Vhyper crossed his arms over his leather vest and propped his shoulder against the doorframe. "I'll stand." His demeanor was calmer than usual, his eyes cold, reminding Lyon of his own culpability in this untenable situation. Vhyper had watched him kiss Kara, bringing her to full orgasm in his arms, moments before the goddess chose Vhyper to be her mate.
If the situation were reversed, he'd be tempted to rip the snake's throat out. He had to remember that.
"What happened during the Pairing wasn't Kara's fault," Lyon told his warrior. He rose and moved around to the front of his desk, to prop his hip on the corner, "I was too heavy-handed when I ripped her from her life. With nothing familiar, she turned to me. She just needs time to get acclimated here. She needs you to be patient with her."
Vhyper raised a single dark brow. "Is that why she came when you kissed her?"
Lyon scowled, then released a frustrated breath. "I may have screwed up the Pairing. My only excuse is that my finder's senses went on overload with her. It doesn't happen often." Hell, he wasn't sure it had ever happened. Not like this. "I… got into it. Kissed her. The passion I was calling in her accidentally turned toward me."
He looked at the other man sharply. "That doesn't excuse the way you treated her last night."
Vhyper shrugged. "She's mine."
Lyon felt his fingertips tingle, and he rose slowly, clenching his fists against the feral anger sparking inside. "She's ours. Our Radiant. You hurt her, and you won't be alive for her to be yours."
Vhyper's jaw clenched, his eyes turning colder before he broke eye contact and glanced toward the window. "I didn't rape her, if that's what you're worried about. I knocked her out when she fought me, but all I did was lay her on my bed with the intention of trying to start over with her when she woke. I decided I didn't have the patience for it, yet, and took her back to her own room."
"And stole Zaphene from Foxx."
Vhyper turned back to him with a cool shrug. "Stole is a powerful word, Chief. She was interested, I was frustrated. It seemed like a good idea at the time."
"And you attacked Paenther when he pointed out that you had a mate."
"It was none of his business."
"How can you say that?" Lyon's patience snapped. "You're out of control, Snake. The goddess has blessed you with the most beautiful Radiant we've ever had."
"Sounds like you're jealous, Chief."
Hell yeah. Lyon scowled. "Start acting worthy of her. It won't take much to win her over if you use some kindness and your usual brand of humor. No more barbarian tactics."
"A little hard to win her over when you're pushing her off on other men. I saw Kara leave with Hawke."
"He's going to prep her for the Ascension."
A sharp light entered Vhyper's eyes. Something a little cruel. "You don't think she'd welcome my help right now?"
"No. I don't. And stay away from Zaphene. I don't want a war starting between you and Foxx. I've seen enough fangs the past couple of days. Find your control, Vhyper, and hang on to it."
Vhyper stared at him. "And what about your control, Chief? The control that slipped so badly you couldn't keep your hands off the woman you were preparing to find her mate? Are you staying away from her yourself?"
Lyon's fingers tingled. He clenched his fists harder and nodded. "I am."
* * *
Kara stared down at the rushing water far below as the Potomac River pounded over the rocks that littered its path. The falls, they called it. Great Falls. She'd envisioned Niagara or some other 'vertical drop of water. Instead, these falls were horizontal, a rip-roaring rapids ride for any soul brave enough to try.
Great Falls was, she knew now, in the Washington, D.C., suburbs, in heavily populated Fairfax County. Yet out on the rocks like this, she felt nearly isolated but for the smattering of multimillion-dollar homes dotting the woods nearby. The place had a wild, untamed quality to it she wouldn't have expected to find so close to the nation's capital.
The drive from Feral House had taken little more than five minutes along winding, hilly, two-lane roads through dense woods, roads crowded with expensive cars, minivans, and high-dollar SUVs. Hawke had parked his car on an upscale residential street a short walk through the woods from this spot.
Oddly, or maybe not so oddly, her paralyzing fear had slowly ebbed as they'd driven farther from the house. The fear wasn't entirely gone, but had dulled to the level of dread she'd experienced yesterday, leaving her with an inner certainty something was wrong, even if she no longer felt she was in imminent danger.
Something or someone in that house meant her harm.
Lyon insisted otherwise. He said she was perfectly safe, but she wasn't. She hated Feral House. Hated feeling so scared all the time.
Lyon said she had to stay, but she couldn't. And Lyon wasn't here to stop her this time.
Hawke sat cross-legged on the wide, flat rock high above the rushing water he'd led her down to and held out his hand to her.
"Sit, Kara. It's important the Earth learn you."
"Learn me?"
He took her hand and pulled her down to sit facing him. Their knees almost touched. "You are the focal point, if you will, of the Earth's energies. The Radiant is the one through whom the Earth's power flows, the power that strengthens all Therians, particularly the Ferals."
"Are you talking about literal power or something more spiritual?" Her gaze caught on a bald eagle flying high over the water, his white head and tail flashing in the sunlight.
"Literal. You'll be the conduit, once we get you ascended."
But they wouldn't get her ascended. Not if she had any say in it. They were going to have to find another way this time. They were strong. Virtually immortal. There had to be another way.
"You're trembling, Kara."
If he thought this was trembling, he should have seen her last night. But clearly she wasn't as calm as she thought. It was best if he didn't know why.
"I… um… will the Ascension hurt?" As good a reason for her jitters as any, she supposed. At least she hoped he thought so.
"Not much. All our rituals require a little bloodletting from each of us, and the Ascension is no different. But the cuts will be shallow. You'll be fully healed before the ritual is over."
She gave him a wry look. "Easy for you to say." A memory surfaced from one of her nightmares, then disappeared, but not before she felt the stabbing pain of a knife piercing her abdomen. A hard shudder went through her.
Hawke put his hand on her arm. "It won't be bad, Kara. I promise. We'll all be cut right along with you. One of the hazards of being marked by the goddess." Hawke smiled and shrugged. "To tell you the truth, this will be my first Ascension, too. I was marked about the same time as Beatrice, but I didn't find my way to Feral House until after she was ascended."
The cool wind breezed over Kara's face, pulling a lock of hair loose from her ponytail. She tucked it behind her ear. "Then why did Lyon choose you to prepare me if you've never done this before?"
Hawke smiled, but his smile seemed directed inward. "I understand what has to be done. Until Foxx was marked, I was the youngest of the Ferals. I've spent a lot of time learning everything I can about our race, our powers, our rituals. I sometimes think I know more than any of them, even though they've been around much longer. I know what to do." He shrugged, a self-deprecating smile forming on his mouth. "I'm a natural student. I used to be a teacher."
He'd finally caught Kara's full attention. "Me, too. Did you teach children?"
"Yes, but Therian children are rare, so I never had more than one pupil at a time."
"When was that?"
"Soon after the humans' Civil War."
Kara stared at him. She knew they were immortal. But understanding was coming more slowly. The man didn't look a day over thirty. "How old are you?"
"One hundred fifty something." He thought about it for a moment. "Fifty-seven."
And he was next to the youngest. "What about the others?"
With his finger he tapped her hand. "Lay your palms on the rock."
"Why? So the rock can learn me, too?"
He grinned. "Something like that."
"How old is Lyon?"
"Close to seven hundred, I think."
"Seven hundred?"
Hawke nodded, his expression wry. "He's not the oldest."
"Who is?"
"Kougar, though no one knows how old he is."
"He won't tell you?"
"Kougar isn't exactly the sharing kind." Hawke leaned forward and covered her hands with his, pressing her palms more firmly to the rock. His touch was warm, but impersonal.
"You aren't as touchy-feely as the others." She grimaced, realizing she'd spoken the thought out loud.
But Hawke didn't seem to take offense. "As my name implies, I'm a hawk when I shift. We're naturally less physical than the cats and dogs. In ancient times, the various lines of shape-shifters lived separately. The felines and canines lived in prides and packs. The packs may be gone, but the Ferals are still physical beings for the most part. The snake and I less so. And Lyon, almost not at all."
"But Lyon should be, shouldn't he? He's a cat."
"He should be. Why he's not, no one really knows. Personally, I think it's the way he was raised. No one knows the full circumstances, but it's said he grew up on the streets without family. He may have been Therian, but he was still a child. And kids need family."
"Has he ever been married?"
"Mated? No. Few Ferals mate except for the one chosen for the Radiant. Few Therians mate, for that matter."
"Why is that?"
"Malting is for life. And when you live as long as we can, that's a promise few are willing to make. I, like most, will mate only if I find a woman I can't live without. And that's never happened. I have relationships. I enjoy them until I tire of them, then I move on. It's the way of the species. Bonding for life is rare."
"But you're not lonely?"
Hawke shrugged. "It's hard to get lonely when you live with ten others." He tapped her fingers. "Do you feel anything beneath your hands?"
"The rock's getting warm, but I suppose that's to be expected."
"Actually, this rock doesn't heat like that. It's warming to you, which means it's time to get started." He lifted his hands from hers and placed them palm down on the rock at his sides. "Do what I'm doing. Then close your eyes."
"O-kay." She was having a hard time believing this was accomplishing anything. Then again, she had no idea what they were supposed to be doing.
Kara mimicked Hawke's move and was startled when the rock at her sides felt just as warm to her palms as the rock she'd been touching while they talked.
"Keep your eyes closed, Kara, and think about pulling the warmth from the rock into your body."
"How did you know it was warm?"
She heard the low sound of his amusement. "I told you it was warming to you. Now, I'm going to put my hands over yours and call to the goddess."
Her eyes snapped open. "The goddess?" How many more creatures didn't she know about?