He didn’t love her anymore, he was sure of that. But the pain he was feeling told him he still felt something. A longing for what might have been, maybe? Or a reminder that this was the woman who’d heartlessly changed her mind about marrying him?
Either way, he no longer wanted to be in the club. All the fun he and Andromeda had been having vaporized like a drop of water on a hot griddle.
Andromeda’s hand tightened on his thigh, bringing his attention back to the woman at his side. “Hey,” she said softly. “Don’t let her own you.”
He frowned and shook his head, unable to find the words to express what was going on inside.
Andromeda turned to put herself into his line of sight a little more, which also blocked some of his ability to see Miranda, but he still couldn’t take his eyes off the stage. “Do you still love her?”
Finally, he looked at Andromeda. Really looked at her. She was just as beautiful as Miranda, but in a much more natural way. Miranda’s beauty was manufactured and required a lot of upkeep, something he knew from his years with her. She also had the unnatural benefit of being a vampire. Her beauty had a razor-sharp edge to it.
Andromeda’s beauty was a carefree thing. Wild and easy, and it seemed very much who she was every day. Without trying.
Her brows lifted a little. “Well, do you?”
“No.”
“Then what’s upsetting you? Your eyes are shooting sparks, and if your fangs get any longer, I might have to sit somewhere else.”
He bent his head and closed his eyes for a moment as he pulled himself back from the brink of his emotions, tried to regain some control. When he raised his head, he asked, “Better?”
“Much.” She sighed. “If this is too much for you, we should go.”
“That’s exactly what I want to do.”
“Then let’s—”
“But that’s what the old me wants to do.” He fought the urge to storm out. But that would cause a scene. And Miranda would know she’d won, in some way. “So we stay.”
Respect and perhaps a little sympathy gleamed in her gaze. He was okay with that. Sympathy was something he usually got only from his mother and sisters. “You’re sure?”
“I am. If we leave, she’ll see us go and…” He glanced at the stage, where Miranda was sashaying from one end to the other, belting out the kind of sweet words that made her betrayal that much more bitter.
“And she’ll know she got to you,” Andromeda finished.
He nodded slowly. “Yes. And that would be worse than what I’m enduring.”
“I agree. And I think staying is the way to go. Now she’ll see how happy and content you are with another woman. I’m proud of you. I know it’s tough.” Andromeda smiled as she picked up her champagne for another sip.
“It is. But I need to focus on the outcome I’m after.” He joined her, lifting his brandy and drinking. The liquid burned a pleasant trail down his throat, soothing some of the pain Miranda had caused. But that wasn’t true. The brandy had done nothing. It was Andromeda who’d done the soothing.
And she was far more intoxicating.
She snuggled closer to him. He buried his nose in the top of her curls, inhaling the delicious scent of her. That was what a lover would do, wasn’t it?
Zane returned to check on them. “How are you two doing? What else can I get for you?”
Constantin looked at Andromeda. “Do you need anything, my love?”
Her grin was instant and knowing. Her eyes stayed on him as she answered, “I have everything I need.”
“Great,” Zane said. “Just let me know if you do.”
Miranda’s song ended, and the crowd greeted her with applause. Constantin and Andromeda joined in, but not with any great enthusiasm.
She sang two more songs, during which Andromeda got even closer and was especially attentive. She fed him some grapes, made him refill her champagne flute, then made him taste the cheese she liked best, nudged him twice to point out someone interesting in the crowd, which was then followed by a snarky little comment that inevitably made him laugh.
All while touching him in some way.
He understood what she was doing, or at least he thought he did. Either way, she made an excellent distraction, and as Miranda’s first set drew to a close, the initial gut-punch he’d felt had diminished to a minor stomachache.
Valentino’s arrival at their table was no surprise, other than Constantin had thought he would have come by sooner. “How are you two enjoying your evening?”
“Good,” Constantin replied. No need to be gushy.
That wasn’t a satisfactory answer for Valentino, naturally. “Miranda sounds great tonight, don’t you think?”
Constantin nodded, fighting the urge to disparage her and knowing that was what the old him would do.
Thankfully, Andromeda stepped up. “The acoustics in your club would make a screech owl sound operatic. Miranda should give a big thank-you to whoever designed this place.”
Constantin almost snorted. Valentino had designed the club, so there was no way he’d contradict Andromeda, but that wasn’t doing Miranda any favors either. Watching him squirm was something brand-new and wholly captivating.
Valentino finally gave her a curt smile. “Well, thank you.”
Then he turned and walked away.
Constantin released the sharp laugh he’d been holding back. “He designed this place.”
“I figured that,” Andromeda said. “He seems like just enough of a control freak to have a hand in everything.”
Constantin let out a long, contented sigh. “I adore you.”
She raised her eyes to him, and her expression looked oddly hopeful. “You do?”
He nodded. “You’ve made this night not only bearable but enjoyable. And you stopped me from making a fool of myself by walking out.”
She shrugged, her expression still bright and buoyant. “I’m really happy that I could do that for you.” She paused, glancing away for a moment. “After all, you’re the man who’s going to give me my freedom. I need to keep you happy.”
Chapter Ten
She shouldn’t have said that, but the words had slipped out before she could stop them. She was always most truthful when she was particularly moved, and Con had certainly moved her with his heartfelt words.
He kept smiling. “I don’t think you have to worry about that.”
She almost exhaled in relief that he hadn’t read more into it.
He was such a good guy. So honest and straight up, despite how he’d been hurt. Or maybe that had pushed him to become this way.
She wasn’t sure if that was the only reason he was the way he was, but she liked him regardless. She liked all of him, actually. Even his prickly side. Which wasn’t showing itself quite as much since they’d had the chat on the sidewalk.
Liking him still remained a dangerous proposition for her, but something new had become abundantly clear. There was no way for her to get out of this situation without him getting hurt, and that bothered her more than it ever had before in her life.
She’d left a lot of guys. Broken a lot of hearts. And never given any of them this kind of thought or consideration.
She’d always figured those guys had broken a lot of hearts themselves before they’d gotten to her, so a dose of their own medicine wasn’t such a bad thing.
Maybe even a life lesson they’d learn from.
But Con was the broken one in this situation. And she couldn’t bear to put him through that again. If he was indeed falling for her.
Maybe it was time to let her real light shine. Her self-absorbed, the world-revolves-around-me light. But if she did that, and she wasn’t even sure she could be that way with him, she ran the risk of him not falling in love with her and not saving her from getting stuck in that wretched book for the rest of her years.
There was no easy path here. Which was probably the exact kind of challenge Cassi had hoped for.
But then Andi remembe
red something he’d said. “Con?”
He set his brandy down. “Yes?”
“You said something in the shop about talking to one of the witches in town to see if they could help with my curse. Do you think you could still do that?”
“Of course. I’d be happy to. In fact, I could slip out and make that call right now.”
“Really?”
He smiled. “It would be my pleasure.”
“Thank you.”
“Be right back.”
She grabbed his hand as he started to slide out of the booth. “Hey.”
He stopped. “What?”
“A good boyfriend wouldn’t just leave.”
A look of honest confusion masked his face. “He wouldn’t?”
She pursed her lips, shook her head, and said, “Uh-uh,” as best she could without unpuckering.
He laughed. “I am so out of practice.” He leaned toward her and gave her the kiss she was after. “Now I’m going to make that call.”
She nodded. “Perfect. But don’t go too far or you’ll tug me after you.”
“Right.” He glanced toward the door. “I’ll just be outside the front door. That should be in range.”
“Okay.”
She watched him until he disappeared into the crowd, which didn’t take long. Then she sighed at her dilemma. She was royally screwed. This really felt like it was all part of Cassi’s plan.
Andi shook her head. Poor Cassi. She really deserved an explanation.
Andi sipped her champagne as she thought about her sister. She really hoped Cassi had moved on. Or gotten over it. And, above all, forgiven Andi. But that probably wasn’t going to happen without an apology. Something Andi couldn’t deliver until she was free of her curse.
It was going to be the first thing she did right after that, for sure. She refilled her glass halfway. If Cassi felt as bad as Con did, then Andi understood why her sister had responded with the curse.
It was kind of surprising she hadn’t done it sooner.
The weight of being watched brought Andi back to reality. Miranda stood at the table’s edge, looking down at her.
Miranda rested her hands on her hips, her expression coy. “Good evening. I thought I’d find Connie here, but I see he’s left already. Was the show too much for him? It was awfully brave of him to come.”
Brave? Oh, this woman needed to be slapped. In fact, Andi wanted to leap across the table, grab Miranda by the throat and give her a good bite. Sprites were kind of known for that, sporting a wicked set of pointy chompers in full sprite form, but Andi wasn’t sure she could go into combat mode without her wings.
She wasn’t willing to attempt it either, just in case it went dreadfully wrong. She might try a little sprite dust, though. A sprinkling of that magical glitter could help turn the tide in one’s favor, making whoever inhaled it very biddable.
She wiggled her fingers at Miranda, ready to command her to go away.
Nothing happened. She clenched her teeth in sheer anger. No wings, no magic dust. Fabulous.
Instead of freaking out further, she took a calming breath, which only partially worked, and answered the woman. “He’s making a phone call. The show was fine. We got a little distracted with each other, so I’m not sure we gave it our full attention, but it’s really just background music anyway, right?”
Miranda’s coy expression faltered. “My show is not background. It’s the reason people came out tonight.” Her fake smile returned. “It’s the reason you came out tonight.”
“Actually, we’re here because I was bored and wanted to get out of the house. And Val invited us, so it seemed like the polite thing to do.” Andi made a big show of yawning. “We’ve done the polite thing, though, so now we’ll be heading out.”
She grinned with all the lascivious pleasure she could manage. “There are a lot of interesting things to do with Con at home.”
Miranda’s eyes took on the same hard gleam that Con’s had earlier. “If you’re trying to spin me up—”
“I’m not trying. But you do look pretty spun up. I guess you never really got over him, huh?” Andi slipped out of the booth to stand toe to toe with the vampiress. Thank the stars she’d found a pair of heels to go with this dress. Miranda was still a good head taller.
Andi lifted her chin and faced the woman down. “I get it. I do. He’s kind, sweet, generous, crazy-handsome, and knows just how to make a woman smile. Of course you’re not over him! But he’s mine now, so it’s time for you to move on.”
With that, Andi turned and bumped straight into Con. His eyes shared Miranda’s predatory gleam. How long had he been standing there?
His gaze softened a little as he touched Andi’s cheek. “Are you all right, my love?”
She nodded. “Just coming to find you. I’m ready to go.”
“Whatever you want.” He gave Miranda a cursory glance, then put his arm around Andi and turned them toward the exit.
Andi was trembling with adrenaline from the confrontation. Con had to feel her shaking, but he said nothing.
Until they were back on the sidewalk. They broke apart, and that’s when she realized he was seething. His eyes were still bright with anger, his fangs extended, and his body seemed like a coiled wire ready to snap. “I am very sorry you had to deal with her. She had no right provoking you. I should have expected it, though. I was a fool to leave you alone.”
“I’m…fine. All charged up with confrontational energy, but I’m okay, I promise.” She blew out a breath before looking at him again. “Are you okay?”
The hard edge to his gaze was lessening even as she looked at him. “Yes, of course. I wasn’t upset about seeing Miranda. I was upset that she was bothering you. I was…worried about you.” Then he shook his head. “But you did fine.”
So he had heard. At least some of it.
Fangs now receded, he snorted. “Actually, you did more than fine. You held your own against a very powerful vampire. That was impressive, Andromeda. Truly impressive.”
“How much did you hear?”
“All of it. I saw her approach the table as I was coming through the crowd. I would have been there sooner, but our server stopped me to see if I needed something. And then, to be honest, I was a little too captivated by your handling of her to step in immediately.”
“You could hear our conversation in all that noise?”
He tapped his ear. “Vampire senses are pretty acute.”
“Oh, right.”
He took her hand. “You put on a better show than she did onstage.”
“What I said about you, that wasn’t a show. I know you told me you don’t like people and you’re prickly and difficult and all that, but you’ve been nothing but kind and sweet and generous to me. You sell yourself short, Con.”
He made a little face.
“Sorry, I keep forgetting you don’t like nicknames.”
He shrugged. “It’s not so bad when you say it.”
“But you don’t like Connie because that’s what she used to call you, right?”
He nodded, looking disgusted. “It sounded like such a diminishment when she said it.”
“I won’t call you that. Ever. But I do like calling you Con.”
One side of his mouth quirked up. “Okay. You can.”
“And please, call me Andi. Only my sister calls me by my full name, and it means she’s mad at me. Which is pretty much all the time.”
He laughed. “Andi it is, then.”
She laced her fingers through his. “Cool.”
He looked down at her hand in his. “You’re still trembling.”
“Sugar deficiency.”
He grinned. “Is that what it is?”
“I’m serious. Sprites are part of the fairy family, and we need a lot of sugar. We have very high metabolisms. And getting all worked up like that means we burn through our reserves pretty quickly.”
Concern replaced the amusement in his eyes. “Are you okay? Do you need me to
carry you?”
She almost laughed at how adorable he was. Being carried by him sounded lovely, but she didn’t want him to think she was that incapacitated. “No, I just need some sweets.”
“Ice cream?”
“With some toppings? That should do it.” She felt like there was something else she should be asking him about, but whatever it was had slipped her mind in the excitement of the Miranda confrontation.
He offered her his arm. “I know a place.”
Chapter Eleven
Thankfully, Shadowvale had at least one twenty-four-hour ice cream shop. Of course, there was the Sunshine Diner, too, but Constantin wasn’t sure it had more than chocolate and vanilla. And he’d have to wait out front while Andi went in alone, since the diner’s UV lights weren’t vampire-compatible.
As he parked in front of the ice cream shop, Andi peered through the car window at the place.
“Are you sure this is good?” she asked.
He turned the car off. “I don’t eat much ice cream, but it’s generally considered the place to go for the stuff. My sisters love it.”
She looked at him. “The Creamatorium?”
He bent his head to peek at the sign, which showed a banana split inside a coffin-shaped container. “The name and sign are a little morbid, I’ll give you that, but it’s all in good fun, I promise. We can go somewhere else if you want.”
She unbuckled her seat belt. “No, let’s try it. I need sugar. I’m sure they can manage that. I just hope the flavors aren’t too weird. I see any eye-of-newt swirl, and I’m out.”
He snorted. “I’m with you on that one.”
They went inside, and just as they started to review the selections, Constantin’s phone vibrated. He took it out of his pocket and checked the screen. Valentino. “Andi, I need to take this. I’ll be right back.”
“Sure. I need time to read through all of this anyway.”
He stepped outside. “Yes?”
“You left rather abruptly.” Valentino sounded upset and hurt. That was unusual.
“Miranda went out of her way to make Andi uncomfortable.”
The Vampire's Cursed Kiss (Shadowvale Book 2) Page 8