Page 16 (1/2)

Kougar straightened "Once they come into their animals, they’ll settle down Just as all of you did Eventually"

"It could take years" Lyon grunted "Jag took centuries"

Hawke hoped to hell they snapped out of it soon The constant fighting and stupid-ass behavior earing his already-fraying control thin as copper wire They were breaking things with abandon, coht, which had brought the original Ferals into the fighting A dozen ti in for fear he’d lose control Two dozen times a day, he had to pull hiood neas he see better at it Knock on wood, he’d only lost control and pounded the hell out of one of the newly marked twice now, and he hadn’t shifted once Not once But whatever had been cale had been absent Faith It was Faith who’d been absent No, not absent He’d been avoiding her

Goddess, he missed her At least he knew the bastard wasn’t with her now Maxi of new Ferals, as he so often was, the only one they never fought with

"What is it about hi one of them clap Maxim warmly on the back "They act like he’s the football star or soar stroked his beard slowly "He’s beco up all three stories and back, quickly followed by the loud splintering of wood and an earth-shattering thud that rattled the paintings on the walls As one, the three Ferals ran to find the other tlyat it with claws and fists as Hawke looked up and shook his head They’d fallen fro they were iest of the new Ferals - Ewan, a Therian Guard who’d been part of Olivia’s squad and stayed on to assist thee, and the one they’d dubbed Mountain Man, the biggest of any of the Ferals, new or old An inch or two taller than Wulfe, he was seven-plus feet of pure, angry , black as pitch, his face in constant need of a shave But it was his eyes that had theer He was at theto give way

"Cease!"

Though Lyon’s roar of coh the foyer, only Ewan atteot slaar interceded, both grabbing Mountain Man, and still they struggled Ewan snarled but stayed where he was

Lyon pushed Mountain Man back "You need a serious attitude adjust ask for this job"

"None of us did!"

Mountain Man threw his hand outward,to the hallway that carried the sound of cheers and thudding fists from the media roolee"

"You haven’t shifted, yet," Kougar said, his voice even "Don’t knock it until you’ve tried it"

Mountain Man growled and muscled his way free, then stalked up the stairs Ewan headed for the o

"I hope to hell they settle down once they shift," Lyon muttered "Like Catt has"

Hawke’s jaw clenched He’d been giving the saber-toothed shifter a wide berth for the past few days, but he’d come in contact with him a couple of tiht The prick had turned into a new man He followed Lyon’s orders without question and was civil, if not warnored one another now instead of battling They ain, Faith was never there He wasn’t sure ould happen if she started accoain

Goddess, he hadn’t seen her in four days, not since that ht of it still hurt

Jag and Kieran strolled into the foyer, shoulder to shoulder

"Shit," Jag muttered "Look at this mess"

Lyon turned to hiood with ht Irish accent "Do you have tools?"

Jag slapped him on the back "Do we have tools, Pretty Boy? You should see the tools we have Corinned "After you, Pretty Girl"

Jag hooted with laughter and headed toward the basement

Lyon shook his head "Kieran doesn’t seem to be affected at all"

"Everyone reacts differently" Kougar turned to Lyon "But I do think the sooner we get this lot shifted, the better Is the Renascence still on for tonight?"

"It is Just before dawn Kara’s ready" But a gli, Roar?" Hawke asked Maxim’s Renascence had taken a lot out of her Which hy Lyon wasn’t bring each new Feral into his animal as he arrived

"Lyon, what happened?"

At the sound of Kara’s voice, all three , a look of disbelief on her face But it was the wo beside her that stole Hawke’s attention

Faith

His heart soared at the gli sweater His pulse took off in a fast, excited sprint But while Kara started down the stairs, Faith remained where she was, a story away It was all he could do not to go to her She was so lovely, her dark hair fra her shoulders Through the thudding in his ears, he barely heard Lyon’s brief explanation of the railing’s deht of her But as his focus narrowed from her face to her eyes, he frowned Her eyes were as flat as he’d ever seen theone Dead

His hawk cried out, the tone aze, her mouth lifted in a semblance of a smile, a shadohat he knew her capable of Had he done this to her when heher hand stolen the life fro to ser in her expression

This was Maxian to tease the edges of his vision Maxiar’s hand grasped his shoulder none too gently

"I’ out of your nose?"

Funny, he thought sarcastically, then jerked his gaze to Kougar He still wasn’t used to Kougar’s having a sense of hu enough for hier back under control

But when he looked up at Faith, she was turning away, starting up the stairs to the third story

He tensed to follow Kougar’s grip on hihtened "Don’t"

He watched until she disappeared froht, then whirled on Kara as she descended the last of the steps "Why didn’t you tell me?"

Kara looked at him with surprise "Tell you what?"

"That he’s been hurting her"

Kara shook her head, looking confused "That who’s been what?"