The Vampire's Cursed Kiss (Shadowvale Book 2)

by Kristen Painter

  Amelia’s words didn’t really register. The pain of knowing the truth was too much.

  He’d been devastated by Andi’s disappearance because he’d been worried something terrible had happened to her. Now he realized that she’d gotten what she’d wanted. The end to her curse.

  The terrible thing had happened to him. Again.

  He’d been left by another woman. Another woman he’d fallen for. How stupid was he? Did women just look at him and see what an easy mark he was? But for all his hurt, he had to know one thing. “She could have told me the truth. She knew I was falling for her.”

  Amelia sighed. “It could have been handled better, I agree.”

  Cold comfort, that. “Where did she go?”

  “Most likely back to wherever she was when she was caught up in the curse.”

  “Back to her life.”

  “Yes,” Amelia said. “Back to whatever life she was living before.”

  “Thank you. Good night.”

  “Good night, Constantin. Don’t be too—”

  He hung up. He was tired of talking. Tired of listening. Tired of trying to be a new and improved version of himself.

  His old self had wanted nothing to do with Andromeda when she’d suddenly appeared in his shop. His old self had been smart. Why on earth had he decided he needed to change to be liked? Who cared about being liked?

  The muscles in his jaw tightened. The only change he was interested in now was going back to being the man he’d been before. The man with walls up. The man everyone called prickly. And uptight.

  The man who never let anyone in.

  And never would again.

  * * *

  The trip back to the southern part of the United States had taken nearly three days. Mostly because Cassi was enjoying Andi’s misery. Andi understood that her sister was making her suffer, and on one level, she was okay with it. She’d certainly put Cassi through a lot over the years.

  But now wasn’t the time. Not when Con was probably upside down with emotion. What emotion, Andi wasn’t sure.

  He might be torn apart with worry. Or livid with anger. Or numb from being left again.

  Maybe all three. She didn’t know and couldn’t predict. But she needed to get back to him to explain just as soon as she possibly could.

  So all of Cassi’s faffing around and deliberate delaying were about to result in Andi losing her cool, big-time.

  “Any car, Cass.” Andi leaned in to interrupt her sister’s conversation with the rental car agent. “Any car.”

  Cassi’s brows lifted. “Cass, huh? You must really be perturbed to call me that.” She smiled at the agent. “We’ll take the sedan, thank you.”

  “You’re stalling just to wind me up. I know you are. And look, I get it. If I was in your shoes, I might be doing the same thing. But this really isn’t the time. Constantin is probably going nuts not knowing what happened to me. Or worse, he’s convinced himself that I abandoned him just like the last woman he was involved with.”

  Cassi sighed. “This whole thing where you pretend to be in love with him is so odd. I just don’t know what to make of it.”

  Andi quelled the urge to roll her eyes and throttle her sister. “I am not pretending. I love him. And being away from him, with him not knowing where I am, is killing me.”

  A slight, bitter smile bent Cassi’s mouth. “Love is shockingly painful, isn’t it?”

  “Yes. And I’ve learned my lesson, so can we just go? Please?”

  Cassi accepted the keys from the agent. “Let me ask for directions.” She turned back to the man behind the counter. “Do you know where Shadowvale is?”

  He frowned and shook his head. “No, I’m sorry. I’ve never heard of it.”

  Andi grabbed her phone and did a quick search in her GPS app. The town showed up, but was grayed out. Like it no longer existed. Well, Con had said the place was deliberately hard to find. But with Cassi behind the wheel, they’d never get there. “I got it. Looks to be less than an hour. I’ll drive.”

  An hour later, she was still driving. Still looking. And her GPS wasn’t helping, sending her in circles and down dead ends until it stopped talking to her altogether.

  Finally, Andi pulled over and leaned her head against the steering wheel. She was exhausted, on the verge of tears and possibly a mental breakdown, and it was nearly ten o’clock. Finding any place in the dark was always harder, but knowing that didn’t help anything. “All I want is to get back to him and explain. I don’t even care about my wings anymore.”

  Cassi sucked in a breath. “Are you serious?”

  Andi tipped her head to see her sister. “Yes. I don’t care. I love him, Cassi. I know he’s hurting, and that makes me hurt. Love is terrible like that, I guess.”

  “It is. Sometimes. And sometimes it’s the most incredible thing in the world.” Cassi went silent for a long moment, then spoke again in a much quieter voice. “You really do love him, don’t you?”

  “Yes, I do. Desperately. I want to be with him so badly. I don’t know what else to tell you to make you understand.” Andi sniffed, then smacked the steering wheel in frustration. “I know this place is supposed to be hard to find, but this is ridiculous. He must think I’m never coming back.”

  “Please make next legal U-turn.”

  They both looked at Andi’s phone, which was propped on the dashboard.

  Cassi shrugged. “Might as well give it one more shot.”

  Andi turned the car around and followed the app’s instructions. “Says we should be there in two minutes.”

  Cassi leaned forward, peering through the windshield with a skeptical expression. “There’s nothing but forest around us. I can’t imagine there’s actually a town here.”

  “We’re not quite there yet.” Andi took the next turn the GPS indicated, and the road beneath the car’s tires changed, maybe to gravel or dirt, but it wasn’t asphalt anymore. Too rough. Or it was asphalt that needed serious repaving.

  “I don’t like this,” Cassi said. “It’s too dark to see beyond the headlights. And everything looks really overgrown and—wow.”

  Andi slowed the car as a pair of enormous, rusted metal gates came into view. The word Shadowvale was spelled out across them, barely visible beneath the vines curling through the scrollwork. “I think we’re here.”

  “I don’t know,” Cassi said. “Nothing about this says active, functioning town to me.”

  “Agreed. Except I was here. Not here here, but I was in the town. And it’s full of people and businesses and life.”

  “Maybe…it was all an illusion? A dream you had while you were…otherwise occupied?”

  “No,” Andi said. “It was real, and I was out of the book. Con opened it, remember? He basically saved my life. That book was awful.”

  With a little sigh, Cassi shook her head. “I shouldn’t have put you in that insane-asylum book. That’s my fault. Anything could have happened in there.”

  “Yeah, about that,” Andi said. “We’re going to discuss that some more later. But for now, I’m going to see if I can get those gates open.”

  She hopped out of the car and approached. The metallic clicking of nearby insects faded as she walked toward the gates. They were ten or twelve feet tall, easily, and about as wide. Or wider.

  They looked very locked.

  “Please let me in,” she whispered as she put her hands on the metal. It was warm but gritty with rust. She grabbed hold of one section, squeezing with the same strength as the pain gripping her heart. “Please. I have to get to Constantin. I have to explain.”

  Pain shot through Andi’s hands. She let go of the gate. Tiny little pinpricks covered her palms. Blood welled up. “What on earth?”

  She took another look at the gates. They were covered with needlelike barbs. They hadn’t been there when she’d first grabbed hold of the metal. An eerie feeling spun through her. Whatever had just happened was not going to be without consequence.

  She glared a
t the gates. “If you’re going to take my blood, then you’d better let me in. Because I will get to Con. If I have to drive that car through these gates, I will.”

  The creak of metal scraping pavement sounded as the gates slowly parted.

  She backed up, sucking in a breath. The gates were opening. “Thank you.”

  She wiped her hands on her pants, then ran back to the car and jumped in.

  “What did you do?” Cassi asked.

  “I begged.” Telling her sister about the gate drawing blood would only weird Cassi out and complicate the situation. She’d explain later. When things were back to the way they should be.

  Cassi snorted. “You begged?”

  “Yes.” Andi shifted the car into drive and rolled through the gates inch by inch until they were opened wide enough to let the entire car through.

  “Are you sure we should be going in here? It still looks pretty abandoned, if you ask me.”

  “Well, I didn’t ask you, but if you’re not comfortable with this, you can get out.” Andi stopped the car.

  “Andi! You’d leave me here?”

  “You stuck me in a book about insane asylums. I’d say you’d be getting off easy. Now make up your mind. I’m done waiting.”

  Cassi looked a little taken back, but Andi was fine with that. Her sister had slowed them down enough.

  “Point taken. Drive on.”

  Chapter Twenty-three

  Past a curve in the road and it wasn’t long before the town came into view.

  “Main Street,” Andi announced. “I’ve been here. Many times. Con’s bookstore is here, too.”

  Cassi was glued to the window. “What’s it called?”

  “The Gilded Page. Should still be open. Many of the shops stay open well into the night to accommodate the supernaturals that are more nocturnal.”

  “Wait,” Cassi said. “So…lots of supernaturals live here?”

  “Tons. But there are humans, too.”

  “Humans and supernaturals living together?”

  “Yep. And it’s all cool. No one has to hide who they are.”

  “Wow.” Cassi’s wings unfurled behind her. “Might as well be comfortable, then.”

  Andi glanced over. “Great. Rub it in.”

  Cassi shot her a look that said, Deal with it. “Tell me more about this town. Why is it so hard to find?”

  “On purpose. To protect those who live here. From what Con’s told me, it’s a sort of safe haven for those who are troubled by who they are or their circumstances. Or different enough to not be able to live comfortably in the ordinary human world. A lot of the people that live here are cursed in some way or another.”

  “Cursed? Is this guy Con cursed?”

  “Only in the sense that he’s a vampire, and vampires are cursed in general by the fatal touch of sunlight. Oh, that’s the other thing. The sun never shines here.”

  Cassi grimaced. “So it’s night all the time?”

  “No, not night. Just overcast during the day. Honestly, it’s sort of odd at first, but then you kind of forget about it.” Andi snorted softly. “You know, now that I’ve said that, I realize I thought it was going to bother me when Con first explained it, but after that I hardly gave it a second thought. But that’s what makes it such a safe place for vampires to live.”

  “No kidding. If I was a vampire, I’d totally move here.”

  “There.” Andi pointed. “The Gilded Page. And the lights are still on.”

  She pulled the car over into the first available spot and parked. Nerves tripped through her. Excited, happy, scared nerves. She got out and stared at the storefront for a moment. Con wasn’t immediately visible, but he had to be in there.

  Unless Fletcher was working the evening shift.

  Well, whatever. She was going in.

  Cassi got out. “You want me to go with you?”

  “I think you should since you said I’m not getting my wings back until you confirm my story. Just keep in mind, he might be pretty angry right now. I have no idea what to expect.”

  Cassi nodded. “Understood.”

  With that, Andi walked toward the store. Cassi fell into step beside her.

  The chimes sounded softly as Andi pushed the door open.

  Fletcher popped up from behind the counter. “Andi. I did not expect to see you. Mr. Thibodeaux said you were gone.”

  “I was. But now I’m back. Is he here?”

  “No. He left at five.”

  “Did he go home?”

  “I’m not sure. Probably.” Fletcher shrugged as if he wished he could tell her more. “You know Mr. Thibodeaux. Creature of habit.”

  “Right.” Andi sighed. “I guess we’ll try there.”

  “Glad you’re back.”

  “Me, too.” Andi rubbed the tensed muscles at the back of her neck. “What kind of mood was he in?”

  Fletcher’s tortured expression said it all. “Not good. At all.”

  That was exactly what she was afraid of.

  Cassi cleared her throat.

  Andi managed a polite smile. “This is my sister, Cassiopeia, by the way.”

  “Hi. Nice to meet you.” Fletcher gave a little wave. “Nice wings.”

  “Thanks,” Cassi said, giving a little half turn to show them off better. “Nice fangs.”

  He grinned. And blushed. Something Andi had never seen a vampire do before.

  She grabbed Cassi’s arm. “Okay, we have to run. See you later, Fletcher. Thanks for the info.”

  “You’re welcome. Bye.”

  Andi yanked her sister back out to the sidewalk. “Seriously? You’re flirting with a guy while I’m in the middle of a meltdown?”

  “Oh, you’re not melting down. You’re in love, and you just don’t know how to deal. Besides, he’s cute. And that’s pretty much how you’ve behaved my entire life, so suck it up, buttercup.”

  Andi dropped her sister’s arm, rolling her eyes. “Okay, I get it. I was a terrible person, but your timing could use a lot of work. Get in the car. We’re going out to the bayou.”

  “The bayou?”

  “You’ll see.”

  Andi was quiet on the drive to Con’s house. She was too busy trying to figure out the best approach to explaining things to him. Her sister commented on the passing scenery, but the best Andi could do in response was a grunt or a nod.

  She pulled into Con’s driveway. “His car’s not here. Unless it’s parked around back.”

  “I can’t believe this exists here. It looks so real.”

  “It is real. This town was built from magic. It’s apparently capable of anything.” She wasn’t even going to get into the gem mines that Con had told her about.

  “I’d love to see more.”

  “I’m sure you will.” She opened her car door.

  Cassi gave her an odd look. “You’re getting out? If his car isn’t here, he probably isn’t either.”

  “I just want to look in the windows and check. I won’t be long.”

  “I’m coming with you.” Cassi climbed out. “Hey, are there alligators? Because I think real bayous have them.”

  “This is a real bayou, so yes, there are gators. Including one giant one named Brutus. Try not to get eaten.” Although at this point, Andi wouldn’t mind if Cassi got bitten a little.

  They walked to the house together, but Andi stopped at the stairs that led up to the first floor. “Give me a second.”

  She went around behind the enclosed center storage area, but there was no sign of Con’s SUV there either. She returned to the stairs. “Nothing.”

  They went up to the big front porch. Andi cupped her hands around her eyes and looked in through the front window. There were no lights on, but a few electronics gave off enough ambient light that her sprite eyes could pick up Chloe sleeping on the couch.

  She straightened away from the window and sighed. “I don’t think anyone’s home but his cat.”

  Cassi snorted softly. “He has a cat? Isn’t he a va
mpire?”

  “Yes, but why shouldn’t he have a pet?”

  She shrugged. “I don’t know. Just seems odd. It’s kind of endearing, though, when you think about it.”

  It was. The fact that prickly, uptight Constantin could save an animal’s life, then take that animal in and commit to caring for it told Andi that deep beneath that crusty outer shell beat a heart of kindness and compassion.

  She hoped that was still true.

  “Where now?” Cassi asked.

  “I don’t know. I guess I could try his parents’ house, but that feels like it could get awkward really fast. I’ve only met them once. I’m not sure I want our second encounter to be all, ‘Hey, I ditched your son accidentally, now I need to apologize,’ you know?”

  “Right.” Cassi leaned against the railing. “What about other family?”

  Andi nodded. “As a matter of fact, I know where his brother is. And he might actually help me.”

  * * *

  Constantin had never been one to drink excessively. Beyond the glass of wine now and then at the family dinner, he never drank at home.

  But now, things were different. There was no fixing the destruction Andromeda had caused to his heart and his psyche, so numbing himself with spirits seemed like the only way forward.

  Fortunately, he had a brother willing to oblige him.

  Out of the shadowy depths of one of Club 42’s booths, Constantin lifted his empty glass into the air.

  A server appeared almost instantly, mostly because Valentino had made sure one was assigned to Constantin. Constantin knew that, but it wasn’t any kind of special, VIP treatment. Valentino had done it to keep his brother from causing a scene.

  The server took the glass. “Yes, sir, can I get you another?”

  “Yes. Bring the bottle this time.” Constantin sat back and watched the server make haste toward the bar. Valentino wouldn’t be far away. Constantin had seen him here and there, checking in on how his jilted sibling was doing.

  But Valentino hadn’t come to the table again since Constantin had first arrived. Constantin had a pretty good idea why. Valentino was nervous about what Constantin had become.

  In a dark, depraved way, that pleased Constantin.