Change of Heart

one of my cats will give him a moment of trouble. All they all want is to belong."
    I nodded. I knew what it was to want to belong.
    "And knowing that their semel has a reah.... Do you understand how blessed everyone feels?"
    "Not really."
    "Because you still don't get how amazing you are."
    "Dom—"
    He put up his hand to stop me. "Jin, not only are you a reah, but you have power that I have never seen. The speed is phenomenal, and you don't lose any of your humanity in your panther form. Logan, me, everyone I know—we're animals when we change into a cat, but you... you're still you, and I have never even heard of that."
    I had no idea what I was supposed to say.
    He took a quick breath. "You need to understand that as sure as I'm standing here that if I could have, I would have killed Logan a week ago in the pit."
    "Why are—"
    "And now I would not," he said simply. "I am content to be Logan Church's maahes, to be his ambassador and do all that I can to serve him."
    "I believe you."
    "Good."
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    "So why are you screwing with Koren and tormenting him with doubt?"
    "Because if Koren doesn't trust me, he won't let me out of his sight," he smiled wickedly.
    This was what I had suspected his motivation was. "You could just be honest."
    "What's the fun in that?"
    "What does Koren want?"
    "I don't think Koren knows." He sighed. "Yet."
    "Can I ask you a question?"
    He turned back to look at me.
    "When you tortured him... did you?"
    His smile was wicked. "It was a certain kind of torture."
    I could only guess what had gone on. "You know you owe Logan for giving you a real home."
    "Yes, I do," he agreed, his smile suddenly gentle and warm. "But he had no idea that he wasn't just getting me."
    "What are you talking about?"
    "Well, you know the custom is for the sylvan and sheseru to live with their semel until they're mated and have homes of their own."
    "Yeah, I know."
    "Well, so where do you think my sheseru, Markel, and my sylvan, Ivan, have to live now?"
    I grunted. "With Logan?"
    "Yep. They have nowhere else to go. And you named Simone aset , so she has to live there too. Crane got booted out of the guesthouse 'cause Logan's folks took it over, and Russ moved back to be close to the rest of his family." His 247
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    smile was wicked and wide. "It's a mess. Crane's got a room on one side of Delphine, and Markel's on the other."
    "Markel was hunting Delphine. God knows what he would've done to her that night if Crane and I hadn't interfered."
    "Yeah, I know, but he apologized."
    "He apologized?" I was stunned. "That's it?"
    "Sure. He said he was sorry like a million times. He even broke down all weepy and whiny like a girl, and of course, when he did that, she comforted him. Blah, blah, blah. It was fucked up, but he got what he wanted."
    "What'd he want?"
    "Her to forgive him, which she did." He shrugged. "Now they're pals. Him and your boy Crane too. It's like we're all just one big happy family, all eleven of us. Twelve, once you get there."
    "What's with the sarcasm?"
    "'Cause once Crane and Markel discover that they've both got it bad for Delphine, it's gonna be a mess. You need to be home before that so you can mediate that shit."
    I sighed deeply. Family problems sounded like heaven.
    "And Peter walking around giving Logan advice on how to run his home ain't gonna fly much longer either. Logan's ready to explode."
    "Wait. I thought you said Logan's folks were in the guesthouse?"
    "They sleep there." He made a face. "But they live in Logan's house."
    "How is he taking having everyone around?"
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    "None of it would get to him if you were there but, right now... he's brooding and angry and foul. We all hate him
    'cause he's bein' a dick. But you can't blame the guy; he needs his mate. Would you please just go to him? He's losing his mind without you."
    "Can we go, please?" Koren barked at him, rejoining us, having finished with the conversation he was having on the phone.
    "Sure."
    He yanked Domin forward but turned fast and poked a finger into my chest. "Don't be an ass. Just take the night off and go to your mate. You belong up at that house with the rest of us. If we gotta suffer, you do too."
    "Has Domin moved in as well?"
    The question confused him, and it was written all over his face. "'Course, why?"
    I shrugged. "No reason. Just asking."
    Koren nodded before telling me to go to Logan one more time and pulling