Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(25)

"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."