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Although he’d been nice enough on the plane Before they’d arrived at Feral House

Was she being unfair to him? There was so much more to any man than the way he reacted when faced with such a difficult and unique situation - turning into a shape-shifter, leaving his horoup of men who had known one another for decades, if not centuries Beco a prince

To pass final judgment on hiive hi connection time

Maxim pushed open the door to reveal a well-furnished, if unadorned, bedchaer and a thousand times nicer than anywhere she’d lived in the past sixty or seventy years even if it was half the size of Kara’s

Maxim closed the door behind him, threw the dead bolt, then walked across the room to the

"Haants you" The words were e friendly" But she knew better, she knew that the attraction between them was real She felt it every time he came near her And his eyes told her he felt it, too

"He’s not getting you You’re ue that it was her decision, not his Not Hawke’s But the pull of the slowly knitting hed and turned around, regret in his eyes "I behaved badly, I’ at you" He shook his head "I wanted to hurt hied "It was a foolish way to act You’re a beautiful woman They will look" When he sive me? I am not myself Once I come into my animal, I will be the mate you deserve, Faith I vow it"

Faith watched him, her instincts juirls from men ould use them and abuse them I won’t be one of them"

His h" But there was soidness of his shoulders and the way his right hand clenched and unclenched that told her this argument was far fro chosen her for this man They were so different He was an aristocrat, and she hung with the street kids If she were a gaer they’d never ardless what fate decreed She’d wager that in six weeks, she’d be back in Warsaw trying to coax Paulina into trusting her again Back to living alone, sleeping alone, with Feral House and her warriors nothing but a bittersweet memory

"Wondered where you were"

Hawke looked up fro room, then returned to the thick, savory slices of roast beef Pink had brought out to him a short while before

Wulfe sat down beside hilass of ice water from the pitcher on the table "You missed a fun time at dinner" He leaned back in his chair "It’s like he thinks he’s the new general sent to lead the troops He’s pissing me off"

"Join the club" At least his brothers felt the saenuinely a nice guy wholanced at Wulfe "Faith?"

Wulfe looked at hiaze "You’re smitten with her," he said quietly "I saw the way you atching her during the reception"

Hawke turned away, digging his fork into another bite of meat "No one uses the word se the fact"

Hell "I don’t knohat I am Yeah, actually I do I’m a fucked-up htly on Hawke’s shoulder "I’ with so much shit If I could take some of it off your shoulders, I would"

Hawke aze and nodded "I know"

Lyon and Kara walked into the room a runted "The moment I don’t show up, everyone assu you’d decided to avoid another confrontation" Lyon held out a chair for Kara, then seated himself "That was a wise move"

Hawke nodded and took another bite Hell, wisdo to do with it He still couldn’t shake the sight of that stunned look on Faith’s face when he’d gone feral Or the crazed jealousy that nearly flattened him every time he saw Maxim’s arm around her He’d wisely stayed away from dinner because his control had been razor-thin, and he’d feared he’d lose it completely and rip the bastard’s head off None of the Ferals would have minded, he was sure But Faith would have really looked at hi bolted across his skull, fiery fingers crawling across the inside of his head, setting off the hawk’s angry cry

Da you intentionally!

"You okay?" Lyon asked, watching him worriedly

As the talons released hiaze for several seconds, apparently deciding not to press the issue "I think it’s best if you stay out of Maxi hireeable afterward"

Wulfe grunted "Do you really think that’s going to happen?"

"Goddess, I hope so"

"Where is he now?" Hawke asked, then wished he hadn’t The last thing he wanted to hear was that he’d taken Faith up to bed He had no business feeling that way! She’d coed to Maxireed Mine

"The ed to elude Maxim after dinner, so he cornered Paenther"

"Poor Faith," Kara "

"We’ll bring hihed "At least then I can put hi duty Maybe the draden ear down that outsized ego of his Before we have to beat it out of hierously "If the draden fail, I’m first in line"

But he wouldn’t be, of course The , the daoddaht his eye "Faith" In the dress she’d worn during the reception - a soft, clingy, black number at once modest and sexy as hell - she eyed them with dismay and embarrassment, and a look that told hi Lyon and hio feral earlier, he could hardly blaaze "Come join us"