Cursed Hearts (A Crossroads Novel)

by Light

  Chapter 23

  If you’d ever slept in a Trans Am, you’d know it was the most uncomfortable, cramped place on the face of the planet to try and get some rest. Rome was used to it. He was used to the restrictiveness of the steering wheel in his lap, and the lack of leg room. It was lie on your back, or nothing at all. There were plenty of nights that Henry would lock Rome out of the house altogether. He had a strict, be home by nine, policy, and he didn’t care if Rome was working until ten or later. There were no exceptions.

  “Don’t watch me sleep,” he groaned. “It’s creepy.” He reached over and shoved his palm into the side of Kaleb’s face, smiling all the while. He hadn’t even opened his eyes yet. He could just feel him staring.

  Kaleb scoffed, turning back to glare at Rome. He couldn’t help but smirk. Normally that would have been grounds for broken fingers, but watching him like that, it was hard not to let that smirk grow into a full on smile. “How are you feeling?” he asked.

  “Pretty good. Better than usual after a shift, actually,” he said, blinking his eyes open. Kaleb had used his jacket to cover him like a make-shift blanket. It may have smelt like blood, but at least it was warm.

  “Did you put me in here?”

  “You passed out,” Kaleb said simply.

  Rome smoothed a hand over his jaw, stretching as he yawned. He reached over and patted Kaleb on the chest a moment later. “Thanks, you’re a good man… Good man,” he repeated in another yawn.

  Kaleb shook his head and rolled his eyes.

  “Did you get any sleep after all of that?”

  “No,” Kaleb whispered.

  “Right, I forgot. You’re never closing your eyes again,” he grinned. “Did you know that the average person blinks about fifteen thousand times a day? I’m just sayin’, good luck with that.”

  “Smartass.”

  “It’s better than being a dumbass. Seriously though, you look haggard again. Do you need more blood? Like how much blood do you need in a day? Could you drink an entire human being in one go?”

  “Maybe I shouldn’t have given you my blood...”

  “What?” They stared at each other for a moment before he thought to check his body. There wasn’t a scratch or blemish on him. It was as if last night never happened. “Shit, are we like, linked now or something? Why would you do that?”

  “Did you really expect me to be able to sit in here with you bleeding like that?” he replied. “I assure you, it was purely selfish. And I didn’t give you enough to bind us… I don’t think.”

  “You don’t think?” He was really considering kicking Kaleb’s ass right now, and he might have if he didn’t feel like he was on uppers.

  “I feel kind of drugged. Is that normal?”

  “I don’t know. Not for a human or a witch, but for a creature who craves my flesh… it might have an effect, I suppose.”

  “Well, don’t let me do anything I wouldn’t normally do,” Rome smiled. “Because you smell really good.”

  Kaleb smirked. “How good?”

  “I’m not that drugged,” he laughed. “What time is it? Did we miss class?” He waved a hand in the air a second later, deciding he didn’t care. He was more interested in asking Kaleb questions. “How are you not frying into a crispy critter right now? And is your heart supposed to beat like that? Oh, and why do you need real food? Can your body even digest it?”

  Kaleb sighed. This was beyond annoying.

  “The answer to all of those questions is exactly the same,” he said. Rome looked at him with another hopeful expression. “…Half-vampire,” he elaborated, pointing roughly to himself.

  “Right. I figured that, I was just checking.”

  “Maybe you should go back to sleep,” Kaleb mumbled.

  “Mm, no, not tired,” he said. He got another strong whiff of Kaleb’s blood and realized it wasn’t just coming from his jacket. “Are you still hurt? Why didn’t you feed off me? That would heal you too, right?”

  Kaleb shifted uncomfortably in the seat. He had thought about feeding off of Rome. He’d been lying there, helplessly, smelling as good as he did. The thought had definitely crossed his mind. He just didn’t want to abuse their friendship like that. It was something he was actually coming to value. For the first time in a long time, Kaleb wasn’t alone, and it was a good feeling. He wasn’t about to let something as selfish as a craving ruin that. Because that’s what Rome was – something he lusted after, hungered for, and wanted to devour. “I can heal on my own,” he mumbled. “It’ll just take longer. Another little downside to being a half-breed.”

  “Or,” Rome drawled, “you can stop being stubborn and learn how to accept help from people when you need it. Come on, I’m sure you’re starving,” he said, holding out his wrist.

  Kaleb rubbed his thumb across his lips, trying to resist the tantalizing offer. He wasn’t sure he could do it. Rome was literally asking him to taste him. It was too big of a temptation to resist. He took Rome’s arm gently, cradling his hand in his upturned palm. He was staring at the rich, blue veins, hypnotized by the feeling of Rome’s pulse against his skin. His eyes flicked up to meet deep blue ones, staring at him uncertainly.

  “If it makes you feel any better,” Rome said, “I kind of like it.” If he had any idea how much of an effect his words would have on Kaleb, he might not have said them. Kaleb pressed a soft kiss to his skin, brushing his lips hungrily across his flesh. Rome’s heartbeat was in his throat. The quick sting of fangs breaking skin jolted him, but the pain was quickly replaced by the spread of a pleasurable heat. Whenever he bit him, a euphoric sensation always followed. Like a form of sedation, a drug creeping into his veins. Kaleb drank slowly from his wrist, sucking on him enticingly as a rogue hand traced over his body. Rome would be lying if he said he hadn’t been expecting it. He’d be lying if he said he didn’t like it.

  “What do I taste like?” he whispered.

  “…Sex.”

  A knock on the driver’s side window startled them both.

  “Dallas,” Rome said, cranking down his window.

  “Rome,” Dallas replied with a smirk. “What’s going on here?”

  “Breakfast,” Kaleb said.

  “Unless somehow Kaleb is also your sister, go away.”

  “Hey, you should be nice to people who have more money than you,” Dallas said. It wasn’t unwise advice. “How about some real breakfast?” he offered. “I was on my way out.”

  “You know there’s food in the cafeteria, right?” Rome asked.

  Dallas looked at him blankly. “I don’t eat cafeteria food.”

  No further explanation was given.

  “Are you hungry, or not?”

  “You payin’?” Rome asked.

  “Sure.” It was the least he could do. The kid had saved Aria’s life.

  The car ride was taken in silence, and was actually a fairly short one, considering that Dallas was the one driving. Rome and Kaleb had squished into the backseat together, where Kaleb had attempted to continue feeding off of him. Dallas put an end to that before it began. They pulled into a tiny strip mall that looked more suited to being called an alleyway, and Rome frowned at the wooden sign propped up just outside the diner door.

  The Silver Spoon was, apparently, a restaurant. Not one Rome had ever heard of, or would have gone to, but Dallas seemed eager to eat whatever it was that they served. They took a seat in the back and a waitress dropped some menus on their table before shuffling off to pour a customer some more coffee. “Is this place new?” he asked, squinting around in confusion.

  “Nope,” Dallas said with a smile, scanning over the menu.

  Rome was baffled that Dallas would even walk into a place like this, let alone turn his nose up at four-star cuisine in exchange for some greasy diner food. “So, you won’t eat in the cafeteria, but you’ll eat here?”

  “I don’t eat in cafeterias,” Dallas said, slapping the menu down on the table. He wasn’t sure how he could make it any clearer.<
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  “Okay,” Rome muttered. “Clearly there’s a story there.”

  “Not one I’m telling you,” he smiled, flipping the menu closed. He frowned at Rome, finally realizing how weird his attire was. He was decked out in sweat pants, dirty white sneakers, and a dated leather jacket. He wasn’t even wearing a shirt. “What the hell are you wearing?” he asked. He must have been really hungry to have overlooked that outfit.

  “To explain that, I’d have to tell you what happened last night, and I’m not entirely sure you’d believe me.” He glanced over at Kaleb, who hadn’t uttered a word since they’d sat down.

  “A ghost kicked us out of our rooms,” Kaleb deadpanned.

  Rome’s eyebrows shot up into his hairline as he laughed at him.

  “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”

  “Fascinating,” Dallas replied. “So tell me, have you always been crazy, or is this a new development?”

  Rome seemed to be contemplating his answer.

  “Didn’t you see the door in the middle of the hall?”

  The waitress walked back over then, setting a mug down in front of Dallas. A mountain of whipped cream with chocolate syrup and sprinkles towered dangerously over the beverage. Dallas greeted the girl by name, and Rome had to pinch himself to be sure he wasn’t in some parallel universe.

  “The usual, doll?” the waitress asked.

  “You know it,” Dallas said, sliding the menu across the table.

  “And what about you?”

  Rome flipped through the menu thoughtfully. If Dallas was paying, he wasn’t holding back. “I’ll have… the steak and eggs, with a side of hash browns… biscuits and gravy… waffles, and… some fried chicken.”

  The waitress blinked back at him slowly.

  “Oh, and a milkshake.”

  “How do you want that steak?”

  “Rare.”

  Kaleb was trying not to laugh.

  “What kind of shake didja want?”

  “Strawberry, please.” He handed her his menu and she turned expectantly to Kaleb. “Did you even look at the menu?” Rome asked.

  Kaleb shook his head. “I’ll just pick off of his ten plates.”

  “The hell you will. I do not share food.”

  “Fine,” Kaleb said tightly, turning to stare at the menu. “I’ll have a grilled cheese. Actually, make that two. And clam chowder, if you have it.”

  Dallas frowned at the both of them. “Weirdo’s,” he coughed, watching the waitress strut back into the kitchen.

  “So what’s with the grilled cheese and chowder?” Rome asked.

  Kaleb sipped his water without answering him. “…It’s the only thing my father knows how to cook,” he said finally.

  Rome was trying not to laugh at the image of some badass vampire cooking a grilled cheese sandwich for his son. Suddenly he was trying to imagine Kaleb as a child. His mind was conjuring the image of a tiny version of him, complete with waist-length hair and a mini leather jacket.

  “Did he wear an apron?”

  Kaleb ignored him with a practiced poise.

  “So Dallas, got any curses you’d like to tell us about?”

  “Are you on drugs?” he asked seriously.

  “He drank my blood. It’s making him loopy.”

  “No, seriously,” Rome said. “Are you cursed?”

  “Cursed with good looks,” Dallas smiled. “Cursed with an abundance of loose women. Cursed to be loved and adored by all.”

  Rome stared back at him, face devoid of humor.

  “Cursed to yammer on and on,” Kaleb said, adding that to the list.

  “I don’t have to pay for your breakfast,” Dallas informed him.

  It wasn’t long before the waitress was carrying out their food. It took three trips from the kitchen to their table for Rome’s order alone. Dallas frowned at the slab of bloody cow on one of Rome’s many plates, deciding not to comment. The kid ate like a jailhouse prisoner.

  “You can slow down,” he said. “I don’t know what you’re used to, but no one is going to steal your food.”

  “I’m used to no food,” Rome answered between bites. He was grabbing from one plate to the other, not sure where he really wanted to start or end. Everything was delicious. “How did you freaking find this place? The food is amazing.”

  Dallas smiled at him, barely noticing the way Kaleb was dipping his grilled cheese in the chowder he’d ordered. “Consider this a thank you.”

  “A thank you for what?”

  “For saving Aria’s life. Which brings me around to my other point of interest... You still work at La Lune, right?”

  “Yeah, why?”

  “Are you working tomorrow night?” Dallas asked hopefully.

  Rome nodded.

  “Perfect,” he grinned. “I want you to ruin Christian’s date with her. Sabotage him by any means necessary. I’ve got this plan that—”

  “Whoa, I’m gonna stop you there,” Rome said. “Isn’t Christian your friend? Why would you want me to sabotage him?”

  Dallas cleared his throat. “Christian is like a brother to me, but he’s not fooling anyone with his, ‘I actually like her’, bullcrap. I taught him too well. He’s after one thing and one thing only. Once he gets it, he’s gone. I can’t let Aria make that mistake, and she’s not listening to me.”

  “…If I told you there was a possibility that Christian was actually my brother, would you believe me?” Rome asked.

  “Is this guy serious?” Dallas said, flicking his eyes over to Kaleb. He was trying to save Aria from making the biggest mistake of her life and Rome was making dumb jokes.

  “No, it’s true,” Kaleb said, chewing delicately. “It’s not that improbable. He is an orphan, after all.”

  “That kid is not an orphan. Do you know how many pairs of shoes he owns? Opening his closet is like walking into a designer clothing store.”

  “Have you ever met his parents? Has he ever talked about them, or does he tend to avoid the subject?” Rome asked. Dallas seemed to be thinking about it intently, chewing it over along with a bite of his breakfast.

  “He wouldn’t keep something like that from me,” he decided.

  “Everyone has secrets,” Rome replied.

  “Yeah, but what makes you think he’s your brother?”

  “I know it’s hard to believe; I’m still trying to wrap my brain around it myself. But I trust Kaleb. He says we’re related, so we’re related.” Despite vouching for him, Rome was still having a hard time believing that Henry wasn’t his father. It certainly wouldn’t be the worst news he’d ever received, but trying to reconcile with the fact that your parent wasn’t your parent was not an easy thing. And it presented the question, if not him, then who?

  The rest of their meal and the car ride back were spent catching Dallas up on everything that had happened. Rome told him about the curse, and what he’d seen the other night. He went on to say that if Christian really was his brother, it would be in his and Aria’s best interest if they were apart. Dallas convinced Rome to intervene in any way he could during their date, and a plan quickly started to formulate. In a strange turn of events, Dallas invited Rome to the party he was throwing on Saturday. He didn’t know that Eliza had already asked him to come, but Rome felt more comfortable accepting the invitation from Dallas than from her. In all, it was looking to be an eventful weekend.

  When they got back to Vardel, Rome and Kaleb led Dallas back to their rooms. The strange thing was, when they walked up, Kaleb’s door was pristine. Rome wasn’t sure what was more disturbing, the thought that Kaleb’s room was trashed, or the possibility that it wasn’t.

  “I swear this door was on the floor, busted off its hinges,” he said. “Someone must have fixed it.”

  Dallas looked unconvinced. It didn’t help that when Kaleb opened the door, his room looked cleaner than clean. “Are you two just wasting my time?” he sighed. “I have much better things to do than be the butt end of someone’s joke.”

/>   “No,” Kaleb said, stepping warily into his room.

  “Maybe someone was playing a prank on you, did you think of that?”

  “No,” Rome repeated. “This was no joke.”

  Dallas closed the door behind them, looking around unenthusiastically. “What did you say this ghost looked like again?”

  “Creepy, and old, and he has these dark, sunken eyes and this crazy silver hair. He was standing over there smirking and whispering cryptic shit.”

  Dallas shivered. Rome’s description sounded eerily like a man he’d seen once before. It was on his first trip to the museum his freshman year. He’d seen him standing alone, across the room. He’d been staring at him with a grin that could only be described as malevolent. Dallas hadn’t seen him before, or since, but he’d never forgotten that moment, or the way he looked.

  “And you think I’m cursed?” he said.

  Rome nodded. “Yeah, and you want to know what else I think? I’ve got this theory, that he’s the Artisan. It makes sense, right?”

  Kaleb made a strained noise. “What you’re suggesting, if that were true, would mean that I’d have to be related to one of the six families. Do you realize how unlikely that is? I wasn’t even born here, let alone in this world.”

  “It’s unlikely, but not impossible. I mean, your mother was a witch. And besides, everything I’ve seen and experienced since I stepped foot in this godforsaken place has been more than a little unlikely. He said you were supposed to be alone, cursed to be out in the cold. Am I wrong in thinking that you’ve never felt like you’ve belonged anywhere, in your entire life? Maybe that’s your curse.”

  Rome’s words had struck a nerve. “Get out,” Kaleb said slowly.

  “No,” Rome said, staring him directly in the eyes. “He’s mad because you actually found a friend. He’s mad because I’ve got your back. He did that shit last night because he’s scared… He’s scared.” Rome paced in a tight pattern, trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together.

  “Maybe I should go,” Dallas said, pointing back over his shoulder. Kaleb looked beyond pissed. He started to take several slow steps back towards the door just before Kaleb decided to kick his bedframe so hard that it screeched all the way over to the wall. What they were left looking at was three, deep scratches in the floor.