“Sam?” A sweet smile curved her lips. Then she rolled over and snuggled into the pillow.
He should move. Instead, he sank down onto the bed beside her and sat there for a long time just watching her breathe.
Chapter 11
Kane had been told the meeting was in the banqueting hall, so he made his way there after breakfast. The room was huge, with gray stone walls, hung with tapestries, and flagstone floors. It was full of people.
He stood in the doorway and searched the faces. Kaitlin wasn’t here yet, but he’d already known that. She hadn’t been present at breakfast either. He thought about checking her room because she wouldn’t want to miss the meeting, but in the end, he decided against it.
He’d gotten away with last night, but he had an idea that this morning she wouldn’t be too happy to discover he had carriedher to bed, then sat and watched her sleep. Besides, there was something he needed to do before the meeting started—introduce himself to his parents. And he wasn’t looking forward to it.
The old tribe was all here. He could hear them like a murmur in his brain, the sensation familiar from his long-ago childhood. Everyone in each other’s minds, no restrictions, no holding back. He scanned the faces and saw them immediately. They were standing beside Jake—they werehisparents as well, after all—but their gazes were focused on Kane.
“Hello?” The greeting was tentative. His mother. She looked no older than Jake beside her. And he could see the similarities in the bone structure.
He moved toward them, coming to a halt in front of her. He tried a smile, but it felt...weird. Here were two more people he had betrayed.
“You didn’t betray us,” she said. “You did what you had to do. It was always obvious you were meant to be a Guardian. That was your role. You knew it, even at four. Maybe we were at fault in trying to take you away.”
He’d never thought of it like that. He’d always believed that they’d had no choice.
“There’s always a choice.” His father spoke for the first time. “It was a hard life in Africa. You stayed and did your duty while we were lured away by Alasdair’s promise of an easier existence.”
“Still, I should have contacted you. Later.”
“That would have been...nice. But there’s no point in regrets now. We’re glad you survived.”
Then the door opened and there she was. All the softness was gone. Dressed in black leather pants, knee-high boots, and a black sweater, she looked...lean and mean and dangerous. And his heart skipped a beat.
A ripple seemed to pass through the room. He could sense the shock running through the minds of the old tribe. He cast his mother a sharp glance. “What is it?” he asked.
“She’s a Foci.”
“A what?”
“It’s what we called the ones among us who could channel the energies of others. They were rare and considered the most powerful of our kind.”
He wanted to know more, but it would have to wait. He brought his attention back to Kaitlin as she stalked across the room.
“You love her.”His mother spoke in his mind, and he glanced at her, his eyes narrowing.
“Maybe.”
“There’s no maybe about it. But you’ll have a fight on your hands. She’s angry.”
“I know.”
Kaitlin ignored everyone, her gaze focused intently, her lips tight, her nostrils flaring. The emotions rolled off her in waves. He turned to look at who, or what, was causing her displeasure.
Ah.
The colonel had been talking to Christa, but now he turned, as if suddenly aware he was the focus of attention. His eyes widened, but he made no move to avoid her. And everyone else stood as if immobilized.
She stopped in front of the colonel, but he just stood there, his hands hanging loosely at his sides. In her three-inch heels, she was almost the same height as the older man.
Kane took a step towards the two of them, but a hand on his arm halted him. His mother’s.
“She needs this. Maybe they both do.”
