“The pleasure’s mine.”
“I’m Delphine Kovac, and this is Jin Rayne.”
He turned to me after reluctantly releasing Delphine’s hand.
I offered him mine.
The second he took it, he jolted and his hand tightened involuntarily.
The smile was gone, the muscles of his jaw clenching tight instead.
“I’m looking for Ruslan Church,” I told him, lowering my voice,
narrowing my eyes as I looked up at him. “Tell me, have you seen him?”
His eyes were huge as he stared at me, and I parted my lips, inhaling
him, his scent, tasting his power or, as it turned out, lack thereof.
“Are you the manu or the bakhu here?”
“I—” He looked so confused. He understood I was powerful, but he
also knew I wasn’t a semel. He didn’t have the overwhelming feeling to
submit to me, so I couldn’t be a semel. “I don’t.” He shook his head.
“Who are you?”
46
Mary Calmes
I released my pheromones, because he was fighting instead of
answering.
The man grabbed for the edge of the table, clutching at it to keep
standing. My hand, he held onto for dear life.
“Jin,” Delphine whimpered, her eyes, when I looked at her, heavy
with need.
Shit.
I stood and eased the man down into the chair beside me. When I
looked at him, his eyes were glassy and unfocused.
“That was fuckin’ brilliant,” Delphine snipped at me, taking shallow
in-and-out breaths.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s because you’re missing Crane. Right now you don’t have 100
percent control over your power, and since you don’t know how strong it
is to begin with….” She trailed off.
“You’re saying I’m like some nuclear reactor or something?”
“Yeah, an unstable one. Think about it. Back when I first met you,
we could all tell you were different, but we couldn’t quite put our finger
on why. The difference was noticeable but not overwhelming. Now your
power sort of grabs you by the throat and shakes you.”
“Great.”
“And maybe this part just has to do with Logan being gone, but,
sweetie, what’s pouring off you right now is like sex and candy all rolled
up together.”
I squinted at her.
“You’re just oozing this yummy smell, and I just wanna taste,” she
finished, her voice going guttural for a second as she closed her eyes and
rode out whatever it was that was twisting her up inside.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice low and soft.
“I know.” She exhaled, calming, taking long moments before she
opened her eyes and smiled at me. “Okay.”
I looked at her.
“Before, I used to want to be close to you or hold your hand or just
sit with you, but now, it’s like I can feel your heart beating in my chest
sometimes, and I just want to crawl out of my skin and climb into yours.
It’s really something.”
Honored Vow
47
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
“It’s not your fault, but you need to be conscious of the fact that if I
feel like that, so does everybody else.”
“Sure.”
“So please, honey, take it easy, and don’t add any more emotion to
the mix, because that makes you secrete pheromones, and unless you want
my lady parts in your face––”
“I get it,” I said, and I couldn’t help but grin.
“Seriously, I was this close to attacking you.”
“Sorry.”
“But this guy,” she sighed, looking at Dennis Jennings, who was
staring at me with besotted eyes, “is just gone. I thought I was always the
weakest cat in the room, but compared to him, I’m frickin’ Yuri.”
I eased my hand from his, and he leaned forward and stared at me.
“Reah,” he breathed out. “How may I serve?”
“Are you manu or bakhu?”
He swallowed hard, his eyes on my mouth. “I am manu.”
“And your maahes?”
“Would you like me to call him for you?”
“Does he have Russ Church?”
He nodded slowly.
“And is Russ alright?”
Another nod.
“Is your semel aware that you have him?”
“We informed him last night. He wanted us to contact the
“I’m Delphine Kovac, and this is Jin Rayne.”
He turned to me after reluctantly releasing Delphine’s hand.
I offered him mine.
The second he took it, he jolted and his hand tightened involuntarily.
The smile was gone, the muscles of his jaw clenching tight instead.
“I’m looking for Ruslan Church,” I told him, lowering my voice,
narrowing my eyes as I looked up at him. “Tell me, have you seen him?”
His eyes were huge as he stared at me, and I parted my lips, inhaling
him, his scent, tasting his power or, as it turned out, lack thereof.
“Are you the manu or the bakhu here?”
“I—” He looked so confused. He understood I was powerful, but he
also knew I wasn’t a semel. He didn’t have the overwhelming feeling to
submit to me, so I couldn’t be a semel. “I don’t.” He shook his head.
“Who are you?”
46
Mary Calmes
I released my pheromones, because he was fighting instead of
answering.
The man grabbed for the edge of the table, clutching at it to keep
standing. My hand, he held onto for dear life.
“Jin,” Delphine whimpered, her eyes, when I looked at her, heavy
with need.
Shit.
I stood and eased the man down into the chair beside me. When I
looked at him, his eyes were glassy and unfocused.
“That was fuckin’ brilliant,” Delphine snipped at me, taking shallow
in-and-out breaths.
“I didn’t mean to—”
“It’s because you’re missing Crane. Right now you don’t have 100
percent control over your power, and since you don’t know how strong it
is to begin with….” She trailed off.
“You’re saying I’m like some nuclear reactor or something?”
“Yeah, an unstable one. Think about it. Back when I first met you,
we could all tell you were different, but we couldn’t quite put our finger
on why. The difference was noticeable but not overwhelming. Now your
power sort of grabs you by the throat and shakes you.”
“Great.”
“And maybe this part just has to do with Logan being gone, but,
sweetie, what’s pouring off you right now is like sex and candy all rolled
up together.”
I squinted at her.
“You’re just oozing this yummy smell, and I just wanna taste,” she
finished, her voice going guttural for a second as she closed her eyes and
rode out whatever it was that was twisting her up inside.
“I’m sorry,” I said, my voice low and soft.
“I know.” She exhaled, calming, taking long moments before she
opened her eyes and smiled at me. “Okay.”
I looked at her.
“Before, I used to want to be close to you or hold your hand or just
sit with you, but now, it’s like I can feel your heart beating in my chest
sometimes, and I just want to crawl out of my skin and climb into yours.
It’s really something.”
Honored Vow
47
“I’m sorry,” I said again.
“It’s not your fault, but you need to be conscious of the fact that if I
feel like that, so does everybody else.”
“Sure.”
“So please, honey, take it easy, and don’t add any more emotion to
the mix, because that makes you secrete pheromones, and unless you want
my lady parts in your face––”
“I get it,” I said, and I couldn’t help but grin.
“Seriously, I was this close to attacking you.”
“Sorry.”
“But this guy,” she sighed, looking at Dennis Jennings, who was
staring at me with besotted eyes, “is just gone. I thought I was always the
weakest cat in the room, but compared to him, I’m frickin’ Yuri.”
I eased my hand from his, and he leaned forward and stared at me.
“Reah,” he breathed out. “How may I serve?”
“Are you manu or bakhu?”
He swallowed hard, his eyes on my mouth. “I am manu.”
“And your maahes?”
“Would you like me to call him for you?”
“Does he have Russ Church?”
He nodded slowly.
“And is Russ alright?”
Another nod.
“Is your semel aware that you have him?”
“We informed him last night. He wanted us to contact the
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