The Dawning Read online

  Contents

  1. Sam

  2. Sam

  3. Sam

  4. Sam

  5. Layla

  6. Layla

  7. Sam

  8. Sam

  9. Layla

  10. Layla

  11. Sam

  12. Layla

  13. Layla

  14. Layla

  15. Sam

  16. Sam

  17. Layla

  18. Layla

  19. Sam

  20. Layla

  21. Sam

  22. Layla

  23. Layla

  24. Layla

  25. Sam

  26. Layla

  27. Sam

  28. Layla

  29. Sam

  30. Layla

  31. Sam

  32. Layla

  33. Sam

  About the Author

  Also by S.B. Alexander

  Glossary of Terms

  Copyright

  The Dawning

  Book four: Vampire Navy SEAL – Sam and Layla Series

  Copyright © 2022 by S.B. Alexander.

  All rights reserved

  First Edition: October 2022

  E-book ISBN — 13: 978-1-954888-29-6

  Paperback Print ISBN — 13: 978-1-954888-30-2

  Large Print ISBN — 13: 978-1-954888-31-9

  Paperback Print ISBN— 13: 978-1-954888-32-6

  Audiobook ISBN — 13: 978-1-954888-33-3

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  Visit: https://sbalexander.com

  Cover Design by: Hang Le

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  Conditions of Sale

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  By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the nonexclusive non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on screen. No part of this book may be reproduced, shared, transmitted, downloaded, decompiled, reverse-engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of the Author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

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  Please do not participate in or encourage piracy of copyrighted materials in violation of the author’s rights. Thank you for respecting the hard work of the author.

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  This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to locales, events, business establishments, or actual persons-living or dead-is entirely coincidental.

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  Adult Content Warning: The content contained is the book includes adult language and sexual content. This book is intended for mature audiences

  1

  Sam

  I winced, feeling a sharp pain in my lower back that vanished when I thought of Layla. Fuck! I held my breath as I crawled to my feet and listed to one side. I oriented my vision and sharpened my vampire senses.

  Mangled metal, smoke, fire, dust, and debris created a dystopian scene in the hospital’s boiler and electrical rooms. The wall between the two areas had crumbled.

  The last thing I heard from Layla was her screaming my name. I growled low, yanking a piece of metal from my leg and another from my back.

  “Layla!” I shouted.

  Sirens trilled. Or maybe the blaring noise was the loud ringing in my ears. After all, the fucking boiler had practically blown up in my face several minutes ago.

  Roman Brown would be a dead vampire when I got my hands around his throat. The bastard was the head of a blood cartel and on the most wanted list by my government. Roman was also one of many on our growing list of enemies.

  How the fuck did Roman know we were at the hospital? Layla and I didn’t even know we would be in the ER until she’d found blood on her panties. I’d never been so fucking scared in my life, and truth be told, not much frightened my immortal ass. Hellfire would rain down if anyone laid a hand on Layla or did anything to hurt our unborn babies. Oh fuck. We were having four little ones. Four freaking kids. I couldn’t process that right now. I had to find Layla.

  I shouted her name again, then listened. That damn ringing was masking everything. Maybe my sharp senses were off. I’d only heard two fetal heartbeats last night when I’d been drifting off to sleep. I hadn’t heard four. Maybe the aftermath of the chip malfunctioning had compromised my hearing. Throw in the explosion…

  Regardless, if she was dead, I would die right beside her. My life had no meaning without her.

  I navigated through the mess, feverishly retracing my steps from the parking garage to the electrical room. I checked my watch. Only minutes had passed since the explosion. But that did nothing to ease the gut-wrenching pain in my stomach. Layla could be under a pile of burning metal.

  Think, man. That was the problem. I couldn’t wade through the fear overpowering my senses.

  I stopped in the middle of the room, took in a huge breath, and concentrated.

  Before the explosion, I’d run into a hairnet dude toking on a cigarette as he’d waltzed out of the laundry area. He’d seen two men with short blond hair and fangs and a bald dude with a scar on his face. Scarface had been chasing Layla. And my comrade Lane had been chasing Scarface.

  Lane! Oh man. I’d found his head on the road behind the hospital. I would put money down that Scarface was responsible. I clenched my fists, my heart hurting. Lane had been a good soldier and Layla’s bodyguard. But I was to blame for Layla getting away. I was the one who fucked up.

  Layla and I were sprinting toward the waiting room when two men bulldozed out from radiology.

  A blond giant tackled me to the ground. “Get her,” he said to his scar-faced comrade.

  “Run, Layla!” I shouted as I pushed my attacker off me. Before he could react, I lifted my hands, the electricity sizzling in my palms, and swung one fireball at him.

  He squealed like a pig, the scent of burning flesh permeating the air. Then he stumbled, swatting at his face to put out the fire.

  “Sam!” Layla shouted in a petrified tone.

  I bolted, my palms out, my head down, primed to burn the fuck out of the bald, scar-faced moron on Layla’s tail until Hawk crashed into me. Then I lost sight of Layla.

  I pushed the memory from my mind and refocused on the hairnet guy. He’d seen two women run through the laundry area. Hope hit me upside the head. Maybe Layla and Jordyn were in that part of the hospital.

  I checked the pockets on my cargo pants for my cell and came up empty. When the boiler exploded, I had it in my hand. I spun around and backtracked, searching the debris-covered floor as I went over to the massive water pump I’d landed against.

  Bingo. My phone had slid under a collection of pipes. I picked it up and tapped the cracked screen. My niece’s picture came into view. Abbey was standing outside the science museum in Boston. I grinned at the sight of her winning smile, her deep, sparkling blue eyes, and her mane of black hair—until a gruesome thought gripped me with tension. I would bet Roman was in town for Abbey. No fucking way. I ground my teeth together. The two most important people in my life in the hands of my enemy! My gut cinched in fury.

  Roman was probably casing out the naval base, biding his time to see if he could snatch my ten-year-old niece. She was on his most wanted list—a special human with magical powers, who was worth millions to the right buyer. He’d tried once before, unsuccessfully, but the criminal vampire wasn’t giving up.

  Then I thought of something Layla’s cousin Junior mentioned to us in my apartment that morning. Layla’s grandmother, Harriet Aberdeen, was quite excited to meet Abbey. She’d probably sent Roman to snag Layla, her sister Jordyn, and Abbey. The Aberdeen matriarch was itching to lock up Layla and Jordyn until she could brainwash them away from people like me. Plus, Harriet had recently learned that Layla and her sisters had vampire blood running through their lineage. Armed with that newfound information, Harriet believed the Aberdeen sisters would be prime candidates for genetic engineering and to lead her army of supernatural creatures.

  As far as what Harriet had in mind for Abbey, I wasn’t sure. But Junior had also relayed that Harriet thought Abbey could be the key to Intech’s success. I would bet my vamp ass she would have to fight Roman to death for my niece. Both of them would have to tango with me first. Not to mention Abbey’s adoptive parents—my sister, Jo, and her husband, Webb.

  I shook all that off and called Layla, holding my breath. The line rang several times until her voice mail kicked in. “You know what to do.” Her siren voice did nothing to ease the panic gripping my throat. I struggled for air, feeling like someone was squeezing the life out of me.

  Death was imminent. Not for me but for any fucker who dared to lay a hand on Layla.

  “Baby doll. Please call me.”

  Clutching my cell, I tempered my rage as much as I could and went in search of my vampire huntress. She had to be here. I searched high and low, in and around pipes, industrial equipment, and remnants of the falling pieces of ceiling and other piles of rubble. I listened. No heartbeats. I sniffed. Not a whiff of Layla’s sweet cherry fragrance or even Jordyn’s vanilla scent.

  I was about to punch an electrical panel when my phone rang. My fucking heart sputtered like a cold engine in freezing temperatures until I saw Olivia’s name. Not that I wasn’t fond of my SEAL team comrade, but the only person I wanted to hear from was Layla.

  “Hey, Olivia.”

  “Shit. You’re alive. Than
k God.” Her voice cracked. “After that explosion, I was worried.”

  I gripped the phone, almost crushing it. “Lane didn’t make it.”

  “I know,” she said. “I was coming to look for you and found his head in the middle of the fucking road. I put his remains in the back of your Jeep.”

  That was one image I wouldn’t be able to erase. “Have you seen Layla or Jordyn?” During my last conversation with Layla, she’d told me Jordyn was bleeding. I was assuming they were together.

  “Sorry, man. No sign of them out here. Where are you now?” she asked.

  “At ground zero. Electrical area where the boiler blew up. But I’m on the move. I have to find Layla. Some dude saw her entering the laundry room. He also saw a blond vamp, which I’m sure was Roman. Do you have him in custody? Tell me you do.” My gut knew otherwise. Luck wasn’t on my side as of late.

  “Negative,” she said as other voices in the background grew louder. “Look, it’s chaos out here.” She raised her voice. “Media everywhere. People telling reporters their stories of seeing vampires, particularly a cop who described you and told some bullshit story about how you killed his partner. Whatever you do, don’t show your face. Ben and I will do another sweep around the outside of the hospital.”

  “Did you get Fred Emery, the human who’d been chasing Jordyn?” I wound my way deeper into the bowels of the hospital, leaving the explosion area behind me.

  “We have him in custody,” she said.

  Thank fuck. Maybe my luck is changing.

  Someone called to Olivia, sounding like Tripp. “I have to go,” she said. “Your Jeep is in the alley still. Duck out and head back to base. Ben and the rest of the SEAL team can handle this. In fact, your father is trying to put out fires with the reporters here.”

  I couldn’t give a fuck about the media. “I’m not leaving until I find Layla.” I entered what looked to be a storage area.

  Blue-and-white fifty-five-gallon drums of chemicals lined the wall to my right, along with pallets of rock salt and stacks of boxes that contained other supplies. The explosion hadn’t affected this part of the hospital. Maybe Layla was fine.

  “Sam, please. The cops are seconds away from hunting you down,” she pleaded.

  “Give me the phone,” I heard Tripp say to Olivia. “Sam, get your ass back to base. That’s an order. If you disobey me, I’ll throw you in the brig. Are we clear?”

  I knew they were saying this because they cared, but I growled my annoyance. “The fuck we are. Have you forgotten Layla is pregnant?” This wasn’t the time to share the news that she was having four babies. The number wasn’t essential anyway. “So, no. I’m not doing as I’m told.”

  I’d never been one to listen well, although I was a soldier trained to take orders. But this was life and death, for fuck’s sake. Drastic measures were necessary to save Layla. No one, including the Council of Elders or anyone else within my government, would order me around, including my old man. He was also an elder and our version of the Secretary of the Navy, so he had all the power with the Vampire Navy SEAL team. But I would rip off my uniform and go rogue if I had to. No one was tying me down or locking me up—not even my father.

  “Look, Sam,” Tripp said. “I can’t imagine what you’re going through. We’ve already cleared out the hospital except for the basement. Do a sweep. Then head back to base.” His tone was less commanding, sounding as though he thought Layla was a lost cause.

  I refused to believe Layla wasn’t nearby. “Are you saying Layla is gone?”

  Heart-stopping silence stretched over the line.

  “Tripp!” I shouted. “Tell me.”

  “We can’t confirm it, but we have a witness who saw two men in black gear. One was carrying a woman in his arms. The description fits Layla’s. They also saw a blond-haired man talking to them outside the hospital’s laundry area right before both vehicles sped off.”

  One of my fangs punctured my lower lip. “Are you sure it was Layla?” Maybe it was Jordyn.

  “Auburn hair and pregnant was what the witness told us.”

  “Fuuuuuck!” I fisted my free hand at my side as my heart practically pushed its way out of my chest. “What about Jordyn?”

  “Don’t know,” Tripp returned. “We’ll sweep the basement for Jordyn. Just get your ass in your Jeep and leave.” Then he hung up.

  I wasn’t leaving until I confronted the hairnet dude I’d talked to before the explosion. I was certain he was the eyewitness. Maybe he’d gotten a license plate number or something that would give us a clue or a place to start.

  My phone buzzed, and air rushed out of my lungs when I saw the name on the screen. “Hey, baby doll,” I answered. “Where are you?” My soul started to mend as I waited to hear her sultry voice.

  A deep laugh resonated through the line. “Baby doll, huh?” Roman’s voice scraped along my skin. “Kind of fits, since she’s pregnant.”

  Several swear words shouted in my head as the blood drained from me.

  “Now, why would you want to kidnap her?” I asked in the calmest voice I could muster. “She has nothing you want.”

  “That’s not exactly true,” Roman returned. “I could use her as a toy to fuck with you. But… her grandmother has a hard-on for Layla and, I might add, Abbey. Harriet is dying to meet the little magical goddess. As am I.”

  Keep your shit together, man. He’s only firing you up.

  “So how did you know we would be here?” I had ideas. I mean, he more than likely had his goons watching the naval base—similar to Viking II, our sister SEAL team—surveilling him and his men at the chip manufacturing plant, although Roman hadn’t been spotted in Cleveland. Or we had a mole in our ranks. Junior Aberdeen came to mind—not that he was part of my team.

  “We aren’t doing anything different here in Massachusetts than your men are in Cleveland. I know you’ve been watching us. The question for you is did you and the SEALs know I was in town?”

  Fucker. I’d been in a damn coma for weeks, so I couldn’t answer that. But if Roman was hiding in the shadows around base, I was sure we would know. We had guards on rooftops and patrols around the perimeter. Unless Roman had been holed up in one of the homes one block from the base. We didn’t search homes or bother the locals.

  “So, what’s with the bomb? You could’ve killed Layla.”

  “I didn’t know she would be anywhere near the electrical room. Come on, Mason. You know the drill. Take out the power, distract, empty the hospital, grab the victim.”

  “Are you saying you have a heart?” I highly doubted that. “And what the fuck are you doing, Roman? What is in this for you besides money? Or being Harriet Aberdeen’s bitch.”

  A crazed laugh came through the line. “Sam Mason, you know what I want.”

  I gritted my teeth, grabbed a pipe above my head, and yanked it out. I knew who he wanted, and it would be a cold day in hell before he got his grubby hands on Abbey. “I love to disappoint you. You will never get near my niece.”

  “Oh, but I will,” he said with surety. “When I do, she’ll be all mine.”

  I tore out another pipe, and that time, water sprayed out. But I had to kick my emotions to the curb. The immediate issue wasn’t Abbey since she was behind an impenetrable fortress not far from the naval base. Victor Costner, Alia’s dad, had his estate fortified tighter than a maximum-security prison. Abbey was staying with Alia. For one, Alia was her tutor. Two, since Roman’s escape from our prison at the vampire administration building in Boston, Webb and Jo had taken precautions.