Triton’s Curse: Willow Harbor - Book 4

by Sarra Cannon

  Nik had kissed me.

  And I had run away.

  He was probably furious with me. And confused.

  At least, I was confused. I wasn’t sure exactly why I’d run, but the kiss was so much more than I ever expected. And it scared the crap out of me.

  The moment his lips had touched mine, I felt as if I had come home. As if I belonged right there in his arms for the rest of my life.

  And I couldn’t deal with that kind of pressure. Not after everything else I’d been through.

  I’d just gotten out of a thirteen-year bondage to an obsessive and evil demon who controlled my every move. When I walked out of that casino, all I had wanted was freedom to make my own choices. To be my own person for once.

  I wanted to explore and go on adventures. I hadn’t planned on settling down in any one town and committing to the first man I met.

  And yet, at the same time, Nik had taken me on more adventures already than I’d had in a lifetime. This whole town was an adventure. And more than that, it was a place where people like me fit in and could be free to be themselves, magic and all.

  What would it be like to live here for the rest of my life? The thought nearly brought tears to my eyes. I was so used to being strong and tough and powering through every day just to survive. What would it be like to just be happy?

  Ever since those days as a child when my mother first discovered I had the family magic, I had believed happiness was something I could never hope for. Survival was all that mattered. Staying under the radar. Suppressing my gifts.

  But with Nik and Willow Harbor, there was now the hope for true happiness and belonging.

  If only there was some way to guarantee Dominic would never find me. I could stay here and live out my days in a place that would accept me for who I am.

  But there was no way to guarantee that. I knew that he would find me eventually, which meant that the fear of him showing up would cover this place like a dark cloud of uncertainty, the fear always lurking in the shadows.

  I had to keep moving, and it broke my heart.

  As I got dressed for the day, though, another thought occurred to me. What if I could convince Nik to leave with me? We could travel all around the country together, maybe finding odd jobs here and there before we had to move on. He said even though he’d been here for a while, he’d mostly kept to himself. Maybe he would be willing to leave Willow Harbor behind, even if just for a while until we were certain Dominic had stopped looking.

  If I could work up the nerve—and if he wasn’t too angry with me about last night—maybe I would ask him about it tonight at the festival.

  Which reminded me I needed to get moving if I was going to check on the car and do some shopping before Nik came to pick me up.

  I grabbed my purse, locked the door to my room with the brass key, and headed down the stairs, lured by the smell of fresh coffee in the parlor. Mrs. Finnygood was standing on her stool, making notes in her giant ledger. She turned and smiled as I entered the room.

  “Good morning, child. How did you sleep?” she asked.

  “Like a baby,” I said. “That bed is magical.”

  “Of course it is,” she said. “What kind of place do you think I’m running here?”

  Her hand was on her hip again, and I laughed. She really did have quite the temper.

  “I loved it, thank you,” I said.

  “Would you like some coffee?” she asked. “It’s freshly delivered every morning from the Urban Grind.”

  “Oh, yum,” I said. “I had some of their coffee yesterday.”

  “Loran was telling me he saw you yesterday walking through town, and you went to sit under the willow for a while. I wonder if she whispered any of her secrets to you.”

  I laughed. Loran was watching me? Small towns were such strange places compared to the anonymity of a place like Vegas.

  “Maybe a few,” I said, thinking of the way I felt the tree’s power surround me, and how I’d felt it again when Nik had kissed me.

  “I had a feeling,” Mrs. Finnygood said. “Make yourself at home and pour a cup. I’m finishing up the morning’s accounting, but I can join you in a few minutes.”

  “I don’t mean to be rude, but would you mind if I grabbed a cup to go? I’ve got several things I need to do today before the festival. Someone is coming to pick me up at six, so I’m limited on time today.”

  She narrowed her eyes at me and set her feather quill down, which I knew by now meant she was about to ask me a personal question that she expected an honest answer to.

  “New to town and you’ve already got someone coming to pick you up for the festival this afternoon?” she asked. “And who, may I ask, is that?”

  I sighed, knowing it was not in my best interest to tell her it was none of her business. Not if I wanted a soft bed to sleep in tonight.

  “His name is Nikolas,” I said. “He’s a fisherman. Do you know him?”

  Her eyes widened, and she cleared her throat. “Know him? I know everyone in this town, girl. But Nik is not the kind of man you want to go around holding hands with in public, if you know what I mean.”

  Her words took me by surprise, and I nearly spilled the coffee I was pouring. “I don’t know what you mean at all,” I said. “He’s the one who found me when I wrecked my car near the docks the other night, and he’s been nothing but kind to me.”

  “I’m sure you’re right,” she said, shaking her head. “He’s a kind young man, but you don’t want to be getting on the wrong side of Ms. Selena, now do you?”

  Selena? There was a name I hadn’t heard before, but the way she said it made it sound as if Nik already had a girlfriend. Before I could ask more about it, two more guests came down the stairs, and my chance was lost.

  While she was talking with the other guests, I finished making my coffee and slipped out the door, but I couldn’t get her comment out of my head. What in the world could she have meant by that? And who the heck was Selena?

  I tried not to worry about it as I walked toward Black Bear’s Auto Repair shop, following the directions Brandon had given me yesterday morning, but I couldn’t seem to get it off my mind. I was definitely going to have to ask Nik about it this afternoon. He didn’t seem like the type of guy who would have kissed me like that when he was already dating someone else, and I certainly wasn’t the type of girl who stole other people’s boyfriends.

  By the time I made it to the auto shop, I was more upset than I wanted to admit. And his news only made it worse.

  “I’m sorry, Eva, but it doesn’t look good,” Brandon said. “You did quite a number on this vehicle, I’ll tell you that.”

  He cleaned his hands off on an oil-stained rag and led me toward the interior of the shop where my car—well, my stolen car—was located.

  “What exactly do you mean by ‘doesn’t look good’?” I asked. “Like, it’s going to take time or it’s a hopeless cause?”

  “It’s not hopeless, but I’m afraid it would cost more to fix it than the car is really worth,” he said.

  I forced back tears. This day was not going well at all so far. Not compared to the amazing day I’d had yesterday. I hoped it wasn’t a sign of things to come.

  “I’m sorry to give you news like this,” he said. “There’s a few car dealers in town who might offer you a thousand bucks or so in trade if you’ve got a clean title. If not, you might want to call your insurance company and see what they can do for you.”

  That last bit sent me over the edge and tears rolled down my face. I brushed them away quickly. I was stronger than that, and I wasn’t going to let a broken car get the best of me. Not after everything I’d done to get here.

  “I don’t have insurance or a clean title,” I said, suddenly wishing that my particular magical affiliation included fixing wrecked cars with a wave of my hand. I might be able to use my powers to get it running for a little while, but I’d be exhausted after an hour or two at most. “Got any other options for me?”


  Brandon frowned and looked at the car. “I’m sorry, Eva,” he said. “Those were my best suggestions.”

  I tried not to panic.

  I hadn’t noticed whether Nik had a car of his own or not, but he’d had several keys on his keychain. If I could convince him to go with me, that was another option. Still, I didn’t want to leave Brandon with the burden of a stolen car in his shop, and I had no idea if Nik would even want to go with me after the way I’d treated him last night.

  I stepped around the back, pretending to look the car over. When he wasn’t watching, I placed my hand on the license plate and renewed the glamour on it. That should give it another day or two before anyone noticed, at least.

  “Brandon, do you think you could leave it outside for me this afternoon?” I asked.

  He studied me. “I could, but why on earth would you want me to do that?”

  I shrugged, trying to think of a good excuse. The people in this town were nice, but nosey as hell.

  “Just in case I want to have someone else come take a look at it,” I said. “Like one of those dealers you mentioned. I might be leaving town soon, so I want to try to get this taken care of before I leave.”

  He frowned. “You’re not leaving before the festival tonight, are you? Everyone will be there.”

  “I’m still planning to stick around for it, but I just want to leave my options open,” I said.

  “Okay,” he said. “I guess I could leave it just outside the shop tonight when I lock up.”

  “What do I owe you for the work you’ve already done?” I asked, digging in my purse for my wallet.

  But Brandon just shook his head. “No charge,” he said. “I’m just sorry I didn’t have better news for you. Usually, I can practically work miracles on cars, but this one is pretty much a lost cause.”

  I put my wallet away, grateful he had at least tried.

  “I appreciate this,” I said. “I’ll see you tonight at the festival then?”

  He perked up at that. “Definitely,” he said. “It’s one of the most fun nights of the year. You’re going to love it. Just be sure not to go walking around outside the center of town on your own tonight, ya hear?”

  “So I’ve been warned already,” I said. “But I promise I won’t.”

  “Okay, see you there, then. I’ve got some work to do before I can shut down for the night.”

  I said goodbye and walked back toward town in search of a good clothing shop. If this was possibly going to be my last night with Nik, I wanted to make damn sure I looked good.

  Twenty-Three

  Nik

  I worked at the docks all morning, but my mind was on other things. I went through the motions, but all I could think about was seeing Eva this afternoon and trying to figure out what our next steps would be.

  I needed to tell her the truth about Selena, but I had no idea how to approach the subject. She had trusted me enough to tell me the truth about her past. I needed to do the same for her, no matter how painful it might be to talk about.

  I decided I wouldn’t talk about it with her until after the festival. I wanted us both to relax and have a good time, and I was still trying to convince her to stick around. Telling her about a powerful siren who had basically been holding me prisoner here in town wasn’t exactly something to write about on the town’s brochure.

  It was more like a darker side to the town no one much liked to talk about and everyone preferred to look the other way instead of doing anything about it. Technically, Selena’s castle was just outside of the Willow Harbor city limits, so whatever she did on her own property was out of the town’s jurisdiction.

  Still, the things she did here affected us all. She was just smart enough to find a way around the rules.

  When I finally finished my work and hurried to back to Drifter’s, I found him standing behind the bar with a couple of his regulars, all sharing a round of pints. I only had about an hour left to get ready for the night, but when they asked me to join them for a few minutes, I couldn’t say no.

  We had only been talking for a few minutes when my phone dinged with a new text message. Frustrated, I stared at Jennings’ name on my screen.

  “Excuse me a second, guys,” I said. “I’ll be right back.”

  I dialed Jennings’ number, and he answered on the first ring.

  “Nice of you to call so quickly,” Jennings said. “Maybe you’re learning after all.”

  “I’m not doing another job for you tonight,” I said, trying to keep my voice down until I stepped outside. “It’s the night of the festival, and I don’t intend to miss it.”

  “Oh, well, maybe I was wrong,” Jennings said. “You seem to think you have a choice in the matter. Cute. But I wasn’t going to ask you to do a job tonight. Selena wants to see you, but not at the drop-off point. She wants you to come to her place. Be there at eight sharp.”

  My jaw tensed, and I gripped the phone so hard, I was surprised I didn’t crack the case. This couldn’t be happening. Not tonight.

  “What for?” I asked.

  “Why does it matter?” Jennings asked. “She wants you there, end of story. Show up, or I’ll come looking for you myself. Trust me when I say you wouldn’t want that, boy.”

  “Don’t call me boy,” I said. “And I can’t come tonight. I have other plans. Besides, Selena always gives us Halloween night off.”

  “The rest of us? Yes. You? Not this year,” he said. “What’s so important about the festival tonight, anyway? You never seemed to care this much any other year?”

  I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. This was exactly why I had to get out from under this whole thing. I may have been able to tolerate it before Eva came into my life, but now I wondered how the hell I’d lived this way for so long. I couldn’t do it, anymore.

  “Come looking for me if you must,” I said. “But tell Selena I won’t be there. Not tonight. Not ever.”

  I hung up the phone, my hands shaking.

  If I thought I was stupid before for getting lured in by a siren, that was nothing compared to what I’d just done. Jennings, I could handle. But pissing off Selena was something you just didn’t do. Not if you wanted to live to see tomorrow, which I very much wanted to do.

  But I was going to have to face her someday, so why not tonight?

  I would meet Eva, tell her the truth, and then I would get her as far away from me as possible until this whole thing was over. In the end, I would either be free or I would be dead, but at least it would be on my own terms.

  My phone rang as Jennings tried to call me back, but I hit ignore and went back inside the bar.

  “Pour me one of those,” I said to Drifter. “It’s going to be one hell of a night.”

  * * *

  I strolled up to the Willow Harbor Inn at six o’clock on the dot to find Mrs. Finnygood standing on her stool at the front desk with a sour look on her face.

  “Good evening, Mrs. Finnygood,” I said.

  “Is it a good evening?” she asked. “Or are you not here to take my beautiful new guest on a date to the Halloween festival tonight?”

  I cleared my throat. She obviously didn’t much like the idea of it, and I guess I couldn’t blame her. She knew the anger of Selena just as well as anyone around town, but I didn’t see her or any of the rest of them enforcing their rules about doing no harm to the town’s citizens when it came to Selena, so who was she to judge me?

  “I am,” I said. “Is she here?”

  “I don’t have to tell you how much I disapprove of this,” she said. “Not that you aren’t a fine young man, I’m sure. I know you have a good heart, but if you put that poor girl in danger, I will never forgive you.”

  “I assure you, I would never forgive myself, either,” I said. “But I also happen to know that Eva can take care of herself. She’s free to make her own decisions about who she spends her time with.”

  “Yes, but does she have all the information to know what she might be walking into?
” she asked.

  “Walking into what?” Eva asked from the top of the staircase.

  My mouth dropped open at the sight of her, and I could hardly focus enough to find my voice. She was stunning in a tight red dress that showed off her long legs, and a leather jacket. Her hair was piled on top of her head with loose curls coming down to frame her face. She wore a pair of tall black leather boots. I had never seen someone so sexy in my life, which got me thinking about that kiss again and wanting more.

  “I’ll leave that up to Nikolas here to explain,” Mrs. Finnygood said. “Which I hope he plans to do as soon as possible. You look lovely, child. I hope you have a nice time tonight.”

  “Thank you,” Eva said as she walked down the steps to join us in the entryway. “Are you not coming out to the festival?”

  “Oh, goodness, no,” Mrs. Finnygood said. “I almost never leave the Inn these days. Too much to do, and I always want to be here if any of my guests need me. But you two have a nice time. And please be safe out there.”

  “We will,” I said.

  Mrs. Finnygood gave me a pointed look before she went back to her ledger, and I knew if I didn’t tell Eva the truth tonight, she most certainly would do it for me. She was fiercely protective of her guests, and I was glad for it. Eva would be safe here as long as she was a guest of the Finnygoods. That was exactly why I’d steered her toward this place.

  “You ready?” Eva asked, and I realized I’d just been standing there staring at her.

  “Of course,” I said, offering her my arm.

  She linked her arm with mine, and we walked together toward the town square and the magical willow tree that looked out for us all.

  I could only hope its magic was particularly strong tonight.

  Twenty-Four

  Eva

  I was too nervous to apologize to Nik or bring up last night’s kiss as we walked toward the sound of the festival.

  Instead, I focused on the incredible decorations adorning the town square. Earlier today, there had been a few pumpkins here and there, but the whole place had been completely transformed.