Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(24)

"Go, Roar," Wulfe said quietly.

For long seconds, Maxim just glared at his chief.

Lyon's grip tightened, his claws erupting and sinking deep until blood ran in streams down the bastard's neck, soaking his chest and the remnants of his shirt. "Is that understood?"

"Yes," Maxim spit, his tone and body language proclaiming otherwise.

Lyon growled low in his throat, a sound of warning Maxim would do well to heed. "It better be." Lyon released him and stepped back. "To the basement for training."

Maxim brushed past him. "My mate . . ."

Lyon grabbed him and slammed him once more against the wall. "Now. Paenther, Wulfe, Vhyper, you will accompany him. We'll bring him into his animal before sunrise. I don't want him out of the basement until it's time to walk out the door."

Maxim snarled. Paenther and Vhyper grabbed his arms and propelled him toward the basement door.

Maxim's humiliation helped calm the red haze. Slowly, Hawke pulled himself back from the brink. Wulfe gave his shoulder an encouraging squeeze, then left to join the others.

Lyon came over to Hawke. "You fought and didn't shift. You're getting better."

"I was. For a while."

"I'll send Kara to you tonight for more radiance. I don't want that forgotten in all the commotion." Their chief shook his head. "I don't know what I'm going to do with Maxim. I haven't gotten through to him. Not at all."

Tighe joined them. "Do we really want to bring him into his animal?"

Lyon sighed. "I've got to believe he'll get better. Half of you started out nearly as bad."

Hawke growled low in his throat. "If he hurts Faith again, I'll solve your problem for you."

"I can't imagine what she sees in him," Tighe said.

"She barely knows him." Hawke dragged a hand through his hair. "They only met yesterday. She says there was an instant connection. She knew he was the one."

"It happens," Lyon said.

"It does." Tighe shrugged. "I saw Delaney for the first time through the eyes of that clone. I thought she was already dead, and I mourned. I hadn't even met the woman, but on some level I knew she was meant to be mine."

The bird gave a cry of frustration deep in Hawke's mind, a frustration the man shared because for the first time in his life, he knew what they were talking about. He got it. Trouble was, the woman wasn't his.

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.

As 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.