Trusted Bond

his grip, and I breathed out my
    primal response to his dominance. I belonged to my semel, but Crane was
    my best friend, and so a piece of me would always be his. Every now and
    then, he reminded me.
    When he opened his hand, my hair fell out of his grip, running like
    water over his palm.
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    ―Logan should talk to the semel in Vegas, whoever that is, and make
    sure he understands about you living there even though you‘re not going
    to join his tribe.‖
    He smirked at me. ―I am still your beset, idiot. I will never leave
    your tribe, and I ain‘t goin‘ anywhere until you get back from the feast.
    You don‘t hafta help me move ‘til then.‖
    I let out a breath I hadn‘t realized I‘d been holding.
    ―You really are stupid.‖
    ―This is not news,‖ I said as I rolled back over on my stomach.
    ―Jin,‖ he began, and I felt his hand slide between my shoulder blades
    again.
    ―I don‘t want Logan to hurt anyone because of me,‖ I interrupted
    him.
    ―You can‘t ask your semel to forgive an attack on his mate,‖ he said
    softly. ―That‘s not right, Jin, and you know it.‖
    ―Is Markel in trouble too, or just you?‖
    ―Oh, we‘re both in shit up to our eyeballs. We‘re both confined to
    the grounds except for work until you get back.‖
    ―Which means lots of quality bonding time with Markel.‖
    ―It‘ll probably kill me.‖
    The two of us were silent for long minutes.
    ―Jin?‖
    I grunted.
    ―Can I see?‖
    ―Why?‖
    ―Because I should.‖
    I shrugged even though I was lying down. Whatever he wanted.
    He lifted my shirt, and I sighed as his hands traced all the wounds on
    my back and sides.
    ―It‘s healing.‖
    ―Yuri‘s gonna kill them all.‖
    ―Don‘t say shit like that, it doesn‘t help.‖
    He eased my shirt back down, and a minute later I felt him press
    close as he resumed playing his game.
    Trusted Bond

    55

    It was comfortable, and after a week of dealing with being
    brutalized, no sleep, and, when I did sleep, nightmares, I needed normal
    and familiar. I fell asleep fast and woke up hours later in the dark.
    Crane was passed out beside me on his back, the controller still in
    his right hand. I moved it out of harm‘s way, rolled off of his bed, and hit
    the power button on his game system and the TV as I moved by them.
    Slipping into my own bedroom minutes later, I could make out
    Logan stretched out on his back in only a pair of sleep shorts on his side of
    the bed. He looked good lying there, and I stood over him, enjoying just
    seeing the man.
    ―Where were you?‖ he asked softly without opening his eyes.
    ―Go back to sleep,‖ I told him, ready to move away from his side of
    the bed. ―I didn‘t mean to wake you.‖
    His hand lifted fast, the fingers wrapping tight around my wrist.
    ―Where were you?‖
    ―I had to talk to Crane.‖
    ―Of course you did,‖ he said, but he didn‘t let me go.
    ―He‘s moving to Vegas when we come back from the feast.‖
    ―What?‖ His eyes opened and sparkled when they caught the faint
    trace of light, looking like black pools in the darkness. ―He told you?‖
    ―Yeah, he‘s going away,‖ I sighed, putting my hand over his on my
    wrist, stroking over his skin lazily. ―And it‘s gonna be all right.‖
    ―Is it?‖
    ―Yes, sir.‖ I smiled down at him.
    ―Jin.‖ He said my name like he was dying.
    ―Listen,‖ I sighed, bending to rub my chin over his hand before I
    pulled gently away, walking around the bed to the left side. ―I know you
    think you wanna be my whole life, but do you have any idea how
    suffocating and smothering that would be?‖
    ―Try me.‖
    I smiled in the dark as he sat up, and I collapsed down onto my side.
    ―I want to matter most, Jin.‖
    ―But you already do.‖
    ―Jin—‖
    ―Logan… everyone in my life, Crane, Yuri, Mikhail, Delphine, your
    folks, even Koren and Domin, offers a piece that I need, but you… you
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    Mary Calmes

    make all of it work. You‘re my home, and that‘s what you‘re not getting.
    Without you—nothing works.‖
    He moved closer to me, and I felt the heat rolling off his powerful
    frame of hard, toned muscle.
    ―I just—I worry that you‘ll wake up one morning and realize that
    I‘m not what you want, but every day my trust gets stronger just because
    of how you are with me. We just need more time to work things out
    between us,‖ I finished, turning to look at him. ―Maybe we should date.‖
    His laughter was