here?”
Her grunt conveyed how annoying I was.
“Well, it’s no wonder your former mate preferred the company of other women if you were this interesting when you were married.”
She would not be baited; she only yawned. “Perhaps your mate travels because he needs a break from your company.”
I narrowed my eyes.
She arched an eyebrow before giving her attention once more to whatever it was she was making.
“What is that?”
“A hat for the semel-netjer’s son, Ilia.”
I crossed my arms as I gazed down at her. “That’s nice of you. I still need to send a gift. Yuri wanted to go, but I made him wait until we could make the trip together in the fall.”
“Why?”
“What if he didn’t come back?”
She scoffed. “That man would never willingly leave your side.”
“He just did!” I barked. “He went off to Ipis!”
“Oh my, I had no idea you missed him so desperately.”
“He left me,” I said again, as petulantly as the first time.
“On a mission of diplomacy that only he could undertake,” she said in an attempt to mollify me. “But he plans to return as soon as possible. I’ve seen the way he stares at you; he will always fly home as fast as he can.”
My grunt was loud as I flopped down onto the chaise across from her.
“Was your mate upset when you had him wait to see Jin and Logan’s new son?”
Maybe he was; I wasn’t sure. Lately, when Yuri talked to me, I sort of tuned out and instead focused on a patch of his freckled skin, the play of muscles in his back, or the plump bottom lip he would bite sometimes when I sucked on one of his nipples or when I stroked—
“That sound was absolutely decadent.”
I was startled. “What?”
“You moaned and it sounded like sex to me.”
I scowled.
She tittered. “Since you know, please tell me how Jin and Logan have a son already?”
I was lost. “What?”
“I must have missed something about the child.”
“About the—”
“How do they have a child already? Explain it to me.”
“What do you mean how ?”
“The child was born four months after they got home from Mongolia. How?”
“Oh, well, that’s simple. Jin’s child is the son of a nekhene cat,” I said matter-of-factly. “As it was explained to me, the werepanther in his blood overrode everything else so the gestation was not human, but cat.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, as you know, the average gestation for a big cat is ninety to ninety-six days. For a leopard, I think its 101 days. Jin’s child was born three months after the surrogate was inseminated.”
“That’s amazing, right?”
“It would be for anyone but Jin Church.”
“His DNA must be something. I’m sure any scientist in the world would love to get their hands on him.”
I snorted. “As if Logan would allow Jin or his child or the surrogate who bore his child anywhere near a human hospital.”
“I’m not arguing. It’s just an observation.”
“I know.”
“Is it true about the baby?”
“What?”
“Was he really born in his werepanther form?”
“Yes.”
“So there’s no doubt that he’s a semel, then.”
“No, everyone there said they’d never seen anything like it. I mean, none of us ever shift before adolescence, but Jin and Logan’s kid comes out shifted.”
“Well, Jin and Delphine’s kid,” she corrected.
“Make no mistake,” I cautioned her. “Logan’s bloodline mixing with Jin’s—that is only their child.”
“No, I know I just… it’s… I can’t imagine.”
“I know,” I agreed. “Apparently it took Logan holding his son for him to shift to human.”
“Not Jin?”
“No, I guess Jin’s pheromones just made his son want to shift to full panther.”
“So, wait,” she said, making sure she’d heard me right. “The only cat Jin the reah can’t soothe is his own son?”
“Yeah, and apparently he’s all in a twist about it. I know you don’t know Jin that well, but I will tell you there’s no way he’s taking
Her grunt conveyed how annoying I was.
“Well, it’s no wonder your former mate preferred the company of other women if you were this interesting when you were married.”
She would not be baited; she only yawned. “Perhaps your mate travels because he needs a break from your company.”
I narrowed my eyes.
She arched an eyebrow before giving her attention once more to whatever it was she was making.
“What is that?”
“A hat for the semel-netjer’s son, Ilia.”
I crossed my arms as I gazed down at her. “That’s nice of you. I still need to send a gift. Yuri wanted to go, but I made him wait until we could make the trip together in the fall.”
“Why?”
“What if he didn’t come back?”
She scoffed. “That man would never willingly leave your side.”
“He just did!” I barked. “He went off to Ipis!”
“Oh my, I had no idea you missed him so desperately.”
“He left me,” I said again, as petulantly as the first time.
“On a mission of diplomacy that only he could undertake,” she said in an attempt to mollify me. “But he plans to return as soon as possible. I’ve seen the way he stares at you; he will always fly home as fast as he can.”
My grunt was loud as I flopped down onto the chaise across from her.
“Was your mate upset when you had him wait to see Jin and Logan’s new son?”
Maybe he was; I wasn’t sure. Lately, when Yuri talked to me, I sort of tuned out and instead focused on a patch of his freckled skin, the play of muscles in his back, or the plump bottom lip he would bite sometimes when I sucked on one of his nipples or when I stroked—
“That sound was absolutely decadent.”
I was startled. “What?”
“You moaned and it sounded like sex to me.”
I scowled.
She tittered. “Since you know, please tell me how Jin and Logan have a son already?”
I was lost. “What?”
“I must have missed something about the child.”
“About the—”
“How do they have a child already? Explain it to me.”
“What do you mean how ?”
“The child was born four months after they got home from Mongolia. How?”
“Oh, well, that’s simple. Jin’s child is the son of a nekhene cat,” I said matter-of-factly. “As it was explained to me, the werepanther in his blood overrode everything else so the gestation was not human, but cat.”
“Meaning?”
“Meaning, as you know, the average gestation for a big cat is ninety to ninety-six days. For a leopard, I think its 101 days. Jin’s child was born three months after the surrogate was inseminated.”
“That’s amazing, right?”
“It would be for anyone but Jin Church.”
“His DNA must be something. I’m sure any scientist in the world would love to get their hands on him.”
I snorted. “As if Logan would allow Jin or his child or the surrogate who bore his child anywhere near a human hospital.”
“I’m not arguing. It’s just an observation.”
“I know.”
“Is it true about the baby?”
“What?”
“Was he really born in his werepanther form?”
“Yes.”
“So there’s no doubt that he’s a semel, then.”
“No, everyone there said they’d never seen anything like it. I mean, none of us ever shift before adolescence, but Jin and Logan’s kid comes out shifted.”
“Well, Jin and Delphine’s kid,” she corrected.
“Make no mistake,” I cautioned her. “Logan’s bloodline mixing with Jin’s—that is only their child.”
“No, I know I just… it’s… I can’t imagine.”
“I know,” I agreed. “Apparently it took Logan holding his son for him to shift to human.”
“Not Jin?”
“No, I guess Jin’s pheromones just made his son want to shift to full panther.”
“So, wait,” she said, making sure she’d heard me right. “The only cat Jin the reah can’t soothe is his own son?”
“Yeah, and apparently he’s all in a twist about it. I know you don’t know Jin that well, but I will tell you there’s no way he’s taking
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