as they neared the Thent, they heard that Laed had been captured and all of the women were safe. Colm had wanted all of the details, but he’d wanted to get to Cami even more. He hadn’t found out more than the women had managed to take the intruder down before they reached the Thent. Only when he found out that Cami was upstairs sleeping did he realize that there was more to the story.
He’d gone to her first. The moment he’d seen her sprawled across the purple blanket, he’d known. That was no normal sleep. A more accurate description would be passed out in complete exhaustion. If they rushed into the room yelling, she wouldn’t wake. Seeing her that vulnerable shook him. He had to know what happened, but he couldn’t leave her without holding her for a moment.
Her eyelids didn’t flicker as they each pulled her into their arms. Linc held her first, hugging her tight. Colm had taken her and pulled her close. The stillness in her body chilled him. He hadn’t wanted to leave her, even to discover precisely what had happened. Even knowing that the whole Thent had been searched, he had to force himself to walk out of the room.
Night had fallen long ago, yet she still slept deeply. He couldn’t believe what she’d done. Not because he doubted her power or ability or even that she’d attempted it. Courage and daring ran through Cami’s blood. She’d done it alone. That amazed him.
She’d succeeded her first try without being told precisely what to do. The feat required a huge amount of energy, although it did get less consuming and easier with experience. That kind of enchantment was hard for someone to do alone. Especially the first time. For a practiced, bonded pair, the magic posed no problem, but even a very powerful lone warrior felt the cost when performing it.
It drained the energy and caused tiredness, decreased coordination and diminished attention to detail even when two were performing the spell. He’d fought that temptation to use the spell to get to her. Knowing he might need the energy to confront one of the false Ardin held him back. He trusted his men, but it seemed to take an eternity to get back to the Thent.
Colm dropped a kiss on her forehead and let her rest between Linc and him. He was surprised she’d managed to stay on her feet for as long as she did. Now, she didn’t stir even when he tugged her close in a hug. He wanted to hear her voice or see her move. Something to reassure the beast clawing inside him.
The delay in talking to her frustrated him, but was probably a good thing. The first burn of anger had faded and logic allowed him to control his emotions. He understood why she’d done it. Not that he wasn’t still angry. She had risked her life. That was unacceptable. He didn’t care if it took days, she would understand that.
He curled his arm around her and rested his hand on her stomach. Relaxing on his side, he closed his eyes. Sleep refused to come for him. Making sure she understood how badly she’d scared them would have to wait until she finally woke up. She wouldn’t remember a word they said if they tried now, even if they could manage to wake her enough to get her to open her eyes.
Colm wanted to wipe away the thoughts of her in the same room as one of the false Ardin when he was holding a knife, but couldn’t. The scene played over and over in Colm’s mind. While he was out chasing shadows, she’d walked blithely into danger. He wouldn’t have been close enough to help her. She’d be lucky if they let her out of their sight to bathe in the next few days.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
Cami came slowly awake. She felt warm, almost too warm. Solid, muscled bodies pressed against hers. She’d gotten used to that in the last few days. Today, the arms around her felt a little tighter. She nuzzled her cheek against the chest beneath her head. Relishing the skin to skin contact, it took her a moment to realize that she was naked. She stiffened. The last thing she remembered was falling onto the bed, not taking off her clothes. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring into brilliant green eyes. She blinked at the intense emotion burning there.
Raising her hand, she brushed her fingers over