9. Chapter 9 （Nickur）

CHAPTER 9 (NICKUR)

H ailey feels so right in my arms and I try to hold her gently while on the inside, I am filled with rage against the two people who tried to hurt her. To me, she’s everything that is good in this world and I want her with me forever. But before I can tell her that—and probably scare her away—I need to share who I truly am. Tell her what a totally dimwitted, fucked up, cursed creature she’s gotten herself entangled with.

She sits patiently in my lap, waiting in silence to hear my story. I hug her closer and she snuggles into my embrace. If I could have this moment last forever, I would be the luckiest and happiest of men.

But I muster up some courage, clear my throat, and start my shameful tale. “I’m a lot older than I look.”

Hailey leans back and looks at me. “How old?”

“How old do you think I look?” I stall.

She studies my face. “Living in the outdoors has probably put some lines in your face, but you look like you’re in your early thirties.”

I make the mental calculations. “Try one hundred and seventy-five.” Hailey’s mouth drops open and I gently close it, using the tips of my middle three fingers. I cradle her head and push her back against my chest. She lets me and I’m grateful because I don’t think I can take seeing the disappointment in her face when she learns my shameful secrets.

“Okay,” she says. “So living off-grid really agrees with you.” Her voice is a little shaky, but I’m grateful for her trying to lighten the situation.

“When I was twenty-five?—”

“A hundred and fifty years ago,” Hailey interrupts. The woman is smart and pretty.

“Yes,” I say. “Way back in the olden days.” That earns me a chuckle and I continue, “I arrived in Idaho to make money in the fur trade.”

“But—”

I interrupt her, “I know, there was no longer much of a fur trade by then, but I was an arrogant twenty-five-year-old. Bored with hunting, fishing, and growing crops on my father’s farm in Norway, I wanted an excuse to leave. I didn’t bother with things like researching an area and potential ways of earning a living before I jumped on a boat and sailed across the ocean.”

“And yet, now you do a lot of hunting, fishing, and growing.” Hailey interjects.

I chuckle, but the sound is bitter. “Yes, the irony has not escaped me.” I pause and collect my thoughts before I continue. “I also had a falling out with my father, which was another reason I wanted to leave. He wanted me to pull more of my weight on the farm and not spend so much time in the tavern with my friends.”

“That sounds like most parents of people in their twenties.”

She’s right, but my father’s complaints were justified, especially since I lived under his roof and ate at his table. I skip ahead a little in the story, omitting the boring parts of endless traveling across the United States. “I arrived in Idaho, just as arrogant as I left my father’s farm. Back then, it was not a state yet, just a territory. You could still make some money from hunting and trapping, so that’s what I set out to do.”

I take a sip of water before I continue. Hailey stays silent, but I can tell she’s listening from how she holds her body. “One day, I stumbled upon this clearing. A small yurt-like construction stood where I built this cabin now.” I pause for a moment. “Do you know what a nixie is?”

Hailey leans back again so she can see my face. “I think so. A kind of water fae, but they’re cursed to be tied to a particular body of water. They lure people to their lakes or streams and drown them.” A horrified look takes over her face. “Oh no, you stumbled on a nixie?”

I nod. “I did. And this particular nixie had enough power to transfer their curse.”

“How?” Hailey asks. “I know little about nixies. They’re very unusual, but I’ve never heard of one who could transfer their curse.” And then it dawns on her what she’s just said. She sits up a little straighter. “You’re a nixie.” Her eyes grow large. In a way, it’s easier to explain all of this to someone who also is a creature of water. But that also means she catches on quickly. She scoots out of my lap and stands. “You invited me to go into the water when you washed. Were you going to drown me?”

I force myself to stay where I am when all I want is to take her in my arms again and assure her I could never hurt her. Steadily, I meet her gaze. “No, I only thought maybe you wanted to bathe. I meant what I said when I told you that you’re safe with me.”

Some of the tension leaves her body, but she goes and sits in the other chair instead of my lap, which feels empty without her. “So what happened? How did the nixie transfer his curse?”

Before I can tell her this next part, I have to get her to believe I’d never hurt her. “I can draw you a bath inside and show you how to lock the cabin to keep me out if you want to wash.”

She shakes her head. “No need. I trust you.” She has no idea how much I needed to hear those words. “Go on,” she says. “What happened next?”

“The nixie challenged me to a game of cards.”

She throws me an incredulous look. “You thought playing cards with a magical creature was a good idea?”

“This is where young and stupid plays a big part in the story. I didn’t know he was a nixie. To me, he just looked like a confused old man. He mixed up his words and seemed unclear about what year it was or who I was.”

“He played you.”

“Of course he did. And he had a right to.” I sigh. “Remember how I told you how arrogant I was?” When she nods, I continue, “Well, you can add immoral and deceitful to those qualities. I thought it would be easy to cheat the old man out of his money.”

Hailey covers her mouth with her hand, her eyes sad. “Instead, he cheated and transferred his curse to you.”

I shake my head ruefully. “He didn’t even need to cheat. He was a much better player than me.”

“So, what is your curse? If you don’t have to urge to drown people, are you about to challenge me to a game of cards?” She smiles and I take the time to appreciate how beautiful she is.

“Even if I could, I wouldn’t do that to you. The old nixie scampered off before he told me how to transfer the curse. And I don’t have a compulsion to drown people. However, I have to perform the same tasks every day, repeatedly. And I can’t travel more than fifty miles away from these lakes.” I sweep out with my hand the gesture encompassing the clearing, the lakes, and the waterfall.

Hailey’s still covering her mouth. Moisture wells in her eyes. “You’ve been trapped here for a century and a half. And you have to check on the waters, hunt, fish, chop wood, and grow vegetables every day. I’m so sorry.”

I shrug. “There are worse spots to be trapped.” My words come out bitter, though, as I look around. As beautiful as it is, I can’t help but resent the place a little. Losing your free will does that to a person. “The tasks are getting a little old, though.”

She chokes down a sob, gets out of her chair, and crawls back into my lap. I hug her and touch her forehead with mine. For a little while, we just sit in silence, breathing together. It’s the most peaceful and beautiful thing.

“Nick,” she whispers. “Kiss me.” But then she cradles my face in her hands and she kisses me. I treasure how soft and warm her lips are against mine. She coaxes me to open my mouth, and her tongue darts out to meet mine.

A groan escapes my throat as I hold her tighter, leaning her back so I can get better access to deepen the kiss. I caress her side, slipping my hand underneath her shirt.

She sighs into my mouth when my fingers find her nipple through the fabric of her bra. It hardens to a tight bud as I caress it. My cock is rock hard against her bottom and she wiggles against it.

I tighten my grip and hold her still. “That will put a quick end to this…” My voice trails off as I’m not sure what to call what’s going on between us.

“Conversation?” Hailey quips.

I chuckle. “Sure, a quick end to our conversation.”

She jumps out of my arms and puts a finger to my lips. “Hold that thought because now I really want to take a bath before this gets any further.” I start to stand, but she pushes me back into the chair. “No, I trust you won’t drown me.” She smiles. “But I need just a moment by myself.”

I hesitate, but then nod. “I’ll listen from here. Call out if you need me.”

“I will.” She runs into the cabin, comes out holding a clean towel, and then walks off toward the lake.