by L. Danvers
Grace divided a look between us before settling her focus on Danielle. “This is really what you want?”
“It is.”
Grace and Danielle were both in tears as Grace read the spell from the grimoire. But as the spell went on, Danielle’s tears began to slow. The tension in her jaw released, and her eyes widened with confusion as to what was going on.
When Grace was finished, she glanced at me, as if pleading with me not to make her remove her own memories. But it had to be done, and I think, deep down, she knew it was best if she didn’t know, either.
Defeated, she proceeded.
When it was all said and done, the girls looked at me quizzically, confused as to why I was in their room and why they had both been crying. I hesitated, unsure of what to tell them. Grace’s eyes trailed down to the grimoire spread out on the bed, a line forming between her brow. Without hesitation, I snatched the grimoire before she had a chance to realize exactly what she’d done. And with that, I left.
Aiden
While Xander drove back to the castle, I told Evanna everything. I told her about the competition. I told her about Princess Bianca and the long history we shared. I even told her about Danielle.
She listened intently, hanging on every word. Finally, she leaned back in her seat. Ever so matter-of-factly, she said, “Why don’t you invite Bianca to Crescent Cape?”
Perhaps she hadn’t been listening as well as I’d thought. “Are you mad? She has a hit on Xander and she’ll kill Danielle the second she finds her.”
Evanna cocked her head to the side, giving me a mocking look. “Not if she thinks you’re bringing her to the castle to woo her.”
I could have sworn I’d thrown up a little in my mouth.
Evanna let out a chuckle. “Think about it. She’s in love with you—to the point of obsession. So, give her what she wants. Or, at least, let her think you’re giving her what she wants. Invite her here. Tell her The Choosing Ceremony was all Julian’s idea. Tell her none of the women compared to her. Tell her you would never consider marrying a measly human when you could have a fearsome vampire princess. And then, when she thinks she’s won you over...” Her voice trailed off.
Xander shot me a glance. “That’s when you kill her,” he said casually. He added a wink for effect.
I shifted in my seat, pondering the suggestion. I didn’t like the idea of killing her, but what was the alternative? Princess Bianca had already had Freya murdered and had tried to kill my brother. I wasn’t about to sit idly by while she targeted everyone else I cared about. “What do you think?” I asked Xander.
He shrugged. “It’s better than waiting for her to attack again.”
“Do you think I should see what Julian thinks?”
“Are you kidding? The mutt’s the reason we’re in this mess in the first place. No. Call up Bianca, invite her to the castle, and we’ll go from there.”
The idea was an interesting one, but I wasn’t ready to pull the trigger yet.
Letting out a heavy sigh, releasing the tension in my neck, I relaxed into my seat. I stared out the window, watching as we sped down one of the more remote winding roads of Crescent Cape.
Could I really go through with this? Would it be a mistake to bring Princess Bianca here? How could I be certain she wouldn’t harm Danielle? Or Xander, Charlotte, Natalie or even Julian, for that matter?
I could compel her to forget whatever plans she’d concocted, but I suspected she’d shared her intentions with other people in the Kingdom of the Silver Seas. How long would it take for her to figure out she’d been compelled? And how unmerciful would she grow in her quest to destroy my life then?
No, I needed to muster up the strength to do this the old-fashioned way.
I was going to have to lie to her.
When I spoke to her, I could imagine I was speaking with Danielle, I told myself. That would soften my tone.
Speaking of Danielle, I wondered how she was doing. I was tempted to call Julian to check in on her, but I resisted the urge. Because when I called Julian, I wanted it to be after I’d already invited Princess Bianca to Crescent Cape. That way he couldn’t try to talk me out of it.
I believed that, in our present situation, Julian’s intentions were pure. But he had a history of acting without thinking things through—of doing things he convinced himself were for the greater good, even if they were truly motivated by selfishness. And I feared that if I told him what I was planning to do, he’d find a way to interfere, thinking he was helping.
But the more I thought about it, the more confident I became that this was the only way.
I was going to have to speak with Princess Bianca.
And I was going to have to convince her I was in love with her.
Bianca
“Princess Bianca?”
With a sigh of frustration at the interruption, I set aside the fashion magazine I was perusing and invited the guard to enter. The golden doorknob twisted, and Peter stepped inside my room. He was a handsome enough man with a strapping physique and eyes as dark as the night sky. We’d enjoyed secret rendezvous in my younger days. That was before I’d had him turned into a hybrid.
I was hesitant to try the experiment at first. Such a thing had never been successfully done. But after a long series of failed attempts, Peter was the first one to successfully turn.
And being that he was of my creation, his loyalty was to me.
But these days, my sole focus was on Prince Aiden of the Kingdom of Crescent Cape. He was the most handsome man I had ever come across. His eyes were like sapphire pools. I longed for nothing more than for him to see me—to really see me—and soak in every inch of me. I found my lips curving into a slight smile as I thought of him. But the smile quickly faded, and the memory of him brought out swirls of wounded pride and rage within me.
In all of my years on this earth, I’d never been so insulted.
He knew how I felt about him, yet he was holding The Choosing Ceremony—in which he was selecting a human as a bride, no less. It was as if he had concocted the whole thing to mock me. To declare to the world that he would prefer anyone to me.
I didn’t understand. I was beautiful—yes, it wasn’t a polite thing to boast about, but it was the truth. Most men found my cascade of red curls alluring. And, after hundreds of years, I’d learned a thing or two about flirtation. But most of all, I was determined. That was a trait to be desired, wasn’t it? I certainly thought so.
But now that Prince Aiden had so blatantly rejected me, that determination had morphed into intense focus—on destroying him.
I wanted to cause him as much pain as he’d caused me.
I wanted to make him suffer.
Realizing I was getting lost in my thoughts, I released a breath and fluttered my eyes at the handsome guard who stood before me. “Yes, Peter? What is it?”
“I’ve received news from Crescent Cape.”
I propped my chin on my hand, eager to hear.
“Our attempt to assassinate Xander failed—but Emric did manage to have the witch killed.”
“Freya?” I asked, raising my eyebrows.
Peter nodded.
A surge of satisfaction rushed through me. Yes, it was a pity that Xander was still around—a loose end that could prove to be problematic. But now that Freya was gone, the hunger in Aiden would grow stronger every day. That was the Aiden I’d fallen in love with. The one who was the epitome of his very nature—ruthless.
And that Aiden... that Aiden I’d had a chance with.
I’d never understood why he’d given it all up.
Just then, my cellphone began to buzz. When I saw the name on the screen, I dismissed Peter at once.
I was sure my eyes were deceiving me.
I pressed the phone to my ear. Skeptically, I asked, “Hello?”
“Bianca?”
My lips parted. At the sound of my name from his mouth, the anger within me dissipated. And suddenly, I was but a lovesick princess at
the mercy of her charming prince.
Breathlessly, I replied, “Aiden...”
Julian
“You did what?” I glanced at my phone’s screen to check the connection. Surely, I’d heard him wrong. He wasn’t that stupid... Was he? “Please tell me you’re kidding, Aiden.”
“Relax, Julian. We have a plan.”
Aiden explained that Evanna had come up with the idea. The plan was to bring Bianca to the castle, get close enough to her for her to let her guard down and then kill her.
At first, I thought the whole thing was preposterous. Why would you invite the person who wants you dead into your home? But then I realized that this could be used to my advantage.
“I see,” I said, soaking it all in. “And what can I do to assist you?”
“I’d like you to return to the castle. Leave the girls at Uncle Ben’s, of course.”
“Obviously.”
“If we can get Bianca to let her guard down enough, we can stake her.”
She was only turned a couple hundred years ago. She wasn’t an original vampire like my siblings. Meaning that she was much more... fragile.
“And if, for whatever reason, that proves to be too great of a challenge...” Aiden continued.
“That’s where I come in,” I said.
“Exactly. It’ll take a few days for her to get here. In the meantime, watch over Danielle and Grace, will you? Until Bianca is dead, their lives—especially Danielle’s—are still in danger.”
“You have my word.”
“Do you think I could speak with her?”
My throat tightened at the proposition. I considered whether I should tell him about Grace undoing the compulsion and how Danielle had reacted. But I thought better of it. Since Grace had removed the memories once more, it was a non-issue. “Sure,” I said. “I’ll go get her.”
Danielle
“Hello?” I asked, pressing the cellphone to my ear. I knew how they worked—sort of. I’d been watching Julian and Ben use theirs. But the phones I was used to were far less advanced. I remember my mom getting a silver flip phone, and how I’d begged and begged her to let me have one, too. But she and my dad insisted that kids didn’t need cellphones. I’d only gotten to play with it a handful of times before...
“Danielle,” Aiden said. “Are you alright? How are things?”
I tucked a strand of my long brown hair behind my ear while I paced the bedroom. Grace was sitting on the bed, trying to listen in. I considered putting Aiden on speakerphone so that she could hear, but I wasn’t sure how. “Things are fine. Your uncle’s been taking good care of us.”
“I miss you.”
My heart swirled in my chest, and I could feel a rush of heat spread through my face. For reasons I didn’t understand, I felt torn between him and Julian.
It didn’t make any sense, and I was ashamed to admit it—even to Grace. I hadn’t dared to confide in her about this. I knew she’d call me an idiot. And she wouldn’t be wrong.
Meanwhile, Aiden had been honest with me about his feelings from the beginning. He was kind and compassionate. And he was doing everything in his power to keep me from harm.
Yet, some deep, dark corner of my heart was drawn to Julian. Sure, the way his cheeks dimpled when he smiled could make any girl go weak in the knees. But there was something more. And considering his reputation, that terrified me.
In that moment, it became clear that if I were to choose between the two of them, logic would tell me to choose Aiden. So, even though I was slightly embarrassed to say so in front of Grace, I admitted, “I miss you, too.”
“I need you to do something for me,” he said.
I came to an abrupt stop. “Of course. What do you need?”
“In a couple of days, Julian is going to return to the castle.” He hesitated for a second as if pondering whether he should explain. “We have a plan to keep you and my siblings safe.”
“Okay. So where do I come in?”
“I need you to promise me you will stay at Uncle Ben’s until you have assurance from me that it is safe. As soon as this is all over, I’ll come and get you myself.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, thinking there was more at play here than he was telling me. “Are you in danger?” I asked.
“No more than usual,” he said with a laugh.
It didn’t put me at any more ease, though. “Aiden,” I began, “tell me what’s really going on.”
He went silent, and for a minute I thought he’d hung up on me. But then he spoke up. “I’ve invited Princess Bianca to Crescent Cape. I’m going to make her believe that I’m interested in choosing her as a bride. And then I’m going to kill her.”
I gulped. “Oh.”
I wasn’t sure how I felt about that. I sensed a pang of jealousy at the thought of him wooing another woman. But, more than that, I also felt a surge of fear. I’d seen for myself what Princess Bianca had had done to Freya. What else was she capable of?
“And you’re sure that’s a good idea?”
“I’m a blood heir. She’s not. It shouldn’t be all that difficult. And, worst case, there’s always Julian.”
I remembered then that a bite from a werewolf could kill a blood heir. A regular vampire shouldn’t be hard for him to take on.
“Now,” he continued, “will you stay put until this is all over?”
“Yeah,” I said. “I will.”
Bianca
I was giddy at the proposition. I knew that with enough persistence, Prince Aiden would be mine.
He confessed to me that his wretched werewolf brother put him up to The Choosing Ceremony, and that he’d finally stood up to Julian and told him that what he really wanted was me. I let out a sheepish chuckle as I went over our conversation in my mind. I rushed toward my closet, swung open the double doors and pulled out the remote so that I could more easily sift through my selection of outfits. I wanted to look perfect when I saw him—my future husband.
Suddenly, I stopped.
Perhaps I was allowing my emotions to get the best of me. After all, it almost seemed too easy. After all these years, suddenly Aiden wanted me? I wanted to believe it, but I couldn’t fight off this nagging suspicion that something wasn’t right about this.
I had to play it smart.
I decided then that I would go to Crescent Cape as planned and try to be optimistic that Aiden really was in love with me and that he really did want to take me as his bride.
But I also wanted a failsafe. In fact, I wanted more than one.
I decided to bring along Peter, as well as a handful of my other hybrids. Werewolf bites (and, therefore, hybrid bites) could kill even the blood heirs. That fool Emric had been too rash to remember that blood heirs couldn’t be staked. I hadn’t even thought to remind him of that fact because everyone knew it—well, everyone except for him, apparently.
And that was the only reason Xander wasn’t dead.
So, in case somehow Aiden had traced the hits I’d put on Xander and Freya back to me, I was going to be prepared.
If Aiden was being truthful, I’d give myself to him completely.
But if he was lying, I’d want to cause him unthinkable torment. Killing his siblings would only be the beginning. Their deaths would be devastating, but in time, he’d move on. But I remembered him telling me long ago about the woman he’d fallen in love with. It was a little tidbit I would use to my advantage. If he was playing me for a fool, I intended to wreak havoc on his heart.
“Peter?” I called out.
Within seconds, he was at my door. “Yes, Princess Bianca?”
“Bring me the most powerful witch in the kingdom.”
He bowed his head. “Of course. May I ask what for? So that I can tell Phoebe, I mean.”
A sly smile crossed my face. “I may need her help bringing someone back from the dead.”
Danielle
“Time for lunch,” Ben shouted from the kitchen. I said goodbye to Aiden, and Grace and I went downs
tairs to eat. I gave her the low-down on the way.
When we got there, Julian was already at the table. I handed him his phone. “Thanks for letting me borrow it,” I said.
“Sure thing.”
Ben sat up straighter. “Is everything okay?”
I nodded, while Julian answered him. “In a couple of days, I’ll be heading back to the castle,” he explained. “The girls will stay here with you. I trust you’ll look after them.”
“Of course. Whatever you need.”
Julian scarfed down an insane amount of food—two deli sandwiches and an entire bag of potato chips. Then he chased his meal down with a glass of water before excusing himself from the table. “I need to check in with Charlotte and Natalie. We’re going to need the whole family in order to pull this off.” He seemed to be talking to himself rather than to anyone in particular.
When he was gone, Ben propped his elbows on the table and laced his fingers. “Can I ask you something?” he said to the two of us.
We both nodded.
“What do you really think of this plan the siblings have come up with?”
I shrugged, but Grace answered him. “It seems foolish to me. Why would you invite someone who wants everyone you care about dead into your home? Sure, the plan might work. But it seems like the risk is greater than the reward.”
Ben drew his lower lip between his teeth, nodding along in agreement. “That’s what worries me. You know the family album I showed you earlier?” he asked, directing the question toward me.
“Mhmm.”
“My line of the family has been keeping an eye on the siblings for, well, practically forever. We only interfere when absolutely necessary. But they have a history of behaving irrationally, and sometimes it’s imperative for members of my line to step in. I haven’t had to intercede before, but I’m afraid I might have to now.”
“Is that why you have a stash of magical objects in the dresser upstairs?” Grace asked.
