Faith Revisited (35 page)
His face clouded with hatred, and his fingers whitened around the handle of his sword for just a moment before he seemed to gain control of himself. “I don't need to raise a hand to destroy Bale. Your death will do that for me.”
“Why? Why are you doing this?”
Raym gave an indifferent shrug. “Because I can. Do I really need any other motive than that?”
Shaking her head, Faith could not fathom his reasoning for turning traitor. Had he really gone from being one of the Grigori to something so evil?
“But why Bale? There must be a reason.” And Faith needed to know. If she were to die, she had to understand why.
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“This is not about Bale. It never has been. My brother, my foolish twin. Beelzebub promised to give me the means to see him destroyed. Destroying Bale? Beelzebub fears only Bale can stop him. For me, it's just for fun.”
Faith tensed, and her eyes narrowed as she waited for Raym to draw close enough. When he did, she raised her leg swiftly, connecting her foot with his abdomen. With a
whoosh
, he bent over and backpedaled a couple of feet.
“Goddamn it,” he snarled. “Hold the bitch's legs down.”
“What's the matter? Not man enough to handle one little female by yourself?” she taunted as the Lilu demon rushed forward to do as bid. Faith swung her legs at him in an attempt to waylay him. He finally managed to grasp both her ankles, pinning them to the bed. But Faith had gotten several good kicks in, and he was breathing heavily from the pain and exertion.
“I should get to drain this bitch dry for my trouble.”
Raym's fingers gripped her throat, digging into her flesh as he stared down at her. “Maybe I
should
let Magnus drain you before I cut off your head. From what I understand, a Lilu demon's bite is not as pleasant an experience as a vampire's. He's also not quite as picky about hygiene.” Raym glanced down at the blood covering her chest. “You should have done what Beelzebub wanted. He would have protected you, at least until you'd served your purpose.”
He paused, his narrowed gaze meeting hers, and she saw only pain and death in those teal depths. Faith whimpered, drawing a slow smile from Raym.
“Yes. I think I shall enjoy watching you suffer.” He released his hold on her throat and stepped back from her. “She is all yours, Magnus.”
A huge grin spread across the Lilu demon's face, sending Faith into a panic. She renewed her struggles violently. Still pinning her legs to the mattress, he climbed onto the bed and slowly began to slither up her body.
Faith knew Raym stood on the sidelines avidly watching, but her main concern was fighting off the Lilu demon. She prayed her resistance would become too much of an annoyance and they would just kill her. To suffer the agony of the Lilu demon's bite and rape was more than her mind could bear. So when all hell broke loose, the room flooding with people, Faith never even realized what was happening.
A flash of steel caught her attention, and feeling triumphant, she knew she'd won—she was going to die. And even though she was relieved, she still could not prevent the cry that rose from her throat. She watched in confusion, and her mind didn't register that the blade had sailed right over her, taking off the demon's head, until his blood splattered across her. A different kind of fear—that of the unknown—crept over her, and she continued to scream even as her voice grew hoarse.
Bale expected there to be more than one demon within the building and was stunned to find only the Lilu demon. But when he'd seen the bastard on top of Faith, pinning her to a mattress, he'd let loose a bellow of rage and attacked. The demon never even had a chance to react as Bale decapitated him in one fell swoop.
She fought Bale when he tried to reach out to her, the sight of her blood-covered body chilling him. Taking the same position the Lilu demon had unwillingly vacated didn't seem a pleasant option, but Bale felt he had no choice. With all the blood covering Faith, he had to find the injury and have Arak heal her before she bled out.
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He sat on her thighs, mostly to prevent her from kneeing him in the balls as she thrashed under him, as she seemed unaware he was even there. Grasping her shirt, Bale ripped it away from her chest. She arched her back while he tried to examine her, looking for a wound, but he found none. Then, after Arak picked the locks, Bale released her wrists and he gathered her into his arms.
“Damn it, Faith, settle down,” he snapped, and his voice seemed to penetrate her senses.
She stilled instantly. “Where are you hurt?” He pushed her at arm's length, his gaze sweeping over her again for the source of all the blood.
“Bale?” She stared at him, eyes laced with confusion. As her vision began to clear, Bale understood when she first really saw him. “Bale,” she sobbed, flinging herself against his chest.
Bale grasped her by the shoulders, forcing her to meet his gaze. “Baby, where are you hurt?” he repeated.
She seemed confused by his question at first, and then she shook her head. “It's not my blood. He forced me to feed, but it all came back up.”
Her words filled Bale with such rage, he knew if Raym had been standing before him, he would have torn the son of a bitch apart with his bare hands. “Did he rape you?” The words came out more harshly than he intended, causing her to tense. To his relief, Faith shook her head, and Bale wrapped her in his embrace. “Baby, where is Raym?”
Faith's eyes glazed over with fear, and she glanced around the room as if expecting her assailant to pop out of the shadows. “I don't know.” She gripped his shirt in her fists, burrowing deeper into his arms. “But Bale, it wasn't him.” She shuddered against him, her breathing suddenly erratic, labored. “He said I was his gift, his pet.”
Her voice tripped over the words, and Bale felt something wet against his neck. Forcing her head back, he was met with a stream of tears cascading down her cheeks. “Who, baby?” he questioned, brushing the wetness away with his thumbs.
“Beelzebub,” was her reply, and Bale felt his stomach lurch.
“What else did he say?” The thought of that archdemon being so close to his mate—that he had even touched her—was almost more than Bale could handle. He wanted the Lilu demon alive again just so he could kill him once more. And then he wanted to take what was left of his rage out on Raym, because he figured he would never get the chance to wipe Beelzebub permanently from this world.
“He said something about a plan and taking me on a journey. Then he got mad at Raym because I couldn't hold down his blood, and he called me worthless. Raym was just getting ready to follow his orders and kill me when you burst in.”
“What plan, Faith?” he asked tersely, but she only shook her head.
“I just want to leave here,” she whispered into his ear.
“You are too weak. You need to feed.”
“Please, not here. I want to clean up first. I want to go home. Bale, take me home.”
Bale held her a moment longer before he climbed off her fragile frame. She continued to shake, though he did not know if it was from her ordeal or from the cool air on her naked skin.
He ripped off his jacket and wrapped it tightly around her shoulders, then scooped her gently into his arms. He carried his mate out of the dilapidated building and into Faith's car, which Jet had retrieved from Club Dominus.
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The drive home was silent. Faith was snuggled on his lap as Jet maneuvered the vehicle through the dark city streets. Bale knew each one of his brothers was aware of what had occurred to his mate within that abandoned warehouse, but even in the darkest recesses of his mind, there was quiet. It would be discussed and analyzed over and over again as they sought answers. But that would come later. For now he was just going to be thankful he'd gotten her back and that she was all right.
* * * *
For Remy, the why didn't matter as much as catching the son of a bitch. Raym was out there somewhere, and he would have to be dealt with. He'd dared to raise a hand to Bale's mate, and if not for the female werewolf, Remy doubted they would have found Faith in time.
With a sigh, he conceded that maybe some involvement with the outside world would not hurt them. It didn't appear as if he was going to be able to prevent it anyway. Already the vampires knew something of them. And with Faith, they couldn't remain completely hidden. Not if Bale's mate was to be happy living with them.
He dropped his weapons one by one onto the dresser across from his bed. As he ripped his T-shirt over his head and let it fall to the floor, he sensed a presence and knew he was not alone.
Grabbing a dagger, he quickly turned to face his visitor and let the weapon sail. But instead of connecting with his target, it embedded in the wall with a
thunk
.
“I see you haven't lost your touch, Remiel,” an amused voice drawled, now from behind him.
Remy faced his seven-feet-tall visitor. “To what do I owe this monumental event, Gabe?”
Turning his back on the male, Remy retrieved his dagger. At Gabe's chuckle, he asked, “Finally come to kill me?”
Gabe sprawled onto the couch behind him, looking every bit as comfortable as Remy suspected he felt. He was certainly no threat to his uninvited visitor. Examining his nails, Gabe replied nonchalantly, “Have you done something to deserve termination?”
“I live, do I not? I thought that was the only excuse your kind needed.”
“My kind?” Gabe seemed genuinely confused. “Are you not my kind?”
Remy snorted. Like he was buying that. “Funny. I spent an awful lot of years avoiding being terminated by those like you. So if that is your purpose, just get it over with and put me out of the misery of having to endure your company.”
“Oh, come now, Remiel. Such melodrama. That is no way to treat the messenger.”
Remy arched a brow and folded his arms across his chest. “And you have a message?”
Gabe rose to his feet, a set of golden wings unfolding around him.
With a roll of his eyes, Remy murmured, “Creative.”
“And you have always been a bore.” The wings disappeared, though the peevish expression on Gabe's face remained. “The Mother bids you hello and wanted me to deliver this 160
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message: 'Understand that once the Watchers have rediscovered their virtue, you will be blessed with grace.'”
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I don't make them; I just deliver them.”
“Yeah. You were always good at relaying bullshit.”
Gabe grinned. “You could say I've made a living at it.”
“And you've done your job. Now get the hell out of my abbey.”
With a salute, Gabe flashed out.
Remy groaned and sank onto his bed. He didn't even want to stop and contemplate the load of meaningless crap Gabe had just thrust on him. Grace…he'd given up on redemption a long time ago, so maybe later, when he wasn't feeling so mired down, he'd remember that the messenger's words always came to pass. But for now, he and his brothers had plans to make.
Raym had to be caught and made to pay for the atrocities he'd committed.
At sunset, after they'd all gotten some sleep, the hunt would begin.
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Epilogue
Bale slowly made his way up the stairs. It had been a long night, and fatigue seeped deep into his bones. Six weeks had passed since he and his brothers had rescued Faith from the dilapidated building in which Raym had held her hostage. Six weeks of nights they had spent hunting the bastard who had dared kidnap his mate. Six weeks with Zeke right by his side. His brother was as diligent as Bale himself. Well, almost. Zeke was not haunted by the sound of Faith's terrified screams. It was a sound Bale would never forget.
Faith was doing better. She no longer suffered the night terrors that reminded her of the hours she'd spent in Raym's captivity. Episodes where she would scream and thrash on the bed, and Bale would wake to seeing her arms stretched over her head as she relived being cuffed to the metal frame.
But she refused to patrol with him. Had rarely left the abbey, period. She worked on the nights he was able to go with her. The other nights, Prue took over managing Club Dominus.
Bale prayed it wouldn't last forever, that eventually she would be ready to fight the evil of this world. While he wasn't eager for her to be placed in any sort of danger, he did want to see his mate whole again.
Briskly he walked down the hall toward the bedroom he shared with Faith, curious to see what she had changed while he was away. It had started subtly enough—a peach-and-blue-striped pillow thrown on the leather chair. Then sheets to match. At least she allowed him to keep his silk. The comforter followed shortly after, gone from black to a pale peach.
The biggest change—and the most difficult to bear—was the pale blue paint on the walls.
But Faith had rubbed against him and whispered in his ear how relaxing he would now find the room after a night of patrolling. And with her licking his pulse point and teasing his cock with each brush of her stomach, he could do nothing but agree wholeheartedly.
Opening the door, Bale cautiously peered inside. His mate was nowhere to be seen, and he took that as a good sign. If she had been waiting for him with a seductive smile, he instantly would have known she'd done something he wouldn't like. So he crossed the room with a deep sigh of relief and opened the wardrobe, then unloaded his weapons, placing them inside. Once finished, he closed the door and stepped back. That's when he noticed the shelves lining the wall on the other side of the massive structure.
