Trusted Bond

was allowed to make her displeasure known. Only the semel-
    aten, master of Sobek, could make a reah his consort. Another semel could
    not. Since I was not Laurent Bruyere‘s reah and he could not keep me, it
    was his yareah‘s right to show me the wages of sin. I had been made to
    pay.
    Forced to strip naked in front of the entire tribe, I had to show them
    that I could shift from werepanther to panther and back to human, proving
    my claim of being a reah. Once the humiliation was over, the punishment
    had begun.
    I remembered the flogging that her sylvan gave me after I shifted. I
    remembered her claws on my skin after I was made to go through it the
    second time, and I remembered the beating that was ordered and how I
    was tied down. Had I not been able to shift as fast as I could, then a fate I
    could not imagine would have been mine. As it was, I had run and never
    looked back. I had collected my best friend and left town the same day.
    Never did I see the leader of the tribe of Dendera again. I wondered now
    what had prompted him to simply take me by force instead of contacting
    me when he learned where I was. It made no sense.
    ―Jin? Love.‖
    The endearment was enough to roll my stomach.
    ―I‘m sorry I hurt you.‖
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    81

    And I wondered if he meant then or now.
    ―I just… you left without permission and should have been punished.
    When I saw you, I wasn‘t able to control myself.‖
    So after two, almost three years of missing me, the second he saw
    me, he beat me. He and his dead yareah were not as different as he
    supposed.
    ―Can you forgive me?‖
    My side really hurt. ―Where am I?‖
    ―In a wine cellar.‖
    ―I see. Where is it?‖
    ―On my family‘s property in Sobek.‖
    Which answered my question as to where I was. Somehow, some
    way, I had been taken to Egypt. Hearing how far I was away from my
    mate, my tribe, my home, I felt my heart clench.
    ―Jin?‖
    Keeping him talking was the key to my survival. ―Oh. You told me
    once that was a big piece of land. You said there was a beautiful villa.‖
    ―There is.‖
    ―Okay. You want to let me outta here, Laurent, so we can talk,
    maybe have some dinner?‖
    ―I bought you a new condo in Dallas; it‘s just three blocks from
    where I live.‖
    ―Okay.‖
    ―I want you to agree to come home with me and live there.‖
    ―Whatever you want.‖
    There was a long silence. ―Do I believe you?‖
    ―Pardon?‖
    ―Jin, I don‘t think you‘ll come with me. I think you think I‘m crazy.‖
    ―No.‖
    ―Yes… you hate me.‖
    ―I don‘t.‖
    ―Yes you do,‖ he said, and he shoved a cloth against my face. It
    smelled bad but just for a second.

    82

    Mary Calmes

    I COULDN‘T sit up. Everything hurt. It felt like there was no air. I was
    concentrating on not hyperventilating. I knew days were passing, but it
    was hard to even judge in the dark. I fell asleep and dreamed about
    Gatorade.

    I WAS thinking about Logan and how great he looked when he got up in
    the morning with his hair all tousled and his eyes soft. I missed him.
    ―Who do you miss?‖
    I guess I was talking out loud. ―No one.‖
    ―Who, Jin?‖
    ―No one,‖ I insisted.
    ―Who, Jin?‖ He got louder. ―Who do you miss?‖
    ―Christ, Laurent, give it a rest,‖ I said irritably, trying to act like I
    always did. Trying not to sound scared. ―Can I have some water, please?
    My body‘s gonna go into shock.‖
    I felt the bottle in my hand, and it was a gallon jug. I realized that the
    plastic piece was still around the neck of the bottle. That was good. I
    hoped that meant he hadn‘t put anything weird in it. I peeled it off and
    unscrewed the lid. I drank slowly, but I drank it all.
    ―Another? I know you need it.‖
    ―Please.‖
    When the second bottle was leaned into my hand, I felt his fingers
    trail through my hair.
    ―This is so beautiful, Jin. It‘s like silk.‖
    I didn‘t answer, just sipped my water.
    ―You look so good.‖
    How could he tell in the dark? ―Please lemme out, Laurent,‖ I said
    between sips.
    ―Only one more day, Jin. I‘m almost finished. You can get out
    tomorrow.‖
    ―Where am I going?‖
    Trusted Bond

    83

    ―In the ground, Jin. I‘m gonna shoot you and put you in the hole I
    dug.‖
    I almost threw up. The combination of his matter-of-fact voice and
    being in the dark made me panic. ―Why do you wanna hurt me?‖
    ―‘Cause without you, I‘ll be okay. As long as I know nobody else
    can have