Ellery’s attention remained on the claw marks that decorated his mate’s body, but Kefir looked up and met Franklin’s eyes.“He’s fine,” he promised.
Franklin looked to the door leading into the meeting room, then to where Ellery was still crouched down in front of Kefir’s chair.Even from several feet away, he could feel the fury rolling off the dominant.
“It wasn’t Cameron’s fault,” Franklin blurted out.
Ellery spared him one brief glance, but he went back to exploring the marks on Kefir’s stomach without saying a word.
“He has every right to be angry for the way he was treated in the clubs,” Franklin pushed on.“If anyone should be punished for him lashing out at Kefir like that, it’s me, not Cameron.It was men like me who hurt him, who made him need to lash out.”
Ellery didn’t even glance up at him that time.He merely continued to glare at the deep gouges as if he might be able to heal them by the sheer intensity of his anger and concern.
He didn’t look away from the wounds until Kefir touched his cheek and gently requested that his master meet his gaze.
“We’ll speak about you trying to hide this from me later,” Ellery warned.
Franklin folded his arms across his chest, sure he wouldn’t want to be the man on the other end of that discussion, but Kefir just calmly nodded his understanding.“And Cameron, sir?”he prompted.
“You’re sure he didn’t know who he was clawing at?”Ellery said.
”Yes, sir.”
Ellery held Kefir’s gaze for a long time.
Franklin held his breath as he waited for the dominant’s verdict.
“I won’t throttle him this once—becauseyou’rethe one asking me not to do that.But there’ll be no second chances for him, and if I don’t think you’ve made that clear enough to him, I’ll see to it that he understands myself.”
Kefir smiled.He seemed to trust his master was telling the truth and wouldn’t go back on his decision.When Ellery stroked his cheek, Kefir turned his face into his master’s hand to kiss and lap at the palm as if everything was once more perfect in his world.
Franklin remembered how to breathe again.Cameron was apparently safe, from one threat, at least.
“Why don’t we all move into the sitting room?”Ryland suggested.“They won’t finish their conversation any quicker just because we’re all lurking in the hall.
As Ryland shepherded the others out of the hall, Franklin allowed himself to be scooped up with them, but he couldn’t lounge on the big sofas the way the others did, couldn’t ignore the fact that Cameron wasn’t there sitting next to him.
Ryland was the only other guy who didn’t have someone to curl up with, but as he seemed content to busy himself handing out the food that hadn’t been brought into the meeting room when it usually would have been, he didn’t seem to miss his master’s presence right then.
Franklin had nothing to distract him.All he could do was stare at the door, until it finally swung open.He immediately launched himself to his feet, only to find himself frozen to the spot, unable to rush across the room and throw himself at Cameron the way he wanted to.
Arslan stepped back and allowed Cameron to walk in first.
Quickly running his gaze over Cameron’s body, Franklin checked for any sign of injury.There wasn’t a single mark on his skin.He was as perfect as ever.Some of Franklin’s panic eased with that knowledge, until he lifted his gaze and met Cameron’s eyes.There was something different in his expression, something unreadable.
Franklin stood very still as Cameron stepped forward and closed the gap between them.Cameron stopped a foot away from him; he didn’t reach out to touch him.
Franklin could hardly blame Cameron for not wanting anything to do with him.He’d have walked away from himself if he could have.
Finally, Cameron waved a hand and indicated one end of the sofa.Franklin’s knees failed beneath him.His backside met the sofa cushion.Cameron lowered himself gracefully to the seat next to him, casually pulling one leg up onto the sofa in front of him.Neither of them said a word.
Franklin swallowed rapidly as he realised Cameron couldn’t even seem to bear to look at him.
The lion’s attention went to every man in the room bar him, to every person present, except the one who loved him more than he’d ever believed possible.
*
It all looked so bloody easy…
As Cameron stared across the room and watched the way Arslan gathered Ryland close to him, his arms easily wrapping themselves around a smaller man’s more fragile frame, protecting him and welcoming him back to his side after being away from him for even such a short time, it looked so simple.
