If she said the wordblood, would that be some kind of trigger for him? Why was he looking at her as if he knew her? As if he knew everything about her? Was he reading her mind? He hadn’t taken her blood, and from what Luiz said, that was a prerequisite for that ability, wasn’t it?
“He took my blood after I absolutely told him I didn’t want him to. And he did it without my knowledge. Well, I suspected and asked him. He was truthful, but he still went against my wishes, and he didn’t feel in the least remorseful.”
Tomas nodded, his eyes going soft. Gentle. “And then I made certain you didn’t see me kill Rud. That must feel like a takeover. I had to make a split-second decision, and I wanted to spare you any real fear. I can see I only added to your concerns over our species.”
Tomas crossed the short distance between them. At once she was aware of the difference in their heights. Up close, she felt his powereven more. He wasn’t touching her, but he was close enough to feel his body heat. He indicated the forest.
“We need to get moving. It is always possible Rud’s enforcers will attempt to retaliate. I would prefer that you were out of harm’s way.”
“He has enforcers?” Her voice came out as a squeak. The idea that those male shifters might be anywhere near her galvanized her into action. She began to walk toward one of the largest trees with low branches.
“Sarika.” He said her name in that low, gentle way he had. “No shifter will touch you. Luiz would come at my call—or yours—as would my brothers if I thought I couldn’t handle them myself. There’s no need to panic.”
She despised that she looked like such a coward to him. She’d never been one to retreat in the face of an enemy, but she was so out of her depth. She didn’t look at him. She couldn’t. She knew she looked weak, and it embarrassed her.
“Is there a way to contact the boats so I can arrange to go home?” She didn’t know where home was anymore. She’d hoped it would be here in the rainforest, where she’d been born. Where her family had died. Where there was Luiz.
She crouched low and leapt to the overhanging branch. She didn’t want to give him any ideas, like Luiz, of turning into a bird and carrying her back to the tree house. She was decisive about her leap. He made no sound when he leapt behind her. She didn’t feel his weight on the branch, but she knew he was there. She felt his body heat. More, she had that shivery feeling inside that she was so unfamiliar with but only he could produce.
“The moment I heard your name, I knew who you were. So did my brothers. I didn’t say anything because I didn’t want anyone else to know our connection.”
She stopped moving and turned to face him. He sounded as if he was being honest, but she would have remembered him. No one would forget meeting Tomas or his brothers.
“How?”
He smiled down at her, that same brief, genuine smile that curled her toes and sent heat rushing through her veins.
“I am T. Smolnycki Jr. You wrote to me for many years.”
Her breath caught in her throat. T. Smolnycki felt like an old friend.Thad to be for Tomas.
“We do not allow photographs, and we do not keep letters, anything that might betray our species, but I have every one of your letters.”
As confessions went, it was profound. There was no way to misinterpret what he was telling her. Their connection meant as much to him as it did to her. That was both wonderful and even more frightening. She wassosusceptible to him. It also explained the scary, intense focus all three brothers had turned on her when she’d given her name. That made her feel a little better. They’d been so completely focused on her in the middle of a dicey situation it had amplified her fears.
She didn’t like a lot of attention. She’d learned, traveling as much as she did to other countries, to stay in the background as much as possible. That didn’t mean she didn’t give her opinion, and she always stood up for herself, but she was careful. The less she was noticed in some circumstances, the safer she was.
“I never thought I’d have the chance to meet you,” she confessed. “You and your ideas on conservation have had such an impact on my life.” She hero-worshiped him, although she wasn’t going to tell him that. Now that she’d met him in person and realized she was physically attracted to him, something that just didn’t happen, she was even more confused and embarrassed. She didn’t want him ever reading her mind.
She turned back in the direction of Luiz’s tree house, thinking it was safer than spending too much time with him. Just knowing who he was, remembering every word of every letter exchanged over the years, only added to the deep attraction she had toward him.
“I’d like to ask a favor.” Now she didn’t know what to call him. He’d first introduced himself as Tomas, and everyone had referred to him asTomas. “I don’t know if you’re capable of reading my thoughts…” It was a question.
“I am.”
She closed her eyes briefly, but she was walking fast along a tree branch, and that wasn’t such a good idea. “You don’t have to take my blood to read them?”
“No.”
“And your brothers and Luiz can read my thoughts as well?”
“Yes.”
“Without taking my blood,” she clarified.
“In close proximity it is easy enough to pick up thoughts. I believe you are capable as well. If we wish to communicate from a distance or check on a specific person, we would have to take their blood.” He spoke matter-of-factly, as if it were normal.
“I can’t read thoughts,” she denied.
