Cursed Love: A Wicked Demon Tale

by Reed, Kristabel

  His arms gave way and he collapsed on top of her, her legs falling uselessly to the sides. Spent and utterly sated, Cooper didn’t think he could move if the ranch suddenly caught fire. He eventually rolled to the side, slipping out of Nikki, and gathered her to his chest.

  “Hmm,” she said, a happy sound of pure contentment as she kissed just behind his jaw.

  Her fingers found his hand and threaded through his, her mouth brushing over his knuckles. He tangled the fingers of his other hand in her hair and pressed his lips to her forehead.

  * * * *

  Nikki woke, feeling refreshed and absolutely loved. Cooper’s arm held her tight, and his deep, even breathing threatened to lull her back to sleep. But she turned over and kissed him gently on the lips, careful not to wake him.

  Cooper mumbled her name, but didn’t move.

  Brushing his dark hair from his forehead, Nikki watched him sleep. There were things to do, animals to tend to. But she took the time to simply watch him. She’d never felt such love from anyone, never felt the need to confide in someone or to share the secrets she carried. With Cooper it felt natural. She felt natural, as if being with him was where she belonged.

  Nikki leaned over and brushed her lips across his, breathing in his masculine scent. It coiled through her, sparking along her skin and in her blood. Nikki shivered and forced herself to move.

  Quickly showering and dressing, she grabbed her heavy coat. The sun had nearly set, and she knew from experience the wind would whip along the ranch, bringing a coldness with it she’d never before associated with New Mexico.

  Before leaving the bedroom, Nikki stopped. Cooper still slept, and she’d been careful not to wake him as she dressed. Today had been a rare day off for him, and she wanted him to sleep; she hoped he’d do so for a while yet, especially after that rather mind-blowing sex.

  Her stocking feet moved silently on the bedroom floor as she crossed to the desk and grabbed an envelope and pen. She didn’t want him to think she’d left. Run. Scribbling a note about seeing to the animals, Nikki carefully placed the envelope on her pillow and tiptoed from the room.

  Try as she might, that stupid step still creaked for her; she’d stepped to the left, right, dead center. She’d even skipped over it and somehow still managed to hear the wood moan from her weight. Nikki glared at the step and wondered how Cooper had managed to walk silently on them earlier that day. He hadn’t made a sound, and she wondered if he’d stepped on every tread.

  Shaking the thought away, though she’d probably still ask him about it, Nikki walked down the hall directly for the back door. The shotgun holes had been patched, as had the holes in the walls. Sahale had probably done that.

  Nikki ran her hand over the newly patched wall. Sahale had been one of the first to welcome her, taking his cue no doubt from Cooper’s undisguised interest. She smiled and walked through to the kitchen.

  She’d have to thank Sahale, make it a point of acknowledging his help here, for her, for Cooper. They were the closest of friends; she knew that and now understood just what Sahale would do for Cooper. And possibly how far he’d go.

  In the kitchen, Nikki made a half pot of coffee and rummaged in the fridge for dinner. Had she eaten today? No, she didn’t think so, and now the thought of food made her ravenous. Cutting a slice of Sylvia’s lasagna, she popped it in the microwave and waited for the coffee to brew.

  What had happened when the demon overtook her? Nikki had no real idea; she hadn’t seen anything through the demon’s eyes. All she remembered were feelings.

  This latest experience with the demon felt different. She didn’t understand it, but she’d felt an instinctual awareness of Cooper. She’d still felt the rage and territorial defense, but more there had been a thin thread tethering her to Cooper.

  Had the demon truly known Cooper? Had it recognized him and…and what? Subsided? The microwave beeped, jarring her from her thoughts. Nikki poured the coffee and ate her leftovers, but no matter how she tried, she couldn’t figure anything out about what had happened.

  It was as it always had been; Nikki never really remembered, no matter how she tried or focused her concentration. She never remembered all the details. This thing inside her refused to be fully controlled. Meditation classes hadn’t helped, and experienced yogis insisted she try harder.

  But even with all her meditation, all her practice, all she ever managed to do was clean up the aftermath and disappear as soon as she could.

  Now, as she finished the lasagna, Nikki took several deep breaths and tried. She remembered Cooper shooting that first man, then turning sharply and shooting the second man through the door. She remembered stepping over the blood.

  What came next? What was it? Frustrated, she shook her head and loosened her fingers from the fork. The edges dug into her palm, but she barely felt the pain.

  Those moments flashed through her mind, a blurry image of Cooper. She tasted rage, tasted a need to hurt, to kill, but she saw Cooper and knew those reactions weren’t for him.

  “He’s right.”

  Her words echoed off the kitchen walls. Nikki blinked and looked around, but no one else stood in the room. Still, she could see Cooper standing there, watching her. His lips moved, but she heard no sound. Had he said something to her? She tried to break through the fog, but it felt as if water rushed around her, blocking everything out.

  Cooper had been right—Nikki had felt those emotions fade, as if they drained away.

  Abruptly standing, she stacked the dishes in the dishwasher and leaned against the counter, letting the edge of it dig into her hands. She needed to regain control; she couldn’t visit the stables like this. The demon didn’t try to claw its way out, but it felt too close to the surface for her liking.

  Nikki ran through every deep breathing exercise she knew and every technique to calm her mind. She knew it took a while and the sun set even further, but she refused to rush this. Animals were skittish enough around her; seeing them while she was in such a state would only make things worse.

  With one final breath, as calm as she’d ever be, Nikki went to the mudroom, tugged on her work boots, and headed for the horse stables. In the distance, she heard a coyote howl, and the sound sent shivers down her spine. Bypassing the stalls, she glanced at the horses but didn’t pause to linger.

  She’d wanted to become a large-animal veterinarian so she could help but not be around people. Even her demon didn’t have anything against animals. The animals, however, seemed to dislike and distrust her.

  The office she used was the size of a closet. It boasted a small wooden table, bolted to both the floor and the wall, a chair that creaked dangerously loud, and a bare bulb on a pull string. Luckily, it also had outlets—one for a fan in summer and a heater in winter. It also wasn’t drafty, and someone had thoughtfully provided a heavy cotton blanket on her chair.

  Marty.

  Nikki smiled at the addition and sat in the chair. Looking over her files, she made detailed notes for Marty and a list of items she needed for Harrison to budget the next time they ordered supplies. The paperwork didn’t take long, and Nikki soon closed down her office and locked the door behind her. An old habit, locking her office, she thought it prudent rather than untrusting of the ranch hands.

  Shrugging it off, Nikki slowly made her way back outside. Halfway down the stalls, she stopped. She couldn’t have said what made her do so, what impulse had her entering the stall, or why she chose Flagg’s stall to enter. The sleek racing horse didn’t deserve her presence.

  Quietly unlatching the gate, Nikki stepped in and left it open—just in case. She reached out, careful not to startle Flagg, though the horse hadn’t deigned to turn around. That was fine with Nikki. Her fingers gently brushed over Flagg’s side, allowing her hand to feel the warmth of the horse, the solid muscle of him.

  Flagg whinnied and turned, no doubt expecting a treat. And that was when things went wrong. He hadn’t moved or even acknowledged he knew it was her in th
e stall with him, but almost the instant Flagg turned and faced her, he saw.

  The horse shied away, stepping sideways to press against the far wall. Nikki didn’t try to follow. Instead, she slowly backed away, not wanting to scare the animal any more than she already had.

  But Flagg hadn’t known it was her, not at first. Only when he’d turned and saw her—and whatever else the horse saw or sensed when he’d faced her—did he seem panicked. Nikki swiftly locked the gate again and left, not looking back. She could still hear Flagg’s uneasy whine. The sound broke her heart and she ran the last few feet from the stables.

  Nikki needed to exorcise this demon—evict it, get it out of her body. The sooner the better.

  Chapter Eleven

  Cooper parked the rental car in front the seedy motel, but left the vehicle running. Even in the dark, Nikki could see his frown. No, this wasn’t what she expected their first trip together to be like, either.

  Repressing a yawn, she shifted in the seat and looked at him. His frown deepened, but he still didn’t say anything.

  They’d left early, taking one of the first flights into Mexico City and renting a car under a false ID. Nikki didn’t ask where Cooper got the fake driver’s license, and he hadn’t offered. It wasn’t something she’d thought of, not using their real names once in Mexico. After all, they’d needed their IDs for the flight from Albuquerque.

  But she loved his precautions, and when he’d presented her with the map, she hadn’t asked any questions. They piled into the small car, made their way out of the airport with only two wrong turns, and headed south toward Valle Arriba.

  Valle Arriba turned out to have a beautiful name but looked more like a rundown pueblo from a Hollywood movie.

  The hotel—Nikki thought the faded sign said Casa Vieja—looked as if it’d fall apart around them if the front door slammed closed. Cooper cursed in Spanish and got out of the car. He didn’t say it, but she knew what he thought.

  This didn’t look like a drug cartel town.

  She looked over her shoulder, feeling suddenly as if someone watched her. Frowning, she scanned the area but didn’t see anything unusual or anyone sneaking away from the street. Her fingers tightened on Cooper’s, but when he looked at her in question, Nikki merely smiled.

  From almost the instant they entered Valle Arriba, Nikki hadn’t been able to sit still. Restlessness tugged at her limbs until she had to sit on her hands to stop the fidgeting. It hadn’t helped.

  Now, standing outside the hotel, Cooper waiting for her, she wondered at this anxiety, this agitation running through her. It was probably nerves; after all, they’d traveled over most of Mexico to find this cartel. It wasn’t every day she confronted the group behind her cursed demon. So yes. Nerves.

  Probably.

  Swallowing, she followed Cooper into Casa Vieja.

  He smiled charmingly at the woman behind the counter, who looked more shocked at seeing tourists than at their request for a room. Nikki caught about every other word, but tuned the conversation out to look around the lobby, such as it was.

  She didn’t care; Cooper spoke fluent Spanish.

  Several women lounged invitingly on the furniture, eyeing Cooper admiringly. Nikki glared at them, not appreciating the hookers’ looks, but Cooper didn’t even glance their way. He turned from the woman behind the counter and smiled at her, taking her hand.

  Nikki didn’t bother to look around as they made their way up the single flight of stairs and to the back of the hotel. She felt like she and Cooper had walked into a western movie with the way the hotel was set up; all the rooms looked as if they were on the second floor, with the lobby, restaurant, and mysterious back rooms on the lower level. She wondered if they were gambling rooms.

  Room 234 overlooked the gravel parking area that ran along the side of the building. The moon hung low in the sky, but its light wasn’t enough to illuminate the surrounding area. Nikki didn’t want to leave the hotel at night without knowing the territory, but her earlier restlessness hadn’t dissipated.

  If anything, it had increased.

  Cooper dropped their bags onto the floor and looked around. Only then did Nikki realize their room wasn’t the bug-infested, run-down place she assumed based on the structure and the lobby’s appearances. And that’s what she got for assuming.

  The room itself was a lot nicer than she expected. Amending that, she decided it wasn’t as crappy as she’d anticipated. And clean. It certainly was clean. The king sized bed boasted a cheery yellow floral bedspread that brightened the room despite the minimal lighting. A small antique-looking table stood in the center, flanked by two matching cane-back chairs.

  Paintings, what appeared to be of local village life, hung on the walls, and an old, clunky television sat atop a long chest of drawers, taking up most of the flat surface. No, definitely not the type of room she expected to find at the local half-hour-hump-’em rental, but then she really didn’t know what that type of room should look like.

  “Not quite what I expected,” Cooper commented, walking nonchalantly to the window and looking out.

  Nikki wondered what he saw, but then he twitched the heavy curtains closed and turned back to her.

  “Yeah,” she agreed with a smile, “I thought the same thing.”

  His arms were warm around her, and when he pulled her against him, Nikki felt that restlessness ease. Maybe Cooper was right; maybe his presence did have some sort of calming effect on her demon. He certainly had an effect on her, though calming wouldn’t have been the word she used to describe it.

  But that was why they’d traveled to Valle Arriba. To find a way to get this damned demon out of her body.

  Nikki kissed Cooper, suddenly needing to feel his skin, inhale his scent. She wanted him against her, the long, thick length of him inside her. Biting his lower lip, she shuddered and pressed closer.

  His fingers dug into her hips, one hand sliding under her thigh. He fit so perfectly to her that Nikki wondered why it had taken so long to find him.

  “We should go.”

  Her words surprised her more than Cooper, and she wondered where they came from. Nikki licked her lips and swallowed hard against the heat of need that threatened to burn all thoughts but Cooper from her mind.

  “I mean,” she said and wondered what she did mean. At this moment she wanted nothing more than to feel Cooper’s delicious weight on her, taste his skin, feel his cock pounding into her.

  “I mean,” she said again, stronger as she grasped what her mind had been trying to tell her. “That I need to go.”

  Cooper’s eyes hardened, but he continued to hold her to him. “I’m only going to follow you, Nikki. So why are we having this conversation again?”

  Nikki shook her head, desperate to keep him safe. Yes, he’d traveled with her to Valle Arriba, and, yes, he did know all her secrets now, but Nikki needed to keep him safe. That urge pounded through her, sudden and alarming. This beautiful man had already sacrificed so much for her.

  How could she let him walk into something that could end his life?

  The idea of Cooper hurt because of her, or dead because of her, tore her in two. Nikki swallowed hard and swallowed a gasp of pain at the image of Cooper—bloody and still in the Mexican sand—because he’d wanted to help her. Protect her.

  “Now that we’re here, it all feels so much more real,” she whispered.

  The disturbing flow of energy she’d felt from the moment they’d entered this town battered her until her head ached. She’d been edgy since they’d landed in Mexico City, but now, now that they’d arrived here, she thought she’d claw out of her skin.

  Cooper’s lips warmed the side of her neck, once more calming the beast within. Nikki sighed, partly from his seductive kiss, partly in resignation, and nodded in agreement.

  “I know.” His voice soothed her, and she thought he really did know. “And you can tell me all about it as we walk around town.”

  Nikki looked at him, really studying
him for a moment. She nodded, resigning herself to the very real—and welcomed—fact that they were in this together. Even though it terrified her, whatever happened to her also involved Cooper. What had he said to her on the plane? “Your problems are mine, Nikki. We do this together.”

  “You’re not going to let me get away with anything.” She sighed but then smiled up at him. She cupped the side of his face, her thumb running over his jaw. “Are you?”

  Cooper didn’t answer, but then he didn’t need to. His kiss was answer enough.

  * * * *

  Nikki gripped Cooper’s hand as they walked through town. Maybe leaving after dark hadn’t been the best idea she’d ever had, but a feeling deep within told her she had to do it now, that she couldn’t wait. Nikki readily admitted that feeling may have been the demon, but as the monster hadn’t ever communicated with her, she doubted it.

  Frankly, she suspected her need to get this over with was simply that—a need to see it finished and now. She’d waited far too long as it was.

  Valle Arriba was far from a one-horse town. Despite the dilapidated décor of the outside of Casa Vieja, many of the surrounding buildings boasted life. People went in and out of several shops still open, and the restaurants scattered along the main road looked busy. For every storefront open, two lay shuttered; glass lay broken along the sidewalk, the wood boarding the windows spray-painted over. She and Cooper were subjected to several suspicious stares, but Nikki didn’t feel as if anyone wanted to shoot her in the middle of the street.

  Despite nearly everyone wearing a gun on their hips.

  “I feel like I’m in the Wild West,” Nikki muttered.

  Cooper gave her an odd look, but she shook her head. Despite the fact that Valle Arriba looked and felt nothing like she expected, she didn’t think repeating her comment was a good idea.