Trusted Bond

semel-re, a semel who had found his
    reah, his true-mate, and word had spread, there was no way to curb the
    influx of people. For me, though, as reah of my tribe, it meant that I would
    need to spend more and more time receiving people and visiting homes if I
    wanted to remain on a first-name basis with everyone. I had no idea how I
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    Mary Calmes

    was going to do that unless I quit my day job. Logan had suggested it
    more than once, and while I protested, the reality of my situation was
    becoming increasingly apparent.
    Music off, there was only silence as I descended the staircase. A path
    was made for me, and Artem led me to one of the chairs by the couch. I
    took a seat and a woman stepped in front of me, kneeling down, offering
    me her hand.
    ―Good evening, my reah,‖ she said, beaming at me. ―I‘m Jennifer
    Eames. It‘s so good to see you.‖
    I took her hand, covered it with my other, and smiled at her. ―And
    you, Jen. How‘s school going?‖
    Her smile went neon. ―Oh, you remember?‖
    I tried to know everyone in my tribe; it was what you did when you
    were the mate of the leader. And a reah was made to mother everyone; it
    didn‘t matter that I was a man. I was the same.
    ―Of course,‖ I told her.
    If it was me, I would not have stood in line just to say hello to my
    reah. I would have taken the opportunity to get something to eat while
    everyone else was distracted. But I sat and met everyone in the house, one
    after another, until I heard a gasp, whispers, and looked up to find Mikhail
    Gorgerin, the sylvan of my tribe, striding across the room from the front
    door. Everyone moved for him, parting fast, and he stepped in front of me
    seconds later.
    ―Hey,‖ I said tiredly, caught in his cobalt gaze. ―What‘re you doing
    here?‖
    ―Artem Varda called his sheseru to tell him that he was protecting
    his reah and that Yuri should not worry.‖
    Shit.
    ―Artem knows, as does every khatyu, that a reah should never be
    unattended or unprotected. He was certain that whoever was with you
    would be missing you, and he didn‘t want Yuri, or his semel, to worry.‖
    ―Great.‖
    ―It seems that Artem Varda knows his law better than you.‖
    ―He––‖
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    ―And I suspect that the only time I will see you after we return from
    the feast, my reah, is in your home, as that will be where your semel will
    have you confined to!‖
    His voice had jumped in volume, and the room went silent.
    ―I––‖
    ―No,‖ he said, cutting me off, thrusting his phone at me.
    I had no recourse but to take it. I would not embarrass myself in
    front of my tribe by having Mikhail grab me, toss me over his shoulder,
    and carry me out of the house. We were not going to have that scene.
    I took the phone and just breathed.
    The chilled voice came over the phone. ―Jin.‖
    I was so dead.
    ―How dare you not answer your phone,‖ my mate said flatly, his
    voice deep and husky before it rose sharply. ―I am your semel!‖
    I sat there, in the middle of Alexandra Varda‘s living room, and
    waited.
    ―You will drive home now! I will see you… now!‖ There was no
    warmth in his voice, only ice.
    I could hang up and lie, tell him the call was dropped and hide. I
    could. If I stripped and shifted, there was no way Mikhail would be able to
    catch me. I was faster than him, faster than every panther in my tribe, but
    again, it would cause a scene, and besides, I actually wanted to go home. I
    was just scared to.
    ―Making me look for you would be a mistake.‖
    My heart was in my throat. ―I‘m afraid.‖
    ―Of me?‖ he growled.
    ―No, never,‖ I told him, gazing at Mikhail‘s face, seeing the way he
    was looking at me, his eyes sliding over my face, body, inhaling my scent,
    knowing I was hurt. He looked physically pained. ―You don‘t frighten
    me.‖
    ―Then what?‖
    ―I‘m afraid of what you‘re gonna do.‖
    ―Why?‖
    ―‘Cause you love me.‖
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    ―I more than love you.‖
    I swallowed hard. Everything hurt as the feelings swelled inside my
    chest, my stomach. I had been so alone, so hurt––was still hurt—and he
    had been gone. My body had been ripped and gouged, was still mottled
    with contusions; all I had wanted was my mate. The ache was
    overwhelming, the pull to go to him much more than need.
    ―Talk to me.‖
    ―I don‘t want you to go kill Abbot or Christophe or the other guy.‖
    There was a long silence on his