Faith Revisited (4 page)

11

Chapter Two

Bale's body was conditioned to take a lot of abuse, so it was not the little pinprick of pain that woke him, but the surge of desire that traveled through his blood like molten lava. Instantly awake, he quickly registered Faith was in his arms, wrapped tightly around the length of his body, and she was feeding from his neck. Taking this as a good sign of her recovery, he cradled the back of her head, holding her in place.

“That's it, baby. Take what you need,” he whispered hoarsely.

His cock rose between his thighs, and he couldn't resist pumping his hips against her stomach. The scrap of material disguised as a bra and the barely there panties he'd left her in after disposing of her bloody clothing didn't help. Her near nudity only served to heighten the effect as each pull of her lips sent a rush of lust coursing through his veins, and what blood she was not draining from him shot straight to his cock. Hard as a spike, he was thrown into the abyss, where nothing else mattered but the female in his arms.

“Christ,” he whispered with a moan, wrapping an arm around her hips and thrusting his silk-clad erection between her thighs.

Unable to believe how quickly his body was priming to explode, Bale tried to pull back from the desire, but his normal rigid control was shot to hell. His balls rose up tight, and a tingling sensation ran down the base of his spine.

“Shit.” He groaned, arching up as he ground his cock against her pussy. As it began to pulse, his hips jerked, and then, with a low moan from deep within, he bathed his stomach with semen. As he slowly slumped into the mattress, Faith swiped her tongue over the two small wounds before collapsing on top of his chest.

It took Bale a moment to regain any semblance of thought. His hand idly caressed her back as he waited for his body to calm, his breathing to even out. All the while he considered what had just happened. He had heard of such things before, of uncontrollable lust when a vampire fed. He had just never suspected he would be susceptible. But it was easier to blame his reaction on the fact that Faith was a vampire than on the female herself.

And it had been an amazing orgasm. Mind-blowing. The best he'd ever had, in fact. Even better than with the woman he had loved. That thought jolted him, and Bale wondered what it was about this female that affected him so.

Realizing she was no longer conscious, Bale eased her off him and onto the bed. He propped up on his elbow and leaned over her, gently caressing the length of her jaw with his fingers. She really was beautiful. Her hair, a riot of fat curls, fanned out around her head and onto both their pillows. Sprinkled across her nose was a trail of freckles that stopped just short of invading her high cheekbones. Her fair coloring only served to enhance the pink of her lush lips, and he had to stop himself from leaning over to taste them.

12

Madelyn Ford

Shaking his head in frustration, Bale rolled onto his back. With his hands behind his head, he stared up at the ceiling for several long minutes. He figured he would be far better off if he had just taken Remy up on his suggestion to move the female to Arak's infirmary, even if the thought had him clenching his fists with the need to hit something—or someone. It was frustrating as all hell, because he didn't want her, but then, he didn't want anyone else to have her either.

Knowing there wasn't a chance in hell of getting back to sleep, Bale forced himself from the bed. He showered away all traces of blood and semen before tugging on a pair of black leather pants and a black T-shirt. A second trip to the bathroom had him returning with a damp cloth, which he used to clean Faith up and ensure she would sleep more comfortably before tossing it on the bathroom floor and heading for the door.

Pausing just as he was about to slip quietly from the room, he cursed softly. A bra and pair of panties would do little to ward off the chill prone to linger in the abbey. One of his old T-shirts he found stuffed in the back of a drawer would have to do.

Faith didn't wake while Bale struggled to get her into the clean clothing. She remained little more than dead, much to his great relief, allowing him to sneak out from his room like a thief in the night. Then, with boots in hand, he found himself standing outside Arak's door, and sighing, he opened it and stepped into the room.

As if sensing the disturbance, Arak was immediately alert. “Hey,” he greeted Bale, his voice rough with sleep. Sitting up and swinging his legs over the side of the bed, he paused to rub a hand over his face. “What's up? Is your Faith awake?”

Bale did not even bother refuting Arak's claim that Faith was his. He knew the denial would only fall on deaf ears. “She was.”

Arak reached for a pair of jeans that lay at the end of the bed and encased his long, muscular legs in them before he rose to his feet. He crossed the room and grabbed a T-shirt from the dresser drawer, looking back to ask, “Has she fed yet?”

“Yeah,” Bale replied, shifting his gaze away from Arak. Even though only Zeke possessed the power to ferret out the truth in spoken words, his other brothers had the uncanny ability of sometimes seeing too much, and he didn't want to risk Arak reading what had transpired with Faith from his face.

Arak watched him silently for a moment, taking his eyes off Bale only when the shirt he was putting on obscured his vision. “That's a good sign, Bale,” he finally stated. “The sister had a broken wrist, which I was able to fix with no problems. But I had a difficult time getting her to sleep. I finally had to put her under. She was so worried about Faith.” Arak was referring to his ability to put one into a deep, healing sleep, similar to a coma, in which they rested until he saw fit to wake them. “Maybe if I can bring her some good news, she won't resist so hard.”

Bale nodded in silent agreement, only his thoughts strayed to how his own mind would rest once he knew Faith was out of danger. He followed Arak into the hallway, stopping short when Arak tripped, a string of curses escaping his lips.

“Why in the hell are your boots out here?” Arak asked, sending Bale an irritated look over his shoulder.

Bale shrugged, turning his face to hide his scowl. They must have slipped from his fingers when he'd turned from the direction of the stairs toward Arak's room, and he hadn't noticed.

“Man, you are losing it,” Arak said, as if hearing his thoughts.

The Watchers: Faith Revisited

13

Frowning, Bale turned the full force of his ill humor on Arak, but his brother only shook his head as he continued down the hall. Arak stepped into Bale's room while Bale remained in the doorway, observing as Arak sat beside Faith before placing his hand upon her brow. Eyes closed, he searched deep within. The only indication of his power was the faint glow emanating from his hand on Faith's skin. After several tense moments, Arak removed his hand and faced Bale.

“She's still not out of the woods,” Arak said softly, rising to his feet. “But she's doing better. I can't be positive, but I think she is responding well to your blood. The poison is still in her system, but her body is putting up a good fight. She might make it.”

“I'm sure her sister will be relieved,” Bale responded, feigning disinterest. Ignoring Arak's sharp look, he stepped back to allow him to pass.

Arak closed the bedroom door behind him and then turned to Bale. “I don't know who you think you are fooling,” he said quietly, “but it's not me. You forget, Bale, I have been where you are. And I of all people understand your reluctance. What you need to decide is if it's worth the pain.”

Arak brushed past him, stopping only when Bale asked, “Was it? For you, I mean?”

Arak turned to him, piercing him with eyes filled with the grief of losing half of himself, and shook his head slowly. Most of the time Bale forgot because Arak hid behind his angelic good looks and his many women. None of them had mentioned—hell, even thought of—

Saraknyal in centuries. But of them all, Arak had lost the most. And if Faith was who Bale was beginning to suspect she was, Arak would recognize the signs. Remy too.

Feeling like a complete ass for even asking the question, Bale followed Arak down the stairs. There, in the library, Remy sat in a leather wingback chair, looking grim. Levi stood before the stone fireplace, arms folded across his chest as he stared absently into the flames.

“Where is Zeke?” was the first thing out of Arak's mouth, startling Bale into realizing the time. It was close to dawn. Since most of what they hunted should already be fleeing to the pits of Hell to escape the threat of the sun, and given the fact that Zeke couldn't tolerate being in the presence of humans for any span of time, that he had not yet returned was disconcerting.

“I do not know. I can't reach him or the twins,” Remy said as he stood abruptly.

“When was the last contact you had with them?” Bale asked, all thoughts of the female upstairs in his bed momentarily forgotten. His mind was now filled with the fact that tonight someone had tried to have him terminated. One of his fellow Watchers, apparently. And now Zeke and the twins were missing.

“Just before you requested a pickup,” Remy replied as he moved to stand before one of the two large glass windows that looked out over the bailey. He clasped his hands behind his back, staring out into the darkness.

“What of Kash and Penny?” Bale demanded.

“I have called them in,” Remy answered, glancing over his shoulder at Bale, and Bale knew they were thinking the same thing. He might not have been the only target this night.

Arak's agitation caught his attention.

“I'm going out to look for him,” Arak stated, turning on his heels to exit the room.

“No!” Remy ordered, swinging around to face the room. “Under absolutely no circumstances are you to leave these grounds.”

14

Madelyn Ford

Remy's power of compulsion stopped Arak in his tracks, and Bale winced, having been on the receiving end of Remy's will one too many times himself. He hated the feeling of helplessness Remy's voice could inflict.

“Release me, damn you,” Arak hissed, his body taut with tension.

“If I do, you had better not storm out of this room or turn around swinging at me,” Remy announced as he stepped in between Bale and Arak, coming to a stop directly behind their friend, frozen in place. “There is more at play here, and we need to discuss what has been going on.”

“All right,” Arak said through clenched teeth. Suddenly finding he was free, he whipped around, fists tightened in rage. But his hands remained at his sides as he glared at Remy. “Do that again and I will knock you into next week,” he growled before skirting around Remy and dropping into a nearby seat.

Remy's gaze followed Arak before resting on Bale, and Bale just shook his head. Talking about the traitor in front of Arak or Levi was a bad idea. Sure, he didn't want to believe either one had sold him out. Hell, he didn't want to believe any of them capable of such an action. But someone had. Of that he had no doubt.

But apparently Remy had other ideas.

“The female Faith was not the intended victim of the Utukku essence, Arak,” Remy stated tersely.

“Who, then?” Arak countered in surprise, leaning forward in his seat.

“Who do you think?” Bale asked somewhat reluctantly. “I was to be the lucky recipient.”

“But how? Why?” Arak asked, flabbergasted. “Utukku essence cannot be that easy to come by, especially for a lower-level demon. And who knew you would be there anyway?”

When no one responded, Arak shook his head. “No way!” he snapped as he jumped to his feet.

“There is no way a Grigori would have done this. We are brothers.”

Bale shook his head, uncertain how to respond. He would have liked to believe they were brothers, but Faith lay in his bed, proof otherwise.

“Jesus, Bale, you have always had a suspicious nature, but do you really think one of us would try to terminate you?”

Bale turned his back on his brother. Remy clasped his shoulder in support as Bale passed him on the way to the window. He took over the spot Remy had just vacated, staring out over the bailey. It was easier to ignore the other occupants in the room if he did not have to face them.

“Son of a bitch. You do, Balam. Do you think it was me?” Arak demanded.

“Did he not bring Faith to you?” Remy asked, interceding before accusations could start being flung.

Bale bit his lip, the denial that Faith was his on the tip of his tongue, but Arak, appeased by the connotation in Remy's question, smiled and flopped back into his chair.

“No, Arak. Bale wonders if it is me,” Levi said quietly, joining the conversation for the first time.

“Jesus Christ. Excuse me for being just a little fucking bit cautious after someone tried to kill me.”

The Watchers: Faith Revisited

15

Remy swore under his breath. This was the day he had feared, when he would have to reveal the deaths in Germany had been an organized slaughter. Having spent far too many nights with Bale agonizing over plans gone awry and demons seeming to expect them when they shouldn't, Remy understood Bale's hesitation. It was one of the reasons Remy hated allowing any of them to hunt alone. The lines between friend and foe seemed to be shifting; to what extent was the only question.

“You all know fifty years ago the enclave in Germany was damn near wiped out,” Remy interrupted, drawing everyone's attention away from Bale's outburst and back to their present predicament. “But what has been kept quiet is that it did not just end there.” Remy's gaze did not break from Bale's as the room erupted in chaos.

Outrage cast a wild look on Arak's face, and Remy sympathized when he finally turned to look at Arak. He'd often felt the very same way when a member of one of the European enclaves disappeared. Levi, on the other hand, seemed unfazed by the news. While they had never spoken of it, he wouldn't be surprised if Levi had caught a glimpse of the trouble plaguing Europe over the years in the visions that came to him during sleep.