Crucible of Fate

by Mary Calmes

  “You have to travel the world. Instead of there being a Feast of the Valley, it should be you, Egypt, going to them.”

  Obviously he was having some sort of psychotic break. “What?”

  “You need to name a new maahes and leave that person there in Sobek to lead with Mikhail and Jamal and Taj. Then you, Yuri, and I hit the road with Dr. Pakhom and her team, and maybe twenty-five of your khatyu, and we go and visit every tribe in the world.”

  It took a second for what he’d said to sink in. “Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?”

  “I think he does.” Yuri was nodding. “You would never be at home, not in your lifetime. You would be meeting people, bonding with them, bringing together the whole world of werepanthers. If there was a problem, you would be there to handle it, and if it was more than you could handle, you’d call in the Iusaaset. You can talk with the tribunal; check in all the time with your new maahes and visit your own tribe once a year. But if you did this, if you traveled—Domin, just think of all you could accomplish.”

  “What would I accomplish?”

  “You could bring everyone together. I’ve always said that there are a lot of lost panthers out there, like Jin used to be, like Crane, and we could make sure that everyone knows that the akhen-aten is there for them.”

  “Yuri—”

  “I think it’s what we’re supposed to do.”

  “What about all my changes for Sobek?”

  “That’s for your maahes to do.”

  It was, and I needed a new one. I needed a second-in-command who would be with me going forward, and the answer had been right in front of me the entire time. “Yes, it is Kabore.”

  “Oh,” I heard Yuri say. “That’s brilliant.”

  “Pardon?” Kabore’s eyes went to my mate. “What is brilliant, sekhem?”

  “Your semel’s mind.”

  “Every now and then,” I agreed.

  “My lord?” He was confused.

  I cleared my throat, which brought my steward’s attention back to me. “Sometimes I miss things that are right in front of me.”

  His face was so easy to read; I saw the exact moment of understanding. “Oh no.” Kabore stood up and put up his hands. “I am far too old to—”

  “You know everything I know.” I waggled my eyebrows. “You speak every language that is spoken in Sobek, and you know about me and about the Iusaaset, and you’ll be my counsel and my maahes. You’ll be wonderful, Kabore Nour, and you will have Mikhail and Taj there to back you up, plus Jamal and Ebere.”

  “My lord, I would need to accompany—”

  “We all have to step up.” I smirked at him.

  “It’s gonna be great.” Yuri grinned at him, sealing the deal.

  “He really does complement you well,” Kabore snapped, giving up, scowling at me and then tipping his head at my mate.

  “I know.”

  Chapter 10

  IT WAS late, but I was on a roll. Outside the medical tent in the courtyard of Ipis, I sat down with the others to eat while I called Jamal. The newly appointed menthu agreed wholeheartedly with me appointing Kabore to be maahes and then warned me that Logan Church had not been happy to arrive and find his mate absent from the villa.

  “On a scale of one to ten?”

  “He was a fifteen, my lord,” Jamal deadpanned.

  I groaned. “Did he leave already?”

  “Yes, my lord.”

  “Who was with him?”

  “He has his sylvan with him.”

  “His maahen was not with him?

  “She arrived with him, yes, but she remained behind to stay with Crane.”

  “Yusuke Narae, the princess of the tribe of Mafdet, is there with my maahes?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’m going to name Kabore as my new maahes when I return.”

  “That is excellent news, my lord, as from the way the lady greeted Crane Adams, I suspect that she will be taking him with her.”

  “She was all over him, huh?”

  He coughed. “She was, my lord.”

  I hit the End button on the satellite phone and leaned sideways against Yuri, now sitting beside me. We could see across the courtyard to where Jin and Koren were meeting with the djehus of the two factions, the peq and the shen. Of course it made sense that they would be sitting with the reah, and that he would be mediating their conversation. I had planned to have a seat with them myself, but Alana had brought me and Yuri food, and when the yareah of a tribe served you, you ate.

  Taj was dozing with his head on his folded arms. Rahim was beside him, resting his head on his fist as he picked at his food, and Kabore sat next to him.

  “Rahim.”

  “My lord?” He sounded exhausted; they all were.

  “I apprised Jamal, and he agreed that you will be the new phocal of the Shu.”

  “Thank you, my lord, for that honor.”

  “Good job, buddy.” Taj yawned, not lifting his head.

  “When I’m gone, you will have to protect Jamal as well as the others.”

  “Yes, of course, my—where are you going?”

  “Yuri and I are going to visit every tribe in the world.”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “Probably more than one at once, obviously. Like, in the US, we’ll do state by state or something. I don’t know. There’s a planning component to this.”

  Yuri chuckled and moved his hand off the table down onto my thigh.

  He was hurt, I was hurt, but we were both more battered than broken, and I just wanted to find someplace quiet to kiss him.

  “What are you talking about?” Taj grumbled, lifting his head.

  “I’ll tell you later. Why don’t you all start turning in for the night?”

  There was instant complaining with everyone, even Rahim, who had never met him before that morning, all pointing at Jin.

  “So no one’s worried about me,” I groused at the table.

  “You’re the semel-aten, the akhen-aten,” Rahim said, “but he’s a reah.”

  Jin would always be more special than me, and I was tired enough for it to matter.

  An hour later, I was still watching Jin talk to the two djehus and found myself staring at Koren, sitting there beside him.

  “Every time he sees your eyes are on him, it makes him think that you’re interested in him,” Yuri said, his breath in my ear.

  I shivered, which drew a chuckle from him before he pressed his lips to the side of my neck. “I was only thinking that, from a distance, you could imagine you were seeing Logan sitting there with his mate.”

  Yuri grunted. “People say that they look so much alike, my previous semel and his younger brother, but I, for one, have never seen it.”

  “You don’t want to see it.” I mumbled.

  “What?”

  “Nothing,” I said quietly, studying my gorgeous mate. “But so you know, Koren doesn’t think I have any interest in him because I don’t and because we talked about it already and he knows better.”

  “You talked about it?” That was the part he heard? “What did you talk about?”

  “Don’t be an idiot,” I said huskily, my voice deeper than usual and scratchy because I was tired.

  “So you made it clear to him that it was me.”

  “Of course!” I huffed. “But he doesn’t really want me anyway, not really.”

  “No?” he fished as he stood up and patted my shoulder to get me to follow.

  “No, I think something happened back at home and he got scared and came to see me.”

  “Why?”

  “Because if he chose me, even though I’m a man,” I said as I rose and followed him away from the table, “no one would question him. I’m the semel-aten, right?”

  “But what? If he finally chose to be gay, others would question him?”

  “Maybe.”

  “But if he is the mate of the semel-aten, it would be okay?”

  “Yeah.” I shrugged as he took
hold of my bicep and walked me under the canopy of a shop, around a display of some kind and then out into an alley.

  “Why is he questioning now? What’s with the timing?”

  “That’s what I asked,” I almost purred, very content to be manhandled behind my mate, led to wherever he was taking me. “Where are we going?”

  “So what did he say?” He ignored me, leading me around the side of a building to a door he opened and pulled me through.

  “He didn’t answer,” I said, glancing around at the tiny room, hung with runners of gold and dark blue silk. There was a table with a pitcher of water on it and one glass, a dark bowl of glistening, scented oil, and a freshly made cot. “What are—you know I still have to talk to the semel and—Yuri!”

  He shoved me back against a wall, not hard, but firmly, and then kissed me. It wasn’t his usual claiming, devouring kiss; this one was gentler than normal, slower.

  “What’s—” I kissed him back, dragged my tongue over his. “—with you?”

  “It’s done, I see that now,” he answered, putting his hands on the sides of my neck as he opened my mouth wider, suckling, nibbling, then pressing into me gently, drawing each kiss out. “I’m not worried about Koren Church anymore.”

  “Why—” I pushed my tongue deeper into his hot mouth, tasting, the whimper in the back of my throat making him smile against my lips. “Why would you ever worry about Koren? I already—”

  “I know,” he said, moving his hands to my hips as one languid, drugging kiss became another and then another, each one building, each one making me need a little more. “It’s done.”

  When he parted my thighs, the whine was involuntary and much hungrier than I would have liked. “What’s done?” I was trying to catch my breath.

  “You and me,” he answered, fusing his mouth to mine. He unbuckled my belt and undid the button on my pants before shoving them, along with my briefs, to the floor.

  Him and me? “Yuri, what—”

  “Shut up or someone will hear us,” he said, and I realized his pants were already down, puddled around his ankles as he reached for me.

  “What—oh.” I bucked forward into his big, strong hand, now slicking up my cock with the oil from the table. It smelled like citrus and musk all rolled together.

  “We’re not done,” I gasped as he stroked me from balls to head, pulling hard, how he knew I liked it.

  “Not with each other, but with worry or uncertainty, we sure are. From right this second, I know you choose me.”

  I felt my stomach flutter at the sound of his voice, the faith in it, and the possessiveness. His eyes, locked on mine, were hot, his pupils blown with desire.

  “I missed you.”

  “I know you did.” He smiled suddenly, and it was beautiful, full of trust and heat and surrender. “Now just fuckin’ have me.”

  It was his yearning, his submission that flipped a switch inside me. I spun him around and bent him over the bed.

  He trembled and moaned, and the animal inside of me recognized prey.

  “You take it,” I demanded, snarling. “Spread your legs.”

  He obeyed quickly, and his moan was sweet as I grabbed hold of his big beautiful ass and parted his cheeks, revealing the pink puckered hole.

  “Grab your cock.”

  The second his hand moved, I positioned myself and thrust. There was no gentle pressing, no slow breach; I shoved inside of him, the oil allowing for an easy glide even though his body tightened around me like a fist.

  “Domin!”

  I waited, even though I wanted to slam into him over and over. I held still until he got used to me filling him, stretching him, until I could feel his muscles rippling around me.

  “I have to move,” I said, my voice cracking with the aching, consuming need.

  “Then move,” he purred under me.

  I grabbed hold of his hips, my hands scrambling on his sweat-slicked skin, and hammered into him. He clenched his muscles with each plunge, and I was lost in the sensation of pounding inside of him, of the tightness and the heat. But it was more, because it was Yuri, my mate, my love, and I had never wanted anyone like this.

  I had the overwhelming desire to claim and be claimed, to have his hand where mine was now, pressed against his chest and then traveling higher to his throat to turn his head, lift it, so I could kiss him and have his taste in my mouth as I fucked him.

  “Domin, please.” The breathless, panted request tore a river of feral want right through me. “Harder, faster….”

  But my body wasn’t strong enough to ravage him, so I slowed instead, changing my angle, lying over his broad, muscular back, sliding my arms under his armpits and up over his shoulders. I ground into him, writhing behind him, the press and retreat making him shiver as the angle dragged me over his gland again and again.

  “I’m gonna come,” he almost cried. “You feel so fuckin’ good—you’re fuckin’ killing me.”

  “Good,” I whispered, my fangs lengthening, too big for my mouth before I shifted.

  “Oh, not fa-air.” His voice cracked, because that fast, I was a werepanther.

  I was the half-man/half-beast form and my claws were cutting into his flesh, pinning him to the bed, holding him down as I continued the slow drag in and out of his ass. When I curled my body over his and buried my fangs in the soft flesh where shoulder met neck, he jolted under me, driving me down deeper into his body.

  “Domin!” he screamed.

  I felt his muscles clamp down on my shaft, felt the squeeze, the pressure, and heard his breath catch as his body convulsed.

  I was right behind him, pumping hot and wet inside of him before finally collapsing, shivering with cold as I shifted back, just a man lying sprawled and sated on top of his lover.

  Yuri’s rumbling laughter made me smile in spite of my exhaustion. “What?”

  “There’s blood and spunk and sweat all over this bed.”

  “So what? I’ll buy whoever a new one.”

  “No,” he whined. “I just meant that I don’t wanna leave here. I want all of it all over me. I love having your marks on me, your come leaking out of my ass, and my blood on your lips. I love knowing that you bit me because you fuckin’ had to.” He sucked in air. “I love that I drive you so nuts that you have to show everyone that I belong just to you.”

  “Do you?”

  “It’s so fuckin’ hot.”

  I kissed his back. “Don’t move, okay?”

  “I can’t move, your dick is still buried in my ass.”

  “I like it there.”

  “I like it there too.”

  My eyes kept trying to drift closed.

  “You’re getting heavy, love.”

  Love.

  I whimpered, stupidly happy, spent and just wanting to lie draped over him for the rest of my life.

  “I love you.”

  “And I love you back.”

  His long sigh of happiness was a gift.

  I WOKE up hard and aching, and when I lifted my head, I found my mate sucking me off.

  It was later; I smelled food and my stomach rumbled.

  “Oh,” he moaned, and he slid his lips off my shaft. I was entranced by the saliva left on the head of my penis and by him swallowing. “You’re hungry. I should—”

  “Do not stop.” I bucked against his chin. “Suck me.”

  His gaze was scorching, his eyes full of devouring need before he bent and took me down the back of his throat again.

  “Oh fuck, Yuri,” I whined, loving that his hands weren’t idle; instead, one fondled my balls while the other moved under me, sliding over my crease until I moved to allow better access.

  I lifted up, bent my knees, put my feet down on the cot, and let my thighs fall apart. The invitation could not have been made any clearer.

  He slid oily fingers, two of them together, inside of me.

  “Yuri,” I croaked out his name.

  “Who else has ever fucked you?”

 
; “No one.”

  “Only me.”

  “Only you.”

  His smug male rumble made me shiver even as he scissored his fingers inside of me, stroking, pressing, sliding over my gland, making me vibrate with fresh need.

  “You’re all slick and hot. Gonna ride me so I don’t hurt you.”

  “No. I want you to fuck me hard.”

  He chuckled and I would have yelled, but he pulled out his fingers and I gasped at the change, at the loss.

  The man was so big, so strong; he was on his back down on the cot and had settled me on top of him in seconds.

  “And now what?” I grumbled, straddling his thighs.

  “Fuck yourself on me.”

  I reached behind and took hold of his thick pole, lifting up at the same time. “I swear I have no idea how anyone can take all this.” I shivered, lining the huge flared head up with my entrance, letting it slip between my cheeks, feeling how slick he was, how hot.

  “You can take it,” he rasped, his breath catching as I began to press down on him.

  “Yes, I can.” I ground out the words as he fisted my shaft in his slippery grip.

  “So tight,” he groaned, and it hurt, but the burn was what I liked, the pain was part of what I craved at times, and Yuri knew that.

  Sinking steadily down, I impaled myself on his enormous leaking cock, shivering with desperate need.

  “Domin,” he whispered, and the sound was sexy with an edge of demand. “Ride me.”

  I was panting and sweating, chills rolling through me, my body overly sensitized, on the fence between pleasure and pain.

  “Oh fuck.” He trembled, and I put my hands down over his hard pectorals and lifted up before levering back down, fully seating him inside me. “This was—I don’t wanna hurt you.”

  “You won’t hurt me if you don’t crush me,” I said, reacting to how full and stuffed I was. Yuri was so strong, so powerfully built, and even though he did not have the definition and the washboard abs, the man was massive. I was addicted to him, to his barrel chest, to how hard his body was, how solid.

  He rolled us over, but before he could crush me, he lifted his weight and then pulled my legs up and draped them over his forearms as he drove down into me, rubbing over my prostate and making me howl.