Trusted Bond

go anywhere. He
    was my touchstone. Just looking at him reminded me of who I was and not
    to take myself too seriously. I was scared of becoming someone else if he
    wasn‘t around. Crane had become beset of a reah, or companion of a reah,
    the minute it was discovered what I was. He had chosen me over his
    family, our tribe, over his whole life. Ever since I was sixteen, it had been
    him and me, and the thought that he would, or could, leave was fairly
    overwhelming to think about.
    As lost in my thoughts as I was, it took me a couple of minutes to
    realize that the front gate of my home was not opening even though I had
    just swiped the key card across the panel.
    ―Good evening, my reah.‖
    I turned to the voice and found Ivan Tenchenko and two other men I
    didn‘t know on the other side of the gate.
    ―What are you guys doing out here?‖
    His smile was trying really hard to stay in place as he nodded to
    another man and the gate slowly started to open. ―Logan wants the
    grounds guarded now, and I have to say, I agree. Anyone can get in and
    out of his home, and I for one never thought that was safe.‖
    ―It‘s not a fortress, Vanya.‖ I forced a smile, tired suddenly, using
    the familiar form of his name. ―It‘s a home, and any member of the tribe
    should be able to call on us whenever they like. Logan is their leader.‖
    34

    Mary Calmes

    ―Agreed, he is their leader, and as such, they should make an
    appointment if they need to see him. Both of you make yourselves far too
    accessible, and if this… attack… has taught us anything, it‘s that you and
    Logan need to take your safety much more seriously.‖
    ―Nice that you worry,‖ I said, rolling the Jeep forward onto the
    property, stopping because he called out instead of driving on up to the
    house.
    Mikhail, who was behind me in a car with three others, drove past,
    leaving off tailing me now that I was safely at home. Apparently I could
    be trusted to make it to the front door alone.
    ―Jin,‖ Ivan said, looking in the window at me, ―I just want you to
    know that if I knew you were hurt, I would have never left you.‖
    ―I know,‖ I sighed. ―Sorry if I snapped at you. Hopefully I can talk
    Logan out of you guys having to be out here all night. It‘s stupid.‖
    ―No, it‘s not, my reah,‖ he said, reaching for my hand but stopping
    himself. ―It is my honor to protect both you and my semel.‖
    Just a short time ago, Domin Thorne had been his semel, and he
    himself had been a sylvan just like Mikhail. After Logan and Domin had
    met in combat, Domin‘s tribe, the tribe of Menhit, had been absorbed into
    Logan‘s, and Domin had stepped down as semel, thus instantly demoting
    both his sheseru and sylvan to normal tribe members. I had worried that
    Ivan Tenchenko and Markel Kovac would resent Logan for being the
    reason that Domin relinquished his birthright, but neither man ever gave
    any indication that this was the case. In fact, the exact opposite seemed to
    be true. They both wanted to belong to Logan Church‘s tribe, wanted to
    serve their semel and protect their reah. I found their sincerity strange, as I
    didn‘t think I would be able to switch my loyalties that quickly had I been
    in their place.
    ―Jin?‖
    I reached for Ivan‘s hand and squeezed it tight. I watched the relief
    wash over him as he covered our joined hands with his other.
    ―Please know that I would protect you with my life, my reah.‖
    I looked into his eyes but was aware of the other two men closing in
    on us.
    ―Could I…,‖ the taller man said, the muscles in his jaw clenching as
    his hands fisted at his sides.
    Trusted Bond

    35

    Again, this was the part that I didn‘t get. Everyone, every panther,
    suddenly had the need to sit with me and talk to me, and mostly, to touch
    me. Letting Ivan go, I got out of the Jeep.
    ―Thanks, you guys, for keeping me and Logan safe,‖ I said,
    gesturing the panther to me, his name coming back to me. ―Anthony,
    right? Anthony Lauria?‖
    He nodded, unable to speak as he tentatively moved toward me. I
    shook his hand and then reached for the third man‘s hand, who was
    introduced to me as Antoine Palmer. All three just stared at me with wide
    eyes as though I were the second coming or something. I didn‘t think I
    was ever going to get used to it. Not the attention of the men in front of
    me, not the interest of the people back at the Varda house, no one‘s. I was
    just me. I was nothing