Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(76)

Kougar finally broke the silence that had descended over the cave. "Get us home, Ariana."

Never ones to hesitate, the Ilinas swept forward, and Hawke once more found himself in that spinning nothingness. The next thing he knew, he was puking his guts out in the yard behind Feral House, the awful coldness finally gone.

The moment he could raise his head, he searched for Faith, finding her a short distance away, still unconscious. He pushed himself to his feet and went to her as the other Ferals slowly rose to surround Lynks and Grizz, who were lying on the grass as still as Faith. Hawke knelt beside her, grasping her cold hand, eyeing the others, ready to lend his sword if needed.

Grizz was the first to move. With a bear-sized groan, he rolled onto his back and pressed his hands against his head. "What the f**k happened?"

"How do you feel?" Kougar asked.

"Like my head's been put through a meat grinder." He sat up, started to rise, until he saw the drawn knives, then sat back down, hands in the air. "Mind telling me what's going on?"

Kougar motioned to the Shaman. "We think we may have exorcised the darkness. The Shaman can tell by touching you. Don't move."

Grizz lowered his hands to his knees but otherwise remained still as the Shaman touched the top of his dark head and nodded.

"Clear. Not a shadow left."

Lyon strode toward them from the house. "Does this mean the animal spirit is clear as well?"

The Shaman nodded. "Yes. No darkness survived the power we drew in that cave. I'm certain of it."

Hawke heard the words, hope rising and falling in the same instant. Because he felt no different. No better. Like nothing had changed.

As Lynks began to stir, the Shaman touched him, too. Lynks stiffened, and the Shaman pulled back. "He is clear also." He turned to Hawke. "How do you feel?"

Hawke pulled off his T-shirt and looked over his shoulder at the feral marks that were nearly gone. He sighed. "What about Faith?" He pulled the shirt back over his head as the Shaman knelt beside her.

"She suffered the most," the ancient man murmured, touching her head. Hawke had to fight back the possessive growl that tried to rise in his throat. The Shaman frowned, pressing his hand to her forehead, then her cheek, the frown puckering his forehead. "The ritual didn't work for her. She's still infected." He met Hawke's gaze with regret. "I'm sorry."

Ariana and Kougar moved to join them as the Shaman rose to his feet.

"Why didn't it work?" Hawke demanded, but he was afraid he knew the answer.

The Shaman shook his head. "The darkness in its dormant state cannot be vanquished. You must release it. Bring her into her animal first."

Lyon joined them, his expression drawn. "I don't like exposing Kara to another infected Renascence. She still hasn't recovered from the last."

But the woman in question was crossing the yard and heard. Kara slid her arm around Lyon's waist, and he tucked her in close as she looked at Faith. "I'm fine, Lyon."

He lifted her chin, studying her with worried eyes. "No, you're not."

"I'm good enough. Faith needs to be brought into her animal, and without me, you can't do it. It's my job."

Still, the Chief of the Ferals hesitated, clearly torn between his personal need to keep his mate safe and the greater need to see this newest Feral cleared of the magic infecting her.

He sighed heavily. "Then we'll do it tonight, just before dawn." Pulling Kara against his side, he turned to his men. "Meanwhile, we need to get a lead on the other new Ferals."

"I'll head out to Harpers Ferry," Wulfe offered.

Lyon nodded. "I've already sent Jag and Olivia scouring areas nearby. Delaney is hooked into the FBI's network, looking for reports of strange, large animals."

As the others moved toward the back door of Feral House, Hawke brushed Faith's blue-tipped locks back from her still-unconscious face. The thought of her having to go through that again tore something loose inside of him. But there was no choice, was there? She had to be cured.

"Are you bringing her in, Hawke?" Kougar called, halfway to the patio.

Hawke shook his head, and Kougar lifted his hand in acknowledgment and joined the others. Alone, Hawke tipped his face to the spring sunshine filtering through the leaves, enjoying the feel of the breeze on his face. He needed time out here beneath the trees to think. It had been so long since he'd been able to take to the skies and revel in the freedom. And now it looked like he might never feel that joy again. But he hated even more that Faith hadn't been cured.

Beneath the brush of his hand, she began to stir. Her eyes blinked open, her gaze moving to his. "Did it work?" she asked softly.

"For the others, yes. For you, no."

She sat up slowly, eyeing him with a bleakness that cut him to the core, a hopelessness that told him she expected them to clear the way for her replacement.

He reached for her, stroking her hair. "We're not giving up on you, Smiley. The Shaman believes they can't cure the darkness while it's dormant. We have to bring you into your animal first."

Relief lit her features, then dissolved into an expression that made her look as if she'd bitten into a lemon. "You mean I have to go through that again?"

"It shouldn't be as bad the next time. Neither of the others suffered like you did." He sat on the grass beside her and took her hand in his. "We'll bring you into your animal just before dawn tomorrow morning."