She spun and gaped at the man. How had she not heard the door open or a single footstep when he entered? The other women hadn’t even given an indication he was there.
“My situation is different and I suspect you know much of how it’s different.” She narrowed her eyes on the black-haired man. What surprised her was that he hadn’t told Linc and Colm exactly what she was to them.
“I’ll admit you have reason for your fears, but not for letting it rule you. Do you think your reasons are going to stop the Ardin’s pursuit? They know there’s something special about you.” He smiled slowly.
The predatory expression surprised her. Every time she’d seen him, he’d looked serene and utterly at ease. Not that he’d ever appeared to be a man who spent most of his time with books. He was almost as muscled as the warriors. She didn’t doubt that he was as intense as any other male Santir, but was surprised that the controlled man showed it.
She clamped her lips shut on any reply to that taunt. No way was she getting into an argument about what they did or didn’t know. It was bad enough she’d said what she had in front of the other women. She blamed it on already being angry, but knew that was no excuse.
If she wanted to keep Linc and Colm unaware of exactly what she was to them, she needed to keep herself under control. She couldn’t expect the women not to talk about what they’d witnessed. When they did, it would eventually get back to Colm and Linc.
“What did you come in here for?” The chatar asked as he moved over to the table.
“A cup of dorin, for the most part.” Cami shrugged. It appeared the second part of her goal wasn’t going to happen, at least not immediately. Maybe they’d get over their anger at her taking what they considered their place soon enough when they realized she didn’t intend to take it.
The chatar walked over to the large hearth and pulled a kettle off the hook. He poured two mugs of the dark brew and handed her one. “It’s some of the best you’ll ever taste.”
“Thank you.” Cami brought the steaming drink to her lips and took a small sip. It was stronger and richer than she’d had it before. She wondered what they did differently to make it taste that delicious. “It’s good.”
The clearing of a throat brought Cami’s head around to the women again. She found the redhead staring at her.
“Did they tell you about me or the other women here? Is that how you know they were with me?” Her voice was hesitant and a blush colored her cheeks.
“No.” Cami didn’t elaborate on the curt answer.
“We didn’t need to. She apparently knows a lot about us.” Colm’s deep voice rumbled just behind her. “Those visions that led you to us were much more specific than you want us to believe, weren’t they?”
Didn’t anyone in this place say “hello” when they entered a room? Not to mention make a sound when they opened a door or stepped on the floor. She was getting tired of people sneaking up behind her and not only because they seemed to come at the very worst time. Although she had to admit, that was annoying and a huge part of it.
She shot him a narrow-eyed look, but didn’t bother to say a word. He could speculate all he wanted. He didn’t have any proof of that. Walking in on the tail end of a conversation wouldn’t be enough. He didn’t know the specifics of what had come before. She could have gotten enough from what they said and their attitudes to come to her conclusions.
“We were looking for you. Actually, I didn’t expect you to be awake yet.” Colm came into the kitchen, walked around her and leaned a hip against the table as he watched her.
“I usually wake up early,”she admitted. On the journey here, they’d always been up and busy before she’d woken, so it had been a little strange to her.
“Colm, is she down there?” Linc’s voice carried into the room. It was surprising since that door was rather thick.
Colm pushed open the door. “She’s in the kitchen.”
“Where did you think I went? Laed and Kynar haven’t been stopped yet. I’m not going anywhere.” Her brows drew down. She could feel the anger rising in her.
“We didn’t think you’d tried to leave. Not in the sense that you were running for the travel-gate. We thought you might have decided to go running on your own.” Colm shrugged as if it was nothing to worry about at all.
Her jaw tightened and she felt her teeth grind. Magic began to rise inside of her. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes, trying to find a place of calm inside of her. She couldn’t let it get out of control. The last thing she wanted was to grab one of their hands and give them some of the power when they were the ones who’d caused it.
When the deep breaths and concentration had taken the power down to a more manageable level, she focused on Colm and saw Linc walk into the room. The kitchen was getting a little crowded. “What would be so bad about that?”
“I believe Linc’s mentioned something about how I like to get my way.” Colm’s eyes swept over her in a heated pass. “You going off on your own wasn’t the plan.”
She could almost feel that look as it ran down her body and then upward again. Lifting her chin, she tapped her foot. “The plan as I understood it was for me to see the forest and get a chance to run. I don’t see much changed about it.”
“With us.” Linc walked over and poured himself a mug of the fragrant brew. “That’s what would be different and that’s what would make him angry and me as well. I’m looking forward to the run today.”
“But you could run on your own.” She didn’t understand what the problem would be unless they were concerned for her safety. “Laed and Kynar aren’t anywhere near here yet, so there’s no need to shadow me.”
“We’re not afraid that you’ll be attacked while you’re out. We want to be with you.” Linc shook his head. “I know you’re fighting the attraction hard, but try to remember that we aren’t.”
She blushed, because she hadn’t thought about their perspective. Admittedly, she was still angry, so that could be part of the reason she hadn’t been at her most perceptive.
“Now I haven’t seen that before.” The chatar came closer and stared at her face.
He leaned closer. She leaned back because he was getting in her space. She wasn’t so comfortable with that.
“What?” Colm’s gaze sharpened and he stepped closer. “Oh, I don’t think that’s happened before. At least I didn’t notice it if it had. I don’t think I would have missed it. Linc?”
“No, I definitely haven’t seen that.” Linc stepped close and now she had three men around her, staring at her face.
“What?” Her hands balled into fists and her voice rose.
Colm blinked. Almost before she saw his hand move, she felt his fingers close around her wrist. “Calm down. Take some deep breaths.”
She narrowed her eyes, unwilling to let them sidestep the issue. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing’s wrong. At least, I don’t think it is. We’ve just never seen anything such as this before.” Linc frowned.
“Haven’t seen what before? You’re all looking at me as if I was some strange new creature.” She pulled back, trying to get Colm to release her wrist. She wasn’t out of control. He didn’t need to be ready to take some of the excess.
“Well, you’re not strange, but what’s happening with your eyes is. They’re glowing gold right now. By glowing, I mean if it was dark, I wouldn’t have any problem finding you. Have you ever seen them do that?” Linc’s hand settled on her shoulder. “Relax, he just wants to make sure that he’s there for you should you need it.”
“But I don’t need it. I’m angry and a little nervous because I’m being crowded again, but so far the levels are manageable.” She met his eyes and hoped he could see that she was sincere. “And no, I’ve never seen or been told before that my eyes glow. I’m sure someone would have mentioned it before. Look at your reactions.”
“That’s good.” Linc smiled and his hand tightened in what was probably meant to be a reassuring squeeze.
“Can you take this discussion out of my kitchen?” The older woman turned with a spoon in her hand and pointedly looked at all four of them. “We’re trying to get food ready in here and you’re in the way. It will never get done with all of you here.”
Cami saw Colm’s lips twitch. “As soon as I get my dorin, we’ll go somewhere else to work through this.”
The woman poured a mug of dorin and handed it to Colm. Her eyes went to the door in a pointed reminder. Cami bit her lip to keep the laughter inside. Colm took the cup and smiled at the woman. Those two might rule the Thent, but this kitchen was hers.
“Come with me. We’ll see if we can find any mention of this thing happening before.” The chatar led the way out of the kitchen.
Cami scowled. She didn’t want to sit around and search through books and scrolls looking for any mention of glowing eyes. She wanted to be outside, to climb, run, hunt and chase. It wouldn’t be a short search either. If the chatar didn’t know about it right off, she’d bet it was pretty obscure if there was any information at all. The man seemed to know almost everything. Him not knowing anything about it was a little scary.
“Don’t worry. We’re not going to stay too long. We’re looking forward to that run as much as you are.” Linc paced beside her, but simply kept even with her. Colm was in front of her and still held her hand. She thought that Linc might not want to make her feel any more confined than she already did.
“Is he worried about what this is? Is it dangerous?” She nodded to the chatar who led them down the hallway to his workroom. She saw a wall of shelves, a long table, lanterns and another smaller table in the corner loaded with books.
“I don’t know what it is, and yes, that draws a little concern from me.” The chatar went to the tall bookcase and began pulling books off the shelf. He had a huge stack of books when he turned around. “We’ll start with these. As to the question about danger, I don’t know, but since you were totally unaware of it, I’d guess that it’s not going to cause you any problems.”
Which still left the threat to others. Her shoulders slumped. She looked down at the floor. This was just what she didn’t need. She’d begun to feel comfortable with the magic within her only recently and now there was something new to learn to control or have it hurt someone completely innocent. Was it ever going to be safe to be around people again without someone there to make sure she didn’t get too angry or have the magic flare out of control?
“Don’t worry. We don’t know what it is, but so far the manifestation is rather benign. We’ll deal with whatever this brings.” Colm stepped up just in front of her and put his hand on her shoulder.
The weight felt reassuring and he didn’t get any closer, although from the look in his eyes, he wanted to do more than that. He released her and turned to the table. Cami looked at the chatar. Why couldn’t he be all-knowing now? He seemed so aware and knowledgeable about everything else. Why should he have to go hunting through books to find out what was happening with her eyes?
“You seem to be aware of almost everything that goes on around here and you know things about me that I certainly didn’t tell you. Why don’t you have an answer for this?” Cami stalked over to the table and dropped into one of the chairs. She scowled at the chatar as he carried his load of books.
“It doesn’t work that way. I don’t know everything. I get flashes about the important things and I have to consciously delve for information about that, but if it’s not important or a threat, then I might not even know about it. So I’d guess that you’re not going to pose a threat to the Thent.” The chatar dropped the books on the table. They made a loud thud, but stayed in the neat stack.
That could be taken one or two ways. Either she wasn’t going to be around to be a threat or the power wasn’t the type that would cause hurt. Cami grimaced. She had to admit that leaving after they caught Laed and Kynar was looking as if it was one of the only options, but not because she thought they’d reject her. From their attitudes, it was exactly the opposite. If her powers kept growing, she might have to leave for other people’s safety.
“Let’s see if we can find anything in these books and then we’ll go for that run.” Linc took the seat beside her.
“What are we looking for?” She took one of the thick tomes from the stack and pulled it in front of her.
“There are subject headings in the books, but you’ll have to do a quick look through to see if they might mention something about glowing eyes in the passage.” The chatar sat down on the other side of the table.
Colm took the seat on the other side, but his seat and Linc’s were far enough away that she didn’t feel trapped. That didn’t mean that she was unaware of them. The mere fact that they were close enough to touch was a temptation that she almost couldn’t resist. She wanted to reach out and put her hands on their legs as she’d dreamed.
This was going to take an eternity. She didn’t fool herself. Once they got started, they’d probably lose track of time and she wouldn’t get to go for a run today. She gave herself a mental shake. This wasn’t the time to be griping or whining about the small things. The glowing eyes thing was new and might be an important change. She needed to know about it. If that meant reading through a book or two, then she’d have to do it.
She opened the book and gently turned the pages to the first section. She looked for anything about eyes, but didn’t find anything. She remained focused and kept turning the pages.
A hand on her shoulder startled her. She tensed and whirled in her chair. Her eyes widened and she felt her claws burst from the tips of her fingers. She relaxed when she realized that it wasn’t danger. It was Colm. She’d been so focused on the book that she hadn’t even noticed that he got to his feet. His lips twitched, but he didn’t fully smile. Which was a good thing, because if he had, she might have had to kick him.
“It’s time to go run.” He tilted his head toward the door and held out his hand. “This will wait. He might get through more without us here than we are currently, because, I have to be honest, there was a point when all of the information seemed to blur together.”
She rose without argument, even though she wasn’t so sure that the chatar would get through it faster. The urge to get outside and into her fur was too strong to ignore. She could always come back to help.
She slipped her hand into his. It was beginning to feel almost natural to hold their hands. She still didn’t know completely what was behind it. They knew she wasn’t going to run off and they didn’t seem to be the openly affectionate type. Linc stood and walked over to join them.
“I’m ready to see how you look in your tiron form.” Linc smiled down at her.
To tell the truth, she was a little curious about how they looked in animal form as well. A normal tiron had a broad head, pointed ears and visible canines as well as the powerful, large feline body. Were they bigger than a normal Santir since they were larger in human form? She knew that it sometimes worked that way. She also wondered about their fur. Was it the same color as their hair? She knew her fur had more brown than her hair did.
Chapter Eleven
Linc led the way out of the fortress and into the forest. Cami inhaled deeply and savored the scent. It pulled at her wild side and she was more than ready to let it out. The scent of the earth filled her and she wanted to go investigate the scurrying sounds coming from nearby bushes.
“We’ll let you change here and we’ll go change somewhere else.” Colm squeezed her hand and released it. “Don’t go charging off without us. We want to see you. We’ll be back.”
“I’ll wait for you.” She smiled and waited for them to disappear into the trees before starting on the buttons of her shirt.
Cami wanted to rip the clothes away, but knew she couldn’t. She’d need the clothes to wear back to the fortress. Even though nudity before and after shifting wasn’t a big deal among shifters in general, she didn’t feel comfortable right now doing it. She was still all too consciou
s of her scars on her thigh.
The scars on her face didn’t bother her so much anymore, but her leg was a different matter. It wasn’t the look of the marks that bothered her. The limitations she now had because of them upset her. Running any distance at first had sent the muscles into seizing cramps. Now, that happened only after strenuous activity or when she pulled the muscle. Sometimes, she still limped at the end of the day. She hated that, but she’d take that over not being able to run at all.
She folded her clothes and put them in the bend of two branches to keep them off the ground. Shifting, she stretched. Her claws flexed and dug into the grass and dirt beneath her four fur-covered paws. It felt so good to be in this form. Her back arched and she turned to the tree where she’d put her clothes. Rising onto her back legs, she raked her claws down the trunk.
She looked around the area. She wanted to move, to go deeper into the forest, but remembered her promise to Colm. Waiting wasn’t easy. She sat, but couldn’t stay still for very long and began to pace the small area as she waited. As she turned to make the few steps back to the tree, she saw two tiron waiting just inside the bushes.
One male’s coat was so black that the sheen almost seemed blue. That had to be Colm. The other’s fur was a gold blond with brown spots. She paced forward and tilted her head as she looked at them. In this form, she had no fears about her scars or limitations. The two men were gorgeous tiron. She’d been right when she thought they might be larger than the tiron she’d seen before. They were both bigger than most male tiron, with Colm being the larger of the two beasts.
She gave a rolling grunt and pulled her chin down and in, a friendly nonthreatening gesture as she took a few steps toward them. She wanted to meet their animals. Their muscles relaxed and they stared at her. Most tiron would mimic her gesture in a friendly “come on over” response, but not these two alphas.
“Come.” The rolling grunt came from Colm in feline form. Even though they were from entirely different worlds, she had no problem understanding him. The language was ingrained in a Santir at birth or transformation. It was more of an order than an invitation, but Cami ignored her irritation in favor of satisfying her curiosity.
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