She snipped a few strands of hair from both of them. “I’ll be back with the counterspell shortly.”
“Thank you,” Con said.
As Amelia left, he looked at Andi. “Are you okay? You seem unsure of all this.”
She looked toward the door, but Amelia was gone. “I know this counterspell is to help us, but I get a little uneasy layering magic upon magic. It’s tricky business, from what I understand. It doesn’t help that I feel so vulnerable without my wings.”
He put his arm around her shoulders. “I can imagine. But Amelia is very skilled. It’s going to be fine. And then you’ll have at least a small amount of freedom back.”
She nodded and smiled for his sake. “I know you’re right.”
As if sensing her need for a distraction, he took her hand and pulled her toward the windows. “You should see Amelia’s garden. It’s really something. Especially considering one of the garden’s residents.”
“What kind of resident?” Andi figured he meant a bird or some unnaturally large frog, so she humored him, standing in front of the window to see what all the fuss was about. The gardens beyond the house were beautiful. “How do all those plants grow and flowers bloom without sunlight?”
“The ground here is laced with magic. It seeps out of the meridian lines that run beneath the town. It’s the reason this whole place works the way it does.” He had the funniest look on his face. “That pond is really something, isn’t it?”
She looked at the pond again, thinking she’d missed something. “It’s very pretty. It looks like every other garden pond I’ve ever—” Something moved behind the pond. Something enormous and furry and striped.
She went very still, eyes focused for all she was worth. “Is that…a tiger?”
Con’s soft laugh answered her. “His name is Thoreau. He’s been a guest at Indigo House for almost as long as Amelia’s lived here.”
Andi was very glad to be behind the window. “I know witches like cats, but that’s pushing the envelope.”
“He’s no real threat. At least, he’s never mauled anyone that I know of.”
Andi slanted her eyes at him. “That’s so reassuring.”
The soft clearing of a throat turned them around. Beckett stood there. “Just thought I’d see if you were doing all right or would like a drink?”
Con looked at her. “You want anything?”
“Actually, I would. A glass of water would be great.”
Beckett nodded. “And for you, Mr. Thibodeaux?”
“Coffee. Splash of cream, no sugar.”
“Very good.”
He left them alone again.
Andi glanced out the window, but the tiger was gone. Moved on to a different part of the garden, she guessed. Good thing they were inside, but she was going to look twice when they went back to the car.
Beckett returned shortly with their drinks, and just as they were finishing them, Amelia rejoined them.
She held two small vials of gray water.
Andi really hoped they didn’t have to drink those.
Amelia held the vials out to them. “Drink these.”
So much for that.
They each took one, waiting for further instruction.
Amelia’s brow wrinkled. “Well, go on. Down the hatch. If you’re waiting for something more magical than that, you’re not going to get it. Also, don’t expect it to taste good.”
Andi eyed the vial. “I’m not.”
Amelia laughed. “Good magic always comes with a price. Drink up. The potency diminishes with each passing second.”
Con took the top off his, lifting it toward Andi. “Cheers.”
She did the same. “Cheers.”
Then they tipped the vials back and drank.
Andi sucked hers down in one gulp, which was smart, because as soon as the taste hit her tongue, she wanted to spit the stuff out. She didn’t, but gagged a little as she tried to breathe. “What is in that? Fish? Garbage?”
Con grimaced. “My apologies, Amelia, but that’s the worst thing I’ve ever tasted. And I’ve had troll blood.”
Still smiling, she shook her head. “I warned you.”
Andi stared at the now empty vial before setting it aside. “Is that it? Are we untethered?”
Amelia nodded. “You should be. But let’s test it. Constantin, why don’t you go out to your car and stay there for a few minutes just so we can be sure? That should be distance enough.”
“All right.” He set the vial on the coffee table and looked at Andi. “Call me if you need me to come back in sooner.”
“Will do,” she answered.
He left, and as soon as the sound of the front door closing reached them, Amelia stepped closer to Andi. “You lied to me about the curse. Or at least you omitted something. What didn’t you tell me?”
Andi managed not to retreat. “I couldn’t, not in front of Con.”
“What was it? Out with it.”
Andi’s hands clenched. “He’s got to fall in love with me. The kisses every forty-eight hours are just to buy me time to make that happen.”
“You can’t make a man fall in love with you.”
“Yes, I can. I’ve done it many times before.”
Amelia’s mouth thinned. “You’re confusing lust and love.”
There was no point in arguing with the witch, and Andi didn’t want to anyway. Not after the woman had helped them. Or had she? “Was the counterspell really a counterspell or not?”
Amelia nodded. “It was. I’m a woman of my word.” A low noise came from her throat. “You’re going to break Constantin’s heart. I’m not sure he can take that. Not after what the first one did to him.”
“I know all about Miranda. And if it’s only lust he’s feeling toward me, then he’ll get over it, won’t he?”
“And if it’s love?”
Andi swallowed as the sinking feeling in her belly grew. It had to be love for her to be free. “I don’t want to hurt him. I like him a lot. More than I have a right to, I suppose. But I can’t stay here after the curse is lifted. I have to get my wings back, and I’m pretty sure that’s going to take a lot of groveling at my sister’s feet.”
“You could tell him the truth.”
Andi frowned. “Right. Because nothing makes a person fall in love like being told they need to fall in love.”
“Then tell him you have to leave once you’re free, but you’ll be back.”
“To live here? In the same place for the rest of my life?” Andi had thought about it, sure, but saying it out loud made it seem so permanent. “I don’t think I can promise that. I don’t want to tell him something I can’t stick to.”
Her answers did nothing to erase the displeasure in Amelia’s eyes. “Listen to me, girl. If you break that man, I will make sure the gates of this town are closed to you for good. Do you understand me? Because I can do that.”
Andi nodded slowly, a twinge of fear zipping through her. “I swear, it’s not my intention to—”
“Then make sure he knows what your intentions are.”
“I will. I’ll tell him tonight. Not the falling-in-love part, but about the leaving part. And possibly coming back. At least to visit.” But not until after the dinner at his parents’. There was only so much drama she could handle at a time. But Amelia was right. Con deserved to know. Especially since it seemed like things were developing between them.
“Good,” Amelia said. “Be sure you do.”
“Well? It worked, right?” Con appeared in the sitting room doorway.
Andi smiled and took a breath. “Not a single tug.”
“Excellent. I went all the way down to the end of the driveway, too.” He looked at Amelia. “I owe you. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You owe me nothing.” She looked at Andi, who was already making her way toward Con. “Take care, sprite.”
Andi nodded, the warning in the witch’s words clear. “I will. I promise.”
Chapter Fifteen
Constantin turned out of Amelia’s driveway and headed for his shop. “What did she mean by ‘take care’?”
Andi, who hadn’t said a word since they’d left, just shrugged. “Just to…take care? I guess? I don’t know. Witches are like that. All mysterious and cryptic.”
Constantin nodded. “True.”
But he knew Amelia enough to know the tone of her voice, and her words to Andi had sounded like a warning. He didn’t want to press Andi for more, though. If she didn’t want to talk about it, then he’d let it be.
Besides, Amelia would tell him if he asked.
Andi stayed quiet until they were back in his shop. “What can I do to help you open? I’ve worked retail before.”
“Turn all the lights on. Walk through the rows and make sure everything’s in order. I’ll set the register up and start the music.”
“Okay.” She went off to do as he’d asked.
He watched her for a moment, his mind still on Amelia’s words, but then he made himself let that go. He had to. Dwelling would do him no good.
Andi finished up and came back to the counter a minute or two after he’d finished his own opening tasks. “Straightened a few things, but everything looked pretty good. You might need a little restocking in the mystery section. Oh, and the romance section seems to be missing.”
He shook his head. “So noted. Thank you.”
She tapped her fingers on the counter’s edge. “There must be more I can do. Dust or vacuum?”
“You could do those things if you want, but Fletcher dusted yesterday, so we should be good. Cleaning supplies are in the bathroom, but really, don’t worry about it. If you want to do something, you could keep an eye on the counter while I get some work done in my office.” He still had calls to make about the books that had come in yesterday.
“I’d be happy to, but maybe first…” She bit her bottom lip.
“Yes?” He almost laughed. It wasn’t difficult to figure out she wanted something.
“I could go get us some coffees? I think I used up all my caffeine energy at Amelia’s.”
“Sure, I could have another one, too. Black Horse Bakery is right up the street. They have coffee.” He took his money clip out. The coffees were cheap, and she wouldn’t need money for any of the baked goods, but she ought to have some spending cash on her all the same.
“Should I get anything else? Like something to bring to dinner tonight?”
He thought about that. “My mother does love their pineapple upside-down cake.”
“I’ll get one, then.”
He loosened a small stack of bills from the clip and held them out to her. “Here.”
She took the money, but made no move to put it in her pocket. “How expensive is this cake?”
He thought about telling her all the baked goods were free, but figured that would be more fun for her to find out on her own. “The extra is for when you go shopping later. You need something to wear tonight, right?”
“Right.” Reluctantly, she tucked the money away. “I’m going to pay you back, you know.”
“You don’t need to. Nor do I expect it.”
“Well, that’s really nice of you, but I am.” She backed toward the door. “Splash of cream, no sugar, right?”
He smiled. She was a quick study. “Right. Tell them it’s for me. They have a chicory blend I like.”
She left, and his thoughts wandered back to Amelia’s, but not because of her parting words to Andi. This time, he was thinking about the mix of emotions he’d felt about Amelia separating them.
It was a step back toward a normal life. Toward not having to lie about having a girlfriend.
Back to having no girlfriend. Not even one who was pretend.
He sighed. There was no question that she had to accompany him to his family dinner this evening, but that was his own doing. His family was going to think she was his girlfriend. Valentino already did.
So how was Constantin going to explain things when she left? Because he had no doubt she would leave at some point. She had her own life to get back to. Could he convince her to return? Or better yet, to return permanently?
Because if he couldn’t, his family would once again think him incapable of maintaining a relationship. He wasn’t sure he could take the pitying looks from his sisters. Thankfully, Andi was no Miranda.
Still, they needed some kind of exit strategy. A story that would cover her leaving. And a story that would explain her not returning, if that was going to be the case.
The thought of that hurt. She would come back, wouldn’t she?
After tonight’s dinner, maybe they could talk and figure it all out. They’d have to at least concoct a story to explain her exit. He did not want to be the subject of an entire town’s pity.
He also wanted to tell Andi how he was feeling. How could he not? They were going to discuss the future. She needed to know what was going on inside him. That scared him like nothing else. Feelings and emotions were such raw things. And she could very easily reject him, just as Miranda had.
He didn’t think she would. At least not as harshly as Miranda had. But if he didn’t tell Andi the truth, how else would she know? He wasn’t good at showing such things. Miranda had made it clear that that was one of his faults.
So he was going to try harder with Andi. Even if that meant putting himself out there in a way that could result in him being hurt again.
But she might also think he was rushing things. They’d known each other little more than a day.
He ran a hand through his hair. Maybe he was going too fast. Maybe he was overreacting, reading too much into the situation, because a woman was showing him attention.
After all, Andi needed him happy. She needed to fulfill the demands of the curse. Her life as a free sprite depended on it.
Could she be playing him for her own ends?
He desperately didn’t want to think that. And yet…memories of Miranda loomed over him like a dark, unshakable shadow.
He and Andi had to talk tonight. And they would. But first, he’d see what his family thought of her. His sisters especially. They were good judges of character. They’d been leery of Miranda from day one.
Until they weighed in, he’d try to keep himself in check. As much as a man could when he was already falling in love with a woman he’d just met.
* * *
The lightness in Andi’s heart could mean only one horrible, terrible thing: She was crazy about Con. So crazy that she had started thinking she’d ask him to go with her when she went back to apologize to Cassi.
She’d have to explain things to him ahead of time, give him the real details, and hope that he’d understand, but she thought he would. At least she thought the new Con would.
She hoped he wouldn’t react badly, but when it came to emotions, he seemed capable of keeping them in check. Which made him a little hard to gauge, but she imagined Miranda was partially responsible for that.
Regardless, Andi felt sure he’d see that what she’d done hadn’t been designed to hurt him or play some kind of game, but to save herself from a bleak eternity. He couldn’t fault her for self-preservation, could he?
She walked through the door of Black Horse Bakery with coffee and cake on her mind, but that all disappeared as the delicious aromas hit her. Sugar was abundant in this place, and she had a momentary lapse of purpose as she inhaled.
Underlying it all was another scent. Coffee. That pulled her back to the task at hand. She walked up to the coffee bar. Con’s order was easy, but she wasn’t sure what she was getting for herself yet.
“Hi there, what can I get you?”
Andi smiled at the woman behind the counter. “I’m thinking a mocha latte. With extra whip. And I need a tall black coffee with a splash of cream to go.”
“No problem. I’ll have that right up.” The woman paused, to-go cup in her hand. “Would that tall black with the splash be for Constantin, by any chance?”
“It i
s, yes.” Andi smiled. “That’s his usual, I guess, huh? I was supposed to tell you it was for him.”
The woman nodded. “The chicory blend. We get it in for him special. Do you work for him? I don’t recognize you. Not to be nosy, but new people stick out in this town.”
How to answer? “I’m helping out a little. I’m just here temporarily. Long story. Big curse. It’s a whole thing.” Andi waved her hands and smiled, trying to make light of it all.
The woman snorted. “Curses aren’t anything unusual in this town.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I suppose you’ve also heard all about the magic curse-removing book in the woods, then.” The woman stuck her hand out. “Well, welcome to Shadowvale for however long you’re here. I’m Emeranth. I’m pretty new, too.”
“Emeranth.” Andi shook the woman’s hand. “Are you Amelia’s niece?”
“Yes, I am. And call me Em. All my friends do.”
“Em, got it. Con and I went to see your aunt this morning. She helped us with my curse a little. I’m Andromeda, by the way, but I go by Andi.”
“Nice to meet you, Andi.” She went back to work on the coffees.
Andi rewound what Emeranth had said. “What did you mean about a curse-removing book in the woods?”
Em answered while she made coffee. “There’s a book in the enchanted forest that, if you can find it and write your name in it, will remove whatever curse is upon you. Constantin hasn’t mentioned it?”
“No. But then, we’ve been busy.”
Em operated the beautiful chrome coffee machine like it wasn’t the most intimidating piece of equipment Andi had ever seen. “Truth is, a lot of people think the book is just a myth.” She leaned toward Andi and whispered, “It’s not. It’s real. Just saying.”
“Wow. Cool.” So all Andi would have to do was find the book in an enchanted forest and—what was she thinking? The odds of that were pretty slim. To begin with, she didn’t even know where the enchanted forest was.
“This whole town is amazing.” Em set Con’s coffee on the counter.
The Vampire's Cursed Kiss (Shadowvale Book 2) Page 11