Honored Vow

Domin, the emotion too much to contain.
    And if the priest was surprised at Domin’s choice of mate, he had the
    presence of mind to say nothing. Because, really, with Domin having
    made Ebere mastaba, he already had his children, as he had laid claim to
    hers. The priest could make no claim that Domin needed a yareah, as
    procreation had already been dealt with.
    Domin Thorne was always thinking, and sometimes I missed how
    critically fast his mind worked.
    When Yuri released Domin, I was surprised that the smaller man
    grabbed his face and bent him forward into a kiss. “You’re mine,” he said,

    Honored Vow

    273

    looking up into Yuri’s eyes. “So says the mark I put on you, so says
    everyone here to bear witness. You belong to me, Yuri Kosa. Never forget
    it.”
    He let him go then, and Yuri turned and came for me.
    Not for Logan, for me.
    He grabbed me and crushed me in his arms. I lifted my head and
    kissed under his chin, and he shuddered hard.
    “I’ll miss your face.”
    “And I’ll miss yours,” I murmured. “But I’m so happy for you. Take
    good care of him and make sure he takes care of you.”
    “I’ll look after Crane.”
    “Look after all of them. You’re his mate, Yuri, your position is
    highest.”
    “It will take time to sink in.”
    “I suspect so,” I sighed deeply.
    He hugged Logan after me, and the two men stood for long minutes
    before Domin told him they had to go.
    We promised to visit before the next feast of the valley. Domin said
    that there would always be a place for all of us with him, and Logan told
    him that it was the same for all of them. Wherever he was, all of them
    were welcome. We all bowed low and then watched them all start walking
    away. But when Domin stopped suddenly, everyone had to; he was the
    semel-aten, after all. He turned and looked at Logan.
    “Semel-netjer,” he called formally over to Logan, putting on his
    sunglasses. “I will give your mate’s father your regards when we reach
    Sobek.”
    “Please do.” Logan smiled in return.
    “And I will give your regards, my reah,” Yuri told me, as Domin
    took his hand, “to the father of your beset.”
    The look in his eyes, deadly and dark, let me know exactly what
    would transpire. When I found Crane in the crowd, I saw the bittersweet
    smile. He would be able to stand before them, his father and mine, and let
    them see that they had not broken him, before they were put to death. It
    was fitting and final.
    I had no more tears to shed for my father or Crane’s. “Show them
    who you are,” I called over to my best friend.

    274

    Mary Calmes

    He nodded, turned away to follow after Domin, and lifted his hand
    one final time in farewell.
    Logan’s fingers were threaded into my hair, and when he tugged
    gently, I lifted my brimming eyes to his. “I haven’t cried this much in
    years.”
    “It’s okay,” he told me as he lifted his other hand to my cheek and
    brushed the tears away with his fingertips. “We all cry when we lose
    something, and you just lost half of your family.”
    Yes.
    “But we’re about to build a new one,” he said, tipping his head up,
    and I saw that he was looking at Danny and Yusuke. “He will make a
    good sylvan, and she will make a wonderful maahen, don’t you think?”
    I was surprised. “You’ll have a princess of your tribe instead of a
    prince?”
    “You disagree?”
    “No, I think it’s wonderful.”
    “Her loyalty to her mate was boundless until he broke the bond
    between them. Now her oath will be to me, and I can return her status and
    power. She’ll be strong and devout and terrifying to anyone that would
    ever think of attacking me or my tribe.”
    He was right, and as Yusuke became aware of his regard, I watched
    her smile before giving him a slight bow. The eye patch she wore was
    white and blended well with her porcelain complexion. She was still a
    stunning woman, but harder than she had been, with steely strength now
    on display, hidden no more. I liked the way she looked at Logan, the
    reverence there for anyone to see. He was the instrument of her
    resurrection, and she would never forget that he, and he alone, had
    provided shelter in the storm.
    And Danny’s smile as he looked at me was bright and full of hope.
    With my father’s training and our acceptance, yes, he would make a very
    capable sylvan.
    “What if, when we visit, Yusuke asks to stay with Crane? It might be
    love between the two of them someday.”
    “I’ll