Curses and Crowns (Vampires of Crescent Cape Book 1)
Page 15
Grace was right. She was dying. A slow and tortured death.
I had an idea. I didn’t like it at all, but it might be the one thing that could ease her suffering. “We could kill her,” I suggested.
Aiden shot a murderous look my way, and the others gasped in horror at the proposition.
“If she dies with vampire blood in her system, she should turn right?’
“I would never do that to her,” Aiden snapped.
“By the looks of it, she’s dying anyway. The way I see it, we have two options: we can make sure she dies with vampire blood in her system so that she can transition and, therefore, live or we can do nothing, watch her die over the next few days while the window of opportunity passes, and you’ll never see her again.”
“No,” Aiden said firmly. “I will not turn her. Especially not against her will.”
“You’d rather watch her die?”
He clenched his jaw, harsh lines forming across his cheeks. “If that’s the alternative, then yes.”
“Fine,” I said. “Let’s take a vote. Raise your hand if you think we should do whatever it takes to make sure she lives.”
“We don’t even know if it’ll work!” Aiden said.
“If it doesn’t, then at least we spared her from her misery. Right?”
He shook his head in disgust.
“All for saving Danielle my way?”
Aiden and Charlotte exchanged uneasy glances. But, to my surprise, Xander raised his hand. Grace and Ben raised their hands, too. “Looks like its three against three. Evanna?”
Evanna drew her lower lip between her teeth, agonizing over the decision.
“The longer we delay, the longer she suffers,” I reminded her.
She hung her head. “There’s no way to know if this will work,” she said. “But I agree that, if she doesn’t survive this, at least we granted her a more merciful death.” She lifted her head, looking at Aiden. “I’m sorry.”
Aiden placed Danielle’s body back on the floor. He leaned over her and brushed her dark hair away from her face before kissing her forehead. “I’m so sorry I failed you,” he whispered. When he was done, he rose to his feet and took a step back.
“I assume you don’t want to do the honors?” I asked.
“I want no part in this.”
“Fine,” I said. “Leave it to me to save your girlfriend.” And with that, I took Danielle’s face in my hands and gave a sharp twist, snapping her neck.
Danielle
I woke up in some strange land. I was back in my old room. At home. I pulled back the pink butterfly comforter and looked around. Not a single thing had changed. From the ballerina music box on the dresser to the art projects my mother had so proudly hung on my wall, everything was as I’d left it.
I cupped the back of my neck, rubbing it as I thought. I couldn’t remember how I’d gotten here. The last thing I remembered was being bitten by that hybrid. And then I woke up here.
I glanced over at my shoulder. The wound had healed. I should have been relieved, but I was more confused than anything. None of this made sense. Could Aiden have healed me and returned me to my family’s house?
Maybe. But why wouldn’t he have said goodbye?
It hit me then that maybe, just maybe, my parents were home. I hadn’t seen them in so long. Heart soaring, I bolted for the door and ran downstairs. Our golden retriever, Pickles, barked when she saw me. She hadn’t aged a day.
I stopped for a split second to pet her, lovingly ruffling the fur on the top of her head.
“Sweetie, is that you?” a warm voice called out. It was my mom’s.
Tears pooled in my eyes, and they raced down my cheeks. Following the voice, I ran for the kitchen where my mom was rolling out cookie dough, her floral apron covered in flour.
“Mom!” I cried out, flinging my arms around her neck.
She set down her rolling-pin and hugged me, letting out a warm laugh. “What’s this about, Danielle?”
“It’s been so long,” I sobbed, losing control over my emotions.
My mom pulled back and cocked her head to the side. “What do you mean?”
“Mom, it’s been ten years! How did I get here? Did Aiden drop me off? Where is he now?”
She shook her head, not processing anything I was saying. She pressed the back of her hand to my forehead. “Are you feeling alright?”
“I’m fine. I’m just happy to be home.”
“Stanley,” my mother called out, her voice thick with concern. “Can you come in here for a second?”
I let out a sharp breath as my father entered the kitchen, newspaper in one hand, a steaming cup of coffee in the other. “Yes?”
“Danielle seems... confused. She thinks she’s been gone for ten years.”
“I have been gone,” I said before rushing over to my father and hugging him, too. He gave me a half-hearted hug, not having a place to set down his mug and newspaper. I didn’t care, though. All that mattered to me is that I was here with my family.
Still holding him tight, I glanced up at him. “Daddy, I missed you so much.”
He glanced over at my mother, who shrugged and said, “She’s been like this since she came downstairs.”
Pickles came up behind me and started licking my shoes. I reached down to pet her again when suddenly a bright light filled the room. In an instant, my mom, dad and even the dog faded into the light, and slowly the kitchen itself began to dissipate into the abyss until all that was left was me and the light that enveloped me.
But somehow, I wasn’t afraid.
I pressed my lips into a hard line, trying to decipher what the voices were saying. They were faint, but definitely there.
It sounded like Julian and Aiden were arguing about something, and I could even hear Grace and Ben in the background.
My head started to spin.
Memories crashed over me like roaring waves—Julian snapping my neck, Aiden kissing my forehead, Grace casting a spell to erase my memories, Julian declaring his affection for me, Aiden compelling me to forget everything I’d seen, Aiden feeding from my mother’s limp body, my father dead beside her with bite marks in his neck...
I remembered.
I didn’t know whether the time at my parents’ had been a hallucination or a glimpse of the afterlife, but I understood now that it couldn’t have been real.
Because Aiden had murdered them.
Slowly, everything around me started coming back into focus.
Everything sounded so loud. Why was everyone shouting?
My eyes fluttered open. Things were blurry at first, but then I could see Aiden standing across the room. When he saw me look at him, his eyes widened and he rushed over, each step he took making my head pound.
“She’s awake!” Grace cried. “It worked.”
Julian took my hand and helped me sit up. I gripped his hand tightly.
Aiden rushed to my side, kneeling beside me. “Danielle, you’re alive,” he said breathlessly. “You’re really alive. I thought I’d lost you forever.”
I couldn’t understand how someone could lie to me for so long. How could someone who claimed to love me keep something so sinister from me? I couldn’t even look at him.
I glanced over at Julian who was still sitting by my side, forehead wrinkled in concern.
For all of his shortcomings, he owned who he was. What he was. And he didn’t pretend to be anything but himself.
I remembered how he had saved me when Aiden was too afraid.
I remembered how he’d looked after me while at his uncle’s house.
And I remembered his secret confession, which he thought I’d never remember. And how he’d tried to save me from the pain Aiden had caused me because he believed it was best for both me and his brother, even if that meant I would never know how he felt.
In that instant, it all made sense.
I flung my arms around him, taking him by surprise. But then he wrapped me in his arms, too, and I cou
ld feel the tension leaving his body.
His heart thumped against my chest, and I hugged him closer. “Thank you,” I whispered. I pulled away, wanting to look at him face to face. “I remember,” I said, softly so the others couldn’t hear. “I remember everything.”
His eyes went glossy, and he pressed his lips together, making his cheeks dimple. And I knew he understood.
THANK YOU FOR READING Curses and Crowns! Can you do me a favor? It’d be a huge help if you could write up a quick review. Reviews are both a great way for readers to discover new books and a great way for authors to get the word out about their books. I’d really appreciate it!
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About the Author
L. Danvers has written books across a variety of genres, but is now sinking her teeth into paranormal romance. After binge-watching The Vampire Diaries and reading as many paranormal books as she could get her hands on, she felt "compelled" to write a vampire series of her own, Vampires of Crescent Cape.
Her 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
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