Curses and Crowns (Vampires of Crescent Cape Book 1)

by L. Danvers

  It was dark out. We were blanketed in starlight, and the moon cast the garden in a dreamlike glow. Danielle looked like an angel standing before me, which only made my reflection in her eyes all the more haunting.

  A flicker of a memory flashed across my mind’s eye. Like our paths had once crossed in another world.

  Why did I feel so mesmerized, yet so repulsed by myself, when I was around her?

  Not allowing my thoughts to linger, I gave her a tour of the garden, showing her the perfectly manicured white rose bushes that filled the space—with the exception of the centermost point, which was bursting with blood-red roses. My mother had designed the garden herself. She had always had an affinity for the color red, which was why she’d been nicknamed the Scarlet Queen. Of course, creating us blood heirs had eventually given that nickname a more sinister meaning.

  “Absolutely breathtaking,” Danielle said, shaking her head in wonder. “May I?”

  “Of course.”

  She leaned in, burying her nose into the petals. She drew in a long breath, and a smile graced her face. It was the first time I’d actually seen her look happy.

  I plucked a rose from the bush and handed it to her. She gladly took it.

  All of a sudden, a sweet smell overwhelmed my senses. A hunger I hadn’t felt in years consumed me. Danielle’s features shifted into a look of pure terror as a droplet of blood splashed onto the cobblestone.

  Danielle

  Panic blossomed in my chest the second my blood left my fingertip. Aiden was trying to appear calm, but his lips kept twitching, and I caught a peek of his fangs beginning to emerge. I recoiled, eyes shut, bracing myself for the inevitable pain of them burying into my neck... but the pain never came.

  I sneaked a peek. Aiden let out a heavy exhale, and it was like every muscle within him relaxed.

  “What... what are you waiting for?” I asked, voice shaking.

  I’d hardly gotten the words out before he scooped me up into his strong arms and, at an incredible speed, rushed me to the fountain. He set me down and took my hands, helping me wash them off. His hands were ice-cold. Droplets of my blood swirled in the cycling water until the ribbons of red dispersed, dissipating before my eyes.

  He untucked his shirt, effortlessly ripped off a strip of fabric and fastened it around my finger.

  I realized then that my jaw had fallen open. I didn’t know why he hadn’t fed on me. And I didn’t understand why he was helping me now.

  I raised an eyebrow. “Thank you,” I said, studying him.

  Sensing my bewilderment, he sat on the rim of the fountain and patted the spot beside him, inviting me to join him. “You are aware that I don’t feed on humans, aren’t you?”

  “Um. I’m sorry. What?”

  He shrugged. “It’s true.”

  I eyed him suspiciously. Was this some kind of joke? “Aren’t you the vampire prince? Isn’t feeding on humans kind of your thing?”

  Aiden shook his head and laughed. “No. Well, for centuries, yes. But not anymore.”

  I hugged my arms around my waist, trying to process what he was saying. It didn’t make any sense. “So, why’d you stop?”

  “I didn’t like what I’d become. Moderation was never my strong point when it came to feeding. What were supposed to be simple hunts ended up being massacres. I suppose I’d been in denial about it until I had no choice but to face the monster I’d become.”

  I cleared my throat, turning over his explanation in my head. “What changed?”

  He lifted his chin, recalling the memory as he gazed at the stars sparkling overhead. “There was this kid. I’d killed her parents right in front of her. The look of horror on her face...” His voice hitched, and I was taken aback by this display of emotion. I should have been disgusted by what he was telling me. He’d slaughtered a family. Yet, his remorse was so convincing. “I caught a glance of myself in the reflection in her eyes.” He ran his fingers through his effortless waves as if he was just as distressed by describing the incident as he’d apparently been when it happened.

  I looked him dead-on, hanging on every word of his story, and our eyes caught.

  Suddenly, he had a curious look about him. His pupils shifted back and forth like he was thinking really hard about something.

  “What is it?” I asked.

  He stood, stuffing his hand in his pocket as he did so. “Nothing. It’s... it’s nothing,” Aiden said with a dismissive wave. He jerked his head. “Would you like to see the rest of the garden?” He offered me his free hand, looking at me like he was drinking in every single inch of me.

  With hesitation, I placed my hand in his.

  The prince was nothing like I expected. He was kind and charming—and maybe even a little nervous. I appreciated how open he was being with me. And even though I certainly didn’t trust him, I didn’t feel quite as scared as I had been before.

  The more we talked, the less I found myself having to feign being at ease with him. Our conversation flowed so naturally, and I could tell he was really listening to everything I shared with him.

  And as hard as it was to explain, I found myself wanting to know more about him, too. The parts of him that most people didn’t get to see.

  “What do you do for fun?” I asked him. “When you’re not, you know, ruling?”

  He threw his head back and laughed. I hated myself for finding his laugh so freaking adorable. But he had one of those laughs that made me want to laugh, too.

  “Free time? I’m afraid I haven’t had much of that as of late between overseeing Crescent Cape and keeping my siblings out of trouble. But on the rare occasion that I have time to spare, I enjoy writing poetry.”

  “Okay, now you’re messing with me. You’re a vampire who doesn’t drink human blood and you write poetry? I’m not buying it.”

  He raised his palms. “It’s true.”

  I planted my hands on my hips. “Then write me a poem.”

  “Danielle, you’re putting me on the spot.”

  “You’re like a bajillion years old. I’m sure you’ve had enough practice to throw a couple of lines together.”

  He clutched his chest, pretending that my words had wounded him. Perhaps I’d been a little dramatic about his age...

  He clasped his hands behind his back and turned on his heel, pacing for a moment while he thought. He held a finger in the air when the idea struck him, and then he stepped in closer to me so that our noses were inches away from one another.

  “The beauty of the night unfolds.

  The starlight glistens bright.

  A maiden stunning, fierce and bold

  Stands radiant and bright.

  Before her stands no gentleman.

  He’s far beneath her league.

  Yet he’ll try to win her affections,

  As his heart’s filled with intrigue.

  And perhaps she’ll give him a chance to prove himself, at least.

  Here now they stand together, the beautiful maiden and the beast.”

  Albeit, his words were a little cheesy, but it wasn’t bad for coming off the top of his head. And he said it with such sincerity.

  I’d never had anyone look at me the way he was looking at me right now.

  A warm sensation rushed through me, and I gulped.

  The thrill of this connection developing between us clouded my judgment, and throwing caution to the wind, I leaned in.

  He leaned a little closer, too, and I thought he was about to kiss me.

  But he rested his forehead on mine and let out a little laugh. “Not bad for an off-the-cuff poem, was it?”

  I exhaled, snapping myself out of his trance. I shrugged. “I’ve heard better.”

  “Oh?”

  “Mhmm.”

  “And what about you? What does the lovely Danielle—I’m sorry, what was your last name again?”

  “Parker.”

  “Ah. Yes. What does the lovely Danielle Parker do for fun?”

  He had to be jok
ing. “You mean when I’m not being sucked dry by your kind?”

  His features grew dim.

  “I’m sorry,” I said, not meaning to upset him. “I’m an artist. I dabble in a bit of everything, but sketching portraits is my favorite. My mother is an artist, too. A painter. She always encouraged my love of the arts.”

  “She sounds wonderful. What is she like?”

  We continued to stroll the garden as I told him all about her—and my father, too. I hadn’t talked about them out loud in so many years, so once I started, I couldn’t stop. Before I knew it, I was describing every little detail about them, from the shapes of their noses to their hair—my mother had frizzy red curls and my father had dark hair that was starting to thin. I bet he was bald by now...

  Eventually, I realized that I’d been rambling on. And while Aiden was attentive, I sensed that talking about them seemed to cause him distress. He had told me yesterday that he missed his own parents. “I’m sorry,” I said, suddenly feeling embarrassed by my monologuing.

  “No, don’t be.” He ran his fingers through his hair, glancing up at the sky. “We should probably head back inside. It’s getting late.”

  And just like that, our date was over.

  It was a date I hadn’t even wanted to go on. But now, the thought of being away from Aiden, even for the night, made me physically ache. Aiden escorted me inside, kissed me on the forehead and left me standing there completely baffled.

  Was it something I’d said?

  Aiden

  I needed a drink.

  Not artificial blood.

  A real drink. The strongest I could find.

  The bottles of alcohol clanked against one another as I searched through my stash.

  “Ah,” I said to myself. “There you are.” I grabbed the bottle of whiskey by its neck, untwisted the top and tossed it behind me. I threw my head back and drank.

  Just then, the door to my bedroom flew open. My brother invited himself in. He laughed when he saw me. “Come on, Aiden. Your date couldn’t have gone that badly.”

  “Xander, would you please stop barging into my room?”

  “What? I wanted to see how your date with Danielle went,” he teased, mockingly batting his eyelashes. “Don’t tell me you got rejected by a human.”

  “It’s worse than that,” I said, slamming the bottle down. “I think she might be falling for me.”

  “And that’s a problem because?”

  I let out a heavy sigh, hardly believing the words that were about to come out of my mouth.

  What were the chances? Had Julian done this on purpose? Was this all part of some master plan to torment me?

  “Seriously, Aiden, what’s wrong?”

  I gulped. “I think I killed her parents.”

  He let out a low whistle. “Yikes. That would make holidays with the family a tad awkward, wouldn’t it?”

  “That’s not funny.”

  “What makes you so sure it was even them?”

  I threw myself back on my bed, staring blankly at the cracks between the stones in the ceiling as I spoke. “From the moment I saw her, I kept looking into those dark eyes and thinking there was something so familiar about her... The thought first came to me when we were talking by the fountain earlier, but I’d dismissed it. Because that would have been too much of a coincidence. But toward the end of our date, she started talking about her parents and how much she missed them and describing them down to their hair color and the shapes of their noses. Xander, I’m telling you, I killed them. I’m sure of it. And Danielle... she was the child. The one that had looked so horrified when I’d drained her parents. Danielle is the reason I stopped feeding.”

  Xander sat on the edge of my bed, stunned. “And she has no idea?”

  “Of course not. I compelled her to forget right after it happened. I’m the whole reason she’s here in Crescent Cape. And what’s worse—I murdered her parents, and she still thinks they’re alive. How can I even begin to explain that to her?”

  “Um, you don’t.”

  I propped myself up on my elbows. “Are you kidding, Xander? How can I keep something like that from her?”

  “You like her, right?”

  I nodded.

  “Well, telling her you brutally murdered her family is kind of going to fizzle out those sparks going on between you two. So, if you really do care about her, telling her is the worst thing you can do. I mean, unless you compel her to be cool with it.”

  I shot him an annoyed glare. He knew better than to joke like that. I wasn’t that cruel.

  “Well, you’d better figure something out, brother. Because I know you’re a little out of practice when it comes to this whole dating thing, but most girls find people who killed their families a turnoff.”

  “Thanks, Xander. Really helpful.” I let out a moan of frustration. “I can’t do this. The longer she stays here, the harder I’m going to fall for her. I can feel it. I can’t lie to her about something like that. But I don’t know if I’m strong enough to tell her the truth. I think I’m going to have to send her home.”

  Xander looked at me over his shoulder, his bushy eyebrow raised inquisitively. “Send her home? You don’t get to send any of them home.”

  I sat up, suddenly more alert. What was he talking about? Of course I could.

  “Didn’t Julian explain the rules to you? You pick a bride. You turn her. And the other girls are sacrificed in order for your bride-to-be to transition.”

  My blood ran cold. “Excuse me?”

  “Hey—I’m not the one calling the shots. That’s all on the mutt.”

  Of course Julian had crafted such a disturbing plan. No wonder the girls were so terrified of me. I felt like an idiot.

  Here I thought Danielle might actually care about me, but the poor girl was only trying to survive. All of them were.

  I jumped out of bed and stormed down the hall. Julian and I were going to have a little word.

  Danielle

  I adjusted the strap of my sundress as I made my way toward the stairs. It felt like my heart had been wrung dry.

  I thought I didn’t care what Aiden thought of me. But had I been lying to myself?

  Was I actually falling for a vampire?

  The thought sent shivers rippling down my neck. Even more so because I feared it was true.

  I turned over everything I could recall from our conversation. What could I have possibly said that upset him so much?

  Maybe I was being too forward. Or maybe I was rambling on too much. Maybe I’d bored him and he wanted to get the date over with as fast as possible.

  But he had kissed me... on the forehead. That was a somewhat romantic gesture, wasn’t it? I mean, I wouldn’t kiss someone I didn’t like on the forehead.

  I shook my head, trying to think of anything else but Aiden.

  Picking up speed, wanting to return to my room as fast as possible, I turned the corridor and ran smack into Julian.

  I stumbled back, and my wedge sandals did little to steady me. I lost my balance, but Julian caught me. Electricity pulsed through my arms at his touch. Alarmed by the sensation, I jerked away.

  “Are you alright, Danielle?”

  “Yes,” I said, nervously running my fingers through my hair. “Thanks. I’m still not used to wearing these things,” I said, gesturing to my heels.

  “Flora’s work, no doubt.”

  “Ah, I see she has a bit of a reputation.”

  His cheeks dimpled. “She does have a knack for bringing out the beauty in things.”

  I cleared my throat, uncomfortable by how much his words affected me. I rubbed my temple, trying to clear my thoughts. “I... I should get some sleep. Goodnight, Julian.”

  He gave a slight bow of the head. “Goodnight.”

  Mortified, I started to race up the steps, but I stopped when he called out to me.

  “And Danielle—do be careful.”

  I wondered what he meant by that. But I didn’t stop to think it
over. I continued up the staircase and raced straight for my room. Flora, Amber and Layla were in there, eager to hear about my date with Aiden. Honestly, all I wanted was to be left alone. But they were so excited to hear about it, and they had worked so hard on helping me get ready earlier. Sharing how it went was the least I could do.

  I told them everything. The prick from the rose, Aiden rinsing the blood from my hands and bandaging me up—which, naturally, prompted high-pitched awwwws—and how I’d told him all about my family and how abruptly our date had ended.

  The three of them were as baffled as I was.

  “Maybe he feels guilty that you’ve been apart from them for so long. He is the prince of Crescent Cape, after all.”

  “Maybe,” I said, plopping on the edge of my bed. “I don’t know. He ended things so fast.”

  The girls offered every explanation they could think of. But after a while, my mind started to wander... to Julian.

  It felt wrong to be attracted to Aiden. But the strange surge of feelings that had come over me at Julian’s touch felt even more wrong.

  At least Aiden was kind and had an ounce of humanity left in him. I didn’t feel threatened around the prince, and the fact that he’d given up human blood left me flummoxed but intrigued.

  I fell back and turned to my stomach, burying my head in my pillow. “I think I need to be alone,” I said.

  Even though the pillow had muffled my voice, the girls got the hint and excused themselves for the evening. I could hear them whispering about me as they headed down the hall. The poor dear... That can’t be a good sign... I heard he’s into Amara anyway...

  Yesterday, I’d been ready to flee Crescent Cape. I was willing to risk getting drawn and quartered in the square just for a chance at having a normal life.

  But this situation I was in now was anything but normal.

  What was wrong with me? I needed to find a way out of here. I couldn’t stay in the castle. Not with Aiden. Not with Julian. This whole wretched place was messing with my head. I had to escape. I was willing to die trying yesterday. So, what was stopping me now?

  A gentle knock tore me from my spiraling thoughts. “Go away,” I shouted, annoyed that the girls had come back so soon.