“What?”Franklin’s attention snapped back to Kefir.
“We’ve been looking for him for some time,” the boy said.“If you have information then…”
“You mean he’s not here?”Franklin demanded.
Ellery shifted his stance the moment Franklin raised his voice.He obviously didn’t like anyone shouting at his…Franklin glanced at Kefir again and took note of the silver collar around the boy’s neck…Ellery’s human sub.
Franklin looked from one man to the other, then back again.It was time to cut to the bones of the matter.“I’ll pay you for any information you have.”
Kefir tilted his head to one side, as if he didn’t really understand the concept.Ellery’s expression was far more knowing.He might not be as impressed with the offer as Franklin had hoped he would be, but at least he seemed to understand the theory.
“Perhaps, if we all sit down and tell each other what we know, that would help?”Kefir suggested.
Ellery nodded his acceptance of that plan, and they both stepped back, giving Franklin his first unobstructed view of the room.Over a dozen shifters sat in pairs and groups.Mixed in with them appeared to be a few other human subs like Kefir.
As Ellery took a seat in one of the armchairs, Kefir settled himself at his feet, for all the world like a well-trained pet.
It wouldn’t do to let Ellery think that all humans could be expected to act the same way.“Do you intend to remove my cuffs?”Franklin asked, pointedly.
“No.”Ellery said.No explanation, no apology, just the one word, as if he had every right to keep Franklin bound for however long he damn well pleased.
Survival skills honed in the boardroom rushed to the fore.Franklin didn’t even hesitate.“Are all lions so afraid of humans that they insist they must remain bound in their presence, or is it just you?”
Ellery’s reaction should have been easy to predict.Heshouldhave tensed at the insult and risen to the challenge, but lips twitched as if he was trying to bite back a sudden smile.
“I wouldn’t know,” Ellery eventually said.“Not being a lion.”
Franklin blinked at him.
Ellery’s smile broke through.Against all logic, it didn’t make him look the least bit friendlier.If anything, he just looked, well, hungry.
Franklin glanced at Kefir.The boy did look far more like Caramel than Ellery ever could.He didn’t have the dancer’s build, or his grace of line, and his hair was shorter.But there was definitely something around Kefir’s eyes, something…feline?
Vehement curses rolled around Franklin’s head, but he didn’t let his expression falter.Pushing aside the whole matter as if his mistake had never happened, he turned to the group at large.“Is Caramel a member of this pride or not?I was told this is the only gay pride in the area.”
“That much is true.”
Franklin spun around.An armchair alongside the fire was occupied by a man with much the same build and manner as Ellery.He also had a boy sitting at his feet.Franklin took a moment to study both men’s eyes, looking for any feline qualities there before he made a fool of himself again.
The older man had a mane of dark brown hair and a glint in his eye that marked him out as the more likely candidate.
“Who’s in charge here?”Franklin demanded, looking from that man to Ellery and back again.
“Joseph Arslan,” the man with the mane said.“I lead this pride.But Kefir is the lion in charge of our search for Cameron.”
“How much?”Franklin asked, never looking away from Arslan.
Arslan’s eyes narrowed.“Excuse me?”
“How much money do you want in exchange for ordering all the lions in your pride to give me any information they have on Caramel’s whereabouts?”Franklin specified, impatience rushing through every word.
The fire continued to burn brightly in the hearth, but the temperature in the room seemed to drop.It was all Franklin could do not to let a shiver run down his spine.
“And, if you find him, what do you intend to do then?”Arslan asked.
Franklin glared down his nose at the seated shifter.“I fail to see what concern that would be of yours.”
Arslan smiled.It wasn’t a particularly friendly expression.“You’re standing in a room full of lions who could easily tear you limb from limb.If you fail to refer to his mate with due respect again, Ellery can add a human to that number.Insults are not your best course of action here.”
