Page 72 of Cursed Touch
Daphyne raised a hand. “It’s quite all right. You both should hear this. I don’t age. I’m two hundred and thirty-seven years old.”
“Wha—I mean, that’s not possible, Mom. You have gray hairs, and there are wrinkles along your eyes that weren’t there even five years ago!”
Daphyne’s eyes twinkled with mischief before they watched her age before their eyes. Gone was the middle-aged woman, and in her place was a woman in nearly her nineties.
“Whoa!” they exclaimed before she returned to her previous age.
“I have to make myself look the part. If I didn’t, I’d put your father and myself in danger. It was a decision I made when I fell in love with him.”
Vanessa leaned forward. “What’s your true form then?”
“The one you saw by the waterfall. Now that you’ve drunk from the spring, I suspect you, too, won’t age. I promise to help you adjust to your powers. Listen though,nohuman can learn of this.”
Vanessa bit her lip and shook her head as she peered at Carter. “That’s not possible.”
Power filled the air, similar to when Brandy would tap into her magic. “Why not? Our lineage is to be protected at all costs. How can you tell me it’s not possible?”
Carter could understand how a nymph was potentially stronger than a demon. “I have two sisters-in-law who are human. They know of my family and know she has magic. By now, they’re sure to know she’s a nymph.”
Daphyne jumped to her feet and faced Vanessa. “How could you be so stupid as to let humans know of us!”
Magic flowed through him. Power like he had never felt seeped into each cell at her words. “Watch your words, Daphyne! I won’t have you speaking to her in that way. Do you hear me? Vanessa understands how imperative it is to keep our secret.”
Carter barely recognized his own voice. His body pulsed in a way similar to when he healed. He was pissed at her for calling his mate stupid. Vanessa was anything but, and no one would speak to her that way so long as he lived.
“Baby?” Vanessa asked, her hand featherlight against his skin.
He turned at the endearment, surprised to hear it. She fixed her steady eyes on him, and a wave of calm hit him. She was his world.
Vanessa pointed around the room. “Look.”
He followed her gaze and stared with surprise. Things floated in the air: couches, lamps, books, and trinkets. Pissed or not, he didn’t want to damage any of Daphyne’s things. He mentally commanded the couches to lower, and one by one, he set the other things down. With her belongings settled, Carter couldn’t help but wonder if their trip to the garden had anything to do with his magic going haywire at his outburst.
He faced Daphyne. “The water?”
“Yes.”
He inhaled deeply and nodded. “I’d kindly ask that you never speak to Vanessa in that manner. I can promise you, the members of my family, witch or human, would never risk my mate—nymph or not.”
“You’re right. I apologize—”
“Don’t apologize to me, apologize toher,” he stated firmly and pulled Vanessa’s back to his front.
“Honey, I’m sorry. Carter’s right, it was unkind and unfair of me to speak so harshly to you. Please understand, I’m not used to this. I haven’t discussed my secret with anyone in many, many years.”
He sat, and Vanessa cuddled into his side. “Is there anything you can tell us about a demon named Olsabir?” he asked. “He’s the one who’s sending people after Vanessa.”
“Olsabir?” She laughed. “He’s a pussy.”
“Mom!”
“Show him your true power, and he’ll back off. That bastard only cares about keeping humans in the dark so he can swindle them and do other works under their noses. The moment you show him your true power, he’ll leave you alone. I’d offer to do it myself, but it has to come from you, Vanessa.”
“Do you have any ideas on how I can confront him?” Vanessa asked, her thumb rubbing his stomach.
“First you need to get a handle on your powers. You mentioned your senses being on overdrive. We need to take advantage of it while we can. Soon, everything will calm down, and while you can still learn, I think doing it now will help you faster.”
“I think I should see Serena or Brandy about my own. Will you be okay if I come back to get you?”he asked.
