Heart of the Witch (35 page)

They stood staring at one another. Moonlight shone through the curtains, bathing the room in its soft light. Nick reached out a hand and brushed the hair from Ravyn's face. "I haven't wanted any woman since Annie, but I've wanted you from the moment I saw you. With Annie, it was slow and comfortable. We'd known each other in school as friends, then it grew to something else. It was good, and it was right, but with you…" He shook his head as if the words escaped him.

"Shhh." She put a finger over his lips. "You don't have to explain."

He gripped her fingers and pressed a kiss to them. "I want to tell you. I want you to understand that it's not just physical. With you, it's been like a clap of thunder went off in my chest, in my head. You filled me with this strange longing, this need to be with you, to know you in every way possible. I wanted to protect you, yet I was afraid of you. Afraid of how you made me feel."

She smiled and stood on tiptoe, pressing her lips to his. "That's the nicest thing anyone ever said to me," she whispered. "Now,
show
me."

He gave a shaky laugh and eased her down on the edge of the mattress, kneeling in front of her. For a moment he simply stared up into her eyes. "God, you're beautiful. I want to see all of you."

She nodded and slowly began loosening the buttons on her blouse. Nick lifted his hand and ran a finger down the skin revealed by her movements. She closed her eyes, her breath catching in her throat at the feel of his callused fingertips against her sensitive flesh.

She heard him gasp, and opened her eyes to find him staring at her breasts, which were covered only by her lacy black bra. In the dim light of the bedroom, his eyes were shimmering beacons of desire. She took his face in her hands and kissed him long and deep. She whimpered as his fingers brushed her nipples, caressing her through the lace. He grazed his hands along the flesh beneath her bra, sliding his touch around her rib cage while his mouth played with hers.

His fingers fiddled with the clasp at her back, and she felt it loosen. He slipped his hand to the front, cupping her breasts, his thumb teasing her nipple. She moaned, easing onto her back. He stayed with her, bracing himself with one hand on the bed while the other flicked and teased, making her crazy with the need to feel him inside her.

He pulled his mouth from hers, looking into her eyes. His hand left her breast and slid to the button on her slacks, deftly opening them and slipping his fingers inside.

"Yes," she said softly when his fingers found the edge of her panties. Then he was touching her, and she tensed as the moist heat gathered between her thighs. "Yes," she said again when he probed inside her. His thumb rotated firmly against her clit, and she began to move against his fingers, wanting to undress him and feel him naked beside her, but unable to stop the delicious sensations he was creating. She gripped his shoulders, feeling a wave of release move through her. Dropping her head back on the bedspread, she let out a small yelp of satisfaction as ecstasy throbbed through her, leaving her spent and utterly, gloriously satisfied.

"Wow," she said.

He laughed and placed a quick, hard kiss on her lips. "That was just the appetizer."

She gave him a slow, contented smile. "Then let's get to the main course."

Still naked from the waist up, she rose onto her knees and slipped Nick's T-shirt over his head. Straddling him, she pressed her breasts against his chest and kissed his neck, nibbling on his earlobe while she scraped her nails lightly along his forearms.

"God," he groaned. His hands moved over her shoulders, down the length of her back, massaging and caressing. "You're driving me crazy."

She nipped at his shoulder, soothing the spot with her tongue. "Then do something about it."

He flipped her over on her back, tugging at the snap on his jeans. He slipped them off, along with his underwear, and lay beside her. Tenderly he let his hands roam over her skin, caressing every inch of her with his fingers and then his lips.

Her skin tingled with renewed desire, and she felt a hot, aching urge from deep within. Reaching between them, she took him in her hands, stroking his hardness as she once more rained kisses along his chest, his shoulders, his neck.

"I'm tired of playing nice," she whispered into his ear.

"Woman." His groan was one of agony and pleasure. He gripped the waistband of her slacks and jerked them down, tossing them across the room. Hooking a finger in her panties, he removed them, then slid on top of her. "You're asking for it."

She gasped with delight as he entered her, moving against her slowly at first, increasing his strokes as she lifted her hips to meet him.

"I'm sorry," he panted. "I can't… I need to… Oh, God." She felt a warm rush and then a throbbing inside her as he climaxed. He collapsed on top of her, using his elbows to hold some of his weight. "I'm sorry! I didn't mean to…"

"Shhh," she whispered, once again rocking her hips, grinding against him until she felt tremors pounding through her, moving up her thighs and her lower belly, exploding into spasms of pleasure.

"Mmmmm," she murmured against his shoulder as she held him to her. "You
so
did not forget how to do it."

He laughed and rolled off her, lying beside her and running a hand down her side and over the curve of her hip. "That was pretty good."

Playfully, she slapped him on the shoulder. "
Pretty
good?"

"Pretty
good
is a euphemism for
amazing
. Out of this world, incredible, phenomenal…"

She smiled. "Nice save, Lassiter."

He pulled the blankets over them both, scooting closer to her, one arm wrapped tightly around her body. His fingers caressed the skin between her breasts, then skimmed down over her belly. He stopped when he touched the burn mark from the Tin Man's knife. "I wanted to kill him for hurting you. He took that away from me."

"He can't hurt anyone ever again. That's all that matters."

Nick placed a kiss on the top of her head and sighed. "I love you," he whispered.

She froze. He
loved
her? She squeezed her eyes tightly shut, once more feeling the odd mixture of joy and fear. She loved him, too. But she couldn't say it. She couldn't tell him, because that would bind her to pursuing that love. And she couldn't. Not right now. She had to sort out her feelings first. Had to deal with the fact that she'd done the one thing she'd sworn to never do—and that wasn't just helping kill the Tin Man. No, she'd fallen for a mortal.

He didn't seem to notice her lack of response. In seconds, Ravyn felt Nick's body relax, and he was snoring softly. She laid her head on his shoulder and reached up to rest a hand on his chest. His heart thumped steadily beneath her palm, and she let her eyes drift shut, content for now just to be close to him.

Suddenly, like a runaway train, images slammed into her mind and she gasped, her eyes popping open. A task force? Nick was on a task force to hunt witches. Her throat closed and she jerked her hand from his chest. Did Nick know she was a witch? Surely not! He'd made love to her. Tender, passionate love. He couldn't know.

But that didn't matter. Because he would destroy her when he found out, her and everyone she loved. What else could a mortal policeman do?

No, he
won't, she told herself. But the truth was, she was risking more than herself. Beautiful, kind Vanora, who seldom left the home she loved but welcomed others into it with warmth and kindness. Elsbeth, who was due to give birth to Adalardo's child after years of trying. Their fertility ritual had been performed monthly for the past five years, and finally, the couple had shared their joyous news. And there were the others, the peace-loving, generous people she'd grown up with. All would be destroyed when Nick exposed them as witches. They would be misunderstood. Punished.

She felt sorrow gather at the back of her throat, and this time she let her tears fall. Easing away from Nick, she took several deep breaths, willing her strangling sensation to ease. She had to think. Had to do something. But what?

A rush of cold air swept through the room, and Ravyn shivered as Kayne's laughter rang in her ears. Looking wildly around, she could see no one. Just the same, she knew that he was there.

Nick woke abruptly, unsure for a moment where he was or what had roused him. Suddenly he remembered and reached out… but Ravyn was gone.

And then he heard something else, and he knew exactly what had woken him. An unearthly voice boomed through the room, and Nick's flesh froze even as his heart clenched. He was ashamed to acknowledge the feeling, but it was fear. Overwhelming, terrible fear.

Come with me, Ravyn. It's your destiny.

"You're not my destiny. You're my affliction."

A crash of thunder shook the room, and lightning snaked across the ceiling and walls. Nick bolted upright, wide-eyed, and saw Ravyn standing at the foot of the bed, one leg propped on the railing. She wore black, tight-fitting slacks and a billowy white blouse. One leg of her pants was pushed up, and she slipped an evil-looking dagger into her boot before she dropped her pant leg over it.

"Ravyn?" he said.

She whirled toward him, a look of such anguish on her face that he wanted to go to her. But he was paralyzed. Fear and shock kept him immobile. What was going on?

She shook her head, tears in her voice. "I'm sorry, Nick."

"Sorry? What the hell is happening?"

"I can't explain. I have to go. Please don't hate me."

He threw the covers back and stood, facing her, his nudity making him feel both vulnerable and foolish. "You're not going anywhere until you tell me what's going on. What happened back at the Tin Man's house, and what is happening here?"

Then it occurred to him, and a wash of chills raced up his vertebrae to the skin of his neck, prickling his scalp with terror. The pieces began clicking into place like some horrific Rubik's Cube: her relationship to Kayne, the strange rituals, the healing of his gunshot wound, the lightning he'd thought he saw. Jesus, the confrontation with the child molester! It all made sense now, in an insane, twisted sort of way.

"You're a witch, aren't you?" The words sounded ridiculous coming from his lips, but he knew they were true. He started toward her.

She backed away, her voice thick and hoarse. "Stay away, Nick."

"I have to take you in. At least to have them talk to you." He didn't want to believe, didn't want to do this. But whatever was going on could only mean danger for everyone. They were investigating Kayne, and who knew where that would lead and how Ravyn was connected? He had to take her to the station. For her own good.

She shook her head from side to side, still backing away. "Don't make me hurt you, Nick."

A part of his mind wondered why the voice—Kayne, he now knew it to be—had gone silent. Had they been plotting all this time? Had the love and desire he'd felt for Ravyn been a spell or some sort of demonic pact? Were such things possible? Could anything be worse than serial killers like the Tin Man?

He gave a harsh laugh. "Hurt me? Good God, like you haven't already? What kind of sick game have you been playing? All this time I wanted to protect you, and you could have just waved your magic wand or whatever the hell you do and made it all go away."

"It doesn't work like that," she said. "I couldn't…"

"Couldn't what? Couldn't have stopped the psycho before he murdered your sister? Why didn't you stop him before that?"

A sob tore from Ravyn's chest, but no tears fell. Her body visibly quaked as she faced him, not speaking.

"What are you two planning?" Nick ground his molars, barely keeping his emotions in check. "You and Kayne. Is this about what I saw in that video?"

"What video?"

"The one of your lover and some kind of freaking ceremony… a ceremony with my wedding photo."

"He… Oh, no!" She squeezed her eyes shut. "How did you see?"

"It's a long story—and it doesn't seem so important right now. Not nearly important as
what
I saw."

Her voice was cold, determined. "It's my fault. I have to end this."

He reached for his pants and pulled the gun from its holster, pointing it at the woman he loved. He couldn't imagine her doing anything to harm him, but how stupid had he been in the past? And why wasn't she helping him make it easier on her, if she was innocent?

"Stop right there. I have to take you in," he said. But the words were hollow, weak, so faint he could almost convince himself he hadn't said them.

Ravyn shook her head, her breath a hiccup in her chest as she lifted her hands. Shock kept him frozen as a flash of blue sparks flew from her fingertips.