Change of Heart

him," Koren assured me, his tone matter-of-fact. "God only knows what he'll promise to get what he wants."
    I looked at Domin.
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    He gave me a wicked grin. "He doesn't trust me. He thinks I'm just biding my time to fuck Logan over."
    "Are you?"
    He waggled his eyebrows at me. "Wouldn't you like to know?"
    "See," Koren pointed at him. "That's why I don't trust him."
    But when I looked back at Domin, I saw the slow curl of his lip at the corner of his mouth, took in the heavy-lidded eyes and his deep sigh. He was screwing with Koren and having a good time doing it. He was Logan's man now and would not betray that trust. But for some reason, he wanted Koren to think he would.
    "So because this guy's actually a coyote and not a cat, I'm not letting him out of my sight."
    My eyes flicked back to Domin. "Coyote?"
    "Trickster." He grinned at me, arching an eyebrow.
    "Oh," I nodded. "So what's your intention?"
    His eyes glinted. "My intention is to show my friend here a really good time, get him to loosen up, and, you know, see if Ethan Locke, the semel of the tribe of Tefnut, wants an aset for a mate. We'll see if we can convince him to visit and meet her."
    "Sounds like a good plan," I said, squinting at Domin, watching him turn his head and watch Koren. And I wondered why, if Domin had attacked Koren as Koren had told everyone he had, why he was now choosing to travel with the man. And why did Koren take care of Domin after the challenge in the pit? It didn't make any sense, and neither did the way Koren 243
    Change of Heart
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    was looking at him. He looked more anxious than mad. Domin made him nervous, and I wondered why.
    "Let's go," Koren snapped at the same time his phone rang.
    "You better get that," Domin teased.
    Koren made a sound of pure exasperation as he turned away from us to answer.
    "Hey."
    I looked back at Domin.
    "Look."
    He pointed into the trees beside the restaurant, and I saw the flash of iridescent eyes in the darkness before the long line of an enormous panther moved and then sank back out of view.
    "Jin, Logan's right there, waiting. He can't do what he needs to do until you return. He can't think, he won't eat, and you need to fix that, fix him, before the tribe falls apart. He has to be strong, or he'll lose everything."
    "Domin, I—"
    "And so will the rest of us."
    I didn't know what to say.
    "Stop fuckin' around and worrying about your wounded pride and realize that he made a mistake because this thing with you was like a minute old. He needs you. Go to him."
    I shook my head. "It's only been a week. I dunno if—"
    "If you were a woman, he'd have dragged you back already. He would have done the caveman thing, been all strong and silent, and everything would be all fixed up. But you're a guy, so he has no clue."
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    I watched him pace just beyond the tree line. "I went up there and made sure he was all right and he is. He doesn't actually need me."
    "You're an idiot, you know that? Everybody knows that mated semels and reahs go nuts if they try and stay apart.
    Why are you being such a hard ass about this?"
    "Dom—"
    "It's a physical bond just as well as an emotional one. It will take its toll on you in so many ways if you don't go to your mate."
    "I'll live," I said flippantly, not believing for a second that I should or could or would want to.
    "But he won't, and that's the point. We all serve him, not the other way around."
    I nodded, smiling at him. "Well, you've certainly taken your new role as speaker for the semel to heart."
    He shrugged. "I realize now that what I really want is very simple."
    "What's that?"
    "I just want a mate I love, a place of my own, and to not be afraid all the time."
    Who knew Domin Thorne and I wanted the exact same things?
    "And I've known for a while who I want to fill the mate seat," he said, his head turning to Koren, who was ignoring both of us as he talked on his phone. "I never wanted to be a semel, to lead... you have to care about others first, and I don't."
    I studied his profile as he gazed at Koren.
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    "My father died when I was ten, and I was left with no one.
    I knew he hated Peter Church, and so it was all I had. The feud kept the tribe focused. If we were fighting, we didn't have to focus on anything else. Now, with Logan, they all see what they were missing. They know what a real semel is." He turned back to look at me. "Not