HerMatesEmbrace (25 page)

His words sketched images across her mind. She shivered. Her
inner muscles tightened on his shaft. She could almost feel Colm’s weight
pressing her into Linc’s hard body. His cock drove into her hard and fast. She
rocked back, meeting each thrust as much as his hold on her would allow. The
restriction frustrated and excited her.

His arm tightened beneath her and his fingers firmed on her
clit. A low groan excaped her lips as his fingers firmed over that sensitive
nub. Her breath burst from her in harsh pants. She strained for the pleasure
that remained just out of reach. Her fingers dug into the blankets. Fingers
tugging at her nipples heightened the fire burning inside of her.

“Can you see it? Our bodies over you and inside of you. We
might drive into you hard and fast, letting you feel exactly how much we want
you.” Colm’s hips punched forward, rocking her forward.

“Or we might cover your body with kisses before we sink into
your tight heat. We’ll rock you between us and take you to pleasure slowly. Our
hands will softly brush over your breasts and pussy, pushing you higher and
higher until the sweet ache is so intense that you’re sobbing with the need to
come.” Linc’s fingers matched his words and tenderly brushed over her nipples.

She closed her eyes on a shudder. She could almost feel the
weight as one of them pressed her against the hard body of the other. A flick
to her clit sent the flames roaring over her. Her body trembled as pleasure
licked through her. Every stroke of his cock seemed to intensify the feeling.
Her head tipped back and a low groan rolled from her. Her upper body collapsed
onto Linc’s chest as her muscles turned to liquid.

Colm’s grip held her hips exactly where he wanted them and
he continued to drive into her.

“We’re going to have you, hard and fast, slow and tender and
in ways you haven’t yet dreamed. You’re our Lady, our mate.” Linc’s voice
roughened and his hands brushed softly over her hair.

Colm’s cock pounded into her over and over. She felt the hot
splash of his seed just as she heard a shout of satisfaction. His hips
continued to move against her and his hold tightened. Finally, he stilled. His
fingers trembled as he pulled his hand away from her pussy.

She was glad that he seemed to be as shaken as she felt.
Those words had seared her. A little more of that kind of talk might have sent
her right over the edge without the delicious feel of his cock filling her or
the stroke of his fingers over her clit. As Colm withdrew, little shocks of
sensation fluttered through her pussy. She pressed her cheek against Linc’s
chest.

Colm rolled to his feet and lifted her off Linc. He set her
on her feet, but his hands remained at her waist, supporting her until she
found her feet. Her knees buckled at first, but gradually, she was able to
stand on her own. She looked back over her shoulder and shook her head.

“The word cuddle means nothing to you, does it?” She sighed
heavily and looked back at the bed longingly.

“Cuddling is for when we have time. We don’t now.” Colm
smiled and picked up her shirt from the floor.

“Only because you couldn’t wait. I told you you had things
you should be doing, but no, you were all heated up and wouldn’t be denied.”
She shook her head and gave him her best sassy smile.

“We’ll get back to you a little later. We might even start
on the discipline since you don’t seem to have any.” Linc’s hand landed on her
the right cheek of her ass with a loud smack.

She bared her teeth at him in a mock growl. “You can try.”

“We’ll succeed.” Colm laughed and started gathering his
clothes.

“I’m going to clean up a little, but after that I want to
take a walk. Would either of you be free to go with me or can you arrange for
one of your men to do it? I know that you don’t want me walking around outside
the walls without someone with me.” She gathered up the last of her clothes and
looked over at the two of them standing side by side. They didn’t look as
relaxed as they had only a minute ago or as happy.

“We’ll have a guard waiting for you. Take as long as you
need.” Linc nodded. He walked over to her. His arms wrapped around her in a
tight hug. “Don’t think about this too much, because if you start regretting
this, I really am going to spank your ass.”

“I made my decision and I’m not going to regret doing it.
How everything is going to end, well, that’s something we’re going to have to
work on together.” She shrugged.

“We’ll be happy. There’s no question about that.” Colm
walked over and took her from Linc’s arms. He hugged her and dropped a kiss on
her head and then released her. Almost before she knew it, they’d dressed and
left the room. Shaking her head, she headed to her room. They had no shortage
of confidence.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Colm kept his pace even as he led the way downstairs. He
hoped she hadn’t seen their tension. He ran his hand through his hair and tried
to ease the strain out of his shoulders. She hadn’t gone to her haven. Of all
the problems he’d thought they might have with her, that wasn’t one of them.
The magic should have sent her straight to the place they’d created.

The explanation they’d given her was plausible, but there
were so many unknowns with her. Was it the strange magic within her that
stopped it? He knew she was his mate. He didn’t have a doubt about that. He’d
tasted it, but maybe the fact that she wasn’t fully claimed had something to do
with it. They needed to find the
chatar
. That place was for Cami’s
protection. The haven was an area to find pleasure with their mate as well as
her refuge, but he wanted the peace of mind of her having that completely
separate place to shelter when there was danger.

They made their way to the
chatar’s
library. They
didn’t have any answers for this. Hopefully, he did. Although they weren’t
under attack, the false Ardin had hurt her already. She was in danger. She
didn’t have what they wanted and they’d try to do it again. He wanted her to
have that haven in case the two men managed to get close to her. She needed
somewhere they wouldn’t be able to follow her. Until they worked through
whatever was keeping her out of her haven, that wouldn’t be possible.

The
chatar
opened the door for them when they knocked
and stepped back almost immediately. Maybe he’d seen something on their faces.
Colm was just glad he didn’t ask any questions. He didn’t want to get into any
explanations out here. After the door closed behind them, he walked over and
took one of the chairs at the long table. Vin glided over to the table and sat.
He put his hand on the book in front of him and simply looked at them, waiting.

“She didn’t go to her haven.” Linc put his elbows on the
table and rolled his shoulders, but little of the tension left his body.

Vin straightened in his chair and frowned. “You tried to
send her there and she didn’t go. Was there any kind of magical reaction that
you could tell?”

“No magic that we could tell, but she felt it and knew that
something was supposed to happen.” Colm thought back to what had happened.
Normally, that type of magic was so light that it was almost unnoticeable
unless there was a drastic change, which there would have been if she actually
went to their haven.

“She could tell.” Vin nodded. He tapped his fingers on the
page under his hand for a moment. “I think everything should work out
eventually.”

“How long will it take until we can make sure she has
somewhere safe to go? What happened?” Colm didn’t want her to be so exposed and
vulnerable. He knew he wouldn’t be able to relax until she was able to escape
to that place if danger approached.

“I don’t know. I think part of the difficulty is because you
haven’t fully claimed her, but there’s also her magic. While she’s not the only
woman with a high level of magic, most of them grew up with it and learned to
control it. It scares her.” Vin grimaced and shut the book carefully.

“You think her magic might have something to do with the
reason we couldn’t send her to her haven?” Linc tilted his head and frowned.

Colm got up and paced, unable to stay still as the agitation
built. “How are we supposed to work around that? We can’t do anything to her
magic. She’s learning to control it, but even that’s going to take time.”

“I’m not saying you should do anything about her magic. If
I’m right, it’s something that she unconsciously does anytime she encounters
magic. In a way, just as someone who’s been hit flinches whenever a hand is
lifted, she instinctively tries to shield herself. Her nervousness and fear are
probably causing it. You’re going to have to get her accustomed to your magic.”
Vin shrugged and leaned back in the chair. “Even if you do nothing, it will
eventually work itself out.”

“Not soon enough. Laed and Kynar are after her.” Linc
muttered and shoved back from the table. He stalked to the door and back to the
table. “Get her accustomed to our magic. It isn’t going to be easy. As big a
step as she took today, she’s not ready to fully trust us. I think that’s what
you really mean.”

Colm held back a growl, but couldn’t stop his hands from
clenching into fists. She didn’t trust them or even her own magic. He couldn’t
really blame her after what happened to her.

“She’ll have to trust your magic. Do you think you can get
her to accept the touch of your magic? Once she relaxes enough to accept that,
you should be able to get her there. I can’t be sure if she’ll be able to go
there herself if she’s nervous or afraid. This precise situation hasn’t
happened before. The only other time that I know of where a female didn’t go to
her haven, she knew magic and she blocked it herself.” Vin rose from his chair
and strode over to Colm. He gently grasped Colm’s shoulder.

“She’s afraid of losing control of her own magic. It’s not
going to be easy to get her trust our magic.” Colm took a deep breath. He
wasn’t going to give up, but he knew that she was going to have a few problems
relaxing around magic.

“Show her that magic can be fun and that she doesn’t have to
hold onto her magic so tightly. Let her know how much pleasure she can have
from it. You might try it one at a time at first. Teach her to reciprocate. It
will give her more control over her power,” Vin offered with a smile.

Colm looked at Linc as the c
hatar’s
words hit him.
Show her that she can have pleasure from magic. He was an idiot. He should have
thought of that. It might help her relax around their magic. At the very least,
she’d learn the feel of it. They’d have to discuss how to go about introducing
her to it, but it was a starting point. He didn’t want to wait too long, but
knew they’d have to wait until later tonight.

Linc nodded and smiled. Colm could tell he was already
thinking of ways to introduce her to the sexy side of magic. Colm had some
definite ideas about that himself, but they could discuss it later.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Cami strolled along beside Tyson as he led her out of the
walls. She’d met the man when Colm and Linc had finally introduced her to Tori.
The large, black-haired man oozed assurance and confidence.

From what little she’d seen of him, he was an easy-going,
relaxed man, but she had seen the passion and emotion in his eyes when he
looked at Tori. The open emotion made her a little envious. The only thing she
was sure about with those two was that they were possessive. Well, and that
they wanted her. Nothing too deep.

She expected him to stop not too far from the gates. As far
as she knew, they would be staying very close to the walls until Laed and Kynar
were caught. Any kind of exercise and freedom thrilled her. The sun felt good
as it rained down on her in a soft, warm caress. She’d enjoy just finding some
place to sit down and let the sun and wind brush over her.

She looked around the area as Tyson turned, leading her
toward a group of women gathered on the grass. They seemed to be simply talking
and standing together, but they could be waiting for the men to bring something
to them. There were more than a few men in the area.

“Don’t worry. You’re safe.” Tyson’s voice cut into her
thoughts and she realized he must have noticed she was a little concerned.

“I wasn’t worried about safety. It just seemed a little
strange to pass the gates when we don’t know if Laed and Kynar are anywhere in
the area. I expected to walk around within the walls.” She looked over at him
and smiled.

“The Ardin know that you were feeling a little caged after
what recently happened and the days spent mostly inside.” Tyson slowed as they
neared the women.

When she noticed that the women gathered there were all
married women, she realized that they’d done more than notice she was a little
tense. “They arranged this?”

While it sounded close to a question, she was almost certain
of the answer. It was all too much to be a coincidence. The extra men lingering
outside the walls was one thing, but the women being there too with nothing to
do was another. She didn’t know how this
Thent
operated, but completely
free days were rare. There was always something that needed to be done. If not
in the
Thent
itself, in the home or simply preparation for the next day
or coming months.

“Yes, I believe they said something about letting you see
that not everyone wanted to be their Lady.” Tyson tossed a grin at her as he
stopped near the women.

More possible, they wanted to show her there were women they
hadn’t slept with in their
Thent
. She kept the remark firmly locked
behind her lips. Normally, she’d simply have said it, but she had doubts about
the truth of it even moments after thinking it. They’d been considerate of her
almost since the day they met her.

“Add to that the fact that they want her to see that there
are women here who don’t automatically hate her because she’s their mate,” one
of the women offered with a laugh. “What you don’t realize, because you weren’t
here, is that they’ve been doing a lot of the same things they did to you to
each other to try to get the other women to back out of the picture.”

“Well, you’ve met me, but let me introduce you to Trisha,
Gennie, Vikki and Kala.” Tori smiled and gestured, first to the blonde who’d
just spoken and then to each of the women in turn.

“That almost makes it worse. Those women should have seen
how that felt and Linc and Colm should have put a stop to it before I arrived.
Did they attack each other as they’ve attacked me?” She tilted her head. Colm
and Linc didn’t seem to be the type of leaders to let that continue. It wasn’t
just the danger of one of the women being hurt. From what she’d seen, Colm and
Linc wouldn’t let it go on after they discovered it.

“They knew that the women were having problems, but didn’t
know it was about them. The women all put it down to personal differences. They
were smart enough to realize that was one of the quickest ways of losing any
chance at the Ardin. Also, some of it happened while Colm and Linc weren’t
here.” Vikki, a petite dark-haired woman brushed a stray strand of hair away
from her eyes.

Learning about the turmoil caused by the search through the
members of his
Thent
might have made Colm see earlier that it wasn’t a
good idea, but he’d missed it. Not that surprising if the real reasons for the
fights never got beyond the women. The married women wouldn’t have said
anything because there was no way to prove it. The single women could simply
deny it.

“They’re a little more intense with you, because you’re the
only actual threat they’ve faced. I think deep down they knew there was little
chance of a bonding ceremony happening.” Gennie grimaced. The redhead smoothed
her hands over her rounded belly in a slow, stroking motion.

Maybe so deep that they didn’t even know about it. Cami
wasn’t so certain. She looked from one woman to the the other feeling a little
confused. She’d only seen the possessive, vengeful side of the single women and
to a lesser extent their friends.

“I bet it stung their pride to find out the Ardin were doing
the chasing this time.” Trisha raised her brows and smiled.

Now that she really didn’t understand and couldn’t let pass
without questioning. She’d never thought of those two as passive. They
certainly weren’t that way with her. They wouldn’t let the woman do the
choosing then, any more than they would now.

“What do you mean the chasing? From what I know, the women
didn’t come up to Colm and say ‘you’re mine tonight’. In fact, that would make
him a little more resistant in most cases.” She had to pause at the last of
that to keep from laughing at the very idea.

He would do the asking or telling. However he’d done it.
That was one thing she was glad she didn’t know. She didn’t want to see how
they’d convinced the women to come to their bed or what had been said. The fact
that Colm had been sifting through his
Thent’s
women for a mate still
infuriated her and had even before she knew what trouble they’d cause her.

“She doesn’t mean chasing as in the women were that bold.
No, they’d make excuses to be near them and subtly let them know they were
available if they wanted. If you’re wondering how the single women became so
possessive, we’re not entirely sure other than the initial shown interest. Colm
never showed any partiality to any one woman and Linc was often more than a
little disinterested.” Tori smiled and reached out to grasp her hand.

The gesture was reassuring. Cami returned the smile. “I
don’t know what held him back, but I’m glad. I might be the one causing some trouble
if I’d found them mated to someone else. In spite of my uncertainties, the pull
to get to know them or simply touch them was always there.”

“It’s been good to see them really interested in a woman and
not the calculated approach they used before. Colm might have been searching
among the ladies here, but he’s going to hold onto you tightly. I think he’d
give you more trouble than Linc if you weren’t ready for the mating.” Vikki, a
petitie brunette with arresting features tilted her head as if she was giving
it more thought.

“No doubt. It’s as if the gods decided to show him what he
was trying to avoid and simply to teach him a lesson, threw in your reluctance.
Now he’s waiting to pounce.” Gennie laughed softly. Cami could tell by the way
the woman smiled that she found the idea a little funny.

“Where’s the need to pounce? I’ve publicly claimed them.
They’re probably already moving my things into their room.” She frowned at the
pregnant woman almost directly across from her. The woman had a strange sense
of humor, but Cami understood the sentiment.

“You’re not fully claimed yet and their instincts will keep
pushing them to do it. They’d want everyone to know and you wouldn’t be wearing
a shirt that covers so much of your shoulders if it had happened. Since you
still don’t smell like a normal Santir, I’m betting they can’t do it. Until
that happens, the stress and uncertainty will rise. Whenever they can smell you
clearly enough to claim you, they’ll pounce. I’ll bet Colm tracks you down
first, unless Linc is right beside you.” Kala raised her brows and a wicked
grin tilted her lips.

Cami frowned at the short, curvy woman. She sounded much too
cheerful when she said that. The image alone sent her heartbeat racing. A tiny
frisson of fear trickled through her, but only because of the permanence of the
mating once fully formed. As much as she wanted them, there was still a small
part of her that wondered if they really wanted her that much. Maybe they only
wanted her because she had tried to deny the connection to them.

Along with the uncertainty and doubt, a delicious thrill of
anticipation coursed through her body. She wanted that intensity from them. She
shivered and heated cream eased from her as excitement built. If she kept
thinking this way, she might have to go up to her room and take care of this
building desire on her own.

“The mating drive will push them that way,” she acknowledged
with a shrug. She firmly pushed a small bit of hope down and hid behind the
facts. Letting her imagination lead her to dream could lead to unnecessary
hurt.

“Don’t fool yourself that your emotions or theirs aren’t
involved. They already are or you wouldn’t be so afraid.” Kala shook her head.
“I know it’s not exactly the most comfortable time for you what with everything
going on around you. You need to trust yourself, them and the mating. They
wouldn’t cause you pain deliberately, would they?”

Cami sighed, knowing where this was going. Straight to an
admission she didn’t know if she was ready to make. No, they wouldn’t deliberately
try to cause her pain. That didn’t mean it wouldn’t happen.

Tyson cleared his throat. “The Ardin don’t want you outside
the walls too long. I thought you might want to walk around the area a little
more before we go back inside.”

She looked over her shoulder and smiled, a little grateful
for the interruption. “I do want to move around a little more. If I’m kept
caged inside the
Thent
for too much longer, I might try climbing the
walls for a little fresh air.”

Tyson laughed. “I think the Ardin would object to that.”

She nodded. “I’m sure they would.”

Tori walked over and took her hands. “I think most of the
women will back off after today, but don’t count on all of them going away
without another example of your resolve.”

“Maybe I’ll go ask the healer what’s good for sore
knuckles.” She’d already guessed that. Overall, it didn’t worry her. She’d deal
with a few more last ditch attempts as long as they didn’t go for her back
again. Then, if she was mad enough, she really would gut them.

“Don’t hold back because you’re afraid to be hurt. Make sure
they know you want them as a mate as much as you want the sex. They might not
know it.” Tori’s voice lowered to a whisper. “They’re yours as much as you’re
theirs.”

The way she said that struck Cami, but before she could
think about it, Tyson nudged her away from the women. She walked with him down
the road. As they got farther away from the
Thent
, unease crept through
her.
They’re here.

She took a deep breath and pushed the nagging thought away
and ignored the apprehension. Laed and Kynar hadn’t been spotted. She was
overreacting to the stress. It had been too long since she’d been outside of
the
Thent
. As much as being inside those walls irritated her at times,
it could be reassuring to have that barrier to the threats surrounding her.

“They’re not going to decide it’s a mistake. If they’re
certain enough to put you into the position of their Lady, they’re not going to
change their mind. They’ll hold on even if you try to pull away,” Tyson said.

His low voice startled her from her thoughts. She wished she
could be as certain as he sounded, but the fact that Colm hadn’t wanted a mate
kept popping into her head. It had made her wary from the first, but now it
kept her torn between the piercing desire to get closer to them and doubt.
Sometimes she wished she’d never seen that part of their lives.

“I know.” She did know that they would want to keep their
mate.
Was it wrong to want more than the biological bond?
Not that she
could ask him that. Just from his responses so far, she knew he’d be firmly on
Linc and Colm’s side. She gestured to where a field was being cleared of grass
and brush. “What’s going to be there?”

“Grain first, I think. The area next to it is a small
orchard.” Tyson frowned as he stared at the area.

The nervousness grew with every step they took away from the
castle and the men working there.
Someone was going to die if they went too
near the forest.
The thought startled her and her mouth dried on a rush of
fear. She looked at the man beside her.

Her imagination was running away with her. She tried to tell
herself that, but the feeling of dread rising up in her only built. Her eyes
searched the trees beyond the field. She couldn’t see any sign of movement or
anything that looked vaguely similar to a person.

“Is something wrong?” Tyson stopped walking.

“Yes, something’s wrong. We should go back now.” She didn’t
want to start off sounding crazy. Most of them might know that she had magic
and some rather strange abilities, but she didn’t think everyone knew exactly
what those were. He might not believe her.

Tyson frowned. “Are you still nervous? Being out in the open
this way can’t be easy after what you’ve been through, but you’re safe. The
Ardin would never have allowed you outside the walls unless they were certain
of it.”

Cami swallowed heavily fighting the urge to head back into
the
Thent
at a fast walk.
What’s wrong with me?
The day was
beautiful. There was no sign of any danger, but the dread and worry built
inside her. Her skin prickled with unease and her stomach clenched as the
feeling only intensified. The urge to shift or at least partially change to
better protect herself thrummed inside of her.