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  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, b
ut 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.

  Chapter Ten

  Cami woke with a smile on her face. Today, they were going on a run. She wasn’t going to dwell on what had happened yesterday. She’d only get tense and it would probably ruin her entire day. She wasn’t going to let that happen. It had been too long since she’d run for the enjoyment of it. She wanted to feel the wind ruffling her fur, the earth beneath her paws and the thrill of the chase.

  She’d expected a knock at the door from Linc or Colm to jerk her out of sleep, but apparently she’d woken before them. She dressed in a light blue shirt and darker blue skirt. After brushing her hair, she went out into the hallway.

  Their door was still closed and she wasn’t going to go knock on it. It was still early. She left hers open so that they’d know she was awake. With a light step, she walked down the hallway. She thought about doing some serious exploring, but decided to wait until later.

  She’d have at least a few days to poke around in most of the rooms in this fortress. Laed and Kynar weren’t here yet, and when they did get here, it could take days to catch the tamaurgi. She was curious to see everything in this Thent. Not that she expected it to be too different from Scali Thent simply because this was part of Linc and Colm.

  Deciding to go down to the kitchen for an early morning cup of hot dorin, she rounded the corner and headed for the stairs. The more she thought about it, the better that fragrant brewed drink sounded. It was also past time she introduced herself to some of the women. She might not be staying here, but she wasn’t going to act as though she was better than them or that they didn’t matter. It would be good to have someone to talk to other than those two men.

  Descending the stairs, delicious aromas drifted around her. They were already cooking. She knew there would be more than theArdin, the chatar and healer in the building. If this building was comparable to the one at Scali Thent, there would also be barracks for some of the men who were on guard duty. The women would be preparing breakfast for them as well.

  The walk down the long hallway to the kitchen was almost torture. Her mouth was watering and her stomach growled. She pushed the door open and found herself the center of attention. Four women were in the kitchen and work stopped as they stared.

  Beyond them, she could see meat already roasting on a spit over glowing coals. Nearby, she could see a glow from a brick oven. Something in two pots bubbled. She’d bet one of them was the dorin she craved.

  “Hello, I’m Cami.” She smiled. Her eyes swept over the women and stopped on a short willowy redhead at a scarred worktable with her hands in a pile of dough. She recognized the woman from the dreams of Colm and Linc. From the hostile look on the woman’s face, she wouldn’t be welcoming Cami anywhere but out the door.

  “They told us your name,” an older woman with silvering black hair said as she turned back to the stove in blatant dismissal.

  Well, that was rude. Anger bubbled up in Cami as the other women followed the woman’s example. She looked over her shoulder and made sure there wasn’t anyone in the hallway before she wen
t into the kitchen completely. No one anywhere in sight. She wasn’t paying for someone else’s actions.

  “They may have told you my name, but obviously no one taught you any manners. I know why she would have a problem with me being here in a way.” Cami nodded her head toward the redhead. “I also know that you may feel some loyalty to her or one of the other women in this Thent Linc and Colm have fucked in the past. Considering how large that number is, you should know better than to start taking sides.”

  The older woman turned around and glared at Cami. “The Ardin sought them out. You don’t belong here.”

  “They were a convenience. If the women here aren’t idiots, they should have seen it. If Colm and Linc had wanted any of those women, really wanted them, those two men would have chosen and claimed. Their relationships before have nothing to do with me. I’m not sleeping with them, and even if I was, that’s between them and me. It would be their choice. I didn’t take anything.” Cami’s lips tightened. As good as her mood was, she wasn’t going soften the truth. It would cause trouble later.

  “It wasn’t that way.” The redhead shook her head.

  “Did they make promises of a future? From what I know of those two men, they wouldn’t promise one woman something and then move on and promise another the same. If you’re going to burn someone’s food, burn theirs. I have nothing to do with their choices.” Cami braced her hands on the work table and leaned forward.

  “There were no promises.” The redhead shook her head.

  “I don’t even see why you’d be so angry unless you were only after the power of being their Lady. Why should you settle for less when your true mate might be out there?” Cami knew it was a little hypocritical when she wanted to keep her mates at a distance.

  “That’s an interesting opinion coming from you.” The voice of the chatar came from directly behind her. “Especially considering your plans.”