Charity Received (9 page)

“You must be mistaken.”

“No. I saw the marks. Charity bit him twice.”

“That makes no sense, Faith.” Prue sighed in exasperation. “Shifters know biting another of their kind ties them together. And if the individual is not a shifter, the bite kills them. Charity would not have done that.”

“Ties? Like mates?” Faith asked quietly.

“Exactly. Charity wouldn’t tie herself to anyone. Remember, her mate is dead.”

Faith remained silent. She couldn’t possibly forget that. She’d watched for months as Charity battled with the knowledge. But Faith also remembered one brief moment that, at the time, had not seemed to matter—Charity’s reaction as she’d knelt over the spot where Kash had fallen the night their father’s vampires attacked Kash and Hope and forced Hope to return to their father’s nest.

Charity had seemed out of sorts that evening, but at the time, Faith had been too concerned about her sister to give it much thought. And later, it just hadn’t seemed important. Now Faith wondered if Charity had only
believed
her mate was dead.

“Prue, hypothetically speaking, say her mate isn’t really dead. And say for shits and grins that Kash is her mate. What are the implications of her running away?”

“Is he?” Prue demanded, her gaze scrutinizing, but Faith just shrugged. “If Charity is deprived of her mate for too long, her wolf could go feral. And from what I hear, even if she manages to keep a grip on her sanity, it’s not a pleasant experience—for either of them. Not only do they suffer emotionally from the separation, it’s also physically painful, especially at the beginning. After the bond has time to fully establish, they don’t have to be connected at the hip. But long separations will still wear on them. Shifters are pack animals and require constant stimulation from the pack to survive. So is he?” she repeated sharply.

“I honestly don’t know, though I have my suspicions.” Faith had much to think over before she made her beliefs known to Bale and his brethren, but if Kash was in fact Charity’s mate, then she wasn’t tainted after all. This was knowledge Faith wouldn’t be able to keep to herself for long. She turned to leave but came to a halt when Prue grabbed her arm.

“If anything happens to her, I will personally castrate your friend. You tell him that, Faith. Charity has been through enough. I don’t think she can handle much more.”

Faith nodded. Charity and Tempy were the only family Faith was aware of Prue having, so she understood the reason for Prue’s threat. Prue would do anything to protect the two—even take on Bale and all his brothers.

* * *

Zeke was still annoyed at being forced to give up his pursuit of Charity. And he was worried about her. Distraction was the only excuse he could give for why he was caught off guard. The low-pitched growl was the only warning he was given before the animal attacked, knocking him on his ass. The large dog immediately went for his throat, jaws snapping, dripping saliva onto his bare chest.

“Son of a bitch.” He tried to hold the animal off with one hand while reaching for his ax with the other.

Zeke was never so relieved to see Arak as the dog went flying off him, the recipient of his brother’s boot. He jumped up and watched what he’d thought was a dog slowly rising to its feet. Another damn wolf. He’d already seen this movie, and he hadn’t liked the ending the first time.

“Is that what I think it is?”

Refusing to take his eyes off the animal, Zeke drawled, “Yeah. This night just keeps getting better.”

Arak snorted, drawing his claymore and pointing it at the wolf. “So what are we doing?”

“Beats the shit out of me.” Zeke swerved as the wolf lunged, ignoring Arak and going straight for him. It caught his calf, ripping through his leather pants and grazing his skin with its sharp teeth. “Kill the little fucker,” Zeke amended, more pissed about his pants than the scratches on his skin.

“Shouldn’t we try to catch it?”

The wolf skittered to a stop on the pavement and turned to face him. The ominous rumble from the animal’s chest raised the hair on Zeke’s arms. It lowered its head, eyes trained on him, and drew back on its haunches as if readying to attack.

“Yeah, you get right on that, Arak. Me? I’m not letting it snack on my flesh.”

The wolf charged, and at the last second, it changed direction, aiming now for Arak.

It managed to bypass Arak’s sword, lunging up and sinking its teeth into Arak’s arm.

“Fuck!” Arak stumbled back from the impact as the wolf clamped its jaw and hung on.

Zeke raced forward, wrapped an arm tightly around the wolf’s throat, and hoped the pressure would cause the animal to pass out. It didn’t have the desired effect, but the wolf did release Arak. Not dumb enough to hang on to the animal, Zeke tossed it away from him.

With a howl of distress, the wolf crashed into the side of a brick warehouse. After stumbling to its feet, the animal shook its head as if dazed. Then it darted away.

Zeke and Arak immediately began pursuit, but they weren’t able to keep up with the animal.

“Damn it.” Arak bent over at the waist in an attempt to catch his breath.

Zeke, in a similar pose, nodded in agreement. “Christ, we could use Charity’s help right now.”

“No kidding.” Arak stood upright, scanning the dark for any trace of the animal.

“Now what?”

“It’s almost dawn. We should head back.”

“Is your leg okay?”

Zeke grinned at Arak. “The bastard barely got me. What about you?”

Arak lifted his arm, showing Zeke where the wound had been. “All gone.”

Zeke nodded. Arak’s healing ability ensured he was rarely ever seriously injured. It was a handy little trick, certainly more useful than Zeke’s ability to deduce the truth from a person’s aura.

Both males flashed back to the keep just in time to observe Kash climbing off his Harley. Zeke stepped forward to confront the other male, but then stopped dead in his tracks when Kash turned his way. His brother looked like shit. Haggard. Tired.

And even though Zeke had last seen him less than forty-eight hours ago, it looked like he’d lost weight. All desire to smack his brother down drained right out of Zeke.

Kash raised a hand to his neck and rubbed as if his skin itched, then, without even acknowledging Zeke or Arak, he entered his forge and closed the door behind him.

“I should check on him.” Arak’s soft tone said it all. He was concerned about something.

“What’s going on with him?”

Arak shrugged. “All I can say for sure is Charity’s bite left something in his system.

Kash swears she isn’t infected, but I don’t see how he could possibly know that for certain. Shit, you saw him.”

Zeke looked away from Arak’s piercing gaze, unwilling to admit that maybe, just maybe, he’d been wrong about Charity. He didn’t want to have to consider that she truly was infected and would have to be destroyed.

* * *

Dawn had finally arrived, and with it, the chance for Hope to leave without anyone waylaying her. Most of the males collapsed as soon as they returned to the abbey and tried to catch a couple of hours of sleep before Remy had them out in the bailey, training their asses off.

She quietly exited the main residence, then traveled past the outcropping of buildings near the carport. A low-burning light off to the right caught her attention.

When she peeked around the corner, Hope was surprised by the scene before her. In a room littered with sculptures, Zeke sat on a stool, shaping clay into the form of a wolf with his thumbs.

Rap music blared in the background, which was probably the only reason he hadn’t heard her approach. For just a moment Hope watched him, a silent trail of tears running down her cheeks. The sculpture was already a thing of beauty, and as she stared at the image, she admitted Zeke had captured Charity’s likeness perfectly.

And it broke her heart.

With a silent good-bye, Hope turned from the scene, knowing she would never return. Nothing kept her in Seattle. She had a condo that was in need of a roommate, and roommates, she seemed to have a hard time keeping around. Maybe the solution was not in finding another female to share the space with, but in finding a new city to reside in. One far away from Zeke and his brothers.

* * *

Kash bit his tongue to keep his opinion to himself. He was so tired…disheartened, and the last thing he needed was Arak riding his ass. Once again, he’d had no luck finding Charity. He couldn’t understand it. She was out there—he knew it—but just out of reach.

“I know you don’t want to hear it, Kash, but whatever it is the werewolf left in your system, it’s spreading.”

“Her name is Charity,” he growled, yanking his arm from Arak’s grip. Like he wasn’t already aware something was moving through him like a wildfire. Every cell in his body was hypersensitive and screamed for his mate, like a junkie craving his next fix.

“And I don’t understand why the mark on your neck hasn’t completely healed. You need to let me analyze your blood to figure out a way to stop the infection.”

Kash ran his fingers over the bite, feeling the scab pulse under his fingertips. At Arak’s arched brow, he stuffed his hands into the pockets of his jeans. The temptation to touch the marks Charity had left was compulsive. It was the only reminder he had that he had not dreamed being with her, and he felt closest to her in those moments. Turning his back on Arak, Kash only shrugged. It had been a private encounter between him and his mate, and none of Arak’s damn business.

“Kash, if you know what’s going on, it might be helpful to let me in on it. How can I assist otherwise?”

Kash pivoted and faced Arak, feeling uncontrollable rage sweep through him. “I don’t need your assistance,” he snarled, venom rising from his chest. Kash’s hands began to heat, vibrating as his power threatened to slip free. “The only one I need is Charity. Get that through your thick skull, and leave me the hell alone.”

Arak took a step back, wariness lining his features. He was staring at Kash’s fingers, and when Kash glanced down, he saw tiny flames shooting from the tips.

Drawing in a shuddering breath, he pulled the fire back into his body, and the flames extinguished in the blink of an eye. Exhaling, Kash forced the anger to recede, knowing deep in his gut Arak was acting only out of concern and his brother was not threatening him or his mate.

“Look, I’m tired, and I just want to get some sleep. Okay? Can’t we do this later?”

“Sure, Kash.”

Arak was obviously still uncertain, but Kash couldn’t force himself to care. He staggered up the steps and fell into bed, not even bothering to tug off his boots. He’d take care of his clothing later, just after he’d rested his eyes a minute.

As soon as his head hit the pillow, Kash fell into a fitful sleep, dreaming of a small red wolf pacing the interior of a cavern.

* * *

The wolf felt his presence inside her and knew he was hurting. It only caused the pain to worm deeper into her heart. She’d done something she shouldn’t have, she knew, though she couldn’t identify what. Something that had filled her with immense satisfaction but also great dread. An action she believed would cause her mate to despise her.

He had come close to her several times during the night. Only fear kept her from going to him. Her soul sang to his, and when the sound of his vehicle had drifted away, that tiny flame within her had blown out. She was so cold inside—dead.

Pacing anxiously, she wondered how long it would be before her body also gave out.

Memories raced through her mind—the tenderness with which her mate had made love to her warring with how he had protected the other female from her. She no longer recognized the other as friend. This other female was the victor, and it was the wolf’s punishment to suffer a lifetime of banishment.

And she felt the changes occurring within her. The others would come, she knew.

Soon.

“The others will come. Soon.”

Kash awoke with a jerk, those thoughts ringing through his head and fear pounding through his veins. The thoughts and feelings coursing through him were not his own. Charity. He didn’t know if it had something to do with the other werewolves, but she believed someone was after her—someone who would hurt her. As Kash rolled off his bed, he was more determined than ever to find her.

Kash didn’t bother to change his clothing. He jogged down the stairs and came to a halt only as he reached the carport and realized Charity’s SUV was no longer parked there. Had she somehow managed to return while he was sleeping?

Shit!

Kash flipped open his phone and hit the number that would immediately connect him to the condo Charity and Hope shared. Disappointment assaulted him when, after the third ring, Hope and not Charity answered.

He skipped all pleasantries, immediately launching into his tirade. “Her vehicle is gone, Hope. Has she shown up there?” All of Kash’s anxiety was drenched in those few agonizing words.

Hope was silent a moment, and he tightened his grip on the phone. “Kash, I’m so sorry. I used Charity’s SUV to get home. I never thought you’d think… I should have realized…” Her sputtering came to a sudden stop.

Kash released a shuddering breath, and the tension drained away. Charity hadn’t left him after all. And she couldn’t get far without a vehicle, could she? She was naked, for Christ’s sake. That consideration brought a whole new swarm of concerns flooding through him. She was naked, and anyone could see what belonged only to him. It didn’t sit well. Not at all.

“I’m glad you took it.” Pushing Charity’s nude form from his mind, Kash concentrated on the fact that she was without her truck. “She can’t get away without it.”

“Probably not. And I don’t think she’s been back to the condo. All her things are still here. Nothing looks as if it’s been touched.”

“Her things?” Kash repeated, for the first time considering maybe there was a clue to her whereabouts among her possessions. Without thinking, he teleported into Hope’s living room, startling her.

“Shit! You know I hate it when you do that.”