The magic building within her scared her. She didn’t know anything about using or even suppressing the power. The fight to keep it contained exhausted her. Fear of what the unrestrained energy would do to anyone near her if it was released kept her on edge. She didn’t know how long it would be until the power escaped her hold. It had happened once before. The magic had exploded out of her. Luckily, she’d been in the middle of the forest. No people had been affected, although the animals hadn’t fared so well.
She’d come across the animals after the wave of minor dizziness and weakness had faded. They’d been alive, but unconscious. She didn’t want to see what disaster would happen in a city, even a small one. Conflicting feelings kept her from approaching Colm and Linc about her fears, but she knew time was running short.
“Cami, don’t be stubborn. You hardly talk to them and you keep as much distance between you and them as possible. How are they supposed to help that way?” Avan’s voice was pitched low as they strolled down the street of yet another village.
Keeping a distance between her and them was the sane decision. She’d told them about the magic when she’d met up with them, but they didn’t seem to be in any rush to teach her to handle it. Maybe when they did, the dreams would stop or decrease. The magic and those strange vision dreams had to be connected somehow. She never had them before she broke that crystal.
The dreams. She didn’t mind the ones that gave her warning of danger so much. Sometimes, she didn’t understand what they meant until some event clicked into place. At least they served a purpose other than tormenting her. She could live without the dreams of Linc and Colm. She hated seeing them with other women even if she felt they were images from the past.
They didn’t want a mate. She heard it in those dreams almost every night. Knowing that, dreaming of them making love to her became even more of a torment. She knew it couldn’t come true. If it did, they’d only resent her. The two men were close as brothers, although she knew they weren’t related. If one of them was miserable, the other man would be unhappy as well.
“I’m not being stubborn.” She looked over at him and met his eyes briefly. It was caution, fear and experience, not simply a desire to do things her way.
Getting close to them only increased the pull of the mate bond. All of the herbal teas and lotions she used to mask her scent couldn’t change that, even if it did keep them from recognizing her as their mate. That didn’t stop the attraction and the connection from growing. Nothing except staying away from them would do that.
He raised an eyebrow in clear doubt. She looked back up the street. The houses and streets all seemed to look alike now. The travel-gates made moving to other worlds easy, but every planet had more than one gate and each led to different worlds. Sometimes, they had to travel overland to the gate that would lead them to the right place. Simply traveling with Colm and Linc’s men, they’d passed through five worlds. That was nothing compared to the number she’d gone through when she ran away from Scali Thent. She was tired and wanted a real bed for more than a night. At least, the journey would end soon. They were getting close to the world where Colm and Linc held their Thent, although they still had a little traveling to do.
“I know they haven’t even raised their voices to you. You need to talk with them if you’re ever going to trust them. You’ll see they’ll keep you safe. We’re making sure you’re seen. Laed and Kynar will be able to find you and Linc and Colm will catch them.” Avan leaned in close so that his voice would carry only to her.
“They were after Laed and Kynar before I joined you. My being here only makes it easier for them to do that.” She shook her head. The reassuring litany wasn’t going to work.
Although she didn’t know the full reason why, they were following her. Without a doubt, Laed and Kynar hated her. She’d suffered enough abuse at their hands to realize that. She took their crystal, but they couldn’t know that for certain.