The Nymph's Curse: The Collection

by Danica Winters

  I’m on it. I’m doing almost everything I can do, she thought as she entwined her fingers with his. “Kaden is sleeping, right?”

  He nodded.

  She stroked his skin. “Why don’t I take you back to your apartment and you can get a shower and take a nap? If you want, I can come back and sit with him until you’re rested.”

  He stared at her hand. “I don’t want to leave him.”

  “I know. But you need a break.” She tried to smile.

  He was silent for a minute. “Let me tell Kaden where I’m going.”

  The ventilator whooshed and wheezed as it pushed and pulled air from Kaden’s body. Aside from the vast array of machines, the room was empty. Had Tammy even been in?

  Kaden’s color did look a bit pinker. Glancing at the medley of machines, she noted that his blood pressure had risen. Could Tammy be responsible for the better numbers?

  Beau walked up next to the head of the bed and lifted Kaden’s hand to his lips. Never before had she seen such an honest and tender expression of love. He must have been so afraid, so absolutely terrified that his son wouldn’t make it. Her heart broke for them.

  Ariadne turned away to hide the tears that welled in her eyes. “Excuse me, I’ll be right back.”

  Walking out of the room, she made her way down the hall and into the stairwell. She just needed a moment. It was important that she stay strong for Beau and Kaden, he didn’t need a weakling around him. He needed someone who could help bear the burden of the curse. And she and Trina were responsible.

  Had Beau heard about Trina?

  It was better to let it go, he didn’t need another thing to deal with right now. Besides, if Kat found Trina, the situation was under control. There was no way Kat would let one of her loyal subordinates die; if she did, her hierarchy would be in danger. She loved power and control too much to let the death of a young nymph jeopardize what she held so dear.

  A tap on her shoulder broke her concentration. Instinctively, her hands balled into tight fists and she spun around.

  “I’ve been waiting for ya.” Tammy peered around her and down the stairs. They were alone. “I did what I could for the poor kiddo. He’s doing better, but I gotta say, it don’t look real good.”

  Ariadne dropped her hands. “If I got you more supplies, do you think it would help?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “You’re a witch. There has to be something more that you can do,” Ariadne choked, as a tear slipped down her cheek.

  Tammy put her hand on Ariadne’s shoulder and squeezed. “I’m gonna try. But we won’t really know ’til tomorrow if anything’s gonna work. Be patient. I’ll do my best. But you guys need to get outta here so I can get some time to work before visiting hours are over. I’ll let ya know how it goes.”

  Ariadne opened the door. “Thanks, Tammy. I appreciate it.”

  • • •

  The shower shut off with a loud thump and a bang. The sound perfectly matched the rest of Beau’s dingy apartment. Ariadne sat at the desk and listened as the sounds of Beau’s grunts filtered out into the bathroom.

  “You okay in there?”

  “Yep. Old, but great,” Beau called back.

  He didn’t have a clue what old was.

  “Oh, shit,” Beau grumbled.

  “What? Did you fall down and break a hip, old man?”

  “Ha ha ha, real funny. No. I forgot my clothes.”

  Without meaning to, she smiled. “Don’t let me stop you from coming out to get them.”

  The door cracked open. “I don’t know about most Greeks, but this place doesn’t seem to believe in towels that cover.”

  She laughed. “If you want, I’ll look away.” She turned her head slightly to the side, but kept an eye on him as the door moved wider.

  “That’s not really looking away,” he said, with a tired, but playful edge to his voice.

  She turned and looked directly at him as he walked out of the bathroom. Water dripped down his tan sculpted chest. How had she forgotten how good he had looked in the moonlight? He held the small bath towel tightly, which made his biceps look more pronounced. She sucked in a breath as she felt the wetness grow between her thighs.

  “You okay?” He smiled, but his eyes were weary.

  “Sorry. I … ” She looked away. “You need to get your rest. I shouldn’t have stayed this long.” She rose from her chair and stepped toward the door, but he grabbed her.

  “Stop. I want to thank you for whatever it was that you did to make Stavros reopen the site. I know how hard it is dealing with an ex. I still don’t know why you did what you did to my site, but I’m sure you had your reasons.”

  “I’m so sorry, Beau. Know that I never wanted to hurt you. I never want to hurt you. It was a mistake. One that I’m trying to fix.”

  Still holding his towel, he stepped toward her. He pushed a stray hair behind her ear, and his warm hand fell to her waist. “I know.”

  His wet, warm breath brushed against her skin, and made her heart quicken. She lifted her chin and met his gaze. The subtle light made the brown of his eyes even more mesmerizing. He leaned in, she moved slightly forward, and their lips met.

  The sound of his towel hitting the floor was the only noise besides the thundering of her heart. He grabbed her hips and pulled her into his nakedness. He pressed against her, and her inner nymph took over as she rolled her body against him. She sucked on his bottom lip until he moaned.

  She pulled back, releasing his mouth. “This isn’t resting.”

  “No, but I need this just as badly. I need to know that you still care about me.” He ran his fingers up her back as she sucked in an excited breath. “I’ve never felt more alone. I just want a few hours of something good.”

  She rested her head on his chest. “You aren’t alone anymore,” she whispered. “I want you in my life. And I want to be a part of your life. Can you forgive me for the things I have done?”

  He kissed her forehead and down her face to her lips. She yielded to his searching tongue.

  Leading her to the bed, he unzipped the back of her dress. She let it slip down her shoulders, revealing the tops of her breasts. Beau kissed the bottom of her neck, over her collarbone and down between her naked breasts, making the tingling need between her thighs grow. He pulled her into his mouth and sucked. The feeling of his tongue flicking against her nipple made her knees grow weak. Beau must have realized, because he let go and laid her on the bed.

  “You’re so unbelievably sexy. I don’t know how I ever got this lucky to have you share my bed.” He pulled the black dress down past her waist. She lifted her hips and he eased it from her body and dropped the fabric to the floor.

  Sitting up, she took his hand. “I’m the lucky one.”

  She led his fingers to the top of her black lace panties. He needed no coaxing as he slipped his finger under the waist, tugged them downward, and revealed all of her. He dropped his knees to the floor and pushed her knees apart.

  He put his mouth on her and moved in rhythm with the arching of her body. He hummed and her body contorted with the intense sensation. The tempo of his pulse increased.

  “Oh, goddess.” She forced her body to sit up.

  Beau stopped. She pulled him on the bed next to her, climbed on top of his strong body and led him inside of her with the movement of her hips. He reached up and took hold of her body as she rotated her hips, driving him deeper inside of her wetness. He thumbed her nipple as their bodies moved in perfect unison.

  The sweat dampened her breasts and a droplet slid down her flesh. Beau smiled and kissed away the drip. Without removing himself, he gently moved her onto her back and took control. The simple action drove her to the edge. “I’m close,” she moaned.

  “Come for me.” He drove deeper.r />
  She closed her eyes as she felt the precipice nearing. Her toes curled as her body quivered and writhed beneath him as the wave of pleasure swept through her body. His body mimicked hers as he shuddered and moaned. Holding her close, his head fell to her chest and their heavy breaths mirrored each other.

  Her phone chirped from her purse on the desk, but the sound barely registered through her fog of euphoria.

  He leaned down and tickled the skin of her neck with his lips. Laughing, she pushed him off. He smiled as he moved onto the bed beside her.

  Beau trailed his fingers down her body. He picked up her arm and ran his finger over the black ink of her snake. “What are these tattoos for?”

  “I belong to a group. They are our symbol.”

  “Snakes are your thing?” He put his finger in her palm on top of the snake’s eye.

  “Sort of, yeah. I can’t talk much about it.”

  “So you are in a secret group?” He sat up on his elbow. “I’m intrigued.”

  Smiling seductively, she took his fingers from her palm and led them to the intersection of her thighs, in blatant avoidance of his question.

  “You can’t be ready again,” he scoffed, as he took the bait.

  “You would be surprised.” She pushed his hand in a slow circle as a smile danced across his face. “If you don’t think you can go again yet, we can wait.”

  He laughed. “I’m a man, not a god.”

  She pulled his hand away and sat up. “I’m glad you’re not. You’re better than that.”

  Beau smirked as he laid his head on the pillow and motioned for her to come closer to him. She obliged and wrapped her body around his and laid her head on his sweat-dampened chest. His heart slowed as she lay silently taking in the moment.

  “Ariadne?”

  “Hmm?”

  “Have you ever wanted kids?”

  For a moment, she lay there in stunned silence, trying to think of the right thing to say. “I’ve never really thought about it.”

  “You’re a woman. You have to have thought about it at some point or another.”

  She lifted her head and gazed up at him. “That’s a broad statement to make. Have you ever thought that maybe I’m not like other women?”

  “I know you’re nothing like other women. But, I mean, haven’t you ever wanted to get married and raise a family? You’re so beautiful. And you were with Stavros for a long time. Why didn’t you go down that road?”

  Her heart fell. “There are a lot of reasons Stavros and I never had kids. I mean, can you imagine him as a father?” She mentally shuddered. “No, wait. Don’t think about him as a father.”

  “That’s it? He just wasn’t ‘dad’ material?”

  She sighed resignedly. “No. I can’t have children. So it was never really an option for me.”

  Beau looked stunned. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”

  “Do you want more children?”

  He sat back and looked up at the ceiling. “Truthfully, I’ve thought about it. More kids would be nice, but I failed so badly with the first one. I mean, I’m never around. I’m always working out in the field or in the lab. It’s hard to raise a kid when you aren’t there.”

  “You’re a great dad. I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

  He ran his hands up and down the bare skin of her back. “You’re wrong. I stayed away from that kid when he was small. It’s my biggest regret. If I could do it all again, I would’ve probably still gotten the divorce, but I would’ve stuck around, instead of running.”

  “Sometimes you run away from things, thinking it’s better than fighting, but it’s hard to tell in the moment. I’m sure you did what you thought was right.”

  “Not right so much as necessary. I had to pay child support, but I was just getting done with my PhD. No one was hiring where we’d been living, and Lynda wasn’t willing to move. But I had to pay the bills. I had to support him in the only way I could.”

  “I understand. We all try to act as we think we should. Trust me, we all have our secrets.”

  I only understand too well. There were so many regrets. Loving bad men. Theseus. Dionysus. Walking away when I should have stood strong. And I can never tell him how much we have in common. She lifted his hand and kissed the back of his fingers.

  Ariadne rolled her body fully on top of Beau. Her hand strayed downward and she tried to tell him that she empathized in the only way she could.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Tammy’s telephone message kept replaying in Ariadne’s mind. Kaden isn’t doing good. I tried but …

  The witch had done everything she could, but the curse of the nymphs was more powerful than a simple witch’s magical abilities. Zeus was a fickle bastard.

  Beau was gowned up and had pulled the mask down over his face. She followed him into Kaden’s room. A Greek Orthodox priest was standing in the corner of the room wearing black robes and a cylindrical black hat, covered by the sterile hospital gown, latex gloves, and a mask.

  He waved slightly as they entered the room. “Hello, Dr. Morris and Miss … ”

  “Papadakis,” she offered.

  The priest nodded. “Katarina called me last night about your son. She was concerned about his health. I wish to give him anointment.” The priest looked down at Kaden and frowned. “He needs to be prepared for the Lord.”

  Beau stepped between the priest and his son. “Get the hell out of here, Kat doesn’t know what she’s talking about. He’s not going to die. He’s going to be fine. The doctors said we’re going to get lucky.” He pointed at Ariadne. “She says we’re going to get lucky. He’s going to live. He doesn’t need you. He only needs some goddamned drugs that work!”

  The priest’s eyes widened at Beau’s outburst. “I understand your pain, my son, but we must do what is right for our Lord.”

  “He’s not my Lord. My Lord wouldn’t allow this to happen to my son.”

  Ariadne stepped beside Beau and put her hand on his arm. She could feel him shaking with anger. She leaned into his ear. “It’s only Kat’s game. She’s malicious and is trying to make a point to me that she’s in control,” she whispered. “Kaden is very sick, but I think I have a way we can save him.”

  “What?” Beau stared at her.

  She shook her head, as she tried to urge him to keep his voice lowered.

  “Do the unction, Father.” She motioned toward Kaden.

  Beau stepped away and let the priest move to the bedside, but his eyes remained on Ariadne.

  The priest pulled a bottle of holy oil from his robe and placed the sacrament on Kaden’s forehead. He said a prayer quietly in Greek. She could still feel Beau’s eyes on her.

  The priest laid his gloved hand on Kaden’s arm and looked back at them. “It is done.”

  “Thank you, Father.” Ariadne bowed respectfully.

  “You are welcome, my friends.” The priest walked to Beau and took his hand. “May God be with you and your son. I know that you are hurting, but God will do what is right.”

  “Like killing my son?” Beau growled.

  The priest looked at him with pity upon his face. “Trust in God.”

  Beau jerked his hand from the priest’s and walked to the window. He kept his back to them as he stared out into the early morning sky.

  There was a knock on the door. They all turned and stared as a gowned, masked, and gloved Trina walked in. Her eyes were swollen and red and a tear rested on her cheek. “Ariadne?”

  “Hello, Trina. What’re you doing here?”

  “I’m sorry I haven’t come before. It’s just … been … been so hard,” she stammered, as she dabbed at her eyes with a tissue.

  “If you’ll excuse me,” the priest said, as he made his way out of the room.
r />   “Why was the priest here?” Trina asked with marked fear in her voice.

  Beau had a scowl on his face.

  “Let’s step out really quick, Trina.” Ariadne motioned her back toward the door.

  Trina glanced at Beau and nodded.

  The priest was gone when they stepped out into the hallway. Nurses bustled around the corridor, but none seemed to be paying them any attention.

  “I heard about what you tried to do,” Ariadne whispered.

  Trina stared at the floor. “Kat told you, didn’t she?”

  “Why did you do it?”

  Fresh tears glistened in Trina’s eyes. “What else could I do? Kaden is dying and it’s all my fault. I knew I shouldn’t love, but I didn’t listen to the sisterhood about the curse. He was just so great. I couldn’t help it.”

  Ariadne looked back at the room where Beau stood waiting. “I get it. You can’t help who you fall in love with.”

  Trina nodded.

  “Kaden’s very sick. I had Tammy in here and she tried to help, but it didn’t work. There’s only one thing left to do. But it means that we’ll be exiled from our group forever. If you don’t want to help me, I completely understand.”

  Trina stared in at Kaden. “What do you want to do?”

  Ariadne looked around the hall to make sure no one was listening. “I’m going to go to the Labyrinth and try to find Epione’s crystal staff.”

  Trina frowned. “That’s only a myth, isn’t it?”

  “No, it exists. Kat put it in there the night we were cursed.”

  “What about Beau? What are you going to tell him?”

  The door opened. “Tell me what?” Beau stuck his head out.

  Shit.

  “Nothing.”

  Beau stepped out of the room and crossed his arms over his chest. “Don’t lie to me.”

  “Let’s just take him with us,” Trina argued. “We’re gonna need him.”

  Ariadne glanced at Beau. “You might be right. We’ll need all the help we can get. There are things down there that aren’t even welcome in the world of Hades.”