Faith Revisited (23 page)

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“Would you like some time alone?” She watched him with a raised brow as she and Bale waited for him by the back door.

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Chuckling, Bale wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Zeke turned toward her, a small smile gracing his lips.

“She's the only female I can count on not to annoy the piss out of me. She's dependable, loyal, and hot as all hell.”

Faith snorted. “She's a car.”

“Yeah,” Zeke drawled, glancing back at the vehicle in question.

Faith laughed. “You are insane.”

She was amused by the sheepish little shrug Zeke gave her. Faith unlocked the door to her club and stepped inside, Bale and Zeke following.

“If you are so against women, why were you harassing my sister earlier?”

“Faith,” Bale said sharply. “I said I would talk to him.”

Faith sighed as she lifted her shoulders. She met Zeke's narrowed gaze, not letting the way his chest suddenly puffed out intimidate her. She noticed all the brothers liked to use their immense size when there was something they didn't want to get into.

“Not gonna work.”

Zeke glanced at Bale from the corner of his eye. “She's going to be a pain in my ass, isn't she?”

“Yeah.”

Faith folded her arms across her chest, annoyed at her mate's reply. “And still you're going to answer me.”

“What can I say? Your sister has an extra special ability to
really
piss me off. A PhD in it.”

“That's not an answer.”

Zeke arched an eyebrow as he looked down at her. “It's all you're going to get, sunshine.”

“Fine. Just stay away from her. I'm sure you don't want to be any more bound to her than she does to you. Drinking your blood very well could leave her physically tied to you. Be sure to remember that.”

Zeke turned a questioning glance at Bale, and Faith watched her mate sigh.

“From the moment I laid eyes on Faith in that alley, I knew deep down she was mine. But if I hadn't fed her during her Transfiguration, she very likely wouldn't be with me right now. I would have continued to deny her, thinking I was protecting her. But by consuming my blood, she is unable to feed from anyone else, so without me, she would starve.”

Bale's gaze raked over her, hot and possessive, leaving trails of tingling sensation in its wake. Faith stepped into his embrace, allowing him to hold her close. His lips grazed the top of her head, his hands settling across her lower back and his fingers on her ass.

Bale glanced over the top of her head. “Whether it is due to the fact that we are mates or if such a reaction will occur between any Grigori and vampire, we are not certain.”

“Do the others know about this?” Zeke asked quietly. Faith turned her head toward Zeke and noticed his face held a startled expression mixed with something Faith thought looked like jealousy.

Bale nodded. “Everyone else was in the infirmary the night Hope explained Faith's condition. It is not something we need to concern ourselves with in general, but only in our 102

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dealings with Hope. If any of my brothers ignore this warning, I will see to it they take care of my sister, mate or not.”

Zeke was silent a moment, then acknowledged the warning Bale had just given with a brisk nod. Before he had a chance to speak any further, Prue called out to Faith as she entered the club. Zeke took a step back, watching Prue like a hawk on its prey, as if searching for any sign that she might now be a threat. Faith rolled her eyes when he finally took a seat off to the side on one of the bar stools. Look “distrustful” up in a dictionary, and there would be a picture of Bale and his brothers.

“Where the hell have you been?” Prue tossed the monster-size black backpack she carried with her everywhere onto the bar top. “I've been calling all day. You just disappeared last night, and I had no clue what to say to your father. He must have called like six times, twice at home.

Damn it, Faith, stop avoiding him, because he's seriously becoming a pain in my ass.”

Amused by Prue's tirade, Faith tried to hide her smile. When the rant continued, she figured she had not succeeded.

“Oh, you bitch. If you were off getting laid while I had to deal with your bullshit, you are seriously going to owe me.”

“You are absolutely right. I should have let you know what was going on, but when I was told Bale had been injured, my mind went to shit.”

Prue's gaze raked over Bale's long frame. Glancing over his shoulder at Zeke briefly, she then returned her gaze to Faith. “He appears fine now.” She snapped the piece of gum she had in her mouth. “So…he's, like, your mate now?”

“Like yes.” Bale's deep voice resonated through the empty club, a mixture of annoyance and amusement.

Prue grinned at Bale. “Okay, then.” She turned back to her backpack and dug through it until she pulled out a pack of Marlboro Lights and a purple lighter. With one cigarette between her two fingers, she pointed at Faith. “But call your father, because if he wakes me before three again, you and I are going rounds, girlfriend.” Then Prue lit the cigarette and headed behind the bar. She began to pull down bottles of her favorite alcohol and lined them in the well for easy access.

“Though I am dreading it, I'll call him in a few. You know he's going to be pissed.” Faith sat on a stool closest to her friend.

“You knew that weeks ago, Faith. Unless you plan on never having contact with any of the vamps in this town again, you'd better suck it up and call him.” Prue's gaze followed Bale as he took a seat beside Zeke. “What's the deal with Tweedledee and Tweedledum?”

Faith snorted in amusement. “Just don't call them that to their faces. Either of them. Their sense of humor is limited, especially Zeke's.” The eager gleam that took over Prue's features caused Faith to sigh. She shouldn't have mentioned that neither male would appreciate Prue's nicknames. It was like waving a red flag in front of a bull. “They are here because Bale was concerned when I told him about the visit from the Lilu demon.”

Prue paused as she wiped down the bar top. “Really? And what are they going to do about it?”

“That is what Bale and his friends do. They hunt demons.”

“I didn't realize shifters had gotten into the game.”

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“This pack has,” Faith replied, allowing Prue to continue to think Bale was a shape-shifter.

It was easier than trying to explain what he really was. And she got the impression from things Bale had said that the Grigori didn't want to be acknowledged.

“Well, that
is
cool. You two can work together.”

Faith grabbed Prue's hand. “Just be careful out there. It seems some of the demons have decided to collaborate. You might be targeted because you work for me.”

Prue's smile turned deadly. “Oh, I hope so.”

“Prue, I'm serious. I was attacked by a Rabisu demon outside my condo.”

“And still you lived.”

Faith shrugged under Prue's narrowed gaze. “Yeah. By the grace of God, I got lucky. The next person might not.”

Prue patted Faith's hand before pulling away. “Don't worry about me. Or Tempy. We can handle ourselves. It's Hope you should be concerned about.”

“I've got her in protective custody.”

Prue winced. “Bet she's lovin' you right now.”

Faith laughed humorlessly. “Not so much. But she'll live to get over it.”

“And that's all that matters.” With a nod, Prue turned her back on Faith and went back to setting up her bar.

Faith swiveled on her stool, her gaze taking in Bale and Zeke at the other end, heads bent together in conversation. As she went to walk past the pair, Bale's arm snaked across her waist and reeled her to his side.

“And where do you think you are going, baby?” he asked quietly.

“I have some paperwork I need to work on in my office. You two can wait out here if you like.” Faith nodded to her friend, watching as she grabbed two shot glasses. “Prue will get you something to drink.”

Bale's lips pressed in a firm line. “Wrong answer, Faith. The correct response would be to ask me nicely to ensure there are no demons hiding in your office so you may enter.”

Faith stared at Bale a moment before she snapped her jaw shut. The audacity of the bastard.
Ask him nicely.
She smiled as sweetly as she could without gagging. “Would you please, oh master of mine, get up off your ass and check my office, because little ol' me needs your protection from the big bad guys whose very stench would have me quaking in fear.”

Bale leaned back, arm resting on the bar top, and narrowed his gaze at her. “Zeke, do you have any rope in the trunk of your car?”

“Sure do,” was Zeke's amused response as Faith folded her arms and stared at her mate.

“If anything even ropelike in appearance comes in the briefest contact with my body, you had better not ever sleep again. Just remember, handcuffs are harder to rip your way out of, and Hope has a nice, sturdy pair.”

It was Zeke who frowned. “What the hell is she doing with handcuffs?”

“Hope is a chronic dater, and one of her guys was a cop. Such a shame he only lasted a couple of months. He was one of the few I really liked.”

A funny noise escaped Zeke's lips before he threw back the shot Prue set in front of him.

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“What did you do to the poor guy?” Prue asked, pouring Zeke another. “He looks like he swallowed his tongue.”

Bale chuckled softly, and Faith tensed as he pulled her closer to him. “Mate, I think you need a reminder of just who is in charge here.”

“And I think you need to realize I am not some weak human.” Bale's eyes filled with sorrow for just a second, but it was long enough to flood Faith with guilt. “I'm sorry. That was uncalled-for. But because of you, I am not a weak fledgling. Have some faith in that, Bale. That's all I ask.” At his tortured nod, Faith smiled and kissed him softly. “Now, if you would check out my office for me…I really need to get some work done. I have to make up for last night.”

Bale seemed relieved that she was not fighting his need to protect her, and Faith figured it took nothing away from her to give him this. Once he was appeased that no one was hiding in the shadows and the only entrance was through the hallway he could monitor from the bar, Bale left her to catch up on her paperwork.

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Chapter Twelve

Faith stared at the red light blinking on her phone, knowing that at least half the messages were from her father. She had no desire to pick up the receiver and listen to them, much less return any, but knew she had no choice. Her father was persistent when he wanted something, and he obviously wanted to speak to her.

After wading through the messages, Faith set about dealing with them. Three were work related and required simple confirmations of orders. She played phone tag with her older sister and a friend, leaving messages for both Grace and Charity. Then she broke off a date she'd made two weeks prior with Doug, a guy she'd been seeing off and on for the past year. His job sent him out of town frequently, and he'd been the perfect boyfriend—not around enough to get on her nerves.

With a sick feeling in the pit of her stomach, she chewed on her thumbnail while she listened to the ringtone, waiting for someone to answer at her father's nest. She had just about given up when a deep, resonating voice said, “Hello.”

“Eli, it's Faith. Is my dad around?”

The two-hundred-year-old enforcer for the northwestern vampires tsk-tsked at her. “No, darling. Your dad is out.”

Faith sighed heavily. “Damn. Do you expect him back soon?”

“I don't suppose he'll return until well after dawn.”

Faith brought her finger to her mouth, pretending to use it to induce vomiting. That was code for her father had found himself another dumb, big-boobed blonde who was attracted to his good looks and money and, in exchange for lots of shiny things, gave her father sex. And unbeknownst to the woman, blood.

“But I do know he's been in quite a fit,” Eli added. “You should have phoned before now.”

“Don't start, Eli. I'll hear enough from him. It's about time you all understood I have a life that doesn't revolve around him.”

Eli snorted. “He's not only your dad. He's also your master.”

His censure had her rolling her eyes. Like she needed the reminder that her father was in charge of the northwestern vampire population. If only Eli knew how little that now meant to her. Before Bale, maybe she'd have given a crap. But now…not so much.

“Just tell him I called. I'm at the club but don't plan on staying past closing. It's been a long day, so I'll tackle the cleanup before I open tomorrow.”

“All right. I'll give him your message.”

Faith clicked the button, ending the call before tossing the cordless phone on her desk.

Leaning back in her chair, she closed her eyes. While avoiding a lecture from her father was welcome, she would have much preferred getting the conversation over with. Having it hanging 106

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over her head did not help her level of anxiety. And to top that off, she missed Bale. Not having been separated even two hours, she already felt the need to seek him out. And that just thoroughly pissed her off.

Finally, with a sigh, she gave in to the desire. Stepping into the main area of the club, she did a quick perusal. Everything seemed to be in order. Prue was handling the bar while her two waitresses dealt with those patrons seated at the tables around the dance floor.