by L. Danvers
I’d never kissed a boy before. Although technically he had been a vampire for a thousand years, so I guess I still hadn’t.
Soon, his strong arms wrapped me in his embrace, pulling me in closer so that our bodies were pressed against one another. His touch was so cold, yet he exuded such warmth. Somehow, I felt safe with him.
Finally, he pulled away, catching his breath, resting his forehead against mine. “Danielle, as much as I would love to go on kissing you, there’s something you should—”
A shriek echoed throughout the castle, so shrill it made me gasp in horror. I knew who it had come from. “Grace!” I cried.
I raced for the door, and Aiden followed after me, grabbing my arm. “Wait,” he called out. “Stay here. I’ll go see what’s going on.”
I threw his hand off of me. “I can handle myself.”
I couldn’t. He knew it. I knew it. But he didn’t press the issue. “Stay close to me,” he ordered.
I agreed, and together, we ran.
Soon, more screams filled our ears, along with cries and murmurs.
We had been heading for the drawing room, but we stopped in our tracks when we saw people gathering around the dining room. Aiden forged ahead, pushing the others out of our way so that we could see what was going on.
My heart thudded against my chest, faster and faster until I feared it might give out.
“Grace!” I called out, pushing my way through the vampires and other girls who had crowded around.
I found her standing by the dining table, looking down, her eyes wide with terror.
Following her gaze, I spied a woman sprawled out on the floor. A mysterious black foam oozed from her lips. Her gray eyes were still open and glossed over.
“Freya,” Aiden said with a gasp. Suddenly, his demeanor shifted. His face contorted into harsh lines as he scanned the room. “Who did this?” he growled.
“She was like this when I found her,” Grace said, shaking her head in disbelief. “I was hungry, so I’d had the kitchen staff prepare me a snack. I brought it in here to eat while I read. But...” Her voice trailed off.
In a blur, he compelled every single person in the room—except for me—to tell him if they had any information about what happened to Freya. None of them did, so he ordered them to leave.
Xander, Grace and I were the only ones permitted to stay.
Aiden ran his fingers through his hair, getting it all out of place. He began pacing the room while he drilled Xander with questions about some guy named Emric.
Just then, Charlotte entered. Tightening her robe around her waist, she asked, “What’s going on?” Her eyes scanned the room, and she saw Freya. She went rigid. “What happened to the witch?”
Aiden gripped the back of a chair, lost in his thoughts.
Xander turned to look at Charlotte. “I don’t know. But I’m betting I know someone who does.”
“Yeah,” Aiden said. “Emric.”
“No—Julian.”
Charlotte rolled her eyes at the implication. “Julian wouldn’t do that.”
Xander gave her a knowing look.
“Wouldn’t he?” Aiden added. “He has a point. Julian was gone last night. Perhaps he was up to something.”
“I hear you,” she conceded. “But I really don’t think Julian was—” She came to an abrupt stop, covering her heart with her hand in surprise.
Julian had come up behind her, scanning the room as if trying to figure out what was going on.
“You have to stop doing that,” Charlotte said. “She turned to face him. “Did you have anything to do with this?” she asked, eyes narrowed.
It took about half a second for him to realize what she was talking about. When his eyes fell on Freya, he sighed. “It appears I was too late.”
"Where the hell have you been?" Aiden roared. His eyes went dark as rage consumed him. Seeing him like this sent a shiver rippling down my arms.
"You aren't seriously accusing me, are you?" Julian scoffed. "The real question is why Charlotte wasn't answering her phone." He shot an accusing glare her way. "Do you have any idea how many times I called you last night?"
She patted the pockets of her robe, realizing she'd lost track of her phone.
"You can't expect me to think for one second that this is a coincidence," Aiden said to Julian. "You disappear into the night and suddenly return when our witch shows up dead?”
"That's why I was calling," Julian said, defending himself. "I had a chat with Emric last night."
Xander's eyebrows rose as he divided a look between his brothers. "How do you know about Emric?"
Julian flicked his hand dismissively. "I overheard the two of you talking about it yesterday. I took it upon myself to pay our old friend a visit. As it turns out, he's quite the little chatterbox."
"What did you do?" Xander stepped toward Julian, but Aiden held him back.
"You have your ways of making people give you information, and I have mine. It turns out that someone in the Kingdom of the Silver Seas wants the blood heirs dead."
Taking Julian's words in, Aiden released his hold on Xander. "What?"
Julian nodded. "That's right. As you know, Emric was never fond of the whole boundary thing in the first place. When I went to speak with him, I spotted a pin bearing the emblem of the Kingdom of the Silver Seas on his chest. After some," he paused, his lips shifting into a devilish grin, "interrogation, Emric told me everything. Apparently, the Kingdom of the Silver Seas has wanted the boundary destroyed for quite some time now. Emric traveled there not too long ago, and Princess Bianca tasked him with carrying out some plan she’d concocted. I called Natalie as soon as I left Emric’s. She managed to flee the Kingdom of the Silver Seas in time and is safe now."
“I don’t understand why Princess Bianca would do this?" Aiden pressed further. “What would she have to gain?”
Charlotte shrugged. "Jealousy, maybe? You know she's always had a thing for you, Aiden. She probably found out about you choosing a human as a bride and got pissed."
“But how would she even know about The Choosing Ceremony?”
“Natalie probably mentioned it to someone there,” she pointed out.
"That's just great," Aiden moaned, glaring at Julian.
"Anyway," Julian continued, "Princess Bianca tasked Emric with killing Xander—intending to hurt you, no doubt."
Xander crossed his arms. "Why would she want me dead? I’m not the one who rejected her."
"You're the person Aiden is closest to. She’s not being driven by logic. The girl is ticked off and wants to hurt Aiden any way she can. The next task was to kill Freya, which not only means there's no boundary, but also means..."
Aiden's mouth fell open, coming to the same realization that I had minutes ago. "There's no artificial blood." His voice hitched. He looked my way, and suddenly I was overcome with horror. Freya was the one who supplied him with artificial blood. The very thing which kept him from going on his legendary massacres.
My stomach twisted. I didn’t want to believe that Aiden would hurt me, but I wasn't sure he'd be able to resist. Sure, he might be able to fight it off for a time, but what if his hunger got the better of him?
I forced down the lump in my throat, exchanging a worried glance with Grace. We were supposed to be running away from here. But now that Freya was dead, it was going to be harder than ever to make it out alive.
She didn't have to say a word for me to realize she was thinking the same thing. Especially since she was the one who had found Freya.
While the siblings discussed where to go from here, I pulled Grace aside. "You have to tell them you're a witch," I whispered. Vampires and werewolves had impressive hearing, but they were bickering so loudly they didn't pay us any attention.
Grace drew her eyebrows together. "Have you lost your mind, Danielle? No way!"
"With Freya gone, when he runs out of artificial blood, Aiden is going to slaughter everyone in Crescent Cape. We can't let that happen."<
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Grace chewed her lip, clearly not yet convinced.
"Look," I said, placing my hand on her arm. "I know we both want to get as far away from this place as we possibly can, but we can't leave all of the other humans here to die. Not only is Aiden going to run out of artificial blood, but with the boundary down, it leaves Crescent Cape exposed to humans who could wander here, not knowing what dangers are waiting for them."
“I’m not going to end up like Freya,” Grace hissed. “She helped Aiden, and look where she is now,” she said, motioning to the dead witch on the floor.
“Grace, I know we just met, but I know you well enough already to know that you’re not going to sit back and let innocent people get hurt. I’m not saying you have to replace Freya. But maybe there’s something in one of those grimoires you’ve been reading that could help Aiden out while he figures out where to go from here.”
“I don’t know...” she said, rubbing her arm nervously as she turned the idea over in her mind.
The bickering among the siblings grew louder. “Listen—here’s the plan,” Aiden boomed. “Xander, you and I will head for the Albright coven to see if we can get one of them to supply me with artificial blood before it’s too late.” He turned his attention to me, his eyes turned into pitiful half-moons. “Danielle, I need you to go with Julian. He’ll take you somewhere safe.”
I stepped back in protest.
“Danielle, I need you to do this. If Bianca’s targeting people that I care about, then I fear you could be next.” He shot a glance at Grace. “No offense, Grace.”
“None taken.”
“I need you to do this for me, Danielle. You have to get away from the castle—fast. Xander’s already got a target on his back. And Charlotte’s going to go meet up with Natalie. He’s the only one who can keep you safe.”
I gulped. I wondered if he meant safe from Princess Bianca, or safe from him.
I was profoundly uncomfortable with this whole plan. Finding the confidence to speak, I raised my chin. “I’m not going anywhere without Grace.”
She wasn’t ready to reveal her powers, and I wasn’t about to force her into it. But we had made a promise to one another that there’d be no woman left behind. And I didn’t intend to break it. If I was going to be granted protection, I was going to make sure she was, too.
“Fine,” Aiden said without protest. He crossed the room and took me in his arms, wrapping me in his firm embrace. His breath tickled my ear when he whispered, “I’ll come back for you.” With those words, he kissed me again.
Pulling away, he turned his attention to his brother. “You will take care of her,” he said. It wasn’t a question. It was a command.
“Of course,” Julian said.
With that, Aiden left the room with Xander, and Charlotte exited, too.
Julian turned his attention to me, a strange expression on his face. Jerking his head toward the door, he motioned for us to follow. We did as he asked, twisting through the castle corridors until we reached the grand oak doors.
A red convertible was already parked out front.
Grace offered to sit in the back, happy to put as much distance as possible between her and Julian. Meanwhile, I slid into the front seat beside him. Perhaps I should have been uncomfortable about sitting beside him, but I was too busy marveling at the detailing on the leather seats and the vivid touchscreen on the dashboard to care. It had been years since I’d sat in a car. Blood slaves didn’t get to drive, of course. Cars had gotten a lot fancier in the past decade.
Nervously, I rested my hands on top of my bouncing knees, trying to calm the anxiety that was beginning to boil to the surface.
Julian glanced my way, his bright green eyes flashing as he did so. His jaw set, cheeks dimpled. “I know you have no reason to believe me, but I will protect you, Danielle. You have my word.”
I knew I shouldn’t trust him. But somehow, I knew he was telling the truth.
He pressed his foot to the pedal, and we sped far away from the castle.
Danielle
How had everything gone so wrong so fast? One second, I was kissing Aiden, and the next thing I knew, the witch who supplied him with the very thing that kept him from devouring me was found dead.
And now, Grace and I had little to no chance of leaving this all behind.
I glanced over at Julian, and for reasons I couldn’t understand, a pang of guilt washed over me.
My kiss with Aiden was everything a kiss should be. At least, I thought it was. It wasn’t like I had kissed anyone else before.
But now, sitting at Julian’s side, it almost felt as if I’d betrayed him. Or, maybe not him, per se, but that I’d somehow betrayed that surge of emotion that had exchanged between us when he caught me from falling last night.
Could you betray a feeling?
I was so confused. I felt stupid that I was even thinking about something so trivial when we were literally fleeing for our lives.
I wondered where Julian was taking us...
As if reading my thoughts, Julian piped up, “We’re going to head beyond the boundary.” My jaw fell open. Here in Crescent Cape, it was like we were trapped in a time capsule. The vampires didn’t age, and being blood slaves, we weren’t privy to what all was going on in the world outside of our little bubble. “I’m going to call my uncle to see if he’ll let us stay with him for a while.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You have an uncle?” I wondered if he was a vampire, too...
“Not exactly. More like a descendant of one of our uncles. Don’t worry. He’s human. His name is Ben.”
“Oh.”
“You think we’ll be safe there?” Grace asked from the back seat.
“I do. Luckily, no one outside of Crescent Cape knows what Danielle looks like, so we can use her anonymity to our advantage. We’ll lie low at his place for as long as we can. His town is the perfect hiding spot—it’s far away from vampires, werewolves, witches and other supernaturals.”
Except for him and Grace, I thought to myself.
I forced down the lump in my throat. The thought of being in a confined space with Julian for an extended time filled me with unease.
After hours of driving filled with uncomfortable silence, we passed through the boundary. Grace and I perked up, eager to get a glimpse of the outside world. We wound our way through a massive mountain range, taking tight turns that filled my thoughts with fears of plummeting to my death. But eventually, we reached the other side. And after a couple of more hours, we came upon a quaint little town called Quarter Square. A strange name, to be sure, but it was as cute as it could be. Cottage-style houses filled cookie-cutter neighborhoods. My heart leaped at the sight of people doing such normal things—adults mowing the grass, kids playing chase in the front yards, families walking their dogs...
Overcome with longing for this sort of life, tears filled my eyes. I tried to be discreet about it, but I knew Grace and Julian heard me sniffle. I wanted this so badly. I’d been in Crescent Cape for so long that I’d almost forgotten what a normal human life was like.
Finally, Julian pulled into a driveway and told us we’d arrived. We headed down the sidewalk—trying to avoid the spray of the sprinkler—toward Ben’s door. Julian gave it a couple of knocks, and seconds later, the door gave a click as his uncle unlocked it.
Ben was different than I’d expected. He was middle-aged—in his mid-40s if I had to guess. He had dark ginger hair that was starting to gray.
Concern swept over him as he examined the three of us. The sight of Julian made him visibly uneasy. He swallowed down a lump in his throat. “What are you doing here, Julian?”
“I need a favor.”
Aiden
Thankfully, Xander and I had thought ahead and changed into more casual clothes before leaving. The last thing we wanted to do was to draw even more attention to ourselves when Princess Bianca had a hit on my brother—and possibly me, too, for all I knew.
The whole thing was infuri
ating. And it was hard for me not to blame Julian for this mess we were in. If he hadn’t come up with the stupid idea of The Choosing Ceremony, Princess Bianca wouldn’t be throwing a vengeful hissy fit, Freya would be alive and... and I supposed I never would have met Danielle... again.
She still had no idea what I had done to her family. I had intended to tell her. In fact, I was about to come clean when Grace’s scream echoed throughout the castle.
I wondered how Emric had had her killed. Freya lived in the castle, rarely venturing outside of it. It seemed unlikely that someone could have poisoned her. Which suggested to me that she must have been spelled.
But surely the Albright witches wouldn’t have turned on one of their own. That didn’t make any sense. We’d been allies with them for centuries. And they had been thrilled at the prospect of me drinking artificial blood. So why would they murder the one person who was supplying me with it?
In desperate need of a drink, I reached into the backseat and fished around until my hand found the cooler. I popped open the lid and grabbed one of the bottles I’d filled with my limited supply.
“Are you sure that’s a good idea?” Xander said, giving me the side-eye. “You only have so much left.”
“I need a sip,” I said, taking a few swigs of the unnaturally thick, tangy substance. I twisted the top back on and put the bottle back in the cooler. “See?”
“Worrying about Danielle?” Xander asked as we sped into the night. The Albright coven’s elders lived about as far away from the castle as they could get. It’d be at least another day or two before we reached our destination.
“No, actually I was thinking about Freya. You don’t think Princess Bianca could have gotten to someone in the Albright coven, do you? Are we making a mistake by going to them?”
“No way. They adored Freya.”
“Yeah, you’re probably right,” I said, staring out the window, reminding myself that Xander had also thought his old pal Emric was incapable of turning on him, too.
Danielle
