Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(74)

His gut soured at the realization it could be Faith's life voted on next.

Wulfe was the first to speak. "I think we should give him a chance. He could have killed half of us out there when the new Ferals turned on us, and he didn't. He fought it, Roar. He let us cut off all four of his legs. Let. Us. Despite his anger-management issues, there's honor in him. And strength of every kind."

"I agree," Fox said. "I spent the night in your prison listening to Lynks scream with pain as he regrew his legs. Grizz never made a sound but for a constant low growl until, through that mind speak, he asked me who'd died, who was injured. He didn't seem to care when I told him Eigle was gone. But when I told him Jag and Paenther might not make it, he howled with a fury that I thought would bring the ceiling crashing down on us."

"I don't have anything against giving a guy a chance," Tighe said quietly, "But neither of you have wives. Or a child on the way."

"Tighe's right. Those of us without mates . . ." Wulfe's gaze turned and met Hawke's. "Or women here we care about . . . shouldn't vote. I won't be responsible if something happens. It has to be on your heads, not ours."

Hawke reached for Faith's hand, twining her fingers with his. She looked up at him, her pensive expression softening, a small smile lifting her lips, lifting his heart.

"Six votes, then," Lyon murmured.

"Five," Kougar said. "Ariana's at no risk." She'd be able to mist away from any danger. "But I suggest a closed ballot. If you agree, I'll collect the votes."

Hawke nodded, as did the mated males. He felt odd voting as one of them, and yet in this he was. Absolutely. If Grizz turned on any woman in this house, in either form, he could easily kill her. Any Feral could, himself included, which was why he'd tried to keep away from them until Faith's presence had miraculously helped him keep control instead of losing it. But he had another concern. That Faith's fate not come to a similar vote. And there was no way to guess which would help her more. If he voted to give Grizz a chance and the grizzly killed one of them, the others would probably vote all the new Ferals marked by the seventeen destroyed. But if Grizz turned out to be a good Feral, Faith's chances of being given a similar chance increased.

In the end, all he could do was vote his gut. And his gut said they needed Grizz.

Kougar shifted into his cat and leaped onto the table, pacing back and forth.

Hawke? As long as one of them was in animal form, they could speak telepathically, to all or one. Give him a chance or clear the way for another?

Hawke didn't hesitate. Give him a chance.

Less than a minute later, Kougar leaped to the floor and shifted back into a man. "Grizz stays."

Lyon nodded, his expression revealing neither relief nor regret, making it impossible to guess which way he'd voted. And Kougar would never tell.

Hopefully, they'd made the right decision in sparing Grizz's life. He wouldn't get a second chance if he blew this one. But by then, one of them would be dead, or badly injured. And Faith's death warrant all but signed.

A short while later, the group gathered in the large foyer of Feral House. It had been decided that most of the mated males and their mates would remain behind to guard Feral House. One of the Ilinas would stay with them, ready to call in the mist cavalry if the new Ferals attacked again. Kougar would lead the rest of the Ferals and Faith to the Cave of the Mystics. And once the ritual was in place, and the Ferals had recovered from the intense motion sickness Ilina travel apparently triggered, the Ilinas would fetch Grizz and Lynks and bring them to the cave as well. Then, hopefully, all three new Ferals, Faith included, would be cured of the darkness once and for all.

Hawke, too, if he was lucky. And Tighe, if he needed it. Though the Shaman sensed no darkness within either man, Hawke still wondered if the hawk spirit had been infected. What the ritual would do to him in his present state was anyone's guess, but no one had come up with a better option.

Hawke glanced at Faith, standing beside him. "Are you ready for this?"

She gave him a bright little smile that sparkled inside him, a smile with a teasing sharpness. "Are you asking about the Ilina travel or the exorcism?"

He grinned. "Just another fun evening in Feral House."

The Ilina team arrived on a pine-scented breeze, eight petite women appearing first as mist before quickly turning corporeal. All but Ariana, their queen, were dressed in tunics and tights, knives hanging from the belts at their waists - the uniforms of the Ilina mist warriors. Ariana wore jeans, boots, and an olive green tank top that made her look more like an attractive bounty hunter than an immortal queen.

"Melisande." Fox smiled at the blonde standing to Ariana's left. That Feral was on the hunt for a blade between his ribs.

Melisande scowled but ignored him, color blooming lightly in her cheeks.

Lyon stepped back, motioning to Ariana to indicate those of his group that needed transport. Hawke pulled Faith close and kissed her gently. "I'll see you on the other side." As they pulled apart, two Ilinas turned to mist and stepped into them. Hawke's world flipped, tumbling him through space in a film of energy that made him feel like he was crawling out of his flesh. His head and stomach went into a violent spin.

The sensation ended as quickly as it had begun, and he fell to his knees, vomiting, unable to do anything else. Around him, he heard others doing the same. Goddess, that was a ride he'd happily never repeat. As the spinning ended, and his stomach slowly settled, he rose to his feet, helping Faith to hers, then looked around at the small cave, little bigger than the dining room at Feral House. It had already been lit by the light of a dozen small fires in large clay pots. The shadows flickered and danced on the walls - solid walls on every side. There was no way out, no escape, except the way they'd come in. By Ilina.