Cameron’s Pride
Franklin knows the way the game is played.It’s the man with the money who calls the shots, and Franklin has plenty of money.When he sees a beautiful lion shifter called Caramel dancing on the stage at his favourite club, he doesn’t hesitate to reach for his wallet.And, when Caramel disappears before he can even open negotiations, he’s quick to pay a fortune in order to be thrown to the only pride of gay werelions in the area so he can find him.
Cameron’s been living without a pride for years, doing whatever it takes to survive.Dancing in clubs, and doing whatever the guys who throw money at him want him to do in the alleyways behind those clubs, hasn’t given him the best opinion of humans.All he knows for sure is that the rich ones are the worst.
The pride is determined to track down the lone lion that’s living in their territory and bring him safely under their care.But is it too late for Cameron to find a sense of pride—and even if he does, will he ever feel safe enough there to let a wealthy man like Franklin into his life?
Chapter One
“I’m looking for a lion called Caramel.”
For several seconds, Franklin Hamilton strained his hearing.No one spoke up to either confirm or deny Caramel’s presence in the lions’ den, but that wasn’t because there was no one else present.
Franklin could feel several pairs of eyes running over his exposed skin.He took a deep breath.The heat from the fire crackling to his right should have felt good after he’d been left to wait for so long, naked and cold, outside the den.But it didn’t feel good.The sudden heat was overpowering, oppressive, and combined with the blindfold covering his eyes, it was enough to render him both disorientated and dizzy.
But it would be worth it if Caramel was there.
And Caramel would be there.He had to be.Franklin shuffled his feet against the rug beneath him as he waited for someone to speak, for Caramel to make his existence known and confirm that going through this whole stupid charade had all been worth it.
Eyes continued to rake over Franklin’s body.He could sense other men surrounding him.If his wrists hadn’t been cuffed behind him, he might have actually given in to a moment of weakness and brought his hands in front of him in an effort to cover himself.
Mentally cursing himself for even considering such a move, Franklin squared his shoulders and lifted his chin.There would be no weakness, not from him.
Suddenly, something brushed against the back of his head.Before Franklin could react, the buckle holding his blindfold in place was released.The leather fell away from his face.There was no light other than the fire burning in the grate, but, after so long in complete darkness, Franklin was half-blinded by the flickering flames.
Quickly turning his face away from the blaze, he only managed to catch the briefest impression of the man in front of him, but that glimpse was quite sufficient.Whoever he was, the man sure as hell wasn’t the dancer that Franklin had come there to find.
Franklin had spent so many hours watching Caramel on stage.The lion he was looking for was all lean lines of graceful muscle, high cheekbones and long golden hair.
As Franklin’s eyes adjusted to the firelight, he got his first clear look at the man standing in front of him.He couldn’t have been more different to the man Franklin was looking for if he’d been designed for that express purpose.
“What do you know about Caramel?”The man glared down at Franklin as he issued the demand, making full use of any psychological advantage his greater height might give him.
The man was indeed taller than Franklin, and older, and broader across the shoulders, too.If anyone had asked Franklin to picture the kind of person who might be capable of turning into a wild animal at the slightest provocation, the man facing off against him now would have fulfilled all the requirements perfectly.
Strengthening his body language as best he could while still bound, Franklin squared his stance and refused to show the slightest hint of fragility.
Just because everyone was naked, that didn’t mean this any different to a board meeting.The same psychology applied.Shifters were probably just slightly more honest about the kill-or-be-killed nature of their dealings with each other.
“Where’s Caramel?”Franklin demanded, in exactly the same tone he’d have used with the head of a major project that was over-budget, behind schedule, and swirling around the bottom of the drain.
Apparently, that voice didn’t work on lions.Humans twice Franklin’s age had panicked when they’d heard it and suddenly realised working for a twenty-four year old wouldn’t be the easy ride they expected.
The lion didn’t even blink.“I asked you what you know about Caramel,” he repeated, perfectly calmly.
A movement from the corner of Franklin’s eye caught his attention.He turned toward a smaller, younger man.The pretty little blond rested his hand gently on the lion’s forearm, as if he was trying to soothe the shifter’s temper.
When the boy turned his attention to Franklin, he met his gaze without any hesitation, but there was no challenge in his expression, only a kind of serious curiosity.“This is Ellery,” he said, softly.“My name’s Kefir.”
Silence descended.Franklin got the distinct impression the boy would wait however long it took to be offered the same information in return, even if that turned out to be hours—or even days.
“Franklin Hamilton,” he snapped, impatient to move on to more important matters as quickly as possible.
Kefir smiled encouragingly at him.“And you’re looking for lion called Cameron—for a dancer that goes by the name of Caramel?”
“Yes.”Franklin tried to peer past them and spot Caramel in the shadows.It wasn’t easy while Ellery continued to stand directly in front of him, blocking his view of most of the room.
“So are we.”
