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  She did as he said. Her thumb circled the rounded head and then she drew her hand back down to the base. She licked and nipped at the skin just above the darkened skin around his nipple. He tensed and his hips bucked. Reaching down, he gripped her hand and slowly drew it away from his cock.

  His chest heaved as he pulled in a harsh breath and she felt his chin rest atop her head for a moment before he straightened. Her hands grabbed at him as he stepped back. He clasped her wrists and pushed them down to the tabletop.

  She sat there stunned for a moment as he unfastened her skirt. He lifted her and tugged the garment until it slid down her thighs. Almost before she knew what had happened, her buttocks were back on the table. The wood felt cool against her skin and a shiver skittered up her spine. He unbuttoned her shirt and pushed it over her shoulders. She pulled her hands free. She wanted to touch him.

  His hands glided up her thighs as he slowly knelt between her thighs. She stiffened when his fingers brushed over the scar on her thigh, but he didn’t flinch or react in any way other than to keep stroking her legs.

  She drew in a slow breath and slid her hands over his shoulders. Anticipation built. Her mind locked on the thought of his mouth on her pussy. Oh yes.

  She felt his breath on her thigh and closed her eyes as tingles skimmed across her flesh from that moist puff. His mouth brushed against the outer lips and she tensed. His lips were soft and warm, tempting her with thoughts of what he could do with that mouth. She wanted to feel his tongue gliding over her skin. Almost groaning, she struggled to keep from reaching for him. She’d love that. She’d love it even more if that tongue flicked across her clit.

  His hands tightened on her thighs, pushing them a little farther apart. His hands smoothed over her inner and outer thighs in long, sweeping strokes that sent tingles radiating through her instead of soothing or calming her. Her stomach muscles clenched and she felt an answering spasm of the muscles in her pussy.

  One of his hands drifted up her thigh and parted her folds. The puff of his breath against the sensitive inner skin seared across her pussy in a stinging brand. She tensed and nearly lifted right off the table. The move only served to lift her closer to his mouth. His tongue swiped over the plump lips.

  She trembled and settled back onto the table. His other hand stroked over her inner thigh. She looked down and saw a predatory smile on his lips just before his head dipped. At that look, she realized he could see how strongly he affected her. His tongue stroked over her clit. Her eyes closed and her head tipped back. Her thighs tightened, but his shoulders kept them just where he wanted them.

  Sharp pleasure slammed through her, pushing away the last of her ability to think. Her hands tightened on his shoulders and she dragged in a ragged breath. He lapped at her and she felt the rumble of a purr against her clit. The vibrations added to the slightly rough feel of his tongue and nearly sent her right over the edge. It felt unbelievably good and she’d never experienced anything similar to it. He’d barely started and she was ready to claw and scream.

  “Please, Colm.” She whispered the words, but almost didn’t recognize her own voice. It sounded strained and hoarse.

  His lips closed over her clit and he drew the bud into his mouth and sucked. The building sensation coiled and grew until she was trembling and gasping. His teeth scraped over the hood and she jerked. A sharp cry burst from her throat and she dug her nails fiercely into his shoulders. So close. She could feel the edge looming right in front of her. He hummed and his tongue drifted down. He lapped at her juices.

  Her hips rocked into his touch. She couldn’t focus. His tongue seemed to be everywhere at once, flickering over her clit with a featherlight tormenting touch and stabbing into her entrance. It could easily have been his fingers, but she didn’t care. Her breath caught in her throat. Boiling pleasure rolled up her spine and she clung to him. A low moan rolled from her as the waves rolled through her body, leaving her shaking and pleasure-drugged.

  His tongue moved over her clit in a long, slow swipe and she felt his fingers stroke inside her. Her inner muscles clenched on the two large fingers and she closed her eyes. It should be impossible after that deluge of sensation, but a spike of desire shot straight to her core.

  After a final lick, his head lifted. She wanted to grab his head and push it back between her thighs, but when she saw his eyes, she froze. The pupils of his golden eyes had gone focused and the color had intensified. His gaze was blatantly possessive and his lips pulled back, showing the sharp points of his fangs.

  It was as if she stared into the eyes of a conqueror who finally had his hands on the treasure he’d fought to possess. She drew in a startled breath, but she didn’t have time to think or panic. He straightened and stepped forward.

  His cock brushed over the folds of her pussy. She groaned and grabbed his shoulders. Not to hold him off, but to pull him closer. She wanted that thick length inside of her. Her legs hooked around his waist, trying to pull him closer. His lips took hers in a blatant claiming. She got caught up in the intensity of the kiss. Her tongue matched his stroke for stroke, dancing and inciting them both.

  His teeth nipped at her lips just as he guided his cock into her pussy. She shivered as her tissues stretched around his shaft. It felt so good. Her arms slid down his chest and around his waist. Her hands settled over his buttocks. Her mouth sought his as hunger rushed through her.

  His fingers glided over her thighs and back up to her hips. They tightened, pulling her closer to him as he pulled back. She moaned as he retreated. She didn’t want to lose the full feeling. Not yet.

  His lips and teeth grazed over her jaw. His breath rasped against her cheek. Her breasts ached and she rubbed them against his chest. As if he realized what she needed or maybe he just wanted to touch her more, his hand rose from her hip. When his fingers brushed over the spots of her trika at her ribs, she shivered.

  His fingers feathered back and forth across the sensitive spot for a few moments. She clutched at him, panting and aching all over again. His palm cupped beneath the full weight of her breast and lifted as his thumb flicked at the hardened peak of her nipple. The tantalizingly light contact only heightened the burning need clawing through her body.

  His hips drove forward in a quickening rhythm. She met each stroke, her body straining against his. His lips closed over hers as his fingers plucked at her nipple. Her body arched into his as a fierce bolt slammed through her, triggering an explosion of pleasure. She moaned into his mouth as she pulled him tight against her.

  His hips punched forward and she felt his entire body shake as he found his release. His hand swept up her back in slow, rhythmic strokes. She knew he felt the lines of the scars there, but his lack of response allowed her to relax and simply enjoy his touch. His head lifted, but lowered again and brushed a kiss over her lips.

  “I didn’t hurt you?” His eyes locked with hers as if he thought she might try to lie to him about it.

  “No.” He hadn’t hurt her, but now that the pleasure was fading, she was beginning to wonder about her own sanity.

  Why had she let herself get so sucked into the passion of the moment? He’d dared her, but she’d kissed him and apparently lost every bit of common sense she’d ever possessed. She should have pulled away when he started kissing her back and definitely before the clothes started to come off. But she hadn’t, and she really couldn’t blame anyone other than herself for the entire thing.

  Now she had more problems than merely crossing the line from fantasy to actually having sex with one of them. How are they going to act toward me now? She didn’t know what had happened with his eyes, but she guessed it wasn’t going to be a good thing for her. Not the way he’d looked at her and the way he was watching her.

  She could still see the possessiveness there. As far as she knew, the only way to recognize a mate was through scent. Taste shouldn’t come into it. The brew she drank every night muddled her scent. Was the potion failing for some reason?


  She was already at the maximum dosage for the potion and she had to make it last. Making more was possible, but she’d have to find a few herbs. That wasn’t going to be easy. She couldn’t increase the amount she took without risking her health. She hoped that look faded with time. If it didn’t, she’d have to take the chance and strengthen the drink. Not that it would solve anything if it did, but at least it might keep the recognition and possessive attitude from intensifying.

  “There at the end I wasn’t exactly gentle and I don’t want to hurt you.” His eyes moved over her face and she could see questions there, but he didn’t say anything else.

  “I’m not small and fragile. You can’t break me by holding me too close.” She couldn’t help but grin at his worry. He hadn’t held her that tightly.

  “Maybe not small, but I am stronger and larger than you. Come on. I’ll walk with you upstairs and you can clean up.” He helped her down from the table.

  She put her shirt on first. The scars would fade with time, but she wasn’t confident enough flaunt them yet. She went along with him, but she didn’t really care where they were going. Time alone was what she wanted and bathing would give it to her. Her mind was churning with questions. She had to discover what to do and how to go from this point.

  Colm walked at her side, but he could tell that her mind was already running. She was pulling away mentally even more than physically. He wished he knew what to say. Linc would know the words to reassure her. He wouldn’t be standing here wondering if he’d made things so much worse. Colm shook his head.

  That was the worst of his worries. He wondered if she was going to try to run from them now. He hadn’t expected the kiss to burst out of out of control the way it had or his own intense desire for her. He’d been just as out of control as her.

  In a way, that didn’t sit well. He didn’t like the thought that he might have pushed her too far with that dare. She’d been nervous around them before. This probably made her even more so, but hopefully, it wouldn’t send her into a full panic. He didn’t regret it happening. Not ever, but especially after tasting her.

  At his first lick, a jolt shot through him and only one thought filled his head. Mine. The taste set off something primitive and possessive inside of him. It pushed beyond all his doubts about true mates and he’d only thought of fucking her.

  He’d wanted to mark her and claim her as his, but his fangs hadn’t descended fully. Now that he had time to think about it, the fact that that hadn’t happened didn’t worry him too much. She was their mate. Scent was a huge part of finding a mate. Since she didn’t smell right, it was logical that his body wouldn’t fully react to her until he could smell her.

  The depth of the feelings that surged up at that taste amazed him. He hadn’t thought it would be that immediate or that strong. Even with his doubts about mating, he knew he couldn’t let her continue to hide and deny what he now knew for a fact. She was their mate.

  He wasn’t walking away from this connection. She’d have to face her doubts just as he would. He knew he was going to have to work through his fears of losing a mate. One thing had been clear in an instant. Now that he’d found his mate, he couldn’t turn away from her.

  He left her at her room and went to the room he shared with Linc. He dropped onto the bed and ran his hands through his hair. He immediately rose and began pacing. He didn’t want to be in the room. He wanted to do something. Specifically, move everything of hers into this room.

  She wasn’t ready for that. It would send her into a panic. He was going to have to curb his desire to haul her into their lives even if part of him did fear her running away while she wasn’t with them. She was too nervous and cautious around them already.

  Gods, he needed to talk to Linc. Colm walked to the door and went out into the hall. He waited outside the door to the bathing room. Not so much because he thought that she’d run if he wasn’t there to meet her, but because now that he had a plan, he wanted to get to it right away. He’d leave her with the chatar and then go find Linc. The wise man was still hunting for what made her eyes glow. There was so much to tell his bond brother and he wanted Linc’s opinion.

  She finally came out of the room. Her hair was braided, but he could still see the gleam of moisture on it and she wore a pretty purple shirt and black pants. He held out his hand and waited. In a way, he half expected her to refuse, but she slid her palm over his after only a moment’s hesitation. He tightened his fingers around hers.

  Maybe he hadn’t messed things up too badly.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Cami frowned at Colm as he walked out of the room and left her with the chatar. He could have left her with almost anyone else and she wouldn’t have had a problem with it, but that man made her nervous. As soon as the door closed behind Colm, she turned to face the man and the table stacked with books. She did not look forward to digging through those books for mention of glowing eyes or glowing anything, for that matter.

  “Your secrets are slowly escaping your grasp, I see.” The chatar’s voice sounded much too smug.

  Cami held back a growl. That was precisely the reason that she didn’t like to be near him. The chatar knew too much and he seemed to enjoy it when Colm and Linc learned something she’d rather remain hidden. She didn’t know why he didn’t come right out and tell them if he was so determined they know her secrets.

  “And? I thought it was your job to guide them? If you wanted to do it, you could have guided them to my secrets long ago.” She folded her arms across her chest and glared at him. “Did you need me to help you search through those books or not?”

  “What do you know of your ancestors?” The chatar sat down in a chair and seemed prepared to ignore her question.

  “I know a bit about the people on my mother’s side. They were human. As for my father’s ancestors, I wasn’t told much. My mother never talked about them. If she knew anything about them, and I suspect she and my brothers did know something, she never said anything. At least they knew something about why we had to leave so suddenly, but that’s also something that they never told me.” She shrugged.

  “The reason you had to leave would be because of who your ancestors were and the power they held. The same power runs in your brothers and you. The magic from the crystal is still in you, but I’m not so sure that it simply didn’t tap into your latent talent.” The chatar gestured to the chair across from him.

  She took a seat. Although she wasn’t really in the mood for any more of his remarks, she stayed. The lure of finding out what drove her family so far away from everything they knew kept her in the room. He might say something that would make her furious, but she’d wanted answers to these questions for years.

  “What do you mean the power runs through my brothers and me? As far as I know, they weren’t extraordinarily powerful.” She frowned and folded her arms on the table.

  “They hid their power level. It’s probably also the reason you weren’t trained when you finally settled. They had no one they could trust to do it. If anyone noticed the level of power, it could lead their enemies straight to you.” He lifted some of the books and put them into stacks on the table.

  It was weird to be hearing about this from a man who didn’t know any of her family. He seemed very confident, and somehow, she didn’t doubt he was right. It explained why she hadn’t learned magic and why her mother had never talked about her father when she was young. It didn’t explain why her mother hadn’t said anything when she was older. There had to come a point where her mother knew she wouldn’t simply blurt out the truth and risk the safety of everyone involved.

  “Why were we hunted? I didn’t see it that way when I was younger, but I realize that that’s why we moved twice before finally settling at Scali Thent. There was someone after us and they had to be sure that no one was following. What was so bad about my ancestors and the power they held? Did they misuse it?” She shook her head and rubbed at her temples.

  “They didn’t misuse i
t. They were merely powerful. Some were Ardin and some very talented chatar. I suspect your family was hunted because of the prophecy. It has nothing to do with you specifically. It was your brothers that they most wanted out of the way, but I’m sure they didn’t want you living either, since your children would be just as powerful.” He leaned forward and his palms flattened to the table.

  “But why? So they would be powerful. There are many powerful lines among us. Usually they don’t get hunted down.” She narrowed her eyes on him. They also wouldn’t be the first Santir to be part of some prophecy.

  “No, normally high power doesn’t lead to someone being hunted down. I can’t tell you the why. That’s something that your brothers will discover. I pieced a lot of what I know together from the texts,” he said and gave her a regretful look.

  “Then how do you know my family is even linked to this line of people?” She sighed and looked up at the ceiling.

  “Because when I found the reference to that family line and the glowing eyes, I did get a flash of you. I know it’s hard to believe, but they’re your ancestors. I’m certain of it.” He leaned forward, his hands braced on the table.

  She sighed and ran her fingers through her hair. “How many other references to glowing eyes did you find?”

  “It’s a rare ability,” he said, but didn’t explain any further.

  She waited for him to continue, but he simply looked at her. “How rare?”

  “There are only two other families that have been mentioned having the ability. One line is presumed lost and the other is well established and well known. I’m pretty sure you’re not from the last one, and as I said, when I read about that family I got an image of you.” His raised eyebrow dared her to challenge him on that.

  She’d love to try, but she had her own strange visions of the future and past. “So I’m related to a powerful family line whose eyes glow freakishly.”