Honored Vow

thighs to hold him. “You’re
    still a semel inside, and I know that.”
    His head snapped up, his eyes locked on Yuri’s.
    “I know that just because you’re a maahes now doesn’t take away all
    the things you wanted and what you’re built for, physically, emotionally,

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    and mentally. I know that you wanted to find your true-mate, mark
    him—”
    “There’s no way that I would have found a male reah like—”
    “But that’s why you were so pissed.” Yuri took his face in his hands.
    “What the fuck did Logan Church need with a male mate? The man was
    straight. So when you saw Jin, you thought he was the answer to
    everything, and when he wasn’t yours, it made no fuckin’ sense.”
    Domin brushed Yuri’s hands from his face but didn’t move, instead
    pushing forward, closer.
    Yuri caught his breath, hands back on the smaller man’s thighs.
    “Dom, I know, okay? I do. Please lemme be the guy you need, please
    mark me.”
    “It could kill you.”
    But I knew it could also kill him not to take the mark. Before we got
    home, Yuri needed to have a piece of Domin to carry around with him. It
    was necessary.
    “Please,” was all Yuri said.
    “What makes you think I even want that?” Domin snapped at him,
    asking for the second time so that even I knew he wanted to, since he
    couldn’t stop bringing it up.
    Yuri smiled at him. “I know you.”
    And Domin was going to argue, I could see he was, but it was there
    in his eyes, how badly he wanted to bite into the other man’s flesh and
    taste Yuri’s blood on his tongue. “What if you bleed to death?”
    “I don’t shift as fast as Jin, but I can shift fast enough not to bleed to
    death. I’m the sheseru of my tribe, Domin; the only one stronger than me
    is Logan.” He was matter-of-fact as he stared into Domin’s dark-brown
    eyes.
    “For a reah, the pain becomes pleasure, for you… it won’t change. It
    will only hurt.”
    “I think that depends on what you’re doing to me as you deliver the
    bite.” Yuri smiled slightly, his eyes heavy-lidded.
    I saw the muscles in Domin’s jaw clench as he made a noise in the
    back of his throat.
    “Get up and let’s go to the cave where we spent that night.”
    “Yuri—”

    236

    Mary Calmes

    “I want this—please.”
    The last, with his voice breaking just a little, was too much for
    Domin. He got up, grabbed his parka, hat, gloves, and lube—couldn’t
    forget that—and headed for the door. Yuri was right behind him.
    I was smiling as I watched them go.
    “You’re happy about something.”
    I looked down at my mate. “Yuri and Domin.”
    “Oh? You like that even better than Koren and Domin, do you?”
    My scowl made him smile, his eyes gleaming in the low light.
    “You’re an ass, Church.” I shoved him away from me as he tried to
    grab me and pull me down beside him. “How come you never told me that
    Yuri was in love with Domin?”
    “It wasn’t my secret to share; besides, you always think I’m
    oblivious anyway.”
    What was he… and then I knew. “I thought you didn’t know about
    Domin and Koren’s relationship when that was going on, but you did,
    didn’t you?”
    He nodded. “I knew they were having one, I just didn’t know how
    far it had progressed. I do see things, Jin.”
    As I stared down at him, his smile turned wicked. “Come here,” he
    said, patting his chest.
    I lay down beside him, snuggled up tight, and listened to him
    breathing. It was a really good sound.
    “It’s why I’m so pissed at Koren all the time,” he told me, threading
    his fingers through my hair as he kissed my forehead. “He can’t keep
    jerking Domin around, it’s not fair.”
    “I feel so stupid for missing that Koren was clueless.”
    “But all of us, me, Yuri, Domin, Mikhail, we all grew up with him;
    you didn’t. He’s just annoying you lately,” he said, chuckling, tilting my
    head up and kissing the edge of my jaw. “He’s been annoying me way
    longer.”
    I smiled at him before he leaned close and took gentle possession of
    my mouth. I loved the kiss, his mouth on mine, and so moaned out my
    happiness softly, intimately. He clutched at me, the kiss becoming hotter,
    deeper, and endless. It went on, was urgent and needed but still drugging,
    languid, not explosive.

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    “I missed you so much,” I told him when I had to take a breath,
    panting, with my forehead against his, the air heavy between us.
    “Me too,” he