your instincts. They know what to do. Trust them the same way you trusted the feelings when you were walking.” Vin came over and put his hand on her shoulder. “Trust them and yourself. You have more control than you think you do. Men will be there when they’re needed.”
Cami took a deep breath and nodded. Trust herself and, from the mention of control, her magic. Not an easy thing when she was still so unsure of it. She followed the woman out the door trying to remain calm. Her heart slammed inside her chest with each step as she walked down the hallway following Lana.
Part of her wanted to turn and run. She didn’t want to be near either of them again. Firmly shoving down the fear, she took a deep breath. Stay out of his reach and delay him. How am I going to do that?
Lana pushed open the door to the kitchen. Cami frowned and tried to catch Lana’s eyes to ask a few more questions. The woman stepped inside before she could manage it. Cami followed slowly. Her throat felt tight and the throb of her pulse threatened to drown out all other sound.
Her feet locked to the floor as she saw Laed standing at the end of the long work table. One of his hands rested on Bea’s shoulder. The other held a knife to her neck. Bea seemed outwardly calm, but Cami could see the tremors shaking her hands.
Cami wanted to run over there and free the woman, but she knew better than to get that close. Get her out of his arms. That one thought screamed through her head over and over. She didn’t know how she was supposed to do that. Bea would die if she didn’t manage to do it somehow.
“I actually thought you’d hide and let them suffer my anger. I want what you stole from us. Or you’ll watch this woman’s blood pool on the floor at my feet.” Laed’s grip on Bea tightened, pulling her back against him.
“I don’t have anything of yours.” Cami would have loved to make some comment about the magic in that crystal not being his, but aggravating him wouldn’t help. Since that crystal was in pieces worlds away from here, she wasn’t lying.
“You took it. I know you took it. What did you do with our crystal?” Laed shook Bea, his voice lowering into a growl.
“How did you get in the Thent? Why would you risk it for some rock I don’t even have?” Cami couldn’t tell him that it was destroyed. He’d kill Bea without a thought and start slicing. She had to delay and distract him. Trust. The chatar had told her to trust her instincts. They shouted at her to get Bea away from him. How do I get her out of his arms? She had no idea what to do to accomplish it.
The rush of nervousness, fear and confusion boosted the level of her magic. She had to calm down. She needed to get control before her eyes started to glow. Trust. The word came to her again. Trust the magic.
“Did you think I couldn’t outwit those fools?” Laed’s lips twisted into a sneer. “Kynar’s leading them in circles. By the time they learn anything’s wrong, I’ll be gone. Where’s the crystal?”
“Why would you think that I knew anything about a crystal? I left because you can’t be trusted. It wasn’t safe there.” Cami avoided the question as much as possible. She needed time to think of something to do. What was taking the chatar so long to get help? Trust the magic. Trust your instincts.
Laed would slit Bea’s throat if he discovered what happened to the crystal. Cami had to get Bea away from him before he discovered or guessed the truth. The magic. It hit her suddenly. She had to use magic.
Colm and Linc had shown her how to create that energy bolt. Cami tossed the idea after only a moment’s consideration. She couldn’t hold back on the power with him. He was too vicious. On top of that, she might hit Bea. How was she supposed to get Bea out of his grip? She couldn’t make her simply disappear. Cami felt her eyes widen as she suddenly realized what she had to do.
“You took it. I know you did. We caught one of the others. He would have told us if he’d taken it. Where did you leave it? If you don’t tell me now, she’s