by L. Danvers
He flashed a smile. “You look amazing.”
“Thanks.” I flushed.
“Are you ready to head out?”
“Yep.” I locked the door behind me and hooked my arm around his. Placing my palm on his robe-covered bicep as we walked down the hall, I asked, “What, no broomstick?”
“It’s being repaired, I’m afraid. You’ll have to settle for my truck tonight.”
We took our time heading downstairs but picked up our pace when we stepped outside the building. There was a sharp chill outside. The wind whistled as it passed, and I wondered if I should have grabbed a coat. But Bellamy assured me there would be plenty of heaters at the party. I’d assumed we’d be partying inside the remains of the castle, but apparently it served as more of a photo op.
We crossed the parking lot, passing under the flickering yellow light from one of the streetlamps. Bellamy led me to his 1978 blue and white GMC Sierra and opened up the passenger door, and I slid inside. His truck was surprisingly clean and carried the lingering traces of the rich, musky cologne he wore.
“Want to pick out some music?” Bellamy asked as he climbed inside and clicked his seatbelt. He gestured toward his phone, which was sitting on the bench seat between us. “I have some playlists on there if you’re interested. Or you can pick out whatever you want.”
I wasn’t a big music person myself. At least, I wasn’t interested in anything current. I probably couldn’t even name one of the top ten artists right now. But, curious about what sort of songs my date listened to, I tapped on the icon on his phone and began perusing. He’d mentioned liking country the other night. I found an album cover of a dude with a cowboy hat. I figured I couldn’t go wrong with that—after all, he’d put together the playlist.
“So, have you been to Crescent Cape before?” he asked.
Scalp prickling, I shook my head. “Isn’t that the place where the vampires lived?” I’d heard bits and pieces about it. According to what I’d overheard from my coworkers, Crescent Cape—and other vampire kingdoms—had been magically veiled from the human world. But years ago, the boundaries fell, exposing the supernatural world. I wasn’t sure if I bought into all of that supernatural stuff. Maybe it was because my memories were still foggy from that period of my life. But, even so, you’d think I’d remember being told vampires existed.
“The vampires don’t live there anymore,” he quickly pointed out. “It’s perfectly safe.”
I studied him quizzically, thinking. Cocking my head to the side, I asked, “Is this where you take all of your dates? There really is a party, right? You’re not secretly a vampire, are you?” I narrowed my eyes, but I was unable to hold back my laughter. Madison was coming tonight, too, with her own date, so I knew the party was legit.
“I promise I don’t bite,” he winked. “And I came to the Halloween party last year—with Nathaniel, if you were wondering.”
“So, you and Madison’s brother have known each other for a while then?”
“Ever since Kindergarten,” he said. “And when my parents died, the Kents took me in. Madison’s like a sister to me. A very annoying sister,” he said jokingly.
“I’m sorry about your parents.”
“You mentioned you were adopted?”
I nodded. “I don’t know anything about my birth parents. My mom and dad—the Addingtons, I mean—adopted me as a baby.” A line formed between my brows as I thought of them, wondering when I’d last spoken to them. But the thought quickly vanished. Starting to shiver, I hugged my arms around myself. Bellamy must have noticed because he promptly cranked the heat up. “Thanks.” Curious to learn more about my date, I asked, “So, what made you decide to open a bar?”
Bellamy shrugged. “It was Nathaniel’s dream. I majored in business, and he majored in—well, partying, mostly.” He laughed. “But in all seriousness, we make a good team.”
“That’s nice that you get to work with your best friend.”
“Yeah, it is.”
“What about you? How long have you been working at the Sunny Side Grille?”
I thought about that for a moment. Weirdly, I didn’t know the exact answer to that. “Not long.”
“You and Madison seem to have hit it off,” he said.
“Yeah, she’s kind of taken me under her wing,” I answered. “I’m still not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing.” I laughed. Just then, my phone rang. “Speaking of Madison,” I said to him, holding my phone so that he could read Madison’s name on the screen. I answered it. “Hey, what’s up?”
“Where are you guys?” Madison shouted over the noise in the background. The music was blaring so loud that I had to turn down the volume on my phone before I answered. “I keep texting you, but you haven’t been texting me back.”
I glanced at my phone again and realized that I had, in fact, missed a few messages from her. Oops. “We’re on our way,” I answered. “I don’t think it’ll be that much longer. I’ll text you when we get there.”
“Good. Because my date’s already plastered, and I caught him sticking his tongue down Daenerys’s throat.”
“Who?”
She huffed. “Grace, I swear. Sometimes it’s like you’re from another planet. Just get here as fast as you can, okay?”
She hung up before I could answer. Bellamy chuckled to himself. “Boy drama?”
“You heard...”
“Typical Madison.” He shook his head. “Ah,” he said, pointing ahead, “there’s the turn.” He took a sharp right, leading us up the mountainside. I felt a slight shiver along my spine as we drove along the winding stretch of road, passing a sign that said: NOW CROSSING THE BOUNDARY INTO CRESCENT CAPE. It wasn’t one of those official blue or green signs. This one had been made by hand—by a talented artist, to be fair. The top right corner of the sign looked like a chunk had been bitten out of it, and the whole sign was splattered with red paint that looked like blood. I frowned, suddenly filled with unease.
“What did you think when you first heard about all this?” Bellamy asked, gesturing vaguely with his right hand.
I didn’t remember anything from the time of the raids. Or anything about the supernatural war. I still questioned sometimes whether Madison had been messing with me. I don’t know why it hadn’t occurred to me to look into it more myself... But rather than going into the whole memory gap thing, I told him exactly what I felt when I overheard Madison and some of our co-workers talking about vampires for the first time. “After the initial shock, I was revolted by all the vampire books I read as a teen. You know, romanticizing the leading men as heroes instead of fearing them. It’s a weird phenomenon, isn’t it? The whole vampire craze.”
Bellamy pursed his lips in amusement. With an arch of his left eyebrow, he said, “Don’t tell me were a fan of—”
I lifted a hand to silence him. “Don’t even start,” I said with a laugh.
He just shook his head.
Soon, we reached the top of the mountain. I let out a little gasp as we began our descent. Ahead, I spotted the remains of the castle—from what I’d gathered, there had been a massive fire on the night of the first raid, the night this place was first discovered, yet no deaths had been reported. The impressive structure still stood, though, and I marveled at the sight of it. If I didn’t know better, I’d think I was on some abandoned-castle tour in Europe, not here on the coast of Maine. It was both beautiful and terrifying.
It was hard to wrap my head around the whole thing. What had become of the supernaturals who lived there? Where were they now?
Wild grass and weeds overtook the vast lands surrounding the castle. Though, by the looks of it, a large portion had been mowed down for tonight’s event. Seemingly endless rows of cars were parked in the grass. But the cleared land beside it had been transformed into what I could only describe as a faerie wonderland. Hundreds of garlands of lights had been strung around the perimeter of the sectioned-off plot, and massive bonfires illuminated the scene like torches
against the night. My mouth fell open.
“Crazy, isn’t it?” Bellamy said, glancing over at me briefly.
“That’s an understatement. I had no idea this Halloween party was such a big thing.”
“Oh, you have no idea,” he assured me. “It’s epic.”
After spending what seemed like forever waiting in the car line to find a parking spot, we were finally there. Even from the truck, I could feel the vibrations of the speakers blasting music up ahead. Bellamy hopped out of the truck and came over the passenger side. He opened the door for me and offered me his hand, and I eagerly took it. His hand was strong, his skin rough.
Together, we hurried through the maze of cars. While the wind had died down, it was still quite cold. And when Bellamy wrapped his arm around my waist, I eagerly nuzzled against him as we walked, appreciating his warmth.
The place smelled of booze and burning wood. I lifted my gaze as I drew in a long breath, and when I did, I noticed a trail of lanterns along a stone bridge leading up to the entrance of the castle. I thought the party was outside, but I could make out several silhouettes in front of the grand, gothic structure. Craning my neck to get a better view, I asked, “Wait—can people go inside?”
“Of course,” he said, and he squeezed his arm around me a little tighter. “Let’s go check it out.”
Grace
A couple dressed as a vampire and his bride were perched on the stone steps leading up to the castle. The guy puffed some smoke out in our direction before handing his cigarette to the girl beside him. As we reached the top step, I lifted my chin. A shudder rushed through me as I gaped at the massive stained-glass window on the exterior of the castle, towering overhead. I scrunched my eyebrows together. Some of the glass had shattered, but you could make out a splash of red. A wave, maybe? “What’s that supposed to be?”
Bellamy shook his head. “Some people think it’s a cape. I think it represents blood, though.”
A lump formed in my throat. “Oh.”
“Are you okay?” His tone was thick with concern. “We can leave if you want.”
“No, I’d like to see it.”
So, we passed through the sizable oak doors and entered. The place had an almost sad hollowness to it. Whatever possessions had once filled the entryway were now gone. My gaze dragged from the scorched floor to the staircase, which was still intact. And I found myself walking upstairs. A group of giggling teenage girls came stumbling downstairs, sloshing their cups as they headed down, their knees bobbing all the while. I stepped aside to let them pass before continuing.
“It’s hard to believe vampires lived here,” Bellamy observed.
“Have you ever seen one?”
“No. At least, I don’t think so. From what I understand, they look human.” He shivered. “That’s what makes them so scary. You expect monsters to, well, look like monsters. But they don’t. Nathaniel claims to have seen one once. He said he saw one feeding on someone in an alley.”
“You don’t believe him?”
He shrugged. “I don’t know what to believe. He had been drinking that night, and it was dark. For all I know, it could have been two people making out.”
“I thought they weren’t supposed to feed out in the open anyway.”
“They’re not. But who says they follow the rules?”
“Good point.”
As we went upstairs, I hooked a left. For whatever reason, I found myself drawn to a particular room like it was somehow familiar to me. Though of course, it wasn’t. Heart pounding, I pressed the handle and opened the door. Upon entering, I released a pent-up breath. I wasn’t sure what I’d been expected to find. It was empty, just as the rest of the castle had been. “You’ve been here before?” I asked Bellamy. “Inside the castle?”
He nodded. “Yeah. There’s a dungeon downstairs if you’d like to see that.”
I grimaced. “I don’t know about that.” I crossed the room and gazed outside the window, past my reflection. Even from here, I could hear the beat of the song the DJ was blasting. It was kind of morbid to host a party here—who knew how many innocent souls the vampires had killed here? But it was Halloween.
Past the party on the lawn, past the line of trees, I spotted the water that bordered this land. It was a strangely beautiful sight. I glanced over my shoulder at Bellamy, admiring the way he looked in the blueish glow of the moonlight. He stuffed his hands in his pockets and hung back by the doorway, smiling while I stalked the room’s perimeter, trailing my fingers along the wall as I did so. A fluttering sensation danced along my fingertips, and I felt a jolt of energy. I quickly jerked my hand away.
“Grace?”
I shook my head, trying to snap myself out of pondering whatever that was that I’d felt. “Sorry, I thought I felt a spider.”
“Maybe we should head back outside. Madison’s probably freaking out that we’re not there yet.”
I hugged my arms around myself. “Yeah, I think that’s a good idea,” I said, catching up to him. “So, what was the dungeon like?” I asked, making conversation as we headed back downstairs.
“As creepy as you’d imagine,” he chuckled.
“Do you think they kept humans down there? Like to feed on?”
“No one knows for sure. Other kingdoms had blood slaves, so it would make sense that the vampires that lived here would have, too. There were some mass graves found not too far from here.”
“Geez.”
“It’s still hard to wrap my head around.”
“I know what you mean,” I admitted. We were halfway down the stairs now, and while part of me wanted to go catch up with Madison, the other part of me was still fascinated by this place. “Anything else interesting here?”
“Not really. Well, that’s not true. There’s a tunnel system beneath the castle. Or, there was one. It’s sealed off now.”
I stopped in my tracks. “Seriously? A tunnel system? Where did it lead?”
“To Quarter Square.”
“Quarter Square?” I repeated.
“Yeah, it’s the neighboring town. It explains a lot. I mean, there had been a large number of mysterious deaths there over the years.” He looked at me, eyebrow raised. “You’ve heard about all of this before, haven’t you?”
What was I supposed to say? I couldn’t tell him that I was missing years of memories. He’d think I was crazy. So, I stretched the truth. “I try to avoid watching the news.”
He laughed at that. “I don’t blame you.”
Once we were back outside, we hurriedly crossed the stone bridge and headed for the party.
Bellamy pulled aside a portion of the lights that surrounded the sectioned-off area, and I stepped through. There were hundreds of people there, all in costumes. Most of the girls were scantily clad, but I spotted one girl in a taco costume, and I couldn’t help but nod at her in appreciation. Plenty of the partygoers were dancing, though some had pulled aside to chat around the perimeter.
Dizzying, colorful lights shone from the stage. The DJ threw his arm up in the air to the beat of the music before grabbing the microphone and shouting, “Who’s having a good time tonight?” The crowd roared in response, arms flailing and cups rising in the air.
I glanced back over my shoulder at the castle. I wondered what the vampires who had once lived there would think of humans partying on their lands. What if they were here now—in the crowd? Everyone was in costumes. No one would ever suspect a thing...
I shook my head, pushing those thoughts away. This was a party. I was here to have fun.
“Hey, is that her?” Bellamy asked, pointing ahead.
A girl in a nurse outfit walked by taking a swig from a red cup, and I quickly recognized her. “Madison!” I yelled. But she couldn’t hear me. I pulled out my phone and texted her, and Bellamy and I waited in amusement for her to check her phone. Soon, she spun around and spotted us. “Finally!” she said. Then she stopped short. “What are you two wearing?” Her face scrunched up into a judgmental
scowl.
“Can you believe it?” Bellamy asked, proudly brushing his mop of curly brown hair away from his face. “We didn’t even plan it.”
Madison blinked her thick lashes and feigned a wide-eyed smile. “Wow. Cool, guys.”
“I’m sorry about Tad,” I offered, referring to her scumbag of a date.
“It’s his loss,” she said matter-of-factly. “And anyway, I already found another cute guy. Nathaniel’s girlfriend introduced me to her friend Drew. Super hot.” She fluttered her lashes, fanning herself. “Would it be totally rude of me to go back and chat him up? I was just going to get a refill,” she said, dangling her empty cup in front of her.
“Drew didn’t offer to refill it for you?” Bellamy asked incredulously.
“Don’t be so old fashioned, Bellamy. I’m perfectly capable of refilling my own cup.”
Bellamy just shook his head.
“Go on,” I said to her. “Have fun.”
Bouncing on her heels, she smiled and gave a toodle-oo sort of wave before heading in the direction of one of the kegs.
“So,” Bellamy said, offering me his hand. I quickly took it, smiling broadly. “Would you care to dance?”
BELLAMY AND I SPENT the next two hours drinking and dancing the night away. Eventually, though, we grew tired of that and decided to set out on a walk. While there was one trail of lanterns leading to the castle, there was another trail that led straight to the water. We decided to go check it out.
I couldn’t believe how easy and effortless things were with him. I felt like I’d known him forever.