The Nymph's Curse: The Collection

by Danica Winters

  Dane pulled back from her lips and gave her a look that had even more passion than their kiss. “If you want … If it’s really what you want, I will go in there and tell Grant to take over the case.”

  The love in her heart grew, pushing the boundary of her heart’s ability to fill with love. “Thank you. I know how much your job and this case means to you … ” She paused. Should she tell him to quit the case? They could go out on their own, unencumbered by the weight of the badge that was pinned to his chest.

  Aura stared at the badge. Lifting her hand, she trailed her fingertips over the cold metal. Even if Dane wasn’t wearing the emblem it didn’t change the man he was on the inside. They would follow the same path whether or not he was wearing it. He would never do something that he knew was wrong.

  Except loving her …

  “Let’s find Shawn together. I’ll protect you. Nothing will happen to you as long as I’m here.” She trailed her fingers from his badge to his jacket’s zipper and pulled it up. “I promise.”

  He smirked as he pulled down the zipper just enough to show his uniform’s collar. “They probably won’t even be there. It will be a long shot to find them.”

  Aura sat back in her seat. “A long shot is better than no shot at all.”

  Chapter Twenty

  The hotel was surrounded by a large parking lot still filled with cars with skis strapped to their roofs and Love to board bumper stickers on several of the ski-less Subarus. A pair of blurry-eyed college age kids, wearing snow pants and carrying their coats, stumbled out of the front door of the hotel and made their way to their little green Forester.

  From the looks of the square-cut beams and the finely laid stonework on the exterior of the building, the hotel was nice. It was the kind of place that Natalie would have loved to stay as it echoed the charm of the timbered mountains that surrounded the western-infused building. If Aura had to guess, in the center of the lobby there was probably a large river rock fireplace, above it hanging a bull elk mount that someone had picked up from a taxidermy shop.

  Dane turned the corner to the back lot. Parked in the farthest corner was a silver GMC. As they approached she could make out the red, white, and blue Idaho license plate. But she would have recognized her sister’s ex-husband’s truck anywhere.

  “There!” She pointed at the older model half-ton truck.

  “Is that his? For sure?” Dane asked hesitantly, as if he couldn’t believe they had actually found what they were looking for.

  “Positive.” She shifted in her seat excitedly. They were going to get Natalie. Aura could feel it. “What are we going to do? Do you want to go in?”

  Dane reached down and talked into the walkie-talkie that was clipped to his chest. “Two-nine-seven, two-six-five we are on scene and going into the Best Western, Somers … ”

  He went on giving the dispatcher the information of their investigation. His actions, in letting them know where they were and their plan, gave her a certain level of security. Yet, on the other hand, it made her feel more nervous than she had before. Did he think they were going to have a run-in with Shawn? Was he really more concerned with the potential for the curse to come true than he had let on?

  The radio quieted and he turned to her. “I want to make it very clear that I think you should stay in the car, but I know you won’t. So you need to promise me that you will be careful, okay? Stay behind me. And remember I have a gun, pepper spray, and a Taser. I have everything I need to handle the situation.”

  “Is that your way of telling me to stay out of your way?” She laughed.

  “What can I say? Do I need to remind you about you slipping the gun out of my holster?”

  Aura’s cheeks warmed. She’d forgotten about stealing his gun. No wonder he was a little bit nervous about taking her into the hotel with him.

  “I promise. No gun handling.” She crossed her fingers over her heart and held them up like a girl scout.

  He smirked wickedly, but said nothing.

  “No being dirty. Save it for later.” She returned his smile.

  His lips turned up in a sexy half grin. “I will.”

  They got out of the car and he led the way past the automatic doors and into the lobby filled with forest green armchairs. Aura peered into the sitting area, and just like she had imagined, there was a large rock fireplace. Instead of an elk mount, a mountain lion sat perched over the fireplace as if it were looking down upon them like they were prey and it was simply waiting for the right moment to pounce.

  She turned back to Dane, who was talking to the woman behind the front desk. He pulled out his wallet and flashed his badge.

  “I’d really appreciate if you could tell us the room number and activity for a man named Shawn Gunner.”

  The lady clicked away at her computer’s keyboard, a small frown settled on her face. “I’m sorry, Officer, we don’t have anyone staying here by that name.”

  Dane looked only slightly taken aback, as if part of him knew that Shawn wouldn’t be dumb enough to register under his own name with someone else’s credit card. “I think they were paying for the room under a credit card owned by a woman named Natalie Montgarten. Can you look it up?”

  The woman tapped away again, looking eagerly at the computer as if, as soon as Dane and Aura left the lobby, she would be calling all of her friends to tell them she had been a part of a police investigation. “It looks like we have a Natalie Montgarten registered on the second floor, room 216.”

  “Thanks,” Dane said. “Do you think I can get a key to the room?”

  The woman looked at his police-issued black coat. “I don’t normally do this,” she said, squinting at his silver badge, “Officer Burke … ”

  “I completely understand,” he answered in his most charming voice. “But I’m sure you have heard of the recent murders around Somers. This man is a suspect in the investigation and anything you could do to help us take down the perpetrator would be appreciated, ma’am.”

  Aura smirked as she listen to the way Dane seemed to use the women’s own desire against her. In a strange way, she was almost proud of the man for using his gift for persuasion in the same way she had used her gift for seduction.

  “Well, if it’s helping your investigation … ” The woman grabbed one of the hotel’s plastic credit card-like keys and swiped it through the machine. “Here you go. If you need anything else please let me know. I love to help!”

  Dane gave her a wide smile and a quick nod as he took the card. “Thanks, ma’am.”

  Not waiting for him to get done schmoozing the lobby attendant, Aura rushed down the hallway to the little sign that indicated the stairwell. She opened the door and ran up the first five steps as Dane hurried behind her. Her footsteps echoed off the concrete stairs and filled the empty space with their hurried sound.

  “Hey, Aura!” he called after her, but there was no slowing her down. “Wait! We can’t just go running into the room.”

  The sound of his voice vibrated down on her, slowing her ascent. He was right. If Natalie was in that room, Shawn wouldn’t be likely to give her up easily. And if they weren’t careful they could get Natalie hurt. It was better to take their time.

  Aura sighed resignedly as she turned and looked down the stairs at Dane. “What do you want to do?”

  Taking two stairs at a time, he stepped to her side. “First of all, like I said in the car, you need to stay behind me. I can’t protect you if you are in the way. We can’t risk you getting hurt.”

  In the past, she would have refused to acknowledge him taking the lead — she would have barged ahead, taking control of the situation, but this time she stopped. Dane wasn’t trying to make her submit, he wasn’t trying to control her; instead he was only acting the way he was in an attempt to protect her.

  She stepped down so he stood a
step in front of her. “I know. I’m sorry.”

  Dane frowned at her, like he was having trouble reading her intentions. “Are you okay?” He reached up and touched her shoulder.

  Aura nodded. “You can take the lead. Let’s just get Natalie out of there.”

  He squeezed his arm. “Honey, you know … it’s possible that she won’t be in there. And all we have is a video to pin Shawn to her disappearance. In Montana it’s almost impossible to prosecute someone unless we find something concrete. The most we will get with the video alone is the ability to take him in for questioning and if we play our cards right, we might be able to get a search warrant for his car.”

  “She’ll be in the room. I just know it. She has to be here.” There was marked anxiety in her voice and her heart rose into her throat. What would happen if Natalie wasn’t there? If Shawn wasn’t really the man they were looking for?

  Aura dropped her hand to the stairwell’s metal banister as if it could catch her emotions before they threatened to escape her more than they already had.

  “I’m sure you’re right, honey.” Dane dropped his hand and turned up the stairs. “She’ll be in there.”

  She followed behind him the rest of the way to the floor. He opened the door to the second floor and let her pass through ahead of him, but she waited to let him take the lead again. He gave her a strange, concerned look, but said nothing.

  The red bordello-reminiscent carpeting dulled the sound of their footsteps that had so loudly announced their presence in the stairwell. The soft crushing sound helped Aura to regain control of her pounding heart. She needed to stay focused if she was going to help Dane.

  Time seemed to slow as Aura counted the rooms they passed. 211. 212. 213. 214. 215 … 216. Her heart rose in her chest. No matter how hard she tried she couldn’t stop the way her heart seemed to erratically thrash, almost deafening her with its sound.

  Dane put his fingers to his lips, motioning for her to be quiet — as if he too could hear the blood pounding in her ears. He pointed down the hallway a few feet and motioned for her to move back to where he pointed. Aura nodded and moved back about ten feet, so that whoever opened the door couldn’t see her without stepping completely out of the hotel door. She pressed her body against the emotionless white wall.

  Dane tapped on the wooden door. He tapped again then leaned into the door as if he had heard something and was investigating the sound. Aura tried to silence her heart and hold her breath to listen, but she couldn’t hear what he was trying to hear. He motioned for her to come closer.

  “I think I hear something inside,” he whispered. “Stay out here. Find cover if anything happens.”

  She nodded. There was nothing around her but more doorways.

  With well-practiced precision, Dane pulled the gun at his hip out of its holster and took the ready position, ready to respond at a moment’s notice. He quietly slipped the keycard from his pocket and slid it into the lock. The door clicked. He looked back at her with a concerned expression on his face.

  “Watch out.”

  Aura nodded as her heart took on a new racing beat like she was a woman about to step into a war zone.

  With a quick push the door flew open.

  “Flathead Sheriff’s Department! Get down on the ground!” Dane’s voice was filled with the force of a man who intended to do whatever was necessary to keep everyone safe. “I repeat, get down on the ground!”

  She inched closer to see who Dane was yelling at. As she moved forward Dane made a deep guttural growl-like sound as a man came rushing out the door, bursting past Aura and sprinting down the hallway.

  “Get down!” Dane yelled at her, but it was no use, she was frozen to the spot. His words rattled through her like she was a tin can, echoing in her mind, but never really finding a spot to land. All she could do was stare at Shawn as he pulled open the door to the stairs and leapt out of view.

  “Shawn! Stop right there!” Dane yelled, as he ran past her after the fleeing suspect. He ripped the Taser from his belt and bolted down the stairs.

  The sounds of their running footsteps echoed out from the stairwell and brought Aura back to life. She had to do something. Dane was going after Shawn, but she couldn’t stand by and idly watch.

  Aura sprinted down the stairs as the woman in the lobby screamed. A gun fired and glass somewhere shattered. Was Dane okay?

  Careful of the gunfire, she peered around the doorframe and out into the lobby. The woman was nowhere to be seen and the main room was empty. The glass door leading outside had exploded and glass littered the floor. She pushed out from the stairwell and moved silently against the wall. The woman’s rattling sobs from behind the desk filled the tense silence.

  Aura moved toward the desk and found the woman lying face down on the ground, unharmed. The woman looked up at her. Her face was pale and almost a light green with fear. “Did they go outside?”

  The woman nodded.

  Aura looked for something that would work as a weapon, but all that sat on the desk was a computer, printer, and assorted office items. There was nothing she could use to protect herself or Dane. What was she going to do?

  Dane’s booming voice sounded from outside.

  He needed her.

  She ran to the smashed door and picked her way through the glass. She followed the sounds of grunts around the side and toward the back parking lot where they had parked the patrol car. There on the ground Shawn was sitting on top of Dane. He lifted his fist and in slow motion she watched as it came down and connected to Dane’s nose with a wet muffled sound.

  “Stop!” she yelled. “Don’t hit him!”

  Shawn didn’t look back, instead his arm rose. Before he could strike Dane again she ran toward him and grabbed his arm. But he was too strong. His arm slipped through her grip and his fist connected with Dane’s face. Blood dripped down from a thick gash over Dane’s right eye and his nose was swollen, but unbroken. His eyes were closed and his head bobbed almost lifelessly.

  “Goddamn you, Shawn! Stop! You’ll kill him!”

  She stepped back as Shawn stood up from Dane’s unconscious body. There was a gun in his left hand and it moved out of sight as he turned around to face her.

  “I’ve always hated you,” he said with a sneer. “You’ve been nothing but a pain in my ass ever since the first day I met you.” He raised his open hand and whipped it across her face with a loud slap. The pain radiated up from her cheek, the sting hot and intense. She reached up and covered the mark with her hands.

  “What are you doing? Why are you doing this, Shawn?”

  “Just leave me the hell alone, Aura. You and your sister are bitches. Just look at what she did to me.” He pointed at his left hand where angry red uneven stitches marked his flesh in the shape of a bite wound.

  “But I finally put that bitch in her place.” He gave an empty, menacing laugh.

  “What did you do to her?”

  “I didn’t do anything.” He lifted the gun in his left hand and nonchalantly tossed it into his other hand. He raised the gun halfway and pointed it at Dane’s head. “But I’m about to.”

  She wasn’t strong enough to stop him — at least not in her human form. But it had been so long since she’d taken her Mustang form. All the fears that came with her shift returned. She would be vulnerable. And Shawn knew their secret. If he got hold of a single hair she would shift back into her human form. And if he tore out a handful — it would cost her life.

  Saving Dane was worth the danger.

  The energy coursed through her and instantly her clothes ripped away as her body expanded. It felt strange as her feet shifted into the hooves of her Mustang form. She gave a smile as her face grew longer. The shift was almost immediate. Shawn was going to be a dead man.

  Shawn laughed. “You really think you can stop
me with your little shift?” He stepped back from her.

  She snorted. He would pay.

  Aura reared up onto her hind feet, careful to keep her tail away from Shawn’s hands. Her hooves flailed through the air as she tried to strike down at the man holding the gun. A groan sounded from Dane and for a moment her concentration wavered.

  Dane sat up and looked at her with wide eyes, like he couldn’t believe that a palomino Mustang was standing in front of him. She could see the comprehension in his eyes as he wavered on the ground. He knew it was her. He knew she would save them.

  Her feet kicked wildly in the air. And Shawn raised the gun up at her. No gun would help him. The shot exploded in the air and ripped through her chest, but she felt nothing — only anger at the man who stood helplessly beneath her.

  “Aura no!” Dane yelled, shocking her. But it was too late. Her black left front hoof came down, right on the top of Shawn’s collarbone. It snapped with a brittle sound. As her weight came down on his body he crumpled underneath her like she was stomping an empty pop can.

  “He may know where Natalie is!” Dane shouted.

  She threw her body backwards, careful to not drop her full weight on the already broken man.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Aura stood on the other side of the hospital room’s window, staring in. Grant and two other officers stood at the entrance to the room, not letting anyone in or out. Shawn had his head down and his restrained arms were pinned behind his back. Dane’s head throbbed, but he hadn’t let the officer’s convince him to hand off the investigation. Grant had been foaming at the mouth, but there wasn’t a chance in hell that he was going to let the kid take over the investigation now — not when Dane was so close to getting the answers.

  It had been hard to explain the bruises on Shawn’s body and the broken clavicle, but the doctors had finally seemed to believe him when he’d explained that he’d taken him to the ground hard.