Crucible of Fate

by Mary Calmes

  He was sucked instantly through his shift, and it was horrible to see. Bones cracked and muscles twisted, like turning something inside out, but not gently—viciously.

  The screaming was instant and deafening. Hanif Tarek fainted in Kabore’s arms. The woman who had been sitting beside Hakkan scurried behind her throne, screaming as she moved.

  “You will not attack my semel!”

  It was Deoles Aran, the sheseru, who roared out his warning before charging up the stairs toward Jin.

  I watched him slam into what appeared to be an invisible wall, freeze, and then, as though he were grabbed in a claw, get thrown back down off the platform to the floor below. His body spasmed, shuddered, and then began jerking violently, faster and faster. I wondered how his heart could take it before there was a final bending, an obscene contortion, and he was wrenched into his panther form.

  It was horrible, but he deserved every moment of excruciating agony. Jin was an avenging angel, and they were lucky he was not a sadist. If Jin ever learned to delight in the pain of others, holding someone in the limbo of the shift would drive them insane.

  I’d seen him pull others through the change at the sepat in Mongolia, witnessed the morph firsthand. It used to appear painful, but it was fast, so I wasn’t sure how much the brain processed before it was over. But now the shift Jin controlled in others hurt, there was no doubt in my mind. There was blood and other fluid—it was like they were being skinned alive though I knew this was not the case. In moments I saw muscle and bone appear and then the panther shape I recognized quickly reformed.

  I shouldn’t have worried that the rest of us would have felt it for more than a brief moment. He had fine-tuned his power, could focus it like a laser now. Jin, who had always been a force of nature, was now even scarier.

  Once I lifted my head, I saw him standing near the fire pit. He was there with two panthers lying sprawled at his feet, both heaving for breath. They weren’t dead, and I knew they would not be. If Jin was in control, as he was now, there was pain and punishment, but not death. Evidence of the judgment the nekhene cat had dealt was in the shredded clothes strewn about the dais and the floor. A low howl came from the woman, and the man, behind the throne.

  “Everyone,” I said, walking up to the dais beside Jin. “May I have your attention!”

  Yes, I was fearful, but I reminded myself this was still the man I knew. I took hold of Jin’s hand when I was close enough, and when he tried to pull free, I tightened my grip.

  “No, Domin, I’m unclean right now, I—”

  “You are my reah,” I soothed him. “And this display, though frightening, does not diminish you in my eyes, nor does it compare to the crimes of the men who you pulled through their shifts.”

  He studied my face, and I lifted his hand and kissed the back of it before my gaze flickered to the still-shrieking woman. The young man with her, whom she was holding onto for dear life, just stared at us in mute shock.

  I felt for them, the debauched semel’s two chief playthings, his sacrilegious new yareah and his male consort. They were both so young, had been drugged and heaven knew what else in their time there. The man could pay with his life for that sin alone, but there were, I already knew, so many more crimes for him to answer for.

  “Stop,” I said to the woman when I couldn’t take the shrieking anymore, “or I’ll make you.”

  Instant silence, and I faced all those in front of me.

  “I am the semel-aten, Domin Thorne, and my word is law here, and no one else’s.”

  I wasn’t prepared for the immediate gasps and then crying, or for everyone in the hall falling to their knees, or to see an older woman come rushing up the stairs with her arms wide and tears streaming down her face.

  Jin stepped around me, and only then did I understand. She didn’t want me, she wanted him.

  She flung herself at Jin, wrapped her arms around his neck, and sobbed. Her words were a mantra of blessings, and in the midst of it, I heard the word “angel” over and over and over.

  I was stunned, I had no—

  “Domin!”

  My head swiveled sharply and I saw Yuri rushing across the floor to reach the dais. I bolted down the steps and met him halfway, my heart hammering as I took his face in my hands.

  “I missed you.”

  “And I—are you hurt?” His voice rose as his gaze took me in.

  He was the one who was hurt. There were bruises on his face and neck, his lip was split, and there was blood seeping through the bandage on his left arm.

  “I’m fine,” I said, lifting my chin, my eyes fluttering closed. “Kiss me.”

  “In front of—”

  “Please.”

  I was crushed in his arms, held to his heart, and could feel the drum that lived in his chest as his lips sealed over mine. I shivered as he slid his tongue into my mouth and mated it with mine. He claimed what was his and I melted against him. When he finally lifted his lips away, just enough to speak, not enough for our skin not to brush, I was trembling.

  “You missed me?”

  “Yes, too much.”

  His rumble of laughter made me smile in spite of everything else. “Say it now; tell me the truth, not for any other reason than because it simply is.”

  I groaned.

  “Domin,” he whispered, and I gave up.

  “I love you.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Yes. More than I should.”

  “And?”

  “You are my mate.”

  “Are you sure? I see Koren standing over there.”

  I licked up his throat and felt a shiver tear through him. “Yes, Yuri Kosa, I am sure. You are mine.”

  “And?”

  “I’m yours.”

  “Always.”

  “Always,” I echoed him.

  I had never been hugged so tight.

  Chapter 9

  OUTSIDE in the main courtyard of town, where there was a huge limestone fountain, the smells of food cooking, and a warm summer breeze, I felt better than I had when I was inside the home of the semel of Feran. I would never set foot in the fort again, and I didn’t want anyone else in there either. It was cursed and I couldn’t wipe the feeling away. I also wanted to know what precisely had gone on, but Yuri was being difficult.

  “I’ll tell you later,” he said, tugging me after him.

  “You’ll tell me now!” I roared.

  “We have too much to do right now, Domin,” he insisted, moving me because he could, because he was stronger than me.

  I planted my feet and he jerked to a stop. Yes, he was strong, but I was still six two to his six four, and though I didn’t have his muscle-bulked body, I was not a small man. “What the fuck happened to Constantine? Tell me now.” I commanded, trying not to lose it.

  He didn’t speak.

  “Was it just you and him?”

  “Yes.”

  My hands curled into fists. “Never, ever, do you go anywhere without me again. Do you understand?”

  “I—”

  “Do you understand?” I heaved out the words.

  His nod was quick, and his grin was small, just curling his lip, but the flush under his eyes, on his cheeks, and how pleased he was, annihilated my anger.

  “You were worried.”

  “I was terrified!”

  He was amused.

  “Don’t be so smug.”

  “Okay,” he teased me.

  I found myself growling at him a lot.

  After a moment, when I was calmer, he spoke. “So we’ll never be apart again?”

  “I don’t know,” I said thoughtfully. “Maybe you can visit Logan. I’ll see. If I let you go, it could only be to a place I implicitly trust or with people I—”

  “Why?”

  “What do you mean ‘why’?”

  “Why is it so important to you?”

  “What? Your safety?”

  “Yes.”

  “Because you’re mine.”

>   “Is that all?”

  “Is that all?” I was indignant as he pivoted to face me, stepping into my personal space, right there, all I could see. “Is that all? What else is there?”

  “Why, Domin?”

  “You’re my mate, you’re my… my….”

  “Domin,” he said, his voice husky and low, slipping his fingers over my jaw and then cupping my cheek. “Tell me.”

  “I just bared my soul a few minutes ago and—”

  “Domin.”

  “What do you want to hear? What… I don’t—”

  “You’re all flustered.” He purred as he slid his hand around the back of my neck, hauling me close to kiss me.

  People always asked permission. Even Koren, even as in love with me as he said he was, always requested permission. Yuri didn’t ask, never had. He went with the premise that I wanted his hands all over me and didn’t second-guess. He didn’t treat me like I was special beyond being the man he loved. I had no idea I would so love being mauled outside my bedroom.

  “My semel,” he said, and his breath was warm on my face.

  “Don’t go where I can’t follow, all right?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  I gave him a superior grunt and watched his eyes sparkle in amusement.

  “You know anybody can see that you love me.”

  “Good,” I said, happier than I thought I would be just to have him there with me. After a moment I cleared my throat and took a different tack. “So where is Constantine presently?”

  “Really?”

  “I command you to tell me!”

  “He didn’t have a choice.”

  Oh, I couldn’t even wait to hear this.

  He raked his fingers through his thick dark-brown hair. It was long on top, there were pieces that fell into his eyes sometimes, but buzzed short above the nape of his neck and on the sides. I teased him often that he had the hair of a manga character. “Hakkan gave him the choice to fight me in the pit or to be put on the road back to Sobek with no food or water.”

  I nodded slowly.

  “It’s a choice for a semel or a reah or a sylvan or sheseru, but for a normal cat, he—”

  “He could have run back here to town, he could have gone on to Sobek, he could have traveled at night, but we’re talking ten hours by car. There were other options than fighting you in the pit.”

  “I don’t think so.”

  “I do. Where is he now?”

  “He has to be in the fort somewhere. We fought yesterday. He was either my third or fourth match. It got fuzzy after Deoles opened up my side.”

  I felt cold inside, hollow, and I felt the anger rise fast. “Constantine fought you while you were bleeding?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why were you bleeding?”

  “Because Hakkan allowed weapons into the pit,” he said gently, moving forward, and only then did I notice that he was moving more stiffly than normal.

  He bent and our foreheads touched, both of us standing there together, quiet and still for a moment before Kabore came up beside me.

  “My lord.”

  Breaking my communion with my mate was hard, but Kabore needed to speak to me. “Yes?”

  “Apparently, Yuri had communicated to Ehivet Milar, Garai’s father, that you were sending him here to see Hakkan, and now he has arrived.”

  “Why?”

  “It seems he had a communication from someone here this morning that you had taken Hakkan into your custody.”

  “Okay.” I took a breath. “Find Constantine for me.”

  “Is he here somewhere?”

  “He fought Yuri in the pit yesterday.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “I want him,” I said softly. “Now.”

  “At once, my lord,” he said and was gone before Yuri could turn me back around to face him.

  “It’s not his fault. Please don’t punish him for—”

  “I’m not going to punish him; I’m going to kill him.”

  “Domin,” Yuri inhaled sharply. “You—”

  “Everyone should always be most afraid of me,” I announced. “Now, come with me to speak to Ehivet and tell him what’s happened to his son.”

  “Oh God,” he groaned. “I became his champion when I got here, but there was nothing I could do about what went on before I arrived.”

  “No, there wasn’t,” I soothed him. “Where is Garai now?”

  “There.” Yuri pointed, and I saw him running.

  Garai Milar was beautiful and lithe with flawless skin and dark emerald-green eyes. I had seen him inside, standing close to the dais, before we evacuated the fort. Once we were all walking out, he had clung to Yuri’s arm, not wanting to be far from him until Jin had spoken to him and sworn that no one would ever touch him again without his permission. When Jin Church looked you in the eye and promised, there was never any doubt that whatever he said was gospel.

  Now Garai was flying toward a group of people, and I saw an older man emerge, throw open his arms, and receive the younger man who hurtled into him. Tears were instant in both men, and it was obvious I was looking at father and son. I watched Ehivet tighten his arms around his son, stroke his hair, and speak into his ear.

  “Shit,” I groaned, stopping, not wanting to intrude.

  “Come on.” Yuri put a hand on my shoulder, squeezed gently to get me moving.

  When we were close, Garai noticed us.

  “Oh, Father, the semel-aten.”

  The delegation from the tribe of Tegeret all went to their knees at the same time.

  “No, please,” I said, moving in close to them and putting a hand on Ehivet’s shoulder to get him to stand.

  He didn’t move, and because the semel did not, no other member of his tribe did.

  “Please, Ehivet Milar, rise.”

  He did so, taking his son’s hand immediately and then lifting his eyes to mine. “I can never repay what you’ve done, my lord.”

  “I was late,” I confessed.

  “No, my lord,” he said sincerely. “As soon as you were settled, those in your household sought to help you in your reign. Each took the duty of their station to heart. Your mate, your maahes, your sylvan, and your sheseru all resolved to help their tribe and then those beyond. You acted on the advice of your mate; you became involved when no one else would have. I have no idea how you are supposed to police the whole world, but you started here, at home, with me. It was my fault that I waited to contact you; I know now you would have moved just as expediently. You understand the law and Tarek’s breach of it, and so came here with the intent to free my son. You are a man of principle and I will be loyal from now until the end of your reign, my lord.”

  “Thank you.”

  “Know that my house will always stand behind you, ready to protect you and be counted as your humble servants.”

  “Your words honor me.”

  “I am in your debt, my lord, for all time, and know that the tribe of Wepwawet will also fall in line and support you.”

  “Wepwawet? That is—was—Rahab Bahur’s tribe.”

  “And it is now Zaki Bahur’s, his younger brother’s. My sister is godmother to my son and mated to Zaki Bahur. I reported what you did, and now Garai has conveyed the enormity of your mate’s service to him.” He broke off, reaching for Yuri’s hand.

  My mate clasped forearms with the older man, and Ehivet’s face hardened, the man stoically refusing to cry. “You have a place at my table and even in my tribe if you were ever to need one, Yuri Kosa,” he addressed my mate solemnly. “You are always welcome, you are free to come and go in my territory, at any time, at your leisure. You are krates of my tribe.”

  Yuri was shaken, and I would have been too. Krates—“brother” or “sister” of the tribe—meant you were adopted into another tribe but swore no allegiance to a new semel. It was never done, the practice considered dangerous for the leader and the tribe, as you could be inviting a viper into your home. But there was no grea
ter gift, no greater honor to bestow.

  “Semel—”

  “Ehivet,” he corrected me, his eyes having trouble leaving Yuri but finally making it back to my face. “Please, always address me as though we are the oldest of friends.”

  “Ehivet, the tribe of Wepwawet wants me dead or—”

  “No, my lord, they—”

  “Please.” I interrupted him. “Always address me as though we are the oldest of friends.”

  He nodded.

  “You were saying?”

  He cleared his throat and eased his son closer, tucking his arm around him even as Garai rubbed his chin over his father’s shoulder. “My gift to you is the loyalty of the tribe of Wepwawet. Rahab was a bully; his brother is not as fierce but is kinder and more honorable. My sister is stronger than both Rahab and Zaki, and she already has plans for change. Both tribes deal in commodities that it is better you do not concern yourself with, Domin Thorne, but for all the power we thought we had, only you and your house were able to accomplish this goal. I could have retrieved a body; you have restored my son. Both tribes stand in your debt, and my sister sends her regards and her oath as well as that of her mate.”

  I bowed. “Thank you.”

  “No, Domin Thorne, thank you,” he said and bowed lower.

  We were silent a moment.

  “Will Tarek die?”

  “Either here or in Sobek,” I said frankly.

  “I know there is no fault that lies with his daughter, Masika,” he declared. “But I will have no mating between my son and the house of Tarek. The covenant bond is rescinded.”

  “Record it in your tribal record as having my blessing.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” he rasped and then released his son’s hand to step in and hug me. It was the tight, hard clench men give one another, but I understood it was so far out of his comfort zone that I needed to accept it for the gift it was.

  I hugged him back, and then he stepped free and hugged Yuri as well. Garai hugged Yuri, too, and I realized, as he stared up into Yuri’s face like he was God, that at eighteen I would have thought the same if he had saved me. Yuri was as close to a guardian angel as the boy was ever going to get.

  “Thank you for protecting me, sekhem,” he said, shivering. “What was done was a horror, what was threatened before you arrived…. I would have killed myself first.”