Honored Vow

know you’re scary and
    strong, but faced with Crane being hurt, you won’t be yourself, and I can’t
    be the catalyst for your transformation if I’m in my shifted form as well.
    We don’t know yet the true power of a nekhene cat, Jin, we don’t know
    what you can do, but this… with Crane… this is not the time to find out.”
    I couldn’t see anything through my tears.
    “Please have faith in me.”
    But I had faith; I just needed to see my best friend. I needed to be the
    first face he saw.
    “You think he won’t understand if it’s me and not you, but, Jin, love,
    he will. And he needs his semel to claim him, not his reah. Crane must be
    shown his value, and his value must be understood by others. The mate

    16

    Mary Calmes

    does not claim cats from the territories of others, only the semel does. That
    is maat . This is not a negotiation, this is war. Do you realize what could
    happen because of this? What I will be forced to do? Jin? Do you?”
    I needed to go to Crane; that was all I knew.
    “You will not be allowed from the grounds for any reason.”
    But I had to work. He knew I had to work.
    “I called Ray, told him we had a family emergency and that you
    would be out for a week. Don’t test me. Stay here.”
    I would get off the grounds somehow.
    “If you show up in Chicago, it will show everyone that you violated
    my order, that I’m weak. Is that what you want?”
    I wiped at my eyes.
    “We are one, you and I; you can’t go against my mandate. I need to
    know that you’re here and safe so I can concentrate on only one thing. Do
    you understand?”
    Again, not a question of understanding, instead a question of
    desire—mine for Crane.
    “I’ll be right back,” he told me, hand under my chin as he tipped my
    head so he could see my eyes. “You do realize that every drop of pain that
    I’m looking at now I will visit on Archer Pike. He brought my mate to
    tears; this cannot end well.”
    I took a breath as he bent and kissed me.
    When he was gone, I went back to staring at the gray sky of winter.
    January in Incline Village, Nevada, a quick trip up Mount Rose
    overlooking Lake Tahoe, lay under a blanket of white. It was icy cold, the
    grounds were covered under several feet of snow, and flakes fell from the
    sky morning, noon, and night. I had so been looking forward to spring.
    Logan returned a while later, took my hand, lifted me up off the
    chaise, and led me downstairs. He deposited me in the living room beside
    the huge fireplace there. I stared into it but didn’t move. I felt like the eye
    of a tornado as the house spun around me, everyone in motion, moving.
    Delphine, Logan’s sister, packed for her brother; Domin was on the
    phone, making arrangements; and Taj Chalthoum, the member of the Shu
    who had come home with us from Egypt six months ago, spoke to his
    phocal, Jamal Hassan. He asked permission to speak to the priest of Chae
    Rophon, the man who made the laws for every werepanther in the world.

    Honored Vow

    17

    He was asked to send an emissary on Logan’s behalf to inform Archer
    Pike that the semel-netjer of the tribe of Mafdet had the priest’s blessing
    and support. Once Taj was off the phone, he reported to Logan that the
    priest had members of the Shu dispatched to Chicago. It would take them
    an entire day to make the long trip from Cairo, but they would be there to
    be witnesses for Logan.
    Six months ago, at the feast of the valley, it was discovered that I
    was not only a reah, which was an extremely rare kind of werepanther, but
    also a nekhene cat. Being the mate of a nekhene cat changed Logan from
    being a semel-re, a semel that had found his reah, to semel-netjer, a semel
    mated with a nekhene. As Logan was the only one in the world with that
    honor, as far as we knew, when one of the Shu called on his behalf, it was
    more than likely that the priest would send whatever aid was needed.
    “Jin.” I heard Taj say my name from a distance. “The priest is
    sending Shahid and four other of my brothers to Chicago as we speak.”
    I nodded.
    “Jamal says that he will come himself if you wish.”
    The leader of the Shu, the phocal, would come to help me retrieve
    Crane and watch over him. It was very kind.
    “Do you wish it?”
    I shook my head.
    “All right, then.” He reached a hand toward me but thought better of
    it. “I’ll call him and give him your thanks.”
    Final nod, and he walked away a moment later.
    “Jin,” I heard Delphine