by L. Danvers
Secrets and Spells
Witches of Crescent Cape
Book 1
L. Danvers
Cover Design by Melody Simmons
Copyright
This is a work of fiction. Similarities to real people, places, or events are entirely coincidental.
SECRETS AND SPELLS
First edition. February 6, 2021.
Copyright © 2021 L. Danvers.
Written by L. Danvers.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Copyright Page
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace: | Weeks Later
Xander
Xander
Grace
Ben
Grace
Grace
Xander
Ben
Ben
Grace
Xander
Grace
Xander
Xander
Xander
Grace
Grace
Xander
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Xander
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Grace
Xander
Grace
Grace
Grace
Xander
Grace
Grace
Grace
Bellamy
Grace
Grace
Xander
Grace
More from L. Danvers
About the Author
Grace
A breeze swept past as I fired off a text to my twin brother, making wisps of blonde curls slap against my stinging cheeks. “Come on,” Xander called out, tearing me from my thoughts. My lips pressed into a hard line as I lifted my chin and waited for my eyes to adjust. We were blanketed by a velvet sky, and were it not for the hazy yellow glow of the porchlight up ahead, I doubt I would have spotted him. Finding our surroundings particularly eerie, I took in a sharp breath. The crisp October air filled my lungs, carrying with it the scents of wet earth and pine. Scents that I would have found comforting and reminiscent of better days were it not for what we were about to do.
Realizing Xander was already paces ahead, I stuffed my phone in my pocket and zipped up my black biker jacket. I hurried along the sidewalk, the heels of my boots clicking on the cobblestones as I caught up to him.
As I approached, I felt a slight quiver in the pit of my stomach. My gaze flitted about. We were miles away from the nearest city, somewhere in upstate New York. I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was very wrong here. “This doesn’t look right,” I muttered as we neared the faded green Victorian house. “Why didn’t you just let me do a tracking spell?”
“Pshhh,” Xander quipped with a flourish of his hand. “Who needs a tracking spell when you have an address?” Picking up on my unease, he added, “Relax, Grace. I did my research. Isla was married to a faerie once. If anyone has access to faerie dust, it’s her.”
I hugged my arms tighter around myself. I hoped he was right. Xander and I had been searching for faeire dust for four years. All the faeries had left this realm ages ago, so it was a hard item to come by. But Xander believed this latest lead could be the answer to everything. I wanted to believe him, but I had learned not to get my hopes up.
So here we were, showing up unannounced at a witch’s doorstep. What could go wrong?
Between Xander being a vampire and me being a witch myself, we had no reason to be scared. We were more than capable of taking care of ourselves. But still, something felt off here...
As we climbed the brick steps, I rested my hands on one of the columns that punctuated the wraparound porch. But I quickly pulled it away as a spider skirted across it. After a couple of shakes, my hand settled on the back of my neck. I rubbed it mindlessly as I focused on the peach-colored door. This feeling is nothing, I told myself. You just don’t want to get your hopes up. That’s all.
“Are you going to ring, or what?” Exasperated, Xander brushed past me and pressed the doorbell. But it didn’t do anything. The house was old. I figured it must have been broken. So, coming to the same conclusion as I had, he gave the brass knocker a couple of raps. His ears perked as he used his heightened hearing to eavesdrop on what was going on inside.
“I don’t think anyone’s home,” I said plainly as I came up to stand beside him.
In an instant, he turned to me and pressed his finger against my lips, silencing me.
I swatted his hand away. “You have boundary issues, you know that?”
He offered me a smirk.
“Isla!” he called out. He cupped his hands around his mouth, making his voice thunder as his back arched. A flash of lightning split the sky, and by the time he’d finished calling out her name, thunder cracked overhead. Rain pummeled from the sky, the heavy drops drumming on the cover above. I rubbed my hands together as a shiver rushed through me. But Xander wasn’t fazed. “You have company!” he continued. “Be a nice witch and open the door, won’t you?”
There was no answer.
“Maybe she’s waiting for you to say please,” I offered sarcastically.
Ignoring me, Xander tried the knob. Surprisingly, it was unlocked. He glanced over at me, a mischievous grin dancing on his lips. Unfortunately, though, the handle was stuck. So, with a powerful thrust from his shoulder, he forced the door open. I had to admit—there were perks to being friends with a vampire. “Showoff,” I teased.
“Jealous, much?” He winked at me.
“Of you? Never.”
“Are you ready for this?”
I nodded. “Let’s do this thing.”
Xander led the way into the dark, wallpapered entryway. The place smelled of just-blown-out matches and old books. Brushing his dark hair away from his face, Xander strode forward searching for the switch. But then he stopped short.
“What are you doing?” I huffed as I bumped into his muscular back. I rubbed my forehead, which was now throbbing. It was easy to forget how strong vampires were until you slammed into one.
The yellow overhead lights flickered on, making the dust particles in the air shimmer and upping the creepiness factor by a thousand. When the lights finally stayed on, the broken porcelain vase shattered across the floor came into view. As I scanned the room, my expression sobered. There were overturned bookshelves, a dining chair strewn across the floor and a half-eaten slice of pizza still sitting on the table. And yet, no one was home.
A muscle in Xander’s jaw tensed. “Looks like someone else got to her first.”
Grace
Xander stepped over the vase and edged toward the staircase. He rested his palm on the wooden banister and stilled.
“Do you smell any blood?” I asked, lowering my voice to a near whisper.
Nostrils flaring, he inhaled deeply. “No.”
“And you’re sure we’re at the right house?”
“Yes,” he said, eyes tightening. “Believe it or not, Grace, I’m perfectly capable of reading a map.”
I tilted my head and shook it. With a knowing raise of my eyebrows, I pointed out, “You used your phone’s GPS, hotshot.”
He shrugged. “Same thing.”
Despite the worry gnawing at my insides, I followed Xander up the creaky stairs. Thunder rattled so hard it made the entire house shake, only adding to my unease. And by the time we reached the top of the stairwell, tingles were racing along my skin. It wasn’t just my mind playing tricks on me, though. I could feel the residue of magical energy. What on earth had happened here?
Xander pushed a bedroom door open, an
d I craned my neck to peer inside. Unlike the rest of the house, the room was pristine—with the exception of the crocheted blanket casually draped across the corner of the bed. While I closed the door behind us, Xander stalked the perimeter of the mauve bedroom, picking up photographs and trinkets along the way. The place was perfectly ordinary—aside, perhaps, from the ungodly amount of perfume bottles lined up neatly on the makeup vanity.
There were no magical objects in sight. And, more importantly, I didn’t see—or sense—any sign of faerie dust.
I could feel tears beginning to collect in my eyes, and I hurried toward the window, not wanting Xander to see me upset. I blinked them away as I folded my arms across my chest, thinking of how we ended up here.
You see, when the boundaries to the veiled kingdoms across the globe fell, the existence of vampires, werewolves and witches were revealed to the world. War broke out between humans and supernaturals. And after Xander’s older brother, Julian, was exposed, he and my best friend, Danielle, fled to Oasis, a realm created by the faerie Aurora. His sister, Charlotte, had gone with them.
The only problem? As part of the deal with Aurora, the portal was sealed behind them. Which meant we couldn’t get in—and they couldn’t get out.
But now that the war was over, Xander and I were determined to find a way to unseal it.
We’d hit one dead-end after another. But Xander had finally tracked down a witch who had been rumored to have been married to faerie a long time ago. It was a long shot, but it was our best chance at getting our hands on faerie dust—the key ingredient we needed for me to perform the spell to get that portal open.
But there was no faerie dust here—and Isla was long gone. I wondered what had happened here...
Finally, Xander came up behind me. Handing a framed photograph to me, he said, “How about you do tracking spell on Isla?”
Something had clearly happened here earlier. If I had to guess, Isla had been taken. Tracking her was the logical—and right—thing to do. Maybe we could help her. And if we did, maybe she could help us in return. Even if she didn’t have faerie dust, perhaps she knew where we could get our hands on some.
I took the picture and placed my palm on top of it. Closing my eyes, I uttered the spell that had become second-nature to me now.
But nothing happened.
Forcing down the lump in my throat, I handed it back to him, shaking my head.
“She’s dead?” he asked knowingly. “She can’t be dead.” He looked around in shock before curling his arms over his head. “She can’t be,” he whispered to himself.
Suddenly, he began to pace, giving off a manic sort of energy.
“Xander,” I said in as steady of a voice as possible, hoping I could calm him. But he wasn’t listening.
Desperate, Xander tore the room apart, searching for any sign of faerie dust the witch might have had tucked away. I did my best to help, but it was clear that if there had been any faerie dust here, it was long gone now. I would have felt its energy. And anyway, faeries were intoxicating to vampires. And faerie dust was made of the remains of faeries—well, the remains of their magic left behind after they passed. If there was faerie dust here, he would have been drawn to it. But now wasn’t the time to point that out to him. I knew him better than that.
Xander and I had a long history together. I’d hated him once—despised him, actually. He could be cocky and downright arrogant, and over the centuries, he’d learned his rather charming looks could help him get away with just about anything—a trait which I found infuriating. But despite his faults and our extremely rocky start, over time we’d learned we made a good team. And with Danielle gone, he was my closest friend. Well, him and his sort-of uncle, Ben. But Ben was much older and had become more of a father-figure as of late.
As for me and Xander, we bickered constantly. Four years of working together hadn’t changed that. But when push came to shove, we always had each other’s backs.
Plus, we had to work together if we had any chance of getting our loved ones back.
I knew that’s what this was about. It wasn’t about Isla or the faerie dust. It was about hitting yet another dead end.
Growling in frustration, Xander picked up the bench to the makeup vanity set and heaved it across the room, making the furniture shatter.
I flinched instinctively, protecting my face with my arms. I knew he was upset. I was, too. But succumbing to our emotions wouldn’t do us any good. We needed to keep ourselves in check if we had any hope of getting that portal open one day.
“Xander, it’s okay,” I said, trying to assure him. “We’ll find another way.”
“Another way?” he snapped. I stepped back, not liking this side of him. “Grace, it’s been years. We’ve been looking for people with connections to faeries for years. Isla was our last option. And she’s dead. Which means I’m never getting my brother and sister back. And you’re never going see Danielle again. We might as well accept that.”
Growing agitated, I planted my hands on my hips. “I don’t get it. There’s plenty of time to get them back.” I shook my head in disgust. “So, what? You’re going to give up? Isn’t four years just a blink of an eye to you? You’re immortal.”
“You’re not,” he reminded me, his gaze burning with such intensity that I felt my pulse quicken.
“I don’t care if it takes fifty years,” I said, steeling my resolve. “I’m going to figure out a way to get that portal open.”
“At what cost?”
I shrugged ambivalently, which only seemed to upset him more.
He dragged his hands through his dark hair. “You’re missing out on your life, Grace. Danielle doesn’t want you wasting your life trying to save hers. What are you trying to prove?”
My jaw set.
He knew he’d gone too far.
He squeezed his eyes shut, and I could see the muscles in his face relax. Closing the distance between us, he peered down at me, his deep brown eyes tormented by emotions I was struggling to decipher. “Can’t we take a break? For a few months? That’s all I’m asking. All we’ve done is chase lead after lead, and they’ve all led to nowhere. You’ve almost been killed twice. And I’m getting tired of the never-ending disappointment. Aren’t you?”
He offered me his hand, but I refused to take it. “You’re being selfish,” I hissed.
“You deserve more than this out of life,” he said sincerely.
Eyes narrowed, I lifted my chin. “I am not giving up on them. Don’t you want your family back?” I was so mad I was shaking. I was just as frustrated as he was. But that frustration only firmed my resolve. I couldn’t believe he was suggesting that we take a break. The more time we wasted, the more time my best friend and two of his siblings spent trapped in another realm. What was wrong with him? “I know this is your thing, Xander,” I said, practically shouting now. But I didn’t care. Flames of anger shot through me, and I couldn’t bite my tongue. “I know you run away when things get tough. So, is that what this is about? Is that what’s happening now? Are you just going to give up and leave me to finish the job myself?”
“Quiet,” he said abruptly.
“Excuse me?” My pulse was slamming in my neck now—not ideal when you’re alone with a vampire. But I knew he wouldn’t hurt me.
I was about to tell him off, but in a flash, he was behind me, cupping my mouth with his hand.
“No,” he whispered, his breath tickling my ear. “I mean we’re not alone.”
Grace
Xander released me from his hold, and we exchanged knowing glances. My chest tightened as I listened to the sounds below. He was right. Hurried footsteps could be heard clomping around, growing louder by the second. Someone was coming upstairs.
Maybe we’d be lucky and it’d be a neighbor or someone checking on Isla. Xander could compel them to go home and forget they were ever here. Easy.
I’d almost started to believe my wishful theory, but then the door burst open, and a petite yet
terrifyingly fearsome woman appeared in the doorway. Her long, dark hair was pulled into a tight ponytail, revealing scars on her neck. My eyes flicked toward Xander. Those were bite marks.
With a satisfied smirk, her eyebrow lifted. “Grace and Xander, I presume?” The iciness in her tone sent chills down my spine. How did she know who we were? We were hours away from Quarter Square, and even there, we’d kept a low profile...
Not waiting to find out, Xander lunged toward the stranger, but she held up her hand and tightened her fist. She advanced toward him, her hips swishing in a confident stride. She muttered a spell, using her powers to strangle him. Xander let out a sharp gasp, and his hands clawed at his throat. His knees gave out, and he buckled to the floor.
Memories of the last time I’d seen that spell used on him flooded back to me, bringing up a time in my life I’d do anything to forget. “Stop it!” I shouted, trying to draw the mysterious witch’s attention to me. But she only chuckled.
I was not about to let her hurt Xander. We may have been in the middle of a fight, but that’s what friends did—they fought and made up. The truth was, he was one of the few people left in this world keeping me grounded.
Gathering my strength, I widened my stance. My arms were outstretched to my sides. Magic pulsed through me, and I could feel its energy dancing along my fingertips. Staring the witch dead-on, I recited a spell, too. I didn’t want to kill her. I wanted answers. And it was hard to get answers from a dead woman.
My gaze flicked to the window. At my command, violent winds rushed inside the bedroom. The lights flickered overhead as a rush of soggy leaves swirled around us. Perfume bottles, photographs and pillows spun up around the room. And between the rattling of objects and the crackling thunder outside, it was hard to hear myself think.
Using the distraction to his advantage, Xander wrestled free from the witch’s magical hold. He spun on his heel, and he uncorked his rage. The objects swirling around the room came to a sudden halt and clanged to the floor. Not taking his eyes off his target, Xander’s chest swelled. With a curl of his lip, he revealed his sharp fangs. He wouldn’t drink from her. Witch’s blood made vampires violently ill. But he had enough time to rip her throat out before the symptoms set in.