by L. Danvers
But, his intentions aside, the reality was that he’d freed me.
My chest lifted, my lungs lighter than ever, as it truly hit me. No more feeding on blood. No more killing sprees. No more despising myself over what I’d become—what I’d been turned into.
I had a chance to start over. I could live a life. A normal, human life.
Out of the corner of my eye, I spotted Victoria, my beautiful Victoria, watching me, her face full of concern. But if we could pull this off, if we could find a way to save her, then the two of us could build a life together. Get married. Raise children. Live.
The back of my throat stung as I swallowed my emotions.
“Aiden...” Julian said coolly, trying to read my face.
I grabbed him by the shoulder and pulled him in, hugging him tight.
“What is—?” he started.
“Thank you,” I replied, cutting him off.
“I don’t understand...”
I hugged him tighter. “It doesn’t matter why you did it. Or that you did it. All that matters is that you’ve given me something that I didn’t dare to let myself dream of.”
Julian pulled back, scrunching his eyebrows like he was trying to figure out if I had a concussion.
Letting out a small laugh, I shook my head, hardly believing it myself. “You’ve given me hope.”
Grace
I was getting ready for bed when Xander’s phone lit up. I’d forgotten to give it back to him earlier. Oops. Oh well. I’d return it in the morning.
I tapped the screen and swiped to see the full message.
I gulped.
It was from Nick.
Managed to get a leaf for you. Can meet you in a couple of hours. Sound good?
I texted back right away, agreeing to meet him halfway. While I still harbored a lot of anger toward Aiden, the fact of the matter was that he wasn’t the same person he was yesterday. As a human, he would no longer be subject to the urges that plagued his spirit. And once Victoria was healed, they could start over together. Maybe it was the romantic in me, but honestly, I was happy for them.
I headed to the bathroom and splashed some water on my face to freshen up. I had an hour or so before I had to leave, but I figured I might as well get ready now. Maybe head downstairs and get some coffee.
I was finishing brushing my hair when I startled at a knock at the door. “Be there in a second!”
No answer.
I crossed the room and turned the knob. When I opened it, Xander was standing in the doorway, his arm draped casually on the door frame. “May I come in?”
Chewing my lip, I nodded. He’d done terrible, terrible things. But if I could find it in my heart to look past the horrors Aiden had committed when he wasn’t his true self, how could I not extend that same grace to Xander? I knew that, deep down, buried under the façade of charisma and charm, there was a good person in there. The person who hadn’t hesitated to save my life. And so, for that reason alone, I waved for him to enter.
“Care if I sit down?” he asked, not waiting for an answer before plopping down on the edge of my bed. He jerked his head, beckoning for me to join him.
Unsure of where this was going, I sat down beside him. I quickly placed my hands in my lap when I realized our fingers were almost touching.
He sat there for a moment, gathering his thoughts. I waited patiently while he searched for the words...
It was strange to see him thinking before speaking. I wished he’d spit it out. The anticipation was swelling like a fire within my chest. “What is it?” I finally asked, voice shaking.
He rubbed the side of his cheek with his hand. “I guess I wanted to say thank you.”
I suppressed a smile, nodding.
“Grace... the things I did...” He shook his head. “I’m glad you weren’t here to see the worst of it.”
“It wasn’t your fault. It was Reed’s.”
“I know he was the one who cursed me,” he said, blinking. “And believe me, I’ll deal with him later. But now that it’s all coming back to me, I have to find a way to live with the memories of what I did. Of what I would have done... You saved me back there.”
“It was nothing.”
“No,” he said firmly. “It wasn’t nothing.”
“I guess you could call me your saving grace.”
He snorted. Then he looked down at the enchanted bracelet, rubbing his thumb along the pendant. “Wait,” he started, realizing a rune was now etched in the center thanks to the spell I’d cast to activate it.
I leaned over to get a better look. “What’s wrong?”
“You’ve got to be freaking kidding me,” he said.
I couldn’t tell if he was actually upset or if he was just being... well, Xander... “What is it?”
He held up his wrist. “Is this some kind of joke?”
“Xander, I have no clue what you’re talking about.”
He pointed again to the rune. “Grace,” he said flatly. “It says grace. Do you have any idea how hard it’s going to be to explain to girls why I have a bracelet with your name on it?”
I rolled my eyes. “First of all, I didn’t even know that was on there. Second, how many girls do you know who can read ancient runes?”
“When you date vampires... a lot, actually.”
“And you tell these girls about me?”
He scoffed. “Real funny, Grace.”
I was getting put off by his arrogance. “Bite me.”
I’d expected him to snap back. But something danced in his eyes. Intrigue, maybe. He winked at me. “Maybe one day I’ll take you up on that.”
My face flushed. “I’m a witch, remember? Witches and vampires don’t mix.” Swallowing hard, I stood up, flattening down the wrinkles in my jeans. “I need to borrow your car,” I said plainly.
“Oh?”
“My brother got a leaf from a Silverleaf sapling.”
He sat up straighter. “Wait. You mean...?”
I nodded. “Yep. If we want to save Victoria, we need to go meet him. Now.”
Grace
“You really trust this guy?” Xander asked as we sped in the direction of the Carlisle coven. Nick would meet us at the halfway point. “I mean, this is Reed’s son we’re talking about.”
“I’m his daughter,” I said, forcing the words out of my mouth. “And I saved your life, didn’t I?”
“That’s different,” he said, gripping the steering wheel as he veered right, the engine humming beneath us.
“How?”
He took his eyes off of the road, turning his attention to me. “Because you’re good, Grace. Probably one of the few good people left in this world. And the man that cursed me raised this guy. Do you have any idea how covens work? It’s not like they’re all a bunch of witches who happen to be living together in an incredibly creepy compound. They’re conspiring. Training. And who do you think Reed has spent the most time preparing for whatever mayhem he’s planning?”
Mouth shut tight, I slid my tongue along the front of my teeth, refusing to look Xander in the eye.
“You realize this could be a trap, right? Within hours of you freeing me from Reed’s curse, his son asks us to meet him in the woods... that doesn’t sound like a setup to you?”
“You didn’t have to come with me,” I spat.
“Yes,” he said firmly. “I did.”
The conviction with which he said it made me weak in the knees. Was Xander starting to... care about me? No. That was stupid. Even if he thought he cared about me, it was only because I’d saved his life earlier. He felt indebted to me. It was a normal reaction. Give it a few days, a few weeks, and he’d be back to his normal, obnoxious self.
“How did you two even meet?”
I took a piece of wintergreen gum out of the glove box and shifted in my seat, adjusting myself so that I was now sitting cross-legged. “No one told you?”
“No...”
I sighed. “While you were busy... er, fleeing the cas
tle... I set out to meet him and Reed.”
He glanced at me through the corner of his eye. Protectively, he said, “And?”
“With Reed, it went about as well as you could expect.”
“I’m sorry.”
My brows lifted. “Are you?”
He smirked. “Can’t get anything past you. No, I’m not. I don’t care if he’s your father or not. You need to stay the hell away from that guy. And his son.”
I chewed the inside of my cheek, thinking.
He turned and looked at me once more, studying me. “What aren’t you telling me?”
I scrunched my face, annoyed that he felt like he could read me. “Nothing.”
“Grace.”
I folded my arms across my chest. I was not talking about this right now.
“Don’t make me pull this car around.”
I wish I could say that he was saying that jokingly, but he was dead serious. Still, I refused to answer him. With a swerve of the steering wheel, the car skidded 180 degrees, and he pressed his foot against the gas.
“Stop it!” I yelled. “Don’t you want to save Victoria?”
“Not if we’re walking into a trap.”
“Why would I lead you into a trap? I saved your life, you idiot.”
“I don’t know,” he said, slamming on the breaks. “Why are you being so secretive all of a sudden?”
We sat there, staring one another down, both of us refusing to budge.
So, he pressed his foot to the pedal again, ready to take me right back to the castle.
“Wait!” I blurted out. “I’ll tell you.”
With an insufferable look of satisfaction, he slowed to a stop. “Yes?” he said, batting his eyes at me playfully.
“Reed told us that because we’re twins—er, magical twins—we’re doomed to be enemies.”
He lifted a dark eyebrow, awaiting a further explanation.
I sighed. “He said we’re like the opposite sides of a coin. One of us is destined to be good. The other is destined to be...”
“Like Reed?”
I shrugged. “Yeah, I guess. He says... he says one of us will destroy the other one.” I turned to look at him. “But I don’t believe it for a second. You’ll see for yourself when you meet him. Nick didn’t even know about me until I showed up. And he’s risked his own neck to help us.”
Xander pursed his lips. “Or... he’s allowed you to think that.”
“No. I can’t explain it, but I know he wouldn’t do that.”
He leaned the back of his head against the headrest, staring out into the night. “Grace, I’ve been around a long time. And I’m telling you, I don’t trust—”
“Do you trust me?” I challenged him.
He dipped his head. “Of course.”
“Good. Then drive.”
Grace
Xander didn’t say a word for the rest of the ride. I wished I could lie to myself and tell myself that I didn’t care about his opinion... but I did. Which worried me. When did his opinion start mattering to me?
I shook my head. Him looking at me differently didn’t mean anything had changed. I wasn’t the heroine he was making me out to be. Hell, for all I knew, Reed’s prophecy could be right and I could be the one heading down the path to darkness. After all, I was the one riding shotgun with a Blood Heir. I wasn’t exactly the poster child for making wise decisions.
I shifted nervously in my seat when we took a turn and spotted the yellow glow of headlights in the distance. “That’s Nick,” I said, prompting Xander to hit the brakes.
When we came to a stop, I climbed out of the blue convertible and crossed the eerily empty road to meet my brother. He started toward me like he was about to go in for a hug, but he hesitated. His gaze drifted over to Xander, and his jaw clenched, forming a sharp line in his already pronounced features. “So,” he said under his breath, keeping an eye on Xander, who was reclining against the side of his own car, “that’s the Blood Heir?”
I nodded.
His eyes lit with intrigue, and the corners of his mouth turned up into a proud smile. “You undid Dad’s spell.”
I was about to tell him the details of what actually happened, but my heart gave an inner tug, urging me not to reveal the full truth. Maybe it was better if he believed I was powerful enough to undo one of Reed’s spells. So, I simply smiled back at him, letting him make of that whatever he would.
His mouth opened as if there was more he wanted to say, but then he abruptly pressed his lips together. He unzipped his heavy brown jacket and pulled a Ziploc bag out from one of the pockets.
My eyes widened. “Is that the sapling?”
“A leaf of one, yes. If you still need it, that is...”
“I do.” My heart leaped. He did it. He came through for me. I glanced over my shoulder at Xander, who was mindlessly twirling his keys around his finger, watching as if ready to unleash that feral beast within on a moment’s notice if my brother dared to make one wrong move.
I was about to take the bag from Nick’s hands when he pulled it away. “You’re not with the vampire, are you?”
I suppressed a gag. “Of course not.”
“Then, why’s he here?”
“I needed a ride. That’s all.”
His jaw set, and I could see the embers of fury glowing in his eyes. Not directed toward me, but Xander.
I took the bag from his hand with a jerk, forcing him to release it. “I don’t need you to protect me, you know.”
“You’re my sister.”
I sighed. “And I’m a witch. Same as you. I can look after myself. And anyway, Xander wouldn’t hurt me.”
“But hasn’t he hurt you already? You were a blood slave, weren’t you?”
I shook my head. He didn’t get it. Not that I could blame him. “Things are different now. And believe it or not, he saved my life once, too.”
He cocked his head to the side, the moonlight casting his skin in silvery tones, somehow making him look even more dignified than normal. “Look,” he started. “You’re right. I don’t have the right to play the part of the concerned brother yet. Hell, he probably knows you better than I do.” He took my wrist. “But I do care about you. You’re family. And that means something to me.”
I freed myself from his hold, tightening my grip on the Ziploc bag. “I care about you, too. But when it comes to him,” I said, jerking my head back toward Xander, “I’m not asking for your advice.”
He shrugged. “Suit yourself.”
“Thanks for this, by the way,” I said, holding up the bag with the sapling. “Hope it wasn’t too much trouble.”
“It was worth it. But don’t let Dad find out I was the one who took it.”
I winked. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
He playfully patted the side of my arm. “Thanks, Sis.”
I swallowed. Not caring if it was too familiar of a gesture, I flung my arms over his neck and hugged him. He hesitated for a second, but then he gave in and hugged me back, patting my back as he did so. “Hey Grace,” he started.
“Yeah?”
“If you undid the spell Reed put on Xander, why do you need the sapling?”
“It’s not for him,” I said. “It’s for Victoria.”
“But if you can...” he started.
But before he had the chance to finish that thought, Xander called out to us. “We finished up here?”
I squeezed Nick’s shoulder, thanking him again before hurrying back to the car. Maybe Xander had gotten in my head earlier. I liked Nick. Trusted him, even. But if there was even a slight chance that Reed’s warning had merit, maybe the smart thing to do would be to err on the side of caution. Get to know my brother... without getting too close.
I climbed inside the passenger seat and slid in beside Xander. Without so much as looking at me, he clicked on his seatbelt and revved up the engine. “Get what you came here for?” he asked, heading back in the direction of the castle.
I lifted up
the bag, revealing the leaf of the Silverleaf sapling.
“I guess you were right to trust him, then.”
“Yeah. I guess so,” I said, hoping he wasn’t picking up on the doubt in my voice. “Now, let’s go save Victoria.”
Reed
“Nick,” I said, stealing a look at him as I finished re-reading the spell for the hundredth time. “Where have you been?”
My son shrugged. “Out with friends.”
I blinked, suppressing the embers of frustration igniting within me. He didn’t know what I was working on, I reminded myself. I’d shielded him from the details of why I needed a Silverleaf sapling. It wasn’t because I didn’t trust him. But I couldn’t risk anyone discovering my true intentions. Because if they did, the years of research, of tracking down spells, of training and perfecting my craft, would have all been for nothing. Because even so much as a whisper of the truth of what I was up to would inspire even the most bitter of enemies to forge alliances against me...
So, yes, I’d hidden the truth from everyone—even my own son.
And I didn’t regret it one bit.
I stood, pushing my chair back as I rose. Squaring my shoulders, I craned my neck toward the bookshelf. I crossed the room and, with extreme caution, pulled the Silverleaf sapling from the shelf. I wrapped my hands around the heavy crystal vase and pressed it against my chest. Turning around, I eyed my son. “Do you know what this is?”
His throat bobbed as he swallowed. Nodding.
But he didn’t have a clue.
“This,” I said, inching closer to him, “is how we set ourselves free.”
His left eyebrow arched. “I don’t understand.”
Pacing around him, I explained, “For too long, we witches have clung to the shadows. Hiding our abilities from the world. Protecting the vampires. The werewolves. And every other magical creature in existence. And what do we get in return?”
Nick shook his head in bewilderment.
“Seclusion. We could rule this world, and yet, thanks to the easily bent wills of our ancestors, our talents have been spent protecting boundaries, veiling kingdoms...”
