Chapter Thirteen
A Deception Uncovered
“No!”
Nora shot to her feet, her head throbbing slightly from the blow that Ergog had dealt her, and stumbled toward the hunter. He was at least twenty feet away, standing over Henry, his curved blades raised above the dragon shifter’s head.
Her blood almost turned to ice. “Wait! Please!”
She rushed forward, trying to stop him with whatever spell she could come up with, but tripped over her own foot and went sprawling to the ground.
The throbbing grew louder, settling in the base of her skull.
With a grunt, she picked herself up, determined to stop Ergog from delivering the death blow.
But he’d already stepped back from the dragon shifter. He’d turned to face her. Both he and Henry had looks of mild confusion on their faces.
“You cannot stop me,” the hunter said, raising his blades menacingly. “Neither of you can. I’ve faced far worse than you. Attempting to kill me will only end in your deaths.”
“So take me,” she panted, drawing closer.
She saw Henry’s eyes widen at her words but ignored the flicker of emotion that immediately arose in her belly.
Cuts marked his body from his shoulder to his thigh.
The sight sent a shudder through her. “Leave Henry out of this. He’s done nothing wrong. Take me instead.”
“Nora, what are you—?”
The hunter gestured with his blade at Henry. “I warned him not to get in my way. He had his chance to leave and save his skin, but he attacked me instead. He’s lucky to have lived this long.”
She shook her head. “He was only trying to protect me.”
“Nora.” Henry’s expression was one of disbelief. “What the hell is—?”
She cut him off with a wave of her hand. The last thing she needed right now was him trying to talk her out of her resolve. As good as it had felt to know that she wasn’t alone in this, she couldn’t bear the thought of Henry losing his life because of her.
“I know you’re all about justice,” she said to the hunter, “but Henry hadn’t done anything wrong. He was just trying to keep me safe. He’s a good man. It’s me you really want to kill.”
The hunter cocked his head to one side. He was silent, and for a moment she thought he might ignore her plea and strike Henry down.
She thought hard, debating between casting a protective spell on the dragon shifter and striking at Ergog.
Before she could come to a decision, however, the hunter took another step away from Henry.
“Fine. I will spare him,” he said. He leveled one of his blades at her. “But you...you must die, witch. You will pay for what you did.”
“No!” Henry started to climb to his feet. “Nora, you can’t—”
“Yes, I can,” she told him. She felt a tear slide down her cheek. “Someone already died because of me, Henry. I can’t let the same thing happen to you. Thank you. For everything. We’ve barely known each other for a day, and you’re the best thing that’s happened to me in a very long time.”
She tried for a smile as she spoke. Henry’s eyes were wide with horror and disbelief. He glanced between her and the hunter, as though considering attacking Ergog again.
The hunter stepped toward her. “What I’m about to do...I take no pleasure from it. I am simply following the orders of the eleven witches who summoned me.”
He drew nearer, and she sucked in a breath, bracing herself for her demise.
This was it. This was what she’d been running from for so long.
Isobel had been right. Running had made no difference.
All it had done was delay the inevitable.
She should’ve known she was at the end of her life when she saw the eleven witches chanting.
Wait a minute.
“Did you...did you say eleven witches?” she asked to Ergog.
The hunter slowed in his tracks. “I did. Eleven witches summoned me to kill you.”
That didn’t sound quite right. She shook her head. Hadn’t there been only ten other witches chanting just before Ergog arrived? The eleventh had been lying dead a few feet away from her.
“That doesn’t make sense,” she said. “The Circle of Moonshade had twelve members. One coven member was killed, and I was blamed for it. That should leave ten members, right?”
Ergog said nothing. She couldn’t read his expression, but she could tell he was thinking about it, too. Something wasn’t right. How could there have been eleven witches summoning him?
“Unless...” She blinked, a thought suddenly occurring to her. “There was never a dead witch.”
The hunter’s head tilted slightly. “What are you saying?”
“I’m saying that Isobel set me up.” Annoyance had already begun bubbling inside her as the realization of her situation dawned on her.
It was all starting to make perfect sense now, why she couldn’t remember having killed anyone, why she’d shifted all of a sudden in the middle of the spell. “I think I’ve been framed.”
“By Isobel.” Ergog’s tone was one of disbelief, but he lowered his weapons, his shoulders sagging a little.
“You said you were summoned by eleven witches. I certainly didn’t summon you.
It can only mean that the dead witch wasn’t really dead.
It was all a set-up. The whole thing was a set-up.
The ritual was never to augment the coven’s powers.
It was to force me to shift and knock me out so when I regained consciousness I’d think I lost control and killed one of our own. ”
She was seething now, only a small part of her relieved to know that she hadn’t killed anyone.
The rest of her was filled with rage and disbelief.
How could Isobel have gone so far to do something so cruel?
Nora had been on the run for over a month, nearly losing her life more times than she could count. And all because of a trick?
The hunter neared her again. “And why would Isobel want to set you up?”
“Because I—a filthy hybrid—dared to date and dump her asshole of a son,” she spat. “She’s hated me ever since I was born, and this was her opportunity to get rid of me.”
Ergog was silent again. What was he thinking? He didn’t believe her, did he? Even when the truth of the matter had become so obvious.
“A deception,” he said finally. “If what you say is true—”
“It is. It definitely is.”
“Then I’ve been hunting an innocent person.” His lip curled slightly. “I have been misled.”
He tucked his blades into his belt, turning to Henry for a moment before pulling his hood back over his head. When he faced Nora again, his jaw had tightened.
“My apologies,” he said. “I almost killed you. I’ll return to Isobel and the other witches and find out just how much of her claim is the truth.”
“And what if you find out they’ve been lying this whole time? What if I’m right?”
His voice was low as he said, “Then it will mean they have attempted to kill an innocent witch and deceived me in the process—an injustice that should be punished. If I find your claim to be true, Isobel and the other witches will die. That is all.”
And before Nora could come up with a response, he turned and headed for the woods, promptly disappearing through the trees. She stared at the last spot she’d seen him, silent for the next few seconds, feeling her rage slowly dissipate.
It was over. It was all over. She was safe. What was more, she was innocent.
“That was a risky thing you did back there,” said a voice behind her.
She turned to find Henry standing a couple of feet away, a disapproving scowl on his face.
“You were going to let him kill you?” he said, and she caught a hint of annoyance in his tone.
“I couldn’t let him kill you,” she shot back. “You’ve risked your life for me more times than I can count now. I wasn’t about to let you die. Especially after I—”
She was cut off with a kiss. Nora stiffened against him at first, surprised. Then, with a sigh, she kissed him back, throwing her arms around his neck. His arms wrapped around her waist, and for a moment she felt her feet leave the ground.
When he pulled back, it took her a couple of seconds to regain her senses. She let her gaze drift from his face to his body and gasped in dismay.
“You’re bleeding,” she said, examining his cuts. “Here, let me...”
She placed a hand over them, one after the other, and muttered a spell. Instantly, the wounds closed up, the bleeding ceasing.
“You just used your magic,” he said. “Won’t Ergog...?”
“Oh, I doubt I’ll be seeing him ever again. Especially now that I’m certain I’m innocent. If anyone should be worried, it’s Isobel. She’s going to get what’s coming to her, and pretty soon.”
He reached for her, his hands caressing her arms. His face was weary from the fight, and he looked like he was still on high alert, but his touch was tender.
She sank against him, relishing the warm comfort of his chest. Thank goodness she’d stopped Ergog from killing him when she had. If she hadn’t...
She brushed the thought aside. No point thinking about it now. They were both safe, and that was all that mattered.
Still, she couldn’t have done all this without him. If it hadn’t been for Henry, she would be a goner by now.
As if reading her mind, he suddenly said, “It’s over. I guess our agreement’s over. You’re no longer in danger, so there’s no longer a reason for you to stick around.”
He tried to hide it, but she caught the disappointed look in his eyes. Smiling, she reached up and cupped his cheek.
“I want to stick around,” she said. “I’d like to stay here in Sylva. With you.” She swallowed, then added, “Unless you don’t want—”
“Of course I want you here.” He grinned back at her, pulling her even closer. “I know we’ve only just met, but I’ve got a really good feeling about you.”
She lifted an eyebrow. “Even though I’m a hybrid?”
“I don’t care about that.” His dark eyes bored into her. “I just want you.”
It was she who kissed him this time, rising on her tiptoes and touching her lips to his, a heavy flutter filling her insides. She stepped back, and they beamed at each other for a few seconds before his eyes suddenly widened.
“The fair,” he said. “We need to get back.”
“Right.” In all the frenzy, she’d almost completely forgotten about it. “We should probably head back before it ends. Thank goodness you already hit your goal.”
His lips twitched. “There’s still more money to be made, if you ask me. Although I’m pretty sure we’ll have some explaining to do once we get back to the park. After seeing Ergog, I’m sure the humans will have questions.”
“You could tell them he was some crazed lunatic with a bladed boomerang.”
“Boomerang?”
She gave a shrug. “Trust me, humans will believe anything as long as it fits into the concepts they’re familiar with. Let’s go. Although...” She took one long look at his naked body, her gaze lingering just below the waist. “I think you’re going to need a pair of clothes.”
Henry chuckled at that, and she felt it again, that flutter in her chest. She could certainly get used to being here, with him.