Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(56)

"No way in hell," Tighe concurred.

It was clear they all loved her, and Faith could certainly understand why. Kara was the heart of Feral House.

Lyon lifted his hand. "We'll leave for Feral House at dawn." Which gave them about an hour. "Meeting dismissed."

As everyone stood, Faith rose, and Hawke pulled her into his arms, resting his chin on top of her head. In Hawke's arms, she felt safe.

Yet, never had her life been more in danger.

Chapter Twelve

They piled into two vehicles. Hawke drove his big black SUV with Lyon in front beside him. Faith and Kara climbed into the far back at Kara's suggestion. Skye, Olivia, and Delaney had remained at the enclave - Skye and Olivia at their mates' bedsides and Delaney because of the babe she carried.

As the vehicle started, Kara turned to her, her eyes sympathetic. "I'm sorry, Faith. I'm sorry Maxim wasn't the man you thought he was."

Faith nodded, brushing her palms over her worn jeans, uncertain how to respond. She hadn't even known Maxim, really, except for his dictatorial, jealous ways. And the cruelty in his eyes that last time as he'd told her all the horrible things he'd done. She kept getting flashes of nightmarish pain and wondered if it would all come back to her eventually, if she'd be forced to relive it all again in her mind.

"I'm glad you're staying." Kara glanced in Hawke's direction, a small smile lifting her mouth before she turned back. "Maybe you'll decide to stay permanently. I'd like that."

Faith's chest squeezed. There was nothing she wanted more that to be with Hawke permanently. If only her situation were so simple. If only she could choose to stay because she was starting to fall for one of the Ferals - a good one this time. Because he wanted her to stay. Not because she would die without radiance if she left. But everything was so complicated. And her choices were no longer her own.

She tried to return Kara's smile, but her effort fell short. "I'd like that, too."

When they arrived at Feral House, the men fanned out. Like the previous night, they were prepared for a battle, although Lyon had been in touch with Pink, and she'd assured him she'd seen no sign of the new Ferals. Wulfe pulled off his clothes, shifted into his wolf, and began sniffing, probably searching for their scent. After a complete circle of the house, he knelt behind one of the cars and shifted back, then rose and dressed again.

"None of them have been here in the past six hours."

Lyon nodded. "Good. Wulfe and Vhyper, replace the broken windows. The rest of you, come with me."

Hawke came over to where she stood with Kara, his gaze soft and concerned, as it always was. As if he walked on eggshells around her. As Lyon took Kara's hand, Hawke wrapped his arm around Faith's shoulders, and, together, they followed.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly.

"I'm fine, and you can quit asking me that." She smiled, taking the sting out of her words. "I'm stronger than I look."

But though a hint of approval flashed in his gaze, the worry didn't leave his eyes. "When I saw you a couple of days ago, after not seeing you for days, I knew something was wrong. Very wrong. That's why I came to you that night. But you denied it. And I know now I was right."

"I didn't know what he was doing to me. I didn't remember."

Hawke nodded. "Understood. But my gut still tells me something's wrong, something that you're not telling me. Something that scares you."

Faith looked away, trying to hide the telltale flush she felt rise to her cheeks. How could he possibly see her so clearly?

"I'm not keeping anything from you, Hawke," she fabricated. "Not intentionally. I think the fear may be coming from my subconscious. Things he did to me that I haven't yet remembered." It was time to change the subject before he pressed, and she wound up telling him things she wasn't ready to share. "Who is he?" she whispered, nodding toward the Shaman, who walked a distance ahead of them. He looked like a young teenager.

She felt Hawke's gaze on her but kept her own straight ahead, not wanting to see the knowing look in his eyes. Not wanting him to read the secrets in her own.

"The Shaman is very old, somewhere between six and ten thousand years. I doubt even he knows."

Faith's eyes widened, her jaw dropping.

"He was attacked by Mage magic when he was a teen and never physically aged again, but he acquired a rare ability to sense that magic in others. His gift isn't foolproof, but he's good. And he's very, very kind. He's been good enough to stay in the area since this latest Mage war began. We have need of him more often than we care for, believe me."

If the Shaman could detect magic in others, could he detect the dark magic in her? She shivered, but if Hawke noticed, he didn't comment.

As they entered the house, Wulfe called out, "Pink! Xavier! We're back." To Vhyper he said, "I'll check on them, then meet you in the storeroom." Vhyper opened the door to the basement, started down, and they all followed.

"Why didn't we take Pink and Xavier with us to the enclave?" Faith asked quietly.

"They were safe here, and we can't risk anyone's seeing either of them. The human police are still searching for Xavier. And Pink . . ." He shrugged, as if that said it all. And it did. With her human-shaped face covered in pink feathers and her flamingo legs, there would be no passing Pink off as anything other than nonhuman.