Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(10)

And piercings she had, at least on the one ear. "A poser to whom?" Genuinely curious, he set the suitcase on the pavement.

Her smile grew, one corner quivering with suppressed laughter, drawing his gaze to that lovely, kissable mouth. "To the street kids."

"What street kids?"

Her expression sobered, the pixie disappearing as if she'd never been. "The lost ones. Mostly girls."

And he realized this was no game to her. In the dark depths of her eyes, a crusader's passion gleamed. And suddenly he understood. "You enter their world. You earn their trust in order to help them."

The look she gave him was a mix of surprise and approval. "They need help, and I have a lot of experience with gaining their trust and finding them that help. Setting them on the right paths."

He nodded, unaccountably moved by the emotion he saw in her face, the deep well of compassion and fire. Many Therians worked among the humans to earn a living. But how many, he wondered, threw the whole of themselves into bettering the short lives of a few mortals? And he felt certain that's exactly what Faith did.

"Humans," he murmured.

She lifted her chin. "Human kids." A note of defensiveness crept into her voice, a small warrior standing before him now. "The most defenseless creatures of all."

"I'm not criticizing you for it, Faith. I'm impressed. Not many Therians would bother."

Dark, intelligent eyes studied him as if searching for the truth of his words. But he'd meant what he'd said, and the smile that slowly began to spread across her face told him she'd figured it out. Her smile burrowed inside him like a small ball of heat deep in his chest.

He reached for another of the suitcases as she bent forward to grab a small, worn duffel that looked incongruous beside the large, expensive luggage. Their arms brushed. Her sweet scent flowed over him, sending a thrill through his system.

She turned to him as she pulled out the duffel, slinging the strap over one shoulder. "In my experience, Therians don't often care what happens to humans."

He wanted to argue that point, but in all honesty couldn't. The Ferals and Therians of his acquaintance were careful with humans, protecting human life wherever possible. But dedicating their lives to the betterment of a few individuals? No.

She tilted her head at him, her eyes curious. "Do you have a human mom or dad?"

"My father was a Feral Warrior." He leaned in to pull out the two remaining suitcases. "He was the previous hawk shifter and my mother the Radiant."

Her jaw dropped a little before snapping shut. "You're Therian royalty."

He started, then laughed. "I've never heard it put like that."

"So why the affinity for humans? Are you really as nice a guy as you seem?"

A nice guy. He'd always been that, or tried to be. He liked people, humans and Therians alike, more than many of his brothers. He liked kids, in particular. But nice guys didn't erupt in fits of rage, endangering anyone and everyone around them. And that was something he definitely did these days. Goddess, she shouldn't be out here with him alone. For a few enjoyable minutes he'd forgotten the rage that simmered inside him.

He blinked. The rage was barely noticeable. When had that happened?

The moment Faith smiled at him.

He set the last two suitcases on the pavement. "I'm not entirely sure what I am anymore." As soon as the words were out, he wished he hadn't answered quite so truthfully. It wasn't something he wanted to talk about. "So how did you come to accompany Maxim to Feral House?"

Her eyes lost their sparkle. "I think I'm going to be his mate."

His mate? Hawke tried to mask his dismay but knew he'd failed when she shrugged.

"We're not exactly a matched pair."

Hawke tried to laugh, but the sound was forced. "Not exactly."

His mate? He'd feared they might be lovers. By the way Maxim had walked off and left her in the car, he'd hoped she was just his servant. Disapproval curled in his gut. Newly marked or not, the man was lacking basic manners if he could treat the woman he'd chosen to spend his immortal life with so carelessly. That Feral didn't deserve this jewel of a woman.

But it didn't matter, did it? They'd clearly chosen one another. Maxim had brought her with him all the way from Poland. Soon, Faith would be just another of his brothers' mates, living at Feral House permanently. Just one more happily ever after to watch from afar. Except . . . he hadn't been attracted to the others. This one he was.

"You've been with Maxim a long time?" he asked as casually as he could manage.

"Not exactly." The sheepish twist of her smile had him lifting a brow. "I met him yesterday."

Hawke frowned. He didn't try to hide his surprise and wasn't sure he could have even if he had. She'd chosen to come all the way to America with the man, to bind herself to him for eternity . . . the first time she saw him?

"Don't judge." Her words were soft, her expression serious. "The moment we met, we knew we were meant to be together. Sometimes, it happens that way."

"Does it?" He shook his head. She was talking about binding herself to a stranger for eternity. Once the mating bond was formed, there was no severing it except by death. And the death of one mate often left the other living a half life. But it wasn't his business. In the current state he was in - his animal hijacking him at every possible juncture - he didn't need to be worrying about anyone but himself.