Page 1 of Inherited Castles and Curses

Prologue

Forty Years Ago- 1986

Warren

The street lights flickered above me as I wandered the dark streets. I didn’t know what time it was, and I didn’t care. It was the end of summer before I was due to start my sophomore year of high school. At first, my parents tried to act like they cared and gave me a curfew, but I never listened. It wasn’t that I was a bad kid. I wanted to be home more than anything. Well, I wanted to be in my room reading a book. However, being in my room meant being in that house, where those horrible people lived. I knew I didn’t actually want to go home. I yearned to go to the welcoming, loving home I’d always imagined. Too bad it didn’t exist.

Unlike the house I was supposed to call home, the streets were mostly quiet except for the random passersby. I would give anything to go home and lie in my bed and read the newest volume of the paranormal vampire series I was reading, but I knew if I went home now, they’d still be awake.

My mom was awful, always screaming at me. It seemed nothing was ever good enough for her. So every night I’d suffer until dinner and then sneak out. Both my parents knew I was leaving and even tried to stop me a couple of times, but I refused to stay in there and listen to the horrible words that came out of her mouth. After a while, they just gave up.

“Griffie, please. I’m so thirsty.” The voice was high-pitched and needy, making me stop and turn toward its origin.

“Silas, you know drinking from one another is only really done between mates.” What? Did I hear that right? I must have been reading too many vampire books because images of white fangs dripping with crimson blood filled my mind.

“I know, Griffie, but I’m so thirsty, and the bags are so yucky. We aren’t mates, but we are besties; that’s practically the same thing. We even sleep in the same bed.”

A strange sensation bubbled up in my chest. I wanted to laugh, but I couldn't give myself away, so I held back. Needing to see what was going on, I crept slowly to the entrance of the alley where I heard the voices coming from.

The other voice was just as soft but deeper, almost soothing. I stood at the corner, making sure to keep myself hidden as well as possible, as I finally laid eyes on them. The voices that had captivated me belonged to two men who appeared to be in their mid-to-late twenties. It wasn’t just the words they said that intrigued me; something about them drew me in and held me captive.

“Okay, but only because I’m tired of hearing you complain about how disgusting bagged blood tastes for the past two hundred and fifty years.”

My whole body shivered with excitement, and I sank my teeth into my bottom lip to keep my mouth shut. Just as I began to convince myself, I heard him wrong. The taller man grabbed the blonde by the back of his neck and brought his mouth toward his neck. “Mmm, you’re going to taste so yummy, Griffie. Thank you.” My whole body burned with anticipation and shock when I saw his fangs elongate before he sank them into the taller man’s neck.

The one he called Griffie groaned in what sounded like pain, and my chest tightened. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Vampires were real, but even though I’d only known they existed for less than five minutes, I already knew that things were definitely not like in the movies. Not once had I ever seen a movie where vampires fed on one another unless it was to kill them. But the blonde vampire, whom I now knew was Silas, didn’t seem like he was going to kill Griffie. I heard him say they were best friends, which didn’t make sense if he were trying to kill him.

The pain in my chest worsened, and my head started pounding like never before. The pain was sharp and sudden, causing me to cry out in pain. My eyes slammed shut as I screamed from the onslaught. Just as quickly as it came, it suddenly vanished. By the time I managed to collect myself, I looked over, hoping to see my vampires still, but they were gone.

A laugh bubbled up out of my chest, and I couldn’t help but let it burst free. I felt overwhelmed, and all my senses were going haywire, but I also felt a peace and clarity I had never known before.

Vampires were real. I knew they were; I didn’t have proof, but I didn’t need it. I knew no one would ever believe me. They’d say it was fake and make a joke out of me. My parents would probably see this as their chance to get rid of me and have me committed. So I kept it to myself, burying it deep inside.

I had no idea why I wanted to find them. Any sane person would be gripped with fear and glad they got away, not the overwhelming urge to see them again. To know more about them. . . then again, I wasn’t like most people.

For the first time, as I walked home, I had hope. I wasn’t sure why vampires being real made me feel so much hope; it wasn’t like their existence was going to change my life or anything. I was still a loner, a sixteen-year-old with no friends and shitty parents. Even so, I felt like I’d been given a gift. Vampires being real was my special little secret, and I wouldn’t stop until I’d found them again.

Chapter one

Silas

Forty Years Later- Present Day

“Silas, please,” Griffin whined as I burrowed deeper under my blankets. He grumbled as my phone continued to ring on my nightstand, but I ignored him. My phone had been vibrating on my nightstand off and on for what felt like forever. Not even Griffin’s whines were enough to motivate me to turn it off. I didn’t want to move, and it would take a lot more from Griffin to make me.

Just as I thought my phone was finally going to stop, it started ringing again. Griffin’s hands were back on me immediately, attempting to shake me awake. “Silas. Please. Make it stop.” After a few seconds of me refusing to react, Griffin just sighed as I felt his weight press on top of me. For the few precious seconds Griffin was pressed against me, I felt a peacefulness settle inside me that only happened when he touched me. The second his touch was gone, I found myself wanting to disappear back into my blankets and ignore the world.

Almost three hundred years ago, when our coven was starting to grow, we had been cursed. Our previous coven master had decided to cross some old witch. Apparently, he did something horrible to her, and she decided to put a curse on our entire coven. Since we were immortal, vampire births were rare. When one of the surrounding covens had to dissolve, many of its members joined ours and found their mates. By some miracle that year, seven vampires in our coven were expecting a child. The witch had cackled when she realized we were expecting seven new vampires to be born into our coven. The witch must have had a sense of humor or something, because she cursed each child with one of the seven deadly sins. I had received the curse of the sin of sloth.

After cursing us, the scorned witch disappeared and was never seen again. We weren’t sure of the details of her curse and how long it was supposed to last, but I honestly didn’t care. Every fated pair that was expecting a child was furious with our coven master and even more appalled at what he’d done to the witch to piss her off. Our entire coven ganged up together and killed him. After that, we appointed a new coven master, and he’s led ever since. Coven Master Grant was an amazing leader and took care of all of us. We all saw him more as a grandfather than as a leader. We weren’t just a coven; we were a family, and that worked for us.

Due to the nature of the sin of sloth, I wasn’t like the others in my coven. They called me lazy and uncaring. I just wanted to play with my stuffies and cuddle with Griffie. Griffie was my best friend and the biggest pain in my ass. He was only a few years older than me, but we’d been inseparable since I was born.

My mother had worked in our coven’s nursery. Griffin was one of the children under her care when she was pregnant with me. He was only four years old when the witch cursed us. My mom told me how Griffie was sad and scared for me. He would ask my mom how I was, to the point of obsession. She always talked about her memories of Griffie touching her stomach while he talked to me fondly. When I was born, it was as if he had made it his own personal mission to always be by my side. From the moment I was born, Griffin had been my best friend.

Best friend. The words brought a familiar sadness to my chest. Best friends didn’t even begin to describe how I felt about Griffin. There was only one word I thought even came close to describing my love for Griffin. Mate. He was my whole world, and I wanted nothing more than for him to be my mate. As vampires, we were each blessed with a fated mate who is our perfect match. I never cared about finding my mate as others did. However, when Griffin touched me, it felt as if I’d been woken up and was no longer just drifting. In those moments, I found myself desperately wishing he could be my mate.

I was pulled from my wallowing when I heard Griffin answer my phone. “Hey, yeah, it’s Griffin. No, he’s not busy.”