Desire Untamed (Feral Warriors #1)(32)

"When was that?"

"Soon after the humans' Civil War."

Kara stared at him. She knew they were immortal. But understanding was coming more slowly. The man didn't look a day over thirty. "How old are you?"

"One hundred fifty something." He thought about it for a moment. "Fifty-seven."

And he was next to the youngest. "What about the others?"

With his finger he tapped her hand. "Lay your palms on the rock."

"Why? So the rock can learn me, too?"

He grinned. "Something like that."

"How old is Lyon?"

"Close to seven hundred, I think."

"Seven hundred?"

Hawke nodded, his expression wry. "He's not the oldest."

"Who is?"

"Kougar, though no one knows how old he is."

"He won't tell you?"

"Kougar isn't exactly the sharing kind." Hawke leaned forward and covered her hands with his, pressing her palms more firmly to the rock. His touch was warm, but impersonal.

"You aren't as touchy-feely as the others." She grimaced, realizing she'd spoken the thought out loud.

But Hawke didn't seem to take offense. "As my name implies, I'm a hawk when I shift. We're naturally less physical than the cats and dogs. In ancient times, the various lines of shape-shifters lived separately. The felines and canines lived in prides and packs. The packs may be gone, but the Ferals are still physical beings for the most part. The snake and I less so. And Lyon, almost not at all."

"But Lyon should be, shouldn't he? He's a cat."

"He should be. Why he's not, no one really knows. Personally, I think it's the way he was raised. No one knows the full circumstances, but it's said he grew up on the streets without family. He may have been Therian, but he was still a child. And kids need family."

"Has he ever been married?"

"Mated? No. Few Ferals mate except for the one chosen for the Radiant. Few Therians mate, for that matter."

"Why is that?"

"Malting is for life. And when you live as long as we can, that's a promise few are willing to make. I, like most, will mate only if I find a woman I can't live without. And that's never happened. I have relationships. I enjoy them until I tire of them, then I move on. It's the way of the species. Bonding for life is rare."

"But you're not lonely?"

Hawke shrugged. "It's hard to get lonely when you live with ten others." He tapped her fingers. "Do you feel anything beneath your hands?"

"The rock's getting warm, but I suppose that's to be expected."

"Actually, this rock doesn't heat like that. It's warming to you, which means it's time to get started." He lifted his hands from hers and placed them palm down on the rock at his sides. "Do what I'm doing. Then close your eyes."

"O-kay." She was having a hard time believing this was accomplishing anything. Then again, she had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.

Kara mimicked Hawke's move and was startled when the rock at her sides felt just as warm to her palms as the rock she'd been touching while they talked.

"Keep your eyes closed, Kara, and think about pulling the warmth from the rock into your body."

"How did you know it was warm?"

She heard the low sound of his amusement. "I told you it was warming to you. Now, I'm going to put my hands over yours and call to the goddess."

Her eyes snapped open. "The goddess?" How many more creatures didn't she know about?

Hawke's hands slid lightly over hers. "Easy, Radiant. By the goddess, I only mean Mother Earth. Nature. She's not a living, breathing being, but the world in its purest state. The wind, the sea, the sky. The lifeblood of every living creature. And the power and energy that flows through all. An energy only a few can tap into, and only one directly."

"The Radiant?"

"Yes."

She took a deep breath. Calling to Mother Nature was kind of like calling to God, wasn't it? Oh, man, this is all too weird.

"Close your eyes, Kara."

She nodded and let her lids drift shut.

Hawke's hands covered hers more firmly, and he began to say something under his breath, something she could barely hear, let alone understand. With a start, she realized something was happening. Her palms were beginning to tingle.

Strange sensations rippled under the skin of her hands, climbing into her wrists, crawling like worms beneath the skin of her arms. The worms turned to geysers and shot up her arms, into her chest.

With a startled shriek, Kara jerked her hands back and stared at her normal-looking hands.

Her gaze flew to Hawkers. "What just happened?"

"Did it hurt you?" Hawke asked worriedly.

"No. It just felt… bizarre. Like if I didn't quit, it was going to short out my heart." She rubbed her upper arms, trying to dispel the lingering crawling sensation.

"You're strong," Hawke said, a note of admiration in his voice. "Especially considering you came to us only yesterday without an ounce of Therian energy. I hadn't expected the Earth to respond to you for at least another day, yet it leaped, didn't it?"