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?”
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.”
“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 panther’s family, and therefore his semel, but Russ won’t tell us what tribe he belongs to, so it’s slow going. We will start with claw on skin soon.”
“He’s mine, a member of my tribe. Please call your maahes for me.”
“Yes, reah, at once.”
He got up and left fast.
“Jesus.”
I turned to look at Delphine.
“You spun him hard.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“The maahes won’t be so easy.”
“No, I
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?”
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.”
“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 panther’s family, and therefore his semel, but Russ won’t tell us what tribe he belongs to, so it’s slow going. We will start with claw on skin soon.”
“He’s mine, a member of my tribe. Please call your maahes for me.”
“Yes, reah, at once.”
He got up and left fast.
“Jesus.”
I turned to look at Delphine.
“You spun him hard.”
“I didn’t mean to.”
“The maahes won’t be so easy.”
“No, I
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