Spence nodded. “Abbott is my Sir, not my Master. He’s Master of the territory, so he kind of is, but we’re...” He shrugged. “He’s my Sir. I only use the wordMasterwhen I need to introduce him to others, or to refer to him when speaking in a formal setting.” He reached across the table and rested his hand on my arm. It was comforting, and I felt my wolf settle when I hadn’t realized he’d been uneasy. “You and Kieran and Gwen will have to figure out what you are to each other. Abbott says they need a third and not merely a companion. He thinks you’re the right wolf for them. Gwen needs someone she’s close to for her food source, but she also needs Kieran to not be jealous, which means you need to be close to both of them.”
“They’ve been together so long, I’m not sure I can ever be part of them. I’ll always be the outsider.”
“Maybe. Maybe not. Give it time.”
“Abbott doesn’t seem to think we have a lot of time.”
“Abbott’s worried about the coming battle. Once things go to shit, he’ll put all his people into multiple shelters to keep everyone safe. It’s better if ya’ll are a threesome when you’re stuck in the shelter, and not a twosome with a blood-companion-slash-bodyguard. They’re going to want to fight, but Abbott won’t let them because they’re too important.”
Right, because they know where all the money is. He can’t lose them.
“But I can fight. Losing me won’t hurt his finances. I should be drilling with his people and preparing to join the battle.”
He shook his head. “You’re their personal bodyguard. They can fight. You can fight. The three of you will be part of the defense for that shelter in case it’s infiltrated. He needs fighters at each place. He needs people who understand security at each site. The plans I’ve seen list you as possibly being one of the people in charge of security for your location. Two or three people who rotate through shifts as head of security.”
“I can’t picture Kieran not fighting with Abbott, at his side.” He was anold one, and he had so much honor. I couldn’t imagine he’d see sitting this one out as an option.
Spence smiled. “You already know him so well. We’ll see how things work out.”
We talked for hours without realizing it, so I was surprised when Spence’s eyes lost focus a few seconds and he told me Abbott was up.
“Come,” he told me. “While you’re here, we’ll let Abbott have a little variety in his diet.”
Abbott was dressed in his suit pants when we entered his underground suite, but no shirt, and no shoes or socks.
“It’s good to see you settled, Ajax. Things are well?”
“Yes, Master Abbott. Thank you.”
“I think Razor is correct — your wolf might be ready to make friends. He’s been watching. He thinks he understands the rules of human society. I’m not sure he does, but I think he’s well on his way.”
“He was never allowed to watch before,” Spence explained.
Right. He was pushed down so far, he only got to come out when he was pulled from me, and then I was the one pushed down. I never saw out of his eyes, and he’d never seen out of mine. Now, he was seeing out of my eyes. Could I see out of his?
“Yes,” said Abbott. “I’ll make it happen on the next full moon. Or rather, the night before the full moon, so it can be just a few wolves.”
“Thank you, Master Abbott.”
“Put him in an armbinder,” Abbott told Spence. “Tight. I’m going to open the conduit between them when I feed from Ajax, and I’d like the wolf toknowhe can’t rise, so I don’t have to push him down. Let’s see if he understands enough to keep himself from pushing forth.”
Spence opened a door, walked through it, and returned with a red leather armbinder.
“It’s been a while since...” I breathed out in an effort to control my nerves. “At least seven or eight months.”
“It’ll be okay,” Spence assured me. “I won’t have to tighten it all the way, just enough your muscles are torqued, so your wolf knows it’ll be a bad idea to push achange.”
I didn’t want to get into position to make it easy for Spence, but no way would I refuse. I had to force myself to sit still and let myself be put into painful bondage, but that’s exactly what I did. Refusing an order from The Abbott was unthinkable.
Shoulders aren’t supposed to bend this way. Mine had been trained to, but it’d been too long and they’d forgotten. The muscles pulled and hurt and ached. I tried to relax so Spencecould work the lacings and pull it tighter, and tighter, and tighter.
Finally, Abbott stood and walked to us, and I assumed that meant it was tight enough. But no, he worked the laces one more time. I expected my arms to touch, but they didn’t. How could it hurt this badly without them touching? How much farther could it possibly go?
“About two inches, but we’ll stop here,” Abbott told me. He brushed his fingers across my neck and I broke out in goosebumps. Abbott is so damned powerful, his aura was like a caress. “I’m not aiming to give you either pain or pleasure. This means it’ll be uncomfortable, maybe some slight pain. Nothing you can’t handle.”
He stepped behind me, wrapped an arm around my chest, and his lips touched my neck. I was used to the caress of a cool tongue before the fangs slid in, and I relaxed as best I could, propped on the stool, facing the corner.
The bite was fast this time, and I immediately sensed my wolf. He was looking out my eyes, frustrated by the lack of view. He didn’t like having everyone behind him. He was annoyed by my human eyes, directed forward and not out to the sides. He wanted out, but he sensed my arms, felt the shoulders, and knew he’d rip his front legs loose if he forced achange. Abbott had freed him, so it was completely his decision of whether to leave me in control or to take over.
