Change of Heart

tried to get me to move, Mikhail told him to give me time. It was nice that he and Yuri weren't trying to rush me. They just waited until I was ready. When I finally climbed out and looked around, I smelled wet earth, smoke and pine.
    It rolled through me, and I calmed.
    "You come up to the house when you want, okay, Jin?
    We'll take Crane up with us."
    Funny that they were all so familiar suddenly, like they were friends.
    "Is that okay?"
    I nodded at Mikhail and leaned back against the car.
    From where I was, I could see all the lights, and, closer to the house, all the cars clustered in the large circular drive and parked on the snow-covered ground further on. The place was teeming with people, and since crowded places were always best for awkward meetings, I realized that standing there a moment more was just stupid. I was putting off the inevitable.
    The front door swung open when I pushed against it and stepped inside the living room. Immediately, my senses were flooded. The aroma of the food, the warmth of the air, the hum of dozens of conversations, and the reflected glow of the fire in hundreds of crystal glasses was mesmerizing. I had worried briefly that I would be underdressed, having been to 72
    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    many black-tie feasts, but this one was casual, so I relaxed and took a breath.
    "Can I take your coat?"
    I turned to the voice and found the darkest, clearest emerald green eyes I had ever seen in my life. They were beautiful, and so was the man who had seemingly materialized out of thin air.
    "Thanks," I managed to get out, unzipping my parka and passing it to him.
    He took it and then stepped in front of me, offering me his hand. "Hi. I'm Ruslan Church, but everyone calls me Russ."
    "Jin," I said, taking his hand.
    He tightened his grip, not letting me go.
    "So," I began awkwardly. "Are you Logan's brother, or a cousin?"
    "I'm his brother."
    I nodded, slipping my hand from his. "Well it's a pleasure to meet you."
    "And you. Do you know Logan or Simone?"
    "Neither, actually." I smiled at him. "I'm a guest of Mikhail's."
    His eyes swept over me, but he didn't say anything. The silence was awkward.
    "So do you like his yareah?" I said quickly, making conversation as I took a quick step back from him.
    He smiled suddenly, which made his dimples deep and visible. "It's not my place to question his choices. He is the semel, after all."
    "No, of course not. I was just interested."
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    He nodded and then gestured for me to follow him. "I think it's the right thing to do for the tribe, but not for him."
    "How do you mean?" I asked as he started leading me through the crowd.
    "Well, his yareah, Simone, she's the sister of Christophe Danvers, a semel of one of the other tribes here. So when she and Logan mate, then we have a covenant bond between us."
    It was old news, but I let him explain and kept my mouth shut. "An alliance is always good."
    He shrugged. "It makes protecting everyone easier, and that's important."
    "That is," I agreed.
    "So like I said, it makes sense. It just sucks for Logan."
    "Why?" I asked, my eyes scanning the huge room.
    Everything was dark and opulent, with a gothic feel that I really liked.
    "It just would have been nice to see my brother happy for once."
    "How do you mean?" I said slowly, distracted by the tapestries on the walls, the flames roaring in the enormous fireplace, and the polished wooden floors. When there was no answer after a minute, I looked over at him. His expression made me smile. He looked so confused. "What's wrong?"
    "I dunno, I just... why am I telling you all this stuff?"
    It was part of being a reah; most cats were at ease in my presence, so they spilled the vault of their secrets almost immediately. They couldn't help it.
    "I feel like I've known you forever, but we just met."
    I shrugged. "Tell me more about Logan."
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    He shook his head like he was trying to clear it and then continued talking. "Well, see, Logan just always does the right thing, the best thing, but he never does anything that makes him really happy. I haven't seen him really smile since we were little."
    "But that's how it is when you're the leader of a tribe; your own happiness comes after that of the tribe. He has to put himself second."
    "No, I know, but with his mate, I thought he'd at least find one he loved."
    "I think for a semel, duty comes before happiness."
    "I guess you're right."
    "I