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of explaining to do when Arslan caught hold of them. If there was a single mark on Ryland, no explanation was going to prove sufficient. * * * * Four days later, Arslan stormed into the lions den. The tire treads in the driveway implied that the sacrifice had already been delivered to the pride. The prospect of seeing another beautiful blond boy who wasn t Ryland standing on the hearth rug did little to make him feel better about the world. He faltered and paused on the threshold, so exhausted he wasn t immediately sure if his mind was playing tricks on him. He turned very slowly towards the door leading into the library. The other lions were there, just as he knew they would be. A naked human stood in the middle of them, just as he expected. He watched, frozen in place as several the lions circled the young man in their midst. The other lions were so focused on whatever game they were playing, they hadn t heard him enter the building. His roar took them all off guard. Chapter Five When he launched himself through the doorway, Arslan was entirely human. By the time he landed in the middle of the scattering pride, he was all lion. Shaking out his mane, he impatiently cast aside the torn remnants of his clothes. Only one man had remained in place while the others fled. Ryland. He stood stock still in the middle of the hearth rug, trussed up in the same stupid way the humans always insisted on delivering the sacrifices. It wasn t so much bravery as a prey s instinct to freeze when he heard a predator s roar. Even knowing that, Arslan still found himself feeling proud of his pet for holding his ground when the lions hadn t. As the leader of the pride glared into the corners of the room, none of the younger lions dared to raise their eyes. Not one of them moved. Even Blaine and Luther seemed to have realized they had gone too far this time. Circling Ryland as if he was just any human, surrounding him when they couldn t have failed to sense his fear& Arslan snarled as he circled Ryland himself, his claws catching at the hearth rug as a human temper mingled with a lion s instinct to protect his mate, and both demanded to be given free reign. The other lions pressed themselves back into the farthest edges of the room as their understanding of the situation deepened. A log crackled in the fireplace. Ryland s gasp called Arslan s attention back to his mate. Morphing back into his human shape, he stood behind the younger man. He ran entirely human eyes over every inch of Ryland s naked body. They saw nothing his lion s sight had missed. The pale skin bore no bruises, no scars. Taking a deep breath, Arslan filled his lungs with Ryland s scent, filled his mind with Ryland s emotions. His pet was tired and anxious, but that seemed to be the worst of it. Ryland was back. He was safe and to all appearances, unharmed by his time away from the pride. Arslan let out the breath as relief flooded though his veins. Sir? the younger man whispered. Arslan s relief wasn t enough to wipe away all the other emotions that burned their way through his mind as he searched and failed to find the other man. You disappeared. The accusation hung between them, each word laced with an anger Arslan wasn t strong enough to keep hidden from his pet. Ryland swallowed rapidly, but didn t say anything. Speak! He had to hear the other man speak. A shocked little noise escaped from between Ryland s lips. He swallowed and tried again. I gave the money back. Arslan frowned at as much of his lover s expression as was visible to him. It was impossible to get any real sense of what the younger man was thinking while his eyes were hidden away. A second s work on the buckle and he tore the blindfold from Ryland s eyes. The smaller man blinked up at Arslan, then quickly looked down. Arslan studied his pet for several long seconds. He was afraid now. Not scared as he had been when the other lions were circling him. His scent made it seem as if he was far more afraid of explaining his actions to his master than he had been of anything else. Out. All of you, Arslan ordered the other lions. He was vaguely aware of the other men as they slunk out of the room and closed the door softly behind them, but he didn t break eye contact with Ryland to watch them leave. You re back with your master now, you re safe, he reminded his mate. Ryland didn t seem to take the reassurance he should have from the statement. Arslan ran his eyes over the younger man s body once more. Every instinct he possessed told him that the younger man hadn t been hurt while he was away from his pride, but right then, his instincts didn t feel like enough not with a human. The idea that his pet might be hurt and his master was unable to tell clenched around his stomach, and he didn t even know how to ask the other man for the truth. Humans weren t lions. They had to be protected and cherished and kept safe in the center of whichever pride took them in. Acutely aware that he had already failed Ryland on that score once, Arslan s determination that it should never happen again doubled over and over inside him. It was exacerbated by his sudden uncertainty over how well he could read a human from his scent. He couldn t look after his lover the way he should if Ryland was going to disappear. He couldn t retrieve his pet from whatever trouble he d got himself into if his pet didn t provide him with suitable information when the opportunity presented itself. Did you know where you were? Arslan asked. Ryland hesitated. Arslan frowned. The answer should have been a formality. The younger man shouldn t have had to hesitate before letting his master know he couldn t be blamed for what happened. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |