Chapter 26

The Twinge of Goodbye

I didn't go back to school after all of that drama. My father was set on leaving to meet my mother so I figured there was no point in going back to school. Also, I didn't feel like pretending like everything was alright, like I hadn't beheaded my supposed friend. I didn't have the energy of making a new friend and having to kill them again.

My father was spending half of his time arguing with his family about the craziness of going to the Suprahuman Court which was basically housed on Fae territory to bring talk to his baby momma about their illegitimate daughter. The other half he was trying to plan the logistics around getting there.

Apparently Hugo had to go pledge himself to the Fae Court and he also needed to vote for the next ruler—supposedly the whole process of voting for a new king or queen took years. So yeah. Our way in was with Hugo.

Joy, freaking joy. Sever my head clean off my shoulders with a sword.

Oh right.

When my father finally decided our parting day—which was like two days later—I told him that I wanted to get some air and go for a walk. He was so busy with arguing with grandmother dearest and getting security clearance at the Court that he let me.

Truth was, I didn't actually want to go for a walk. I wanted to go see Kostyantyn. But I wasn't about to ask for a lift. Kostyantyn Brahe had been a big no-no subject ever since the incident. I had put him in danger and apparently that could put my whole family in danger.

Nevertheless, I had to see him before leaving. To thank him. To say goodbye.

I knew how to get to his house. I wasn't sure how I knew that, but I just did. I guessed Kostyantyn was a lot more in my head than I had figured.

It took me about one hour to get to his house. Most of the roads I followed were surrounded by trees and forest but I wasn't scared anymore. I kept stopping, staring at the trees or flowers thinking really loudly "BLOOM" or "GROW" like I could control them again somehow. Obviously, I just looked like an idiot.

I wasn't just thinking it. I might have been screaming it too.

Whatever.

Kostyantyn's family estate was surrounded by a big ass stone fence. I honestly hope I wasn't just going crazy imagining that I knew where he lived because climbing that fence and snooping around this place would probably get me in trouble.

On the other side of the fence, it was like I had fallen in some kind of historical movie set. The whole grounds were covered with willow trees and a bunch of other ones I couldn't name. There were bushes and flowers. At first glance it seemed kind of unkept but when you started to walk around I could see that there was order in all of this botanical chaos.

The house was a whole other deal. For starters, it wasn't a house, it was a damn castle. There weren't exactly turrets, but it was all in stones it was maybe five stories high with the windows I could count. It looked like the kind of place you would storm.

I remembered someone telling me that his house had been moved from Denmark. Yoan had told me that...

I shook my head to clear the thought and walked up to the front doors. The sight of a doorbell was kind of comical because it totally didn't fit with the whole décor.

I had one second to pray one last time that this was actually Kostyantyn's place before one of the double doors opened.

Blair greeted me. I was surprised. I had assumed a maid or a butler would be answering the door. Maybe that was her job.

There were no hellos or greetings. She just glared at me and said, "Are you here to get him killed this time?"

"I never meant for him to get hurt," I automatically answered.

"It's not about what you meant, it's about what happens and he's not safe with you around."

I couldn't exactly argue with that. Instead I said, "Luckily for you, I won't be around for much longer."

She took a second before talking again. I think she was mulling over the best course of action. "He's in the garden in the back." What? There was a specific garden? This whole thing wasn't one?

I tried smiling. "Thank you."

She kept glaring. "Don't thank me. Just don't get him killed." And with those words she closed the door in my face.

Thaaaaaaanks bitch.

At the back of the house the whole flowers and trees things was different. If the front of their freaking castle was an English garden, the back was a French one, the kind you'd see at the Chateau de Versailles—thanks Kirsten Dunst in Marie-Antoinette for that little tidbit of knowledge.

There was a big fountain in the middle, with statues all around the paved paths. Kostyantyn was near it. He was sitting on a lounge chair, barefoot, wearing a white t-shirt and black sweatpants, sunglasses hiding his eyes from me. He kept his left arm close to himself, it was his left shoulder that had been injured, but it looked like he was still trying to write or draw on the big pad that he was balancing against his slightly raised thighs.

The whole casual look was a little weird. I was used to seeing him put together all the time. I had to admit this look good on him. Well, everything looked good on him, really.

I made my way to him. I couldn't see his eyes so I was a little surprise when he said, "Are you my two o-clock nude model?" I thought he hadn't seen me arrive.

I rolled my eyes. "Ha ha, real funny."

"I never joke about nudity." He set his pad aside, and smiled at me. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine, you're the one that got injured." I pointed at him with my chin.

He shrugged his right shoulder. "It's no big deal, it'll heal," he told me and sat up a little, "So, what brings you to this little corner of the world?"

I moved my weight from one foot to another. For some reason I felt kind of self-conscious standing here. "I came to thank you. I don't know what would have happened if you hadn't been there."

"It's the other way around dear. You saved my ass."

"Well, it is a good ass," I tried joking.

He smirked. "I'm glad you finally admit it."

He was looking at me and I was staring back. He wasn't saying anything, and I should be saying something, and I just blurt the first thing I could think of, one of the only thing I had allowed my mind to think of since the incident. "Why did you kiss me?"

He took his sunglasses off, ruffled his hair a bit. "I didn't feed on you. I would never do that to you."

I rolled my eyes. "I never asked you about feeding. I knew you didn't. I know you wouldn't do that," I didn't know why I knew this so certainly, but I did. "I asked you why you kissed me."

"It was the fastest way I could think of, to nudge your subconscious in the right direction, to give you the path to your house," he explained, getting on his feet.

"So, it was just your way of giving my legs a map?"

"Yes," he said softly.

"Nothing else?"

"Nothing else."

"Alright." I didn't know what I was looking for. Did I want him to tell me he had kissed me because he was madly in love with me? Even if I was grateful to the guy, I wasn't in love with him. He was a pretentious manwhore. I didn't want him to love me.

Kostyantyn let out a breath I hadn't realized he was holding. "So, you're leaving?" he asked me, like he was trying to change the subject.

"How did you..." I narrowed my eyes a bit. "Still in my head?"

"Still in your head," he replied with an annoying knowing smile. "Also, your father needs a way to get to Avalon. I'm lending my jet."

I chuckled at that. Of course the smug bastard had a jet. "I'm going to meet my mother."

"That's going to be complicated."

"So I've heard. Maybe you could get me an audience more quickly, what with you being her future husband and all?"

Kostya looked at his bare feet. "We're not that close."

"Should I start calling you my step-dad right away?"

He ruffled his hair again. "Please don't."

It was none of my business, I didn't know why I was so interested in this, maybe because it just made my whole family situation more fucked up but I just had to push the matter. "Why are you marrying her? Do you even want to marry her?"

He snorted. "What do you think?"

"I'm not the one in your head," I reminded him.

"It's what my parents have always wanted. It's the sole reason why they were hell-bent on making an offspring that could have a claim on the Incubus and Mare throne. Your mother is going to be voted as the ruler of the Seer and the Fae very soon. Once she is, our parents want us to marry. I never had a say in any of that. I'm just a means to an end."

"She's a lot older than you." The whole suprahuman thing apparently meant you didn't age the way humans. I had asked Pasha to be sure, because sometimes the way Kostya spoke and the things he knew and the powers he had made it feel like he was a lot older, but according to my cousin the Incubus-slash-Mare was just a couple of years older than I was. He'd be marrying a woman that could be his mom.

Kostya waved the matter away. "Age is a very menial thing in our world. As long as we're powerful, age doesn't matter."

"Your life shouldn't be about what kind of power you can give your parents," I pressed.

"You can say it," Kostya just said softly.

I frown, confused. "Say what?"

"You know what. Say it, it's okay. There's no point in keeping anything in now. We probably won't see each other again, maybe at family reunions, but probably not like this again. Say it while you can." He looked so sad telling me this.

So I just told him. "I don't want you to marry her." I wasn't just bothered by their potential marriage. I didn't want it to happen.

"I don't want to marry her either," he admitted.

"Then don't."

Kostyantyn stared up at the sky, laughing without humour. "Wouldn't that be wonderful? Being able to do or not do whatever I wanted. To just disappear and go live by the Mediterranean Sea. A beach in Greece."

"Did you just reveal your escape plan?" I tried to tease.

"Damn," he stared back at me. The way he was looking in my eyes, it caught my breath away. It was a very strange sensation. "Maybe I'll have to bring you with me now," he added softly.

I blinked slowly. "You don't want to go live by the Mediterranean Sea. You want to live by the Kattegat, preferably, but you'd take any spot by the North Sea too," I told him.

He half smiled. "Clever girl."

I frowned. "How do I know this?" This made absolutely no sense. I had never heard of Kattegat, but apparently I knew it was a water coast in Sweden. The fuck?

"Because apparently I'm not as thorough as I thought," Kostya informed me.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "What's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing."

"You're really going to let me leave without being entirely honest?"

He chuckled. "Honesty is a luxury I can't afford."

"It's a lonely life you live."

"It is..." he admitted. We just stared at each other. And then Kostay turned around and grabbed his pad, writing something on it. "If you're ever in trouble when you leave, if you ever need my help just write this on your hand." He handed me the piece of paper. He'd been drawing flowers but now there were the words Lux in Tenebris scribbled on the page.

I showed him the page. "Is this a bat signal?"

He snorted. "Kind of. I don't know if I'll be able to keep tabs on you there. This should come through."

"You make no sense."

"It's okay. I don't need to make sense here."

"And where do you need to make sense."

"There." He lightly tapped his index on my forehead. His finger lingered on my temple. For a second this point of contact on my skin was the only thing I could feel, the only thing that matter.

I slapped his hand away. "Oh my god, you make no sense!"

Kos-tiara threw his head back and laughed. "I'm going to miss you."

I sighed. "Why does it feel like you're saying goodbye."

"Isn't that why you came here?" he asked.

"I was actually going for a see ya later kind of thing. This feels more final."

He tilted his head a bit, looking at me intently. And then in his softest voice he said, "Da svidanya, drug moy, da svidanya. Milyy moy, ty u menya v grudi. Prednaznachennoye rasstavanye obeshchayet vstrechu vperedi."

I pushed his uninjured shoulder. "Seriously, you're another level of annoying."

Kostya laughed again. "Try learning your own mother tongue while you're away. I'm sure your father would be happy to speak it with you."

"Fine, I'll learn Russian. And you learn to be honest with people. The next time we see each other you'll give me all the answers that I want."

"You already have all the answers, but I'll gladly help you remember them," he said, a sweet smile on his lips. Cryptic bastard.

I figured this was my time to leave. Staying longer would make things more difficult. Somehow, the more time I spent with Kostyantyn Brahe, the more time I wanted to spend with him. It was probably an Incubus side effect. Nevertheless, I was becoming more and more drawn towards him, that much I could admit. Leaving this town was perhaps a good idea.

I took a deep breath and smiled at the boy. "Bye Kos-tiara."

He smiled softly back at me. "Goodbye Oksana Matveyevna."

I turned around and walked away without looking back.

- END OF BOOK ONE -

A/N: Here it is. The end of the first book of the Cursed Wanderers Series. *HAPPY DANCE!* Thank you so much for sticking around and for your continued support. The first book might be done but the story is far from over. I have plans for five books! 

As you can assume the second book will follow Oksana, her father and Hugo at the Fae Court and deal with Oksana meeting her mom. It should be a fun ride. I'm not sure when I'll start uploading it. I do want to complete more stories. I still haven't picked a title for the next book. I'm not sure if I want to like keep using "Curse" in the titles or "Family"... If you guys have ideas feel free to share. And do share you theories and what you liked most, who you liked most. Knowing what works and what doesn't helps my writing. Also, should I upload the second book in this story group? So you guys aren't lost. Or should I start uploading it in a new story?

Anyway! Thanks again for reading this story. I hope to see all again in the second book! :D