Crucible of Fate

be judged as men and not as panthers and as members of the whole.”
    That was the real point and what so many people missed.
    “The judgment of the semel-aten will always be about what is best for the panther, not necessarily what is best for the man.”
    “Yes, my lord.”
    It wasn’t what they wanted to hear, but it least it made sense. I wasn’t some insane, power-mad despot; I was a semel disciplining the members of his tribe. There was a cause and effect to the panther world that was absolute, and people had just been reminded.
    “I will expect Zaki Bahur to stand before me and swear his fealty within a month. Do you hear me, sheseru? Do you hear me, sylvan?”
    “Yes, my lord,” they echoed.
    When I checked, I saw how wild Rahab Bahur appeared. His eyes, which had been murderous and seething with hate, now projected terror. And it was all because I was making sense. His people understood—they would not try and free him. He had gambled and lost, and it was time to pay up. Just as in nature, when the leader was challenged, the defeated challenger was banished.
    Jamal came forward to take control of the prisoners, but before he could issue orders, I stopped him.
    “Give the job to Shahid,” I said, tipping my head toward the man who had been blackmailed into the nefarious plot to overthrow me. “He will see it done.”
    Shahid’s gaze met mine a moment before he bent at the waist. “Thank you for your faith, my lord. I will never disappoint.”
    “I know. And when your wife and child arrive, my sheseru, Taj Chalthoum, will receive them and protect them until your return.”
    Taj hadn’t known he was on guard duty, but he moved forward fast, put his hand over his heart, and promised Shahid that he would slaughter anyone who dared hurt them.
    The relief, the appreciation, the swell of emotion visibly rushed over Shahid, and he could only nod, clearly overcome.
    “Go,” I commanded.
    He pivoted, signaled the other members of the Shu, and they took the two men out, the crowd quickly parting for them.
    “And as for you,” I said, stopping Kovo before he could say a word. “I wanted Jamal here, since I am naming him as heir to my throne, heir to be semel-aten.”
    No amount of me standing there with lifted hands was going to shut everybody up. I sat down instead, as Taj called for the heralds.
    As a rule, the horns gave me a headache, but there were times when I understood why we had them.
    Jin walked to the side of my throne and bent down next to my ear.
    “Yes, my reah?”
    His eyes gleamed with worry. “Have you spoken to Logan?”
    “I have.”
    “And?”
    “You think Logan and your son don’t need you,” I said bluntly, turning my head so I could stare into his gorgeous dark-gray eyes. “You needed to be away, and Crane’s crisis gave you the reason. You ran without notifying Logan, and now you’re here.”
    He straightened up abruptly, ready to step away from me.
    I grabbed hold of his wrist, keeping him close.
    “Let go.”
    “Logan was where, at a gathering?”
    “Yes.”
    “You didn’t want to go?”
    Jin cleared his throat. “I’m not allowed to attend gatherings anymore. Yusuke went with him.”
    I rolled my eyes. “Really? You think your maahen can take your place at his side?”
    He was silent.
    “Or Danny? If Logan’s sylvan went with him as well, perhaps your cousin can be switched out for you?”
    He tugged, but I was stronger. In his nekhene form, Jin could eviscerate me. If he released his power, he might even be able to make me shift.
    Maybe.
    I had felt it before and withstood it, but it had never been directed fully at me.
    “Don’t raise your power, you brat,” I said under my breath.
    His gaze flicked to mine then, and his eyes were all pupil. I was seeing a wild thing, unstable because his mate was not with him.
    “You are the only nekhene cat in the world, and your mate and your son need you desperately.”
    “So you say,” he said, and then his eyelids fluttered and I was once again, that quickly, in the presence of a reah. The difference was like night and day—he could be feral one moment and the epitome of hearth and home the next. I had no idea how Logan rode that wave on a daily basis. My own mate was simply the one who wanted to keep me and love me and be my sanctuary.
    “You miss Yuri.”
    I didn’t answer as he straightened up and smiled down at me.
    “Don’t deny it, I see it all over your face, feel it beating between us.”
    “I