Royals and Realms (Vampires of Crescent Cape Book 4)

by L. Danvers

  The corner of Aiden’s mouth tugged up into a half-smile. “Fair enough.” He handed the soaked towel back to Ben and clasped his hands together. “In that case, yes. Victoria and I talked things over.”

  His siblings stood and gathered around to hear what he had to say. Grace and I joined them.

  “We are going to move away from here. Not far, but far enough to get a fresh start.” He choked on the words, and his eyes began to glimmer from the tears collecting in them. He cleared his throat. “But first,” he said, sliding his hand around the small of Victoria’s back, “we’re getting married. And we want all of you to be there.”

  Charlotte squealed with delight. “A wedding! Oh, Aiden. That’s wonderful.”

  Victoria blushed and gave a dismissive wave. “It’s not going to be anything big. We decided on a simple courthouse ceremony.”

  “But we’ll have a big celebration afterward,” he added. “We found the perfect spot.”

  After Charlotte released her brother from a bear hug, she caught sight of the soaked bags on the floor. Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. “Victoria!” she gasped. “Is that—?”

  Victoria bounced on the tips of her toes. “The dress!” She nodded vigorously.

  Charlotte practically knocked Aiden to the floor as she swooped in and grabbed Victoria by the arm. She scooped up the damp bags with her free one and ushered her soon-to-be sister-in-law upstairs. “Oh, this is so exciting,” she said to herself.

  The two of them were halfway up the stairs before Charlotte yelled, “Danielle! Grace! Come on. Don’t you want to see the dress?”

  Laughing under our breath at this entirely new peppy side of Charlotte, Grace and I followed the girls upstairs. I’d be lying if I said I was excited about the wedding. Don’t get me wrong—I was happy for Aiden and Victoria. But the rollercoaster of emotions was getting to be exhausting. All I could think about was the werewolves in the Kingdom of the Silver Seas. About Keo. About the Royals, even.

  When the boundary to Crescent Cape fell, the witches were long gone, and we were the only other supernatural beings left. We made it out unscathed. Yes, the interior of the castle was destroyed, but at the end of the day, it was just a building.

  But over there...

  There were so many people. So many families. Had they guessed that more boundaries would fall? Had they had time to prepare? Had they had time to escape?

  By the time I reached the top of the staircase, the others were already in Charlotte’s room. The room Charlotte was crashing in had an adjoining bathroom where Victoria was busy changing into her wedding gown.

  I rested my back against the wall while I waited for her, rubbing my eyebrows. All I could think about was what would become of us, the supernaturals inhabiting this world. Our secret was going to come out. It was inevitable.

  The only question was how things would play out afterward.

  Would the humans give us the opportunity to assimilate? Would they round us up?

  And then there were the supernaturals to worry about, too. How would they respond? Would they go along with trying to blend in? Would they fight back?

  Would I fight back?

  I dragged my fingers along my throat. I needed a drink. I needed blood.

  I’d have to drink from Julian later.

  Grace was sitting on the edge of the bed, staring down at her empty hands. I wondered what she was thinking...

  Meanwhile, Charlotte was pacing the room.

  On the one hand, it was strange to see her so excited about, well, anything. But at the same time, maybe she was in desperate need of something to be excited about. I had to admit, there was something undeniably joyful about weddings.

  But thinking about weddings also made me think about the future. Even without all of the craziness going on around us, I had no idea what kind of future might be in store for me—other than the fact that it would likely last a very long time.

  Would I ever have a normal life again?

  Would I even want one?

  Back in the blood slave village, I’d dreamed of the day I’d make my escape. I’d reunite with my family, go off to art school and marry someone who was, above all, kind. I’d have the house. The job. The friends. The family. Everything I’d always wanted.

  But the thing was... I wasn’t sure if I even wanted that life anymore. I wasn’t the same person. And I wasn’t sure that a picture-perfect life would be as fulfilling as I’d once imagined.

  In some ways, I envied Aiden and Victoria. Leaving and starting a new life didn’t sound all that bad.

  But I wasn’t a human now. And as far as I knew, there wasn’t a way to become one again. I couldn’t have that life even if I did want it.

  And what about Julian? We hadn’t talked much about our future. At this point, it was a given that we would stay together. After all, given that I could only drink his blood, I needed him. But I wanted him, too.

  Did he see us getting married one day? Living in a cookie-cutter house and passing out candy on Halloween? Going out for groceries? Arguing over how to load dishes in a dishwasher?

  What was normal for supernaturals?

  Victoria emerged from the bathroom, and even I got teary-eyed when I saw her. I rested my hand on my cheek and sighed. “You look absolutely beautiful.”

  Julian

  I reclined in my chair, one leg propped over the other, and rested my hand against the back of Aiden’s seat. “Whiskey for me and the groom—the best you’ve got. And you?” I asked, gesturing toward Xander with my free hand.

  The waiter readied his pen.

  “I’ll take a martini—extra dirty.”

  I’d never understood the appeal of pouring olive juice in liquor, but to each his own. I turned to Ben.

  “I’ll have water, please.”

  I shook my head. “You can’t have water at a bachelor party.”

  “I’m thirsty.”

  “Fine, get water and something else.”

  The waiter’s eyes ping-ponged between us.

  “Fine,” Ben sighed. “I’ll have a glass of cabernet, too.”

  “Alright,” the waiter replied, scanning over his notes. “I have two whiskeys, a martini—extra dirty and a cabernet. Can I start you off with any appetizers, too?”

  I skimmed through the tabletop flip menu and settled on jalapeno poppers and onion rings.

  “I’ll have these out for you shortly,” the waiter said with a plastered grin before hurrying off.

  The four of us sat there for a minute or two, the awkward silence growing heavier by the second. This wasn’t exactly what I’d pictured for Aiden’s bachelor party, but he insisted he wanted to keep things simple. He wasn’t a guy who was trying to savor his last moments as a bachelor. He was ready for marriage. He wanted it more than anything. And so, despite Xander’s pleas for something more his own style, we were just four guys going out for a few rounds of drinks. Enjoying what little time we had before everything changed.

  It was hard to imagine Aiden moving away and starting a life of his own. The prince of Crescent Cape... I shook my head.

  Not long ago, I was conspiring against my brother. Now, ruling was the last thing on anyone’s mind. The kingdom had fallen. And in the days since Aiden and Victoria announced they were to be wed, even more kingdoms had been revealed.

  Life as we knew it was irreparably different. I didn’t know what the coming days would bring. But I knew that we had to make the most of the time we had.

  Before we knew it, the waiter returned with our drinks.

  I watched in disgust as Xander sipped from his cocktail. “Ugh. How do you drink that stuff?”

  He held his martini by the stem, making the light reflecting from the Edison bulb chandelier overhead bounce off the glass. “It’s timeless,” he said with a glimmer in his eye. “Plus, it sounds a lot cooler than ordering a strawberry daiquiri.”

  I rolled my eyes.

  “What? I mean, strawberry daiquiris are delicious, but
the only way you’re going to pick up a girl at a bar holding a strawberry daiquiri in your hand is if you compel her—and that’s where I draw the line.” He took a long sip from his drink. “Hence, the martini.”

  Ben scratched his cheek. “Well, at least you do have some sort of moral compass.”

  “Of course I have a moral compass,” Xander retorted. “Look at these two—this one went all serial killer on the blood slaves, and this one’s been scheming behind the scenes since who knows when.” I challenged him with a look, so he leaned forward. “What, you think I didn’t know?” I decided it was better to hold my tongue. “I like to have fun, that’s all. That doesn’t mean I’m some sort of monster.”

  Ben offered him a pitying frown. Watching Xander while tilting his head toward Aiden, he said, “Do you think you’ll ever follow in your brother’s footsteps? Settle down?”

  I nearly choked on my mouthful of whiskey. I wasn’t sure if Ben was forgetting that technically, Xander had fallen for Victoria first. I think they were past that now, but still...

  Xander brushed it off with a shrug. “I’m more of a lone wolf,” he said. “Or vampire, as it were.” He grinned. “I’m better off on my own anyway.”

  “You don’t mean that,” Ben said matter-of-factly.

  Xander chugged the rest of his drink. “Sure I do.”

  Ben laughed under his breath. Pressing his fingertip to his lip, he asked, “What about Grace?”

  “What about her?”

  “You two seem to have some sort of... well, I don’t know exactly what’s going on between you two, but there’s something there.”

  Xander shook his head a little too emphatically. “Nope. No way. I mean, she’s cool I guess. But there’s nothing going on.”

  “Not yet,” Aiden said with a smirk.

  “All I’m saying,” Ben added, “is that it seems like you care about her.”

  The waiter returned with a tray carrying our appetizers and little white plates for each of us. The conversation about Grace ended right there and shifted to talk about Aiden’s future. My brother went all puppy-dog-eyed any time Victoria’s name was brought up. My insides knotted knowing I was the one who had stolen all of that time from them. But I was grateful that they were getting a second chance together. They deserved it.

  After the drinks were long gone and our stomachs were stuffed with deep-fried delicousness, we decided we were having too much fun hanging out to head back to Ben’s place just yet.

  “What else is there to do in Quarter Square?” I asked him.

  Xander answered for him. “I saw an ax-throwing place down the street. That could be fun.”

  “Sure,” I said with a smirk. “Now that we’re all liquored up, let’s go ax throwing. What could go wrong?”

  Danielle

  Julian and the rest of the guys had taken Aiden out to celebrate. Meanwhile, Victoria had requested that we stay in. Happy to oblige the bride’s request, Charlotte put together a classic sleepover-themed bachelorette party. Which was why I was currently reclining on the sofa with my hair twisted up in a fluffy towel and had cool cucumbers resting on my eyelids. Some of the avocado face mask was beginning to melt and was oozing down my lips.

  “I feel like a bowl of guacamole,” Grace muttered under her breath.

  I snorted.

  The face mask was entirely unnecessary for me, given that I was now immortal. Sure, it was a bit of a curse. But one perk of immortality was eternal youth—and no acne.

  Still, it was fun. I couldn’t even remember the last time I’d been to a sleepover. Whenever that was, I was too young then to need anything like a face mask. So, it was nice to take part in a classic sleepover tradition that I’d missed out on while I was a blood slave in Crescent Cape.

  One of the cucumbers slid down my face, taking a swipe of my face mask with it as it plopped on Ben’s couch. Oops. I sat up and let the other cucumber fall into my hand before hurrying into the kitchen and tugging at the paper towels.

  I was hurriedly cleaning up my mess when Charlotte turned down the meditation soundtrack on her phone and announced it was time for mimosas. Apparently, Ben didn’t have champagne flutes on hand, so Charlotte made due by serving them up in his mismatched coffee mugs instead.

  Once the other girls and I had washed the mashed avocados off our faces, we gathered in the kitchen and sipped from the drinks.

  Charlotte pulled a clean kitchen towel from one of her uncle’s—or nephew’s, if we’re being technical—drawers, ran it under the faucet and dabbed at her face. “Okay, so far we’ve had massages, done manicures and applied face masks. What’s next?”

  Grace examined the tray of fruit kabobs on the counter and picked one of them up. She plucked off a chunk of pineapple and said, “How about we get some real food?” She motioned to the mostly-eaten spread Charlotte had put together: veggies and dip, cucumber sandwiches and fruit kabobs. “What are we, rabbits?”

  Charlotte puckered her lips, wanting to come up with a sarcastic remark. But her shoulders relaxed. We’d been picking at the food all afternoon and evening, and we were starving. “Fair enough. Victoria, you’re the bride. What are you in the mood for? Pizza? Sub sandwiches? Chinese food?”

  Victoria’s brows lifted. “Chinese food?” she asked, intrigued. Victoria was surprisingly good at blending in. It was easy to forget she’d been dead for nearly a century. Except for when she said things like that.

  “That does it. I can’t have you living your life not knowing about egg rolls and sesame chicken.” Charlotte pulled up an app on her phone and placed an order. “Okay, it should be here in thirty minutes or so.” She eyed her soon-to-be sister-in-law. “Hm. What else can we knock off of your bucket list tonight?”

  Grace leaned back, propping her elbows on the edge of the counter behind her. “Well, she’s already visited a castle and is about to marry a prince.”

  “And now she’s had a spa day,” I added.

  Victoria shifted, debating whether to voice what was on her mind. Looking utterly bewildered, she asked, “What’s a bucket list?”

  “It’s a list of things you want to accomplish while you’re alive,” I explained. “Like swimming with dolphins or seeing the pyramids.”

  Victoria blushed. “I don’t need any of that. I’m just happy to be here.” I would have groaned at that were in not for the sincerity in her voice. “I was dead. And now...” She waved her hand. “What more could I ask for?”

  Charlotte shook her head. “There had to be something you wanted to accomplish before... you know. Didn’t you have any dreams beyond marrying my brother?”

  “Is love not noble enough an ambition?” She looked at the floor upon seeing the disappointment written all over Charlotte’s face. “Alright then. Well, if I’m being honest, I always wanted to learn how to paint.”

  My eyes widened. “Why didn’t you say so earlier? I can teach you.”

  She pressed her fingers to her lips, smiling. “You would do that? Aiden told me you were a talented artist. I’d be honored.”

  I gulped, remembering the days when Aiden had courted me. He’d surprised me with a room filled with art supplies. It was the nicest thing anyone had ever done for me.

  A rush of heat spread through my cheeks, and I seriously hoped Victoria couldn’t read my thoughts. I didn’t know why these feelings were rushing back to me all of a sudden. I guess I’d forgotten about the good times we’d had—as few and far between as they were.

  We were so very wrong for each other. But I was glad he had reconnected with Victoria. He didn’t have to hide anything from her. She loved him for everything he was, despite everything he’d done. “Of course.”

  While the rest of us waited for the Chinese takeout, Charlotte ran into town to pick up some basic art supplies. Victoria, Grace and I did our best to make conversation. Things were awkward at first. After all, Victoria had been dead for a hundred years. I mean, I felt out of touch enough with the world after being in Crescent Cape fo
r a decade. But making conversation with someone who had been gone for an entire century... well, it didn’t leave much for us to talk about.

  We finally circled the conversation back to Aiden, and we got her to share some of their early memories together.

  She told us of how they first met—and of how she’d first been courted by Xander. Julian had already shared his version of events, but I guess this was the first time Grace had heard it because she was hanging on every word. She had a million questions. And honestly, now that I was hearing it for the second time, I did, too. Because the idea of Xander falling so head over heels for anyone was hard to wrap my head around. He seemed like... like... like one of those classic “bad boy” teen heartthrobs in the movies who is obviously the wrong choice for the girl because he’s just going to break her heart in the end.

  But maybe there was more to Xander than I realized. I suppose I didn’t know him as well as I liked to think I did.

  For that matter, Charlotte was a bit of a mystery, too. I never knew where I—or anyone, for that matter—stood with her.

  From what I knew, Julian had the closest bond with her. She’d known about his power play back when he concocted the Choosing Ceremony. I guess she had the same mischievous spirit he did. Or maybe she thrived off of the drama.

  And yet, when push came to shove, Charlotte did care about people. I’d lost track of how many people she’d given her blood to since I first got caught up in the family’s tangled web of mayhem.

  The knob twisted, and Charlotte entered the house carrying four bags filled with art supplies on one arm and her purse on the other. Exasperated, she let everything fall to the floor.

  I went over and gathered the supplies, spreading them out on the counter to get a better look at what she’d bought.

  Victoria came up behind me, peeking over my shoulder. My expression softened, and I smiled at her. “What would you like to paint first?”