“So…you make him forget me, and then what?”
“You move to Shadowvale and meet him all over again. Let things take their course.”
That filled Andi with several levels of dread. “What if he doesn’t like me? He didn’t like me the first time.”
“But you won’t be meeting under those same conditions. You’ll have to take things slower, certainly, but there’s a good chance the seed of his true feelings will remain. Deeply buried, but there’s no reason that seed cannot grow again.”
“And if it doesn’t?”
“At worst, there will be nothing between you. At best, he will fall in love with you again. But it’s also possible that all you will achieve is a middle ground. That you will be nothing more than a friend to him. And if he does fall in love with you again, there’s no telling how long that will take.”
Andi sat quietly, thinking things through. “I won’t forget him. But he’ll forget me.”
“Correct.”
“And what about his family? What about Fletcher, who works at the store? What about the few other people I met in town?”
“Their memories will all be intact.”
“So they’ll all have to be in on this, as it were.” She shook her head. “I don’t like that. It feels like lying to him all over again. And making everyone else lie, too.”
Amelia nodded thoughtfully. “It would be, in a way.”
“And what if someone slips up and says something that throws him off?”
“I cannot control that.”
“Then…” Andi thought hard. “Can you cast a bigger spell? Make the whole town forget me instead? Then I could truly have a fresh start.”
Amelia sat back, folding her hands in her lap. “I can. But a spell of such magnitude would require a greater sacrifice on your part.”
Andi took a breath, afraid of the answer, but she asked her question anyway. “What kind of greater sacrifice?”
“Something dear and personal. Your wings, for example.”
She sat quietly, taking that information in. “I’d have to get them back from my sister first.” She took a breath. “They’d have to be removed the same way she took them. With magic. Or the loss of them would kill me.”
Amelia nodded. “I understand, but you can remove them yourself voluntarily, can you not?”
“Yes.” This was so much more than Andi had been counting on, but she’d spent almost a week without her wings now, and it was enough for her to imagine life without them, versus life without Con.
It wasn’t a hard decision. “How soon can you cast the spell?”
“Tomorrow evening should be plenty of time. By seven. Will you have your wings back by then?”
“I’m going to work on that as soon as I get back to my sister. Can I have her with me when you cast the spell?”
Amelia nodded. “Of course.”
Andi stood. “Thank you for agreeing to help me.”
Amelia rose as well. “The hard part is going to fall on you. You love him enough to do this?”
“I do.”
“You’ve only known him a few days.”
Andi smiled. “I know. But that’s been plenty of time for me to realize that he’s the one I want in my life. I feel like a better person around him. Like I’m more than I thought I could be. I can’t walk away from all that. It’s the most real thing I’ve ever experienced. Sacrificing my wings seems like a small price to pay for a lifetime of happiness. Does any of that make sense? Have you ever been in love like that?”
Amelia sighed, the sound sad and filled with longing. “I have. And I made a sacrifice of my own.”
“Oh, right. The vampire you built the town for. Con’s uncle. He told me about that. I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to bring that up.”
Amelia’s smile was weak, but held some warmth. “Living in this town brings it up every day.”
“With all of that history and how things didn’t work out for you, why would you still want to do this for me?”
“Because I am a foolish old woman who still believes in love? Because I hope that Constantin does fall for you again? Because joy is a better choice than regret? I don’t know for sure. But I do want this to work for you.”
“Thank you.” Andi paused. “If it doesn’t work…what then?”
“Then he doesn’t love you.”
“Will that be my only chance at love?”
“No, I don’t think so.”
Andi bit her bottom lip. “If he rejects me, will I be able to stay in Shadowvale?”
“I’m sure that would be fine. But if you choose to leave, you may not be allowed back in.”
“Why is that?”
Amelia was slow to respond. “The gates often have a mind of their own.”
Andi glanced at her palms. “Yeah, I found that out trying to get in.”
“Why?” Amelia’s brow furrowed. “What happened?”
“I couldn’t get the gates open. I grabbed hold of them and shook them, and little thorns sprang out of them. Stuck me pretty good.” She held her hands up for Amelia to see all the tiny little pinpoint wounds that remained. “If I had my wings, these would be gone by now, but…” She shrugged.
Amelia’s gaze darkened. She took one of Andi’s hands and examined it. “The gate took your blood.”
Andi had been trying not to think that way. “Are you sure? I mean, maybe it was just a defensive measure to—”
“The gate took your blood.” Amelia looked at her. “Your sister, too?”
“No, just me.”
Amelia released Andi’s hand. “The gates protect those who live here. They knew that you hurt Constantin. The one took your blood so that they will always recognize you. Your sister should be free to go, but you might not ever be allowed to pass through those gates again.”
* * *
Constantin woke to the smell of coffee and lilies. For a moment, he thought he’d died and was in the funeral parlor.
Then the pounding brandy headache kicked in, and he realized he wasn’t that lucky. Next, he recognized the scent of Valentino’s cologne. And a vaguely familiar woman’s perfume. He was not in his own home for some reason.
With a hand on his head and his eyes closed, he sat up. “What the devil happened?”
Valentino answered him. “You got plastered, and I brought you up here to make sure you didn’t go on some drunken murderous vampire feeding binge through town. That would bring a lot of shame to the family, and you know how Mama feels about that.”
“I do not get plastered.”
“Right. Well, you’d better explain that to the pair of bottles you drained last night.”
The clink of ceramic on wood opened Constantin’s eyes. Valentino had set a mug of coffee on the table in front of the couch. “And thanks to me, that’s all you drained. Drink that, then I’ll get you some plasma out of the fridge.”
Constantin’s lip curled as his stomach knotted in rebellion. “The very thought of cold plasma makes me want to be sick.”
Valentino rolled his eyes. “Then I’ll warm it up.”
“Thank you. For…this.” They weren’t at his brother’s home. They were in the apartment over the jazz club. Valentino often housed visiting musicians here, which explained the lingering odor of Miranda’s perfume.
“You’re welcome.” Valentino was back in the kitchen, pouring a mug of coffee for himself. “You’d do the same for me. I think.”
Constantin sighed. “Why did I drink so much?”
Valentino came out, mug in hand. “Do you really not remember?”
Constantin thought, but that made his head hurt worse. He tried to stop, but it was too late. His memories, most of them, came flooding back. “Andi,” he snarled.
“Uh-huh. And settle down. I can’t handle all that crankiness this early.”
With the memories of her, came the pain and regret and betrayal. As the muscles in his jaw tightened, he bent his head so Valentino couldn’t see his eyes. “Is she still in town?”
“Yes.”
“Someone should tell her to leave.” Constantin picked up the mug. “There’s no point in her staying.”
“She loves you. She just wanted to talk to you last night and explain what happened.”
“Doesn’t matter, because it did happen.”
Valentino sighed. “I know you’re in a bad place because of what Miranda did to you, and I know I’m to blame for that being fresh in your mind, but Andi is a very different woman, and this situation is nothing like that situation.”
“Live your own life, and I’ll live mine.” Nothing had changed. Constantin still wasn’t interested in anyone trying to tell him how he should act or what he should accept or forgive. Done was done.
“What if she can prove how much she loves you?”
Constantin snorted. “Yeah, right.”
“I’m serious. What would it take?”
“There isn’t anything she can do.” He stared at his brother over the edge of the mug. “And don’t try to come up with one of your schemes either.”
Valentino put on his innocent face. “I’m not up to anything, I promise. But there is something you’re going to want to see this evening.”
“What? And where?” The words came out in a growl, but Constantin was far too used to his brother’s ways to believe he had anything good up his sleeve.
“You’ll see,” Valentino said. He twisted away, headed back toward the kitchen. “And Indigo House.”
“And if I say no?”
“You’ll have Amelia to answer to.”
Constantin snarled out another word, one his mother would have gasped at.
Valentino snorted. “Regardless, you’d better be there.”
“Fine. But until then, I’m going back to sleep.” Something was afoot. And whatever it was, he already didn’t like it.
Chapter Twenty-six
The Sunshine Diner was a lovely place. The inside was cheery, the service was quick, the wait staff all wore smiles, and the breakfasts in front of Andi and her sister looked amazing. Andi was glad they’d come.
For one thing, they’d needed to get out of Valentino’s house. He’d been kind enough to offer them a place to stay and had then actually gone somewhere else for the night. Andi hadn’t expected him to be so chivalrous.
Secondly, Cassi was insisting that she and Andi spend the day together seeing the town. Whatever that was about.
But all Andi wanted was her wings back. Sure, she now wanted them for a very different reason than she had before, and there was some irony in the fact that once she had them, she was going to lose them again. But at the moment, her life felt like it was on hold. Like she needed to turn the page to the next chapter and couldn’t.
And not knowing what that next chapter held scared her.
What if Con didn’t fall in love with her again? What if he only liked her?
Even worse, what if he actually disliked her the same way he had the first time they’d met?
She took a breath and tried not to focus on those things, tried to think about the best-possible outcome. Her own personal happily ever after.
Except…could a vampire and a human have a happily ever after? Because without her wings, that was essentially what she’d be. Human.
“You haven’t moved in, like, five minutes. Are you okay? Your pancakes are getting cold.”
“What?” Andi blinked, focusing on her sister across the table.
“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you?” Cassi asked. She put her fork down to take a drink of her orange juice.
Andi nodded. “Him and me and us and what’s going to happen next. My head’s kind of a big mess of what-ifs right now.”
“You know, that’s why I haven’t given you your wings back yet. Why I asked you to spend a day with me away from him and any reminders of him. I want you to think this through. This is a major decision you’re making. You’re willing to give up your magic and become basically human for this man. And he may not even love you again.”
Andi filled her lungs with air, then exhaled, hoping to expel all the doubts with it. “I know the risk. And that it will take some adjustment. But I can’t base my decisions on the worst-possible outcome. If people did that, no one would ever take any chances in life. And this is far too important to walk away from.”
Cassi gestured with a piece of bacon. “What will you do if things don’t work out?”
Andi hadn’t told Cassi every detail of her conversation with Amelia. About how the gates were probably not going to open for her again. She put on a happy face. “I’ll stay here. It’s a great town. It’s time I settled down anyway.”
Bacon now eaten, Cassi cut a piece of French toast with the edge of her fork. “You’re going to stay here? In a town with a man you love but who doesn’t love you back? That doesn’t sound like you. The Andi I know sees a problem and heads in the other direction ASAP.”
“I’ve changed, Cassi. This whole experience has been eye-opening. It’s time for me to live like an adult. Take responsibility for my actions. Get my life together.”
“Yeah, so not you.”
“Well, it’s who I am now. I would think you’d be happy. You’ve basically been telling me to grow up since we were kids. Isn’t that why you cursed me into the book? To learn a lesson?”
Cassi shrugged. “Yes. But I never thought it would happen.”
“Thanks for the vote of confidence.”
Cassi laughed softly. “Hey, I think it’s great. I just…I don’t want my baby sister to get hurt. Which, considering our past, probably sounds odd, but just because we’ve had some problems doesn’t mean I stopped loving you or caring what happens to you.”
Andi made a face. “Which is why you cursed me so lovingly and caringly into a book about insane asylums.”
“Hey, I said I was trying to teach you a lesson. And yes, I acted in anger. But I never thought it would lead to all this.”
“I know.” Andi took a bite of her pancakes. She was pretty sure they were delicious, but at the moment, nothing had much flavor.
“You would really stay here?”
Andi nodded while she chewed. “I would. It’s a great town.”
Cassi mulled that over for a moment. “What’s so great about it? Sell me.”
“Well, it’s a safe place for supernaturals to live. And there are humans here, too, but everyone knows about everyone else, and they all live in harmony. People come here to be accepted for who they are, for what makes them different, and it’s all okay.”
“That sounds good. Kind of weird for humans to know about supernaturals, but it would be nice not to hide that part of yourself.”
Andi nodded. “Right?”
“What else?”
Andi leaned in. “This whole town is funded by gem mines. I don’t know a lot of the details, but apparently that’s what pays for all the great amenities here and keeps prices reasonable. Speaking of reasonable prices, there is some great shopping here. I’ll show you. Oh! And there’s a bakery where everything is free, except for the excellent coffee, which is still cheap.”
Cassi’s brows bent in skepticism. “Free baked goods and cheap coffee?”
“I swear.”
“I need to see that.”
“We’ll go there next.”
“Anything else?”
“Well, I haven’t been there, but supposedly there’s an enchanted forest that has a book in it, and if you can find the book and write your name in it, whatever curse is plaguing you will be taken away.”
Cassi’s eyes went wide. “Forget the bakery, I want to see that. Okay, maybe don’t forget the bakery, but this enchanted forest sounds kind of amazing. Let’s go there right after the bakery.”
“I don’t know. Con said it’s kind of dangerous.”
“You realize that in a matter of hours you’re about to do something that’s going to change your life forever, and you’re worried about a magical forest?”
Andi rubbed her f
orehead. “True. I don’t know exactly how to get there, though.”
Cassi called the server over, a nice young man with pointed ears. His name tag said Davey. “Can you tell us how to get to the enchanted forest?”
“Sure.” He gave Cassi a funny smile. “You must be new around here. Welcome to Shadowvale.”
“Thank you.” Cassi looked ridiculously pleased with herself.
Davey whipped out his order pad and pen, tearing off a sheet and flipping it over. “I’ll draw you a little map. I’m no good at south and west and all that, but I can show you this way.”
“Perfect.” Cassi shot Andi a victorious look.
Andi just nodded. At least a trip to the enchanted forest was sure to take her mind off this evening’s activities.
Half an hour later, they were back in the rental car with a large box of goodies from Black Horse Bakery to sustain them. In case breakfast hadn’t been enough.
Andi drove. Cassi was in the passenger’s seat, Davey’s hand-drawn map held out in front of her. “Looks like Main Street, past some big park, then onto Fiddler Street—hey, isn’t that where Val’s club is?”
“Yep. See? You’ll have no problem finding your way around when you come to visit me.”
Cassi just nodded. She was looking at the houses they were passing. “There must be some money in this town, huh? I mean, besides the gem mines. Look at these places. Gorgeous.”
“Wait until you see the house we’re going to tonight. But yeah, some of the homes here are beautiful.”
They drove on, the houses getting fewer and fewer and the greenery increasing until a sign appeared directing them to the enchanted forest.
“Davey was spot-on with that map.” Cassi tucked the slip of paper above the sun visor.
As Andi turned onto the road, she slowed the car and pulled onto the shoulder. “I have no idea where I’m going from here.”
“Me either, but just drive, and we’ll see if anything looks like a path or a trail. If it does, we’ll stop and take it.”
Andi frowned. “That’s not much of a plan.”
“You have a better idea?”
“Not really.” Andi got the car moving again, but kept her speed down so they could see the forest better.
What light there was dimmed further, filtered through the overhead canopy so that it seemed tinged in green.
The Vampire's Cursed Kiss (Shadowvale Book 2) Page 18