by J. L. Farey
Table of Contents
A Note from Kristen Painter
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A Note from Kristen Painter
Dear Reader,
Nocturne Falls has become a magical place for so many people, myself included. Over and over I’ve heard from you that it’s a town you’d love to visit and even live in! I can tell you that writing the books is just as much fun for me.
With your enthusiasm for the series in mind – and your many requests for more books – the Nocturne Falls Universe was born. It’s a project near and dear to my heart, and one I am very excited about.
I hope these new, guest-authored books will entertain and delight you. And best of all, I hope they allow you to discover some great new authors! (And if you like this book, be sure to check out the rest of the Nocturne Falls Universe offerings.)
For more information about the Nocturne Falls Universe, visit http://kristenpainter.com/sugar-skull-books/
In the meantime, happy reading!
Kristen Painter
THE NYMPH TAKES NASHVILLE
A Nocturne Falls Universe Story
Copyright © 2017 by J. L. Farey
Cover design by Rebecca Poole
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from the author.
This book is a work of fiction and was made possible by a special agreement with Sugar Skull Books, but hasn’t been reviewed or edited by Kristen Painter. All characters, events, scenes, plots and associated elements appearing in the original Nocturne Falls series remain the exclusive copyrighted and/or trademarked property of Kristen Painter, Sugar Skull Books and their affiliates or licensors.
Any similarity to real person, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author or Sugar Skull Books.
Published in the United States of America.
This is dedicated to The Kidlingtons – Bill & Meg AlLee – and to my grand-puppy, Bronx, who is the inspiration for Bailey.
1
“NYPD! Stop!”
Aiden wiped rain out of his eyes with the back of his free hand. The hand that wasn’t pointing a gun at the suspect fleeing across a roof in the dead of night. There was a moment of confusion and then blinding clarity.
I’m having the dream again.
He’d had it so many times, he’d gotten to the point where he could make decisions and change the direction of the dream. All except for one thing. No matter what he did, he hadn’t been able to change the way it ended.
With a groan, Aiden sprinted after the other man. It was a section of the city undergoing what some called gentrification, others called a travesty. Either way, the number of vacant, boarded up buildings awaiting renovation made it the perfect place for criminals to hide. Like the scum he was chasing now.
Being that it was a dream, nothing worked quite the way it should. The perp zipped around like a gazelle, but when Aiden tried to run after him, his feet stuck to the black-tarred roof as if it were freshly poured. Gritting his teeth, Aiden forced his legs to work, and somehow made it around a huge ventilation unit.
And there he was. Bartholomew Edward Hudgens. The lowest form of humanity.
There was a girl huddled by the side of the AC unit. Soaked through and shivering with cold and fear, she was the reason Aiden had chased Hudgens up to the roof. The reason he had to stop the maniac. The reason Aiden needed the dream to end differently.
“It’s over,” Aiden yelled. “Drop the gun.”
Hudgens sneered. “I don’t think so. She’ll make a pretty trophy.”
Overhead, heavy clouds shifted, letting through a beam of moonlight. It glinted off the gun Hudgens was pointing straight at the girl.
“No!” Aiden roared and sprang forward. At the same time, in the real world, he shot up in bed, still yelling.
Disoriented, Aiden took in his surroundings. He was covered in sweat, his legs twisted in the bedsheet. His breath came hard and fast, and he forced himself to slow it down.
He was home.
The door to the bedroom opened slowly, and Laurel leaned her head inside. “The dream again?”
Aiden nodded. “It’s okay. It’s safe to come in.”
With a lazy smile, she sauntered over and plopped down on the mattress behind him. She wrapped her arms around his waist and pressed a kiss on his back. “Oo. Salty.”
“That’s because I’m all sweaty.”
“I like you sweaty. Although, I prefer it when I’m the one who gets you that way.” Laurel put her chin on his shoulder. “Did you cuff him this time?”
Aiden snorted in disgust. “Didn’t even get close.”
“Want to talk about it?”
“No.” Laurel let out a playful scream as he twisted around and pulled her onto his lap. “I’ve got other ideas.”
They were inches away from a kiss when a whine made them both stop and look toward the foot of the bed. There stood Bailey, head cocked to one side, staring up at them from the open doorway.
“Is it just me,” Aiden said, “or does knowing that dog can talk kind of kill the mood?”
“It’s not just you.” Laurel scooted to the edge of the bed and addressed Bailey. “Are you ever going to say anything else?”
Bailey tipped his head in the other direction, as if considering her question. Then he opened his mouth. But instead of speaking, his tongue lolled out and he dropped down on the floor, legs sticking out so he looked like a laughing, black and white dog skin rug.
“Not today, I guess.” Laurel kissed Aiden on the cheek and hopped to her feet. “Come on out when you’re ready and get breakfast. I want to talk to you about something, too.”
He watched as she left the room, skirting around Bailey. After a disinterested woof, the dog got up and trotted off behind her.
With a chuckle, Aiden untangled himself from the bed sheets and shuffled into the bathroom. After a quick shower and shave, he shrugged into his bathrobe and went out to the kitchen.
Laurel was at the stove, dropping strips of bacon onto a hot skillet. The resulting sizzles and pops sent her into an improvised hop-and-jerk dance to avoid flying grease.
Aiden came up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist. He planted a kiss on her neck, just above her shoulder, then took a deep breath. “Mmm. You smell as good as you taste.”
“Thank you, bacon.” She shrugged her shoulders and broke out of his hug. “If you don’t want it burnt to a crisp, you need to let me concentrate on cooking.”
“I do like crispy bacon.”
“Aiden...” From that tone, he didn’t need to see her eyes to know she was rolling them.
“Fine.” He gave her shoulder a playful nip, then went to the coffee maker.
Laurel laughed and shook her head. “You’re such a carnivore.”
After pouring a mug of strong, black coffee, Aiden leaned against the edge of the counter and watched as she danced from the stove, to the fridge, and back again.
She was the most down to earth woman he’d ever known. Of course, being a wood nymph made being down to earth a natural thing for her. Still, he’d felt connected to her since she first arrived in Nocturne Falls, when she blocked a fire hydrant with her tree-transporting van and trailer combo and then sweet-talked him out of giving her a ticket. If he hadn’t fallen in love with her right then, he’d handed her his heart the next day when they kissed in the parking lot of Howlers. He had no idea what he’d done
in life to deserve such an amazing woman, but he was sure thankful.
Holding up two plates of food, Laurel motioned to the table with a jerk of her head. “Breakfast is served.”
Once they sat down, Laurel casually reached under the table and handed Bailey a piece of bacon. Aiden’s raised a questioning eyebrow and she wrinkled her nose in response. “He deserves a special treat now and then. After all, he did save my life.”
“All by himself?”
“Well, no. You did the most important part, but you wouldn’t have known what to do if he hadn’t told you.”
Obviously satisfied with himself, Bailey flopped onto the floor, managing to plant his butt right on Aiden’s foot while at the same time laying his chin on Laurel’s foot. Aiden shook his head. “That is one talented dog. When he wants to be.”
The noise that came from under the table sounded suspiciously like a laugh, but Aiden knew better than to acknowledge it. That was exactly what Bailey wanted.
For the next few minutes, Aiden gave his full attention to devouring breakfast. As he reached for his coffee mug, Laurel piped up again.
“When you go to work, can I tag along?”
“Why? Do you need to report a crime?”
“No,” she laughed. “I need to buy a car.”
She was so casual about it, like it was no different than picking up a dozen eggs at the market. But Aiden knew that was just to hide what a big deal it really was. Her VW Bus had been badly damaged when that crazy man from her past torched her tree. She’d pressed charges against Dillon and given her official statement, but after that, she’d refused to talk about any of it.
“Have you decided against trying to salvage the bus?”
Laurel frowned. “Yes. There are too many bad memories attached to it now. I never want to see it again.” Outside, the breeze picked up, moving through tree branches and rustling leaves.
“Smart decision. You know, there’s a bulletin board in the Hallowed Bean for posting notices. You might want to take a look, see if anybody has a car to sell.” He wiped his mouth then tossed the napkin on top of his empty plate. “If you need any help, financially, I can–”
Her hand sliced through the air as she cut him off. “Money’s no problem. I’m loaded.”
“You are?”
“Does that surprise you?”
“I never equated nymphs with collecting cash. Leprechauns, yes, but...you don’t seem like the kind of person who cares about money.”
She smiled slowly. “It’s not the money I care about. I don’t want to buy mansions and luxury cars. But the freedom that money brings, that’s something else. Besides, when you have to reinvent yourself every thirty or so years, it comes in handy.”
“And how did you come by your nest egg?”
“My sister, Kallie, has what you might call precognition. She gave me a few solid investment tips. It’s amazing what you can do when you’re in for the long, long haul.”
They’d spent almost every day of the last month together, and he was still finding out new things about her.
“How many sisters do you have?”
“Scads. Father got around.”
“Any brothers?”
“One. We don’t talk about him.” Her torso shook as if she’d just been hit by an artic wind. “But back to the car, checking the notice board is a good idea. I’ll do that.” Laurel stood and picked up their plates. “I have some other errands to run, too.”
“Like?”
“I can’t tell you.”
Sometimes, Aiden wished she were a little less straightforward. At times like this, it caught him off guard. “Why not?”
“Because I’m still working things out.” As she spoke, Laurel set the dishes on one side of the double sink, washed her hands, and dried them with a paper towel.
“But you will tell me eventually?”
“Of course.” She pecked a kiss on his cheek, then sailed past him. “You better get dressed. I’m going to my place to freshen up. Meet me there?”
He saluted her, then glanced under the table. “Is Bailey the Wonder Dog coming, or is he staying here?”
Laurel shrugged and looked at the dog. “What do you think? You want to join us or stay here and protect the house?”
Grunting from the effort, Bailey got to his feet and ambled across the room. When he came back, his leash was in his mouth. Whether or not Bailey ever decided to speak again, there was no doubt he’d figured out how to communicate with them.
~ ~ ~
It was a short walk from Aiden’s cabin to her own, but Laurel managed to cram a whole lot of pondering into that time.
When she needed to move to a new place, Nocturne Falls had seemed like the perfect choice. Since the town celebrated Halloween 365 days a year, human tourists expected to see the odd, the spooky, and the unexplainable. It was all part of the draw. For the supernaturals who lived and worked there, it gave them the opportunity to be themselves. In a place like that, it should have been easy for her to stay out of trouble. And it would have been, if not for Dillon tracking her down and terrorizing her.
“I need to stop worrying about it, don’t I?” She looked down at Bailey, contentedly walking along beside her. “It’s over. I’m safe. And Dillon is locked up where he can’t hurt me or anybody else.”
Their feet crunched on the gravel of the path leading to the front door. Laurel reached for the knob, but something stopped her. A growl rumbled in Bailey’s throat, sending pinpricks of suspicion dancing up and down the back of her neck. Maybe they were both being overly sensitive, but she wasn’t taking any chances.
She crouched beside Bailey and whispered her plan into his ear. He grunted in response.
“I’ll take that as a yes.”
Holding her breath to avoid making any sound, she rose, held one hand toward the doorknob and counted down with the other.
One finger...
Two fingers...
Three!
She twisted the knob and threw the door open, yelling as loud as she could. At the same time, Bailey shot into the room, his baritone bark filling the air. Then another voice joined in, high-pitched and female, shrieking as if she were being attacked.
Even though the lights were on in the living room, it took Laurel a moment to recognize the crazy woman standing by the fireplace, brandishing a poker.
“Bailey, stop,” Laurel said. “Aurora?”
The woman broke off mid-yell and let the poker fall to the floor. “Laurel. You scared the queen bees out of me!”
“You scared the– well, you scared me, too. What are you doing here? How did you even know where to find me?”
She pushed a clump of blond curls behind her ear, but they immediately sprang free and cascaded over her shoulder. “I make a point of keeping up with my favorite sisters.”
Laurel glared at her through narrowed eyes. “You’ve had your spies watching me?”
“Don’t be so dramatic. They’re not spies. They’re more like...reporters. I’ve got an information network more reliable than the World Wide Web.”
True, Aurora had birds, bees and everything else that crawled, flew, or slithered through the forest at her beck and call. That didn’t mean Laurel liked the idea that any random moth could tattle to her sister.
Aurora smiled. “Don’t worry. I didn’t tell anybody else that I found you. But after hearing what happened, I had to see how you’re doing.” She looked Laurel up and down, and her expression became critical. “Still dressing like a boy, I see.”
Her sister had never been a fan of Laurel’s preference for casual comfort. Laurel crossed her arms and shifted her weight to one side. “And you’re still dressing like a debutante heading to a garden party.”
Running her palms across the diaphanous material of her dress, Aurora was obviously pleased. “It’s wonderful, isn’t it?” She gave a giddy twirl, making her skirt swing in a circle.
Laurel bit her lip to hold back a smile. No matter how much she teas
ed, there was no denying that Aurora was gorgeous. If some mysterious calamity were to destroy all conventional means of clothing, Aurora could fashion a dress out of plastic bags and masking tape and outshine everyone, including that Cinderella girl people were always talking about.
“Lovely.”
A honk sounded outside. Aiden. With all the excitement, she’d forgotten he was picking her up. “Aurora, I’m sorry. I’ve got to go.”
“No problem. I’ll go with you. I’m dying to see the heart of Nocturne Falls.”
“You can’t.” Laurel shook her head. “Not today. I have some important things to take care of. But tomorrow, we can spend the whole day exploring. Okay?”
Aurora pursed her lips into a pout. “I guess it’ll have to be. Can you at least bring your man home with you tonight so I can meet him?”
“That shouldn’t be a problem.” Laurel headed for the door, then remembered she’d forgotten something. “Bailey, are you coming?”
It took a second for him to pry his eyes away from her sister and look at Laurel. When he did, he made the most pitiful whine, as if he couldn’t decide what to do.
“Don’t strain your brain, Bailey.” She went to him and knelt down, scratching his ears and giving him a hug. “It’s okay,” she whispered, “she’s kind of irresistible when you first meet her. But you’ll build up an immunity as you get to know her.”
“I heard that,” Aurora said.
“I knew you would.” Laurel popped up and gave Aurora a quick squeeze. “See you tonight.”
The horn sounded again just as Laurel was running out of the house.
She jumped into the passenger seat of Aiden’s truck and sighed. “Sorry to keep you waiting.”
“You’re worth it.” He looked down at her feet, then at the house, then back at Laurel. “No Bailey?”
“What? Oh, no. He changed his mind.”
As Aiden drove toward the main road, Laurel clicked her seatbelt shut and glanced at her cabin in the rearview mirror. She should tell Aiden about Aurora. But if she brought it up now, he’d want to know why she didn’t want to take Aurora into town, which would bring up more questions about what Laurel had planned. No, it was better to wait and explain it to him tonight.
