Stakes and Daggers (Vampires of Crescent Cape Book 3)

by L. Danvers

  Nick took a step back, clinging to the back of the chair situated in front of my desk. I stepped closer still, feeling the flash of unbridled power dancing across my features. The corner of my lip turned up. “My boy,” I said, placing a firm hold on his shoulder, “with this Silverleaf sapling, you are going to help me undo the spells that veil the supernatural kingdoms from the rest of the world.”

  “Dad,” he started, but I dismissed him with a flick of the hand.

  “Follow me, son,” I said, starting toward the door. “We have much work to do.”

  Epilogue

  Ben

  It took everything I had not to fall asleep at the wheel. My niece and nephews had offered to let me crash at the castle, but I was so physically and emotionally exhausted that all I wanted to do was climb under my own covers and sleep for days on end.

  The long hours, the sleepless nights, had all been worth it, though. The curse over Xander had been contained, which meant he was no longer a threat to Danielle—or anyone else.

  I swallowed hard, fighting off the images of Evanna’s lifeless body from infiltrating my mind’s eye. She had deserved so much better. If only we’d been able to stop him sooner...

  Charlotte had already contacted the Albright coven, and at this very moment, some of the members of her coven were on their way to retrieve her body in order to give her a proper burial. Charlotte had asked for information about when they would hold the funeral, but they refused to tell her. They said this was the second Albright witch who had died on the Blood Heirs’ watch—and that they didn’t deserve the opportunity to mourn her.

  My stomach somersaulted at the thought of never being able to say goodbye. I hadn’t known Evanna for long, but she had done so much to protect my family. I hated that we hadn’t been able to protect her in return.

  I wiped the sweat from my brow as I drove across the boundary in the direction of Quarter Square, and I turned up the AC to get some cool air on my face. The fan was blowing uncomfortably cold air into my eyes, but hey—it was keeping them open.

  I turned up the radio, trying to clear my mind. Anything to get my mind off of Evanna. A singer’s soulful voice blasted through the speakers, singing about the ghosts of her exes. Something in me shifted, and I smiled to myself as I thought of Victoria. At least she and Aiden had a chance at having a happily ever after. And I... I had another human in the family now. They could get married, have kids...

  I shook my head, having a hard time picturing one of the world’s most notorious vampires now going on to live a normal life. Housewarming parties, changing diapers, sending kids off to kindergarten...

  Part of me wondered if Xander and Charlotte would ask Julian to do the same to them—bite them in order to free them from the curse Cynthia had placed on them so long ago. On the one hand, if it were me, I’d like to think I’d jump at the chance to be human again. But the Blood Heirs had lived through so many lifetimes, so many centuries, that vampirism was part of who they were now. Going on dates to see a movie and taking kids to soccer practice didn’t seem like the kind of life Charlotte or Xander would want for themselves...

  To each their own, though. At least now they had the option of becoming human again, should they ever choose to do so.

  I succumbed to an overwhelming sense of relief as I pulled into my driveway and parked my car. I headed for the front door, unlocking it. I let out a sigh as I stepped inside, looking forward to some peace and quiet.

  I took a quick shower and threw on some boxer shorts before climbing into bed. I clicked the power button on the remote, and the TV screen flashed on. A commercial for prescription pills with a list of about thirty-five horrifying side effects was on. I flipped over to the next channel and reclined against my memory-foam pillow, ready to drift to sleep with the help of a little background noise. I was fairly comfortable being alone, but the nights were always hard. Having something on in the background helped.

  My eyes grew heavier as the news anchors were droning on about another spike in taxes when they were interrupted by a loud chime. Curious, I forced my eyes open, and the national news anchors cut into the programming.

  A man with freakishly symmetrical features appeared on the screen, the lighting picking up on the white streaks of hair emerging through his gelled, jet-black hair right above his ears. I couldn’t shake the uneasy feeling the look in his eyes gave me, like what he was about to say baffled even him. “This is Mitch Hoover reporting live from Washington with breaking news this evening. At precisely midnight local time, satellites worldwide detected numerous masses of land, previously unknown to anyone on Earth, baffling scientists and politicians alike. Here in America, one such landmass was discovered off the coast of Maine... Drones are being deployed now, and we’re awaiting footage of what lies beyond the quiet town of Quarter Square...”

  My heart exploded in my chest. With a growing sense of panic, I swiped my phone off of the nightstand and called Aiden. He’d know what to do.

  It rang twice.

  “Aiden?” I said, practically gasping for air.

  “Yeah?”

  “Turn on the news. You need to see this for yourself.”

  Thank you for reading Stakes and Daggers! If you’re enjoying this series, one of the best ways to help other readers get excited about these books is by leaving reviews. You can write up a quick review here.

  Dying to know the back story to how the Blood Heirs and Julian first turned? Your copy of the bite-sized origin story, Blood Heirs, is waiting for you. Just click here to join L. Danvers’ Readers Group to grab the book.

  Love connecting with fellow readers? Join the Book Slayers Squad on Facebook to chat about all things bookish and to enjoy inside access.

  Keep Reading

  ***

  WE SAT FROZEN IN HORROR, our eyes glued to the blue-ish glow of the TV screen. I hugged my arms around my knees, pulling them closer to my chest. This was bad. So bad.

  It was funny how one phone call could change your life forever.

  Moments ago, things seemed as if they’d finally settled down. Thanks to Grace, Xander was back to normal, and I was no longer being hunted. I could finally breathe.

  Or so I thought...

  I should have known better. Somehow, chaos always seemed to find us in Crescent Cape.

  Grace had hardly finished the spell to save Victoria when Ben called, urging Aiden to turn on the news. I didn’t know exactly what Ben said to him, but I’d never seen the color drain from a person’s face so quickly.

  This should have been one of the happiest moments of Aiden’s life. He’d finally gotten everything he ever wanted. When Julian bit him, the vampirism curse lifted. He was human again. And now, thanks to Grace securing the leaf from the Silverleaf sapling and performing the counter-spell to her father’s cruel curse, Victoria was no longer slipping away.

  They could finally be together.

  Taking Victoria’s now permanently translucent hand in his, Aiden led her downstairs, shouting for the rest of us to follow.

  Victoria was frantic, begging Aiden to tell her what was wrong. But he couldn’t find the words.

  “Is it Uncle Ben?” she pressed. “Did something happen to him?”

  “No, he’s fine.” His tone was cold and sharp.

  “Then what is it?”

  Aiden swerved past the bottom of the staircase, marching straight for the living room. “You’ll see for yourself in a moment.”

  We hurried to catch up with him. His eyes were wide with absolute terror.

  I gulped. What one earth could make one of the most fearsome vampires in all of history look so horrified?

  With the press of a button, a hidden television set rose from what I had thought to be mere mahogany cabinetry. I exchanged a look with Grace. All this time in the castle and no one had mentioned to us that there was a TV? She suppressed a smile, reading my mind, but then refocused her attention on what Aiden was doing.

  He pulled a remote out of one of the
drawers and pulled up the TV guide, scanning through the channels, knowing exactly what he was looking for. He settled on the national news.

  “What’s going on?” Julian pressed as he came up behind me, snaking his arm around my waist.

  “Oh, you know,” Aiden answered in a zombie-like voice, “the end of the world as we know it.”

  Julian straightened. “Very funny.”

  Aiden jerked his head toward the TV, encouraging us to pay attention to the newscast. A reporter stood on a street corner, the bright lights illuminating the otherwise dark sky behind him, and my eyes widened with recognition. I swallowed hard. I knew those buildings. I’d seen them before.

  He was reporting from downtown Quarter Square.

  As realization dawned on us, the room fell silent. Aiden turned up the volume.

  The salt-and-pepper-haired journalist continued with his report. “...mere hours ago, areas once hidden to the human eye were revealed through satellite imagery across the globe. Now, scientists and government officials alike are left scratching their heads as they question why no map, no satellite image, no GPS signal ever picked up on these places existing before. One of our sources told us that it defies logic.”

  Julian released his hold on me. “That’s impossible...”

  Aiden shook his head, his jaw line so sharp it could cut a knife. “The boundary is down.”

  Charlotte blinked. Then, turning around to face her brother, she said, “So, get it back up.”

  “The Albrights aren’t going to help us,” he snapped. “Evanna is dead. That’s the second witch from their coven who had died on our watch. And they didn’t even want her to come here.” His lips twitched, the loss of the witch weighing heavily on his heart. He lowered his voice. “They won’t even let us attend her funeral. There’s no way they’re going to help us.”

  I swallowed down the lump in my throat. Evanna had died earlier today. But so much had happened in the hours since that it felt like weeks had passed.

  Maybe it was the adrenaline, but her passing hadn’t even hit me yet. I hadn’t shed a tear.

  I was an awful person. Truly awful.

  How was I not mourning right now?

  When had I become so callous?

  No, I wasn’t particularly close to her. But she was a person. She mattered.

  Xander finished blowing his gum into a giant bubble and popped it. “Won’t do us any good now anyway,” he said, responding to Aiden. “Everyone knows something is here.” He gestured toward the TV screen, which now featured an image of Crescent Cape.

  My heart skipped. It was night, so the view wasn’t perfectly clear. But the massive structure on the left side of the screen was impossible to ignore.

  Charlotte stood abruptly. She pulled her emerald sweater tighter around herself. “The castle,” she said breathlessly. Her bright green eyes flashed to her brothers for guidance. “What are we going to do?”

  Aiden paced, rubbing his forehead all the while. Victoria came up behind him and placed her hand on his shoulder in an effort to comfort him. It seemed to help a little. He slowed to a stop. “We have to get out of here,” he said to no one in particular. I’d never heard him sound so somber. “It’s the only way.”

  Charlotte folded her arms across her chest. “Aiden, this is our home. We can’t leave.”

  “And what will become of us if we stay? Sure, we could fight off the first people who come looking. But more will come. Plus, there are cameras everywhere. It’s not safe here.”

  She shook her head in disbelief. “This is the only home I’ve ever known. Our parents built this kingdom. This is their legacy. Our legacy.”

  “No offense,” Grace piped up, “but your legacy kind of sucks. You just corral innocent people in an undisclosed location and feed off of them.”

  Charlotte rolled her eyes, not acknowledging Grace at all. “Come on,” she said, now focusing her attention on Julian. “You don’t want to leave, do you? You’ve never been one to give up. You can’t tell me you’re really considering—”

  I held up my hand to silence her. “Do you hear that?”

  She scrunched her nose. “Hear what?”

  Julian jerked his head toward me. “Hybrid hearing,” he mouthed.

  I marched toward the window. Shoving the heavy maroon curtains aside, I cupped my hands against the cool glass, peering out into the darkness.

  I scanned the area, searching for the source of the sound.

  Exhaling, I calmed myself so I could sharpen my senses.

  There.

  Above the tree line, to the bottom right of the crescent moon, was the sound’s source.

  I narrowed my eyes, honing in on the buzzing object.

  It was some sort of flying contraption, but I had no idea what it was.

  The others came over to join me, pushing and shoving one another so that they could each get a good view.

  Grace’s mouth fell open when she spotted it. “They sent drones. They’re already watching.”

  “Who is?” I asked.

  “The news stations? The government? Who knows? But this isn’t good,” she said flatly. “Aiden’s right. We have to get out of here.”

  I rubbed my forehead. “How can we escape without them seeing us? We can’t walk out the front door.”

  Aiden sighed. “There’s an underground tunnel system that leads to Quarter Square. It won’t be a particularly pleasant journey, but it’s our best bet.”

  “No,” Julian announced. “Not yet. We can’t abandon the castle. It’s filled with portraits and photographs, journals and letters. How long do you think it would take for them to figure out who lived here?”

  “What are you suggesting?” Charlotte asked meekly.

  Julian stepped away from the window and picked up a decorative box from the side table. He handed it to his sister. “Put anything you want to keep in here. We’ll burn the rest.”

  Aiden’s throat bobbed. “Brother?” he started, taking a step closer.

  “I don’t like the idea any more than you do, but if we leave any evidence behind of who we are, they will come for us. Charlotte, Xander and I can use our powers to our advantage and buy ourselves some time. But you’re a human now. And you can’t honestly believe our photos won’t be plastered all over the news within minutes of them storming this place. And then what? The whole country, the whole world, will know our faces.” Aiden gave a reluctant nod. Meanwhile, Charlotte wiped her tear-streaked cheeks with the back of her hand. Lifting his chin, Julian said, “Better to destroy our legacy than to be destroyed.”

  Julian was right. There wasn’t time to come up with an alternative plan. So, as much as the siblings hated the idea, they knew what they had to do.

  Julian crossed the room and pulled a portrait of their mother from the wall. He stood there for a moment, holding it in front of the roaring fireplace, watching as the flames snapped and cracked behind it. Charlotte looked away as he placed it inside, watching the image of the Scarlet Queen slowly disintegrate into ashes.

  Still staring into the flames, Julian spoke. “Aiden—you and Victoria should head for the tunnels. You two are the most vulnerable, and you may need a head start.”

  Aiden and Victoria exchanged a glance before shaking their heads, knowing he was right again.

  And just like that, they left.

  Julian, Charlotte, Xander, Grace and I split up, scouring the castle for any potentially incriminating memorabilia we could find.

  There was so much stuff to go through. And as the minutes ticked by, it became apparent that this was going to take way more time than any of us anticipated—even with us using our supernatural abilities to move quickly.

  More sounds came from outside, and I rushed toward the window to get a look.

  A bright yellow searchlight swept past. Gasping, I swished the curtain closed and whirled around, trying to think.

  “Julian!” I shouted, rushing down the hall to find him. “It’s time to go. NOW!”


  Keep reading the epic conclusion to the Vampires of Crescent Cape series now. Grab your copy of Royals and Realms: US | UK

  More from L. Danvers

  VAMPIRES OF CRESCENT CAPE

  Blood Heirs: Free Origin Story

  Curses and Crowns: US | UK

  Fangs and Fortune: US | UK

  Stakes and Daggers: US | UK

  Royals and Realms: US | UK

  THE FATE ABANDONED SERIES

  Fate Abandoned: US | UK

  Fate Surrendered: US | UK

  Fate Reclaimed: US | UK

  Series Bundle: US | UK

  THE KRYPTOS CHRONICLES

  Fostered Reality: US | UK

  The Second Portal: US | UK

  STANDALONE

  Conspiracy Unleashed: US | UK

  About the Author

  L. Danvers’ goal as a writer is to offer readers an escape from reality—one in which they can explore new worlds, go on daring adventures, fight the bad guys and fall in love... all from the comfort of a cozy chair.

  Her books are romantic, fast-paced and suitable for both teens and adults.

  When she's not writing, you can find her in the kitchen trying out new recipes.

  Get your FREE COPY of Blood Heirs (the prequel to Vampires of Crescent Cape) by joining her Readers' Group: www.ldanvers.com/subscribe

  CLICK HERE to become an official member of the Book Slayers Squad Facebook Group.