Heart of the Witch (38 page)

Nick glanced at Ravyn. She loved him? Was that truly possible, given all that had happened, their mutual distrust and betrayals of each other? Why did Kayne believe it was so? And yet… could it be true? Could she love him as much as he loved her?

Now was not the time to think about his and Ravyn's relationship, but Nick couldn't help the tiny thrill of hope that traveled through him. He turned his attention back to Kayne, concentrating on the warlock's insane rantings, waiting for an opening to strike, any chance at all.

"If by some extremely unlikely happenstance you best me," Kayne continued, "I will lose all power and my body and soul will die. Ravyn will be spared. That is your goal, of course. However," the warlock laughed, "she will not remember you. You will be a stranger to her. She will not remember one second of your… association. Not a trace. So, in effect, it will be for nothing. You will rescue Ravyn, but you will lose her. You will have failed."

Kayne stared at Nick. "Do you see? There is no way to win. Either way, you lose her. At best you can only save your life. If you relinquish your soul and walk away, I shall spare you. Give in and you shall save your life—if not your soul." He laughed again, and his evil was almost palpable. The skin on Nick's arms grew cold, and heat tingled across his scalp.

"I see you are not entirely deterred, that I shall have to give you more information," Kayne said. "So be it. If you accept my challenge, we will fight like men—hand to hand, with no rules. I must say, there will be little triumph in defeating an alcoholic has-been."

Nick shook his head, trying to process everything that had been thrown at him. Was it really true that Ravyn would forget him even if he won? "Let me ask you something," he said, stalling for time. "Besides my being an alcoholic has-been, doesn't the battle seem a little unevenly matched, what with your witchy powers or whatever? How do I stand a chance?"

"You don't stand a chance, simply because I am physically superior," Kayne sneered. "However, if it eases your mind, I shall not be able to use my powers. Not in any way. I must win your soul fairly, without magic."

Nick closed his eyes and sighed. He liked these odds better than the ones he'd thought he faced, but he didn't have a lot of confidence in his ability to defeat Kayne. He was no longer as sharp as he'd once been; it had been a while since he'd been physically tested. The odds were against him, and he knew it.

"If he uses his powers to win the fight, he won't have the resources left to transfer your soul to his body," Ravyn called out, her voice weak and groggy. "But don't do it, Nick. Run!"

Nick glanced at Ravyn, then turned back to Kayne. "Give me a few minutes with Ravyn, and I'll give you an answer," he said.

The warlock held his gaze a moment, then nodded. "As you wish." He returned to his chair and motioned Nick toward Ravyn. "She will be due for another injection soon. I cannot let the narcotics wear off and take a chance she will use her powers to assist you, but before I give her the drugs, you may have a moment with her. It will be your last, either way."

Nick walked toward Ravyn, and his heart clenched at the sight of her lovely face, pale and streaked with tears. Her heavy-lidded expression was a result of the drugs. He stopped directly in front of her and reached a hand out to caress her cheek. "Hi," he whispered.

"I'm sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry about deceiving you, about bringing you into this mess, but you can't do this. You can't beat him. You have to leave while you still can."

"If I have even a chance to defeat him, I have to take it. I have to save you."

She shook her head. "No. I won't let him kill you. Just refuse the challenge, Nick, please."

"I can't leave you."

"There's so much to explain and so little time," she said, her words slurred. "But I want you to know why I deceived you, why I didn't tell you I was a witch. I was afraid to get close to a mortal, afraid that I would endanger everyone I loved. I didn't trust the authorities, didn't trust you. But I was wrong. I—"

"You don't have to explain," Nick said. "I understand." And he truly did.

"I've caused so much trouble. You wouldn't be here if it weren't for me."

Nick shook his head. "It will be okay. You must live and find a way to escape."

Her head snapped up, her eyes locking onto his. "You expect to lose? You
know
you can't win. Oh, God, Nick. Please, please don't do this." Her voice was breathless with panic. "Please, I'm begging you—"

"Shhh." Nick took her face between his palms. "Don't worry about me, I haven't given up yet. But I have a question. Mr. Demented over here said there was only one way he can be killed. You wouldn't happen to know what that is, would you?"

"I wish I did." She shook her head, clearly racking her memory. "From the book he gave me… The dark powers he's acquired make him almost invincible. He can only die in the same way he died in his former life. But, I have no idea what that is." She looked beaten, defeated. "I'm sorry."

Nick shrugged, trying to gather courage. "Just a thought. Who knows? Maybe I'll stumble onto it. Let's just hope he didn't die in a freak whaling accident or something." He tried to give her a smile.

"But I won't remember you!" Ravyn cried. "I don't want to live in a world where I don't know you!"

"I don't want to live in a world without you, period," he admitted. "But I have to do this, Ravyn."

He saw from the tears in her eyes, from her expression, that she didn't understand. He had to make her see. "When I met you I was existing from day to day, not really living. I was, as Kayne put it, an alcoholic has-been, hiding behind my grief and guilt, using it as an excuse not to rejoin the real world. I thought my heart had stopped beating. That my chest was a hollow void. Even more than Haleck, I was like the Tin Man from
The Wizard of Oz
. Then I met you, and for the first time in a long while I started to care—about life, about others, about me. I fell in love with you. You gave me back my heart." He smiled and placed a kiss on her forehead. "Who would have thought I'd find my heart just in time to lose my soul?"

"No!" Her head swung from side to side. "No, please! For me! If you love me, please don't do this!"

"I
do
love you. And that's why I have to do it. Maybe someday you can understand and forgive me."

He bent his head, and for the last time, felt the softness of Ravyn's mouth yielding beneath his.

"Enough!" Kayne roared, rising and striding toward them.

Nick pulled away and gave Ravyn an encouraging smile, brushing a thumb down her tear-stained cheek. She lifted burning eyes to Kayne and said, "Even with Nick's soul you'll still be the same savage, heartless bastard, and I'll never love you."

Her ex-lover lifted a syringe and smiled, though his eyes flashed with rage. "We shall see, my lovely."

Ravyn felt the prick of the needle and a sting as the sedative entered her system. Her limbs began to relax, and her eyelids grew heavy. She didn't want to pass out, didn't want to wake up to the horror she knew was about to ensue. She had to watch, had to be strong. For Nick.

A hazy curtain seemed to drop over her vision, but she could see through the curtain, could see as the two men began to circle one another. Kayne's sleek muscles gleamed in the overhead light, his nearly naked body beautifully cut, every tendon and vein seeming to magnify the futility of Nick's plight. Nick, though broad-shouldered and strong, was still no match.

Kayne struck the first blow, a mighty jab into Nick's jaw. Nick stumbled backward but stayed on his feet. He circled, waiting for an opening, then charged at Kayne and pummeled the warlock's abdomen, switching at the last moment from body blows to an unexpected uppercut. Kayne fell back, shaking his head like a stunned bull.

But he came back at Nick quickly, catching him with a punch to the ribs. Nick grunted and grabbed his side, his expression one of concentrated agony, and helplessly Ravyn watched as Kayne kept attacking, over and over, barely breathing hard, minimally affected by Nick's assault. Nick was soon battered and bloody. One eye was swollen shut. She noticed that he favored his left side and wondered if he'd broken a rib.

Nick went down to one knee, but pushed himself back up, staggering forward. Ravyn let out a scream as she saw an object appear in Kayne's hand, retrieved from a shadowy corner of the barn. He aimed the shovel toward Nick's head. Nick moved just in time, and it struck his shoulder.

"No!" Ravyn yelled, but neither man turned. Nick weaved for a moment, then fell to his knees and toppled over face-first. "Nick!"

Nick lifted his head and through his one good eye squinted in Ravyn's direction. He gave her a crooked smile. She knew he was done, but hoped that some of his pain, maybe even his life, might be spared if he gave up now.

"Stay down, Nick," she cried out. "Please stay down. I love you. Kayne, spare him! I'll do whatever you want!"

Nick just winked at her and stumbled to his feet, swaying. He moved his hands in a taunting gesture at Kayne. "Let's go!"

The warlock shook his head. "We've already 'gone,' you fool. Don't you know when you're beaten?"

Nick shrugged. "Guess it must be all that alcohol. Fried my brain. Being a has-been, I don't know when to quit."

"Then I'll have to make it a little clearer." Kayne caught him with a sharp uppercut that knocked Nick back to the ground.

Panting, Nick rose once more. This time, he held the shovel he'd maneuvered to obtain. He swung it forcefully against Kayne's head.

Kayne reeled and cried out but stayed upright. He grinned as though Nick were no more than a nuisance.

"You cheated!" Ravyn shrieked. "You are using your powers!"

Kayne laughed at her, still keeping an eye on Nick. "Ah, did I fail to mention that I wouldn't use my powers to cause him harm, but my powers would protect me from fatal injury?" He made a tsking sound and cast his eyes downward, then back up at Nick. "I must say, it slipped my mind, but it will be nearly impossible to cause me lasting pain. Tough break, eh, mortal?"

Ravyn closed her eyes, squeezing them tight against the sorrow working its way from her chest to her throat. All she could feel was her love for Nick, a love that would soon be torn apart… and in her drug-induced haze, an image came to her. Suddenly, she saw it all, saw what had happened in her long-ago life. The man she loved was killed not knowing how she felt.

But it was not only her actions after his death that led to her own execution; it was another man. It had been a man who pursued her incessantly, only to be turned away time after time. He'd come to her after her lover's death, thinking she would finally succumb to his advances. But she'd refused him, sending him into an uncontrollable rage. He'd been the one to turn her over to the authorities. In the midst of one of her fits of grief, while she'd created lightning and thunder in a cloudless sky, casting a pall over the sun until the land was in darkness, they'd come for her. They'd hauled her in to stand trial for the crime of witchcraft, while the traitor watched from the back of the courtroom, a smug smile on his face.