The Nymph Next Door

by J. L. Farey

  She looked up into the branches and frowned. “You’re not sick. So why the act?”

  Nothing. Not a thought, not a vibe. Laurel couldn’t discern a thing. It wasn’t often that Horatio gave her the silent treatment, but it sure seemed like it was happening now.

  “Whatever the reason, your timing was lousy. I met this guy, and–”

  There it was. A jolt of negativity so strong, there was no doubt what the problem was.

  “You were jealous that I was having a good time and you’re stuck in this cramped tub.”

  The branches shook with such force, a small shower of leaves rained down.

  Tired.

  Laurel sighed. “I know, buddy. I just want to make sure this is the right place.”

  Decide quickly.

  “I will. I promise.” She gave the trunk a few strong, encouraging pats, then hopped down and headed for the house.

  Before she reached the porch, Bailey started barking. Woof. Pause. Woof. Pause. Woof. The slow, monotonous bark was Bailey’s equivalent of losing his mind. She’d only opened the door halfway when he ambled past her and headed around the back of the house to answer nature’s call.

  “If that dog was any more mellow, he’d be in a coma.” Chuckling to herself she went straight to the fridge, grabbed a bottle of water, and chugged it right there in the middle of the kitchen.

  What a fine mess she’d gotten herself into. After her time with Dillon, she’d promised never to become emotionally involved with another non-magical human. There was too much pain for everyone involved. She’d done a good job, too. For over forty-five years, she’d kept to herself. It got lonely at times, but overall she’d been happy. So how, in the course of one day, had she become attracted to a man, made out with him, and woken up in his bed?

  Laurel shook her head and tossed her empty bottle in the trash. She knew better. It was a mistake to let him see her true feelings. She needed to be aloof, make him realize the only kind of relationship they’d ever have was a platonic one. Problem was, the idea made her heart hurt. When she thought of him, all she wanted to do was pick up where they left off.

  Something she’d forgotten popped into her head. A hand on her backside.

  Both of her hands went to her back pockets. Her cell phone was in one. The other, where her wallet should have been, was empty. Not for a second did she believe Aiden was a thief, but after she asked him to take her home, he no doubt looked for her address. Laurel groaned. Thanks to her impulsive choice to run home, she had no money, no transportation, and no way to avoid Aiden.

  At least she still had her phone. She could call the police station, but what would she say? I’d like to report a missing wallet. When did I lose it? Last night, while I was taking advantage of one of your officers in a bar parking lot. Which reminds me, I left my vehicle there, too, since I was in no shape to drive. Oh yeah, that would go over like a lead balloon.

  The best thing to do was wait and ask Aiden for help. Later tonight, after he came home, she’d walk to his place. Until then, there was no use fretting about it. There was still a lot of cleaning to do. Thankfully, she’d brought all her boxes inside last night before she went out, so she could unpack those, too.

  She headed for the bedroom, stripping off her t-shirt as she went. Her intention was to get rid of Aiden’s scent, but with her underarms exposed, it only made it worse. It was as though she was back on that bench, pressed against him, listening to his heart beating.

  Determined to focus on anything but him, she went into the bathroom and scrubbed at her underarms with a wet washcloth until the scent was gone. If only it were that easy to scrub him from her mind.

  * * *

  Hard work turned out to be a pretty effective mental washcloth. With the exception of the time she took a break for lunch and bemoaned the meager offerings in the fridge – which made her think of going shopping, which reminded her she didn’t have transportation or money, which took her right back to the person she was trying not to think of – she was able to keep her mind on making her home clean and cozy. When she was finished, the dust was gone, all the sheets were off the furniture and in the washer, and she’d unpacked most of the boxes.

  Standing by the sofa, Laurel stretched her aching muscles, her fingertips reaching to the ceiling. She was hot, sweaty, and desperately wanted a shower. But first, she needed to get her visit to Aiden out of the way.

  She looked at Bailey who was stretched out under the kitchen table. “Want to come with?”

  He raised his head, then slowly raised the rest of his body and plodded to her side. Obviously, he was thrilled.

  A soft, warm breeze greeted them as they left the cabin. The sun was in the midst of setting, turning the trees into lacy silhouettes against an orange, pink, and gold sky. She’d heard that the water from a spring in Nocturne Falls had magical properties which blurred the edges of reality for human tourists so they never questioned if the supernaturals were real. Standing outside her home, Laurel couldn’t help but wonder if maybe there was some magic in the air, as well. Something in the breeze that made a person feel that the universe was watching and taking care of them.

  Woof.

  Laurel turned around. There was Bailey, one leg up, relieving himself on the tire of the VW Bus. That warm, magical, taken-care-of-by-the-universe feeling vanished and was replaced by prickly irritation. Aiden must have brought it back while she was cleaning and didn’t bother to let her know. Not a knock on the door, not a honk, not even a message through a bullhorn. Just drop the bus and run.

  “How rude can a guy be? And you,” she pointed a finger at Bailey, “you have no respect for a classic. Go do that somewhere else.”

  Bailey lowered his leg, gave her one of his tongue-hanging-out smiles, and trotted off to smell something.

  She opened the bus door and looked inside. Thank heaven, there was her wallet on the front seat. Propped up between the wallet and the back cushion was a piece of paper. She picked it up with two fingers, gingerly, as if it might come to life and attack her. But it was just a note written in a bold hybrid of printing and cursive.

  I didn’t want to put your bus in impound, so another officer helped me get it back.

  He’d signed it simply, A.

  Well, that was unexpected. He’d kept it simple, concise, and without any indication he might want to see her again. Good. They were on the same page, then. Even though it was what she’d wanted, disappointment sat like a rock in her gut.

  There was no reason to visit him, now, so she might as well head in and take a shower. The breeze blew, stronger this time. All around her, leaves rustled. Closing her eyes, Laurel attuned herself to the flora and fauna around her, listening to nature, hearing what no human ear could detect. A line of ants marching through the ground cover; an owl spreading his wings; the gentle splish splash of fish playing in the lake.

  She opened her eyes and grinned. Now she knew exactly what she wanted to do.

  * * *

  Aiden had read the same paragraph four times and he still had no idea what it said. Something about a man covered in tattoos that came to life. He slid a piece of paper between the pages to mark his place, then tossed the paperback on the coffee table. Tattoos that came to life. Huh. He wondered if Laurel’s tattoo came to life.

  With a grunt, he let his head fall back against the sofa. The whole reason he’d gotten Wade to help him drop off the vehicle without telling her was so he could avoid contact. If he didn’t see her, it stood to reason that he wouldn’t think about her. Yet, there he was, pondering her tattoo and thinking how much he’d enjoy discovering if she had any others.

  He had to get a handle on this. Ignoring her didn’t help. Distracting his brain with a good book didn’t help. There was one thing left to try.

  He had to shift.

  Just considering it brought his mother’s words back. “You’re my son, not an animal.”

  There was no doubt that his one-hundred percent human mother hadn’t reali
zed the one-night stand who left her pregnant was a shifter. All his life, Aiden had tried to atone for the sins of his father. He’d been a good son, fought the urge to shift, but it wasn’t enough. The bear was part of him. Denying who he was only made things worse.

  It wasn’t something he did often, and when he did, there was always a twinge of guilt. Guilt for giving in to his animal instincts, and guilt for enjoying the feeling of power and freedom that came with it.

  In the bedroom, he took off his shoes, pants, shirt, until all he wore was a pair of boxer shorts. There was a time when he wouldn’t have worn anything before a shift, but an embarrassing run in with a park ranger had taught him to be prepared.

  Outside, stars lit up the sky. The breeze caressed his skin. The woods called to him. He couldn’t wait any longer. Now that he’d made up his mind, the desire to shift was almost unbearable.

  Feet apart, Aiden stood tall, arms lifted to the sky. With his head thrown back, he let loose a roar that rumbled up from the back of his throat. Fur covered his body, absorbing the shorts he wore. He dropped his arms, going down on all fours. His large, furry paws tested the ground, enjoying how the leaves crunched and twigs snapped. A contented rumble sounded in his throat as he loped into the woods and bounded through the trees.

  In his ursine state, time didn’t matter. He swung his head from one side to the other, sniffing out his favorite berry bush. A small, brown rabbit huddled beneath it, body shaking and whiskers quivering. Aiden stretched his neck until they were almost nose to nose, then backed away before he gave the rabbit a heart attack. He ambled along, stopping to roll in the dirt, or to look up at the moon that hung in the sky like a wedge of cheese. This state was so easy. No worries about money, responsibilities, relationships. Just his furry old self and nature.

  A noise caught his ear. Splashing, as if the fish were living it up in the lake. Ooo, fish. That would be a nice second course to his berry appetizer. But then he heard something else. Something that didn’t belong in this peaceful forest setting.

  A person was yelling. More to the point, a woman was yelling. He lifted his nose, sniffing the air. He caught the scent of wet dog first. Then the distinct aroma of a female human and the faint smell of lemon grass.

  Laurel.

  When a bear has a reason to run, he can eat up the ground, and Aiden had all the motivation he needed. He tore through the underbrush, sliding on rotting leaves, ignoring thorn bushes that grabbed at his fur. After what seemed like far too long, he burst through the trees. He would have kept running and gone straight into the lake, except Laurel started screaming in an entirely different way.

  Aiden slid to a stop, sending up a cloud of dirt. On the bank of the lake, Bailey was as low to the ground as he could get, whimpering and shivering. As for Laurel, it appeared she’d been fine until a bear stampeded out of the woods. Now she scrambled toward Bailey and picked up a stick that was beside him.

  “Get away!” She brandished the stick as if it was a club. It didn’t seem to bother her that she was standing in front of Aiden wearing nothing but her bra and underwear.

  Of course it didn’t bother her. She didn’t know the bear was him. Aiden shook his head.

  “Don’t you shake your head at me.”

  Aiden stood up and took a step forward.

  “I said, stay back.” Her eyes narrowed and her head cocked to the side. “Animals usually pay attention to wood nymphs. You’re not an average animal, are you?”

  She was a wood nymph. Now things were starting to make sense. Aiden shook his head again.

  Laurel crouched beside Bailey and stroked his side. “It’s okay, boy. I don’t think we’re in any danger.”

  They may not be, but Aiden was afraid he’d be in a boat load of danger if he shifted now and she found out who’d been ogling her in her makeshift bikini. The alternative was to turn and run away, keeping his identity concealed. With anybody else, that’s exactly what he would have done. But with Laurel, he couldn’t. He didn’t want to deceive her.

  Before he could change his mind, Aiden lowered his head, arched his back, and groaned. A chill prickled his skin as his fur vanished and his human form returned.

  “Aiden?”

  He sat back on his heels and waved sheepishly. “Surprise.”

  * * *

  First, she was laughing and splashing with Bailey, then she was trying to scare off a bear, and now, Aiden was kneeling across from her in nothing but boxer shorts. Looked like it was going to be another weird night in Nocturne Falls.

  Laurel dropped the stick she was still holding and snatched her clothes from the rock where she’d left them. She pulled her t-shirt over her head, then looked pointedly at Aiden.

  “You’re a shifter.”

  “Guilty as charged.” He stood up and looked down, no doubt making sure his boxers were where he left them. “You don’t seem surprised.”

  She wriggled into her denim cutoffs, then pushed her wet hair away from her face. “That shifters exist, no. I’ve known a few...wolves, cats, a peregrine falcon...but never a bear. That’s a new one. Honestly, I’m more surprised I didn’t figure out that you shift. I must be losing my touch.”

  He seemed relieved that she wasn’t upset. “What about me? Woman comes to town with a tree in tow, and I don’t know she’s a wood nymph. Doesn’t make me much of a detective.”

  “I guess we’re even.”

  Aiden crossed his arms over his chest. “So, now that the cat’s out of the bag–”

  “And the bear’s out in his boxers,” she interrupted with a laugh.

  “Ha. Very funny. Now that we’ve got all that out of the way, maybe we can start over.”

  She couldn’t resist giving him a verbal poke. “If I recall, you left my bus in front of my house and didn’t even say hello. That sounds more like someone who wants to end things.”

  He looked up, as though searching for an answer in the sky. “You’re right. I’ve been trying to convince myself since I met you that we shouldn’t get involved.”

  A rivulet of water slid from her hair and down her spine, sending a shiver along with it. “So have I. But I may be reconsidering.”

  A slow, sexy smile spread across his lips. “I definitely am. What do you say? First date tomorrow night?”

  “You mean our second date.”

  “So you do remember.”

  She shrugged. “It came back to me.”

  “That’s good, but I intend to make new memories, ones that neither of us will forget.” He stepped closer until he was right in front of her. “I’ll pick you up tomorrow at 7:00.”

  He was so close, she felt the heat coming from his body. No doubt shifting made a man hard...uh...hot. “Where are we going?” she stammered.

  He leaned down and put his lips against her ear. “It’s a surprise,” he whispered.

  The ability to think coherently had somehow vanished. “How, uh, where, I mean, uh...”

  With a laugh, he moved back just enough to look down at her. “What was that?”

  That laugh was all she needed to pull herself together. “If I don’t know where we’re going, how will I know what to wear?”

  “No matter what you choose, you’ll put all the other women to shame. Just wear what makes you feel good.”

  He moved closer as if to kiss her, but she put a finger against his lips and shook her head. “Oh no. Don’t think flattery’s going to get you anywhere tonight. You have to wait.”

  He sighed. “If you say so. But I already got one thing tonight that I wanted.”

  “What’s that?”

  “I wanted to know if you had more than one tattoo.” He inched up the bottom of her t-shirt and traced his finger around a daisy right above her hip. “Now I know you have at least two.”

  The heat from his finger seemed to ignite her skin, sending a flush or warmth throughout her body. If she wasn’t careful, she’d forget everything she already said and drag him home with her right then. “You have to go. Now.
Really.”

  “Really? Why?” He was enjoying tormenting her.

  “Because I’d like to have at least one honest to goodness, official date before we start acting like sex starved teenagers again.” She put her palms flat against his chest and pushed him back a step. “Please.”

  Aiden took several steps back of his own accord and grew serious. “Of course. I was just playing. Sorry if I took it too far.”

  She shook her head. “No, it’s okay. I like that. But that’s the problem. I like it way too much.”

  “Got it.” He looked down at his feet, as if he’d suddenly turned shy. “I should get home. Will you be okay if I take off?”

  Laurel laughed. “I can see the cabin from here, so, yeah, I’m good.”

  He pointed back toward the spot where he’d burst out of the trees. “I’ll go back there and shift so I don’t scare Bailey.”

  Before he could walk away, she stopped him. “You know, it might help Bailey if he saw you shift. If you don’t mind us watching.”

  Something in him changed in that moment. As though a light came on and banished a shadow that had hovered around him. He wasn’t smiling, but she could tell he was happy. He was serene.

  “I don’t mind at all.”

  Laurel crouched next to Bailey again and put her arm around him so he’d know he was safe. Then she nodded to Aiden.

  The transformation was amazing. It was quick and fluid, like an expertly done special effect in a blockbuster movie. Except it felt like she was part of it, experiencing the shift with him. When it was over, she looked in his eyes and saw the same molten pots of honey looking back at her. Then he swung his massive body around and walked away. She watched him until she could no longer distinguish his body from the trees.

  Laurel sighed.

  There was something sexy about a man in fur.

  5

  Aiden was whistling when he walked into the station the next day. From her spot at the front desk, Birdie Caruthers looked up and pointed a pencil at him.

  “What happened to you?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You’re so cheery. And whistling. It’s like you swallowed the bluebird of happiness and he got stuck in your throat.”