Ecstasy Untamed (8 page)

Lyon gripped his shoulder, his gaze at once hard and sympathetic. “For your sake . . . for all our sakes . . . you need to give Maxim a wide berth for a while. And Faith. Especially Faith.”

The hawk cried out in anger. Hawke bit down hard on the need to knock Lyon’s hand away and tell him to go to hell. Because Lyon was right, dammit. He was right. Maxim wasn’t going anywhere, and neither was Faith. They were about to become a constant and permanent part of his life. And one another’s.

Faith was never going to be his.

And he had no choice but to live with it.

A
s Faith and Kara reached the foyer, they met Delaney and Olivia coming down the stairs.

“What’s happening?” Olivia asked. The petite redhead frowned. “Did Hawke lose it again?”

“Surprisingly, no. This one was all Maxim.” Kara winced, meeting Faith’s gaze. “Sorry.”

Faith smiled at her. “Don’t be.” She wasn’t about to blame Kara for speaking the truth. “Maxim’s been a first-class jerk since the moment we arrived at Feral House. I don’t think he likes not being the one in charge.”

Delaney grunted. “You can say that again.”

Kara took Faith’s hand. “Come on. We’ll continue this discussion upstairs. Any objection to our using your room, Faith? The Radiant’s room has become our unofficial hangout.”

“No, not at all.”

Kara looked at Delaney. “Where’s Skye?”

“With the menagerie. I’ll get her.”

“Is Ariana around?”

Olivia grunted. “Does anyone ever know? Ariana,” she called, as if the woman might be hiding nearby. “If you’re here, we’d love for you to join us.”

Faith frowned.

Olivia shot her a rueful smile. “Have you ever heard of the Ilinas?”

“No.”

“We’ll explain later. You have enough to deal with right now.”

Faith wasn’t about to argue.

Five minutes later, Faith was seated on the huge bed in the room Kara had loaned her. How different this bed was than the sagging, decrepit one in the little apartment in which she’d sat with Paulina and Maria just a few short days ago. She wondered how the girls were doing. Hopefully, Stanislov had kept his word and kept Maria away from the man who’d beaten her. If only she had some way to check on them.

Kara hopped onto the bed and motioned the others to follow. Skye slipped into the room, a small kitten curled in one arm.

“Where’s the rest of the brood?” Delaney asked with a smile.

“Sleeping.” Skye looked at Faith. “I like animals.”

“An understatement,” Delaney muttered.

“For wedding gifts, several of the Ferals gave me pets—a puppy, a kitten, a cockatiel.” Skye’s sweet smile told Faith precisely what their thoughtfulness had meant to her.

“Hawke gave you the cockatiel.” Faith didn’t even have to ask. She knew.

“Yes.”

“What’s the matter with Hawke?” Faith asked cautiously. “The way everyone’s acting, I’m guessing he doesn’t simply suffer from a hair-trigger temper.”

“He doesn’t,” Kara assured her. “He’s the kindest, most even-tempered one of the bunch. Or he was.” Skye joined them on the bed, and they all settled into a cross-legged circle. “How much do you know about the Feral Warriors?”

“A lot less than I thought I did. Stories of brave heroes who fight in their animals.”

“They are that,” Kara assured her. “But they’re more than that, too. They’re men.”

Olivia chuckled. “Goddess help us all.”

Faith grinned. “I’d never seen a Feral Warrior until I met Maxim. I haven’t lived around Therians since I was fifteen, since World War I scattered my enclave to the winds.”

“World War I,” Delaney murmured, giving her head a little shake. “Sorry, I’m human. Or I was. I’m still not used to this immortality stuff. Were you in Poland, then?”

Faith shook her head. “Belgium.”

Delaney cocked her head at Faith. “Have you always lived in Europe?”

“Always.”

“Amazing. Your English is flawless, with only the slightest trace of an accent. You even use American slang.”

“I have a gift for languages.” Faith shrugged. “It’s as if I was born knowing them all.”

“Wow. I’d love that as one of my superpowers.”

“It’s made moving around easy. Perhaps too easy.” She looked at Kara, silently encouraging her to continue.

“Anyway, a couple of weeks ago, Hawke was caught in a spirit trap.” Kara sighed, pressing her hands against her jeans-clad knees. “Let me start at the beginning. If you haven’t been around Therians since you were fifteen, I don’t know how much history you know.”

Faith shook her head. Neither did she.

“Do you know why there are only nine shape-shifters?”

“Yes. Five thousand years ago, the Therians gave up their power to shift in order to defeat the Daemons, locking them in an enchanted blade. Only one of each animal retained the power of his animal.”

“Right. Only there were a lot more than nine, originally. As recently as six hundred years ago, there were twenty-six Feral Warriors until seventeen were trapped in a spirit trap, which we now know to be of Daemon origin. The men were killed, and their animals never marked another.”

Delaney took over the tale. “A few decades ago, a powerful Mage by the name of Inir was infected by dark spirit, wisps of Daemon consciousness left when the Daemons were ripped from this world. We think he was infected with the consciousness of the High Daemon, Satanan, himself—the most evil creature who has ever walked the Earth. Inir quickly rose to become leader of the Mage, and his sole purpose, now, is to free the Daemons from the blade. His problem is, only the Feral Warriors can do that, and the decision to free them has to be unanimous.”

Faith frowned. “But that would never happen.”

Kara’s mouth grew hard. “No, it wouldn’t, which has forced the Mage to get creative. They’ve tried stripping the souls of the warriors, they’ve tried creating clones. A few weeks ago, they created a wormhole into the spirit trap, hoping to end the existence of as many of the warriors as possible. Two fell in—Tighe and Hawke.”

Faith’s stomach fisted. “But they got out.”

“Yes. Thanks to Kougar’s mate, Ariana. But it was close. And they suffered.”

“Hawke suffered worse than Tighe.” Olivia’s hand reached for Delaney’s shoulder. “Delaney’s bond with Tighe’s animal is strong. Through her love for them both, she kept them tethered to her and to one another. Tighe is fine. Hawke wasn’t so lucky.”

Faith’s fingers twined together in her lap. “What’s the matter with him?”

Olivia’s mouth tightened. “The spirit trap is designed to separate man from animal. In Hawke’s case, it nearly succeeded. Though still joined, man and animal are acting as two separate entities. Whenever Hawke shifts, the bird takes over completely, body and mind. He’s also suffering bouts of uncontrollable rage. When he loses control, he shifts.”

“He didn’t tonight,” Kara told them excitedly. “He fought Maxim just now. A full feral fight, and he didn’t shift.”

All their eyes widened.

“Excellent,” Delaney breathed. Her gaze cut to Faith. “What happened?”

Faith grimaced. “Maxim had been fighting with some of the others in the television room. When he came out, he saw Hawke. With me.”

Olivia frowned. “I thought you were with Maxim.”

“I am. Hawke and I were just talking. When the other fight started, Hawke got me out of the way.”

“Sounds like a Hawke thing to do.” Delaney eyed her shrewdly. “But it’s not that simple, is it? Hawke likes you. More than he should.”

Four sets of curious gazes swiveled toward Faith.

“He’s been . . . very nice to me.”

Delaney grunted. “Hawke’s nice to everyone. But I’ve never seen his eyes follow anyone like they follow you.”

“Delaney,” Kara admonished quietly.

“Sorry. I just call them like I see them.”

“How long have you and Maxim been promised to one another?” Olivia asked.

Faith grimaced. This was the question she’d been dreading. “I just met him. Yesterday.”

“
What?
”

“
Yesterday?
”

Faith groaned, burying her face in her hands. “It’s all so weird!”

She felt a hand on her right knee, another on her left shoulder. “Tell us,” Kara said softly.

Faith looked up, her gaze moving from one face to the next. If she’d seen only more curiosity, she might have held back, but in their faces she saw sympathy, too. And concern.

“The moment I met Maxim, I felt this powerful certainty that we belonged together. We both felt it.”

Olivia sighed. “I know that feeling. I knew Jag and I were destined to mean something to one another the first time we met. Of course, I thought that something was
enemies.
”

Skye nodded. “I fell for Paenther the first time I saw him.” A pink hue rose in her cheeks. “Or maybe I just wanted him.”

Delaney snorted. “God, Tighe was hot. He scared the crap out of me, but I couldn’t stop wanting him. Still can’t.”

“You’re talking about lust,” Faith objected. “I’m talking about . . . a knowing. I can’t even explain it. But not lust. I don’t think of Maxim like that.”

“You’re kidding.”

“Seriously?”

“Now that’s just wrong.”

Their voices pelted her with disbelief, all talking at once.

“Do you love him?” Kara asked softly. “Was it love at first sight?”

No, she realized. She didn’t love him. It wasn’t love at first sight, not at all. Just that strange conviction that they belonged together. But she couldn’t tell the women that. Not when she and Maxim might still someday be mated. It wouldn’t be fair to either of them. So she hedged. “I don’t know, Kara. I don’t know what I feel right now.”

“What about Hawke?” Skye asked quietly.

And that was the real problem, wasn’t it? “I like Hawke,” she hedged, wanting to say more; but admitting the way Hawke made her feel was so unfair to Maxim. Still, she felt comfortable with these women as she hadn’t with anyone in a long time. When was the last time she’d had real friends besides the girls she tried to help? “There’s something about him.”

“He has the kindest eyes, doesn’t he?” Kara asked.

Delaney nodded. “And a great smile. It doesn’t break often, but when it does, it makes your whole day.”

“He’s incredibly protective,” Olivia added. “Of all of us.”

Skye smiled. “If I weren’t in love with Paenther, I think I’d be in love with Hawke.”

“Me, too,” Delaney and Olivia chimed in unison.

Kara smiled sympathetically. “It’ll all work out.”

Faith sighed. “It’s going to work out better without me here for a while. I think I’m going home.”

Kara made a sound of dismay. “You just got here.”

“I know. But it was monumentally foolish to follow a man I’d just met halfway around the world, pull or no pull.”

Kara took her hand. “But if he’s really meant to be your mate . . .”

“Then he’ll wait for me. When I first met him, I felt this kick of recognition. But maybe that’s all it was. Maybe I recognized him from somewhere and mistook it for something more. And what I feel for Hawke is just . . . well . . . he’s a very attractive man. You all know how rare it is to find a true mate.”

Olivia sighed. “I’m afraid you’re probably right, Faith, as much as I hate to admit it. Half the women on the planet would lust for our Feral Warriors if they got anywhere near them. The other half are too young, too old, or into other women.”

“Will Maxim let you go?” Delaney asked.

“No, not happily.”

“We don’t want you to go.” A hard light entered Delaney’s eyes. “But he won’t keep you here against your will. We won’t let him.”

Faith felt tears prick her eyes as she looked at the fierce, protective faces that surrounded her. She’d been watching over others for so long, yet she could barely remember the last time anyone had watched over her.

“Thank you.”

Olivia gripped her knee. “Faith, don’t be too quick to move on this. Give both of them a little more time, please? They all say that newly marked Ferals can be a pain in the ass. Once Maxim shifts, he might surprise you. And you said yourself, you’ve only known him a day. Have you even been . . . this is none of my business . . . intimate?”

Faith’s cheeks heated. “No. Not even a kiss.”

“There you have it.” She patted Faith’s knee and straightened. “You don’t know what’s between you, yet. He’s probably too screwed up with the raging testosterone new Ferals are known for to be thinking straight. Give him a little time.” She shrugged, a small, knowing smile lifting her mouth. “Speaking as the mate of a former asshole, sometimes they’re worth all the trouble.”

“There’s another consideration,” Delaney said. “Hawke’s seen something in you that he responds to. Maybe it’s just sexual attraction, maybe it’s more than that. But you made him smile and laugh for the first time since he got out of that trap. Tighe commented on it. Taking that away from him right now might do him more harm than good.”

Faith shook her head, her heart contracting. “I can’t be what Hawke wants me to be.”

“You don’t have to be anything to him,” Delaney assured her. “But having you around has been good for him. It’s gotten his juices flowing again.”

Olivia snorted. “His
juices
?”

Skye and Kara giggled. Faith laughed.

Delaney hooted. “God, you have a gutter mind, Olivia. I didn’t mean literally.” Still grinning, Delaney turned back to Faith. “All I was
trying
to say is, don’t take all this too seriously, or too personally. If there is one thing shape-shifters love to do, it’s draw claws and fight. They’ll take any excuse, and a woman is the most obvious of all. Males have been fighting over females since the dawn of time.”

“It’ll work out, Faith,” Kara said earnestly. “You’ll see.”

“And if for some reason it doesn’t,” Delaney added, “you’ve got us. We’ll help you in any way we can.”

Faith’s eyes burned, her chest swelling with a sharp longing to stay, to be a part of this rare friendship. “Thank you,” she said softly.

“How about some wine?” Kara asked, hopping off the bed. “I’ve got a new red I’m dying to try. Sorry, Delaney.”

“No problem. I brought fudge. Enough to share.” Delaney grinned at Faith. “I’m pregnant. No one thinks a little wine can hurt a Therian baby, but I’m not taking any chances. I’d rather have the fudge anyway.”