Crucible of Fate (24 page)

“I don’t understand why you aren’t frightened,” Kabore said suddenly, sounding confused.

“Because,” I replied as Logan gazed down at his mate a moment longer before taking his hand and walking toward the table. “You don’t understand all the things he is.”

“My lord—”

“Jin is a complicated mess,” I maintained. “And only Logan understands him.”

“Speaking of complicated….” Yuri cleared his throat.

“What?” Koren groused.

“Oh, for heaven’s sake.” I gestured at the younger man. “God, Koren, you’re such a prick.”

He was fighting getting up, and the indecision was annoying me and killing Danny.

“If you make him cry, I’ll end you,” Yuri warned him.

“I thought he had the hots for Mikhail,” Taj inquired.

“It changed,” Koren muttered as he got up. “He changed, I changed—it’s all different now.”

We could all see that adorable, doe-eyed, luscious little Danny was almost vibrating with need as he stood by the fountain, worrying his bottom lip. He could not have been gazing at Koren with more heartbreaking longing if he’d tried.

“Oh, come on, Church,” I prodded my ex. “Time to step up, huh?”

“It’s not that easy to—”

“So you’re gonna do what?” Yuri chortled. “Let another man have that?”

“Fuck no,” Koren growled, and I liked the sound. It suited him, some commitment, finally.

We all watched him rise and then saw Danny tremble even as he lifted his chin and squared his shoulders.

“That sort of makes sense,” I said, yawning. “Both Church men have mates who are Raynes.”

“Jin’s not a Rayne anymore, he’s a Church,” Yuri reminded me.

“Oh, that’s right.” I agreed, watching Koren reach Danny.

The younger man hesitated, hooded eyes missing nothing, but when Koren gestured for him to come closer, Danny didn’t hesitate. He leaped at him.

I had never seen that particular expression on Koren’s face before as Danny wrapped his arms and legs around the bigger man. He was wiggling and whining, and Koren engulfed him in his arms before he slid one hand down over Danny’s ass.

“You didn’t tell us.” Yuri chuckled as Logan reached the table.

Kabore took a breath when the semel of the tribe of Mafdet caught him in his stare. Gold eyes swallowed him, and my steward was momentarily speechless.

“I wasn’t sure what Koren was going to do. It’s hard to know with him,” Logan said point blank, never anything but directness coming out of the man.

“I don’t know,” I said, watching him carry Danny out of the square, rubbing circles on his back as Danny kissed along the length of his jaw. “I think this might be it.”

“Me too,” Logan agreed. “And I like it. Danny’s actually very good for him. He’s smart and knows what he’s worth to the tribe. He won’t let Koren get away with anything.”

“On the flip side,” Jin offered, “Koren makes Danny feel very confident and protected, and they simply fit. I hope Koren keeps him.”

“Maybe it will be Danny who leaves,” I said.

Jin thought that was funny.

I rolled my head back so I could see Logan, gaze up into the gold eyes I knew so well. “And?”

“I want Crane,” Logan said without fanfare.

“Yes, I know. He’s yours.”

“Good.” He scowled. “You look like hell.”

“I was stabbed.”

“So I understand,” he said coolly.

“No, no, that wasn’t my fault,” I said defensively. “I had no idea that Jin killed the priest.”

Logan said nothing, just let go of Jin’s hand and put his arm around his mate, eased Jin against his side. “Will you be able to leave here tomorrow? I’d like you to see my son before I leave for home.”

“Of course.”

His attention was back on Kabore. “I’m Logan Church, semel-netjer of the tribe of Mafdet.”

“This is an honor, semel.”

Logan nodded, like, of course it was, before he let go of Jin and walked around the table to Yuri, who stood to greet him.

I enjoyed seeing the two men hug tight and hard before Logan let him go, and I stood so he could grab me. “It’s good to see you.”

“And you,” he said into my shoulder before he let go. “Tell me what’s going on here.”

We all sat down, and Logan kept Jin’s hand in both of his as Jin leaned on his shoulder. They really should have been on billboards together, Jin was so beautiful and Logan was all strength and heat. But what I noticed more than anything was the change in Jin. The sort of thrumming energy present since he had arrived had dissipated. Everyone had been a little on edge with him. Kabore was right—the power, though fascinating, seemed unstable. The nekhene cat was like a bottle of nitroglycerin; you didn’t know when a slight jostle might set him off.

With Logan beside him, though, it was like a switch had been flipped, and he was just him. Just Jin.

“Domin.”

I came out of my thoughts to find Logan staring at me. “Yes?”

“My advice would be to transport the semel from here. Take him back to Sobek, read the charges, and then execute him.”

“Logan, he’s sick,” Yuri said. “We’re talking about the law and that’s all.”

“Yeah, but—”

“A semel who is sick has his mate to depend on, his maahes if he has one, and barring that, his sheseru and sylvan. There is a sacred bond between a semel and his house, and if the semel breaks it, then it is up to those who support him either to take control or allow him to run amok.”

“But a semel’s word is law,” Yuri argued. “When you were hurt in the pit the time you fought with Domin, you forbade anyone from helping you or—”

“And would that have continued until I died?” he demanded sharply. “Didn’t Mikhail go get Jin the following day, even though I forbade anyone from acting?”

Silence.

“It sounds like the sylvan was the voice of reason and he was killed. The sheseru allowed himself to be corrupted, and his mate and his family did nothing.”

“Logan, they were powerless,” I said. “The son is—”

“Weak, I suspect,” Logan said, passing judgment. “You should make these djehus both sylvan and sheseru to help him and bring the whole tribe back together.”

Everybody went silent.

It was brilliant.

“Which do—”

“The djehu of the shen should be sylvan,” Jin began, “because she knows the law. The djehu of the peq, as he is familiar with what it takes to keep control of people who are spread out, knows how to instill authority, should be sheseru. I implied that this would probably be what you would do.”

I stared at the two of them.

Logan squinted at me. “What? Something wrong?”

“You two are so in sync now that you share a brain?”

Logan met his mate’s eyes for long, quiet moments before his attention was back on me. “Yeah, something like that.”

“The djehus still have yet to agree on the dispensation of the catacombs.”

“What’s to agree on?” Logan remarked as Jin rubbed his chin over his mate’s shoulder, scent-marking him as Yuri had done to me earlier in the day. “The money it would take to mine for gold in the catacombs is, I’m sure, cost prohibitive. And if the djehu gets outside investors, he’d have to prove who own the catacombs first. It’s not going to happen. They need to simply get behind the tribe, and they will if they’re invested.”

“And if Hanif Tarek doesn’t like who I pick for him?”

“He’s already shown himself to not be strong, Domin; I don’t think you worry about what he thinks.”

“You just know what’s best, huh?”

“Always,” he assured me. “But it’s up to you to sell it.”

Rahim came to the table and bent to speak to Yuri. “Alana Tarek would like a quick word with you, sekhem.”

“It’s late. She’s still awake?”

“Would you be able to sleep?”

“No,” he answered as he got up, squeezing my shoulder as he left the table.

“I’ll talk to the djehus in the morning,” I advised Logan. “Or, in a few hours, I guess.”

After several minutes, Jin got up. “I want to say a word to Alana as well, since she’s awake. She had wanted to talk to me but I didn’t get a chance today, and maybe I can give her some comfort.”

“I’ll go with you,” Logan said, getting ready to follow.

“No, stay here,” he soothed his mate. “Yuri’s already there.”

Logan scowled, ignoring me. “Taj, would you escort Jin?”

“’Course.” Taj yawned tiredly. “C’mon, reah, let’s go.”

Jin bent and kissed Logan’s cheek. “You worry too much.”

“I don’t worry enough, and I need to take you back to your son in one piece. He’s probably wondering where we both are now since he’s never seen Crane before.”

Jin was startled. “You brought Ilia with you? He’s here?”

“Of course,” Logan replied. “When I was asking Domin when he was going to leave because I wanted him to see Ilia… did you not hear any of that at all?”

“I guess not, I–– And you left him alone with Crane?”

“With my maahen and Domin’s maahes, yes.”

“Yusuke’s here?”

“Yes,” he said nonchalantly. “She wanted to see Crane, and Danny’s been inconsolable since Koren left. I really need to put my house in order.”

So did I, I thought, but said nothing.

“Logan, we need to get back to our son,” Jin said, sounding flustered suddenly.

“And we will.” He gentled his mate. “Tomorrow. You’ve been gone a week already.”

“Thank you for reminding me,” he said curtly. His brows furrowed, and he left quickly so that Taj had to jog to catch up with him.

“Was that smart?” I asked my friend. “You seem worried, semel.”

He shook his head. “Tell me about Mikhail’s girl. I’ve never seen him act like that. I didn’t know he actually
could
look like that.”

I laughed softly, then recounted everything about Samani and what she wanted and what Mikhail wanted and who I thought was going to end up caving.

We talked and it was nice, and Kabore had interesting asides to add, and I had Logan riveted when I recounted Jin winning the challenge.

“Speaking of Jin,” Logan said, catching my gaze, “how long does it take to talk to the yareah?”

I was ready to pass out myself. “Kabore, would you please go tell them all that we need to get some sleep?”

“Of course, my lord.” He tipped his head before he got up to fetch our absent mates.

“It was a good choice to promote Jamal,” Logan remarked. “He’s a very honorable man.”

“Oh, I agree. I think that….” I turned to look after Kabore.

“What?”

“Why didn’t Taj come back?”

Logan frowned. “Because I ordered him to escort Jin.”

“Escort him, but not stay. Why would he need to stay if Yuri was there?”

“Taj wouldn’t leave Jin,” Logan assured me.

“He would,” I argued, getting up. “Because Yuri was there.”

“What’re you—” Logan tensed. “I assumed this town was secure, Domin.”

I bolted after Kabore, tracking him, and Logan was right behind me with Koren following fast.

“My lord!”

I heard the yell and ran around the corner. Kabore was there, down on one knee over one of my khatyu who was dead, his throat torn out, and the thick pool of blood he lay in appeared black in the moonlight.

“Oh no,” I cried out, slowing as I reached him, seeing his pistol in his hand.

“Jin!” Logan screamed, flying by me, charging down the alley that opened out into a smaller courtyard of the home where the new semel, his mother, and sister were staying. “Domin!”

I rose and Kabore followed me, and we ran through the darkness to find them. Instead we found Rahim, eyes closed, head back, sprawled on the ground with a bullet in his side and one in his shoulder.

“Kabore, get Dr. Pakhom now, and wake up fucking everybody.”

“Yes, my lord,” he said before scrambling to carry out my orders.

“Domin!” Logan rounded on me, and instantly I knew it wasn’t him. The man I knew was gone, replaced by a panicked, frantic animal.

“No!” I barked, changing my stance, readying myself for the blow. “Don’t turn on me; there was no reason to think I had dissenters. There was no one here but the semel and his family, and only the semel was not pleased that I was here. He was the one the priest commanded to kill Yuri, and I stopped him. I killed his sheseru today—there was no other power here, Logan.”

“You missed something,” he snarled.

“I couldn’t have. I didn’t.” I shook my head. “Everyone wanted me here; there was no one but the semel.”

“Then the treachery is there!” Logan shouted. “Which one is the house?”

I bolted, and Logan was right behind me as we ran. Almost to the house, we both stopped midstride when the door jerked open and Alana Tarek flew out toward us, screaming.

She was covered in blood.

“Oh God,” I gasped as she flung herself into my arms, sobbing.

“Yareah,” I said, trying to calm her. “Speak to me.”

“They’re all dead!” she shrieked, shock and terror overwhelming her as she passed out cold.

I sank with her to the ground as Logan ran by me into the house.

“My lord!” Kabore yelled as he reappeared at my side with several of my khatyu.

I grabbed his wrist, yanking him to his knees and shoving Alana into his arms as I leaped up. “Have someone guard her and then meet me in the house.”

“I need to come with—”

“Watch her!” I roared and then ran after Logan into the house.

I nearly fell over a woman as soon as I went through the door. She, like the first man we had found, had her throat slashed open. Whirling around, panicked, I saw Logan sitting on the stairs leading to the second floor, hands covered in blood.

I reached him fast, almost falling into him, grabbed his face and tilted it to me.

“There’s no one here. I think they took Yuri and Jin up and out through the roof,” he reported.

I shook my head, letting him go. “There’s no way. This is Jin. Nobody sneaks up on Jin, there’s no way his power doesn’t rise and—Logan!”

“There’s so much blood upstairs.” He was trembling and it was scary to see him do it. Logan coming apart was disconcerting. “And Jin’s robes are there… he must have shifted and… if they had Yuri, Jin would have gone if someone said they would kill him if he didn’t. Jin wouldn’t leave Yuri and vice versa.”

“Logan—”