Faith Revisited (20 page)

Arak must have believed him, because he continued to walk closer to Bale. Her fingers dug into Arak's shoulders the moment Bale's scent reached her. Against her will, her fangs dropped and her body spasmed.

“Jesus,” Arak muttered, almost dropping her. She guessed he hadn't seriously expected her to go all toothy on him. He finally set her in Bale's outstretched arms, and as she buried her face in Bale's neck, she barely heard Arak ask, “Should I stay to make sure everything is okay?”

Bale was already cradling the back of her head, and she was licking his delectable flesh.

“Just get out,” he demanded hoarsely.

Not completely lost in the haze of her lust for blood, Faith hesitated from actually sinking her fangs in and consuming all he had to give. Her mind had latched on to the fact that Bale was injured, and she was terrified she would hurt him further.

“Do it, baby. Feed.”

Faith rested her forehead on his shoulder. “I can't,” she whispered. “I'll be okay for another day or two until you are well.”

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“Damn it, Faith. You wait any longer and you won't be able to function at all. You won't hurt me. Your body won't let you. And I will not allow you to remain this weak. There is a traitor who quite obviously wants me dead. What better way to get to me than through my mate.”

Faith lifted her head to meet his gaze. It was the first time Bale had ever admitted that she was anything other than a good time. His eyes narrowed as a look of disappointment crossed his face.

“You can explain to me why you are so surprised later. I think I made my intentions pretty clear the first time I made love to you.” At her snort of disagreement, he smiled tenderly. “Feed.

We'll discuss the rest later.”

For a moment longer, Faith studied his determined face. “If you get worse, I'll so kick your ass.” Bale's chuckle turned into a groan as her fangs penetrated deep into his neck. Moaning at the exquisite taste of his blood flooding her mouth, she sank farther into his embrace.

Unlike the last time she'd fed from Bale, her mind stayed focused on Bale's body and his reactions. She felt him tremble against her but realized it was from desire and not because she was harming him. Her hand slowly wandered down his chest, avoiding his injury as it slipped beneath the sheet. Grasping his erection in her hand, she slid down his length before tightening her grip and pumping the velvet steel several times.

Bale arched his back and then hissed, causing Faith's hand to still. “Don't stop,” was his husky order as his hand covered hers, encouraging her to continue.

She maintained a steady rhythm, and Bale's hips soon rose to meet each downward stroke.

As he quickly grew closer to orgasm, his blood seemed to thicken and sweeten, and when he came, the flavor spiked—it was like an orgasm for her taste buds.

Having consumed enough to satisfy her, Faith pulled back as Bale lay panting beside her.

“Are you okay?” He tightened his arm around her waist and kissed the top of her head, and she took this as a sign of confirmation and snuggled into his embrace.

“Feel better?” Bale asked once his breathing had resumed its normal rate.

“Yeah.” Her lips brushed softly against his collarbone. Then Faith rolled away from him.

Bale reached out to grab her back, but she shook her head. “Let me get a towel to clean you up.

You won't be able to sleep comfortably otherwise. And it feels like I haven't slept in days.”

Bale watched her move gingerly across the room, grab a hand towel hanging by the sink, and wet half of it. “I know I haven't slept peacefully since you left.”

Faith glanced over her shoulder and smiled. Returning to him, she wiped the evidence of his recent orgasm off his skin. Then she rinsed the cloth in the sink before crawling under the covers with him. Bale pulled her back into his arms, and she sighed in contentment.

“Arak's not going to be too happy about what we did to the sheets,” Bale said with a low chuckle.

“Lord Hotness can deal,” Faith murmured sleepily against his chest.

“Lord Hotness?” Bale questioned with a teasing growl.

Faith gave a soft giggle. “That's what Prue, my bartender, calls him. She was really impressed with the three of you, but I told her you were mine.”

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Bale growled again, only this time in approval. His hand caressed her lower back, and he wished there were naked skin under his touch, but he'd deal with that later. Right now he was just relieved to have her back in his arms.

“While Arak likes to hang out in those kinds of places, he still likes his females to look feminine. Your friend is a bit 'out there' for him.”

Faith laughed. “Prue is a bit 'out there' for most everyone.”

“Go to sleep, baby. You sound exhausted.”

Faith nodded, and soon her breathing evened out. A sigh of pure contentment rumbled from Bale's chest. He hadn't realized how fulfilled accepting Faith as his mate would leave him.

Glancing up, he was surprised to find Levi watching them. Through the partially opened door he could see his brother's face, and once their gazes met, Bale's eyes narrowed, his arm tightening around Faith protectively. It was only the shaken look in Levi's eyes that prevented him from demanding a reason for his presence.

As Levi opened the door farther, he said, “I thought I would enjoy watching you fight your attraction. But now I realize my silence could very well have harmed your mate. I apologize for that, Bale.”

Bale shook his head. “Don't. I would have acted the very opposite way of any suggestion just to spite you, Levi. I think it's time you and I come to terms with both our pasts.”

Levi smiled sadly. “Easier said than done, isn't it?” He turned to leave, then paused and looked back at Bale. “Treat her right, Bale, and she could be your salvation.”

Bale glanced down at Faith, his fingers tracing the skin above her black tank top, and kissed her forehead. Raising his gaze, he met Levi's. “She already is. Whether I am ever allowed back in the Father's good graces, Levi, she already is.”

* * * *

After freshening up in the bathroom and changing into the clothes she assumed Bale had lain out for her on the chair, Faith left the bedroom to find her mate and give him a piece of her mind. But her first sight of him completely distracted her from her intention.

The courtyard was alive with activity. Half-naked men with large broadswords were sparring all over, but her gaze was quickly drawn to Bale. Sweat glistened off his back, and blood trickled from a small cut on his bicep.

Faith remained in the shadows, as the bright afternoon sun weakened her, causing her to break out in a terrible rash. One of the pitfalls of being a newly turned vampire—sun sensitivity.

Though it varied from one vampire to another, prolonged exposure to the sun when at its highest wouldn't turn them to ash, but it could cause one hell of a nasty burn.

Her fear for Bale had her wanting to rush toward him, but she worried any sudden movement would distract him. And she wasn't entirely certain what she would do once she reached him—hug him or slap him.

Levi fought him like a man possessed, lunging and thrusting his sword at Bale's side. Bale met his advance, knocking the blade off course, then returning with a forward drive of his own.

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The tip of his sword sliced through Levi's skin above the nipple, and a cut about three inches long began to weep profusely. With a growl, Levi swung, barely missing Bale's abdomen, an area that only eight hours earlier had been heavily bandaged. Faith might very well have attacked the bastard if Remy had not stepped beside her at that very moment.

“They've been at it for an hour.”

“And no one thought of stopping them? Last night Bale could barely sit up, but today you are just going to let the fool play warrior god.”

Remy sighed. “But he is a warrior, isn't he? A warrior who now has a female to protect.

That is something we take very seriously.”

“I can take care of myself. I'd rather have my mate alive and in one piece.”

Remy smiled at the indignation in her voice. “We are rather difficult to kill. And we heal amazingly fast.”

Faith's gaze moved to Bale's abdomen, which only held a faint trace of a scar. “So I can see.”

“And I have let this continue because I believe Bale and Levi are finally willing to come to an understanding. I have been hoping for centuries their bickering would cease, and it seems I am finally going to get my wish. You cannot imagine what a relief that is.”

Faith had her head turned from the field, but she could still hear the grunts and the clash of steel as the fighting continued. She thought not actually seeing it would help ease her anxiety, but no such luck. The sounds alone were enough to keep her muscles tense.

Then Remy relaxed his stance. “Ahh, it's about over.”

Faith whipped her gaze back to the two males just in time to see Bale disarm Levi and cause his sword to fall uselessly to the ground. He pointed the tip of his blade at the other male's neck.

“Do you yield?” Bale asked, his voice breathless from the exertion.

“Bastard,” Levi hissed, his own voice sounding winded. “Yes, I yield.”

Bale slid his sword back into the scabbard at his waist and grinned. “It was a good fight, Levi.”

Levi grunted. “All that sex is apparently giving you an unfair advantage. Seems I should get
me
a female.”

Bale chuckled good-naturedly until Remy cleared his throat, and both gazes settled on Faith. The grin on her mate's face softened as his eyes roamed over her possessively.

A look of horror passed over Levi's features. “I beg pardon, my lady. I meant no offense.”

“What is this, the sixteenth century?” Faith asked, cocking a brow at Levi. Then she turned to Bale and folded her arms across her chest. “And if you ever scare the crap out of me like that again, you can forget about the sex. That well is going to dry up.”

Bale took in her rigid stance and flashing eyes and straightened to his full height. “Is that so, mate?”

Faith snorted. “That only works the first time, bucko.”

He moved to her, then he took her into his arms. “How about this?” he asked as his lips hovered an inch from hers. “Good afternoon.” Then his mouth was on hers, his tongue pushing inside to gently mesh with hers.

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As Faith leaned into him, moaning softly and clutching his damp shoulders, Bale slowly released her lips and kissed the tip of her nose before pulling back with a smug gleam in his eyes.

“Apparently that works.” With a gasp of indignation, Faith tried to move from his embrace, but chuckling softly, Bale ignored her struggles, tightening his arms around her. “I am sorry you woke alone, but Levi and I had some things to settle. It won't happen very often, baby.”

Now standing next to them, Levi snickered. At Faith's glare, he appeared instantly contrite.

“Sorry. We just don't get to hear Bale speak so very often.”

Bale tightened a fist and sent it flying in Levi's direction. The other male pivoted, and Bale missed him by mere inches. Laughing, Levi stepped around them and entered the house.

Bale met Remy's amused gaze. “I still don't like him.” But his tone no longer held any trace of anger.

“Sure you don't. It's always hardest to get along with those most like us.”

Bale frowned. “Don't start that shit again. Levi and I are nothing alike. He's bitter and angry, while I am a male content with his lot in life.”

Remy snorted. “How quickly things change. Why, just forty-eight hours ago you were a bitter, wrecked shell because a certain female had rejected you.”

“I wouldn't say rejected,” Bale murmured as he glanced down at Faith. “More like a misunderstanding that shall soon be corrected.”

“Before you take your mate off to do what mated couples do”—Remy paused with a smile on his lips that Faith noticed did not quite reach his eyes—“Arak mentioned an interesting piece of information that I would appreciate Faith confirming. Is it true some angels now have heart mates?”

Faith wondered why this seemed so important to them. First Arak, and now, Remy and Bale watched her expectantly. “They call them soul mates, but yes, it is true. I know of roughly a dozen names that have been bandied about by our Principal over the years. It always amused her when another fell. I guess she got some grief from the others when she hooked up with Ezra.”

“Have they not been punished? Any of them?” Bale demanded, tensing against her, almost as if he was afraid of her reply. She glanced at Remy from the corner of her eye; he seemed to be holding his breath. Whatever this was about, it was of great importance to both.

“Not for loving a vampire,” she said softly, almost afraid of how the two males would respond. “It is actually rumored she'd been blessed by being allowed to conceive.”

“She had a child?” Bale asked, his voice a hoarse whisper. He turned from her and watched his brothers as they continued to spar.

Faith shrugged. “I never understood why that should be an impossible feat, but yeah. She's had four—one girl and three boys.”

Bale released a shuddering breath as he ran a hand through his hair, loosening some strands, causing them to fall around his shoulders.

“Why is this so difficult to believe? I read that many of the Grigori had mates.”

His eyes filled with such sadness it made her heart ache. Then Remy looked away from her. “I'll leave you to explain,” he said softly, his gaze resting on Bale.

Bale nodded, then took hold of her hand, leading her slowly inside the house.