HerMatesEmbrace by Rebecca Airies

had to deliberately blank out
every thought and focus only on pulling in the next breath and exhaling. She
didn’t think about Colm or the fact that Linc still held her hand.
    The tension began leaving her body. When she thought she was
relaxed enough, she opened her eyes and pushed the power out of her body. Her
hand became almost uncomfortably hot. She looked down and saw a purple haze
blossom between her palm and his.
    Linc raised his hand and a shower of white and purple petals
fell from the ceiling. Her mouth hung open and she gawked as the colorful rain
continued. A sweet scent swirled around the room and she inhaled greedily. It
reminded her of one of her favorite spots on Taubus. She hadn’t thought of it
since before she’d fled the dubious safety of Scali Thent .
    Maybe she’d been afraid that the memories of what had been
done to her had tainted the beauty, but it hadn’t. Right now, thinking of that
place, all she could remember about it were the lush flowers and reeds lining
the bank of the small, clear pool and the slight chill of the water as she
waded slowly into it. The blossoms’ heavy scent had perfumed the air. Sometimes
even heavier than the scent around her now.
    “I only did it this way to show you that magic was being
used. Most of the time, it won’t be obvious. Depending on how much time we have
to prepare for the discharge and the conditions, we’ll probably simply
discharge the power in a way no one could get hurt by it. Nothing created,
nothing destroyed.” Linc released her hand.
    “Thank you. I probably would have wondered if you were
trying simply to reassure me or give me a little confidence if I hadn’t seen
something,” she admitted with a small smile.
    “We wouldn’t lie to you about this. You have to know we
won’t lie to you about this if you’re going to be able to trust us enough to
come to us with a problem.” Colm stood. “Now, I’m going to walk over there
because the lesson’s over and it’s time for us to leave you to your rest.”
    She didn’t understand why he had to come over here since the
lesson was over, but his approach didn’t panic her. He walked over and stood
beside Linc and looked at her for a moment. It wasn’t the predatory appraisal
of earlier. This was softer. It almost seemed as if he was trying to discover
what she was thinking and feeling just by watching her.
    “The lesson tonight has relieved a few of my worries, and in
spite of the fact that I really didn’t want to do it, I needed this.” She
looked from one to the other expecting one of them to say good night or
goodbye.
    “That’s good. You’ve been worrying too much.” Colm brushed
his fingers along her jaw. “I’d kiss you, but it would probably send you
running. I will do it soon, though. I want you to think about that and try to
see past whatever fears are holding you back from what you want, because we
know what we want.”
    Cami stared at him wide-eyed. Her skin seemed
hypersensitive. That simple touch radiated over her body. Such a light touch
shouldn’t have that effect. She licked her lips, unsure of what to say or how
to respond. The man was too confident and she felt lost.
    “Good night, Cami. We’ll see you in the morning.” Linc’s
fingers touched her hand again and then he turned and went to the door.
    Colm’s eyes ran over her face for a long moment before he
followed. She trailed after him and locked the door. She needed to rest, but
with everything they’d said tonight, she was fairly sure she wouldn’t get much
sleep.

Chapter Seven
     
    Cami looked around the square outside of the gatehouse on
Katori, the homeworld of Tobai Thent . The village here was bigger than
she’d actually expected. It was all more than she’d imagined. Santir warriors
guarded the gatehouse. Cream-colored buildings trimmed with dark-brown wood
surrounded the cobbled area. As far as she could tell, the cobbled streets
continued throughout the town.
    A stall selling fruits