Page 66 of Cursed Touch
“You’re a nymph, a naiad based on how quickly you healed from the water.”
“A what?” Vanessa asked before Mia even finished.
“Aren’t they just Greek mythology?” Brandy asked.
Mia nodded. “I don’t think there are many alive. Those that are live in hiding,” she told Brandy before her attention shifted to Vanessa. “Nymphs are spirits of nature and really rare to find.”
“So how are you so sure I’m one?” Vanessa asked.
A shadow crossed her face. “I used to know one, so I know how to identify their unique magic. I’m guessing you two sensed it but couldn’t seem to put your finger on what it was.”
“Why couldn’t I heal her? I’ve been able to heal lycan bites before. I don’t understand,” Carter said.
Mia shrugged. “Nymphs don’t follow the same magical rules. They can, however, heal themselves if they have access to earth or water. That’s why I poured it directly on her wound and had you help her drink.”
“What was in the vial?” Brandy asked, and Vanessa stopped herself from pouting at the change in topic. She wanted to know more about nymphs, but it appeared she would have to wait a little longer.
“Oil from the peyote plant. Its hallucinogenic properties make it easier to use a mind-erasing spell. Gentle and effective on the human mind,” she said.
Carter stiffened at her side. “You gave those people oil from a hallucinogenic plant?”
Mia’s eyes rounded. “I did. Feel free to go check on them and see every single person is okay. Once you get down from your high horse, you can ask me nicely for some. I’m assuming you’re in the healthcare field, and one day you’re going to expose yourself by using your supernatural healing,” she stated, a brow raised to her hairline.
The woman was kind but had a hard edge to her. Vanessa could very easily become her friend. Carter released her hand and slipped out to check on the customers, leaving the three women alone.
Brandy chuckled when the door shut. “I should be upset at how you spoke to my brother, but I’m not. What else can you tell us about Vanessa?”
Mia bit her lower lip as she shook her head. “Not much more to say. Your nymph magic isn’t super strong, so if you didn’t know, my guess is that you’re only half nymph. When did you guys notice a change in her? Something must have drawn out her magical side.”
Vanessa felt her cheeks warm.
“She’s my brother’s mate, and they bonded,” Brandy replied hurriedly, saving Vanessa from telling the stranger herself.
Mia nodded, her face scrunching in deep thought. “And she wasn’t exhibiting any magic beforehand?”
Vanessa should be annoyed they were speaking as if she was not there in the room with them, but she couldn’t bring up the emotion. Her nerves and mind were glitching out with each morsel of information. If she was half nymph, then it meant one of her parents was a nymph. The fact that neither had ever brought up the possibility she would eventually tap into her magic said one of two things. Either they were assholes who kept things from her, or there was a chance that whoever knew had never shared it with the other.
“No, the closest thing would have been the soul mate link between her and Carter,” Brandy said, and he returned on cue.
“Everything okay with the patients?” Mia teased.
Carter pulled Vanessa to his side, and she wrapped an arm around his waist. She wanted his strength as everything she had thought about her world became one heaping pile of lies.
“They’re fine, although I’m surprised they’re not exhibiting any strange effects from the drug,” he said.
Mia scoffed. “That’s because it’s not a drug. It’s an herb. I also didn’t give them a lot. I was trying to help erase their memory, not pulverize their brains.”
“Mia thinks Vanessa is half nymph. It would explain why no one noticed, not that I would have since I thought they only existed in folklore,” Brandy told Carter.
Carter peered down. “You had no idea?”
Vanessa shook her head. “Not one clue. My parents have a lot of explaining to do.”
Chapter 30
Vanessa was a nymph.
Carter did not know what it meant exactly or what it would entail. As long as she was safe and remained his, he really didn’t care.
