HerMatesEmbrace (5 page)

“You might try telling them that instead of trying to
arrange for some woman to distract them.”

“She approached me. I just told her the truth.” Cami
grinned.

“And they’re going to approach you when they realize you
directed her over there.” Avan looked at her as if she should have realized
that without him having to spell it out to her.

“How would they know that? She doesn’t look stupid enough to
tell them. Bringing up another woman is the last thing a woman should do if she
wants the attention of a man or men. Very stupid. You want their attention on
you, not anyone else. That’s why she’s waiting. She doesn’t want to have to vie
for their attention.” She wasn’t too worried about that. The woman knew what
she wanted and seemed as if she was the type to get it any way she could.

“She’s not going to have their attention for long. I’d lay
you a wager on that.” Avan looked over to the table where Colm and Linc sat.

She risked a glance, but she didn’t want them to know she
was watching them. That might give them clue that the woman had help
approaching them. The men around them were leaving and the woman’s interest was
sharpening. Cami didn’t blame her.

Their sheer muscularity drew women’s eyes in addition to the
fact that they were both attractive. She gritted her teeth and turned her gaze
back to the tables and people in front of her. The thought of that woman’s
hands on them made her want to hit something, but she took a deep breath.

This was a good idea. She needed them interested in someone
else because too much of their undivided attention was bad for her plans. Even
though she’d love to luxuriate in their concern, it would draw them closer.
That could be a disaster. Especially since she had no indication that Colm
would ever want to find his mate.

“I knew it.” Avan’s voice held satisfaction.

Cami didn’t bother looking over to the table. She could tell
from the tone of Avan’s voice that what he’d expected to happen finally had.
She didn’t know what had gone wrong, but apparently the woman had failed in her
aim. Avan didn’t have to sound so thrilled about it. He didn’t have any wager
on it.

“Better prepare yourself. They don’t look happy and they’re
bringing her with them.” Avan’s voice dropped to a whisper.

Cami’s head whipped around even as she pushed back from the
table, thinking that retreat might be a good idea about now. Avan was right.
They looked furious and they were striding straight toward them.
Time to
head up to the room.
She started to rise from her chair.

“Don’t move.” Linc’s voice rumbled through the dining room
and silence fell after that too-loud order.

Caught half sitting and half standing, Cami knew she
couldn’t hold the position forever, so she sank back down onto her seat. He’d
have to be satisfied with her not leaving the room as she’d planned. She took a
deep breath to brace herself before she realized she wasn’t flinching and
fearing that he was going to backhand her for sending the woman over to them.
Somehow, she’d come to trust them enough to push. She suddenly recognized that
she’d known that before she’d talked to the woman.

“Do you think this is funny?” Colm’s deep voice lowered and
sounded distinctly gravelly as he stopped beside the table.

“Do I think what’s funny?” Cami licked her lips and stalled
as she tried to think of an answer that wouldn’t make them even angrier.

“Our orders, the woman, this situation. What put the smile
on your face? I don’t think anything about this is in the least bit humorous.”
Colm leaned over the table until his face was almost level with hers.

She forced her lips down into a straight line now that she
realized they’d curved into a smile. There wasn’t anything that would induce
her to tell him that his expression and tone only made it harder to keep her
face in the serious pose. “No, something else just popped into my head while
you were walking over here.”

A low growl rumbled from Colm’s chest as if he suspected he
was the cause of some of those thoughts. “Well, focus, because I don’t want to
have to go through this again.”

“Did you send her over to us?” Linc’s voice was deceptively
quiet, but she heard the intensity behind the words.

“She asked if I was involved with you because she didn’t
want to take another woman’s man. I told her that you weren’t my men.” She kept
it to the bare facts. They could make of it what they would.

“Did you add something about her being our type or perfect
for us?” Colm raised a brow.

“I might have said something about her being your type. I
don’t think I threw in perfect.” She was fairly sure she hadn’t added on
perfect. The word still made her want to grit her teeth. Although she had to
admit the woman probably fit that description. At least from what she could
tell now. She had no idea if the woman was as perfect as she looked.

“Our type. I’m not even going to ask why you think she’d be
the type of woman we’d want.” Colm’s narrow-eyed stare had her easing back on
the chair. “We don’t need you to find women for us.”

“I didn’t find her for you.” She put her hands on the table
and leaned forward as her anger began to push past her caution. “I told you,
she came to me. I didn’t go out and search for a woman for you. All I did was
tell her you weren’t my men and she went over to you on her own. Simple truth.”

She didn’t add that the woman was exactly the type of woman
they favored. In spite of the building emotion, she knew when to keep her mouth
shut. They hadn’t questioned her knowledge of them too much and she’d like to
keep it that way. She didn’t want to tell them just how much she knew of them
and in what context. Judging by the way they looked at her, they already had
some interest in her. She didn’t need them thinking about why she’d seen facets
of their life and not other men’s.

Linc growled. “Don’t do this again. On top of that, you lied
to her or yourself. You’re interested in us, but you’re scared.”

“Are you finished? Can I get up now?” She wasn’t touching
that last bit. Denying it would practically be a dare to them and agreeing
would be an invitation. It was a losing game from the start. Even not
commenting on it would probably provoke them.

“We’re finished and she’s leaving. We’re not that easily
distracted, Cami. Especially when we have what we want within sight.” Colm’s
voice smoothed and rolled over her, leaving tingling skin in its wake.

His eyes were locked on her and left her in no doubt about
exactly whom they intended to pursue. She should correct that attitude
straightaway, but had a feeling that it would only push them into a physical
demonstration of what they wanted. She needed to avoid that. With that thought,
she headed for the stairs. She climbed them as fast as she could.

“Don’t close and bar that door to us.” Linc’s voice rang in
the narrow hallway.

Cami tensed and spun to look back the way she’d come. Linc
stood at the top of the stairway and she could see Colm just behind him. She
hadn’t even heard the stairs creak behind her, much less the sound of a
footstep. They had to have started up not long after she had.

“I was just going to rest. Is there something you want?” She
took a deep breath and waited for them to walk down the hallway to meet her.

She wasn’t going to act as though she was some frightened
little animal and run and cower when faced with a predator. The dreams had
given her a little information about them and she’d use that to her advantage.
Of course, there was no real guarantee that this was about their interest in
her. They might not even feel the same level of attraction to her as she did to
them. She could be misreading the look in their eyes, but she wasn’t going to
count on it.

“You were going to hide, but that isn’t possible tonight.
You have things to do.” Colm’s voice sounded cheerful and his expression showed
not a bit of regret.

They stopped just outside her door and Linc pushed it open.
She folded her arms across her chest and braced her feet apart. Narrowing her
eyes, she gave them her best menacing glare. She wasn’t budging and simply
leading them into her room as if she was some kind of tame pet was out of the
question. She wanted answers.

“What do I have to do? I don’t have any plans. This is the
last night before we go to your world. I assumed everyone would relax a
little.” She looked from one man to the other.

With silent, stalking steps, they closed the distance. She swallowed
as she took in the hard, predatory lines of their faces. Linc looked intensely
masculine in all black, but Colm was just as imposing. Two male animals on the
hunt.

“Well, you might have wanted to talk to us. While it’s not
going to be too strenuous, you need to practice with your magic a little. Since
we’re both available, we can make sure there are no accidents. We also want to
talk to you a little about what happened in the dining room.” Colm put a hand
on her shoulder and slowly stepped forward.

She stepped back and dipped her shoulder, sliding out of his
loose hold.
What more did they want from her?
“What’s to talk about? I
already said I wouldn’t send any women your way even if they asked if you were
free.”

“We’re going to talk about this in your room, not out in the
hall.” Linc pushed a hand through his hair and his jaw flexed. He looked as if
he wanted to yell, but she could tell that it wasn’t the anger of before.

She sighed and looked into the room. A dark-blue blanket
spread across the small bed. There wasn’t a closet or bureau. A simple table
and a single straight-backed wooden chair sat near it. All in all, she was glad
there weren’t more furnishings.

The room wasn’t that big in the first place. With those two
in there, it was going to feel even smaller. She really didn’t want to feel
trapped and crowded right now. On top of that, she needed to think of a way to
turn their interest to someone else without throwing women at them, since that
was now out.

“This can wait, can’t it? We’re closer to your home and I
know to come to you if things get out of hand again.” She glanced down the hall
and then back into the room again.

“No, it can’t wait. You know we’re not going to hurt you.”
Linc’s voice hardened a little.

She really was tired of having to give in to their orders
because they were the Ardin. Idly, she wondered what they would do if she
suddenly screamed “no” and ran down the hallway. She knew they’d stop her, but
beyond that she didn’t have a clue.

It wasn’t fear that stopped her from doing it, although the
thought did send a thrill of nervousness down her spine. No, it wasn’t time and
she knew it. If she was going to make a big scene and blatantly disobey them,
it would be over more than this. She simply didn’t know what that more would be.

“I know you’re probably not going to hurt me, but that’s
about all I know. Take into account the fact that I don’t like to be crowded
and that’s not the biggest room and maybe you’ll understand a little.” She
exhaled loudly and stepped into the room.

“Our room isn’t any bigger than this, so we can’t offer you
a choice there and we have to have privacy. As for the first part of your
statement, we’ll take probably. It’s a step up over the open suspicion in your
eyes when we first met you.” Linc’s lips kicked into a small, brief smile. She
could almost see the good humor and confidence roll off him.

Her shoulders slumped and she gave in to the inevitable. “If
we have to do this, then let’s get started. I do want to get some rest.”

Chapter Six

She led the way into her room. They followed and Colm shut
the door. She looked at it, but wasn’t going to argue about it. She didn’t fear
that they would hurt her physically. It was only that it was really the first
time that she’d been alone with both of them. It made her nervous and she had
to focus to keep her breathing slow and even. She didn’t want them to know how
much they affected her. They weren’t stupid. Eventually, they’d realize that it
wasn’t only fear.

“You take the chair. We’ll sit on the bed. We don’t want to
crowd you and you need to be as relaxed as possible.” Colm gestured to the
wooden chair in the corner.

She looked at it. It wasn’t going to be the most comfortable
seat, but it would keep her from feeling confined if she could sit across from
them. It was also better than her sitting and them looming over her. Much
better. Their consideration and willingness to compromise surprised her a bit,
even though for the most part they’d given her space on this journey.

Walking over, she settled on the seat and stretched her legs
out in front of her. She couldn’t pretend to be relaxed. There was no way she
could hook even one leg on the stool. It would help her appear calm, but she
knew it wouldn’t last long enough to give even the appearance of casualness. She
had to have freedom of movement.

She looked down at her feet and waited for them to start.
She wasn’t giving them any hints about where to start the discussion. They
wanted to talk and teach her more about control. They could decide which was
more important.

She didn’t hold much hope that they’d put the discussion
about the scene earlier off for long. First, because she wasn’t that lucky.
Second, they were just too stubborn to forget about it. Not that she had a clue
what they could want to discuss. They’d said it all already and she’d promised
not to do it again, although the temptation was definitely there.

“We’ll get the heavy stuff out of the way first and then get
on to teaching you how to control your magic.” Linc sat on the bed and his eyes
lasered in on her.

She raised an eyebrow at the way he phrased it, but nodded.
It sounded as if he expected more trouble from her with the discussion of what
had happened earlier than with teaching her magic. She grimaced. He might be
right, depending on what they decided needed to be discussed.

Neither one of them made any move to speak. She stared at
them for a moment before she moved restlessly on the seat. Being the focus of
both men’s gaze made her a little nervous. She felt as though she was a
particularly juicy bit of prey and she didn’t enjoy the sensation. It reminded
her too much of living under Laed and Kynar and the time just after she’d run
from the
Thent
.

“What more is there to say about it and what do you think
I’m going to have a problem with?” She licked her lips and hesitantly broached
the subject. This sitting silently and waiting for them to make the move wasn’t
helping her relax in spite of them being across the room.

“We’ll get to what you’re going to have a problem with, but
first I want to know what you think you know about our type. What is our type
of woman?” Linc’s eyes narrowed as he leaned forward and braced his arms on his
thighs. His voice lowered and roughened.

She blinked and exhaled slowly. They hadn’t forgotten about
that or decided to let it drop as she’d hoped. She really shouldn’t have
expected them to ignore the comment. They were too observant and they’d been
watching her closely for the last few days. That they’d put significance on
that word shouldn’t be a surprise, but it was. They hadn’t immediately pounced
on it. She’d taken that as a good sign. Her throat felt tight and her mouth
worked for a moment without a sound coming out of it.

“Um, yes, that. I know you like small women. Most of them
are very slim and…” Her voice trailed off as she searched for a word other than
perfect. There was too much chance that they’d connect it to what they said to
the women as they made love to them. It was bad enough feeling as though she
was an intruder and seeing those things. She didn’t want them to realize
exactly how intimately she’d seen them. Also if they knew, they could realize
that she might be their mate because of the strength of the connection to them.

“And what?” Colm crossed one of his booted feet over his
knee.

She wished she could be as relaxed and in control as they
both seemed to be. “And of course, they have to be beautiful and graceful. I’m
sure you had your pick at your
Thent
.”

Linc’s gaze narrowed on her for a moment and his jaw
tightened. “That’s a good description of some of our last lovers. Where did you
get it?”

She bit her lip. That was a question she hadn’t wanted to
hear, but she decided to try a bluff. She rolled her eyes and shook her head.
“Look at you. It’s obvious. Big, powerful men such as you always go for the
tiny, reed-thin women who make them feel even bigger than they are.”

“Obvious? Then you should know very few men are so blind
that they can’t appreciate other types of women. When we find a special woman,
type has no meaning. Only finding a way to get that woman’s attention does.”
Colm tilted his head and his eyes trailed significantly down her body.

“Yes, and some women can’t seem to see what’s right in front
of them. Things have to be explained explicitly to them.” Linc’s voice lowered
in a rumbling warning. “If we didn’t know for certain that you had problems
with being crowded, we’d be holding you between us as we did this. I’d love to
stroke my hands over your curves.”

Cami shook her head. A special woman. He couldn’t mean what
her mind automatically jumped to insert in place of that. To a shifter male,
there wasn’t a woman as special as their mate. They shouldn’t have any clue
what she was to them without being able to smell her scent. She’d been careful
to wear the lotion to prevent that.

“We’re drawn to you, Cami, and you came to us. I don’t think
whatever led you to us was simply random. You were sent to us because you are
meant to be here. I also believe you know a lot more about us than you’re
willing to admit right now.” Linc’s eyes smoldered as he watched her.

“I ask myself why whatever power you have would give you
more information about us than where you’d find us and that we could help you.
I come up with some very interesting answers.” Colm’s voice drew her attention
to him. “It only reinforces the need to get closer to you.”

“It’s only proximity and the fact that there’s not very many
of your type of women here. Maybe it’s also a little of the mystery, because I
won’t tell you everything you think you need to know.” She tried to hide the
panic inside her and fought the urge to run out of the room. They weren’t
threatening her life, just her peace of mind. She could handle this, but right
now, she had no idea how to do that.

“We’re not going to ignore the attraction to you. We’re not
going to let you do it either. We’ll try to take it slowly since we know you
have some fears of men, and men in power specifically. With time, hopefully,
you’ll see that you can trust us and will drop the methods you’re hiding
behind.” Colm eyes locked with hers and she could see the determination
practically burning there.

“And what are you going to do if I don’t?” Her mouth felt
dry as desert sand, but she had to ask.

“We’re giving you time, but we won’t wait years for you to
reveal yourself. If you don’t do it, we will. We want to be as gentle and
considerate of your fears as possible, but we can’t give you more than this. We
want to hold and touch you. We don’t want you to look at us with fear or panic
if we hold you between us. We’ll want to do that.” Linc smiled. “We’ll try to
remember to approach you one on one for now.”

“I don’t want—” Cami began, only to be cut short by Colm.
They seemed so confident and determined. She felt pushed into a corner. How
could they seem so unaware that they were ripping everything away from her?

“We’ve seen the interest in your eyes and smelled your
arousal, even if it is tinged with some other strange scent. We might not be
able to tell if you’re our mate, but we know you want us. Don’t try to deny
that. Forcing you to acknowledge that doesn’t go along with our plans.” Colm
glared.

She knew they could do it too. It wouldn’t take more than a
kiss. Her body came alive around them, although she had no idea why. They were
all wrong for her. It was bad enough that they were part of a
Thent
, but
those two led it.

“Don’t panic right now, Cami. As we said, we’re not going to
rush you. Let’s move onto the lesson and you can worry about what’s going to
happen later.” Linc raised his hands as if he could see that she was about to
start arguing or denying everything they said.

“What are we doing tonight? More breathing and relaxation
methods similar to the other times?” She took a deep breath and focused on the
lesson. It would get them out of the room. Then she could think and panic until
she came up with another plan to keep them at a distance, because something had
gone wrong with the first one.

She didn’t know how they’d come to their conclusions. Their
chatar
hadn’t told them anything. From what she’d seen, he was more of the hint and
let them figure it out type of person. There wouldn’t be any guessing or
uncertainty if he told them even a little of what he knew about her.

“A little more of the relaxation and control methods and a
way for you to actually get rid of some power, even if it is a little
unconventional.” Linc rose from the bed to stand, but he didn’t make any move
to come closer to her. “Start with the breathing and focus inward.”

She got as comfortable as she could on the hard chair and
took a deep breath before she closed her eyes. For a few moments, she
concentrated only on her breathing and her heartbeat. She focused on slowing
both rhythms until she felt almost sleepy. Then she turned her attention to the
magic.

The power responded to her will, decreasing in intensity as
long as she was calm and focused, but that wasn’t going to help her if she was
excited or panicked or in a situation where calm wasn’t a possibility. That was
when she needed the ability the most. With Linc and Colm deciding they were
attracted to her, there would be times when her emotions were too high to do
this.

She knew by now that they would want her to keep at it for
more than a few moments before she opened her eyes and asked for feedback. She
pushed the power down and then coaxed it into rising before repeating the
process.

When she thought she’d gone on long enough, she finally
opened her eyes and met the gazes of the two men watching her. The intensity in
their eyes threw her a little. That wasn’t the way a teacher looked at a
student. Normally, she didn’t mind them watching her, but the look in their
eyes was far from the detached watchfulness she’d come to expect.

“Is that enough for tonight before we move on to what you’re
going to teach me. And why is it unconventional?” She stretched her legs out in
front of her. She wanted to get up and start walking around, but didn’t want to
delay whatever lesson they were going to try.

“Yes, if you practice that at least two times a day, you’ll
be able to get more control even when you’re not as calm as you are now.” Linc
nodded. “This is going to be a little different for you and one or both of us
are going to have to be near you, although any of the Santir warriors here
would work. For now, only one of us will approach you. Do you have any
preference which one of us approaches you?”

She blinked. That was definitely a different approach than
they’d used with any other lesson. Were they just trying to get her to let her
defenses down and trust them or did they really need to be close to her? She
thought about that for only the space of a few breaths before she realized that
they wouldn’t lie or try anything such as that during her lessons.

As to which of them came close to her, that didn’t really
matter. Colm was the more intense of them, but both men drew her. Regardless,
she’d have to keep her focus on the lesson and not the muscled man near her. If
her attention strayed even a little, she’d reveal just how right they were.

“No, I don’t have a preference. Either one of you will do,
but I still don’t know what you want me to do. Or why it wouldn’t be something
that would normally be done.” She looked from one man to the other. She wasn’t
fond of the mystery or the way they seemed to be ignoring her question about
why it was so unusual. They couldn’t throw something that interesting out there
and expect her not to wonder about why it wasn’t done.

They looked at each other and then Linc slowly rose to his
feet. He walked over to her and stood in front of her. She watched him warily.
His hand lifted and brushed lightly over her arm.

“Stand up. I don’t want you frightened or to feel that I’m
looming over you while we do this. It’s not going to be possible if you can’t
concentrate on anything except your fear.” He slowly drew her to her feet.

She stood and swallowed. She wasn’t frightened of him
standing so close to her. Her fingers tingled as her eyes lingered on the
breadth of his chest, the muscles in his arms and thighs. Would his skin be as
warm as she’d dreamed? She wanted to touch him, but she knew she’d better keep her
hands to herself. It wouldn’t stop at one touch. She’d want more.

“This is a little unusual because a warrior wouldn’t use it.
Normally, women don’t need it. Their power level is relatively stable after
they reach adulthood and they’re taught from an early age to use and control
their power. You know almost nothing of your natural magic. The additional
magic from the crystal doesn’t make things easier. I don’t know all of your
history, but Avan said that very few women were taught anything about magic. The
men didn’t get much more training and none after Laed and Kynar took over.”
Linc’s eyes were solemn and watchful.