Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(11)

As Hawke picked up one of the suitcases, Faith reached for another. Hawke shook his head. "I'll get it."

"I can take one of his. I have two empty hands."

Hawke eyed the small duffel on her shoulder, then snorted. "That's all that's yours?"

Faith shrugged, that pixie grin lifting her intriguing mouth. "I travel light."

He reached for the duffel. "Let me have it."

All he earned himself was a good-natured scowl. "I'm not going to walk in empty-handed while you carry all this. I'm not helpless."

Maybe not helpless, but she was as slender and pretty as a lily, and he wasn't having her schlepping luggage. "Once you move in, you can carry your own weight. Today, you're a guest." He motioned her to hand it over, pretty certain her soon-to-be mate wouldn't appreciate her carrying her own duffel even if it was microscopic. Which might serve him right. But Hawke wanted to carry her bag. For some reason, it was important to him. "You'll bruise my masculine ego."

She laughed, the sound making the air sparkle between them. "It's a duffel."

He felt those sparkles inside him. Goddess, when was the last time he'd felt so . . . free? "Give me the bag, Smiley."

"Smiley?" Though her smile remained, something about it changed.

His own dimmed. "I shouldn't have called you that."

"No, it's okay. I just . . . haven't heard that name since I was a child. One of my human friend's dads used to call me that."

He'd hit a memory, if not a nerve. He was sorry for that. "Give me the duffel, and I won't do it again."

As he'd hoped, her grin returned full force, even as she rolled her eyes. "You're relentless."

"You're stubborn."

"Always." With a sigh of mock resignation, she pulled the duffel off her shoulder and handed it to him. "I'll give you the duffel, but . . ."

Slinging the small bag over his own shoulder, he waited, watching her intently, not sure he was going to be able to pull his gaze away when he had to. "But what?"

Her teeth tugged at her lower lip in a move that was at once shy and charming. "But you don't have to stop calling me Smiley. I like it."

Warm pleasure burst inside him. "Good," he said quietly, as their gazes locked in a way they hadn't . . . quite . . . before now. He felt himself sinking, felt the ground turning soft and unsteady beneath his feet as he stared into those twinkling brown depths. His pulse accelerated with the strange feeling that he was losing his balance even as he knew his boots were planted firmly on the pavement.

She was the first to look away, confusion clouding her eyes.

What was he doing? She was about to become the new fox shifter's mate. And even if he thought that was insane, he had nothing better to offer her. With a shake of his head, he grabbed three suitcases and started forward, Faith falling into step beside him as they started up the brick walk.

"Did you have a good flight?" he asked, trying to find his footing again.

"It was wonderful." The smile she tossed him was nothing short of brilliant.

The ground beneath his feet tilted precariously. "As good as that?"

"I've never flown before."

He looked at her with surprise. "Never?"

"No. I loved it, rising through the clouds, seeing them floating below." She looked at him with wonder. "I can't imagine what it must be like for you to fly as a bird, the wind in your face, soaring under your own power."

His gut tightened. "It's incredible." And he'd lost the ability. Not since he'd left that spirit trap had he been able to fly and retain his awareness of it. And he missed it bitterly. But that wasn't something he needed to share with her, not now. Not when she was smiling. "I wish I could take you up there with me. If I could upsize like some of the animals can, I'd grow to horse size and carry you on my back." A fanciful thought for a man facing disaster, but she made him feel . . . light as air.

An impish gleam leaped into her eyes. "Or shrink me to bird size. Blue-haired Barbie."

He threw back his head and laughed so loud, he startled the birds out of the nearby trees. Tighe stepped through the front door, meeting his gaze with a curious smile and a speculative glance at Faith.

As they started up the steps, Tighe grabbed one of Hawke's suitcases, glancing at Faith. "I'm Tighe."

"The tiger shifter?"

Tighe sketched a quick bow, flashing his dimples. "One and the same."

"I'm Faith. Maxim's soon-to-be mate."

Tighe lifted his chin, as if to nod, but the downward tilt came slowly, his gaze cutting to Hawke, his smile disappearing. "After you, Faith." Tighe motioned Hawke to follow her, but as he drew beside him, Tighe threw him a look of sympathy and frustration. A look that said, You can't catch a break, can you, buddy?

Hawke shrugged. It didn't matter. Even if Faith were as free as the wind, he wasn't. His connection with his animal spirit was a screwed-up mess, and he was a danger to anyone in his vicinity.

He followed Faith into the foyer, where Maxim stood with Lyon and Paenther. In his white silk turtleneck and black suit jacket, his hair slicked back with some kind of styling cream, Maxim stood with his chest puffed out and chin lifted as if he thought himself too good for the lot of them. The new Feral met Hawke's eye, his mouth tight, his gaze hard as he held out his hand to Faith. She went to him without a backward glance or a moment's hesitation.