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"If it’s not, you’ll do what you ree"

Hawke nudged her with his elbow "Eat After lunch, we’re going to start your training"

She looked at hi"

Her eyes widened, an expression mirrored by several other faces around the table "Hawke"

But he cut her off "At the very least, you have to learn to defend yourself against another draden attack Strength isn’t built overnight Neither are fighting skills They take ti as if she’d been marked on purpose As if she had a future as a Feral Warrior when they all knew that wasn’t true

He gripped her chin and gently forced her to look at hiaze "We don’t know for certain that your being aze lifted, and he met his brothers’ eyes around the table "It’s time we all considered that But we need you trained, and we’re going to start today" His voice brooked no arguht draden or doing a little weight lifting, but"There’s evil inside me," she whispered, as if everyone in the rooe cut like a blade

Hawke’s eyes softened even as his expression remained implacable "There’s an infection inside of you And we’re going to find a cure for it You’re not evil" He leaned forward and kissed her gently on the mouth In front of everyone As if he wanted therumbled

He smiled at her, a smile of pure male confidence "It is"

As Hawke released her and returned to his meal, she forced herself to take a bite of roast beef If only she possessed a dash of Hawke’s certainty, of his confidence in her abilities to pull this off, to be of some use to them

She sed the bite, uncertain her knotted stomach would accept it, then took a deep breath She’d never been a coward Never If they needed her to be able to fight, then she’d learn to fight If this job was for life, and apparently it was, then she would be the best Feral Warrior she could possibly be, sparing herself nothing If she didn’t last long, so be it But she’d go down battling their ene their backs And to do that, she had to learn hoield so she could do was force herself to eat

Ten minutes later, the ar, you’re in charge"

Hawke held out Faith’s chair for her, and she rose along with everyone else

Tighe came over to her, his eyes kind, and extended his hand Too far As if he intended to share with her one of the full forears the Ferals reserved for one another

It was one thing to work hard and to do what they wanted, but they all kneas a lie That she wasn’t supposed to be one of the her, but feeling that way anyway

"Tighe"

Though the kindness in his eyes remained, his expression took on a sharpness that was close to reproachful "Take it, Faith I don’t offer it lightly"

She hesitated, but reached for hi her ared to curl her much so, she looked up and found hi her, his eyes very serious

"Delaney told ht as they escaped, how you chose to help Hawke even knowing you were in grave danger You impressed my wife, and that’s no easy feat You showed heart and courage and a willingness to sacrifice, Faith Perhaps that was only due to your feelings for Hawke, but ut tells me otherwise" He clasped her shoulder with his free hand "My gut, and the fact that you ca what it ht th that’s far more important than any a up, flashing a single dih his eyes remained deadly serious "So, yes, I offer you "

Her heart gave a small, painful thud at the thinly veiled threat at the end of Tighe’s surprisingly elcoan to realize the enormity of her situation She was a Feral Warrior Once she was brought into her animal, no matter who she’d been before, she would become one of the ood, to help thehe If not, if goddess forbid, the darkness got the best of her, he would be her enemy Possibly her executioner They all would

Except, perhaps, Hawke

As Tighe stepped back, Wulfe he had, the expression on his badly scarred face closed When she laid her palainst hishers with ease, his expression softened "Fighting skills can be learned"

She nodded, and he released her

Fox was next As he took her arm, he flashed her a smile that had surely slain ten thousand fe for years," he said, turning serious "I’ve trained a lot of warriors, a number of whom came to me without skills A nu I know about fighting in huether"

Vhyper and Kougar stood shoulder to shoulder, watching, arms crossed over their chests Neither approached her

"She could be our secret weapon against the Mage," Vhyper said to no one in particular "We’ll send her into battle first, let her slay them with her smile They’ll never notice the rest of us until it’s too late"

She couldn’t tell if his words teased or taunted, and her cheeks began to warar said nothing, his face expressionless, a glealanced pointedly at Haho’d rear would kill her There would be no hesitating, no mercy

To her surprise, Lyon stepped forward, but he didn’t offer her his arm as some of the others had Instead, he took her hand in both of his "Don’t take our caution personally, Faith We’re at ith the Mage - a war that, if we lose, will mean the destruction of the world as we know it"

"And they’re trying to turn ainst you"