Faith Revisited (30 page)

“Ready to go home, baby?”

Leaning against him, Faith smiled and nodded. She cast a worried glance over her shoulder at her sister while Bale led her back to the car. Hope walked beside Remy, looking lost and alone. Bale knew he shouldn't interfere, but he had a suspicion Faith was going to insist. Sighing, he pulled her tighter against his side. When her father had threatened her, he'd realized he would do just about anything for his mate. But he really didn't want to go up against Zeke. Not over Hope. Because Bale suspected he knew what ailed his brother. Saraknyal.

* * * *

134

Madelyn Ford

Faith lay curled against Bale, idly tracing the bird's head tattooed on his right shoulder as she waited for her breathing to even out. Something had gotten into her mate, and as soon as they had returned to the fortress, he had dragged her back to their room, much to the amusement of Remy. Not that she was complaining.

“Tell me what I did to earn that, so I can do it again.” Bale flipped her onto her back and hovered over her, and the amusement she felt died at the ragged look in his eyes. “Bale?” she whispered, but he only shook his head. With trembling fingers, he caressed her cheek. “Bale, you're scaring me.”

“If anything ever happened to you…” he said hoarsely.

Faith leaned into his touch, rubbing her cheek against his palm like a little kitten. “You won't let anything hurt me.”

Bale rolled away from her, flopping onto his back and throwing an arm over his eyes. Faith sat up, and after tucking the sheet under her arms, she glanced down at him. He was breathing heavily, as if something had really upset him. She whispered his name, pushing his arm from his face. The tears that shone in his eyes stunned her.

“Bale, what is it?”

“Tonight I realized just what you mean to me.” His gaze slid away from her, fixing on the door behind her. “Not that I didn't have some idea before, but tonight it really hit me just what I would do to keep you safe. To keep you happy.”

Faith cupped his cheeks in her hands, forcing him to meet her gaze. “Being with me is the only thing you need to do to keep me happy. As for my safety, Bale, it is not your sole responsibility. It falls on me to know not to get myself into situations that are dangerous. And I do know I am neither infallible nor immune to injury or death. Do you trust me?”

Bale studied her, and for just a moment, Faith feared his answer.

“You know I do.” Bale yanked away the sheet covering her, then pulled her to his chest, holding her tightly against him. “I do not trust anyone else. That's the problem.” He rubbed his face in her hair, his fingers flexing his hold on her hip. “Anything,” he mumbled. “I'd do anything.”

He flipped her onto her back, one thigh sliding between hers, his arms bracketing her torso as his body covered hers. Burying a hand in her hair, Bale angled her head and traced her bottom lip with his tongue. Sighing softly, Faith opened for him, and he swept inside.

While the sex had been fantastic, it had been quick. Bale had stripped her and bent her over the bed, entering her with little foreplay. It had been a show of dominance—one Faith had reveled in. But this one kiss felt much more intimate.

When Bale pulled back, they were both gasping for breath. “Just don't ask me to get in the middle of the shit between Hope and Zeke. Please, baby, don't make me go there.”

Laughter bubbled from her lips at the look of distress on Bale's face. “Even
I
am not stepping in that pile of crap. I promise not to ask it of you.”

“Thank God,” he mumbled, his forehead dropping to rest against hers.

After a moment, Bale rolled once again onto his back, pulling her with him. As she snuggled into his embrace, her gaze returned to the tattoo creeping over his shoulder. She reached up to touch it softly.

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“What is it about the phoenix? The tattoo, the bed frame, those…” Her voice dropped off, unwilling to mention the rings in Bale's drawer.

“I never gave them to her. She died before I was ever given the chance. And you do not need to be jealous of a dead woman. Not you, baby. Not when you mean everything to me.”

“I know,” she whispered. “I shouldn't have brought it up.”

“No. You can ask me anything. If they upset you that badly, I will get rid of them. It is time anyway.”

Faith lifted her head from his chest and stared down at him. “They must be worth a fortune. You can't just get rid of them.”

Bale shrugged. “They are nothing but a worthless reminder of how empty my life was before you. I will have Kash melt them down.”

His decisive nod told Faith he had made up his mind and was done with that subject.

Sighing, she returned her head to his chest. “So what does the phoenix mean?” she asked again.

“Rebirth,” Bale replied softly. “Remy, Zeke, Arak, and I all had tattoos done during the Middle Ages when we fought with the Templars. To this day, I don't know if I feel such an affinity toward the legend because we suffered a type of rebirth on earth or because I hope to eventually regain the grace of Heaven.”

Faith was silent a moment, considering Bale's words and the longing she heard in his voice. The symbol hit him more deeply than he was letting on. “What if I wanted that wedding ring?” she asked, attempting to keep her voice nonchalant.

Bale stiffened under her. “You would wear a ring purchased for another woman?”

“When put like that, I guess not.” She tried to roll away from him, but Bale refused her release.

He forced her head from his chest and peered into her eyes, as if looking for something. “I would be greatly honored if you would wear my symbol, but would never have suggested it for fear of hurting you.”

“You're right. I would never wear the rings of a dead woman. But they were never really hers, were they?”

“No, they were not. Neither were my heart and soul.” Bale guided her head back to his chest with a grateful sigh. “So you will allow Remy to marry us…you'll become my wife?”

“It's not really necessary,” she murmured, feeling slightly embarrassed that the thought alone filled her with such longing. Her, the cynic on love.

“No, it's not,” Bale agreed. “You are already mine. But I would like to see my ring on you.” Bale brought her hand to his lips and kissed her fingers lightly; then, clutching them tightly in his, he laid them over his heart.

“Well. All right, then.”

“But if you ever tell my brothers I said that, I will adamantly deny it.”

Faith laughed. “I wouldn't dream of it. I will inform Remy that I insisted you make an honest woman of me.”

“That's my girl.”

* * * *

136

Madelyn Ford

Dropping the heavy box onto the carpeted floor, Penny heaved a sigh of relief. That was the last of it, and while every fiber in her protested the move to the main residence, wanted to deny Caym was gone and that Raym had disappeared, she also couldn't remain in the apartment she'd shared with the pair. It just hurt too damn much.

So she'd vacated the gatehouse, leaving it available for Jet, who it seems had arrived while she was out looking for Raym. Hating to return like a whipped dog with her tail between her legs, she'd spent days searching for Raym with no success. But she knew he hadn't done the things he'd been accused of, would never believe him capable of such things. Penny loved him with everything in her and would never accept that he'd murdered his twin…her mate. Just as she would never believe he was not meant to be hers also.

Looking around at the mess that was to be her room now, she decided it was too much to contemplate, so instead of unpacking her possessions, she went to the dining room, knowing the rest of the brethren would be in the bailey training. While she was starving, she'd not wanted to have to deal with any of the males within the abbey, especially not after learning about the female now residing with Bale. His mate. That knowledge twisted something inside her, leaving her insides freezing.

Penny had just settled down when footsteps fell outside the arched doorway. For a split second, she considered fleeing but then forced her stiffening limbs to remain in the seat. She glanced up from buttering a slice of toast, and her gaze narrowed at a stunning redhead. Just great. The mate.

“And who might you be?” she asked in a cool British tone, leaning back in her chair. “One of Arak's little tarts, or Bale's?”

The words were out before Penny could stop them. Was that bitter-sounding bitch really her? Biting the inside of her lip, she forced the tears back. She wouldn't let any of them see her cry. Not any longer.

“Penny!” Arak said sharply from the doorway on the opposite side of the room.

Arak's disapproving glare pierced her core, and she lashed out without thought. “You are right. You don't usually bring your fucks home, so this must be Bale's.”

Arak's quick strides brought him into the middle of the room, and he braced his arms on the wood, leaning across the table toward her. “You will show the respect due to a mate of the Grigori.”

Mate. The word stopped her cold.
She
'd been a mate, had hoped after Caym's death that she still was, but Raym had abandoned her without a backward glance, his hateful words still ringing in her ears. Nothing…she was nothing to him.

Bale took that moment to enter the dining hall. Sweat gleamed on his bare chest, indicating he had been outside sparring with someone. When Bale's gaze fell on Faith, the emotion shining in it brought the bile in Penny's stomach rising to her throat. No one had ever looked at her with such pure love. Not even Caym.

“Morning, baby,” he said softly, leaning down and touching Faith with only his lips.

“Oh God,” Penny mumbled, lurching to her feet. The walls she had been trying to fortify for days were crumbling down around her. The two bits of toast she had forced down were threatening to reappear. “I'm going to be sick.” And with a hand over her mouth, Penny shot out from the room, knocking Arak out of her way in her determination to get the hell away from Bale and his damn mate.

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137

Surprise lit Bale's eyes. “What the hell was that about?” Bale asked, his gaze seeking Arak's for answers.

“How should I know? I was just stepping into the room when I heard her verbally attacking your mate.”

Both males turned to Faith, and Bale arched a brow.

“Why are you looking at me?” Faith asked defensively. “Your friend went for my throat the minute I stepped into the room.” Then she mimicked Bale's look, lifting her brow.

Bale sighed softly, looking over her head at Arak before returning to her face. “While they did not exactly broadcast what was between the three of them, Penny was involved with the twins, Caym and Raym, mate to one or both of them.”

“
Both
of them?” Faith asked softly, her eyes wide. While not a prude, she wasn't exactly sexually adventurous either. At least not
that
adventurous.

“Yes,” he replied, amused by her horror if the smile gracing his face was any indication.

“That is the consensus.” His lips met hers briefly before he took a step back, remembering he was covered in sweat. His gaze traveled slowly down her body, and her skin tingled in response.

“You need to go put on something that will allow you to move in comfort.”

Faith glanced at the jeans encasing her legs, then sent him a questioning look.

“I told you I would train you until you begged for mercy.” Faith rolled her eyes, and Bale narrowed his, folding his arms across his broad chest. “Just because you got lucky last evening does not mean I will let up on you.”

Faith's hands rested on her hips in indignation. “Luck, was it?”

Arak chuckled, and both of them turned to look at him. Holding up his hands, he said to Bale, “You are on your own here, brother. Saraknyal taught me better.”

The look in Faith's eyes softened. “From what Bale says, she was an amazing female. I am sorry I was never given a chance to meet her.”

Arak glanced away from her for a moment. When his gaze returned, his eyes were moist and filled with such sadness, it made Faith's heart ache. “Me too,” he said quietly. “She would have liked you and rejoiced at Bale's good fortune.”

Bale clasped a firm hand on Arak's shoulder. “You are a true friend, my brother.”

Arak smiled weakly and nodded. “Now take your mate and train her into the ground so I can eat my breakfast in peace.”

“You heard the male.” Bale waved a hand toward the door. “Go change so I can train you into the ground.”

Faith rolled her eyes but couldn't stop the smile that broke across her face. Her last glance was of Bale still standing beside Arak, his hand squeezing his brother's shoulder. And for the first time, Faith got a glimpse into what Bale meant about not being able to face losing her.

Forever was a long time to mourn, knowing you would never get back what you had lost—your mate.

Guilt flooded her at how many times she had just brushed Bale's fears aside. But her mate beat any signs of that feeling from her shortly afterward. By the time she was done “training,”

her feelings toward Bale were hardly sympathetic. Of course, she was just too damn tired to feel much of anything. And she'd thought she was in good shape. These Grigori were insane.

138

Madelyn Ford

Chapter Sixteen

Once again Faith found herself amid all the brothers, feeling mildly intimidated and uncomfortable. Remy had called them down for a meeting to discuss what the demon Ray had revealed to Zeke, and they were all huddled in the library. Well, except for Kash. Though finally awake, he was still not well enough to leave his bed. And Hope remained by his side, entertaining the grumpy male as best she could.