Ecstasy Untamed (Feral Warriors #6)(99)

Her plea that he shift and escape gave him an idea. The hawk cried his satisfaction and just like that, thought became reality. In the blink of an eye, he shifted back into his bird, dodging the striking blades and snapping teeth as easily as Faith had flown through the tree limbs. Incredible what he and the hawk could do together.

Careful not to transmit his destination until the last moment, he weaved his way through the attacking Ferals until they were shouting with fury and confusion, unable to keep him in their sights. Finally, he flew for the skull and shifted back into human form as he landed. Before Maxim could react, Hawke grabbed the macabre, glowing thing and slammed it to the ground, crushing it beneath the heel of his boot.

The evil glow flickered out.

The saber-toothed cat gave a furious roar and leaped at him, those fangs gleaming in the torchlight.

Hawke, it worked! Faith's voice rang in his head. I'm free.

As he dove out of the big cat's way, slicing his blade deep into the cat's shoulder, power crawled over Hawke's skin. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched the symbol on the floor flare with an unnatural greenish glow. He might have destroyed the skull, but he hadn't destroyed the ritual itself. Maxim had to die.

Hawke smiled. It would be his pleasure.

The other four Ferals circled around him. Destroying the skull hadn't freed the rest of them. Only Faith. She'd been cured of the infection. They hadn't. Maxim apparently still had them under his control.

Let's get him, Hawke! Faith's battle cry rang in his head.

He looked for her beyond the circling Ferals, finding her, awed by the warrior's fire in her eyes. Thought pictures appeared in his head - the two of them flying together, attacking Maxim together.

His hawk cried his approval, but the man didn't like it, not at all. It was too dangerous. The slightest mistake, and she'd be dead.

Suddenly, Lepard, Croc, and Polaris turned on Faith in perfect synchronicity. No, not perfect. Lepard was off, a beat behind. As if he struggled against the compulsion.

Before Hawke could warn her, she was gone, shifting and flying high out of her would-be attackers' reaches in the blink of an eye.

Let me go alone, he told her. Fly back up through the flue. Get out of here.

Not a chance. Her voice rang hard as steel. We're a team, now. The four of us. Two Ferals, two animal spirits. One for all and all for one.

Faith . . .

I thought you'd learned your lesson with the hawk, she said testily.

I refuse to lose you.

You're not going to lose me! You'll be right there with me. Give in to the wildness, Hawke, and trust that we can do this. Because we can!

Where in the hell had she gotten all this confidence? She was asking the impossible!

The Ferals turned back toward him, slowly lifting their blades.

Deep in his mind, he felt the hawk's stillness, his waiting.

This was the final test, he realized, of his trust in the wildness that had claimed him, that had marked him. He'd spent a century and a half holding back that part of him.

He'd given in to it to reach Faith. But that didn't mean he could just abandon . . .

Hawke, I love you. Faith's sweet voice caressed his mind. Give in. For me. For us. Please?

The shudder started in his head and traveled all the way down his body, goose bumps rising on his arms. She wanted him to give in. To the wildness. To the hawk. To seize what his father had once had with this animal spirit. The strength, the speed. Goddess, yes. And suddenly it wasn't hard at all. For love of Faith he could do anything.

As the polar bear lunged, Hawke shouted into the castle's dungeon, "One for all and all for one!"

Kkkeeeeer! In his head, his hawk made a sound that could only be called a war cry. And then he was shifting, flying up to where the falcon circled. Below, all five Ferals had shifted and now paced, watching their prey with hungry eyes - the huge crocodile, saber-toothed cat, snow leopard, white tiger, polar bear. The sight of such animal majesty? Magnificent. The fact that they wanted him dead? Like hell. Adrenaline rushed through his veins, clearing his mind, even as the thought of Faith getting anywhere near them filled him with dread.

A sense of confidence pressed at his mind, the hawk's reassurance. His belief they could do this.

I think this is the hardest thing I've ever done, buddy. But I trust you to help me keep her safe. I trust you.

Ready? Faith asked.

Hell. Ready.

As one, they zipped down, dive-bombing the sabertooth. But as they drew close, the white tiger leaped, nearly snatching the falcon out of the air. Tail feathers fluttered free as she darted away.

Faith!

I'm okay. He could almost hear her falcon's heart pounding.

He couldn't do this. If she'd been a second slower, she'd have been tiger food. New plan. With the skull destroyed, the warding's probably down. We'll open the gates for the other Ferals. We'll take on Maxim then.

But even as the words flew from his mind to hers, the pentagram flared brighter. Magic, thick and crawling, began to shake the walls of the dungeon.

We're out of time, Faith cried. The magic is trying to capture me, to use me to feed the Daemons. It's now, Hawke. Now or never.

Shit. All right, we have to draw Maxim away. Pretend to be injured and head for the opposite wall.

Without hesitation, the beautiful little falcon spiraled down as if she were indeed injured, flying in a disjointed manner to the precise spot he'd eyed, well away from the animals.