He focused and got his work done, saving the books he wanted to look at more closely as a reward.
He was nearly done when Fletcher knocked again.
Constantin had left the door slightly ajar. Fletcher’s knocking had opened it farther. He shelved the book in his hand before giving Fletcher his attention.
“Just wanted to say good night.”
Constantin looked at his watch. It was six o’clock already. “Have a good night. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes, sir.” He left through the back door.
Constantin waited for the snick of the lock, then walked out to the shop floor. It was neat and orderly, just the way he liked it. The shelves were dusted, and the lightbulb had been changed. Constantin nodded approvingly. Fletcher was a hard worker and did whatever he was asked to do. Good qualities, both.
Constantin had hired him because he was a fellow vampire and loved books. But he was also a young vampire, which meant he looked up to Constantin.
That part was less than desirable. Constantin didn’t want to be anyone’s mentor, but he could see the eagerness in Fletcher’s gaze at times. It wore on Constantin a little. Made him occasionally short-tempered.
But Fletcher wasn’t a bad employee. Constantin was just a particular man. Some would say he had quirks or eccentricities. Some would say he was prickly. Or difficult. He’d heard all those things whispered about town. Knew they were true, too. But the knowledge of something did not equate to the need for change.
He was nearly two hundred years old. He was who he was, and he was comfortable with that. Perhaps comfortable wasn’t the right word, but he was settled in his ways.
Ways that didn’t make him the most popular vampire in town, but who cared? He had his family, such as they were, and his books. And Chloe.
Not everyone could be the life of the party like his brother, Valentino. Constantin planted his hands on the counter and stared out at the street. Even his brother’s name meant strong. How could anyone compete with that?
They couldn’t, that’s how. And Constantin didn’t want to.
But deep down inside, Constantin sometimes wondered what it would be like to be a bright, glittering star instead of a serviceable bulb.
His brother owned Club 42, the jazz club in town, and was treated like a local celebrity. In a town like Shadowvale, that was a remarkable feat. There was no shortage of interesting people in this hamlet.
But Valentino was one of those people who drew others to him like a moth to flame. He had all the charm and charisma and glamour that a vampire was supposed to have. The man probably hadn’t picked up a book in a hundred years. Or more. And yet everyone wanted to be his friend.
Constantin’s shoulders tensed. He forced himself to relax. So what if Valentino was everything Constantin wasn’t? Why should that matter? It didn’t.
Except for when Constantin felt those despicable, unexplainable pangs of jealousy.
Why did he feel that way? He didn’t want Valentino’s life. He really didn’t. It was chaotic and messy and spur-of-the-moment living. All things Constantin loathed.
Order, self-control, moderation. Those were qualities of a life well-lived.
But there was something about Valentino’s life that Constantin wanted to experience just once. The perfect casualness of it, maybe. No, that wasn’t quite right. It was the underlying current of energy that made his older brother seem kissed by providence.
Things—good things—just fell into Valentino’s lap. He didn’t try to accomplish anything. It just happened.
Constantin, on the other hand, had to work at life. He wasn’t complaining. His life was good. He was an immortal vampire, after all. And he enjoyed what he did very much.
But Valentino had it all. A thriving business, a horde of friends, more women than he could count.
Constantin snorted out a laugh. Who was he kidding? That sounded dreadful.
Mostly. No, it was dreadful. Well, some of it was.
Books were all he needed. His smile faded as he walked back to his office. Maybe not all, but books didn’t judge or lie or require anything more than a little of his time.
His gaze returned to the books that had just arrived.
He picked up the one about insane asylums and carried it back to the front counter, then he settled onto the tall leather barstool behind the register so he could keep an eye on the shop. He’d be open until nine to catch the evening crowd, then head home for a late supper and possibly a movie.
Chloe would curl up next to him, no doubt. That was all the company, female or otherwise, that he generally required.
He put the book in his lap. Perhaps he’d forgo the movie for more reading, depending on how interesting this book turned out to be.
Another glance toward the street told him he wasn’t likely to have any customers for a while. It was the dinner hour. Fine with him. An empty shop was a chance to read.
He opened the book, curious to see if it could hold his interest. The spine creaked with age, and the pages were far more foxed than the Sherlock Holmes book. Then a large plume of violet smoke burst forth from the pages.
Constantin jumped out of his seat, throwing the book onto the counter. “What in the blazes?”
The smoke funneled through the store and began to take form on the other side of the counter.
Constantin stared at it, trying to make sense of what he was seeing.
A form. A female one.
A short, curvy woman with a mass of honey-blond curls and as best as he could tell, bright violet eyes. She was dressed in ripped jeans, a tank top sporting a picture of a cat in sunglasses, and a worn leather jacket.
She didn’t seem to have noticed him yet, as she’d come into being facing the side of the shop and not the counter.
She patted herself down. “I’m out. I’m finally out. Halle-freaking-lujah.” She turned and saw him. “Hey.”
“Hello,” he answered. For all the questions swirling through his head, he couldn’t find the words to voice any of them.
“You opened the book, huh?”
“I did.” Her accent was faintly British, and she looked to be in her late twenties or early thirties. That wasn’t much to go on. “Who are you?”
“Thank you for that.” She raised her hands in triumph. “I can’t believe I’m finally out. Oh man, that was brutal.” She looked around. “Where am I?”
“The Gilded Page,” he answered, hoping she’d soon provide him with some answers of her own.
“What’s that?”
“My bookstore.”
“Huh. Out of a book into a bookstore.” She shook her head. “Man, I can’t believe she really did it.”
“Who did what?”
The woman tucked a loose tendril of curls behind her ear. “What year is it?”
“Can you please tell me who you are? And why you were in that book?” Magic abounded in Shadowvale, and strange things happened all the time. That didn’t mean he wasn’t entitled to answers. He sighed. “It’s 2019.”
Her mouth fell open. “Are you kidding me?”
“No.” Great Scott, she was terrible at answering questions.
“A whole freaking year. That little—”
“Where did you come from? And who are you?”
She narrowed her eyes at him. “Are you daft? Or did you really not see me come out of that book?”
He straightened, frowning. “I am not daft. I saw smoke come out of the book. Clearly, that smoke was you. But one doesn’t start out in a book, in my experience. Unless the jinn have given up on bottles and lamps. And you don’t look like any jinn I’ve ever seen.”
Her brows lifted, pinching together. “Oh good, I ended up with a Rhodes Scholar.” She sighed. “Yeah, I was in the book, but I didn’t start out there.”
He briefly squeezed the bridge of his nose. “Whatever your situation, I am not the reason for your predicament. Neither you nor your attitude are required here, so feel free to leave.”
“I don’t
have an attitude.” She crossed her arms, causing the leather jacket to squeak slightly. “And I can’t.”
“Can’t what?”
“Leave.”
“Why not?”
She dropped her arms to her sides, looking rather forlorn. “You opened the book. I’m sorry to say you’re stuck with me.”
He stared at her. “What? I don’t want you. I-I-I don’t even know who you are!”
She shrugged. “Don’t blame me, blame my sister. She’s the one who cursed me into that book to begin with.”
Chapter Two
“One thing at a time,” the man said. “Who are you?”
“Andromeda Merriweather.” She made herself smile. She needed this guy to like her. A lot. So she had to be on her best behavior. Which meant she needed to chill the snappy comebacks. That wasn’t going to be easy, but at least she knew that much about herself. If only she could curb her impulsive side. “But everyone calls me Andi.”
“Why were you in the book?”
“Because my sister cursed me into it.” For reasons that Andi wasn’t about to go into. Not with the man who held the key to her freedom. Fortunately, he was cute, in that brainy professor kind of way. That would make this a little easier.
He didn’t seem particularly moved by what she’d shared. “I take it my opening the book released you, but I don’t understand why you can’t leave.”
“My sister is a bit of a…practical joker, I guess you could say. She built some stipulations into the curse that bind me to the book.”
“A practical joker?”
“Yes. For example…” Andi tried to get a better look at the book on the counter. “What’s the title of the book I was in? Something with crazy people, am I right? Because it was bananapants in there, let me tell you.”
One of the muscles in his jaw jumped. It was a very attractive jaw, square and stern and bitable. Not that Andi was remotely interested in this guy for anything more than what it’d take to get her freedom back. He seemed a little uptight. Which was so not her type. Cassi would love this guy, though. Too bad for her.
He closed the book and showed her. “The Hidden History of Insane Asylums in 19th Century Europe.”
“Just a little light reading, then. Oh, that is so like Cassi.” Andi nearly growled at her sister’s nonsense. “I’m sure she thought that was hilarious.” And not a book anyone was likely to open in a long time. Except for this guy, who obviously thought it sounded interesting. What did that say about him, exactly? Not much. Unless being the conductor of the Snoozetown Express was something to be proud of.
“Cassi is your sister, I take it?”
“Yes. My older sister. Older and grouchier. You’d probably love her.” She looked around. She was in a bookstore, that much they’d established. And a very nice one, by all appearances. “Great store. Do you own this place?”
“Thank you, I do.”
She glanced at him. “Who are you, by the way?”
“Constantin Thibodeaux.”
She smiled broadly. “Nice to meet you, Constantin. Vampire, right?”
“Yes.”
“The fangs kind of give it away.” She laced her hands together in front of her. “I’m a sprite. In case you were wondering.”
He peered at her. “Don’t sprites have wings?”
“Of course. Can’t you see mine?” She glanced over her shoulder. There was nothing there. Panic ripped through her. She turned pointlessly, trying to see better. “Are you freaking kidding me? She took my wings?”
She reached for the chain around her neck and the vial that it held, the vial she stored her wings in when she needed to pass as human. It was gone. Andi’s ire leveled up.
“Can you get back to the part about why you can’t leave?”
“No, I can’t,” she snapped. “My wings are gone. Gone. Along with the magical vial I keep them in. Do you understand what that means? No, of course not, because you’re a vampire. Well, my wings are everything. The source of my magic. My mode of transportation.” She was trembling with anger and disbelief, all while a knot twisted up her insides. Her wings were everything. “I can’t believe she would do that to me. And all because of—”
She stopped before she let too much out. Certain details were better kept close to the vest at the moment. She wrapped her arms around herself as her anger turned to self-pity. Her sister had screwed her royally. First the book, now this. Cassi was clearly a lot madder than Andi had expected her to be. Madder than she’d ever been before, and that was saying something.
“I’m sorry about your wings.”
She looked up, surprised to see genuine concern in his eyes. He’d seemed rather cold until this moment. But maybe that had just been shock. Wasn’t every day a woman popped out of a book. She sniffed. “Thanks.”
“You’re welcome. Are you going to be okay?”
“I have no idea. Nothing like this has ever happened to me before.” More concern from Mr. Ice In His Veins. Well, it was better than her blood. Which caused a new alarm to go off inside her. She stepped back. “Hey, you’re not going to, like, try to have me for dinner or anything, are you?”
One of his brows cocked up. “Calm down, sprite. In this town, the needs of my kind are met by a regular delivery service.”
She took a breath. Crisis averted. “Good to know. So what town is this?”
“Shadowvale.”
“Never heard of it.”
“I wouldn’t expect you to have. It’s purposefully hidden to protect its citizens.” He narrowed his eyes. “Again, you’re free to leave, but I should tell you that this isn’t a town like most.”
“That’s great, but like I said, I can’t leave. I’m stuck with you. You’re stuck with me. However you want to put it, we’re in this together. At least until I can get my freedom, once and for all.”
He put his hands on the counter between them. “Explain.”
“As I’ve told you, my sister cursed me into that book, but the curse doesn’t end there. Unless…” Andi had to do some quick thinking. If she told him what Cassi had told her about what it would take to get free, this guy would turn tail and run. What guy wouldn’t? “Okay, here’s the thing. If I don’t get the man who released me from the book to kiss me three times, I’ll be sent back into the book for eternity.”
At least the part about being stuck in the book for eternity was true. Cassi must really have been beyond furious to put such a stipulation in the curse.
“And what if the book had been opened by a woman?”
“Not a possibility. My sister specified that in the curse.”
Constantin frowned, then snorted. “I’m not kissing you. I don’t even know you.”
She maintained her cool. “Fair enough, but I’m not asking for a box from Tiffany’s and a white picket fence here. Just three kisses.”
“Just three kisses. So one, two, three, and you’re free? That seems awfully easy.” His mouth bent with practiced skepticism. “Did my brother put you up to this? Is this some kind of game he’s playing?”
“I have no idea who your brother is, and no, it’s not just three kisses.” She needed time with him, or this was never going to work. “It’s three kisses, but they can’t be one right after the other. One every forty-eight hours. And you have to give them to me. I can’t kiss you. So you have to want to kiss me. Got it?”
She wanted to pat herself on the back. That was brilliant. A kiss every two days would give her six days with him. That was plenty of time to work her magical charm on him. Even without wings. Which she was going to kill her sister for when she saw her next. If her wings didn’t come back when she earned her freedom, that was. If they did come back, all would be well.
Okay, not well. But Andi would be in a much better place with wings than without.
He was staring at her. Thinking, maybe. But the quiet combined with the hard glower was unnerving.
She held on to her smile as best she could. “Any other questions?”
>
“No. Not interested.”
She gaped at him. “You opened the book. You don’t have a choice. I don’t have a choice.”
“I’m sorry for you, but I’m not interested.”
She’d have to sweet-talk him. “Connie, look—”
“My name is Constantin.”
“Right, sorry, Constantin.” Note to self, touchy vampire was touchy. “If you don’t help me, I’m going to end up stuck in that book for eternity. You, of all immortal beings, should understand the gravity of that.” She moved closer, looking desperate without much effort. “Please. That book is terrifying. I don’t belong in a book like that. I don’t belong in any book, but certainly not that one.”
He glanced at the book. “No, I suppose not.”
“Just help me. Six days, three kisses, and I’m out of your hair.” His dark brown hair, which looked unfairly thick and gleamed with the kind of highlights most women paid a fortune to achieve.
He frowned. “No. I understand your predicament, but there’s got to be another way to get you free of the book. Listen, there’s a bed-and-breakfast down by the park. You should be able to get a room there. Then you can come back to the shop in the morning, and I’ll call some of the witches in town, see if they know how to—”
“Yeah, that’s not going to work. The bed-and-breakfast part anyway.” She laughed. He really didn’t get it. “When I said I can’t leave you, I really meant it. I’m stuck to you until I’m free. Stuck as in genuinely attached. Like, I don’t think I can get farther than a hundred feet from you. So it really behooves you to help me since we’re in this together.”
A slight look of terror brightened his eyes. “That can’t possibly be true. What kind of monster would build a curse like that?”
“Remember the part where I mentioned my sister?”
He growled softly. “I refuse to be saddled with you. With this. It’s nonsense.”
Saddled? What was she, a horse? She bit her tongue and stayed on track. “It’s also too late. You opened the book. The die, as they say, is cast.”
He pointed at her. “Go to the front of the store and stand by the door.”
She humored him. Some people had to see things to believe them. Although a vampire should know better, but maybe this guy was just a natural-born skeptic. Some intellectuals were like that, and he definitely struck her as an intellectual. She walked away from him, then waved from the shop’s entrance. “Good enough?”
The Vampire's Cursed Kiss (Shadowvale Book 2) Page 2