Trusted Bond

hair?‖
    His wild, unruly, dirty-blond waves had been shorn into a military-
    style buzz cut.
    ―Never mind,‖ he snapped at me.
    My eyes narrowed, but when he stepped sideways and I was faced
    with Yuri on his knees, patiently waiting for my attention, I saw that he
    too had the same haircut.
    ―What the fuck?‖
    ―It‘s part of the cleansing ritual to enter the pit,‖ Crane told me.
    I caught my breath. ―What?‖
    ―My reah,‖ Yuri gasped, almost a whine, wanting, needing, my
    attention.
    I knelt down and sprang at him, arms wrapped tight around his thick
    neck. As I held him, I heard Logan clear his throat. When I looked up at
    him, his eyes were narrowed slits.
    ―Roshan Tabir reported that you had called him to you.‖
    ―Only for a second,‖ I said, leaning back, looking into Yuri‘s eyes.
    ―I called him because he was the only one around. You are my sheseru
    now and always. You can never be replaced.‖
    He released a shaky breath and clutched me tight.
    ―Why would you even worry?‖ I grunted, pulling back, scowling at
    him as the door opened and Delphine and Markel and Mikhail came
    through. As Yuri rose, still holding me, putting me down gently on my
    feet, I had enough time to release him before Delphine was in my arms.
    I had no idea that Mikhail would want to hug me. We didn‘t hug as a
    rule, but he reached for me, and even though it was just a brief clench, a
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    Mary Calmes

    guy hug, it was more than I ever expected. And Markel, another
    revelation, lunged at me, hugging me so tight that his lips even grazed the
    side of my neck before he let go.
    When Delphine was back in my arms, she started crying. She
    confessed that she had been so close to telling Logan our secret, the one
    only she and I knew about, the one we had kept from everyone, just to
    give him some comfort. But in the end, she had decided to wait because
    she knew it was what I would have wanted.
    ―Thank you,‖ I told her, rubbing circles on her back.
    ―He was having a hard time, and I just wanted him to know that he
    would, you know, always have you,‖ she told me, leaning heavily, stray
    tears rolling down her cheeks. ―I wanted him to know that some part of
    you would be with him.‖
    ―I know,‖ I said, kissing her forehead. ―Go wash your face, you look
    like a raccoon.‖
    She nodded before heading for the open door of the bathroom. I was
    going to say something but let it go in favor of interrogating Crane. Now
    that everyone was satisfied that I was well, I rounded on my best friend.
    ―Why did you have to cut your hair?‖
    Logan stepped in beside me. ―Only a semel is allowed to challenge
    more than one in the pit, and even then not simultaneously or even
    consecutively. I fight Laurent today and Kellen two days from now.
    Apparently he‘s fighting Christophe tomorrow. Yuri will fight Abbot
    today, and afterwards Crane will face the other man who attacked you in
    our home, Ian Lund.‖
    I looked at Logan. ―I don‘t want Crane in the pit.‖
    ―Jin, it‘s not your—‖ my best friend began.
    ―Come here,‖ Logan said, grabbing my arm, pulling me after him
    out onto the patio. Once there, he swung me around to face him. ―Listen to
    me. You cannot—‖
    ―He‘s not like you,‖ I told him. ―He‘s not like Yuri. He‘s not big and
    scary and—‖
    ―Stop,‖ he ordered me quietly. ―Crane is carrying around a lot of
    crap right now. He was upstairs when you were kidnapped, and by the
    time he got downstairs he had just enough time to hear who had taken you
    before they were gone. He didn‘t get the opportunity to fight. He didn‘t
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    have that option. When he should have been defending you the first time,
    he was tangling with Markel instead.‖ His eyes searched mine. ―Do you
    understand how much he needs to do this?‖
    ―But I know he‘s brave,‖ I told Logan. ―I don‘t need him to prove it
    to me. And Crane‘s never killed anybody, and when you‘re in the pit you
    run the risk of—‖
    ―I spoke to the priest this morning; he says that normally only
    challenges between semels end in bloodshed.‖
    ―That‘s very comforting.‖ My breath was shaky. ―When did you see
    the priest?‖
    ―He wanted me there at dawn. He said so last night; you were there.‖
    ―Yeah, but—‖
    ―I woke up early and went to see him,‖ he said, looking suddenly
    pensive.
    ―What‘s wrong?‖
    ―My father was there,‖ he said slowly, brows