Change of Heart

huge as he looked at me.
    "Keep your hands off me," I warned him, my voice low, full of gravel, not yet my own.
    He held his bleeding hand against his chest so no one could see. "I beg forgiveness, reah." He smiled slowly, his eyes dancing. I had hurt him, and he was having a good time.
    The man was twisted in ways I didn't want to know about.
    "Give me another chance."
    I squinted at him. "Why?"
    "I know you don't have a mate... it's my right to bind you to me."
    "You really do need to read the law," I told him, turning away, deliberately shunning him. "Only the reah chooses the mate, and you are not mine."
    He moved quickly, stepping around in front of me, still clutching his injured hand. It would soon heal, but it hurt, I knew it did. "Look again, reah. Are you sure I'm not your mate?"
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "Yes," I said flatly, staring into his eyes. "We're done, and you know we are."
    He had no retort, no snappy comeback; he'd played his hand and lost. He wasn't my mate, and that was the end of it.
    "Jin," Crane called as he reached my side, looking back and forth between Domin and me. "Did this guy hurt you?"
    "Do I look hurt?" I asked irritably, my body starting to ache with the need to lie down. It was still early, not even nine, but I was exhausted. I was looking forward to sleeping on the plane. "C'mon, let's go."
    Crane stepped in close to Domin. "You stay away from him."
    "Don't threaten me. I'm semel of my tribe, and you're nothing."
    Crane was going to say something back, but I grabbed hold of his shoulder and dragged him after me.
    "Why'd you—"
    "I don't wanna stand around and argue with him. I wanna get outta here."
    "I think it's a mistake."
    "What is? Leaving?"
    "Yeah," he said quickly.
    "What are you talking about?" I yelled at him.
    "Jin, we should stay!"
    "Are you kidding?" My voice rose. "Did you hear that guy?"
    "Yeah, but—"
    "He's the one that's been creepin' around our place. We need to—"
    "Careful."
    59
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    I had gotten to the end of the alley, turned left, and walked into someone. "Sorry," I mumbled, trying to move by.
    "Hello."
    I looked up into the face of what I'd always imagined an angel would look like—blond hair, bright turquoise blue eyes, that alabaster skin you hear about but never see in real life.
    "Are you Jin?"
    "Who wants to know?"
    "I'm Christophe, semel of the tribe of Pakhet."
    "Oh, shit," Crane groaned beside me.
    "Oh, yes," Christophe smiled slowly. "It seems that you two joined my tribe without me even knowing it."
    "No," I said quickly, seeing that he was not alone; four men had appeared and fanned out around us. "We didn't join your tribe."
    "Oh, I think you did." His voice was trying to be sultry but missing it completely. The man was not a smoldering volcano of lust, but merely sort of vanilla. I liked vanilla; you could do all kinds of things with it when it was ice cream. But as far as men were concerned, sexy and hot was mandatory for me, and the man standing in front of me was definitely not. "You and your friend belong to me."
    "All you guys that don't know your law," I said flatly, scowling at him. "An unmated reah has no ties but to the semel who is their mate, and any tribe that is not that of their mate has no claim on them."
    His smirk was instantly erased. "I don't understand."
    Of that, I had no doubt. "Look." I softened my tone, taking the bite out of it. "All reahs have to be free to find their mates 60
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    and so may belong to many tribes in the course of that search. All reahs, as well as their beset, their guardians, are free to leave any tribe at their discretion."
    "I don't... no one can leave a tribe unless they're released by their semel."
    "Unless they happen to be a reah," I said, pointing to myself, "or belong to a reah." I pointed at Crane. "It's how it works. You can call your sylvan and have him check the law.
    I'll wait here while you do it."
    He was stunned. It was all over his face. He thought he had me, but he didn't. No one ever would. I knew my law too well, backward and forward. The surge of relief and certainty mixed with pride burst through me.
    "Christ, Jin." Crane shivered at the same time he cracked a wide grin.
    "What?"
    "I can always tell when you're happy."
    "How?" I asked him, smiling.
    "I feel it." His eyes were soft as he looked at me.
    "That makes no sense."
    He shrugged. "I don't know what to tell you... but I can."
    I was going to tease