Kane's Mate (Armageddon Mates)

by Gower, Hazel

  “Come here now, Faith. I always wanted my own soothsayer, especially one as talented and beautiful as you.” He laughed again. “They’re so hard to find. Ah, but I’ve been watching you. You have so much potential. It is foretold you’ll be one of the greatest if you apply yourself. Pity you wanted to be normal, but don’t worry, we’ll work on it, and we will make this Armageddon on your world look like child’s play. The other worlds won’t know what hit them. You will be my greatest treasure, a reward for my patience.” He cackled again. “Come to me, and I will let the wolves live. Well, maybe for a day or two.” He laughed again as a helicopter blew up.

  “Fools, they only give us more energy,” one of the smaller demons said. “We’ve been planning this for centuries. Australia is one of the best places for an underground operation to go unnoticed since the country is so young and not as populated as others are. It helps that it has the smallest werewolf population. Because of all that we have gone unnoticed for hundreds of years.”

  All the demons in hearing distance laughed. The biggest one came for her, stabbing Jack’s heart as he stalked her.

  Faith came out of the vision screaming. Her eyes swept frantically around the room, and when they landed on Jack, she shoved out of Kane’s arms, throwing herself toward Jack. “I…saw…I saw… You can’t die! I will save you all.” She would learn to advance her powers. They would win.

  She clung to Jack like her life depended on it. Jack rocked her and smoothed her hair back. With her head swimming from the information the vision had just shown her, she tried to comprehend it all, then the world before her suddenly turned black and she passed out from exhaustion.

  * * * *

  Kane looked around his lounge room at the grim faces. Faith had never had a vision that had lasted that long. Usually the most she zoned out for was two to three minutes tops, and they were never unexpected anymore, she always felt them coming on. Today, though, she’d been out for about three hours.

  Kane gazed at the pale, terrified, worried faces of his family members as they watched Faith. She had never come out of a vision screaming in terror or passed out afterward. He looked at his princess as she clung to his dad even in her unconscious state. His mother’s face drained of color as she paced before the sofa, obviously debating what to do.

  His dad looked up at Griffen who was sweating and white as a ghost. “What’s she feeling? What did you get?”

  Griffen slumped to the ground. “Not good, Dad, not good at all. I’ve never felt anything so powerful, and the worst thing was half of that was dark power.”

  His dad’s brow furrowed. “What’s she feeling now?”

  “Drained, exhausted, terrified, but she’s hanging in there. God, she’s amazing.”

  His dad nodded in agreement and hugged Faith tighter. She sighed and relaxed her grip, and her breathing changed to a more relaxed sleeping pattern.

  Kane went to his dad to take his mate. He and his wolf were edgy, and he needed to hold Faith, to know she was all right.

  Jamie and Devlin stopped him. “You are not touching her. She isn’t even with you twenty-four hours and look what happened. She has avoided you and not spoken to you in over four years. For crying out loud, to get her to come home we had to tell her you were seeing a woman who you were seriously considering mating and moving closer to the city with. When she does finally spend time with you, look what happens.”

  Devlin lifted Faith into his arms. Kane could see the love they had for her shinning in their eyes. Devlin turned to walk out of the house when Kane’s wolf took him back over four years to that Halloween weekend, showing him the scenes again, with things he didn’t want to remember. Kane doubled over, feeling sick as he relived what had happen when she stopped talking to him.

  “I hurt her deliberately, hoping it would stop her following me like my shadow, but I did it more so she would stop loving me.” He looked up into all their faces. “I wanted her to hate me, avoid me, and then maybe I would stop loving her instead of feeling like a cradle robber.” He sighed. “She was sixteen, I was frigging thirty. It was the first time, though, that I really saw her for what she was to me, she was a real princess, and I knew she had chosen that outfit especially for me. I took one look at her and if I wasn’t already in love with her I would have been. I had never felt like that before, and I was terrified. My God, you guys have to remember she looked stunning, like a fantasy princess. I couldn’t take it, so I went to find the she-wolf I was seeing at the time. We were going at it in my room when I felt Faith coming. It was then for the first time I smelt her chocolate and vanilla scent. I heard her open the door, so I said ‘I love you,’ looking at the she-wolf. I heard Faith gasp then run away. I made it worse when I called Faith’s name when I finished, which didn’t go down well with the she-wolf. She left, but she went to go find Faith. I think I caught all the conversation, stuff about her only having a crush on me and me thinking of her as an annoying necessity, I think I even felt the pain from where I was hiding like a coward. Then the she-wolf said that I was alpha, next in line, and she was just a nobody human. I nearly broke then, my wolf wanted to kill the she-wolf, but I held back and as soon as the she-wolf was done I grabbed her and we left. I broke Faith’s heart. That’s why she has had nothing to do with me.”

  Jamie drew back his arm, punching Kane square on his nose. Pain exploded across his face, but it was nothing less than he deserved. “You’re a fucking arsehole. I found her that day and it took me hours just to get her to stop crying, and I had to console her for weeks. She wouldn’t even tell me what it was about.” Jamie took Faith from Devlin and headed to the front door.

  Devlin joined in by stepping up to Kane and slogged his nose, making it bleed. “I had no letters for two weeks. That was the only time I didn’t get any besides when I was on missions. Shit, Kane, I thought someone had died. I almost went AWOL.”

  Devlin joined Jamie at the door, Griffen walked over to them. “Wow, Kane, I never knew you were so selfish. I had months of…I guess you could call it no sunshine, because every time I checked on everyone there was a void where Faith usually was. Somehow, she had learned to block me. When I asked about it she said she wasn’t feeling good and she’d blocked me so I didn’t feel bad.”

  Kane was shocked when even Rane got up. “Well, we all know why she stopped talking to you. Faith knew you knew what happened and what was said. She probably knew you were watching, hiding.” Rane shook his head. “You really are an arsehole, and now you expect her to just get over what you did to her. You could have done something to fix the rift over the years, but no, after all this time you expect her to just happily be your mate.”

  Even Arden shook his head as he got up to join them. They walked out the door with Faith while Kane sat on his lounge, scared that what Rane had said was true. He was so angry with himself.

  “Really, son, there were other ways,” said his dad.

  His mum took his hands in hers. “Look, we’re not perfect, no one is, but I really think you need to give her some time. She was sixteen, and that’s such a vulnerable age. I know she’s twenty now, but we all knew how she felt. My God, Kane, she must still have feelings for you or she would never have stayed last night.”

  He tried to say she had no choice but his mum wouldn’t let him get a word in.

  “I know you don’t think she could have stopped you, but I remember watching her train with all of you and she never lost a fight. Ah, don’t say you all let her win, because I remember a couple of visiting wolves who spared with her and they all started taking it easy on her ’til the end and they still ended on the floor. So don’t give me that she had no choice. She stayed last night because she wanted to. Give her some time. Call her later to organize a time to talk and woo her. Your father and I are going now too, so think about it.”

  Kane was left in his large house all by himself.

  * * * *

  Faith had awoken when Kane was telling everyone what she walked in on. He then told
them what the girlfriend had said to her. Faith was so embarrassed she didn’t say anything for the whole ride back to her parents’ house. She turned to all five guys as they got out of the car.

  “I’m sorry for the four years of childish behavior I put you all through, but at first I was so upset and angry that I couldn’t even look at him, and then it just became easier to give him what he wanted. So I left him alone. It hurt too much when I was around him anyway.” Faith wiped her tears away. “It really does seem silly and immature now that I think about it and hear it out loud.”

  They enveloped her in a hug.

  Rane pulled her face up and said, “You were only sixteen and thought you were giving him what he wanted.”

  She smiled. “I love you all.”

  Jamie gave her a bear hug.

  Rane shocked her by saying, “How about we all do something fun later tonight?”

  Faith smiled. “Thanks, but I said I would go to Splash tonight with Remy and Sara. I promised I would join them in a competition. I love you all, but I need some girlfriend time. I’m going to go write in my vision book. I promise I’ll tell you what I saw tomorrow. Hey, aren’t you guys supposed to be out tonight saving the world?”

  They all laughed. “You sure you’re okay?” Devlin asked. “We could come in and keep you company ’til your friends come to pick you up.”

  “No!” Fuck, she said that too loud and too quickly. She backtracked before one of them offered to be the designated driver. “No, thanks. Really, I’m fine. We’re just going to go out dancing for an hour or two. So, I’ll see you tomorrow.” She ran inside before they asked any more questions.

  Faith knew she was being selfish not telling them the information she saw in her vision instead of going out with her friends. The werewolves would die if they knew what she was doing tonight. Faith shuddered at the thought of how they would react if they saw her, but she was going to do this, not just for fun but to help build some much needed confidence again, especially now that she was back with all the gorgeous wolves. Tonight was going to be hers. She was going to get dressed up in something sexy, get drunk, dance, and basically behave like a normal twenty-year-old. No overprotective wolf around. She would worry about saving the world tomorrow.

  Chapter 3

  Kane felt like shit. He knew he needed to talk to Faith, apologize, beg her to forgive him. But like the coward he was, he sat in his huge, empty house watching the afternoon sun turn into night. Kane’s wolf was hounding him to go get their mate, bring her back home, make her believe he was sorry and they loved her.

  Kane frowned. Did they, did he, really love her? What he’d done to her wasn’t the actions of someone in love. He had known her for fifteen years, well over half her life. Faith wasn’t perfect by any means, but he had watched her grow into a remarkable woman, well teenager, since she hadn’t had anything to do with him for over four years. What he had learned and found out, he really liked. He’d loved her four years ago, and after last night there was no denying he still loved her. Last night had been amazing. He still couldn’t believe his beautiful princess had been a virgin, because she drew people to her, especially men. His wolf had been ecstatic that he would be her one and only.

  Kane stood up and walked to his shower, thinking of ways to make up with her. Faith had said she didn’t love him anymore, but he knew she did, otherwise she wouldn’t have let anything happen last night. There would be a lot of things to sort and figure out. It wouldn’t be easy, but Faith was worth it. He was so lucky to have her as his true mate.

  He got dressed and drove to her house to find his princess.

  * * * *

  Kane tried Faith’s mobile again, then Jamie’s, Devlin’s, and he even tried Griffen’s mobile, but no one picked up. Faith’s parents hadn’t been any help, all he got from them was that she had gone out with friends. So he tried his parents for info because he was starting to get an uneasy feeling, his wolf was pacing.

  He finally got in contact with his mum who just said to remember her advice and try Rane. So Kane tried Rane’s mobile. He picked up on the first ring, and Kane sighed in relief. Kane could hear loud music in the background.

  “Where are you? Do you know where Faith is?”

  There was a long silence. “Kane, give her a rest tonight.”

  “Please, Rane, I do love her, and I need to apologize.”

  There was a sigh that could barely be heard over the music. “I’m just about to enter a nightclub in the city called Splash.”

  “What, why?”

  “Because that’s where Faith and her friends are. I thought I would keep watch, make sure she’s safe.”

  “Rane, that’s my job. She’s my mate.”

  “Yeah, well, how about you let her cool down tonight, see her tomorrow. I’ll keep her safe.”

  Kane really didn’t have a good feeling. He was already in his car, pushing it to the limits. “Why the fuck is your voice edgy?”

  “Ah, I just bumped into three of our brothers. Looks like they had the same idea.”

  The music got louder and he could hear cheering. “I’ll be there in five to ten minutes.”

  “Kane, stay at home. There are four of us... Holy shit.”

  Kane could hear Jamie in the background saying, “That is not our princess, that is a hot sex kitten.” It was followed by four growls.

  “What the fuck is Jamie going on about?”

  Rane cleared his throat. “Ah, Kane, I really do think it’s best if you stay home tonight and talk to Faith tomorrow. We’ve got it covered from here.”

  “I was already heading to the city to her friends, I’ll—”

  “Shit, I gotta go, Kane.”

  Rane disconnected the call, and Kane chucked his phone in the passenger seat.

  What the hell was going on? Kane sped up, not liking the sound of what he’d heard.

  * * * *

  Faith was having so much fun she didn’t even notice the four massive, slack-jaw werewolves that came in the club until she and her two girlfriends were called up to the bar to be told they were the last contestants and would be going on next. Faith was pumped. The dance routine was one they had practiced, but had never been game to show.

  Five minutes later, standing up on the stage bar, she glanced at the brothers, and they did not look happy. She thought about pulling out, but Remy and Sara were counting on her, they needed the prize money. Faith knew her werewolves wouldn’t do anything in a crowded club with so many people watching. She gave a mental shrug. Stuff it, if she was going to be in trouble she might as well give them something to be mad about. Faith leaned down to the DJ coordinator. “On the second song, about two and a half minutes in, hose us down.”

  She took off her sequin top as she had a white singlet underneath that showed off a pink belly ring that matched her pink and black lacy bra set. To complete the outfit she had tight jeans and knee-high, black, fuck-me boots. She had told the girls if they wanted to win the $2,000 prize money they were going to have to use some serious dance moves to make the crowd cheer loud. She had told them to dress accordingly.

  Faith heard her friend give a nervous laugh. “Oh my God,” said Remy. “We are so going to win. Look at you two.” She hugged Faith. “Thanks so much for doing this, Faith. You used to be so shy and reserved, but jeez, two years overseas has turned you into a bad girl. You were so right, they are going to go wild with these white singlets when we get wet.”

  They laughed as the music started and all those dance lessons Faith had taken made themselves known.

  Catcalls, whistling, yelling for numbers, and loud cheers filled the air. She chanced a glance at the four very angry werewolves that were getting closer. A minute or two before the water hose was put on them she felt Kane and knew he had come in. Oh shit, she was dead. When she went down to slide across the bar, swapping spots with her friends for the finish of the song, she looked up to see the scariest sight she had ever seen—a six and a half foot massive, hulking, pisse
d off alpha werewolf stalking toward her. She gulped and rushed to follow her friends to the DJ.

  * * * *

  Kane had steam coming out of his head! What the hell had happened to his princess? In her place was a vibrant, young sex kitten. He smiled a feral smile as his mind conjured up all kinds of things. He loved his princess or, he thought, sex kitten, but tonight there were going to be a lot of human male deaths, especially if one more man tried to touch her.

  The crowd parted easily for him, sensing the danger coming off him. He was almost at the bar when he heard the human male next to him say to his friend, “What I wouldn’t give to have a go at the one in the pink and black lacy bra and matching belly ring. Those exotic eyes are undoing me. I bet I could get her to come home with me. She looks like she could go all night.”

  Kane lunged for the human growling “mine” only to be grabbed by his brothers, who held similar expressions as him and were fighting to control themselves.

  “Wait, it’s almost done,” said Rane through gritted teeth.

  Griffen spat out, “Oh, she knew when you came in. She was scared shitless. Be prepared for her to do something crazy.”

  Kane chuckled, rubbing his hands together in anticipation of getting his hands and mouth on his new little sex kitten.

  The music finished, and the cheers, whistles, and catcalls were deafening. The DJ talked about the end of the contest and how it looked like the final contestants were the winners, and he asked them to come and introduce themselves and get their prize money. Faith and her friends moved together over to the microphone and collected the check.