HerMatesEmbrace (11 page)

“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 conscious 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.

She moved slowly forward, but stopped when they made a space
between them so she could greet them both at the same time. Fear shot through
her and her ears went back. She couldn’t put herself between the two large
cats, not when they were so close together.

Stepping to the side, she approached Colm and rubbed her
face against his, taking a deep breath and drawing his scent into her. The
scents were wrong. It was because of the herbs she’d taken, but it didn’t stop
her annoyance. The cat part of her wanted to know how he really smelled.

“You still smell different than a Santir.” Colm growled. His
tail swished sharply and she saw him stiffen.

“That’s not going to change anytime soon.” Cami kept the
tone of the mewls and grunts even, but she wasn’t backing down from this.

Their alpha tendencies were going to have to adjust to the
fact that everything wasn’t going to go their way. She eased back and
approached Linc. Rubbing her muzzle along his, she inhaled as she greeted him.
She purred and her tail twitched in a friendly greeting. She turned and walked
away, looking back over her shoulder to see what they were doing. Greetings
were done. She was ready to run.

“He’s right.” Linc’s lips pulled back, baring his teeth.
“Your scent is wrong. Better adjust fast. I don’t know how long we’ll be able
to play nice and not throw you into a tub and scrub until it’s off you.”

“I can tell you two aren’t at your most diplomatic when
you’re in this form. I’m going for a run. If you want to come, you can, but no
more growling or threats. I want to enjoy this.” She narrowed her eyes on the
two males and then stalked forward, her gait stiff.

Linc strolled over to her in a graceful glide of feline
muscles. “Don’t be angry. You have to realize that our patience isn’t
inexhaustible. There will come a time when we can’t wait any longer. Hopefully
by then, you’ll know you can trust us even if you don’t like our decision. We
don’t want to take your things and push you too far, but we can only deny our
instincts so long.”

Colm joined them, but he didn’t come up on her other side.
He strode up beside Linc. Linc’s words made her nervous, but their actions
reassured her. It was hard to see them as a threat when they were doing
everything possible to make sure that she was comfortable with them. Arguing
with them wasn’t going to solve anything. There were no easy answers. She
really wanted to run and explore, so decided to let the comment pass without a
reply. As to trusting them, in some instances she did, but this was her life
they were trying to run as they did their
Thent
.

“For now, don’t brood about it. Everything will work out as
it should. Are you ready to run?” Colm’s suggestion sounded more akin to an
order, but the last part was really all that she needed to hear.

She nodded and trotted forward, looking over her shoulder to
see if they’d follow. She didn’t mind running alone, but they’d said that they
wanted to run with her. They bounded forward and Colm dashed in front of her.
She followed, but after a while she got tired of simply tagging along with
them. The urge to hunt and chase pounded through her. Linc moved up beside her,
but didn’t stop. He raced up to match Colm stride for stride.

That was more than enough of merely following the leader.
She slowed and stopped. Looking around, she thought about calling to them to
let them know she’d decided to take a different direction. They kept going and
didn’t seem to notice she’d left them. The two
tiron
were gone before she
could decide what to do.

Looking around the area, she tried to decide where to go. A
run through the forest didn’t ease her
tiron
. The animal within needed
the hunt and chase. She didn’t see anything that she could chase right off, but
what she heard was interesting. The faint sound of something moving slowly
through the forest drew her attention.

Her ears pricked up and swiveled as her anticipation surged.
She crouched and crept off the path. She moved slowly and silently as she edged
closer to the sound. As the noise of hooves grew louder, she crouched near the
base of a flowering bush. Peering between the dark-green leaves, she spotted an
arilla
. The long-legged, hooved animal grazed on grasses and flowers
growing in patches of sunlight. Its short, black fur rippled with each move.

Cami’s muscles bunched and her vision narrowed to the animal
eating so peacefully. She knew the animal had more endurance than she did, but
if she could catch it by surprise and take it down before it bolted out of
reach, she had a good chance. Her claws dug into the ground and her lips pulled
back from her teeth as she leapt forward.

* * * * *

Linc glanced in back of them, curious to see if Cami was
having fun. He hadn’t heard anything from her since he’d run up to join Colm.
He skidded to a stop and growled to get Colm’s attention. She was gone. At
first, it seemed unreal. She’d been following them.

“Where is she?” Colm trotted up beside him.

“Would I be standing here staring at the trees and bushes if
I knew? I don’t even know when she left.” Linc’s lips pulled back in a snarl.

“We’ll find her and don’t get snappy with me. I didn’t know
she’d go wandering off the first time our attention wasn’t on her either.” Colm
slashed a narrow-eyed look at Linc. “Let’s start backtracking and find the
point where she left us. There’s no mistaking that muddled scent of hers. It
shouldn’t be too hard to find her.”

Linc had to agree with Colm about her scent. It wasn’t
similar to anything he’d ever smelled. They had to go back farther than he
expected. He wondered why she hadn’t simply called out if she wanted to go some
other way or do something more than run. That was something he’d be asking her
when he caught up with her. Just because they were sure that Laed and Kynar
weren’t on the planet yet didn’t mean that it was safe for her to go running
around alone. On top of that, he wanted to be with her.

They found the spot where she’d left the trail and followed
the scent into the forest. Soon they found the spot where she’d crouched
beneath a bush and the mixed scent of her and an
arilla
. It didn’t take
long to discover why she’d left the trail. She’d wanted to hunt. He remembered
her saying something about hunting last night, but she hadn’t mentioned
anything this morning.

As they followed, they found the
arilla
had managed
to outrun her. She’d turned in another direction when the animal escaped. They
tracked her toward the river. Linc thought they’d be tracking her for a long
time until he spotted the brown fur among the tall grasses near the side of the
river. She crept slowly toward a small herd of animals drinking from the river.

No way was she making that kill when she’d pulled the
disappearing stunt. Linc roared. The animals tensed and bolted. Cami came to
her feet, and even from this distance, he saw her eyes narrow and heard the
rumble of a growl. He didn’t want her furious at him. Still, it was better than
letting her believe it was perfectly acceptable to ditch them and go hunting on
her own without even a “do you want to come”.

She stalked up to them and looked from one to the other.
“What did you do that for?”

“You didn’t invite us.” Colm grunted and padded over to her.
He rubbed along her body and then stepped back. “We like to hunt too.”

“You seemed more intent on running when I left.” She purred
and her tail flicked.

Just from that movement, he knew she still wasn’t happy.
Linc moved forward and greeted her, rubbing his cheek along hers. “Because we
thought that’s what you wanted to do. We thought you wanted to run and let your
tiron
play for a bit. All you had to do was say that you needed more
than that.”

“I like to run, but running along a trail gets boring. I
wanted to hunt and chase.” She sat down on her haunches and tilted her head at
him. “I don’t mind playing, but we weren’t playing.”

“You’ve done both. It’s time to go back. Next time, tell us
and we’ll all enjoy it. We might not be expecting danger right now, but you
need to take precautions and that means at least one male needs to be with you
when you’re outside of the walls.” Colm stared at her and then headed in the
direction that would get them to a trail leading back to the fortress.

She rose to her feet and followed Colm, but her tail flicked
back and forth in short, agitated strokes.