Crucible of Fate

course.”
    “But most semel-atens would not. You understand that, right? You think of us as family, and not just as sylvan or sheseru or maahes, but more. And I know that’s how Logan modeled his tribe for you, but for a semel-aten to run his home the same way is simply extraordinary.”
    “Agreed,” Taj added. “You run your household like a family, and we are all honored to be part of yours.”
    “I couldn’t imagine it being any other way. I trust you all with my life.”
    “And we are all proud that you do so.” Taj blew out a breath, then smiled at me. “Being your sheseru has been a gift.”
    “Yeah, getting shot, that was fantastic.”
    “I was in your service. I hope to always be.”
    “You will be,” I said and then glanced over at Mikhail. “Neither one of you is going anywhere. I have to trust my inner circle implicitly.”
    “You have that,” Mikhail affirmed, “and now that Kabore stepped up because Taj and I are both cowards—”
    “Coward is an ugly word,” Taj said, cutting him off.
    “But appropriate.”
    “I didn’t hear you doing it.”
    “What are we talking about?” I needed to get them back on track.
    Kabore crossed his arms. “I’m sorry, my lord, it had to be done. I know the semel-netjer and his reah are like your family, but really, between the baby and the volume of their fights and their—” He cleared his throat. “—other activities, they disrupted everyone here quite effectively. Your entire household needed them out.”
    I was trying not to laugh. “Everybody wanted them gone, huh?”
    “My lord, I can speak for the entirety of the villa when I tell you the consensus is we were all very pleased it was you who won the sepat.”
    Taj grinned, Mikhail was coughing, and Kabore restated for emphasis, “Very pleased, my lord.”
    It was nice to be appreciated.
     
     
    W HEN I reached my quarters, I found Yuri still sleeping but noticed that, in my absence, a large fruit platter and a pitcher of ice water had been delivered. I locked the outer door before climbing back onto the bed.
    He seemed exhausted, and I wanted him to rest, but when his eyes fluttered open and I was looking into his clear blue eyes, I was too happy to tell him to close them again.
    “You’re awake,” he said, obviously pleased, the gravel in his voice very sexy.
    “I am,” I said, reaching over to touch his cheek, then run my fingers along his jaw line. “Tell me about the scar on your brow.”
    “Oh. The night Hanif Tarek tried to kill me, one of his panthers caught me across the face with a claw. I was more worried about the eye than the brow.”
    “I didn’t notice before.”
    He grinned lazily and my heart clenched. “You were so out of it, I’m surprised you knew you were talking to me half the time.”
    “Why are you so tired?” I questioned, putting a hand on his hip and then easing him closer, until our legs entwined.
    “I just wanted everything to be in order when you woke up, that’s all. Plus, I’ve been making some changes to the villa, like making the entrances wheelchair accessible, as well as the stacks. Samani and I are also going to build a shelter to house runaways, battered women, just anyone who needs protection. I think sometimes we assume that because we’re panthers that there is always the semel to count on, or the tribe. But if you think about it, even someone as remarkable as Jin was thrown out of his original one. The home of the semel-aten must always be a place that everyone can come to and find safety.”
    “Yes, but kids from, say, Omaha, Nebraska, aren’t coming all the way to Sobek for a place to eat and sleep if they’re thrown out of their homes.”
    “No, but there should be a sanctuary like the one we’re building here in every city,” he murmured as he slid a hand under my T-shirt, feeling for bare skin, before moving to the small of my back. “It’s a change for you to implement.”
    “I—what?” His warm palm pressing me forward against him broke my train of thought.
    “Every city you visit, you’ll give the semel money to build a shelter. We’ll call them Menhit House, after your tribe.”
    It was a sweet thought, but Menhit represented everything I used to be, not who I was now or ever wanted to be again. “No, we’ll call them Sekhem Shelter, because like you are my arm, there will be arms to protect and embrace all who need it.”
    His eyes filled.
    “Come here.”
    “I don’t—you’re still fragile