Ellery stroked his fingers along Kefir’s spine, encouraging him closer.
“Arslan doesn’t own his students, but it’s his responsibility to look after them while they’re in his lectures, to teach them all the things they need to know to be good historians.Sometimes, that means he needs to give them orders—to insist that they do as they’re told.”
“And it’s his duty to teach his pride how to be good lions?”Ellery asked.
Kefir nodded.
“And what does that make him to you?”
Kefir tilted his head on the side.
“You’ve said yourself that you’re not like most lions.You like doing what you’re told, don’t you?”
Kefir nodded.He’d known that for a long time.The instinct to demand that he be allowed to do whatever he wanted had never existed inside him the way it seemed to in the other lions he knew.
“Do you like doing as he tells you?”
Kefir looked across the room at Arslan, even as his fingers drew intricate patterns on Ellery’s skin.
“I’ve never wanted to be his mate, sir.”He looked up and met Ellery’s eyes, needing him to believe him.“I never wanted to be anyone’s mate until…” Dropping his gaze, he remembered all the advice he’d overheard Arslan give the other members of his pride about humans needing time.
“Kitten?”
Kefir nuzzled against Ellery’s neck, enjoying the simple sensation of skin moving against skin while he tried to think of the right words for the situation.
Ellery’s fingers wound into his hair.He tugged at the strands in that way he had of letting Kefir know that it could feel really good when a man did that—when the right man did that.
Chapter Ten
Ellery studied Kefir very carefully, while the little lion blinked up at him, all big serious brown eyes and silence.
“Finish what you were saying,” Ellery ordered.
Kefir hesitated for a moment.“Arslan says that humans need more time than lions do to be able to work out what they want, because they don’t have a lion’s instincts.”
“And do you belong to me or to Arslan?”Ellery hadn’t intended the question to leave his lips, but somehow, the words wriggled free of his control, and they were suddenly there, hanging in the air between them.
Kefir’s hand went to his collar.He seemed to realise it was an important question, but it was hard for Ellery to be sure—he always looked as if he took everything so very earnestly.
“You’re my master, sir.He’s the leader of my pride.”
Ellery pushed that answer aside, in no mood to deal with semantics.“If we each gave you a different order, who would you obey?”
Kefir stared up at him as one minute passed into another, then another.
He was actually thinking about it.Ellery felt himself tense as the seconds ticked by.Kefir had to think about it?
“You, sir.”
Kefir met Ellery’s gaze.It hadn’t been an automatic answer.Kefir wasn’t saying it because he was expected to, or even because he wanted to please his master.He said it because he meant it.
His master had asked him a question, and Kefir had answered it honestly.Slowly, but honestly.Ellery nodded his approval as the true value of the response sank in.Hooking his fingers into Kefir’s collar, Ellery pulled him forward to be kissed.
There was no hesitation.Kefir purred into his mouth, rubbing his whole body against him in simple, submissive enthusiasm.
Ellery was vaguely aware that they weren’t the only ones losing themselves in pleasure.The sacrifice was already enjoying the attentions of his second partner on the rug.Marrick was caught between both his feline masters on one of the sofas flanking the hearth.To the other side of the blaze, even Arslan was enjoying Ryland’s mouth as he watched over the others.
The urge for Ellery to mark his territory, to make it clear that, regardless of any place Kefir might occupy in the pride, no one owned his submission but him was overwhelming.
