Change of Heart

him. He was really interested in me."
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "Oh, I bet." I started to pace. "You're the man that mated with the abomination. I'm sure he thinks you're on some mission from God."
    He laughed hard, and I couldn't contain my smile. The man just melted me.
    "Do you want me to invite him up here or do you want to go to the hotel and see him?"
    "Is he alone?"
    "No. His semel is with him."
    "Gabriel Pike is here?"
    He squinted at me. "No, I think he said his name is Archer."
    "Archer Pike? Are you sure? Archer is Gabriel's brother."
    "I'm sure I heard right. He said his name was Archer and that he was the semel of your old tribe. He came with your father."
    "Interesting. I wonder what happened to Gabriel," I said, looking at Logan.
    "Maybe he stepped down?"
    "Why would anyone do that?"
    "I have no idea." He yawned. "The reasons that people do anything are beyond me. Like why would anyone run from their mate?"
    I rolled my eyes. "Are we talking about this again?"
    "I will never let you leave me again."
    I groaned. "I don't want to leave you."
    "But you can't, even if you did."
    "Why are we talking about this?"
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    He went silent for a moment. "You know, I still can't believe that you came up here and took care of me even after everything."
    "I love you. Why wouldn't I?" When he didn't say anything back for several minutes, I looked over at him. He was staring at me. "What?"
    "I just like it." He cleared his throat. "You telling me you love me."
    I walked over to the bed and bent toward him. He lifted his head to receive the kiss and was smiling at me when I pulled back.
    "I love you too, Jin."
    We were silent, watching each other, before his expression darkened. "Listen, maybe it's too much, too soon. I can tell your father to leave, and we can visit Chicago instead."
    I shook my head. "No, invite them back up to the house tomorrow. That way, if it gets weird, I can just come up here."
    He nodded, looking at me.
    "I can, right? They couldn't follow me up here?"
    "To violate a semel's home is a trespass, and you know that. You're mine. Without my permission, no one can see you."
    "Really," I snorted out a quick laugh, baiting him, "no one?"
    "Jin——"
    "Not your mom," I threw out.
    He growled back in his throat.
    "Or say, one of your brothers."
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    "God, you're annoying."
    "Or Yuri or Mikhail or——"
    "Are you done?" He cut me off.
    I chuckled and he threw up his hands in defeat. Ordering me around was never going to happen and the sooner he realized the better off he was going to be.
    "Are you through taunting me?"
    I didn't answer him, instead walking to the window and looking out at the falling snow. I was so happy for the first time in so long, and now my father, my family, had to come and spoil it. And what if, when Logan spent more time with my father, heard his rant, what if he started to question his decision about me? What if the new semel convinced Logan that he was making a mistake? What if he got Logan to see me as an obstacle instead of as the permanent person in his life? What if everything I finally had just went away? I wanted to belong, and now I did, but how solid was my new life, really?
    "What are you thinking about so hard?"
    "Nothing." I shook my head.
    "Liar," he judged me.
    I was silent.
    "It was really nice of him to come all this way and see if you were okay."
    I dragged in a deep breath. "It wasn't nice. He wants something. He doesn't give a shit about me, I assure you."
    "That's crap. It was nice of him. Say it was nice."
    "No."
    "Come on, say it. It was nice."
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    Change of Heart
    by Mary Calmes
    I turned and looked at him over my shoulder. "No."
    "C'mon," he said, getting up, moving toward me.
    "No," I repeated sharply. "What's with you?"
    "You're being a brat. Say it's nice."
    "No."
    "Say it."
    "No," I snapped at him.
    He lunged for me, and I moved to dodge him.
    "Quit, Logan. I don't feel like playing with you."
    He reached for me again, and I crossed the room quickly, putting the bed between us.
    "I said stop," I half-yelled, my tone exasperated, and I saw his eyes darken to a deep burnished gold. "So stop. I'm not in the mood. Don't be a dick."
    He nodded right before he dove across the bed for me.
    "Logan!" I yelled at him, trying really hard not to smile. "I said stop!"
    He climbed off the bed, and when I moved toward the door to put more space between us, he followed me. I was being