The Nymph's Curse: The Collection

by Danica Winters

  Aura pulled at her shirt, careful to not let the shirt touch the steadily healing bullet hole in her chest. That was one wound he wouldn’t be able to explain to the docs. She should have been dead. The bullet had torn straight through her chest and must have gone straight through her heart.

  “He tried to kill me … He wanted to cover his ass … But I didn’t kill them … ” Shawn dropped his forehead to the white pillow on the hospital bed and cried.

  “Who tried to kill you?”

  Shawn twisted around, hiding his face. “I didn’t kill those women.”

  Dane lifted the man up off the pillow by the zip ties that were pulled tight around his wrists. “You didn’t kill who?”

  “Them.” Shawn sat like the broken man he was.

  “Are you saying you didn’t kill Natalie?”

  “I didn’t kill those women.”

  “Listen, Shawn. There’s no more running, no more fighting — there are only questions and answers from here on out. You need to answer me so that I can understand you. Or else I will let Aura come in here and handle things herself.” He pointed out at her. “Now, I’m going to ask you some questions. You are going to give the answers. Get it?”

  Shawn stared down at the bed, but nodded.

  “Do you know where we can find Natalie Montgarten?”

  Shawn jerked. “I told him not to hurt her.”

  He didn’t understand. Was she hurt? Who was “him”? What was Shawn saying?

  Aura charged into the door. “Where’s Natalie?”

  “It’s okay, Aura.” Dane turned, putting his hand up in a feeble attempt to calm the angry woman. “We’ll find out what’s going on.” He turned back to the man. “Won’t we, Shawn? You want to help us, don’t you?”

  Shawn’s eyes glazed over and he said nothing, just began moving back and forth.

  “Shawn? Is Natalie alive?” Dane pressed.

  “I don’t know … ” Shawn lurched forward. “She was the last hope we had.”

  “Who’s we?”

  Shawn moved backward. “I left her with Pat at the Diamond.” Dane’s heart lurched in his chest.

  Natalie was at the Diamond — or at least she had been — if she was still alive. Pat wasn’t a man who could be trusted with anything wild and especially not a woman.

  “I don’t understand. What were you doing with the women in the first place?”

  “We needed stronger rodeo stock. The ranch was bleeding money. We had to find a way to make more money.”

  “How was kidnapping nymphs going to make you more money?”

  “We were trying to breed them. Make hybrids. Have horses that were smarter than the average horse, could run faster, but we needed them to not be able to transform back into human — unless we wanted them to.”

  “You were trying to create mutants?” Aura cried. “What made you think to do something so terrible?”

  Shawn lurched back and away from Aura. “It wasn’t my idea. Zeb had heard about a nymph giving birth to a hybrid. He and Angela were having problems — were just about to get a divorce. And well, we got us a couple more nymphs. We thought with a few of them we could replicate the results. I mean just think of the money we could make in shows. The horse could do things no dumbass horse could do.”

  Aura rushed toward the bed, but Dane stuck out his arm and stopped her. “No.”

  She gave him a look that could have cut glass.

  Dane tried to not let her look bother him. She wasn’t angry with him, only with the situation. He turned back to the man. “Why did you kill those women? Wouldn’t that be counterproductive?”

  Shawn ran his hand over the sheet, smoothing down the fabric. “I didn’t want Pat to kill them, but when Angela wouldn’t listen, he tied her up to his truck and dragged her to the barn. She fought — too hard. We didn’t mean to kill her. It was a damned shame — at least to lose Angela. Katarina was a snake-shifter — unfortunately we didn’t know there were different shifters until we had a little run-in with her. After that she was of no use to us.”

  “What about Jenna?” Dane asked, thinking about the last body that they had found.

  “She was a swan-shifter. Again, we didn’t need her. Our last hope hinged on Natalie.”

  Dane held back the urge to pick up the man’s ugly face and crush his fist into his nose — he owed him one.

  “Was Zeb involved in any of this?”

  “It was his idea.”

  Anger poured through him like lava, burning away any last tendrils of empathy he felt for his brother. “You are all going to rot in hell for what you’ve done to those women.”

  “They’re not women. They’re freaks.”

  • • •

  The police had flooded the Diamond. Everyone was there. All available officers from the county had come and even some of the officers from the City of Kalispell. A fire truck sat next to the stables, its red lights swirled on top, bouncing off the snow and creating an otherworldly feel. Next to it sat an ambulance, waiting to be filled with a body — Aura knew that the men standing in wait didn’t care whether the body was alive or dead so long as the workers could get out of the cold.

  Dane ran his finger over his swollen nose. It looked angry and red, matching the butterfly strip-covered cut over his eye.

  “You okay?” Aura asked, moving close to him as she motioned to his nose.

  “Fine.” He dropped his hands and looked around. “Thanks for helping out at the hotel.” His gaze shifted around, taking in all the people that flooded the grounds around them.

  “You’re welcome.”

  “I know what it meant to you to have to shift … ” he whispered. “Especially after everything you’ve been through. I can’t believe you did that for me.”

  There hadn’t been another option. It was either shift or watch him die. “I love you, Dane.”

  He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her body into him. He pushed his face into her hair. “I love you too.”

  The sound of a man clearing his throat caught her attention and she pulled out of Dane’s arms.

  The sergeant stopped a few steps from them. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to interrupt anything. I just wanted to let you know we have Pat in custody. He was at the house.”

  “Where is he?” Dane asked, a dangerous edge to his voice.

  “Grant picked him up, was just going to run him in.”

  “Did he say anything about Natalie?” Aura asked.

  “He didn’t have anything to say about the whereabouts of Natalie … or Zeb.” He looked at Dane. “However, when we ran him in the system we found that Pat is his last name … short for Patrick. His full name’s Merle James Patrick. Weren’t the initials on the knife you found M. J. P.?”

  Dane gave a sharp nod. “Good. That’s one bastard who will spend his life behind bars.”

  Sergeant Tester nodded. “That makes two. About number three, do you have any idea where your brother would be hiding?”

  “We’ve searched the entire place, but if he went up into the woods there’s no telling when he’ll come out. Or if he’ll come back.”

  The cows in the pasture that ran to the left of the road looked over at them, giving Aura an idea. Maybe one of the animals could help, but there was no way she could use her ability in front of the throngs of officers and emergency workers — unless she was careful.

  As the men discussed the case, Aura weaved past the people that stood around the corral and stables. At the far end of the horse stalls Dancer stuck his head out of the door, watching all the people almost as if they were a show that played out in front of him.

  She walked toward him, grabbing a pellet from the bucket that hung from a hook on the wall. “Hello, handsome,” she said in a smooth, easy voice.

 
His energy wavered with all the noise and commotion going on around him, but his curiosity kept him from running back into the corner of the stall and hiding like several of the other horses had done. His black silky coat was velvety under her fingers as she ran her hands down over his nose and them up to his mane.

  We are looking for Zeb … Do you know where he’s gone?

  Dancer looked at her, his attention finally breaking from the mass of people and energies that flowed around them. Zeb? he answered. The one who smells like poison?

  She couldn’t think of a man who smelled like poison. Was there something she had missed?

  What do you mean, honey? Poison?

  You know, the black poison he stuffs under his lip.

  Aura smiled as she realized the horse was talking about the snuff that Zeb habitually chewed.

  Yes, the poison man. Have you seen him?

  Dancer brought his head up with an agitated jerk, but she kept her hands on him, careful to not break the connection. He was here. He had a rope in his hands … Then he disappeared …

  He had a rope? What had he been doing? Was he planning on hurting himself? Or was the rope to hurt Natalie? The image of Angela’s disarticulated hand screamed through her mind.

  If Zeb was running from them then he had to know that they had found out the truth … that he was guilty of participating in the abduction and murder of several women — and the gods only knew what he would be thinking. He had much to lose — the ranch, his image, and maybe even his life. He hadn’t thought anything of killing those women, nothing would stop him from killing Natalie now — if she was still alive.

  She had to hurry. Where did he disappear? Did he leave the barn?

  No. Dancer huffed with agitation and he jerked his head in the direction of the stall that sat empty across the aisle. He went in there.

  Not an hour before, she’d watched Dane walk through the stalls, finding nothing. Are you sure?

  Dancer gave her a look of subtle annoyance.

  Sorry. She smiled. Thank you for your help.

  Dancer leaned against the door and laid his head on her shoulder. No, thank you for your help. You saved me.

  She hugged his neck softly. I just hope I can keep helping you.

  With Zeb going to prison it wasn’t likely that he would be back to the ranch. Dancer would be at the mercy of the courts — he would be sold to some stranger and an unknown fate. The thought drew a tear to her eye. She’d saved him once, but it was unlikely she could be so lucky again.

  “Aura, you okay?” Dane asked, breaking the bond between her and Dancer.

  She ran her hand down Dancer’s face and stepped back. “I’m okay,” she lied. “I think I might know where we can find Zeb.” She pointed at the empty stall.

  “I was just in there. There’s nothing.” Dane smiled.

  “Trust me.” She motioned slightly toward Dancer.

  “Oh … ” He stared at the horse. “Thanks, Dancer,” he whispered, careful not to be heard.

  Aura stepped to the empty stall and opened the door. The floor was covered in fresh hay. The wooden walls were plain white, the same as every other stall. There was nothing amiss or out of place.

  “Was he sure?” Dane glanced at Dancer, almost with disbelief that she could communicate with the beautiful black gelding.

  She reached over and took his hand. “There are some things in life that you can trust to tell you the truth. Animals don’t lie. Their body tells you everything you need to know. It’s just that humans have never learned how to listen.”

  She shuffled her feet around in the hay, making a wide square that grew tighter and tighter until her foot slid over a hole in the floor. “Dane! I think I found something.”

  Bending over, she rifled through the straw, exposing a metal handle entrenched in a shallow indentation. Dane stepped over to her and reached down and lifted up the handle, exposing a small wooden ladder.

  He looked at her. “You need to be careful. Please. I’ve got a bad feeling.”

  “If anyone between us needs to be careful, it’s you. You’ve been hurt too much. Maybe you should stay up here and let me go.”

  “Aura,” he said tiredly, “I’m a deputy. This is my job. You can’t constantly be worrying that I’ll get hurt.”

  “If you are going to be with me, you are just going to have to get used to someone who cares about you, who loves you and wants you to be safe.”

  He took her hand and gave it a squeeze. “I love you too.” He put his foot down onto the top rung of the ladder. Dane let go of her as he disappeared into the darkness.

  Her hands shook as she followed him into the shadows. She would have to trust his gut and what he thought was best. Her foot struck the dirt floor and she let go of the ladder. It took her a second to let her eyes adjust to the enveloping darkness of the cellar-like basement.

  “Zeb?” Dane called out. “Are you in here?”

  They were answered with the footsteps of the people walking in the barn above them.

  He pulled his gun from his holster and stepped in front of her. Her heart thundered in her ears. If Zeb was down here, was he alive? Was he with Natalie? If she was down here why wasn’t she answering? A sickening knot clenched tight in her stomach and a wave of chills made goose bumps rise on her arms. Something was wrong.

  “Natalie?” she called out, her voice wavering with emotion.

  Again there was no answer.

  Dane pulled the work-issued metal flashlight from its holster at his side and shined the light into the murky black. At the far end of the square room was a wall and at its center was a barn wood door that sat half off its hinges.

  She looked over at him. “How long has this place been down here?”

  Dane shook his head. “This wasn’t here before the barn burned … It’s only been a few years — at least that I know about.”

  Was it possible that his family had more secrets under their barn than most did in their closet? Were there things his mother hadn’t told him?

  She moved meticulously toward the door, step by step with Dane.

  He stepped ahead and the door’s hinges cried in rusty anger at their intrusion. A low watt yellow-tinted light hung from an electrical wire strung from the ceiling. Something else moved in the darkness just beyond the thin light.

  “What’s that?” Aura felt the energy of her shift begin to course through her body, but she tried to control it, put it back in the little box where it had, for so long before today, been trapped.

  Dane pointed his flashlight in the direction of the movement. Squinting she moved closer.

  “No … ” She gasped.

  The light reflected off a pair of clean camel-colored boots at the level of her waist.

  “Zeb … What did you do?” The metal flashlight fell to the floor as Dane rushed to his dangling brother.

  She picked up the light and pointed it toward the rafter which the green and yellow rope was tied. Her mind flipped to the crime lab’s report on Angela’s body — they had found yellow and green fibers — rope fibers. Zeb had been behind it all. She moved the light down, illuminating the purple flesh of Zeb’s lifeless face. She gasped. Dane didn’t deserve this, to find his brother like this. Not here. Not in this place. He already had so many terrible memories tied to this barn.

  A whimper escaped from the darkness. Aura flashed the light around the room. In the far corner, stuck against the wall, was a wooden chair. At first all she could see were the duct-taped legs, but as she moved closer, her sister’s face met her. Her eyes were closed from the sudden intensity of the flashlight’s beam.

  “Natalie!” She ran to her.

  Her sister’s normally beautiful dark chestnut-colored hair was matted with dirt and sweat and hung limply to her face, making Aura’s hear
t ache in her chest. She’d been through so much.

  “It’s okay, honey. I’m here.” The duct tape was stuck firmly over her lips, but Aura was careful as she pulled it from Natalie’s lips. “Are you okay?”

  “Aura!” Tears slipped down Natalie’s dirt-smudged cheeks. “I didn’t think you were ever going to find me. I’m … I’m so sorry.”

  “No … I’m sorry.” Aura took Natalie in her arms, comforting her still trapped body.

  She couldn’t stop the tears that welled in her eyes and spilled down her face. Every emotion she had been feeling — terror, dread, love, excitement, and elation — every emotion filled her tears and poured from her. She’d never felt such relief. Natalie was safe. She was alive. There would be scars for many years to come, but she was still here on this earth — Aura could ask nothing more.

  “I should have never let you come here alone. If I hadn’t been so wrapped up in my own life … this would have never happened.” Tears choked her voice.

  Natalie moved as if she wanted to hug her, but her arms were still taped behind her back. “Aura, this wasn’t your fault. I’m just so glad you’re here.”

  “Natalie?” Dane asked, stepping to Aura’s side. “I’m so glad you’re okay. We were worried about you.” There was a strangled edge to his voice, as if his emotions threatened to spill over.

  Aura pulled at the thick wrap of tape around Natalie’s ankles. “Dane, do you have a knife?” He reached to his waist and pulled out a well-worn knife. Bending down, he made quick work of the tape then moved behind the chair and repeated the action with Natalie’s wrists.

  He gently moved Natalie’s hands around to her lap. “Are you okay?”

  “I think so — at least I think I’ll be okay.” Natalie nodded as she rubbed the skin of her wrists. “Who are you?”

  “I’m Deputy Burke.”

  “But you can call him Dane.” Aura smiled as she thought of the first moment she’d met him as he stood by her window, trying his damnedest to be the hard-edged cop, but she knew the real him — the man who could love without boundaries, without care of his safety, and with the full strength of his being.