Page 33 of Cursed (Decorah Security 2.0, #14)

That concept rattled around in the back of her head. The priestess wanted her to flee this place. Leaving in the morning would hand her a victory.

Morgan had little time to examine that logic as she zeroed in on the dark shadow under the trees.

Yvonne Sonnier had stopped chanting. She stood silent and still, facing the enemy squarely. Morgan had never seen her up close. She was a small woman with long, dark hair and sharp features, dressed in a simple dark shift.

“You frightened me when I came to town,” she said, hearing her voice ring out in the night.

“Then you did things to my mind—where the road flooded and at the cemetery. But I’ve faced enemies a lot stronger than you.

And I’ve finally got my head screwed on straight—at least where you’re concerned. You can’t hurt me anymore.”

The words were brave. She hoped they were true as she marched across the lawn, not even sure what would happen.

“Go back inside,” the priestess shouted at her. “Go back before you get hurt.”

“Make me,” Morgan challenged

Yvonne began to chant again.

And Morgan felt her vision suddenly blur and her breath solidify in her lungs. All at once, it was hard to see—hard to breathe. Fear beat against her, but she kept going, determined to fight this woman on her own terms.

She knew she had made headway when the chanting stopped abruptly and the pressure on her lungs eased.

Maybe the deciding factor was that her anger was stronger than her fear.

“Leave Andre Gascon alone,” she shouted.

“He’s evil.”

“Of course not. His grandfather loved Linette and she loved him. Tragedy separated them. But that has nothing to do with the man who lives here now.”

“She died because of his ancestor.”

“No. She died because she wanted a life with him. He didn’t coerce her.”

“Go away from here, or I’ll hurt you.”

“Why—because you know Linette spoke to me?”

The woman gasped. “No. You’re lying.”

“She pulled me into the past. She made me feel her joy with Andre. And her pain when she lost her life.”

“No!”

“I was with her when the flood took her. I think she wants me here. She wants me to set things right—finally. Your grandmother may have cursed Andre’s grandfather. But it’s time for the hate to end. It’s time for love to take over,” she said, not even sure what she meant.

The woman looked stunned as Morgan kept advancing. She had no idea what would happen now. Were they going to get into some kind of fight?

It wasn’t a human voice that spoke next. From out of the darkness, a roar split the night, and the jaguar leaped forward. Morgan gasped in shock. She’d been so focused on the priestess that she’d forgotten all about the animal that prowled the bayou.

The jaguar gave her a long look, then with a roar in its throat, it turned away and charged Yvonne. But it staggered, choking, as it toppled onto the ground.

The animal picked itself up, swaying on unsteady legs before starting forward again. It took only a couple of steps before it staggered, then fell to the ground, gasping.

Finally, it caught its breath, growling in anguish and frustration.

But Morgan wasn’t affected by whatever spell Yvonne had worked. Grimly, she pelted forward.

The woman shrieked. And suddenly a knife was in her hand. “Leave me alone!”

“What, you don’t trust your magic to kill me?” Morgan shouted, lashing out with her foot.

Yvonne jumped back, then slashed with the knife. This time Morgan landed a kick on the hand with the weapon. The blade slid along her shoe, then dropped to the ground.

Too angry to think straight, Morgan picked it up and threw it in the direction of the house.

With a cry that contained as much fear as anger, the woman turned and ran—into the darkness.

Into the night. Morgan picked up the drum and hurled the instrument after her, seeing it hit her back with a satisfying thwack.

She might have given chase, but a deep growl from the jaguar made her whirl around.

She and the animal stood confronting each other for the fourth time.

The first had been on the road when the men had attacked her.

Then the animal had been outside the house.

Yesterday, he had rescued her from Dwight Rivers.

Now he was back—when she’d been in trouble again.

Only some major spell had kept him from attacking Yvonne.

She should be afraid of him. He was large and strong, with dangerous claws and teeth. Yet she stood her ground, looking into the fierce yellow eyes.

“Well, here you are, coming to my rescue again. I didn’t thank you for the last time,” she said. “I mean when Dwight Rivers attacked me.”

She didn’t expect the animal to speak or even acknowledge the thanks. But he moved his large head in a motion that looked like a nod. She felt as though she were on the verge of an important discovery—and at the same time as though the world were teetering under her feet.

Before anything more could happen, the cat took a step toward the safety of the bayou, then another.

“Wait!” she called out, as she had called out to Andre a few hours earlier. But the beast ignored her as surely as the man had done. And she was left standing alone in the garden—with the first hint of dawn teasing the edge of the eastern sky.

Her heart was racing. She wanted to scream in frustration. Every time she felt like she was on the edge of finding out what was really happening here—somebody changed the rules.

As she stood clenching and unclenching her fists, a rustling in the underbrush made her stiffen.

Was the cat coming back?

No. It was a man, she saw. Andre, barefoot, wearing the shirt and jeans he’d had on the night before.

He stopped a few feet from her, his expression sad and uncertain—but determined.

“What are you hiding this time?” she asked.

“I’m done with hiding anything,” he said in a weary voice.

“Is that your trained jaguar?” she tossed at him. “Did you turn down an oil deal so your cat would have space to roam the bayou?”

He gave a mirthless laugh. “I wish it were that simple.” He swallowed convulsively.

“I told you I was cursed. I told you I have to go out into the bayou every night. I told you I have to drink an extract from that plant to keep myself alive. But there’s more to the curse.

” He looked like a man jumping off a cliff when he said, “The curse turns me into a jaguar every night. That cat isn’t my trained pet. I’m the cat.”

“No,” she answered automatically.

“Yeah, it’s hard to believe,” he conceded.

“Yvonne’s grandmother cursed my grandfather—the man who let Linette get swept away in the flood.

That’s what she did to him. Her family was powerful.

And the people who settled this area believed in voodoo magic.

They figured something strange was going on out here.

Still, he was a rich man, and grandmother was willing to marry him for his money, but she didn’t stay long after my father was born. ”

Morgan opened her mouth, but he waved his hand in front of her face.

“Let me finish while I have the guts to tell you all of it. The curse fell on my father. He had to stay here and drink the plant extract, but he didn’t get the jaguar part.

I hoped and prayed that portion of the curse was lifted.

But I guess it only skips a generation. When I turned eighteen, I found out I was back where the original Andre Gascon had started. ”

She fought to catch her breath. “You expect me to believe that?”

“I’m sure you don’t want to.”

“But you said the … the cat part is at night,” she challenged. “I saw the cat during the day—twice.”

His face softened. “Yes. When the need is great, I can change during the day. I rescued Janet from a bear in the backcountry once. And it was me out on the road after those men made you end up in that ditch. I know you had a gun—and you pointed it at the jaguar. That was the first time. The second time was when Dwight Rivers attacked you. The cat leaped over to the island and got him off you. Then Jarvis was coming, and you told the cat to go.” He dragged in a breath and huffed it out.

“I notice you didn’t tell the sheriff anything about the jaguar.

Why not? Because you suspected something strange, but you couldn’t put it into words? ”

“I don’t know,” she whispered.

“Well, now you know what I’ve been hiding from you,” he said in a barely audible voice. “And you can understand why I didn’t want to tell you.”

He had given her reasons to believe him. Although she fought the truth of what he’d said, she still had one more question. “Is there some way to lift the curse?”

“There’s supposed to be,” he answered.