Dominic
Leaningbackfrommydesk, I released a heavy sigh. Paperwork—I hated paperwork—I loathed it. It was my own personal ninth circle of hell. And what’s worse, over these past weeks, I’ve been neglecting it.
A muffled cry echoed in my office, and I turned my gaze to my sleeping duša and smiled. Lucas had his fist in the air and his face buried in the pillow. It appeared he was having another battle in his dreams.
I had to admit, as cute as he was, Lucas was a fighter, at least in his sleep. I had the bruises on my back to prove it. I drew the short straw in sleeping in the middle, as Talon absolutely refused to sleep next to Lucas. Luckily, with my demon nature, his kicks and punches weren’t all that bad.
“Master Dominic,” Steven, my once preferred sub, interrupted my thoughts.
Steven was wearing his tight leather shorts and nothing else. The outfit usually turned me on, but the thought of doing anything with the cute twink did nothing for me.
I sighed and said, “Yes.” With all the annoyance I could muster. I didn’t need this bullshit. I already had to deal with two fighting subs and another Dom that had gone too far. And on top of that I was in paperwork hell. I didn’t need to deal with Steven.
“It’s been a while since we last did a scene,” he said, shifting nervously on his bare feet.
“And we won’t be doing anything anytime soon. I’m exclusive with someone else,” I replied bluntly. I always found being blunt and straight to the point was the best option.
Steven scowled and glanced at Lucas’s sleeping body. “For that? I’m way better than he could ever—”
“He said it’s over. Get that through your damn head.”
Talon’s growl caused me to stand to my feet. Watching my other duša enter the room, I could tell something was off. His face was flush, and his eyes were hard—he was angry.
“What’s going on?” Lucas mumbled, still groggy. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, slowly sitting up.
“This person is trying to sleep with our man,” Talon spat out, his voice thick with contempt.
Lucas snapped to alertness, his sleepiness instantly replaced by a fierce protectiveness. “Like hell he is,” he snarled, leaping from the couch.
“Easy, tiger,” I intervened, catching Lucas before he could launch himself at Steven. Despite his prey animal nature, Lucas could be fiercely protective. He was definitely my tiger.
Turning my attention to Steven, I made my intentions clear. “Steven. There is nothing more between us. Go find one of the other masters in the club. Leave. Now.”
Steven mumbled something under his breath, a begrudging acknowledgment, before quickly turning on his heel and hurrying out of the room, his departure marked by a tense silence that lingered after the door closed behind him.
“You should’ve fired that little slut,” Talon bit out, his teeth clenched.
“Whoa, what happened?” I asked.
Something was definitely off with my lion mate. The anger in his tone permeated the room. Even Lucas cocked his head to stare at Talon.
“That was the same little whore that was sucking your cock when I first met you. He should be banned,” Talon growled.
“He what?” Lucas exclaimed, his surprise turning swiftly to indignation as he glared at me.
“That was before we bonded, and I honestly wasn’t expecting you to walk into my club back then. I never thought I’d meet my duša,” I quickly explained, stepping closer to Talon. “Now, what is going on? Are you trying to start a fight on purpose? Why are you so angry? You’re seething. I can feel it, and it can’t just be about Steven.”
Talon let out a heavy sigh and slumped onto the couch, the fight draining out of him. “I’m sorry. I’m just picking a fight for no good reason. It’s not about the twink,” he admitted, running his hands through his hair.
Lucas hurried to Talon’s side while I crouched in front of him, resting my hands gently on his knees. “Come on, cuddles, what’s really going on?” I coaxed, introducing the new nickname to lighten the mood.
“Cuddles?” Talon echoed his tone, a mix of amusement and incredulity.
“You’re my lion, but you’re also my big kitty who loves cuddles,” I explained with a smirk.
“I’m a lion,” Talon insisted, though his irritation seemed to melt a bit.
“But still a cat,” Lucas chimed in, a small grin playing on his lips.
