Ryland stared down at the floor to one side of them.There were so many thoughts running through his head, he didn’t know which ones to try to catch hold of.Every time he tried to trace one to its conclusion, it spiralled away from him, leaving him more and more lost by the moment.
“Don’t try to think,” Arslan told him.“Your instincts exist for a reason, and I’ve never known a human who takes to his instincts as beautifully as you do.”
“My instincts told me to pay back the debt myself, sir.That you’d be pleased with me for doing that.”
Arslan nodded as if that settled it.Dipping his head, he rested his forehead against the top of Ryland’s head the way Ryland had seen the other lions do with each other.
Closing his eyes, he relished the contact and the quiet moment of peace that came with it.
“Wanting to please your mate is a fine instinct,” Arslan whispered to him.“So is wanting to please the leader of your pride.But you won’t please me by pretending to be a lion.”
Ryland closed his eyes as tightly as he could and prayed the way he had when he was a little child—when he’d believed that praying hard enough would somehow make everything okay.
“You’ll please me by learning to be a good member of the pride, by learning to trust yourhumaninstincts,” Arslan whispered to him.“I can teach you how to do that.”
Ryland nodded very quickly.“Yes, sir.”
“Your instinct for self-preservation, in particular, needs a great deal of attention if we are to bring it up to a standard that I’ll approve of.”
Ryland glanced up him as he pulled back far enough for their eyes to meet.“I’ll work on it, sir.”
Arslan smiled down at him, and Ryland knew he had found the right answer.He smiled back.
“Good.”Arslan pressed a kiss on his temple.“And, when you’ve learned what is expected of you, perhaps then I’ll reconsider my decision to ensure you’re kept within constant sight of the pride.”
Ryland hesitated.“You…”
“…meant it when I told you that you won’t be allowed out of our sight?”Arslan asked.“Yes.The leader of a pride doesn’t hand down punishments the way a human leader might, but lessons are given.That’s how the younger lions learn—there’s no reason why a human who joins us shouldn’t learn in the same way.”
For the first time in a fortnight, Ryland found himself able to take a breath without having to struggle for it.He felt Arslan’s acceptance of him wrap around him, body and soul, and his mind finally settled.Leaning forward, he rested his forehead on Arslan’s shoulder.
“There’ll be many explanations still to come this evening,” Arslan said, gently.
Ryland nodded, but even that idea wasn’t enough to shake his newfound sense of peace as he lifted his head and met the professor’s eyes.
Arslan smiled down at him as if he understood.“There’s no reason why those explanations can’t be given after you’re formally made a part of the pride.”
An extra dose of relief raced through Ryland, making him lightheaded.He waited impatiently for Arslan to recite the invitation once more, but Arslan shook his head.“Such offers need to be made before the pride.”Arslan looked past him to the door leading out into the hallway.
His mood seemed to change slightly as he stared at it.All of a sudden, he was exactly the same man who stood in front of a lecture hall full of students.“First, the others must be reminded of their manners.”
“Sir?”
“Their behaviour before I arrived was entirely unacceptable.”His voice was once more perfectly confident as he turned his attention to a problem he was obviously far more used to dealing with.
Ryland looked up at him blankly.
“Did any of them lay a hand on you before I arrived?”
Ryland shook his head, trying to keep up but falling further behind by the second as Arslan returned to what was familiar to him and took it up as easily as he took each breath.“It was nothing, sir,” he offered.
Arslan put his finger to Ryland’s lips once more.“I decide what standards are permissible for the lions in my pride.When you know more of us—then you may offer your opinions on what you believe is appropriate conduct between you and the rest of the pride.Until then, you will trust my judgement.”
Ryland nodded again.
“Stay there.”
Ryland did as he was told as Arslan strode across to the door and jerked open the heavy wooden panel.
