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  “Since that hasn’t worked and I’m tired of being attacked, I’m going to spell it out for you. They’re mine. From this point on, you attack me and I’ll make sure you have a long recuperation period to think things over. And if I’m attacked from the back again, I’ll gut you.” She put her hands on her hips and swept her eyes over the group of women. “If you think you have a claim on them, confront me, but they’re my mates and I’m not giving them up.”

  “It sounds pretty clear to me.” Linc strode up the steps and stood beside her. He leaned in to her and his voice lowered. “Never thought I’d hear those words voluntarily from you.”

  Her lips trembled, but she fought the smile trying to curve her lips. Didn’t the man know any better than this? She couldn’t show weakness now. Those women knew what they wanted. Firming her lips, she lifted her chin. So did she. Too bad for them.

  “You can go back to what you were doing now.” Cami swung her gaze from one end of the group of women to the other. She hadn’t realized there were so many unmarried women here.

  Nodding, she turned and walked back into the Thent. She exhaled slowly as she closed the door behind her. Her muscles relaxed for the first time since she’d stepped out onto those steps. She’d claimed them and she hadn’t panicked and run for the gate. A combination of relief and joy hit her. No more hiding.

  Chapter Twenty

  The door opened behind her. Cami glanced over her shoulder to find Linc and Colm entering the hallway. She still wasn’t so happy with either of them. The surge of jubilation faded as they stared at her. A rush of anger and desire swept through her.

  They had wanted her to think. She knew it hadn’t been only Colm who had wanted her to wait to do this. Even after a little time to think, she wasn’t certain what their real aim had been. Did they need the extra time? The anger built as hurt gave it fuel and she did her best to ignore the desire and its effects on her body.

  They wore determined expressions. She didn’t want to get into it right now. With her luck, they wanted to talk. Walking down the hall, she had no idea where she was going. It didn’t really matter as long as it was away from them. Anger surged through her. She didn’t care if it was a reaction to the scene out there or an irrational, emotional swing. She was furious with those two men.

  Before Cami had even reached the connecting passage, a hand landed on her shoulder hauling her to a stop. She swung on them, her hands landing on her hips. Her jaw clenched and she swept her eyes over both men.

  “What?” She didn’t try to temper her tone. They could take it any way they chose, but she hoped it irritated them.

  Colm shook his head. “You’re definitely not the shy woman we first met. Is your blood still running a little hot from the confrontation out there?”

  “Do you have something to say other than a comment on my mood?” Her foot tapped impatiently. They stared at her. Did they always have to do things their way?

  Linc’s head cocked to the right and his eyes swept over her. The heat in those green orbs sizzled over her skin in an almost physical caress. “Do you really think that we’re going to let you storm off now?”

  “I think you have better things to do than argue with me. I’m already angry. I don’t want to do this right now.” Cami scowled. Did they expect her to be in the mood for a long discussion after confronting those women? While she’d had a moment of relief at finally acknowledging the truth out loud, she knew it wouldn’t end her problems. It might make them worse, at least for a little while.

  “We’ll help you with the anger, rah’ki. And the only thing we have to do right now is get you to a bed.” Colm reached out and caught her hand before she could move away from them.

  Kitten? He called her kitten and expected her to docilely go to bed with him. She gaped at them. “No, I just had to publicly take a stand because of a situation you created. I’m not in the mood to spend time with you. I definitely don’t want you right now.”

  Well, she did want to hit them. Had they suddenly gone blind and deaf? Colm’s fingers tightened pulling her closer in spite of what she’d said. She leaned back, resisting the slow, unrelenting pull. They could pick her up and carry her easily. Gritting her teeth, she kicked at Colm’s leg. They were playing with her. She didn’t know what they were hoping to accomplish. She’d thought they’d be satisfied with a verbal claim. After all, they’d been pressing for one since they’d discovered she was their mate.

  “I’d bet that a few kisses and touches could help get you out of your bad mood.” Linc strolled up behind her. His hand trailed over her hip and cupped her buttocks.

  Once he said the words, her mind latched onto it. Her lips tingled and she swept her tongue over them. Linc pulled her hair over her shoulder. His breath feathered over her neck, just below her ear. Her breath hitched and all of her attention focused on him. When would his lips touch her neck? Would he kiss, nip or suck?

  “I think it’s already working.” Colm laughed softly as he stepped in closer to her.

  The words broke her free from the images and anticipation swirling through her. She straightened away from Linc to get away from those tempting lips. If he started, she didn’t know how long she’d be able to resist him. She wanted that touch in spite of the anger boiling through her.

  “I’m not that easily swayed. Go scout or something. For all you know, Laed and Kynar could be right outside the gates.” She yanked on her arm. If she could get free, she could put some distance between her and them.

  She needed that distance. There was no other way to resist them. She wasn’t that strong. Being near them stripped away everything except hunger. It didn’t help that she longed to be near them, to relax in their arms and let everything else float away. She shook her head at the thought. Nothing got solved that way. They needed to work through the problems, not ignore them.

  “They’re not right outside the gate. One of the men would have spotted them. We have people patrolling regularly. If they get close, they’ll be spotted.” Linc’s voice came from behind her, but didn’t seem to have stepped closer to her.

  At least, she couldn’t feel his breath on her neck or his body heat radiating against her back. She gave another tug on her arm as she kicked out at Colm again. Colm’s hand released and the force of her tug sent her falling back. Linc’s arms closed around her and swept her high against his chest. She squealed as her feet left the floor and her fingers clutched at his arms.

  Linc didn’t hesitate. He turned on his heel and carried her up the steps. The way he held her sent her head spinning and had her reaching back for something to grab. Intellectually, she knew that he wouldn’t drop her, but that didn’t seem to matter when he was climbing stairs. Midstride, he turned her in his arms.

  Her fingers dug into his shoulders and her legs wrapped around his hips. She felt more secure, but now she was in trouble. His scent wrapped around her. Her head nestled against his shoulder and she inhaled. So close to him, she couldn’t resist the urge to get closer. The desire to be near them grew stronger with each breath. A tingling ache built in her pussy.

  And this wasn’t even the full force of the mating attraction. She closed her eyes and groaned. How was she supposed to resist them when her own body turned against her? Hell, he hadn’t ground her against him or even kissed her, yet her body slowly came alive in anticipation of what he and Colm would do to her once they got into a room.

  The room! Her mind immediately snapped to their room and that bed that she didn’t want to touch no matter how much her body burned for them. Her head turned and she looked over her shoulder, trying to see where they were taking her. She stiffened and arched back as she realized that their bedroom was only a few doors away.

  “Relax. We’re not taking you to our room. It has finally sunk in that you won’t sleep or do anything else on the bed there.” Colm walked past them and opened the door before their room. “We’ll make do with this room until we can get a new bed into our room.”

  The t
ension went out of her at his words. She could have used the emotion to try to put a little more distance between them if they ever let her out of their arms. Not that she thought that would happen. Those two predators had what they wanted within their grasp and they weren’t letting go.

  In a moment of honesty, she admitted that she didn’t want them to let her go at all. As high as her anger had spiked, she craved being close to them. She wanted her mates. Knowing that they weren’t going to let her anger or attitude get in their way sent a thrill sizzling over her body.

  “And that will be before night falls, rah’ki. I’m not spending another night with you in another room. We’ll fall asleep in each other’s arms tonight and wake you with kisses.” Linc nuzzled her neck.

  She blinked at him. A low growl rumbled against her skin as his teeth scraped over her pulse point. Possessiveness laced his voice and she could feel it in his tightening hold. Definitely no going back. He and Colm would grab everything now that she’d given them confirmation. She’d wanted to do the same thing when she met them, but fear and uncertainty held her back. Still, it wouldn’t be good to simply fall in with their plans. They were arrogant enough and needed someone to push back occasionally.

  “Put me down and let me go. I’m not going to let you manipulate me with sex.” She worked hard to scowl at Linc as she arched back. Not that easy when she wanted to feel his lips against hers.

  “Oh, we’re not going to manipulate you. You want us and we can scent it even with your altered smell. You know that. Tell me that you don’t want to take my clothes off or have Colm suck those gorgeous nipples.” He stopped at the bottom of the bed and his brow rose in challenge.

  She couldn’t do that without lying and the bastard knew it. Her nipples tightened just thinking about Colm’s mouth there and she could feel slick moisture gathering between her legs. By the smile on his face, he knew exactly what effect his words would have.

  The door behind them shut firmly and she heard the distinctive click of a latch falling into place. Turning her head, she saw Colm leaning against the door. He smiled and pulled off his shirt. With a flick of his hand, he sailed the garment into a corner. Her eyes widened, but strayed down to his chest. Her hands itched to run over those firm muscles and feel the heat as she drew her fingers down to his pants and the cock concealed within them. She gulped. They didn’t play fair. Temptation battered at her determination to resist for a little while longer.

  Linc lowered her to her feet and his hand cupped her cheek. “Tell me you want this more than you want to yell at us.”

  His lips swept across hers, once and then again. She leaned into his touch and her mouth opened slightly. He didn’t kiss her, just kept brushing his mouth against hers in that tantalizingly soft caress. She groaned and lifted her hand to cup the back of his neck. The tease.

  She couldn’t take it anymore. Her lips pressed over his and her tongue thrust into his mouth. She nipped at his lips as she pulled back a little. He stiffened. Her aggressiveness drew a growl from him. When she began kissing him again, his tongue stroked against hers, claiming and teasing just as she did. His lips slid away from hers and then his hands clamped on her arms, holding her body back from his.

  “You never answered my question.” Linc raised a brow and a wicked smile curved his lips.

  “Come on. Tell the truth. If you do, we’ll let you practice throwing your magic at us later.” Colm came away from the door. As he walked, he worked on the laces of his pants.

  She licked her lips. She didn’t need the added incentive of magic practice, but she wasn’t going to let it pass. Her lips tingled with the need to kiss him again. She didn’t want to talk. She strained forward, trying to kiss him again. His finger tightened, holding her exactly where she was.

  “Yeah, but you won’t let me hit you with it,” she grumbled and sighed. No use lying about it. She couldn’t hide her arousal any more than they could. “I do want my clothes off and Colm can put his mouth anywhere he wants.”

  “If I let you hit me with the blast, I might not be in any shape to enjoy our first night in the same room. I definitely don’t want to miss that. We’ve waited too long to have you where you belong. Nothing’s going to delay that now.” Colm smiled and sat down on the bed to take off his boots.

  Linc set her on her feet at the foot of the bed. His hand roamed over her ass, cupping the curve and pulling her against him for a breath before he stepped back. She slid her hands over his sides and up his chest. His heat warmed her palms even through the fabric of his shirt. He clasped her wrists in a firm grip and drew her hands to her side.

  “Why don’t you get undressed and crawl onto the bed? We’ll join you there.” He dropped a kiss on her forehead.

  “All right, but if I’m alone too long, I might just change my mind again.” She grinned and started unbuttoning her shirt.

  “It won’t take us that long to join you.” Colm shook his head. “You’re lagging, woman. Get to it. We can’t join you if you’re not on the bed.”

  She laughed. They were so strange sometimes. What did it matter who got onto the bed first? Just from their expressions, she knew they wouldn’t budge on this. Her shirt hit the ground and she worked at the catches on her skirt for a moment before they opened. The skirt pooled at her feet and she toed off her slippers. She climbed onto the bed and began crawling toward the headboard.

  Heat ran over her skin as well as a tingling pressure that seemed to surround her. Her magic rose and pulsed. She only then realized that the feeling was caused by some kind of spell. She turned back to face them. What was that? She wasn’t afraid.

  It didn’t seem to have much of an effect. It had to have come from them. She doubted that they wouldn’t have felt something from that magic. Colm frowned and his eyes flicked from her to Linc and then back. Linc scowled and his arms crossed over his chest. He stared at Colm. Both men seemed to have forgotten what they were doing before the magic hadn’t worked. She eased back on the bed and braced her shoulders against the headboard as she watched them.

  “Have you decided what went wrong yet? You’re obviously having a conversation that I can’t hear.” She tilted her head. Her hands shook with nervousness. To hide the movement, she looped her arms over her knees. She hoped the calm, poised appearance fooled them. Confusion and anger began to sweep over her. What had they been trying to do?

  Colm straightened and his eyes locked on her. Maybe her tone had given him some hint that she wasn’t as unaffected as she appeared. They could have warned her if they were going to be doing something with magic to her. She was still adjusting to what the magic in that crystal had begun. Who knows what more would do?

  “I don’t think anything went wrong. Not as you mean. I think we’re going to have to adjust for the strong magic you possess.” Colm shrugged. “But that can wait until another time.”

  Her chin lifted and she narrowed her eyes. “What were you trying to do?”

  Linc climbed onto the bed. He put his arms around her and drew her into a hug. With a little work, he unwrapped her arms and put them around his neck. Once she was so close to him, it was impossible to maintain the distance. Leaning back, she gave him a fierce frown.

  “What was the spell for, Linc?” She stiffened her arms to keep him from pulling her close.

  The bed dipped in back of her. Tossing a quick look over her shoulder, Cami saw Colm moving in behind her. Damn. She hadn’t forgotten about Colm, but she forgot that when she dealt with one, the other was likely to get involved too. Colm’s hands settled on her shoulders, massaging gently.

  “That’s a surprise for you when it happens.” Colm rubbed his cheek against her hair.

  “You actually expect that answer to satisfy me.” She shook her head. He wasn’t that stupid.

  “No, I expect to satisfy you.” Colm’s hands slipped around her and cupped both of her breasts. He pulled her back against his chest. “The questions can wait.”

  “I’ll make sure that you�
��re sighing in pleasure by the time we’re finished.” Linc leaned in and brushed his lips across hers in a soft invitation.

  She opened her mouth. Before she could get a word out, his tongue thrust against hers. Colm’s hands worked gently at her shoulders. She wanted to know what they were trying to hide from her.

  Moaning, she tore her mouth away from Linc’s. “Tell me.”

  “You’re beautiful. As to the other, you’ll find out when it’s time. Now what do you want me to do to you? If you leave it up to me, you might find yourself tied to the headboard and pleasured for hours.” Linc’s teeth grazed over her lip.

  She growled, even as the mental image sent a surge of slick moisture straight to her pussy. She’d love to try that, but she didn’t think she was ready for it now. Not with both of them with her. She was still new to being with both of them.

  “Maybe we can try that after I’ve adjusted. Both of you even in the room at the same time is strange to me.” She felt her smile waver a little. They didn’t scare her, but the situation definitely worked her nerves.

  Colm turned her in his arms and gently lowered her to the bed. “If you get scared, tell us. We’ll stop and try something you’re more comfortable with. We’re not going to push you too fast now that you’ve admitted you’re ours.”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Too fast. Cami closed her eyes. Suddenly, it hit her. That was it. That was the reason behind the flash of anger and some of the resistance. She’d been sure of the decision and she still was. But their reaction and the whole situation had thrown her off balance. They wouldn’t hold back. She knew it, but she hadn’t thought about what was going to happen that night much less right after her declaration. Gods, I’m an idiot.

  She sat up, slipping out from under Colm’s hand. “How about you two lay down on the bed for a little bit and let me lead for a little while? Give me a little time to adjust to both of you and then you can make me scream my pleasure.”