Pray for Dawn by Jocelynn Drake Page A

there were moments that I don’t think she really liked some of the aspects of her culture. And I think it was all from some dark corner of her past. I knew nothing of the years spent with her maker beyond the fact that Mira’s hatred for Sadira was second only to her hatred of the naturi.
    “Will other vampires be there?” I asked.
    “I imagine it will be quite crowded. It has been a long time since we last had a First Communion and things have been dark since Machu Picchu. Besides, I have been somewhat inaccessible—when it spreads that I will be present, more will come.”
    “And you think it wise for me to be there? A vampire hunter? I hope you don’t think to pass me off as a pet.”
    Mira laughed and there was something unexpectedly friendly in the sound. There was nothing in it to seduce or coerce like so many of her subtle little tricks. It was just the sound of pure amusement.
    “You would never be considerate enough to play the part,” she chuckled, a soft smile lifting her full lips. “No, it’s not wise for you to be there, but when have I ever been wise where you are concerned?”
    “True,” I conceded, fighting back a grin. Her good mood was almost infectious in the few moments that it blossomed into life.
    “No one will attack as long as you don’t attack them. However,” she said, her smile slipping a notch, “the others will be feeding while we are there. Many of the nightwalkers will bring humans to feed from. All of these humans will be there willingly.”
    I snorted in disbelief and opened my mouth to comment, but Mira continued before I could speak. “First Communion is one of our most important rites of passage. For some, it’s even an intimate moment. If a nightwalker brings a human, it won’t be some random victim off the street. The human and nightwalker will have had a history; a relationship together for a length of time. No human will be harmed tonight…unless you start something.”
    It suddenly dawned on me that Mira’s concern was not the nightwalkers’ reaction to my appearance tonight. She was more concerned with me doing something that would embarrass her or endanger her kind. It was also strange that she was taking me to this ceremony when it was obviously very important to her kind. Now that I knew what was going on, I had no problem with Mira dropping me off to wait for her. Yet, now it seemed like she actually wanted me there and I couldn’t even begin to guess as to why.
    We slipped into a pregnant silence as Mira turned the car off the expressway, winding it along one of the exit ramps. We had entered a small suburb of Savannah, with its old houses and quaint shops. We were less than ten minutes from downtown. If we were lucky, the ceremony would go quickly and we could be downtown before 10 P.M. How long would it take for a fledgling to feed, for Mira to speak to her people, and then be gone? I couldn’t imagine she would want to linger with me hanging on their every word.
    As we headed deeper into the quiet neighborhoods with their barren flower beds and darkened windows, I could feel the vampires ahead of us. At first it was just a handful and then their numbers climbed. By the time we parked in the cracked and crumbling driveway of a two-story house with the peeling white paint, I could sense more than thirty vampires waiting inside. At a guess, I’d say that it was every vampire within a fifty-mile radius; maybe even farther. Savannah hadn’t had thirty vampires even before I started cutting into their numbers months ago.
    I looked over at Mira as she turned off the car. Even in the darkness, I could see her frown and furrowed brow. “Are you sure about this?” I asked, hesitant to even unbuckle my seat belt. I had never battled this many vampires at once, not even when we faced the coven.
    “It’s more than I expected, but everything will be fine,” she said, pulling the key from the ignition. Mira opened her door and gracefully slid out. I followed