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  The chatar smiled and shook his head. “The eyes glow because of the power within you. In your line, the only thing strange about that is that you’re female. There’s no record of a female possessing the ability, but that doesn’t mean it’s unheard of. That kind of thing wouldn’t have been discussed among outsiders and might even have been kept completely secret.”

  “Is this going to be dangerous to other people? Will it be safe to be around others?” She had to know how much danger she’d be putting the other people in by being near them. Aside from the danger posed by Laed and Kynar, that is. No matter what, she wouldn’t stay if she posed a serious threat. She’d find some other way of stopping those two men.

  “I tried to tell you earlier that it was probably benign. You’re not suddenly going to start shooting flashes of magic out of your eyes. It’s merely an outward sign that your magic is getting higher, maybe even a little out of control. Nothing else. Eventually, you’ll be able to control even that.” He stressed each word as if he knew how much doubt she had about staying here.

  “Sparks shooting out of my eyes wouldn’t surprise me. Nothing has gone as I’d planned since I picked up that crystal.” She sighed and propped her chin on her hand.

  “Are you going to stop fighting what you know is between the three of you now?” he asked.

  Cami blinked and slowly looked up at him. That question had come out of nowhere, but considering his penchant for uncomfortable announcements and questions when it came to her, she should have expected something such as that.

  “I have doubts about what would be best in this situation. Mainly because of the magic, but also because I’m not sure that staying with them would be a good decision.” She shook her head. “You know Colm. In spite of what he might know, it’s not going to be that easy for him.”

  Colm might feel possessive now because of what he’d learned. She still wasn’t sure exactly what that was. He couldn’t smell that she was their mate, but he’d done more than smell. The way his eyes focused on her and that possessive look had the intensity she’d heard about in a mate recognition.

  She’d never thought about the sense of taste and she’d been satisfied after kissing Linc that she was safe. Obviously, he’d tasted something, but she’d never thought of taste as a way that someone could recognize a mate. Why didn’t Linc taste something? Linc had kissed her.

  What had happened with Colm? He hadn’t declared that he was her mate or bitten her. The possessiveness in his eyes left her in little doubt that he’d tasted something that gave him more than a clue. She really didn’t think talking was going to change his mind about what he’d discovered, but she’d give it a try.

  “I know him,” the chatar agreed with a nod. “His doubts aren’t going to pose as big a problem as you think. He won’t let you leave them. Of course, that wasn’t going to happen anyway. He might always be on the overprotective side, but they planned to make sure you had a place in a secure Thent from the start.”

  She rolled her eyes. They obviously hadn’t taken into account that she hadn’t planned on staying. She might not be a male with muscles, but she knew she could slip away if she needed to do it. Although she still didn’t know what Colm’s issues with mating were, she had to be realistic. They wouldn’t simply fade away as the chatar was implying. He hadn’t simply avoided finding a mate. He’d gone so far as to look for women to bond with so that he wouldn’t chance finding her.

  “I think you’re wrong about how he’ll handle it, but arguing about it won’t get us anywhere. We’ll have to wait and see.” She shifted restlessly in her seat. She didn’t want to be trapped here in a room. All right, so it didn’t help that the chatar had an annoying habit of asking questions she didn’t want to answer. She still wanted to be moving, preferably outside, but that wasn’t an option.

  “We’ll see. I’m not saying that he won’t have a few problems. You will fight, but it’s not going to be a huge stumbling block as you expect. Colm isn’t going to let it stand in his way long. He’s not the type of man who’ll allow it to hold him back from what he really wants.” The chatar took a book from the top of one of the piles near him and pushed it across to her. “If you want to read about your ancestors and the glowing in your eyes, it’s all in here. I have a thin piece of string marking where it begins.”

  She bit her lip. Her fingers almost itched to pick up that book and open it. She wanted to know everything, especially since she’d known nothing up until this point, but she didn’t want to sit and read now.

  “Could you keep that separate for me? I’ll be back for it. I want to explore a little.” She stood and smoothed her hands down her pants. Taking a deep breath, she looked at the chatar. “If they come here looking for me, tell them I’m just walking around their home. I’m not going outside. I know that they don’t want me to go out alone, but I do want to see more of this place, even if it is simply the inside.”

  “They’ll look for you.” He smiled and put the book to the side. “This will be waiting for you when you’re ready to read it.”

  She nodded. “Thank you, chatar.”

  “You can call me Vin.” He laughed. “I don’t stand on formality.”

  “You’re a real chatar. I think that should merit some respect.” She shook her head. She didn’t know if he realized just how many people faked the abilities he used so easily.

  “Respect doesn’t mean you can’t relax around me and call me by my name.” His smile widened. “I’ll convince you eventually.”

  She didn’t know why it was important to him. Surely most people called him by his title. “Maybe. I’ll be back for the book.”

  “It will be waiting here for you.”

  She nodded and left the room. At first, she simply walked down the hall. She had a lot on her mind. It wasn’t so much what she’d learned from the chatar. Even learning that she was probably descended from a powerful line of Santir magic didn’t hold her attention long. No, what had happened with Colm was still at the forefront of her thoughts. She didn’t know what she was going to do.

  The sex had been great. She couldn’t deny that. Going back to the way things were before was impossible. He wouldn’t forget what had happened or what he’d felt. She had to decide how she was going to handle their pursuit.

  It would happen. They’d circled around her, trying to find a way to get her to reveal any of her secrets since they’d met her. Now she had. The predators in both men would take that slip and grab for more. They weren’t about to let her step back and act as if nothing had happened. She didn’t know if she could simply shut her eyes and pretend, even if Colm would keep what had happened secret. Things had changed.

  Chapter Fourteen

  Cami headed up the stairs. She knew there was a third level to this place and she wanted to see it. At the end of the hall on the second floor, she found the steps leading to the third floor and grabbed a lamp as she climbed the stone staircase. There was no light up here other than the flickering glow of her lantern. She explored. More because she needed something to occupy her thoughts right now than from sheer curiosity. If she didn’t do something, her mind would be running in more directions than it already was.

  Dust coated the floor and covered the top of the sconces along the wall. She looked back over her shoulder and could see her footprints along the hallway. This area hadn’t been used or given a good sweep in a long time. In a way, that was kind of comforting. This level would only be used if there was a siege and those who lived outside of the walls needed to take shelter inside of the fortress. On the other hand, she hadn’t expected to see so much dust here.

  A noise caught her attention and she turned to find a woman at the top of the stairs. She had straight black hair, very dark-golden-brown skin and seemed to be the type of woman she knew Linc and Colm favored. Her body was slim and sleek and she was almost a full head shorter than Cami. Even compared to her, the woman appeared to be small.

  Cami glanced at the doors along the
hallway, wanting to take a peek inside of them, but good manners insisted she acknowledge the woman with more than a glance. Just from the determined look on the woman’s face, Cami knew it wasn’t curiosity or concern that had brought her up here. No, the woman wanted to confront the person she saw as encroaching on her territory. Damn Colm and Linc anyway. Didn’t they know that it wasn’t a good idea to mess with people in their own Thent? It was bound to lead to some messy situations.

  “Hello.” Cami smiled. Although it was an awkward situation, Cami didn’t blame the woman. She laid it all on Linc and Colm. It was stupid and cruel to play around with the hearts of women in their Thent.

  “Hello,” the woman said, but she eyed Cami warily.

  “What are you doing up here? Did you see the light and think something was wrong?” Cami gave the woman an easy way to back away from a direct confrontation. The woman seemed to be losing her nerve now that they stood face to face.

  The woman took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “No, I followed you up from the first level.”

  “I’m Cami. What’s your name?” Cami leaned a shoulder against the hallway wall and relaxed a little. She knew she sounded a little ditzy asking the woman’s name when she’d just admitted to following her up to this level, but she didn’t want to keep thinking of her as that woman.

  “I’m Zinnia.” Her head tilted and she looked at Cami as if she couldn’t understand what she was doing.

  “Why did you follow me up the stairs? Was there something you wanted?” Cami tried to keep the amusement out of her voice. Letting the other woman know she found this funny wouldn’t help the situation. Zinnia would probably take it the wrong way.

  “Yes, there was something I wanted.” Zinnia frowned. “What do you think you’re doing?”

  “Here? Exploring.” Cami wasn’t going to make it easier and steer the conversation to Linc or Colm, even though she knew that was what the woman intended.

  “Not at this moment.” Zinnia voice roughened and she leaned forward. “I meant with the Ardin.”

  “Let’s see. They’re helping me stop the old, false Ardin who ruled my Thent and I’m waiting for that to happen.” Cami shrugged and watched the woman’s face turn red.

  “You know I don’t mean anything to do with their mission to get those men. I mean what are you doing with them? Do you think you can simply come in here and grab their attention? Do you think it’s going to be that easy?” Zinnia scowled and swung away only to turn back almost immediately.

  “You’re under a few mistaken impressions. Now if I hadn’t made a promise not to send another woman at them as a distraction, I’d tell you to go ahead and do your best to take them. You’re also missing one important factor. They make their own decisions. What you or I think about it is pretty much irrelevant.” Cami resisted the urge to roll her eyes and laugh. The woman acted as if all Cami had had to do was beckon to those men and they’d come to her. She hadn’t done anything to attract them. She’d pushed them away and generally tried her best to keep them at a distance. None of it worked.

  Zinnia’s mouth dropped open. “You don’t want their attention?”

  “They’re Ardin. For you, that may be a draw. For me, it’s one of their greatest faults. On top of that, I don’t really know much about them so I’d just as soon keep my distance while I’m here.” Cami took a deep breath. In spite of how strongly attracted she was to both of them, that was the best choice. The only problem was it might not be possible. Not only because they wanted her, but because that pull to them seemed to increase every moment she was with them.

  “Yet they are interested in you.” She swept her eyes down and then back up and her eyes lingered on the right side of Cami’s face.

  “Yeah, I know, not their usual fare. Definitely not small and slender.” Cami turned and began walking down the hallway. No reason not to explore since this conversation didn’t seem to be going anywhere. Zinnia wasn’t a physical threat.

  “Where are you going?” The woman’s voice rose in indignation.

  “Just walking. We’re not going to agree on anything with this, because there’s nothing either of us can do. There’s no use talking about it. Although you might not like it and I might try to dissuade them, they’re going to do what they want to do.”

  “They won’t force you to do anything you don’t want to do.” The woman hurried to catch up with her.

  “No, they won’t, but I never said that I wasn’t attracted to them. I said that I wanted to keep my distance and that there were reasons why I’d rather do that.” Cami pushed open a door and looked into the room. It was a bedroom, but the bed wasn’t covered with a drape and all of the flat surfaces had a fine layer of dust. “Even knowing that it would be better to stay away from them, I still want them.”

  “You’re right. You’re not what they usually look for in a woman. Which means they either see something other than the physical or that they want you in spite of the fact that…” Zinnia’s voice trailed off and she shot a glance over at Cami.

  “In spite of the fact that my looks leave a lot to be desired.” Cami slid a glance over at the woman. As if she wasn’t fully aware of the fact that compared to Zinnia, she faded into the background at the very least and looked hideous at the worst.

  “I didn’t mean that. It’s just that you’re different from me and the others they’ve favored.” Zinnia shook her head. She looked a little horrified.

  “I can’t understand it either. I’m not petite, and if they ever call me perfect, I’ll know they’re lying. My body and face is so far from that, even I wonder about it. Maybe now that they’re back among the type of women they favor, they’ll see that they want something different.” Cami gave a small shrug, but she really didn’t see that happening. Agitation rose in her. She didn’t want that to happen.

  “They won’t.” Zinnia shook her head and grimaced. “What happened to you?”

  Cami slid a glance over at Zinnia. She couldn’t understand what the woman was doing now. First, she’d been confrontational and now she seemed curious. She wondered for a moment if she should tell the woman and then sighed. It’s not as if it was a secret that Linc and Colm were after the Ardin and others had heard parts of her story, so they would probably find out some of it anyway.

  “The Ardin, well, men claiming to be Ardin, of my Thent beat me and then cut me,” Cami said flatly. It was getting a little easier to talk about it, but she wasn’t entirely sure that was a good thing. Talking about that time kept it present and at the front of her thoughts. She wanted to put it behind her.

  “What did you do?” Zinnia’s head cocked to the side.

  “If you mean to earn some kind of punishment, nothing. I brought their meal. They wanted someone else and decided to take it out on me. They became angry at the smallest things and when they were angry, someone paid. That day, it was me.” Cami exhaled and moved down the hallway and pushed open another door.

  The room seemed to be in the same state as the others, but she decided to go inside and look at it a little more closely. The carvings on the mantle of the fireplace caught her eyes.

  “What kind of things made them angry?” Zinnia’s eyes rounded and her face paled.

  “Almost anything could set them off.” Cami ran her fingers over the carved head of a tiron on one side of the fireplace. It was gorgeous. The white stone was smooth and cold. These rooms would be fabulous cleaned and decorated.

  “What things would do it, though?” Zinnia pressed.

  Cami didn’t know if it was curiosity or if the woman thought Colm and Linc might harbor some of that behavior. “Your Ardin are different than them. I’ve tested them. Everything had to be done Laed and Kynar’s way. They liked to control all aspects of life in the Thent, including the cleaning schedule. There were a group of women who were beaten for not getting to the upper level rooms on time. One of them backhanded the cook when she told him that there wasn’t enough of a specific herb to make a dish he wanted.
”

  “I know they’re not the same as them. I just wondered if there were other Ardin as bad as those two, since I’ll probably find a mate outside the Thent now.” Zinnia licked her lips.

  “According to the men, no. If the chatars in most Thents are comparable to the one here, then there will be true Ardin rulers, not the false ones we had to endure.” Cami grimaced. As much as Vin, the chatar here, got on her nerves, she had to admit she wished that there had been someone with his abilities at her Thent. It wouldn’t have gotten as bad as it did. This conversation had gotten a little bizarre. “There are good and bad people everywhere.”

  “You’re not what I expected when I heard that the Ardin had brought a woman back with them. It’s not anything to do with your appearance. I didn’t expect the conversation to go this way.” Zinnia shook her head and looked bewildered.

  “Well, I expected it to be a little more confrontational and a little louder. I also didn’t expect you to be so calm about it after only a few sentences.” Cami glanced over at the woman, even as she moved over to the bed and knelt to look at the scenes carved into the wood of the footboard. The panel at the end of her bed was nothing compared to this one. It was simply a polished wooden board with carved posts at the end.

  “I wasn’t really angry. I was surprised when they told me that there was a woman who the Ardin had brought with them and that the Ardin couldn’t take their eyes off her. That they followed you and searched for you. They never did that with any of us. Not even at the first. Not really. They talked to us when we came to them to bring them food or some other chore that brought us close to them,” Zinnia said. “To tell you the truth, I was a little jealous of that.”

  “I can understand why you’d be surprised. After all, they had seemed focused on finding someone among you.” Cami stood and dusted her hands off on her pants. “That doesn’t explain why you weren’t looking for your real mate. Before…” She lifted her hand to her face and traced her fingers over her cheek. “Before this happened, I wasn’t about to accept anything less. I didn’t want to wake up one day and find I was second best because my man had found his mate even if he was honorable enough to keep his commitment to me.”