Page 59 of Grayson’s Challenge

“Yeah, and Abel will reward us nicely for bringing you to him,” one of them said with a laugh.

It was the last thing he uttered. Grayson slammed his stake into the guy, while Hamish did the same to the other hostile vampire. Both dissolved into dust.

“Guess they weren’t innocent,” Grayson said dryly.

“Guess not,” Monique agreed. She looked at Hamish. “Am I invisible again?”

“Yep.” Hamish looked past her. “Logan’s group encountered some guards. They’re waiting for instructions.”

“Let’s go.”

Grayson took Monique’s hand as they continued their approach of the palace. She glanced at him from the side, but didn’t withdraw her hand. It looked like she was getting more comfortable with him now that the past was behind them.

From afar, he could now see two vampire guards, both armed, pacing up and down, looking toward the woods.

“I’ve never seen those two,” Monique whispered to him.

“You sure?”

“One hundred percent.”

Grayson motioned toward Logan, giving him the agreed sign indicating that the two vampires were hostiles. Logan nodded, then lifted his chin to Blake, who understood. A couple of seconds later, the two vampire guards turned into dust. Their guns and everything else made of metal dropped to the ground, one item hitting a stone, and making a sound that echoed in the night air.

Instinctively, Grayson looked over his shoulder, wondering how far the sound had carried, when he saw a man jumping down from the veranda of one of the cottages.

“Incoming,” he whispered to Monique and Hamish.

The vampire ran toward the spot where the two vampires had died only seconds earlier, while looking around frantically, peering into the dark.

Grayson grabbed him from behind, the blade of his silver knife at the man’s throat. “One move, and you’re dust.”

The vampire scoffed. “Go ahead! And give Abel a message from me: nobody hurts the royal family and gets away with it.”

Surprised at the words, Grayson looked over his shoulder. “Monique?”

She stepped in front of the man to look at him. “Oh, my God, that’s Robert. He’d never hurt my family.”

Grayson released him from his hold, and Robert whirled around, a panicked look on his face. “Where are you? Who are you?”

“Hamish, Logan,” Grayson ordered. “Make us visible.”

A second later, Robert stared right at him and Monique, gasping and taking a step back. “You’re real.” He shook his head. “I thought I was going crazy, when I saw the two guards turn to dust out of the blue.” He pointed to the spot where the two vampires had died.

“Robert, what’s going on here?” Monique asked.

“Abel’s people have taken over the palace. They killed a lot of the guards. I tried to run, to get help, but I was trapped. I hid in an old root cellar, waiting for an opportunity to escape, but there are just too many of them.”

“Have you seen my brothers?”

“No. I’m sorry.”

“Are there any others that are still loyal to my father?” Monique asked, her jaw looking tight, her body rigid.

“I think so. But they’re too scared that Abel’s men will kill their families if they rise up,” Robert replied. Suddenly, Robert looked past Grayson, and his eyes widened. “They’ll see us! Quickly!”

Grayson looked over his shoulder and saw two guards walk along the road, patrolling.

“They won’t,” Logan said and looked directly at Robert. “We’re all invisible, including you.”