Arslan’s nails morphed into claws as he gripped the edge of an old-fashioned chest of drawers set just inside the door.The lion inside him didn’t care whether or not it was realistic to expect Ryland to trust his instincts the way a lion would, to agree to join the pride after barely a few hours in their presence.
Ryland was his mate.Arslan didn’t just know him—he owned a part of him that no other man would ever catch sight of.The pull toward Ryland was so strong, so undeniable, it was almost impossible for Arslan to feel patient toward the boy’s…well, toward his what exactly?Arslan had no idea.His sudden loss of confidence in his burgeoning instincts?
Ryland wanted this.Arslan was as sure as that as he had ever been.Ryland was just panicking, that was all.He needed time, and Arslan had been a complete fool and rushed him at the worst possible moment.The only thing Arslan could do now was give the boy time and space, was wait until Ryland was ready to come back to him.He had no option.
The lion side of Arslan roared, demanding to be freed and allowed to call his mate back to him properly right now, snarling against the pain of doing the “right thing” when all he wanted was to be close to his mate.
Arslan’s claws bit into the wood, not pretty little scratches like those he’d left on Ryland’s back, but deep gouges, marks that would never be polished away, no matter how much wood filler and varnish were applied.
Arslan snatched his hands away from the marred wood.Those sorts of scars would never heal from human skin either.
Gathering up his clothes, Arslan pulled them on, trying not to tear the fabric, trying to remember that he should care about being in control enough of his lion side to keep the garments whole as he got dressed.It was only actually by some miracle that they remained intact.
Forcing his human side to the fore, Arslan turned toward the bedroom door.He’d already spent far too long feeling sorry for himself.He didn’t have any more time to waste.The only important thing now was to take his… No, not his mate, not yet, he mustn’t let himself get ahead of himself again.
His pet, Arslan couldn’t think of him as anything less than that at least.He had to take his pet home.
Back in the hall, he found Ryland sitting exactly where he’d left him.He’d pulled his feet up onto the seat of the chair and wrapped his arms around his legs in some effort to keep warm.Arslan frowned at his own lack of foresight.Grabbing his overcoat off the rack, he tossed it to him.
“I thought…” Ryland looked from the coat to Arslan’s clothes, then to the room where the rest of the pride were waiting.
If he thought this temporary refusal of his overly hasty offer meant that Arslan would be willing to stand around and watch the other lions take their turns with him, as if Ryland was no different to any other willing sacrifice that been thrown to them over the years, then he had to have even less understanding of the situation than Arslan could have ever guessed.
“I’m taking you home.It makes no difference to me if you prefer to undertake the journey nude.”It was a barefaced lie, but Arslan wasn’t about to admit that the sight of Ryland’s naked skin had any effect on him right then.The other lions weren’t quite his only form of pride.
Ryland hurriedly scrambled into the coat.“Thank you, sir.I—”
“Come along.”Arslan strode out of the house.Ryland scurried after him, but the gravel in the driveway seemed to slow him down dramatically.By the time Arslan reached his car, Ryland was several yards behind him.Arslan waited alongside the car until the boy reached his side.
It had been so many years since he’d taken anything other than a feline lover, he’d forgotten how fragile humans were.For several long moments, Arslan stared down at the gravel beside the car and pictured the scene that had played out in front of the fire.
He’d been careful with the boy, kept his strength to himself.A few intentional scratches, but they were placed carefully, lightly.There was no chance of him having accidentally hurt Ryland.
“Sir?”
Arslan pulled his mind back to the present and got into the car.Ryland hesitated for a second but got into the passenger seat without any protest.He didn’t try to speak again, except to give the directions to wherever it was that he wished to be taken.
Thrown to the lions…
Arslan shook his head at himself.He’d had no need to play out that tradition for what felt like a lifetime.It had been more than long enough to forget that humans usually saw it differently.He couldn’t help but wonder what it was supposed to have been for Ryland, why the boy had agreed to take part in the ritual in the first place.
It certainly hadn’t been because he’d known his master would be there waiting for him.His shock when the blindfold had been removed was proof enough of that.Arslan’s grip on the steering wheel tightened as he moved on to far less palatable options.
Ryland had never struck him as an adrenaline junkie, so that was unlikely to be what brought him to the pride.He wasn’t as formal as any of the humans who had been trained for the human version of submission tended to be—so he hadn’t come to them seeking a lion for a human-style dominant.He didn’t seem like the kind of human who would be comfortable taking a lover for money either.
Curiosity?Ryland had certainly been fascinated with watching the younger lions playing together.Arslan held back a sigh.Better that than any of the other reasons, he supposed.He glanced at Ryland from the corner of his eye, wondering if the boy regretted indulging his curiosity now.
He’d enjoyed himself at the time, Arslan harboured no doubts about that.Scent and body language didn’t lie, and Arslan knew how to read a human.Ryland had been an enthusiastic participant.
But it was never that simple with a human.If nothing else, Arslan remembered that clearly enough from his experiments with them when he was a far younger man.It was never simple with humans.
When Arslan stopped outside the house Ryland indicated, he realised they were at a shared student house on the edge of the university campus.So, Ryland had chosen to be taken home rather than to wherever he’d left his clothes.Good.That made everything very simple.
Ryland glanced towards the house, but he didn’t make any move to get out of the car.Arslan leaned past Ryland and pushed open the door himself.The moment he released the door handle, he forced himself to straighten up and retreat to his own side of the car.
Ryland fingered one of the buttons on his borrowed coat, twisting the piece of plastic back and forth.He still didn’t show any inclination to get out of the car.
“You can keep the coat.”Arslan’s voice sounded exactly the same as it did when he was giving a lecture.Not one trace of emotion, not one hint of lion, crept into the words.Unfortunately, Arslan wasn’t in the mood to take much comfort in that.
