HerMatesEmbrace (26 page)

“I know they wouldn’t let me outside the walls if they knew
of any danger to me.” She wrung her hands together. The problem was they
weren’t facing an army here. It was just two men. Two men could hide in an area
undetected for months if they were careful.

“You think there’s danger here? One of the false Ardin? Have
you seen something?” Tyson’s hand covered the pommel of his sword.

“No, I haven’t seen anything.” It burned to admit that, but
she wasn’t going to lie. As intense as the feelings were, she wasn’t sure yet
if it was simple anxiety or if this was the same as one of the dreams she’d
had. The only problem was she hadn’t seen any images or scenes as she did with
those and she definitely wasn’t asleep.

“Why don’t you take a few deep breaths and try to relax. I
know you have reason to be nervous of them. Push all thoughts of those two men
out of your head and focus only on today. Don’t let them ruin these moments of
freedom.” Tyson looked down at her and waited.

She took a deep breath. It helped calm her racing heart a
little, but the feeling persisted. His words seemed to resonate in her head. If
this was simple fear, she couldn’t let it control her. She didn’t know if it
was more, but she’d need more than just vague feelings before she would let it
turn her back.

“I’m ready to walk on now.” She smiled at Tyson, but her gut
was still tight with the fear and her mouth felt as dry as a desert. She’d
managed to push past the emotion and instinct, but it still clamored inside
her. For now, she’d try her best to enjoy the walk. She wasn’t letting the fear
rule her. At least, she’d try.

They moved along the road. Although she tried to focus on
relaxing, the anxiety thrummed through her with every step. It became hard to
concentrate on anything aside from the rising urgency of the feelings. Light
flashed in front of her eyes. She stopped and turned her head, looking around
the area.
Maybe it was a bird.
The thought had no sooner crossed her
mind than images slammed into her head.

A hand clenched around a knife. Kynar’s face swam before her
eyes, his mouth twisted into a sneer. Blood running over the grass and dirt, pooling
beside a still hand.

Feelings rushed through her and she didn’t know where they
were all coming from. She didn’t know anything except that some of them weren’t
hers. Hatred and anger battered at her as fear and guilt swelled. Her stomach
lurched and she gagged. One hand flew to her mouth and the other rubbed at her
temple as the horizon tilted crazily in front of her. Her knees felt weak and
wobbly, but she managed to stay on her feet.

“What’s wrong?” Tyson’s hand gently touched her shoulder,
drawing her attention.

She looked at his arm. That had been his hand she’d seen on
the ground with blood pooling near it. She’d thought she needed more than the
feelings as proof and she’d gotten it. Her stomach clenched and churned again.
If they went any closer to the forest, he was going to be hurt.

“We’re going back to the
Thent
now.” She exhaled a
shuddering breath. No more denying the urging of her instincts. Even if someone
only got hurt, she wouldn’t take that risk. The guilt would eat at her, knowing
she could have stopped it from happening.

“Are you hurt or sick? You’re a little pale.” Tyson frowned
and his head tilted to the side.

“I’m fine. We’re heading back now. I’ve come far enough.”
She straightened and tried to breathe through the clench and heave of her
stomach.

“Do you need some time? Because if you want, we can simply
stay here and talk until you feel more relaxed.” Tyson looked at her patiently.

She drew in another breath and closed her eyes. He must
think she was letting her fear rule her again. She
was
afraid, but she
knew it was more than her emotions. They were there and waiting. She wasn’t
going to give them the chance to hurt anyone today.

“I don’t need time. I want to go back now.” She kept her
voice even and firm. She wasn’t changing her mind. Any wavering might make him
think she was unsure. She turned back to the
Thent
.

“There are plenty of men out here to protect you even if
those men are close,” Tyson offered gently.

She shook her head firmly. “It’s not about the number of men
around to protect me. I
know
they’re here. I can almost feel their
hatred right now. If we go any closer to the forest right now, someone’s going
to get hurt. I
know
this as much as I do that you’re standing right
beside me.”

He looked back at the forest and then back to her. She could
tell that he didn’t fully believe her, but at the moment all that mattered was
getting back to the fortress. “If you’re certain, we’ll head back and tell the
Ardin.”

“Good.” She smiled at him, glad to have his agreement
finally. He’d seemed determined to give her as much time outside the walls as
possible. Nice thought, but right now, being outside the
Thent
seemed
worse than being stuck inside.

Not that she expected the talk with those two to go much
better than this one had. She had been afraid. They might simply think that
she’d let her imagination take control. They didn’t believe what she dreamed
without proof. Since this had happened while she was awake, that might make
what she said even more difficult to accept.

She didn’t care if they were convinced of it. They needed to
know about it. She didn’t think Laed and Kynar would wait very long to make
some kind of move. Colm and Linc should be prepared for anything. Kynar and
Laed had no honor.

They walked back in silence. She didn’t know how she was
supposed to make them understand that what she’d seen was true and not a rush
of panicked thoughts, images and feelings. The short stroll back to the gate
seemed to take no time at all. Now that she was back in the walls, the fear
faded and worry began to build. Would they take her concerns seriously? She
could only try. The rest was their decision.

Chapter Twenty-Four

Colm looked away from the men practicing in a clear, grassy
area near the corner guardhouse. From his position, he had a good view of
almost the entire inner courtyard. When he saw two people walking through the
gates, his eyes sharpened. That appeared to be Tyson. When the wind gusted, he
saw the bottom of a skirt and knew it was Tyson and Cami.

What were they doing back so soon? He’d thought with the
chance to go for a long walk that she’d stay out there until the sun set if
they let her. The tension in her had been growing. The problem with the single
women had been part of it and her determination to keep a distance between them
also had a part in it. Being confined within the walls hadn’t helped. It would
have driven him out of his mind to stay within the walls for as long as she
had.

Tyson stopped and looked around the courtyard. Colm wondered
what he was searching for when he began walking toward them, Cami at his side.
Colm tilted his head a little and watched. Something was off. Both of them
seemed a little stiff.

By the time they neared him, he knew there was something
wrong. The only reason he didn’t walk out to meet them was that if something
had happened while they were outside the walls, he would have been told.

“Hi, Cami, I didn’t expect to see you back so soon.” He
smiled as they stopped in front of him. He expected an easy smile in return,
but her look was so serious and unsure that he knew for certain that something
wasn’t right.

She took a deep breath and opened her mouth, but closed it
again. Her teeth nibbled at her lower lip. She seemed to be trying to think of
what to say. Her hands twisted together. What could make her so nervous?

“Is something wrong?” He looked from Cami to Tyson.

“Your Lady is convinced that the false Ardin are out there.”
Tyson looked at Cami.

The man’s tone and expression both showed his confusion. If
there had been the slightest hint of condescension in his voice, Colm would
have taken him down for the disrespect.

“Cami, did you see something?” Colm asked.

“Not ‘see’ the way you mean.” Her eyes met his.

He bit back the curse. “Why don’t we take this inside the
Thent
where we can sit and talk about it in comfort?”

Cami still looked nervous. He knew these abilities were new
to her. Whatever was bothering her, they’d work through later, but first, he
needed to know why she thought the false Ardin were here. He’d known the men
might follow her here, but with the number of men he had outside the walls at
the moment, he was sure they weren’t close enough to do any harm.

Those men wouldn’t risk their own lives just to get to her.
Especially since they thought there was a chance to get their magic back. Not
that he expected a foolish attack when they realized that was gone. No, if they
decided to try to kill her out of revenge, they’d wait for a vulnerable moment
with little risk to them.

He gestured to Linc, who was across the field. That was all
it took. Linc left the two men he’d been watching spar and began walking over
to join them. Colm waited. Cami needed time to relax. A few moments waiting for
Linc wouldn’t hurt.

Is something wrong? She’s back a little sooner than we
thought.
Linc’s thoughts swept into his mind along with concern.

Tyson said that she thinks the false Ardin were here.
Colm kept his eyes on Cami. He didn’t know what to think. She’d been running
from those men and had more than enough reason to fear them. He didn’t know how
to reassure her without angering her or sounding condescending.

Did he give any reason why she thought that?
Linc
shot a frown at him as he joined them.

Colm shrugged and lead the way to the
Thent
.
She
said that she didn’t see them. Not in the way that I meant.

Fuck.
Linc’s mental tone immediately grew a little
rougher.

But I have to wonder if it’s really something that will
come to pass or if her fear is coloring her thoughts.
Colm kept his eyes
straight ahead, but felt a little twinge of guilt for even thinking it. The one
time she’d seen something here had been true. This was a little different. She
hadn’t been asleep.
We both know she’s still so afraid of them she has
nightmares.

And there’s more than ample reason for those nightmares.
Linc moved up beside him and scowled at him, the irritation plain on his face.
Let
her explain before you start making decisions about what’s real and what she’s
imagining. We thought she’d dreamed up the last one and caught two men coming
into our
Thent
because of what she saw.

I remember, but this is a different situation.
Colm
wasn’t making snap decisions, but he also knew that he was too inclined to
believe anything she said simply because she was their Lady.

Sending men out to search won’t hurt anything, even if
nothing is found. Personally I’d rather she be aware of the danger than so
complacent she didn’t pay attention to what was going on around her.
Linc
didn’t elaborate, but he didn’t need to go into vivid detail of what could have
happened to her if she’d been less diligent before she’d found them.

Those kinds of thoughts gave Colm nightmares. She’d been so
vulnerable when she was on the run. He didn’t need the thought of her doing
anything overtly reckless added onto the image. Linc had a point about sending
out men. It would reassure her that they weren’t simply brushing aside her
concerns.

As they climbed the steps, he kept his eyes on her. She was
so tense. Didn’t she know that they’d still trust her dreams even if she was
wrong this time? Whatever spooked her might not even be about today. It could
be sometime in the future. She was just learning about her abilities and hadn’t
learned to control or even read it fully yet.

He urged her in front of him as Linc held the door open for
her. Tyson waited as they entered and followed them into the entrance hall.
Colm almost stopped as he strode in behind her. His eyes rose from studying the
sway of her ass as she walked. He saw Vin standing near the end of the hallway.
Tension swept over him and his jaw clenched tight, biting back a curse. Seeing
the
chatar
there, he knew something was important, even if he didn’t
know what that was.

“I think you need somewhere quiet to talk, right?” Vin
smiled and gestured them to walk before him. “You can use my library. Plenty of
room for all of you.”

“We do need to talk, and since you’re aware of it, you
should probably be part of it.” Colm frowned at the
chatar
. A little
warning would be nice if he had any indication something would happen today.
Cami had faced enough changes. She didn’t need any more surprises if it could
be helped. He didn’t know what reason the man had for doing things this way. If
it was similar to some of his other reasons, they might never know. The man was
always mysterious.

Vin nodded and waited as they walked past him. Colm followed
Cami as she led the way to the
chatar’s
library. He reached past her and
opened the door before allowing her to enter. She strode into the room, but she
didn’t immediately sit. She stood next to one of the shelves.

He knew she was nervous and didn’t want to crowd her. Taking
a seat at the end of the table, he waited for her to relax enough to sit down.
Linc sat down across from him, leaving the seat at the end open for her. Tyson
sat a seat down from him and Vin took a seat near Linc. Finally, Cami sighed
looked up and took a chair at the other end of the table.

Colm shook his head. That illustrated how she was feeling
very clearly. Her against everyone else. Colm wasn’t about to let that
continue. They were by her side on this. She wasn’t alone.

He stood and walked over to her. He didn’t sit beside her.
He reached down and lifted her out of the chair. She stiffened and gasped, but
she didn’t yell or argue. He walked over and put her into the chair at their
end of the table. She grabbed the arms of the chair and narrowed her eyes on
him. He didn’t know if she needed something to hold onto to steady herself.
Maybe, she simply didn’t want to take a swing at him.

“We always sit by your side and we’ll be on your side. We
might not agree with you or take everything you say as fact. That doesn’t mean
we’re against you.” Linc put his hand on her arm and rubbed slowly up and down.
“Now why don’t you start by telling us what happened out there?”

“Tyson can go first. My story isn’t going to differ too much
from his except near the end of the walk.” Cami smiled, but Colm saw the strain
around the edges of her mouth.

Trust. In ways, she’d given it to them, and in other ways,
she seemed to expect them to turn on her. He was certain she trusted them with
her body and not to hurt her physically. It was her emotions that now held her
back. Talking wasn’t going to change that. Time would. He didn’t like it. Most
of the time, he wanted to grab her and demand that she give them everything. He
couldn’t order this. She needed to discover that on her own.

“Go ahead, Tyson,” Linc said.

Colm put his hand over Cami’s. He could see the distance in
her eyes and the way she almost leaned back in the chair. He held back a snarl.
She’d probably misinterpret his irritation at that silent retreat. He wanted to
haul her into his lap and show her that none of her doubts mattered in the end.

“At first, everything was fine. She talked to the women and
seemed relaxed. Once we walked away from the
Thent
and toward the
forest, she began to get tense. Her steps noticeably dragged. I thought she was
simply nervous about being outside of the walls, but she said no. There was
danger.” Tyson looked over at Cami and he didn’t seem to know what to make of
her actions.

“Danger? Is that where it ended? Did you bring her back
then?” Linc frowned.

“No, I asked her if she’d seen anything. I knew you’d had
the perimeter checked and that there were people watching us even at that
moment. I thought she was simply nervous because of the old fear of them. I had
her take a few breaths. When she was ready, we walked again. She suddenly
stopped and said that she was ready to go back to the
Thent
now.” Tyson
rested his arm on the table.

“Is there a reason that you didn’t wait for her to relax
again this time?” Colm frowned. Taking that time had been a good idea.

“She wouldn’t. She was pale and obviously shaken about
something. She said that if we went any closer to the trees that someone would
get hurt.” Tyson shrugged.

“Now your side of the tale, Cami.” Colm looked at her and
smiled. His hand tightened on her arm, hoping to reassure her.

Cami bit her lip and then took a deep breath. “I felt way
more than nervous as we were walking. Dread comes closer to it.”

“Okay, you were afraid.” Colm hoped to prod her story along
so that they could get onto reassuring her that they did take her concerns
seriously.

She stiffened and leaned as far back as the chair would
allow. Her eyes narrowed a little and her breathing quickened. He clenched his
teeth as he realized how harsh his words had sounded. Putting her on the
defensive was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Everything inside of me was telling me that going near that
forest was a bad idea. At first, I thought that maybe some of it was nerves,
because I hadn’t been out in the open in a while. I wasn’t completely unaware
that might be the cause. It’s why I kept going after the first time we
stopped.” She looked at him and anger burned brightly in her eyes.

Colm saw Linc’s hand stroke up and down her arm, probably trying
to soothe her once again. He kept holding onto her hand even when she tried to
pull away from him. Better she realize quickly that he’d hold on tightly now.

“So you tried to ignore the feelings, but they were too
strong. What happened that finally convinced you of that it wasn’t a bad case
of nervous fear?” Linc’s voice rolled smoothly through the room.

“As we got closer to the forest, I saw images. It wasn’t a
complete scene as I normally get, but flashes, disjointed little snips and a
rush of feelings. Some of the emotions, I’m certain weren’t mine.” She shivered
and her scent changed. With the drug in her system, he couldn’t quite identify
it, but her body language and expression were enough to tell him fear played a
part in it.

“What were the images?” Colm asked. He hoped she realized
that he wasn’t questioning what she saw or how she felt about it. He needed to
know more about what made it seem so real to her, why this time was different
from all of her other visions of the future.

“I saw a flash of light. At first, I tried to make myself
believe that it was a bird or something that caught the edge of my vision. It
wasn’t.” Her voice strengthened and the she looked him straight in the eyes.

“You became certain it wasn’t a bird.” Linc patted her hand.

She glared at him. Colm shot him a dark look too. The last
thing they needed was Linc bumbling around verbally. Colm did enough of that.
He wanted her to know they supported her, but everything they said seemed to
put her on the defensive.

She pulled at her arm, but he held onto it. If he released
her, she’d get up and walk away from them. He wanted to haul her into his lap
and hold her tight, but he knew she’d fight that. She was much too angry
already.

“No, it wasn’t a bird. I saw flashes of scenes, as if it was
a moment out of time. A hand gripped a knife, but I didn’t even have time to
wonder who was holding it before the next one hit me. Kynar’s face, his lips
twisted into a sneer. I saw blood flowing across grass and dirt. It pooled
beside a male hand. And then there were the feelings.” She took a deep breath
and shuddered.