by L. Danvers
Julian had instructed us to go upstairs while he and his uncle talked. Ben was obviously wary about the three of us staying with him, but he knew exactly what Julian was, so it was hard for him to argue.
Grace and I obliged, eager to be inside a real house again. Grace hadn’t been in Crescent Cape for as long as I had—she’d only been there for a few years—but still, she was thrilled to enjoy the comforts of home, even if it wasn’t our home.
At the end of the hall was an open door which led to a media room. It had the biggest television set I’d ever seen. Grace and I both squealed in delight. Hurrying inside, she grabbed the remote and flipped it on. Ben had apparently been watching the news the last time he was in here. We kept it on the same channel for fifteen minutes or so, listening to the pundits analyze some bill a lawmaker had proposed and reading the scrolling text across the bottom of the screen. I had no idea who any of these people were. Heck—I didn’t even know who the president was.
I asked Grace a million questions, which she answered to the best of her ability. Of course, she wasn’t privy to what she’d missed over the past few years, but she shared what she could remember.
Finally satisfied, I agreed to let her flip through the channels. She stumbled upon a show about some insanely wealthy women who claimed to be housewives but clearly had jobs, as they were arguing about one of them not being supportive enough of another one’s latest business venture. The feud got so heated that one of them splashed their glass of white wine in the other’s face. Wrinkling my nose, I asked, “What is this?”
Grace’s eyes widened in mock horror. “You’ve never seen this show?”
I laughed. “Grace, I was eight when I was taken. My mother never would have let me watch something like this.”
“Girl,” she said, shaking her head in disbelief, “I’ve got to introduce you to reality TV.”
It was so incredible to sit on a couch and veg out. Grace was filling me in on all the years-long drama I’d missed going on between the women we were watching on television. I didn’t quite understand the appeal, but I listened anyway, trying to follow along. Grace was talking about these people like she knew them personally, which was kind of funny. Apparently, this show had been running for years. And every once in a while, Grace would catch them mention something that she had missed in the years since she’d been taken—a divorce, a brawl in Mexico and the like—and she would immediately perk up, trying to piece the story together.
We were in the middle of laughing together when I sensed a presence behind me. Julian stood in the doorway, watching. A smile flickered across his face, disappearing just as fast as it had come. I silenced myself, and Grace did the same.
“Good news, ladies,” he said. “My uncle has agreed to let us stay here until further notice.” He jerked his head, beckoning for us to follow him. “Come, he’ll show you to your room.”
I tucked a strand of hair behind my ear as I walked past Julian, catching up to where Ben stood waiting. He motioned toward an empty room, inviting me and Grace to enter. “I’m afraid you’ll have to share a room. I’m sorry I don’t have more space. I wasn’t exactly expecting visitors,” he said, firing a look at Julian.
“This is perfect,” I said.
“Yes, we don’t mind sharing a bed,” Grace added. “We just appreciate you letting us crash here.”
He nodded. Dividing looks among the three of us, he added, “I’m going to head to the grocery store to stock up. Anyone want to join me?”
“I think it’s better we stay here,” Julian pointed out.
Ben scratched the back of his neck. “Yeah. You’re probably right. Well, any special requests?”
There was one food in particular that both Grace and I had craved for years. We’d lamented over it back at the castle—and now was our chance. Thinking the same thing, we looked at each other and then to Ben. “Pizza,” we said in unison.
He laughed at that. “Been a while, huh? What kind?”
“Pepperoni!” I blurted out.
“With extra cheese,” Grace added.
“Easy enough,” he said, clasping his hands together. “I’ll pick a couple of pizzas up for us on the way home. Anything you need, Julian?”
“Do you have whiskey on hand?”
“I’m afraid not. I’ll grab some for you at the store.” With that, he gave Julian’s shoulder a squeeze and headed downstairs. The door clicked shut behind him, and his tires screeched as he sped off down the picture-perfect street.
“Make yourselves comfortable,” Julian said. “I’m going to check in with Aiden to let him know we made it here safely.”
Once he was gone, Grace and I let out heavy breaths we didn’t even realize we were holding inside. “Everything about this day has sucked,” Grace said, “but at least we get a pizza out of it.”
I let out a laugh. “True.”
She threw herself back on the queen-sized bed, her blonde tresses fanned out beneath her. Meanwhile, I walked along the perimeter of the guest room. Nosily, I pulled open a dresser drawer, surprised to find a peculiar collection of knickknacks. There were boxes etched with runes, loose papers filled with ciphers and a brown leather book strung shut with twine. I must have been making a good deal of noise while sifting through the drawer because Grace rolled over onto her belly and propped herself up on her elbows. “What are you doing over there?”
“Snooping,” I said casually. It might have been wrong—after all, Ben was offering us refuge—but I didn’t fully trust anyone related to Julian or Aiden or any of the blood heirs, even if he was human. “Look what I found.”
I brought the book over to Grace, who promptly sat up and crossed her legs. Taking it, she unwrapped the twine and skimmed the pages. Her eyes lit with wonder. “This is the oldest grimoire I’ve ever seen.”
“Really?”
“Older than anything back at the castle, at least. I was reading through one of them when...” Her voice hitched, and I knew that look. She was thinking about Freya. She let out a heavy sigh, obviously trying to clear her head.
“I thought you were wary of using ‘real’ magic,” I said, surprised that she’d actually read through a grimoire.
She chewed the inside of her cheek, taking a break from flipping through the yellowed pages. “I am. My curiosity got the better of me. But after today, I’m wondering if learning this stuff might be the only way to keep us safe. There are clearly dark powers at play here. We can’t trust the vampires. I mean, did you hear what Aiden, Julian, Xander and Charlotte were talking about? Princess... ugh, what was her name?”
“Bianca, I think.”
“Right. Princess Bianca wants revenge. And I was thinking about what you’d said about the humans back at the village getting caught in the crossfire of this vampire drama. You had a point. I’d like to think the Albright coven will do what they can to protect the blood slaves. But with Aiden having his eye on you, Danielle, you’re in more danger than anyone. And learning how to use magic may be the only way to keep you safe.”
I swallowed down a lump in my throat. I appreciated that she was trying to help me, but I hated that she felt obligated to. As close as I felt to her already, the truth was that we hardly knew each other. “You don’t have to do anything you’re not comfortable with, Grace. I’m sorry if I pressured you to speak up earlier. You’re a victim here, too. This isn’t your fight.”
She cocked her head to the side, smiling. “You’re literally the only friend I have, Danielle. I’m not about to lose you to some tantrum-throwing vampire princess.”
I chuckled. “Thanks. I appreciate that.”
“Now,” Grace said, tapping her finger against her chin as she flipped back toward the beginning of the book. “Let’s start with something easy...”
Danielle
“I could literally cry right now,” Grace said after swallowing down her first bite of the piping-hot pepperoni pizza. She chased it down with an ice-cold cola.
It may have sounded
dumb to be so excited over a pizza, but honestly, I shared the sentiment. I’d sprinkled parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes on top of mine—my mom had always discouraged me from adding the red pepper flakes, warning that they might be too hot for my taste. They definitely added a kick, but in a good way. “Thank you,” I said to Ben between bites. “This is amazing.”
He gave me a pitying look, no doubt feeling sorry for the blood slave who was thrilled to have a taste of pizza after a decade of servitude. “You’re very welcome,” he replied. “So, have you gotten settled in?”
Grace and I exchanged a look and smiled. The fact of the matter was that we had made ourselves profoundly comfortable—so much so that we’d found an ancient grimoire in his things and had begun studying it. We hadn’t gotten to the good stuff yet—no levitation or miraculously appearing donuts so far—but that was okay. If Grace was serious about learning magic, she needed to start at the beginning.
Apparently, her already displaying signs of her abilities was an anomaly. Most witches required much studying and training before performing feats like sparking fires. Grace admitted that learning this made her uneasy. Was she being too risky by trying to teach herself the rules of magic and how spells worked? If she possessed more natural ability than the average witch, could that also mean she was more dangerous?
The same fear had crossed my mind, but it quickly subsided. Grace was kind and smart and good. There was no way she would ever use her powers for evil. And she certainly wasn’t going to put anyone she cared about in danger.
The way I saw it, my job as her friend was to encourage and support her. After all, she deserved to discover everything she could about this previously latent part of herself. I promised her that we would stay up late and wake up early so that she could read and practice.
In the meantime, we had to make sure that Ben didn’t learn that we were studying his grimoire.
I still wondered why Ben possessed such a thing in the first place. Julian had made it very clear that his uncle was a human. Yet he had an entire drawer filled with magical artifacts. I wondered what the other items in the drawer were used for and whether there were more treasures hidden throughout his house. Maybe at some point I’d be comfortable enough to ask him about it. But for now, I was grateful he was offering me and Grace a safe place to stay.
I was wiping the excess sauce from the corner of my mouth when Julian walked in. Without missing a beat, Ben pulled an unopened box of pizza from the center of the table and handed it over to his nephew—I still found the whole uncle/nephew dynamic a bit strange. Was Ben his uncle a hundred times removed? How did that even work?
Anyway, Julian scarfed down six slices in no time at all, hardly coming up for air. He was a werewolf. It made sense that he would have a big appetite.
I’d never seen him eat before. I found myself speculating about the wolf side of him, pondering what it must be like to change at will. The human side of him was ruthless, so I could only imagine what the wolf side of him must be like.
“How’s Aiden doing?” Ben asked Julian.
I felt like a jerk for not asking myself. The whole reason I was here was because Aiden was trying to keep me safe. The least I could have done was check on him.
Julian gulped down his bite, nodding. “Fine. He and Xander stopped for the night. With any luck, they hope to reach the coven by tomorrow.”
“I’m assuming he has enough fake blood to hold him over?”
“Yes. No bloodbaths tonight, I’m afraid.” He flashed a grin.
What compelled him to say things like that?
“And Charlotte and Natalie?” Ben asked.
“I just got off the phone with Natalie,” he said, standing up to pour himself a glass of whiskey. “Thankfully, she had no trouble fleeing the Kingdom of the Silver Seas. I was concerned when I learned Princess Bianca was the one behind the attacks, but she’s fine. Charlotte should be meeting up with her in Paris any minute now.” Julian slid his chair back, the legs scraping against the wooden floor. “Apologies for cutting the meal short, but I have some matters to attend to.”
My brow creased, questioning what he was up to.
Julian
Now that I knew my family was safe, I had to do what I could to gather as much information as possible about Princess Bianca and any other nefarious plans she might have in store for the blood heirs.
Once inside the room Ben had provided me with, I pulled out my cellphone and dialed up Keo. He was an old friend who hated King Leopold and Queen Gwendolyn—and their children, Princess Bianca and Prince Milo—more than anyone. He’d suffered at their hands.
The Royals of the Kingdom of the Silver Seas had a penchant for hunting werewolves for sport. Yes, werewolf venom could kill them, but the vampires of that kingdom didn’t use their teeth for hunting them. They’d often use arrows or throwing daggers laced with wolfsbane to take out their targets. Most wolves would be left for their respective packs to find right where they were slaughtered. Others disappeared without a trace.
In Keo’s case, the vampires thought he had been mortally wounded, but he was still clinging to life when his pack found him the next day. Miraculously, they mended him back to health. Ever since then, Keo had made it his life’s mission to take down the Kingdom of the Silver Seas.
I’d paid the kingdom a visit a few years back. I met Keo in a bar. He was chugging cinnamon whiskey, drowning his sorrow over the loss of his closest friend—another victim of the Royals. It was then that I’d proposed an alliance with him. It was one he’d gladly accepted. He agreed to supply me with whatever information he could gather on the Royals. Over the years, I’d learned it was a good idea to keep tabs on rulers of other kingdoms. You never knew when insider knowledge would come in handy.
I stood in front of the antique floor-length mirror while the phone rang.
Come on, Keo. Pick up.
I tousled my short ginger curls, making them lie flat. It infuriated me to no end when my hair got disheveled. Chaotic coils were not a good look on me.
I had just let out a moan of frustration when Keo finally picked up.
“Sorry, Julian. I was dead asleep.”
I hadn’t considered the time difference. It was no matter, though. He was awake now. “That’s alright, Keo. I’m glad you answered. I need you to gather some intelligence for me.”
“Of course. What do you need?”
“It seems Princess Bianca learned of The Choosing Ceremony I set up for my brother Aiden and had a fit of jealousy.”
“Princess Bianca? Jealous? No way,” he said, his voice thick with sarcasm.
“Your princess has put a hit on Xander and took out Freya, the witch that spelled artificial blood for Aiden. As monstrous as your Royals might be, they’re nothing compared to my brother when he’s drinking from the vein.”
Keo thought for a moment. “Can you not use this to your advantage? That’s reason enough to declare war, right? You could attack the Kingdom—take King Leopold and Queen Gwendolyn by surprise—and then claim the realm for yourself.”
“Perhaps. But first, I need to make sure my family is safe. Power will mean quite little if the only people I care about are dead. I need you to find out what other plans Princess Bianca might have in store. As always, you will be rewarded for your efforts.”
“Will do,” Keo said. “I’ll get back to you as soon as I hear anything.”
I said goodbye and ended the call, my mind already racing a thousand steps ahead.
Aiden
Xander decided it was time to stop for the night. We were still a good distance from reaching the Albright coven, and he was starving, so we pulled into a hotel.
I was rather annoyed by the prospect of stopping. The hotel was run by vampires who were obviously going to recognize us. So that meant we were going to have to compel everyone we came across.
It wasn’t that big of a deal to do so. But felt like a waste of time. I wished Xander had more self-control and could last l
onger without a drink. But I also knew that if we didn’t get the Albright coven to help me, his bloodlust would pale in comparison to my own.
The street lamps cast an eerie yellow glow across the parking lot. Xander stuffed his hands into his leather jacket to keep them warm. The midnight air was crisp, prickling my cheeks when the wind breezed past.
The front door gave a chime when we walked inside, alerting the clerk to our presence. He had just popped open a bottle of beer when his eyes lifted in horror, the laugh reel of the sitcom he’d been watching playing in the background. Recognizing us at once, he pushed his drink aside and stood up higher, squaring his shoulders. Frantic, he started, “P-P-Prince Aiden...”
Rolling his eyes, Xander flashed toward him. Using the power of compulsion, he calmed the man down and told him we were not Prince Aiden and Xander, but two patrons passing through. With a glossy look, the hotel clerk’s face went slack and he repeated what Xander had told him. He handed us the keys to a room on the third floor.
“Enjoy your stay,” the man said.
“Thanks,” Xander replied. “Oh. One more thing.” He compelled the man to hand over the fresh can of beer. Xander downed it in one giant gulp, crumpling the can in his fist when he finished. He tossed it in the trash, and we headed upstairs.
“Was that really necessary?”
“Nope,” he said with a grin.
The hotel room was a far cry from the lodging I was accustomed to. But it would serve its purpose. Two queen-sized beds sat in the center of the room with tacky green and blue bedspreads tucked over them. Giving a shiver, Xander headed straight for the thermostat and kicked it up a few notches. I, on the other hand, went straight for the mini-bar. Releasing a heavy breath, I scooped up every bottle of liquor I could get my hands on. Alcohol didn’t have nearly the same effect on vampires as it did on humans—and given that this hotel was visited by only supernaturals, the fact that these bottles were so tiny was ridiculous. But I was in desperate need of something to take the edge off.
