Chapter 18
Sabrina had understood Gideon was cursed—who wasn’t in this town—but when his hand closed around hers, when his skin had touched hers, she’d realized she hadn’t truly understood the weight of what he was carrying.
Her gift, her curse, had always whispered to her when something was cracked or damaged. It was a pull she couldn’t ignore, a call that filled her head until she gave in and made the broken thing hers. Usually it was a shattered object or a cracked vase. Harmless. Manageable.
But Gideon wasn’t harmless. Or manageable. He was a human being. Another living soul.
The moment their hands met, the pull had flooded through her, drowning out thought.
Her chest tightened. Her breath caught. It wasn’t just a whisper this time—it was a cry for help, raw and aching, that seemed to come from the depths of him.
Something in Gideon Locke was splintered, and every part of her longed to gather the pieces and make him whole again.
But she fixed things. Not people. She couldn’t be responsible for another person.
Had he known what he was doing when he reached for her? Had he meant to lay that burden in her hands? He couldn’t have. He didn’t know how her curse worked. So it had to have been instinct, a fleeting moment of need he couldn’t hide.
Either way, he was broken. And now, so was she, because she couldn’t unfeel the way his soul had called out to her.
She sat at the table, lost as to what to do next. Sure, she could continue to pretend nothing had happened, but that would only last so long.
Once her curse latched onto something, the need to fix that thing only grew larger and stronger until she possessed it. Until she did everything she could to make it right again.
A server came to take their drink orders. She ordered a club soda, Gideon ordered a ginger ale, and Korrin ordered something called a Blue Note.
As discombobulated as touching Gideon had made her, she hadn’t completely lost her mind. She leaned in toward the sprite. “Being on your best behavior means not getting drunk. You throw up in my car and I am not going to be happy.”
He nodded solemnly. “Just one.”
“Smart move.”
Gideon smiled at her.
She smiled back. He had no idea what he’d done to her. She realized that now.
Not long after their drinks arrived, a man walked on stage, illuminated by a spotlight.
He wore a purple smoking jacket and looked as if he’d stepped out of the 1940s.
“Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to Club 42. We’re about to bring one of our favorite singers to the stage, the incredible Isabelle Lagasse, along with the maestro of the keyboards, Francois Dubois, who will be accompanying her on the piano.
Please, put your hands together for the coolest duo this side of the North Pole. ”
The man started clapping as he walked offstage. The audience joined him.
Korrin clapped twice as hard as everyone else.
Another man entered and sat at the piano. He started to play, then the spotlight shifted to the right side of the stage. A beautiful woman in a slinky black evening gown appeared, her skin flawless and glowing under the lights, her makeup dark and smoky, her lips red as blood.
She began to sing an old song, one about desire and despair. She was mesmerizing. Her voice raised goosebumps on Sabrina’s skin and caused her already aching heart to pulsate with longing. She felt like she’d been transported to another place and time.
As the song went on, Sabrina managed to get a glimpse of Korrin. He sat on the front edge of the table, utterly mesmerized. She didn’t think he’d even touched his drink.
That was all right with her. She could only imagine what he’d be like intoxicated.
When the song ended, applause went up. Korrin got to his feet, clapping for all he was worth.
He turned back toward Sabrina and Gideon. “This is even better than I thought it would be. I didn’t know the singer would be a vampire. This is the best night I’ve ever had.”
Neither had Sabrina. She looked at Gideon. “Did you know that?”
“Not a clue. I’m just a regular cursed person. Not any kind of supernatural.”
“Same here. I mean, obviously I know they exist because Julia is always talking about people in town. But I don’t think I’ve ever met a vampire before.”
“I’ve had a few in my shop, but I can’t tell them apart from regular people. As far as I know, everyone’s just a regular person unless they tell me otherwise.”
“Yep.” She listened as the next song started, sipping her club soda and thinking that if it had been a date, it would be a nice one.
Even with Korrin tagging along. Either way, he was having a good time, so these were two things crossed off his list.
And that was getting her closer to her goal of returning the music box to Amelia. She’d start the painting tomorrow. Gideon had already begun taking the motor apart.
Several days of serious work and it would be done.
But what could she do to protect Korrin? She’d promised him he’d be safe. Did she dare tell Amelia she’d accidentally released him? And even if she did, what then? The music box wasn’t Sabrina’s property. She had no say over what happened to it.
If Amelia wanted to smash it to bits, that was perfectly within her rights.
This was not going to be easy. Especially not with everything in her also wanting to fix Gideon.
How was she going to handle this?
She didn’t have a clue.
She snuck a look at him. His attention was on the stage, as was everyone’s around them. She looked at his hand. A watch peeked out from under his shirtsleeve, not so unusual considering his profession.
She narrowed her eyes. Was it possible she’d touched the watch and that was what had triggered her curse? Maybe the watch was broken. But why would he wear a broken watch? That made no sense. She knew the watch hadn’t caused anything.
A sigh slipped out before she could stop it.
He glanced at her. “Everything all right?”
She nodded. “Fine. Sorry. Do you know what time it is?”
“Sure.” He lifted his arm, turning his wrist toward the light.
She could see the second hand sweeping the dial. The watch wasn’t broken. Not that she’d needed proof.
“Nearly nine,” he said. “You need to go?”
“Not yet. Maybe by ten, though? We both have work tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Ten is fine with me.” He tipped his head toward Korrin. “You might have a hard time getting someone else out of here, though.”
She cocked her brows. “You seem to have forgotten who you’re talking to.”
He laughed. “You’re right. What am I saying?”
They didn’t talk much the rest of the evening, mostly just listened to the music and enjoyed the experience. Korrin, however, suddenly remembered his drink, which he downed in record time.
Ten minutes later, he was asleep on the table. Apparently, his capacity for ice cream was no indicator of his tolerance for alcohol.
Sabrina nudged Gabriel and pointed the sprite out.
He shook his head. “I guess we can go.”
She nodded. “This was fun.”
“It was.”
She scooped Korrin up and grabbed her purse.
Gideon dropped some money on the table and got to his feet. He helped her with her chair.
Outside, the streets were a little busier with folks out walking, a lot of them hand in hand. Fiddler Street was a popular date-night spot.
They headed for her car. Korrin was still asleep. She looked at Gideon. “You think we lose business by not being open later?”
“Maybe. I know some shops stay open late to serve the more nocturnal crowd that calls Shadowvale home. But that would mean hiring someone to take that shift, and I really don’t want anyone else in my shop but me.”
“I can see that. You do precise, detailed work on delicate and often expensive things. I don’t think I’d want anyone else around that either.
” It would mean hiring another person for her too.
Someone who could work until ten or eleven, which was when the other shops closed. She could barely afford Julia.
“What about you?” he asked.
“Maybe someday,” she said. “I need to get better established first.” That was a vague way of saying it wasn’t in her budget, but he was smart enough to figure that out.
They reached her car. She got her key out of her purse, still cradling Korrin like a baby.
Gideon took the key from her and opened her door.
She stepped closer to the car. Closer to him. “Thank you. Tonight really was fun. Also, maybe a little weird, considering the company”—she indicated Korrin with her chin—“but definitely more entertaining than my usual evenings are.”
He nodded. “That goes double for me.” He shifted from one foot to the other. “Listen, I don’t live far from here. I can walk home. That way you might be able to get the sprite back to your place without waking him up. Easier night for you that way, I’d think.”
“I don’t mind driving you, but you’re probably right.” If he wanted to go, she couldn’t stop him. “I guess I’ll see you tomorrow.”
“Yes.” He lingered, like he had something else to say. Or he was trying to think of something else to make the moment last.
Her curse took over. Her need to fix him. She leaned in and brushed her mouth across his, feeling that tingle of connection again. “Have a good night.”
He blinked at her, lips parted. He sucked in some air. “Um, yeah. You too.”
He staggered backwards, got himself to the sidewalk.
She slipped into the car as gracefully as she could and set Korrin down on the passenger seat. Through the windows, she could see Gideon was still standing there. Was he waiting to make sure she got off all right?
She shouldn’t have kissed him. He clearly hadn’t been ready for that. Technically, her curse was responsible. And Shadowvale might be the one town where that was a viable excuse.