Cami

Zorvak had convinced me to go with him this morning to the arena.  So much for keeping our distance.  He couldn’t stay away from me anymore than I could stay away from him.  We did keep our interaction to a minimum, though. 

I sat there watching him fight in hand-to-hand combat.  Dressed in a pair of loose black shorts, he glistened with a sheen of sweat that coated his body.  His muscles rippled with every move and I couldn’t tear my eyes away.

As he circled another recruit, I heard the amusement in his voice.  I feel your heavy gaze on me.  Do you like what you see, ji’si?

Yes.  I do.  What does that word mean?

Ji’si?  It means love.  After we finish here, I’ll take you home and you can show me how much.

My lips twitched. Okay.  Deal.

“May I sit down?” 

I turned to see a beautiful female standing just behind me and to my left.  She had light red skin, black flowing hair, and delicate features.  “Sure,” I answered in standard.

She took a seat beside me and stared at the males in the arena.  I felt both intrigued and a little uncomfortable as we sat in silence.  After a few minutes, she asked, “Did my dress fit you?”

The dress was hers?  Now I wondered who she was.  With schooled features, I replied, “It did.  Thank you.”

“I’m Estine.”

I looked at the female that Zorvak had shared a meal with.  One of the main suspects.  “Camilla.”

“What an odd name for such an odd creature.” 

I raised an eyebrow at her bold statement.  Odd creature? 

What has you troubled?

He could always feel my emotions more than I could feel his.  Maybe mine overwhelmed his, who knows?  Your friend just called me an odd creature.

I saw him glance over and frown.  Ignore her.

It’s hard to ignore someone sitting right next to you.

“Isn’t he handsome?” she asked, staring at the arena.

“Who?”

“Zorvak, of course.”  She stared lovingly at the arena and all I wanted to do was slap her.

Glancing at Zorvak myself, I shrugged.

“Did he tell you that we are seeing each other?  That we are to become mates?”

My anger rose fast and furious.  It was all I could do not to bitch-slap her and call her a liar.  It literally took every ounce of my self-control to look unaffected.   I settled with, “No, he hasn’t mentioned you.”

For a brief moment, the facade dropped and I could see the seething anger underneath the pleasant smile. 

“Oh, well he’s private like that.  I’m sure he won’t discuss things with someone like you.”

I clenched my jaw in anger and tried to hold my tongue.  Staring blankly at the arena, I hadn’t noticed that Zorvak had left until his voice boomed behind me and Estine.  “Ready to go home, Cami?”

I turned sharply, as did Estine.  By the look on her face, she knew he’d overheard her remarks.  “Zorvak,” her voice dripped with sweet seduction.  She stood, smiled at him, and continued.  “I have been so worried about you.” I stared at the hand she placed on his bicep. 

An intense moment occurred that happened quickly.  Estine stared at Zorvak, he stared at me, and my eyes were glued to her hand on his arm.  He shook if off, ignored her and reached his hand down to me.  When I placed mine in his, I could feel her stare at our clasped hands. 

Just as we started to walk away, I smiled at Estine and said, “It was very nice to meet you.”  What I really wanted to say was, ‘Take that bitch!’  But I didn’t.

When we got back to our apartment I was pissed.  Not really at Zorvak, but at everyone.  I paced the living room with my arms crossed.

“Talk to me.”

My eyes slid to Zorvak as he stood near the couch.  What did he want me to say?  I don’t like being hidden in the shadows?  I love him and want everyone to know it?  Or maybe that I feared that he wouldn’t want to mate me once he becomes Lord of Ulaya?  Maybe I was a little insecure, but I know almost nothing about him as far as his love life goes.

“Did you date Estine?”  I asked while I paced.

“We shared a couple of meals together.”

That’s a non-answer.  “Did you sleep with her?”

“No.  There was no sleep involved.”

My temper flared and I rounded on him.  Nose to chest, I demanded, “Did. You. Have. Sex. With. Her?”

“Cami…”

“Answer the question!”

With a deep sigh, I heard a quiet, “Yes.”

My world crumbled around me.  He had ignored the question once before, and…Shit!  I wore her fucking dress.  Last night, he went to her apartment and I wore her fucking dress! 

As I turned away from him, he grabbed my wrist.  “Cami…”

“Don’t ‘Cami’ me!  You could have told me the first time I had asked you about her.  Instead, I got to hear about the two of you dating and that you had considered mating her.  Is that true?”

“It’s not that simple.”

“At some point, you liked her well enough to consider mating her.  Do you love her?”

“Cami…” his voice sounded pained.  My emotions were so overwhelming, I couldn’t feel his, only the shattering of my own heart. 

“Please explain it to me.”  I stepped back and crossed my arms.  If felt more like a shield protecting my heart as I waited for the worst.

“We shared a few meals, but only shared our bodies once.  I had tested her psyche to check for compatibility, but she wasn’t a match.”

My head swirled as unwanted thoughts ran amuck.  “You mated me, sight unseen because we were compatible?”

“Yes…No!”  He took a step closer, and I stepped back, just out of his grip.

“Why do you really want to keep our relationship a secret?”

“To keep you out of danger.”

Rubbing my hurting forehead, I said with a much calmer voice, “I need to lay down for a while.”