Honored Vow

that?”
    I was never sure; I just thought things and my body responded.
    “Damn,” he sighed, scratching under my chin. “What can’t you do?”
    But I knew, and so did he: I could not live without him.

    262

    Mary Calmes

    “Don’t worry, okay? That’ll never happen, not with you looking out
    for me.”
    I shuddered hard and would have shifted, but his gloved hands were
    suddenly clutching at my fur. “Don’t shift out here; you’ll freeze. Be a
    good kitty and follow me home, alright?”
    Whatever he wanted.

    THE gathering was informal, but the priest was present, so it was still
    governed by the laws of hospitality. The semel of Khertet had invited
    everyone who participated in the sepat into his private quarters, and they
    were much different from the rest of the cave.
    It was like being inside an enormous tent with partitions behind silk
    curtains, thick wool rugs that covered the stone floor, another enormous
    fireplace that warmed the room, lanterns that burned perfumed oil, and
    soft down pillows to lie on. A feast was laid out on each table, wine was
    poured, and in the warmth and ease of the evening, inhibitions were shed.
    I had asked Yusuke if she wanted to attend or remain in our quarters,
    and she was so thankful for the choice that she grabbed my hand tight. She
    had no desire to ever lay eyes on Narae Hiroshi again, and if I were given
    the choice, she never would. Crane asked to stay with her, and even
    though she bowed low and said that he should not remain at her side, her
    face, when she rose, told a whole other story.
    She looked at him and lit up. Her face, her gaze, her smile, the flush
    on her skin, the way her breath caught, all of it was mesmerizing. His eyes
    crinkled in half when he looked back at her, and I liked it.
    “Don’t be grateful to him,” I had told her earlier that night, when I
    had followed Logan in from the cold.
    “I’m grateful to you and my semel,” she said and added that she had
    already replaced her mate with Logan, which made me warm inside. “I’m
    not grateful to Crane Adams, he didn’t save me.”
    And I was glad. I didn’t want her grateful to him; I wanted her to
    love him, if that was what her heart could still fathom. He deserved to be
    loved, and so did she.
    A snicker from beside me drew me from my thoughts back to the
    present. I turned to look at Mikhail, whose attention was diverted.

    Honored Vow

    263

    Following his gaze, I found Domin sitting beside a reclining Yuri. Domin
    was chatting with the priest while his hip and thigh pressed into my
    sheseru’s side. Sitting on Yuri’s right was Chuluun, and both his posture
    and hooded eyes suggested that he was offering more than the wine that he
    was pouring.
    It was a mistake. I watched Domin do a slow pan to the maahes of
    the tribe of Khertet, lean sideways over Yuri, and say something that
    drained all the color from Chuluun’s face.
    “I think,” I said with a chuckle, turning to Mikhail, “that maybe
    Domin’s done with sharing and waiting to claim what he wants.”
    Mikhail nodded, his smile the rare one that curled the corner of his
    lip and made his eyes glitter deep midnight blue. “And Yuri’s thrilled.”
    I had to agree. The way Yuri was built, wanting equaled ownership,
    and he wanted more than anything for Domin to claim him, put his mark
    on him, as he had, and for Domin to just announce to everyone that Yuri
    was his. The show of possessiveness made my sheseru unbearably happy.
    But still, because he was kind, he caught Chuluun’s wrist before he could
    leave, pulled him down so he could whisper in his ear, and when the other
    man rose, he didn’t look startled anymore but resigned. When Yuri sat up
    and leaned against Domin’s back, I saw the other man smile even as he
    continued talking.
    “Shit,” I muttered under my breath.
    “What?” Mikhail turned to me.
    “Domin’s going to Sobek, Yuri’s staying with us. How the hell is
    this supposed to work?”
    “Everyone’s alive and safe, Jin,” he sighed, reaching up to gently pat
    my cheek. “Let’s just sit here and be thankful, alright?”
    I couldn’t argue.
    It was interesting to see people approach Domin, the new title
    changing everything. Everyone was reverent. Even Jamal and Shahid,
    when they came in, both came forward and bowed to him. When Shahid,
    who was more than an acquaintance of my former maahes, leaned forward
    to speak to him, I watched Domin tilt his head away, making