Honored Vow (14 page)

He nodded, squinting hard, his eyes filling but not overflowing. “I wanna be safe.”

“I won’t let anyone touch you.”

But the haunted look in his eyes, to my surprise, didn’t go away.

The knock on the door startled us both.

“Jin.”

Logan was in the hall.

I turned to Crane. “Do you want him in here?”

“He’s the semel-netjer, what does he want?”

I rose and walked to the door, and when I opened it, I was faced with my scowling mate. “You asked too much of me to wait.”

He just stood there until I moved, holding open the door for him. He walked into the room, and I locked the door behind him.

I was surprised that instead of moving toward Crane, he strode to where the desk and chair were. Slowly, silently, he took off his clothes. He started with his wingtips, put his socks inside of them, and then pulled his sweater off over his head. I had no idea what he was doing, just watched as all his golden skin was revealed, as everything was draped over the chair. When he was completely naked, he shifted into his golden panther glory, took a step, and then, in one powerful leap, he was on top of the ruined bed. He lay down, paws in front, head lifted, and growled.

I looked at Crane and saw him tremble, saw the tears dripping down his cheeks, and then saw the beginning of his shift. It took long minutes, and then he was a panther, standing there, still shaking, head lowered.

Logan opened his jaws and made a chirping noise at Crane. It was high-pitched, the call, and seconds later, when he called him again, it became a churr. I had never heard him make the sound; as leader, he didn’t have to invite anyone to him, coax anyone but me. But he was calling Crane, and I watched my friend react.

He bolted to the bed and then sprang up onto it, sinking down instantly beside his semel, leaning against him, pushing his muzzle forward to touch Logan’s. Slowly, carefully, my mate lifted his head only to lay it gently on the back of Crane’s neck. I heard the whine come out of my best friend, and I was flooded with relief and sadness all at the same time.

Clearly Crane did not believe that I was powerful enough to keep him safe. No matter what I was, nekhene cat or no, Logan was the semel and I was the reah. He was the tribe leader and I was his mate. He would always be stronger than me. I was thrilled that Logan knew exactly what Crane needed—to feel utterly and completely safe. I heard Crane begin to purr, and I knew that he would finally sleep. I turned to go.

The low churr caused me to turn around.

Logan lifted his head, waiting.

“I don’t wanna do anything to upset him.”

Logan rubbed his head against his own shoulder and then called to me again.

“But he doesn’t need me, he has you.”

There was a whine from my mate, and I finally got it. No, Crane didn’t need me at that moment; it was Logan’s strength and dominance that was necessary. But for my mate, to have me at his side, that was vital.

I moved around the room, picked up what was left of the broken lamp, and turned it off. I flipped off every light but the desk lamp before I stripped out of my clothes. My mate watched me with hungry eyes, and when I was done, I shifted and padded over to the bed. I was up and lying down beside him seconds later.

He ran his chin over the top of my head and down the back of my neck, rubbing and nuzzling until I rolled over, my back to his side, and wiggled around until I got comfortable. He licked the side of my head before gently biting my ear. The message was clear: I needed to settle, already. When he put his head down on his paws, he began to purr. We were a warm pile of fur, the three of us snuggled together, and I was glad that Logan could be there for Crane and that I could be there for him. I went to sleep content.

Chapter Nine

D
ANNY
had saved Logan. He had warned him and Derek Jackson of the trap to kill both semels. He was a hero, he had risked his life, and everyone was treating him as such. I had been jealous because I loved my mate desperately, so when he had told me that Danny, my cousin, had come home with him, I had been unsure. The following morning, I understood everything.

I had woken to find Logan gone and Crane wrapped around me. Lifting my head, I shifted and smiled at him.

“I’ll take a shower. You take one, ’cause you stink, and come down and eat with me.”

His shift took longer, but he did it, for me, so we could talk.

I waited while his muscles elongated and reformed, twisted and pulled, and the feline gave way to the man.

“I wrecked the room,” he said quietly.

“We’ll fix it.”

He cleared his throat. “I can’t go back to that apartment in Vegas, Jin, I—”

“It’s gone, honey,” I told him gently and waited while understanding sank in.

“What’d they do?”

I cleared my throat. “They torched it.”

After a minute he nodded. “Okay, so, I need stuff.”

“A lot of stuff.”

He just looked at me.

“If you don’t want to leave the room, we can stay here.”

“It’s trashed; it looks like I had a killer party in here. I need to get out for a while.” He exhaled, and I got just a trace of warm eyes and a smile.

“I know Delphine packed whatever you had left here at the house for Logan to take you when he went to Chicago. Do you know where that is?”

“Yeah, it’s there”—he tipped his head toward the opposite side of the room—“in the bathroom. I have clothes I can change into.”

He sounded so good; he looked so good. My stomach flipped over. “Okay, so you shower and I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“Okay.”

Yes!

“But if I wanna go, then you need to go with me and not try and make me stay there.”

He wanted me with him. Was he kidding? I would do anything he wanted. “Absolutely.”

There was a quick nod, and he rose off the bed in a fluid movement that I was thrilled to see. The back and forth shifting was healing his body.

“And put on some damn clothes,” he teased me. “No one wants to see your bare ass ’cept Logan.”

I smiled as I watched him cross to the bathroom. I was pulling on my clothes, underwear, jeans, when I happened to look up at him again. It was then that I saw the marks on his back.

It took everything in me not to be sick.

He had been flogged, and the man wielding the whip had missed no part of the broad expanse of skin. The welts, and there were many, were angry; the cuts, crusted but still oozing, spoke to how deep—bone deep—they had been. My best friend had been set upon by vicious men; it was a wonder he was alive. Violence even I could not conceive of had been done to him. It was monstrous.

“My hair looks like shit.”

He had been mutilated, but he was grieving his hair at the moment. Jesus.

“Doesn’t it?”

They had cut his thick waves of blond hair to tufts; even his scalp was covered with scabs.

“I’ll get you a hat,” I said instead of crying.

“Excellent idea,” he called back, turning to look at me. “Would it be too weird if you came over here and held me as tight as you can?”

I ran.

I hit him hard, harder than I should have, but he whimpered deep in his chest and clutched me tight. We stayed like that until he could breathe without me.

Logan was in the kitchen with the others and Danny when I finally came down.

“Good morning, Jin.” Danny beamed at me the second he saw me. “Thank you for giving me sanctuary in your tribe. I am very grateful.”

He was smaller than I remembered, slighter, his features delicate and fragile. Compared to him, I was a damn Viking. He was easily the prettiest man I had ever seen in my life with his big almond-shaped brown eyes, short, straight nose, long, thick lashes and porcelain skin. His hair fell to his shoulders and was the same color as mine, jet black. Looking at him, I felt my power rise with the need to crush him.

Logan’s warm laughter turned my head.

“Come here.”

I crossed the room to him, and when I was close enough, he reached for me, drawing me close, and kissed me breathless, until my skin was on fire and I had a steady pulse of need surging through my body. When I broke the kiss, we were both panting.

“What was that for?”

The noise he made was all male as he dipped his head forward, his lips against my ear. “So you know that there’s only one man I ever want in my bed,” he told me, his tongue licking down my collarbone, nibbling at the base of my throat. “You are my miracle, Jin Rayne; do you think I don’t know that? Do you think you’re the only one who feels lucky?”

Logan always knew what to say.

The beast in me stilled, quieted, and forgot about doing violence to young Danny as my hair was nuzzled and my earlobe sucked inside a hot, wet mouth.

My mate.

“Would you do something for me?” I asked him, looking up into the honey-colored eyes. “Or lots of things?”

“Whatever you want.”

So I explained about redoing Crane’s room.

“Take him into Reno today, get him whatever he needs or wants, and I’ll have his room done by the time you guys get back.”

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

I stood there close to my mate and just breathed.

“Hey.”

My eyes returned to Logan’s topaz ones.

“What about both of your jobs? You guys work for the same man, and now….” He sighed deeply. “Jin, with the sepat and Crane and…. I mean, is it fair to Ray to ask him to continue to keep you employed when he really needs someone there full time? How are you supposed to manage his restaurant when you have so much going on here? And if I fail in—”

“You will not fail,” I cut him off sharply. “I need you.”

He nodded. “Just talk to Ray, tell him that Crane had an accident and that you’re not sure when either of you will be back. Put the ball in his court. Sometime soon your life will balance out, but right now your tribe has to come before your work.”

I opened my mouth to speak.

“Don’t tell me about being a burden and not pulling your own weight financially,” he told me. “Since you’ve been here helping me with distribution and marketing, business has gone through the roof. I had to hire two new managers and brought Delphine on full time. Because of you, I am making more money than I ever have before. You don’t have to work, and neither does Crane until he’s ready to.”

“And I appreciate that, but it’s not your place to—”

“Of course it is, who else’s but mine? You belong to me; I want your focus on me, your family, and the tribe. It’s all I’ve ever wanted. When I get home and you’re closing the restaurant and you’re not home until two….” He sighed. “I climb the walls, Jin.”

And I knew that. Male panthers, all of them, were a very Neanderthalish lot. They liked their mates at home when they were, around, underfoot, close enough to touch at all times. Semels were twice as possessive, twice as protective, and three times as caveman-inclined. Logan wanted me there where he could see me, eat with me, talk to me, and touch me at all times. Me working had always been a source of contention that it looked as though I was about to finally lose.

“I’ll talk to Ray,” I told him, because it was time and it was fair. My boss was a good man; I did not want to take advantage of him.

“Really?”

The light that infused my mate’s eyes was something to see.

“Yes.”

His hand went to my throat, and his thumb tipped my chin up as he bent and brushed his lips over mine. He was very pleased.

“Morning.”

The whole room turned to look at Crane, who had just walked in.

“Hey,” Danny greeted him, crossing the kitchen fast to reach him. “How are you this morning?”

“Better.” Crane forced a smile.

“Oh,” I said softly, turning to look at my mate. “Danny didn’t just save you, he saved Crane.”

Logan shook his head. “I don’t think so. He feels sorry for Crane and he wants to help Crane, but it’s not what you think.”

But I knew interest when I saw it. My semel had no idea what he was talking about. “Logan, I—”

“Listen,” he began as the door opened again.

“Good morning,” Logan’s sylvan said as he came into the room.

“Mikhail.” Danny swallowed hard. “Come eat, I’ll make you a plate. What do you like?”

I watched Mikhail, my reserved sylvan, as he thanked Danny but told him he could get his own food. Danny flushed and stammered, taking a step back, lacing his fingers together so those restless hands would not flutter around like frightened birds. He very badly wanted to touch Mikhail, it was so very obvious, and just standing there breathing in his scent was making the younger man breathless with anticipation.

I coughed softly. “Oh.”

“Take back what you were thinking about me.”

“What was I thinking?” I teased him.

“That your mate was clueless.”

And that had been my conclusion, but I saw the truth very clearly. “Danny saved Mikhail.”

“And the rest of us,” Logan said, smiling warmly, “but yeah, first on his mind was Mikhail.”

“Interesting.”

“Apparently,” Logan coughed, “he remembered him from when he was here with your father.”

“Really?”