Heart of the Witch (36 page)

Ravyn trembled as she watched Nick stumble backward. The gun slipped from his fingers, and he fell against the edge of the bed, weakened by her spell. His eyes glared at her, his anger and sense of betrayal as strong as the love she'd seen in them earlier.

Kayne was calling to her, asking her to join him in his worship of dark forces. Wanting her to bring Nick. She would come all right, but alone—and not to join him. This was her battle, and she had to end it once and for all.

"I'm sorry, Nick."

So weak he could barely speak, he looked at her, shaking his head. "Y-you saved me… back there. Healed the bullet wound."

She nodded and swiped a hand across her tear-stained cheeks. "I couldn't let you die. I knew you might find out what I was, but I couldn't let you die."

He managed a bleak smile. "You should have. You should do it now. I'll come…" He grimaced, the words squeezing out of him as he tried to hold on to consciousness. "I'll… come after you. I can't let you go."

He toppled backward on the bed, insensate. Ravyn walked toward him as if in a trance. She stood over him, noting the steady rise and fall of his chest. His face was pale, but he was alive. She let out a relieved breath. He would be okay.

However, whatever wonderful thing had happened between them was now over. He'd never forgive her. But he was safe. Kayne would not get Nick's soul. And she would finish Kayne. One way or another, she would destroy him. Just as she'd destroyed the Tin Man.

Bending over, she placed a gentle kiss on Nick's motionless lips. "I'm sorry," she whispered, and left to meet Kayne.

Ravyn drove along the darkened streets, a jumble of conflicting emotions warring within her. Her body still tingled from Nick's lovemaking, but her chest was heavy with despair. Deep in her stomach, fear twisted like a serpent.

Kayne wanted Nick's soul. She couldn't let that happen, but how would she stop him? She might agree to sacrifice herself, to remain with Kayne forever, but it wouldn't stop there. Kayne wanted her, but he also wanted power, control, and he wanted to destroy Nick, the man who'd truly earned Ravyn's love. He needed Nick's soul to rejuvenate his own so that he could carry out his diabolical plan to rule… what? What exactly did he desire? All the world's covens, all of mankind? Whatever it was, she knew she had to prevent it.

Over the centuries many witches had gone the way of the dark side, but so far such defection had been sporadic. Their numbers had not been strong enough at any one time to band together into a new coven. If that were to happen, the results could be disastrous. Was that what was happening in Wyldewood? Was Kayne gathering enough black-magic witches to cause worldwide destruction?

The forming of a police task force indicated something odd was occurring. Ravyn wasn't sure exactly what, but she knew at the very least the anonymity of her coven was in jeopardy. The serenity and safety of those she loved most was compromised. She had to protect her coven.

And Nick. There was still Nick. If Kayne's procurement of Nick's soul was successful, Nick would most likely die. At the very least the Nick she knew and loved would be gone. After all the work Nick had done to drag himself back from the brink of the abyss, Kayne would taint his soul, bend it into an abomination, a twisted facsimile.

She couldn't defeat Kayne physically, she knew. Even though he'd most likely weakened in his continued defiance of the rules of witchcraft, she would still be no match for his strength. She could use her powers, perhaps. Before Kayne began practicing black magic, they were evenly matched. But he was using the dark forces now, which greatly diminished her odds. And if he'd transcended already… Well, then her odds were zero. However, it was unlikely he'd transcended. If he had, he wouldn't need Nick's soul.

Her best option was to trick him, to use his desire to lure Kayne into a situation where she could destroy him. The thought of him touching her intimately sent a spasm of nausea through her. After Nick's lovemaking, after an embrace that made her pulse race and set her nerves afire with longing, she couldn't imagine another man's caress, especially not a caress of evil.

Suddenly, all oxygen leached from the car. Ravyn gasped, barely able to breathe. Her mind reeled as, through the windshield, the lights from the passing vehicles, street-lamps and houses simply blinked out. In the next second, her hands, which had gripped the steering wheel, held nothing but air. The car evaporated, and she was falling crazily, tilting in a black void, the smell of sulfur and ammonia heavy and cloying, choking her.

She landed abruptly and painfully on a dust-covered surface. The impact crushed the air from her lungs, and black spots danced in her vision. She struggled to breathe, gasping and wheezing with the effort. It was several moments before she was able to breathe freely and her vision cleared.

Dazed, she struggled to a sitting position. She was in a large, cavernous building with a hay-covered loft above her head. A rusty tractor sat at one end, and scattered on the floor in the dust and straw were various farming tools: a pitchfork, a shovel, a gardening spade and others. Would any prove useful as weapons? Perhaps, if she could get to them before Kayne got to her.

As if her very thoughts conjured him, Kayne spoke from behind her. She scrambled to her feet and whirled to face him.

In spite of the fall chill, Kayne wore nothing but a fawn-colored loincloth. His bronze muscles gleamed in the meager light, and he seemed unaffected by the temperature. He looked powerful and confident… and dangerous.

"Sorry, my love, but I grew impatient. You were following the
speed limit"
he said distastefully, the same way one might say,
You were eating cockroaches
. He shook his head, a look of sympathy in his eyes. "I didn't mean to hurt you."

When he stepped closer and ran his fingers along her cheek, she shivered, trying to keep the revulsion out of her expression. His fingers were cool and smooth, where Nick's were warm and callused. Nick's touch thrilled and excited her, while Kayne's felt like that of a corpse.

"I couldn't wait to see you, to have you here," he said. "To share my plan."

"If I stay with you, will you leave Nick and the coven alone?" she asked.

Kayne's face darkened with anger. "You love him so much you would sacrifice yourself?" When she didn't respond, he continued. "I cannot grant what you wish. I need his soul to rejuvenate my body. I grow weaker and will perish without another's spirit. And once I obtain his soul, you will love me as you do him."

A spark of hope lit within her. Kayne hadn't yet transcended, and he'd clearly weakened in his physical form. His powers were probably not as focused as they should be, either. If she ever had a chance, this was it.

She shook her head. "I don't love him." The denial rang hollow, but she pushed on. "I care about him, but my main concern is my coven. Nick is a part of a task force to hunt witches. The situation has gotten out of hand, and everyone I truly love is in danger. Sorina…" She swallowed, willing back her sorrow. "I've already lost my sister. I can't let anything more happen to the coven. I'll do
anything."

"What, exactly, are you proposing?" Kayne's gaze was sharp, and she couldn't read his expression. Couldn't gauge his mood.

"I will stay with you. I will join the dark forces you gather, and together we'll rule Wyldewood. But it goes no further. You don't have to transcend, you don't need another's soul. I will be your source of power, of strength. You and I together shall be enough."

Kayne's eyes narrowed. "You would stay with me? Join my dark forces? You were so opposed before. You are too loyal to your teachings to take such a drastic step. You think to trick me."

"No!" she swore. "I've been studying
Invocations of Shadows
. I can see the value." She didn't want to push it too far; Kayne wouldn't believe she'd totally flipped sides. For that reason she said, "I admit I am not completely enamored of the dark side, but I am willing to go the way of its teachings to save those I love. It was empowering,
thrilling
to destroy the Tin Man, even if it went against the rules of the coven. I don't like how restricting our magic can be. Sometimes, it's necessary to go outside our teachings."

To demonstrate her commitment, she reached out and stroked Kayne's face, then ran her fingers down his chest. His muscles contracted beneath her hand, and he let out a gasp.

"Ravyn," he groaned. He gripped her arms and pulled her to him.

When his lips touched hers, a sudden rush of bile crowded her throat, but she fought it down. She squeezed her eyes shut and let her lips soften beneath his, pressed her body against him.

He pulled his mouth away and whispered in her ear, "Is this what you want, baby? My touch instead of his? Haven't you always wanted this? What has kept you away?"

"Mmmm," she murmured, running her fingertips over his shoulders, his back, and lower, to the waist of the loincloth.

"Oh, Ravyn." He gave a whimper as he once again claimed her lips.

She let her mind drift back to Nick, to the coven, to anything other than Kayne's vile touch. If she could distract him enough, if he became even momentarily pliant, perhaps she could get to her dagger and injure, maybe incapacitate him.

Kill him.

She forced herself to give a moan and bent her knee, rubbing her thigh along Kayne's erection. The pressure of his mouth increased against hers until he was grinding her lips against her teeth. She tasted blood, but she didn't mind. His preoccupation with his desire would eventually offer her the opportunity she needed. And she'd need every advantage she could get. Saving Nick's life had weakened her. She could feel the drain on her powers, feel it in her blood. The element of surprise and Kayne's own weakness—his desire for her—would have to be enough.

She let a hand slide off his shoulder and reached between their bodies to her bent leg, where her dagger rested inside her boot. Her fingers touched the handle, and she snatched the weapon out, clutching it tightly. But before she could plunge it into Kayne, she felt his hand twisting in her hair, his grip tight and painful. He jerked her head back, and a jolt of burning electricity shot through the hand that held the dagger. She cried out, dropping the knife as pain radiated from her fingers up through her arm.

Kayne's face filled her vision, his golden eyes burning with rage. "You lying bitch!"

He jerked her head farther back until she was staring at the ceiling. He waved his free hand, and an image appeared on the wooden beams above. It was a macabre dance of shadows that formed into a figure: a dark shape that was unmistakably a woman with a rope around her neck, feet dangling, her head canted at a grotesque angle.

Tears of anger and terror swam to Ravyn's eyes, and she tried to speak, but her neck was stretched so far back that words wouldn't form. Her bravado fled, as did all hope of defeating Kayne. Despair and apprehension for her coven, for Nick, engulfed her, and she helplessly watched the body swinging above.

In the next instant, she felt the rough strands of a rope slithering against her skin, encircling her neck. Her mind shifted from fear for those she loved to fear for herself. The scream died on her vocal cords as the rope snapped taut on her throat.