanted wind whipping around the room. I could only imagine what would happen when we made love. Although, I doubted my imagination could conjure up anything to compare with what it would be like to be inside my consort.

  I yanked her head back just a little, and she gasped—which had been my intention because it gave me the opening I needed to thrust my tongue inside. Almost immediately following her quick intake of air, she moaned and stepped closer to me, her arms curling around my neck as she went up on her tiptoes.

  The party had been on the formal side, and Callie had dressed for summer in a spaghetti-strapped gown that left me plenty of skin to explore with my hands as I plundered her mouth. The bodice was covered in cream lace, leaving only peeks of the pale pink that matched her voluminous skirt and sash.