Charity Received by Madelyn Ford Page B

only reason Charity would have bitten you is that she believes you are her mate.”
    Kash’s gaze never shifted. There was no surprise, no confusion. Faith knew she had been right.
    “Is there a point to this?” he asked with a measure of annoyance.
    Faith studied him uncertainly for a moment. Kash was tense, bordering on angry, and it wasn’t his normal personality. Arak was right to be concerned.
    “Charity was the one who had helped us determine it was my father’s vampires who’d attacked you. At the time I hadn’t realized it, but she’d believed her mate had died. And for the past six months, she’s been mourning him. You.” Faith paused, her eyes growing misty as she considered her own reaction had she been in the same position. She wondered how Charity had withstood it. “I wish to God I had understood. I watched her struggle day after day.”
    “Did you come here to make me feel worse?” he asked hoarsely, his voice filled with sadness.
    “No,” she insisted adamantly. “It is my guilt, not yours. I just wanted you to understand her fear…her sorrow.” As Faith watched him, she decided telling him that Charity was in danger of going feral was a bad idea. She didn’t think Kash could handle that part. He appeared to have reached his maximum capacity, and any more stress would topple him. “And know that it is the separation that is grating on you. Nature’s little way of ensuring the bond fully develops.”
     
    Kash snorted as he hefted the duffel bag higher on his shoulder and started toward his forge with Faith following. “Lucky me,” he mumbled. Glancing sideways at Bale’s mate, he paused to wonder why her presence didn’t affect him the same way Penny’s and Hope’s did. As long as he kept enough distance that she would not accidentally touch him, he seemed okay in her company.
    “What?” she asked.
    Obviously his confusion showed on his face. “It’s odd how at ease I feel with you,” he said with a slight lift of his shoulders.
    Faith smiled. “I’m not a threat.” At Kash’s sharp look, she continued quickly. “To Charity. I have a mate.”
    “No one should be a threat to Charity. She’s my mate.” The words came out in a low growl, but Faith only continued to smile at him. Kash shook his head. He apparently wasn’t the only one losing his mind. “Will she always feel threatened by other females?” Kash turned to her as they reached the door to his shop.
    “Once the bond has fully developed, I wouldn’t think so.” Faith gave a little shrug and smiled apologetically. “But I’m no expert. Vampires and shifters…oil and water, you know.”
    “And the only one who is…is Charity,” Kash bit out, his frustration rising. “Look, I appreciate the talk, Faith, but I need to find her.”
    “I know you do, Kash.”
    There was something in the look on her face…something hidden behind her words that had the hair on the back of his neck rising. But before he could demand an explanation, she was wishing him good luck, then turning from him. If he hadn’t been afraid to touch her, he would have pulled her back. It was a good thing, though, since Bale chose that moment to appear. His brother could be damn testy when it came to his mate. That thought made Kash smile; he wasn’t any better.
    * * *
    Jet sat there, smirking belligerently, and Remy’d had just about enough of the other male’s attitude. He took one deep breath, forcing down his barely suppressed anger, and clung to his rigid control. Jet had been right about one thing: some of the males in the room had managed to avoid falling into the pit by the skin of their teeth.
     
    “Next time you insult Bale’s mate, he won’t be so forgiving. It’s time you stopped taking Lilith’s betrayal out on every female you encounter, Jetrel.”
    Remy leaned back in his chair as Jet lunged to his feet. The stupid black western hat he wore fell to the floor, and his short locks were plastered to his head in a