HerMatesEmbrace (19 page)

“How are you going to make me?” She threw the words out
there without thinking because his smirk made her angry. Why hadn’t that worked
as it always did?

“This way.” Colm took three long steps to her, picked her up
and started walking back across the room.

Cami stiffened momentarily when his hands touched her waist,
but after that surprised instant, she exploded. Her feet slammed into his legs
and she struggled in his hold. She didn’t think. It was all reaction to the
panic churning inside her. Colm grunted once as her foot struck his knee, but
otherwise gave no indication it affected him. She didn’t have much time to calm
down or even tell him to let her go before he put her down so close to the
pillows that the heels of her slippers touched the edge of one of fluffy
cushions. He didn’t release her, though.

“You’re going to settle down now.” Colm frowned down at her
and held her when she tried to step out of his loosened grip.

“Let go of me. You know I don’t like feeling trapped.” She
wriggled in his grip.

“I told you we’ve been too easy on her. She thinks that
we’ll back off.” Colm looked over at Linc.

“Well, we have backed off before when the magic was high or
she was afraid.” Linc nodded. “So I can understand why she thinks it might
work.”

“Stop talking around me.” She looked from one man to the
other. It was fast becoming clear that this wasn’t going to be the same as the
other times. They weren’t going to give her any space.

“Sit down. I know you felt the magic when we brought you
into the room. That ensures you stay in here while we complete our duties. Now
put your ass on those pillows, because we can and will make you, even if it’s
not what we want to do.” Linc narrowed his eyes.

“And behave as you know you should. This is one fight you’re
not going to win. After we finish with the judgment, we’ll give you a few
lessons for your magic to teach you how to use that focused magic. Just
remember, we will be extremely angry if you use it against us. We’ll consider
it more than enough reason to put an end to all the distance and tricks you use
to keep us separate.” Colm’s lips tilted up into a smile.

She knew few things would make him happier than that. Maybe
she was simply reacting. She honestly hadn’t thought about closing the distance
between them. She’d been more focused on keeping things from changing. There
had been nothing in their behavior to worry her. She hadn’t seen any evidence
to back up her fears about men in power. They didn’t misuse the trust their
people gave them.

On top of that, Colm, the man who actively hunted for a
woman who wasn’t his mate, seemed to be intent on making her admit she belonged
with them. The soft, slow approach had come to an end. Now, they were making
demands. She didn’t know what to do about it and would have to think about it.
In the meantime, she wasn’t going to give in without at least one more protest.

“No.” She took a step back and lifted her chin. “I don’t
want to do it.”

Linc’s fingers clasped around her arm. Usually the most
reasonable of the two men, his eyes burned with stubborn determination.

He shook his head at her. “Don’t make us force you to sit
and then use a spell to keep you in place. You know how being kept there will
make you feel. We don’t want to cause you any panic, but you will sit in your
rightful spot. We don’t expect you to be happy about it, though.”

She glared at him as she weighed his words. The thought of
being held in place by magic sent chills of fear down her back. No, she
couldn’t let that happen. She’d break down in front of them and they’d seen
enough of her fear and emotion. That wasn’t happening this time. Especially
since they’d forced this situation on her. She might not be able to get out of
this, but she could control the way she handled it.

Baring her fangs at them in a low hiss, she turned and sank
down onto the pillows with her back against the padded legs of the two chairs.
A wicked idea for revenge floated through her mind. They were making her stay
here and they’d pay for that demand. They deserved it.

Colm gave her an assessing look as if he suspected she was
up to something. She didn’t bother to hide her anticipatory expression. There
wasn’t anything they could do about it as long as they insisted she stay in the
room with them. He walked over and claimed the right chair while Linc went to
the door and opened it.

Someone was obviously waiting out in the hallway because he
said a few words and then walked over to take the chair on the left. Cami
didn’t do anything yet. She didn’t want to give them any warning. It would be
so much better if it was done when there were other people around and they had
to keep their focus on the proceedings.

In spite of the mockery Laed and Kynar had made of it, she
knew there was supposed to be some ceremony to it. That would offer her the
chance to pay them back for doing this. Not that she thought it would teach
them anything other than that she wouldn’t let them force her to do this
without making them pay.

She had no idea what they had to do today. She didn’t think
it was the men who’d gotten into
Thent
. She’d heard they were assassins
and knew that letting the surviving hired killer leave would be a mistake. He’d
come back and try to get to his target again.That man probably wouldn’t be
dealt with in this way.
Was it simply time for them to handle grievances or
something such as that? Had someone come to try to negotiate with them?

Leaning back against the chairs as she was, she was in
perfect position for her plan. Their legs brushed against her shoulders. She
kept her smile subdued as a group of men filed into the room. A man at the back
of the group shut the doors behind them. These were all Santir men. They looked
sober. One of them seemed even more so than the others. One of the men near the
back made his way around the others and stood to the side. Cami watched with
interest as he took a deep breath.

The man at the side of the room called out at least eight
names and instructed them to step forward. He waited until the men had walked
forward leaving one man waiting near the doors. “You’ve been called in to
account the details of the night when two humans managed to get over the wall
and explain how there came to be a gap in the defenses.”

She saw the men shift nervously from foot to foot. One man’s
hands clasped in front of him tensely. She’d guess that he wanted to rub his
hands up and down his pants, but didn’t want to reveal his anxiety that
clearly. Considering the trouble he might be in, he had reason to be nervous.

She straightened as she realized she was getting too caught
up in what was happening around her and needed to focus on her plan. Waiting
until they began to speak probably wouldn’t be a bad idea. Colm and Linc would
be less likely to interrupt if they were paying attention to the men’s story.

“Ardin, if I may speak,” one of the older men said as he
stepped forward from the group.

“You may speak.” Colm’s voice sounded deeper and slower than
normal.

The man began talking about the routine of the guard house.
She knew he was trying to explain how they hadn’t noticed that someone wasn’t
where they were supposed to be for a significant amount of time. After a little
while, she tuned his voice out. It was time to give those two men something to
think about the next time they wanted to press her into something she didn’t
want to do.

She turned a little and leaned against the chairs behind
her. She wanted better access than she had at the moment. The angle would allow
her to reach more of Linc, the man on her left. She chanced a glance up at his
face and saw that he was focused on the man still trying to gain the sympathy
and understanding of his Ardin. He wasn’t even the man in huge trouble, but he
seemed ready to explain away everything.

Cami was determined to use this. They wanted her here. They
were going to have to deal with her little change in plans. She ran her hand
slowly up his leg, but stopped at the knee. Nothing too expansive yet. She
wasn’t going to be too blatant. Well, not unless she got a really good
opportunity.

Linc tried moving his leg a little to the side. As if she’d
be that easily discouraged. She’d teach them that plans have a tendency to go
awry if there was another person involved. If she was lucky, they’d get tired
of trying to ignore or avoid her touch and kick her out of here. Not that she
expected that to happen. She couldn’t really interfere with their ability to
listen to the people before them. She couldn’t distract both of them at the
same time so one of them would always be listening.

Drawing her fingers in circles up the inside of his calves,
she barely noticed when another man stepped up to add to the tale. Her focus
was entirely on what she could do to Linc at this moment. She knew she could
reach up and cup his cock, but he’d grab her hand and her foray into temptation
and distraction would be over.

She sneaked a glance up at him to see how he was reacting.
His eyes locked with hers and his lips pulled back in a silent, warning snarl.
She smiled brilliantly at him and glanced pointedly toward the door. If he
wanted her to stop, he’d let her out of the room.

He shook his head and raised a brow. She took that as a
challenge that he didn’t think she could do much in her position. Slipping her
palm behind his calf, she used her nails as she stroked up and down in a slow,
meandering pattern. Following the taut muscles all the way to the back of his
knee, she drew her thumb back and forth.

Cami could probably do much better at distracting him if she
tried touching herself. The audience in front of them held her back from doing
that. She wasn’t going to provide that much of a show for those trying to give
their report. With a little luck, she could show him how it could have been if
they had waited to do this until she was ready.

She leaned her head against his leg and slowly leaned close.
Resting her cheek against his outer thigh, she nuzzled back and forth for a few
moments in a deliberate mimicry of scent marking. She turned her head catching
his eyes before nipping his thigh, hard. He jerked and gasped, automatically
reaching for her, but she’d already straightened and swiveled to start on Colm.

She’d started with Linc because of his temperament. He was
the more relaxed and easy-going of the two men. She’d known he most likely
wouldn’t cause a scene and stop everything simply because she was baiting him.
Now, though, she had to try it on Colm. It required a little more courage. She
wasn’t sure what the gruff man would do when she started or if her game would
have any effect on him.

She didn’t glance up at him to see what he was thinking. Not
yet. He would have noticed what she was doing to Linc. He was wearing some
shorter, sturdy boots today, not the nearly knee-high boots she’d grown
accustomed to seeing when they’d been traveling.

She had room to play. Now she just had to work up the nerve
to do it. Taking a deep breath, she put her hand on his calf, but decided if
she was going to do this, she was going to do it right. She began stroking the
skin just above his boot.

Sitting here sucked. It didn’t take her long to come to that
conclusion. She was on display. She’d definitely hold a grudge about that for a
long time. There had to be easier ways they could have found to proclaim her
status in their life other than this. She knew most of them probably would make
her just as furious as this one did, but still, it should have been her choice.

On top of that, the position was limiting and irritating.
Maybe part of that was her attitude right now. She knew it was supposed to be
an honor to sit there, and traditionally, the Ardin’s Lady had her own power in
times of judgment.

She felt fingers tangle in her hair and tug her head back
gently. She lifted her eyes and met gold eyes burning with intensity. His mouth
had firmed into a straight slash. He didn’t say a word, merely shook his head
slowly back and forth. She’d have to be an idiot to miss the meaning of the
gesture. It was a clear warning. Don’t push anymore.

She wasn’t about to heed it, even if her stomach did tighten
a little as she wondered just what he’d do. She wouldn’t back down. It was time
they saw that she didn’t fear them, even if she did still have a few doubts
about the wisdom of being with them even temporarily. She gave a small smile
and let her hand slip up his pants a little. She felt the muscle of his calf
flex and tighten. Touching his leg instead of his pants felt a lot better than
caressing through cloth.

Chapter Eighteen

Colm gritted his teeth as he felt her warm fingers on his
calf. It shouldn’t have had much of an effect. After all, those soft fingers
were far away from his cock. He should have known, though. Sometimes, her smile
could send a strong surge of lust slamming through him.

The simple feel of her hands on him seemed to send an
amazing wave of heat through him. Even though he knew she was doing this to get
revenge, his body reacted. Maybe it was because she was initiating the contact.
It was one of the few times she’d chosen to touch him, even if it wasn’t in
passion.

He tried his best to ignore the effect she was having on his
body. He didn’t have much success. His cock pushed against his suddenly
too-tight pants and his mind focused on her touch. Paying attention during
judgment had never been a problem before, but now she made it near impossible.

A little help here. Losing the thread of the excuses.
Colm sent the thought to Linc, but kept his eyes on the men in front of them.

What was it you said when I needed a little distraction
from her touch? Oh, yes, “It’s not as if she’s stroking your cock. Just ignore
it.” Does that help?
Linc sounded too amused, even through the mind link.

Okay, I was wrong, but what could I do? We can’t pick her
up and put her over a knee without disrupting the proceedings. There is a
ceremony to these things. Much as I’d like to haul her into my lap and wrap her
up so she can’t play anymore, we have to do this as it normally is.
Colm
shot a frustrated glare at the head of the woman currently leaning into his
leg.
Letting her out of this would only make her think she can wriggle out
of completing the mating with us.

Catch her hand if she strays too high. That’s what I was
going to do,
Linc offered
. I’ll pay attention to the explanations now.
If she turns back to me, you’ll be back on duty.

She’s definitely going to hear about this one when we get
finished with this. And then I’m going to do some touching of my own.
Colm
stifled the low growl that was building.

I’ll be right there helping and participating, my friend.
Want to wrestle to see who goes first?
Linc’s suggestion was delivered with
a hint of humor.

Colm smiled a little in spite of the fact that he couldn’t
do anything to stop her at the moment. He knew that they wouldn’t be doing
anything but focusing on their stubborn Lady when this ceremony finished. If
she strayed above his knee, that hand was his. He wasn’t letting go until the
judgment was over and everyone had left. It was good that they already knew
most of what would be said.

She kept her touches confined to his lower leg mostly. Her
fingers would tease as she scraped her nails across his skin and then she would
retreat and almost pet him through the cloth of his pants. It was driving him
insane.

He wanted more than those innocent touches. What really sent
desire spiking through him was when she rested her head against his thigh.
She’d nuzzle against him as if she’d found a really comfortable place to rest.
He knew it wasn’t because she was tired. She’d occasionally glance at him from
the corner of her eyes. He saw sheer determination and wicked intent in those
beautiful gold eyes. Her plan was to provoke.

She’d definitely drawn a reaction and his teasing wasn’t
going to be as subtle as hers. He took heart in the fact that she was pushing
them when they were in such close quarters. She knew they could order everyone
out at a moment’s notice even if she thought they probably wouldn’t. Her trust
in them had grown. She wouldn’t have done this before. She’d have fumed and
waited until they were in public again before chancing angering them.

At one point, her palm slipped up to his knee. Her fingers
traced the seam of his pants. He didn’t take the time to wonder if she’d decide
to get bolder. He took the opportunity to snag her wrist. He pulled her arm,
forcing her to straighten.

Once she did sit up against the chairs again, he didn’t take
the chance of even loosening his hold. She leaned over and nipped at him, obviously
trying to startle him into releasing her hand, but the thick cloth of his pants
blunted the sting. He gave a soft growl just to let her know he’d felt it and
that he didn’t want it happening again.

She turned her head and met his eyes. Her lips pulled back
in a snarl. He bit back a smile. She showed her anger openly. She was
definitely moving past the fear that had ruled her at first. That thrilled and
aroused him. She’d never be able to accept them if she feared them.

As the last man stepped up to tell his side of the story,
Colm stroked his finger over the back of her hand. He kept his eyes on the man
in front of them, but also kept his attention on the woman sitting in front of
them. She hadn’t given up her mission to torment them. She simply couldn’t do
it effectively while he had her hand. It was the major reason he wasn’t
releasing her until this was over and they could talk without interruption.

To the man’s credit, he didn’t make excuses. He simply told
the story, nodded to them and then stepped back among the other men to wait for
their decision. If they hadn’t found out that this was almost a regular
practice, it might have given them some cause to mitigate the punishment.
Unfortunately, the man had been using his nightly duty on the wall as a time to
have sex with a woman for weeks.

“It’s obvious that the failure of our defenses that night
was not only from the absence of one man on the wall. If any of the other men
present had stepped forward and said something or even told him that they would,
it would have stopped.” Linc stood from his chair.

Colm rose as well, but he kept his hold on Cami’s hand. He
expected her to do something, but surprisingly, she stayed still between them.
Her hand was relaxed in his now, when before she’d constantly tried to pull it
free.

Colm turned his eyes to the man who had been in charge of
the night guard duty on the wall. “Two humans got into the
Thent
. There
are two Santir out there who would love such an opportunity. You had a
responsibility to lead these men and you didn’t do it. Before you are given
such a position again, you’re going to have to prove you can handle it.”

“The entire group of you will be broken up and will not be
working together,” Linc said with a hard look at all of the men. “As for you,
Densel, you will work your way up again through the ranks. You have to prove
that we can rely on you. It’s not going to be easy to earn back the trust
that’s been lost.”

“You may go.” Colm dismissed them all and waited until the
last of the men left the room. Finally, they were alone with Cami.

Releasing her arm, Colm stepped forward and then turned to
face her. She rose to her feet. Her hands landed on her hips and her chin
lifted to a proud, stubborn angle. The way she’d thinned her lips only made him
want to kiss her. Now that was his woman.

“What part of ‘behave’ did you not understand?” Colm leaned
forward, deliberately getting into her space to see how she’d react. He
suspected that the shell of fear around her had cracked and might even be
falling away.

She smiled and put her finger against his chest. “What part
of ‘I don’t want to be here’ did you not get? I didn’t choose to be in here. If
you didn’t like the way I sat there, maybe you should have sent me out of the
room.”

“We don’t give in to bad behavior. It just encourages more.”
Linc moved up beside Colm and shook his head.

“Next time, we’ll temporarily clear the room and put you
over a knee. Since you’re ready to challenge us and push, we’re going to start
treating you as a woman who can handle what we have to offer.” Colm smiled. He
was more than ready to start doing that, but knew that even now, they’d need to
move with a little more caution and gauge her reaction. As much as he’d like to
throw off all restraint, he didn’t want to see the fear in her eyes again.

Her mouth worked and he knew she was trying to come up with
some kind of response to his statement, something that would hold him back. She
clearly hadn’t thought they would push right back.

“I won’t play nice if you try this again.” She bared her
teeth at him.

The fact that she answered with a threat made him smile and
sent a surge of lust through him. This was his mate. The sight of her eyes
bright with emotion and the scent of both anger and desire lured him closer to
her. He took a slow step forward. She stood her ground.

“Don’t even think about it.” She poked a finger against his
chest.

“
Nari
, how can I resist when you’re daring me with
every word and with the delicious scent of your arousal.” He let his hands
slide over her arms.

He kept his touch light. She could pull away if she tried,
but she didn’t so much as shrug. His fingers glided down her arms and circled
her wrists. He lifted them and looped her hands over his shoulders. Her nails
sank into his neck. He knew it was supposed to be a warning, but it excited
him.

“Come on, Cami. You don’t want me? Step back and walk away.”
He drew his palms down her sides, giving her every opportunity to do as he
suggested. “Show me what you want.”

He saw Linc circle around to the side. Linc was close, but
seemed to be careful about leaving her space if she wanted to step back from
them. Cami’s eyes cut to the side. Emotions flickered across her face and
through the gold of her eyes. He couldn’t catch all of them, but he definitely
saw speculation and desire among the caution.

“Are you ready to show us what kind of woman we’ve got on
our hands? Is that what today was about?” Linc drew his fingers across her
cheek in a soft caress.

Her eyes flickered closed briefly, but then she seemed to
gather herself. She glared at both of them. “That’s not what today was about.
Are you blind? I wanted to show you that you can’t simply push me into this
position and not expect me to push back.”

“That’s your way of putting it. Me, I see a strong woman
finally ready to show us the real person she’s been hiding. You didn’t want to
be here and you made us more than aware of it. You wouldn’t have done it
before.” Colm smiled and let his hands smooth inward over her stomach.

She stared at him wide-eyed.

“I liked it. Under any other circumstances, I would have let
you explore as much as you liked, but your effect on my body was intense, even
if your touch was rather tame. You want to try it again?” Linc’s head cocked to
the side and arched a brow at her. “Do you want to touch and be touched with
both of us here this time?”

It was the first time they’d been together with her and
pressed her sexually. Colm thought it was past time that they did. She needed
to know with everything in her that she belonged with both of them. It wasn’t
just one of them.

She licked her lips. His eyes followed the slick path of her
tongue. He didn’t know if she was nervous, but the move was flat-out riveting
and sexy. Sweeping his glance down her body, he noticed her hands clenching and
flexing at her side.

His eyebrow raised, but he wouldn’t even begin to guess what
was on her mind.
Did she want to touch them or was she panicked?
Even
with that, he wasn’t going to back off before he had a chance to find out what
she was thinking.

“I thought you were going to teach me to use focused magic.”
Her eyes drifted lower to his chest.

Colm smiled as he realized she was interested in touching
them. “We will, but we can do it after.”

“We won’t press you further than you’re prepared to go this
time, Cami.” Linc combed his fingers through the hair along the side of her
face. “Are you brave enough to take the chance?”

She took a deep breath as if she actually was gathering her
courage. Colm flicked his eyes to the pulse point at her neck and saw it
fluttering. Whatever she used to mask her scent messed up his ability to
identify her emotions through scent, but he’d guess that it was nervousness.
She slowly nodded.

“I want to touch too, not just be touched.” She swallowed
heavily after making that admission.

“Feel free,
nari
. Touch anywhere you want. I’d love
to have your hands on me.” Colm smiled. He’d love to have her touching him any
way she wanted. Hands, mouth, body.

She lifted her head. “Both of you?”

“Yes, both of us.” Linc nodded and lifted his arms wide.
“Feel free. I want you to feel free to come up and curl an arm around us or
kiss us any time you want. You’re our mate.”

She opened her mouth, probably to deny it, but closed it
again without saying anything. Colm let out a slow breath. He didn’t know how
he would have reacted if she’d again denied their connection. Every time she
did, the urge to prove just how strong the tie between them was grew more
intense.

She looked back at the door. “No one will need you?”

“No one will come through that door without knocking.
There’s nothing going on today that won’t wait.” Linc held out his hand. “We’re
waiting. Are you going to take the chance?”

That chin lifted and her shoulders straightened. She
narrowed her eyes and slowly took a step toward them. Apparently challenging
her got a response almost every time. It was a good thing to know.

She hesitated and seemed to be trying to decide which one to
touch. Her hands brushed up the front of Linc’s shirt. Colm simply watched,
although he’d have loved to move in behind her and fill his hands with her
breasts. He didn’t want to panic her when she was taking the first steps of
being with both of them.

She needs to get accustomed to both of us touching her.
Linc’s eyes met his.

Colm acknowledged that Linc was right about that, but still
he wasn’t going to press her between them.
I don’t want to panic her. She
needs time to get accustomed to both of us.