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  She snarled and lunged to her feet. His fingers slipped over hers as he grabbed for her, but somehow, she’d edged out from between him and the chair. He stood, but stopped as Linc gave a small shake of his head. He looked at Cami again and remained still. Her feet thudded lightly against the woven carpet as she paced to the shelf and whirled around to stomp back toward them. She never got within reach. He didn’t know if he’d have resisted the urge to grab her if she had.

  “I know what I felt and I don’t feel that level of anger much less hatred toward anyone, not even Laed and Kynar. I want them dead, but not that kind of hate. That wasn’t my emotion. I know it.” She stopped to glare at them and one of her hands braced on her hip.

  “That may be, but you can’t be sure whose anger you were picking up on. It might not be Laed and Kynar. It might not even have anything to do with today. It could be days from now. Since this experience is so different from anything else you’ve had, we’ll have to wait and see.” Linc shrugged.

  She growled and threw her hands up in the air. “They’re here. You can wait for confirmation if you want, but it was them. I knew you wouldn’t believe me without proof, but you needed to know. They have no honor and they’ll kill anyone who crosses their path if they get the opportunity.”

  She stalked out of the room before Colm could say anything to that or even hope to come up with something that might soothe her temper. Since he didn’t even know why she was so angry, that was a long shot anyway. He started for the door.

  “She’s still coming into her power.” The chatar’s voice cut through the room. “Not even close to reaching her peak yet.”

  Colm turned and looked at the chatar. “She’s right, then? They are here.”

  “Tyson would have died if they’d gone near the forest. I didn’t know about it until she started talking.” The chatar’s voice was soft, but his eyes locked on the warrior.

  Colm didn’t need to have it explained any further. His hands fisted at his sides and his head lowered. As much as he’d told himself they were going to support her, they hadn’t. Hell, he hadn’t really given much credence to what she was saying because of the way it had come to her. They had been humoring her.

  “Why is it different this time?” Linc’s voice broke the silence in the room.

  “It was different this time because of the situation. Her nervousness. She wasn’t asleep, relaxed or trying to meditate to see something more. The flashes and emotions were warnings and she heeded them. As she learns to use her abilities, that might become clearer at times, but even I have occasions when something hits me unexpectedly.” Vin relaxed back in his chair.

  “And you couldn’t have said something before we made this huge mess?” Colm shot a glare at the chatar, but knew that it was his own fault.

  “You have to learn to trust in what she tells you. She’s going to make mistakes. I do sometimes too. Interpreting what is seen isn’t always easy. Although it might seem immediate and urgent, it could be something that’s happening a rona from now.” Vin sighed. “This isn’t easy for her. She’s still a little afraid of the magic inside her and doesn’t entirely trust it herself.”

  Colm grimaced. Even if Vin had spoken up once he realized how serious this was, it wouldn’t have changed anything. Now they needed to show her that they could learn from their mistakes as well as admit to her that they’d made a mistake.

  “All right, we send some men out to the forest line to search for signs that they were there. Tyson, start gathering some men. I want at least one set of tierna bonded men with the group. And remind them to be on guard, because I don’t want Cami’s words about them killing someone to be prophetic.” Linc stood and paced once back and forth. His eyes locked on the door.

  Tyson nodded and left the room. That left Colm with Linc and the chatar. Thoughts of Cami and what they needed to do flowed through Colm’s mind. He glanced over at Linc.

  Colm knew exactly what his bond brother was thinking. He wanted to go after her too. “It would probably be better to let her have a little time before talking to her again. We can go help with the search and make plans. We’ve got a little learning to do ourselves.”

  “That’s a start. You’re probably right about her needing some time alone. I’d want to hit somebody or something if I felt that something was wrong and didn’t think anyone was listening to me.” Linc grimaced, but didn’t take his eyes off the door.

  “I’m probably lucky she didn’t bite me.” Colm shook his head, but a small smile curved his lips. Most of the time, he liked her feisty attitude. Especially the contrast to her caution at first.

  “Let’s get this started and see if we can find those men today. That might even be good enough to make her forget about us not listening.” Linc straightened.

  “Maybe not.” Colm shrugged and led the way out of the room.

  Chapter Twenty-Five

  Linc walked down the hall in their section of the Thent. She was here somewhere. He could feel her magic swelling and ebbing with a reassuring rhythm. Feeling that slight rise in her power had at first worried him, but then he’d felt it lower and rise again. He realized she must be practicing.

  He took his time, pausing to look into each room. He had no idea what he was going to say to her. Well, other than telling her about what they’d found. Colm could be here too, but the stubborn man insisted that Linc was better with words. Maybe Colm didn’t say things in the most diplomatic way, but he got his point across. Sometimes, blunt was better than finding the single right word. Shaking his head, he pushed open the door and stood there looking at Cami.

  Her hair flowed down her back, but the energy in the room caused it to ripple as the magic rose. He leaned against the door frame watching her for a moment, gathering his thoughts. She was beautiful and the strength in her amazed him. She’d come through an experience that would have left some people broken.

  “What are you doing?” He asked the question softly when she’d released the magic she’d gathered.

  “Practicing.” She turned slowly.

  He saw the wariness in her eyes and cursed silently. The chatar was right. They had to trust in her as much as she had to learn to trust them. She shouldn’t ever look at them that way. He needed to wipe away the hurt he saw in those gorgeous gold orbs. He also understood what she left unsaid. She wanted to be ready. Just in case.

  “You were doing well.” Linc took a deep breath and decided to start with the obvious. “We found sign near the edge of the forest of someone hiding and waiting for some time. At least most of the morning, judging by the signs and small indications of movement.”

  “They were gone?” Her head tilted, but she didn’t seem to be surprised at all.

  “No one saw anything other than the spot where they’d been. I think we only found that because they saw us coming out to search and didn’t have time to clear away the marks.” Linc wished they’d found some other signs of those two men. Even a trail would be welcome. He wanted to end this so that he could focus on cementing the relationship with Cami. He didn’t want her attention on anything other than them, but until this was over, she needed to be on guard.

  “You think it is Laed and Kynar now?” She took a deep breath. The slow, deliberate choice of words more than anything made him wish he could undo everything that had happened. He didn’t want her watching her words around them.

  “Even humans who know they’re dealing with shifters don’t completely hide their scent. It’s not an easy thing to do. There was no trace of scent, even when they were obviously rushing to get out of the area.” Linc sighed. Those two men thought of too much. They were dealing with shifters this time. The only shifters who might come after them were the two false Ardin.

  “Are there still people searching for them or is it back to the waiting game?” She stared at him.

  He couldn’t read her expression, but guessed she wondered if he’d tell her what they planned to do now. He wanted to take her into his arms, but she st
ood stiffly. The look and body language screamed for distance. He locked his feet into place to give her that space for a little longer.

  He wouldn’t last long. He ached to hold her. Even if he couldn’t find the right words, he knew that being close to her would help.

  “There are men looking for them. Since we couldn’t find much trace of them, it’s not going to be easy.” Linc didn’t soften the words. He wasn’t going to lie to her to make her feel better now when it would hurt her later. “We’ll probably have to wait a little, but it’s not going to be the only thing we do. We’ll be actively hunting them.”

  Her jaw tightened for a moment before she nodded.

  “Cami, we shouldn’t have been so quick to think that nervousness caused your reaction. We knew you were surprised at going outside the walls and that was part of the reason that it was so believable. There’s not a good reason to explain why we were so ready to believe that it might be so simple. I was thinking it was simply fear and nerves even before you started telling us what you were feeling.” Linc hoped that she listened to them better than they had her.

  “I know you did. I knew it at the time. That was part of what made me so mad.” Cami’s muscles relaxed a little. “I didn’t expect you to admit it so easily though.”

  “We made a mistake. It won’t be our last. Next time, fight a little harder to make us listen.” Linc raised a brow as he said those last words. The woman had eluded the false Ardin, found him and Colm even when she knew it was going to make her life more difficult and tried to fight the mate bond. She had courage enough to argue with them wherever they were.

  “Fight a little harder? What am I supposed to do? Grab you and hold you down?” Her lips twitched, but her body was still tense.

  Linc grabbed onto that small sign of hope. Maybe her anger had cooled enough that she wouldn’t need to relax more. He wanted to be with her. He’d seen the spot where the man had hidden. She’d been only four or five body lengths from danger. Scenes and images of her bloody and hurt replayed in his head until the tiron inside clawed to get out and grab her.

  Now that he was in the same room, the urge settled a little, but it wouldn’t still until he held her in his arms. He didn’t know how Colm stayed away from her. His bond brother’s anxiety burned through the link between them. Yet he remained with the other men.

  “There are places you could grab that would definitely get my attention. Get in my face or yell. Tell me to admit you’re right or prove you wrong. Something.” He grinned. He could imagine her doing that.

  “I know those places, but you wouldn’t be much use to me for a while after. Of course, there’s always Colm, so it’s a definite possibility. And have you ever told Colm to prove you wrong? Because he’s just as intimidating as you are.” She looked at him through her lashes. Her hand crept to her hip.

  That was better. He wanted to see her relaxed and sassy.

  “Don’t give me that excuse. You’ve yelled and opposed us before when it was important. If it matters, don’t let us get away with brushing your concerns to the side. Hell, toss up this incident as a reminder.” He took a step closer, simply to see how she’d react. She didn’t back away from him or tense up on him.

  “Never thought I’d get permission to use a mistake against you. What are you going to do now?” Her head tilted and she studied him through gorgeous gold eyes veiled by thick lashes.

  “Do?” His grin turned wicked and his eyes swept down her body. He knew what he’d like to be doing. “Well, I thought I’d show you a few things that you haven’t seen before and then we’d play.”

  “Play?” She raised an eyebrow. “I thought you’d be out searching or something. Where’s Colm?”

  “Colm’s supervising practice. Men are still searching, although they’ll pull back in when night falls. I’m free to do what I want now. Since you’re in the mood to practice your magic, I know ways to make it much more interesting.” Linc brushed his hand over her cheek. His heart nearly slammed out of his chest when she turned her face into his palm. “Are you willing to try?”

  “We can try, but I don’t know where play comes in with magic. You know I don’t have control over it.” She frowned and her hand rose to cover his lightly.

  “Do you trust me to know what I’m doing when it comes to magic?” He waited for her answer. Nervousness bounced through him with such force that he was surprised his whole body wasn’t shaking with it. If she didn’t, this was going to take a long time. He’d wait, but it wouldn’t be easy.

  “I know you wouldn’t hurt me with your magic. That part is easy, but it’s me. I don’t trust myself to know what to do or to control the level of power.” She licked her lips and took a deep breath as if she was bracing for something.

  “I trust you, Cami.” He captured her hand and held it gently as he drew it down between them. “I know you wouldn’t hurt me with your magic.”

  “I lose control. At that inn, I blasted you across the room when I lost control of my magic. If I lose it again, you could be hurt badly.” She shook her head.

  He could almost see her pulling back. His hand tightened around hers, but he was careful not to squeeze too hard. She took a deep breath and looked nervous, but she didn’t pull away from him.

  “You’re not going to hurt me. Not even when you get excited.” Linc knew the fear was real, but the only way to convince her that she could do this safely was actual experience. He hoped she gave him the chance to show her that there was nothing she needed to fear with this.

  “Are you sure?” She licked her lips and looked up at him through her lashes. He wanted to lean down and swipe his own tongue across those lush, moist curves.

  “I’m very sure. Are you willing to try?” He didn’t give in to the urge. This needed to be her choice. He didn’t want her to think she’d been pushed into it. Not because he thought she’d regret it. He wanted her to trust herself where her magic was concerned.

  “All right, let’s see if you can teach me to play with my magic. I don’t know how it’s possible though. I don’t want to hurt you.” She shrugged.

  He saw the hope in her eyes and the trace of wariness. She didn’t have anything to worry about, but reassuring her again wasn’t going to help. He took her hand and drew her over to the bed. Since it wasn’t used, only a thin dust sheet rested across the bare mattress. He brushed his hand over it. When his fingers came away free from dust, he decided that they could leave it on the bed.

  “Normally, I’d want to be naked before we start this, but you’re a little nervous so we’ll start slow. I’ll let you go first. For a while.” He had to add that last part, because she needed to feel the pleasure magic as well as perform it. As much as he was enjoying feeling the sizzle of her magic on his skin, he needed to make her wild too. “Most of this is going to come naturally to you once the magic starts flowing. You won’t have to focus as much as you do when you’re practicing.”

  “That’s good. What do I do?” She sat on the bed and her head cocked to the side. She relaxed a little more with each moment.

  “I want you to think about pleasure. How it feels to have a hand running over your stomach and up to your breasts. How it feels to have fingers tugging on your nipple or stroking your clit.” He smiled and eased onto the bed beside her. So far so good.

  Her eyes widened. “Really, just that? I’m not supposed to try to put the feelings into the magic?”

  “I’m teaching here.” Linc reached over and tugged her thighs wider. His hand pressed her skirt between her legs and he rested his fingers over her pussy. Even through the fabric, he could feel her heat. “Now do what I say or do I need to remind you of how those sensations feel.”

  She turned and glared up at him. “No, I can remember them.”

  “Rest your hands palm up in your lap and get started. I might decide to play if you don’t hurry.” He kept his lips in a straight line with effort.

  She drew her lip back in a small snarl. Taking a deep breath, sh
e closed her eyes. He saw her body relax a little. Her nipple poked at the fabric of her shirt, the stiff peak clearly visible. He tore his eyes away from that encouraging sign and focused on her hand. He could see the first of the magic beginning to pool there.

  She didn’t notice it. Her eyes remained closed and her breath hitched a little. The hazy purple mist began to pool in her palms waiting to be harnessed. He watched and waited. It needed to strengthen a little before he showed her what she’d created. It would dissipate with the shock. She needed to see and feel it.

  When the magic had grown into two amorphous masses in her palms, he decided that it should be strong enough. “Open your eyes and look at your hands.”

  He watched her, but didn’t know what to expect. Her eyes widened and she straightened. Her gaze lifted to his.

  “What did I do?” She licked her lips and her fingers flexed a little.

  “That’s the way it’s supposed to happen. It probably would have happened naturally at some point. You’ll be able to call it forth, but you can send it away too. It won’t hurt you, Colm or me.” Linc kept his voice quiet and calm. He tried to force his lips into a straight line. He didn’t want her to think he was laughing at her. Sometimes, her reactions made him smile.

  “What do I do with it?” She lifted one of her hands and then set it back down when the hazy purple magic moved over her palm. “It tingles.”

  “You’re going to torment me for a little while.” He lifted his hand and brushed his fingers across her cheek. “Let me get more comfortable and you can start.”

  He stood and took off his boots and his shirt. The pants he left fastened, because he wanted the control the tight fabric gave him. He knew how intense the magic running over his skin could feel and he didn’t want this to end too soon. Walking around the bed, he settled down on his back in the center. With his fingers together behind his head, he took a deep breath and focused on letting her learn to trust at least this part of her magic.

  “But what do I do with this?” She frowned as she slowly made her way around the bed. Her knee braced on the bed. She remained poised there as if she didn’t want to risk getting closer until she knew exactly what to do.