chapter Nine
Colm looked over at Cami and frowned. She was angry again and he couldn’t understand what he’d said to cause it. He also couldn’t figure out what she wanted from them. He knew she wasn’t one of their men. A slow smile curved his lips as he thought about her sweet curves. Although hidden underneath the loose cream-colored shirt, he knew she had nice breasts. Those full hips and rounded ass filling out those black pants definitely didn’t belong to a man.
He’d hoped Linc was wrong with his guess that she was their mate. That was becoming less and less likely. Colm could feel the pull to get closer to her. He wanted to know everything about her, protect her, hold her and pull away every mask she was hiding behind. Ruthlessly ripping them away wasn’t an option. He’d like to think that was because he knew she’d already been hurt, but it wasn’t that simple.
He led her down the hallway, past the door where they’d entered and finally to the staircase. He let her lead the way up the stairs to the second level. He took the time to admire the taut curve of her buttocks as she moved ahead of him.
He knew it was perfectly safe for her inside the Thent. It was the only reason that he let her go in front of him. He needed the time to think. What did she want from them? He assumed that it wasn’t to lead them around, since she’d shut down after he’d implied that. That didn’t give him a clue what would make her happy.
“The chatar and healer have rooms up here as well, but they’re in a different section from ours.” Colm once again stepped up beside her when they were at the top of the stairs. He gestured to the right. “They both chose rooms along that hallway.”
“Is there anyone in the rooms along this hallway?” She gestured to the hallway right in front of them.
“No, there hasn’t been anyone along that hall since we last had guests.” Colm looked down the hallway. All of the doors were shut, but he didn’t doubt that the rooms were immaculate, almost ready to be used.
“And that’s too far from you and Linc?” She tilted her head and looked at him.
He watched her peek at him through her lashes. She was trying to see how much space they were going to give her. The thought that she was a little wary of them in this way didn’t bother him. He wanted her aware of them as men, not just as leaders. She was interested. He wanted her to burn with it.
“Yes. We’re not going to make you sleep in the same room, but we want you within screaming distance. No one would hear you here unless they chanced to be walking by. That’s not acceptable. Think you can handle being that close to us or will the temptation be too much for you?” Colm decided she needed a little prodding. He could see the caution in her eyes and he didn’t want it to turn to fear.
“The only temptation I might give in to around you and Linc is to grab something and hit you with it. Neither of you know when to stop. Your room is down the hall with the door on it?” Her eyes narrowed and he was relieved to see the caution swept away in a tide of anger.
“Yes, the door is only closed when Linc and I aren’t here. Most other times, it’s left open.” His hand tightened on hers and he let his smile slowly widen.
“I’ve never heard of a door separating the Ardin’s portion of the fortress from the rest of the building. Well, not a metal door, maybe a wooden door.” She frowned as she looked at the large metal door.
“That door was put in a few generations ago when the Ardin’s Lady was attacked and nearly killed in her own rooms. To prevent that happening again, they put in a door to ensure that when she was in her rooms and private, she was as safe as she should be.” Colm led her past the solid door. They shouldn’t need it now. The threat was from outside their Thent. Of course, he wouldn’t mind being locked into this part of the fortress with her.
“You know a lot about this place. Were you born here or were you chosen to rule here?” She licked her lips and turned her head to look at him.
It was the first personal question she’d asked of him and it did surprise him. He could tell that she hadn’t meant to ask that. “No, I heard that story from Linc. He was born here and we took over when the old Ardin died. They’d never found their mate and had no children from their marriage to one of the widowed Santir female.”
“Where’s your room?” The words were slower and more controlled now. He could tell she was choosing every word.
“Down here.” He led her past several doors and around the corner.
About halfway up the hall, he stopped and pushed a door on the right side open. He saw her glance in and wondered what she thought of the room. It never mattered before, but now he decided there needed to be a little more color in the room. As she slowly relaxed around them, she reminded him of a flower opening up to catch the light. She needed somewhere pretty and everything was brown or black in there.
“Will my room have a bath or is there one along the hall somewhere?” She looked pointedly down the hall at the other closed doors.
“There are two along the hallway, one back near the metal door and the other here.” He opened a door near the middle of the hall. “If you want, you can use the bath in our room. It’s much bigger than the one here.”
“This will work. The bath in my home was smaller than this.” She looked into the room and a smile curved her lips.
“I expected to find you two wandering around on the lower levels showing her all of the rooms.” Linc strode up the hallway.
“I thought that could wait. She’ll be here long enough to explore.” Colm shrugged. “I also thought that it would be better to show her around outside together. Inside, it could get a little tight and I didn’t want to put too much stress on her.”
Linc looked at her and nodded. “You might have a point. Cera and Darla are coming up the stairs now to get the room ready. Do you have a preference of which room they ready?”
She moved away and looked into a couple of rooms. “They seem to be much the same, so it doesn’t matter. Are we going to take that tour of the outside now?”
“As soon as the women get here, we’ll go. I don’t want them putting you in one of the rooms around the corner.” Colm gave her a direct look. He knew she wouldn’t mind the extra distance, but it would make him tense. Especially when he knew that she might be in pain one night and need help.
“You like to know everything that’s going on in this place? And I’d bet you know who’s doing what most of the time, don’t you?” She tilted her head and her eyes narrowed a little as she looked up at him.
Linc laughed. “You pegged him. He likes to know everything that’s happening and surprises can make him tense.”
Colm scowled at his bond brother. He didn’t have to agree so readily, but Colm admitted that he did tend to know what was happening around the Thent. Cera and Darla came around the corner at that moment.
“Ardin, we’re here to prepare a room for the woman, but we didn’t know where you wanted her. We thought maybe the first room on the center hall would be good for her.” Cera smiled as she walked up the hall. Her eyes slid quickly over Cami and then lingered on Linc’s thighs.
“No, she’ll stay in our section. Pick one of the rooms at this end of the hall and ready it for her.” Colm met the woman’s stare. Linc had been right. Looking for a woman in their Thent had been a mistake. He could see the possessiveness in Cera’s eyes.
“This is Cami. She’s going to be staying here.” Linc introduced the women in the silence that followed.
“I’ll be staying here for a while,” Cami added. She shot Linc a sizzling look and turned to Colm. “Are we ready now?”
“Yes, we’re ready.” Colm wasn’t going to get into an argument with her about how long she’d be staying here.
She wasn’t going to be swayed by words. The woman was convinced that she wouldn’t be able to live within a Thent. They had time to let her see that wasn’t true and they needed to find a way to reveal her secrets without making her run.
They showed her a little of the area within the walls of the fortress, but knew that most of that would be familiar to her. Aside from that, he wanted her to see the beauty of the land outside of the thick stone barriers. She wouldn’t get many chances to wander for the moment and when she did go somewhere, she would have an escort because of the threat of Laed and Kynar.
In a way, he would be more comfortable if they were facing a large force of men instead of simply two. Two men could slip onto the planet without notice fairly easily. They could hide in the surrounding area without drawing too much attention if they knew what they were doing. According to Avan, the two men had the skills to do it. He’d make sure that the men at the gates watched and stopped every stranger even if they didn’t seem to be a shifter. Laed and Kynar could disguise themselves just as easily as Cami could.
“There are more houses around than I expected and the fields look huge.” Her eyes swept over the fields of crops and the grazing animals almost as if it was something she hadn’t seen before. She seemed more relaxed now and not as wary.
“Scali Thent isn’t like this?” Linc asked.
“There aren’t this many people at Scali Thent and a lot of the houses are in the surrounding forest. It’s just safer that way. Well, it was. Everyone knew that haven wouldn’t be offered to all by Laed and Kynar.” Cami frowned and took a deep breath. “There would be a price for that protection.”
“I know we’ve said this before, but it looks as if it’s going to be something that we’ll say again and again. That isn’t how a Thent is supposed to be. The fortress is so large because we know we’ll need the space. We keep it stocked and are prepared for an attack, although the only time it’s been used in that way is when I was small. That was just for a few days.” Linc’s voice was calm, but Colm could tell from the tense posture that he wasn’t as patient and unemotional as he seemed.
“How about we keep walking and we can go into the forest for a while?” Colm didn’t give her time to respond to what Linc said. She could think about how this place was different from what she knew later. He didn’t want her mulling over sad or frightening times right now.
“That sounds good. A run sounds even better.” She glanced at the trees and then back to them.
“No running tonight, I’m too tired to keep up with you after riding all day. How does early tomorrow sound to you for your run through the forest? You can enjoy the cool of the morning.” He wasn’t afraid that the false Ardin were anywhere near the Thent. No, he wanted to have a little time to prepare. Regardless of the fact that the men chasing her probably weren’t even on the planet yet, she needed to realize right from the first that they wouldn’t be taking chances with her safety.
“You’re not tired and you’re not afraid that I’ll get attacked,” she said slowly. “So why wait?”
“Ardin!” The voice caught them as they reached the edge of one of the fields. Colm looked back and saw Conn running up the path between the fields toward them.
“That man’s name is Conn. He, along with his bond brother Eric, are two of our most trusted men. If you need help of any kind and we’re not around, they’ll help you.” Linc’s voice drew Colm’s attention back to the two people with him.
Both of them had turned around to see who was coming and he saw Linc leaning toward her. Colm smiled at the fact that he might have been leaning toward her, but he also gave her plenty of room. They were both being so careful of giving her all the space she needed and not crowding her. He was beginning to wonder if they might be giving her a little too much space. He didn’t want her scared, but he certainly didn’t want her ignoring them or using their caution to keep her distance.
Conn stopped in front of them and drew in a deep breath. Strands of his black hair hung around his face, having slipped free from the tie at the back of his neck. “You’re needed back at the Thent.”
“I’ll handle this.” Colm looked over at Linc and Cami. Linc would have a better chance of getting Cami to relax and talk than he would. “There’s no need for all of us to go back. Go on with the walk.”
“I could do it.” Linc frowned at him. What are you doing? Just give him directions on what to do. She already thinks you don’t really want to be around her.
She’ll relax more around only one of us. You have the words that I don’t. You’ll be able to get closer to her without me around. When she’s a little calmer and not so likely to panic, I’ll show her that I want to be around her. Colm had a feeling they were going to talk about this later.
You might try just being around her. Time and closeness is the only way she’s going to come to trust us. Linc glared, but his hand cupped Cami’s elbow. “Are you ready to continue on?”
Cami looked from Linc to Colm. She looked a little confused as if she thought she was missing something. “I’m ready. What are we going to see on this walk? And don’t think I’m going to forget about you two saying we could run in the morning.”
“We’re not going to change our minds about that. We’re going to walk along a trail that will take us to a small lake in the woods and then make our way back.” Linc’s voice reached Colm as he began to walk back toward the Thent.
Cami didn’t know what to think about Colm leaving. It hadn’t sounded as if it was something that important, but she had no idea how they ruled their people. Laed and Kynar had been content to thrust the more onerous chores onto anyone they could. It didn’t matter that it was something they should do. Maybe Colm and Linc were actively involved in every part of the running of their clan.
Still, she couldn’t be sure, especially after the long look that had passed between those two men. It was as if they were communicating without speaking. She had a feeling that there was something she was missing.
She wasn’t even going to try to figure out what it was. Without a doubt, she’d end up driving herself crazy. Her thoughts would go in circles and circles and there was no way to know what happened. Not without one of them actually telling her what they were thinking and she knew that was improbable.
“Can I hold your hand?” Linc’s voice broke into her thoughts.
Cami held back her grimace. She’d been determined not to brood, yet she was already doing it. Without hesitating, she lifted her hand and held it out to him. “Yes.”
“How are you feeling about finally being here?” He glanced over at her and began leading her toward the trees.
Now that was a change in subject, but she was willing to go along with it. “I’m ready to stop those two. It wouldn’t have mattered to me where it happened as long as we finally met up with Laed and Kynar and put an end to their threat.”
“Not satisfied with merely making sure that they can never hold the sort of power they once did?” Linc glanced over and she saw his brow arch.
“It wouldn’t be enough, not with them. You don’t know them. Even without the magic, they’ll still hurt and kill. I can’t let that happen.” She shook her head. She didn’t need the visions or the magic she’d absorbed to know that.
“I believe you. And you’re right, they will be a danger until they’re dead.” Linc’s fingers tightened around hers. “We’ll keep you safe and teach you how to deal with the magic you now have. You have my word on that.”
“I can take care of myself. I didn’t have any trouble finding you, did I? And I know you’ll teach me about the magic. It’s already more manageable than it’s ever been.” She nodded, simply to assure him that she was being truthful. She didn’t know if he thought she had doubts about that since she wasn’t sure of their interest. Trying to decipher what they were thinking didn’t get her anywhere.
“How about we stretch our legs a bit and run.” He tilted his head. “In human form. I know you’re anxious to get into these woods and play a little, but for today, we’ll run as we are now.”
A shot of disappointment burst through her. He was right. She did want to change forms and charge through the forest, maybe even hunt a little. It had been a while since she’d simply enjoyed being in her other form, but she could wait a day.
Running did sound good. Maybe it would help clear away the problems circling in her mind. She was confident in the lotions and drinks she was using. The lotion wouldn’t sweat off on a run, and if it did, the herbal teas changed her scent enough to mask it on its own.
The only problem was she might pay for her enjoyment of this tonight with cramps along her thigh. She couldn’t be sure what would set them off. Sometimes it was exertion and sometimes stress and other times she didn’t know what caused the spasms in her leg.
“A run sounds wonderful. Why don’t you lead the way if you have a plan on where to go?” She smiled and relaxed, deciding to just let go and enjoy the day.
“We’ll keep to the plan Colm had. If I go too fast or you need to stop, just call out.” Linc turned to face her before he smiled and released her hand.
He turned away and she let her eyes trail over his taut buttocks before following him. She wanted to reach out and touch that taut curve, but balled her fists and started after him. The forest lured her with the chittering calls of animals and the variety of colors and smells she could see as they approached it.
The scents seemed off, but she knew it was because of the drink that she used every night. Still, she could easily smell the tangy, sharp scent of sap and leaves even if she couldn’t identify the trees. One of her favorite things had always been walking or running through the forest. She could get lost in savoring the colors or simply enjoying a good run.
When they hit the tree line, he picked up the pace, but she knew he was holding back because of her. She easily kept up with him. That began to get on her nerves as they jogged through the forest. If they were going to run, she wanted to run.
“Go faster,” she yelled as they ran.
He quickly glanced back over his shoulder as if to check to see if she’d been keeping up with him before increasing his speed. She smiled. The path was relatively straight and smooth. She knew that was the only reason he’d chanced doing that here. They moved faster through the trees, but she still enjoyed seeing the flowers and berry bushes as they passed by them.
All thoughts other than the run and following Linc flowed out of her mind. She didn’t know how long they ran, but when Linc disappeared around a corner and behind some trees, she hurried after him, not wanting to lose him if the trail became winding or suddenly forked.
She rounded the corner at top speed and ran right past Linc. By the time she saw the drop-off, it was too late. Her feet slipped and tangled with a limb as she crashed through a bush. A twinge of pain stabbed her ankle, throwing her even more off balance.
A hand closed around her wrist as she fell over the edge. The fingers tightened. He tugged and tried to pull her back. A raw, growling curse sounded as momentum pulled him over the edge along with her.
She hit the water and barely managed to close her mouth before it closed over her head. Kicking to the surface, she coughed a little and looked around. Linc had fallen in after her. Poor man. All because he’d tried to save her from a dunking. She’d heard the splash following hers, but he hadn’t surfaced.
She looked up at the wall of rock and dirt to the spot where she’d fallen. Her sense of humor kicked in. She grinned as she pushed back her hair. That hadn’t been one of her more graceful moments. How was she to know when she rounded that corner there’d be a sheer drop-off into the lake not four steps beyond the turn?
Linc popped up about an arm’s length away from her. She laughed as his golden hair fell across his eyes. He pushed the strands away from his eyes and his lips spread into a wide smile. She stroked forward, but stopped right in front of him. Before she could think about it, she laced her arms around his neck.
His eyes widened, but one of his hands brushed along her arm. Her fingers threaded through his hair. Being this close to him felt so right. His lashes lowered and his head descended. Almost too softly, his lips brushed over hers. Her eyes drifted closed. Contentment and happiness swirled through her. She relaxed against him, her mouth opening beneath his.
His lips were slightly cool from the water, but warmed as they rubbed against hers. She wanted more than that teasing pressure. Her arms tightened, bringing him closer. His tongue stroked into her mouth and his hands loosely settled on her hips. She didn’t even think about resisting. She’d wanted to kiss him for a long time.
Her fingers clenched in his hair and she thrust her tongue against his. The water flowed sensuously over her hypersensitive skin. His hands left a tingling path as they moved up and rested just under her breasts. She was almost ready to beg for him to move his hands higher. Her nipples had hardened and tightened to nearly painful peaks and her clothes felt heavy and abrasive. She could feel the brush of his thighs against hers as his feet kicked, keeping them both afloat.
A low groan rumbled from his lips as he tore his mouth away from hers. Raw hunger burned in his eyes as he looked down at her. She knew he wanted to tear away the barriers between them as much as she did. Her heart raced even faster than when she’d been running and she panted, trying to catch her breath.
“Definitely the right idea, but this is the wrong place for this.” He slowly pulled back from her. “Let’s swim to the shore.”
He slowly released her and the haze of desire began to fade as they swam to the shore. By the time she waded out of the water, sanity had returned and she couldn’t believe what she’d done. Her impulsiveness hadn’t gotten her into this much trouble in years. Then again, since her brothers had left and Laed and Kynar had come to power, she’d been too tense and too cautious. Drawing any kind of attention when those two were around was a bad idea. She saw his eyes narrow as she reached the shore.
“The wariness is back in your eyes, I see.” Linc tilted his head and watched as she wrung a little of the water out of her shirt.
“That shouldn’t have happened.” She looked at the trees, down at her feet or fussed with her clothes, anything not to have to focus on him. She hadn’t meant to start that. That wasn’t anywhere near her goal of keeping her distance from him.
He leaned in close and sniffed. “I suppose it was a little wishful to think that you’d given up fighting the attraction so suddenly. You still don’t smell right.”
“The attraction might be there, but I know what I want and don’t want. I don’t want to get involved. And as to me not smelling right, if it came off as easily as taking a quick dunk in the water, the stuff would have come off with sweat as we traveled.” She shrugged. Her clothes clung to her and the clinging material was beginning to irritate her.
“You’re right. Are you ready to go back to the Thent or would you like to see some more of the area?” He held out his hand to her.
Her palm slid over his as she accepted the gesture, but with her free hand, she tugged at her shirt. “I want to go back and get out of these clothes. I don’t think these were really meant to swim in. They’re bunching and uncomfortable.”
“Then we’ll go. I take it we’re not running back?” He glanced over at her with a smile as he led the way to a path.
“You can be funny when you want to be.” She couldn’t help responding to that smile. “How long will it take to get back?”
“Not too long. We’ll take a path that’s a relatively straight line to the Thent. It definitely won’t take as long as if we worked our way back up to the path we were on and back the way we came.” Linc pointed to a very small gap in the bushes as he tugged on her hand urging her to move.
This path wasn’t as wide as the last or as well traveled. Branches and bushes dipped across the narrow trail at times, catching and tugging at clothing. Dappled light danced across the grasses and wild flowers near the edge of the track. Birds flitted overhead, jumping from branch to branch and chirping noisily.
Even though they couldn’t walk side by side most of the time, Linc kept hold of her hand as they walked. She inhaled the moist air, savoring the smell of earth and the tangy scent of plants all around her. They came out of the forest near a small group of houses. She saw women at work outside of the house.
The women worked at various chores around their homes, tending herb gardens, gathering eggs or hanging clothes to dry in the sun. They all called greetings to Linc and he greeted them by name. He kept moving, but from the way they responded to him, they trusted and liked him. They walked straight to the gates of the fortress.
Cami found herself searching for Colm as they walked. As much as she’d like not to care, the emotional pull to them was too strong. She wanted to be with them. Colm was at the stables as they passed on their way toward the doors of the fortress. His eyes widened and he dropped the piece of leather he’d been holding to rush over to them.
“What happened to you two?” Colm’s eyes swept over both of them. He frowned and she could hear the beginnings of a growl in his words.
“We fell in the lake,” Linc said easily and kept walking.
Since he kept moving, she couldn’t very well stop. She really didn’t want to be dragged by the arm across the yard. Linc nearly reached the door by the time Colm caught up with them. She guessed he’d been stunned that Linc had given him such a short answer and walked away without another word.
“How did you both fall in the lake? One I can understand. If she can’t swim, I can see you going in after her, but you both falling into the lake makes no sense.” Colm drew even with them and then stepped in front of Linc.
Linc laughed. “You’d know if you were with us. We were running. In this form, so don’t start anything. I know how you are about your plans. I was leading the way and I went around the corner that overlooks the lake and stopped so she could see it from there. She came around the corner too fast. I grabbed for her, but couldn’t stop her in time and we both tumbled in.”
“I can see you were dressed when you fell in. You’re both still damp.” Colm shook his head.
“Yes, and we both want to change into something dry. You can save any more questions until later.” Linc went around Colm and tugged Cami after him.
Cami glanced back and saw the frustration on Colm’s face. A grin spread across her face, but she managed not to laugh. The man was obviously used to getting his way and she knew Linc had deliberately baited him. They obviously had a very close relationship.
Linc smiled as he watched the door close behind Cami. They’d found the door to the room two down from the room he shared with Colm open and waiting for her. She’d gone in and found her bag on the bed. She’d smiled and shut the door so she could get dressed.
He continued down the hallway, a little surprised that Colm wasn’t already here. Linc knew Colm was curious and wanted answers. Colm was very observant and he couldn’t miss the fact that Linc was in a good mood after that unexpected dunking.
He opened the door and strolled into his room, unbuttoning his shirt as he moved forward. Pushing the door closed, he dropped the sodden shirt to the floor and reached for the buckle of his pants.
“All right. What happened out there and why were you smiling so widely?” Colm came into the room and closed the door behind him. “And don’t give me that you would have known if you were there again. I’m not in the mood for your sense of humor.”
“She’s softening, Colm. It may take a little time, but she’s relaxing around us.” Linc tossed his pants on the floor. They hit with a wet plop even as he strode into the closet for more.
“How do you know she’s softening? Is it just because she didn’t get upset over an unexpected dunk in the water? And she still doesn’t smell right. What’s it going to take to get that stuff off her?” Colm asked and frowned severely.
“I’d bet a good scrubbing and maybe taking her bag away from her. I don’t think it’s simply one thing, but hopefully we won’t have to do that. And no, it’s not because she didn’t get upset about ending up in the lake instead of looking at it, although that does reassure me. I like that she has a sense of humor.” Linc came out of the closet wearing brown pants and carrying a white shirt.
“Well, why are you smiling so much?” Colm folded his arms across his chest.
Linc could tell he was nearing the end of his patience. Linc leaned back against the door jamb and savored the memory of her arms around him. “After we fell into the water, she hugged me and didn’t pull away when I kissed her. She only seemed to realize that she wanted to keep her distance after we swam back to shore.”
“She just hugged you for no reason? You didn’t pull her up when she was floundering?” Colm frowned.
“No, I didn’t save her. I came up and she started laughing. A moment later, she’d put her arms around me. I couldn’t resist the temptation to kiss her.” Linc walked over to him and put an arm around him.
“Do you think she’d do it again?” Colm asked as he hooked an arm around Linc, bringing him flush against his body.
“I think she could, in the right situation. From what I’ve seen, she can be impulsive. I’d say if she’s relaxed around us, it will happen more and more often.” Linc leaned in and nipped Colm’s neck.
“We’ll have to work on it then. I want to see some of this impulsiveness.” Colm gripped Linc’s hair and pulled his head up. His mouth captured Linc’s in an aggressive kiss.