“No, it’s not that I think anything’s going to go wrong. I’d love to be able to smell your real scent and be able to fully claim you. I don’t want you rushed into this because of someone else’s actions.” His arm wrapped around her and pulled her against him in a quick hug. “We’d give you almost anything, Cami, but once we’ve claimed you, we won’t let you put the distance between us again. We’re not that strong.”
She’d like to disagree with him, but she knew that backing away would be a struggle for her too. Her stomach churned and sank to the floor at the thought of it. She straightened her shoulders. That was part of the reason she’d tried to keep space between them. Regardless of the pain, she’d do what needed to be done.
“There’s a chance I might not even want to put any distance between us.” She bit her lip and looked at him through her lashes. Panic shot through her. Doubts roiled through her, but the draw to them pushed beyond even that. If she hadn’t been recovering from the attack by Laed and Kynar, she wouldn’t have kept away from them this long. It simply wouldn’t be possible. The anger and blatant distrust allowed her to keep some emotional and physical distance between them.
“A chance? Before we go out these doors, I want to know if you’re still certain that this is the choice you want.” He put his hand on her shoulder.
She looked up at him and smiled. Such a good man. The desire for the full bond shown in his eyes, yet he gave her the opportunity to back away from something that made her anxious.
“I’m not changing my mind, but if you’re still wondering if it’s the right decision, the powder will take some time to leave my system. Until it does, I still won’t smell completely right. If you need time to be sure it’s what you want, you’ll have a little time. The separate rooms will ensure you have plenty of space to think and to be certain.” She didn’t think the time would be necessary. While the offer of time was sweet, he needed to see that doubt could sting.
He frowned and she heard a low growl. She hid a smile. Maybe he finally understood this time. He shoved open the door and stalked out onto the steps. She walked at his side, a smile curving her lips and her step a little lighter.
She kept her lips tilted upward as she surveyed the assembled group of women waiting at the base of the stairs. Her stomach did flips, but she merely took in a long, slow breath. Those women had given her enough trouble. Weakness would only cause more problems from that area. Considering the tenacity of their beliefs, they didn’t need any more encouragement.
“Good, I’m glad that everyone’s here.” Colm’s voice was smooth, but she saw that he hadn’t suddenly completely calmed down. He was still upset over what she’d said.
She swept her gaze over the women. She saw no overt hatred or tension. A few them looked curious and others seemed to be impatient. No clue who might attack her in the future there. She hadn’t expected to walk out and be able to see who would be a danger to her, but she thought she might get some clue from their immediate reaction of what their feelings were.
Stepping forward, she separated herself from Colm, simply to show the women that this was her choice. She deliberately looked at them all for a long moment. They were complete idiots if they didn’t see she was serious.
“I can understand in some ways the confusion that happened when I first arrived, especially with the way Colm and Linc had behaved before I arrived. My own attitude toward them, that was something that should have been worked out between those two men and myself. What baffles me is the continued behavior of some of you. Colm and Linc have made their position clear in a way that even a child should understand what I am to them.” She tilted her head as if she was giving the idea more thought. Not happening. There were never any answers and it made her head hurt.
Colm stepped up behind her and put his hand on her shoulder. She took a deep breath. Tension eased slowly out of her shoulders at that light touch. The reaction surprised her almost