Ryland half-expected him to say that there were people at the back of the lecture hall who would love to hear whatever Luther had to say on the topic.He’d heard those words in that tone of voice so often, he could easily imagine that he was safely back in one of the professor’s lectures.
“No.”The younger lion sounded like he was pouting, but Arslan seemed to have already dismissed the guy’s existence from his mind.He continued to study Ryland until he felt himself blush under the scrutiny.
“If you’re not going to let us have any fun with him, can we at least eat?”someone asked.
“Fine,” Arslan said, with something that sounded suspiciously like a long-suffering sigh.“Bring in the food.”
The shadows in the corners of the rooms morphed into lions, more than a dozen of them.As he remained on the rug with the professor, the other men…the other lions who made up the pride…moved around them.Doors were opened and closed.A light was switched on.A handful of different conversations started up.The scent of food drifted across the room to them.
As Arslan stood up, he casually stroked his fingers through Ryland’s hair once more.Ryland found himself leaning into his touch, and Arslan smiled when he noticed.As he reached his full height, he took Ryland’s hand to help him to his feet, as well.
The professor was all muscle.Ryland had been half-sure of that when he’d stared down the lecture hall at the man in an expensive suit.Now that he’d seen him without the suit, now that he’d felt that body pressed hard against him, there was no room left for any doubts.
Arslan pulled Ryland easily to his feet and close within the circle of his arms at the same time.His hand quickly settled on the small of Ryland’s back, his touch strong and certain, as if he had no intention of ever letting Ryland take a step away from him again.Suddenly, Ryland felt safer than he’d ever believed possible.
Frowning slightly, he tried to catch hold of a thought that flitted onto the edge of his consciousness.As soon as he reached for it and tried to study it, it slipped out of his grasp.It was almost as if it wasn’t really a true thought at all.Maybe something that was more like a feeling, an instinct that dated back to a time before thoughts truly existed.
A rough palm slid up Ryland’s spine, calling his attention to more immediate considerations.Thin lines of sensitised skin ran along his back.Ryland moved to look over his shoulder, but Arslan shook his head, stopping him short.
“A few scratches.They won’t do you any harm.”
Ryland nodded, as if it made perfect sense for the professor to have left those sorts of marks on his body.And it did make sense to part of him.In a way, he couldn’t explain, even to himself, it felt…good?It felt right?
When Arslan led him across to the food, he kept his hand resting casually on the small of Ryland’s back, almost like a mark of ownership over him.
Ryland glanced up at the professor as it occurred to him that Arslan really wasn’t the kind of man who’d leave scratches on someone by accident.He was far too controlled for that, too careful.If there were scratches there, it was because Arslan made a decision and put them there on purpose.
A slight heat stole to Ryland’s cheeks as he dropped his gaze.Maybe it wasn’t so strange that something inside him liked the idea of those marks, after all.As he and Arslan walked into the middle of the knot of lions, Ryland found himself staying close enough to Arslan for it to be easy for the professor to keep his hand resting against his skin.
When he looked up from the various plates of food, he saw that the other lions were waiting for Arslan to take his share first.The professor selecting something off one of the trays seemed to be the sign that everyone else could do the same.Arslan was obviously in charge in some shape or form, and not just in charge because he was the type of person who took charge, but because he held some sort of official rank in the group.
As Arslan walked away and left alone him by the table, Ryland hesitated, not inclined to choose anything for himself until he had a better understanding of the situation.Studying the lions very carefully, he did his best to work out if there was some sort of order of precedence after Arslan and who was next in the shifters’ chain of command.But, if the signs were there, he wasn’t able to spot them.
Only one of the other lions stood out from the group at first glance.He was smaller than the rest, his hair shorter and fairer, less like a mane.That lion caught Ryland’s eye and nodded to the trays of food, silently encouraging him to take whatever he wanted, but even he didn’t actually go so far as to speak to Ryland.
No one said a word to him as he filled his plate.He wasn’t sure if it was a personal comment or if it was merely the custom among lions not to speak to humans unless they were having sex with them at the time.The thought made Ryland look over his shoulder.
Arslan had taken his platter over to the fireside.He lounged on one of the big leather sofas, completely naked and entirely unselfconscious about that, just like all the other lions in the room.He met Ryland’s gaze when he caught him studying him.
A slight motion of Arslan’s head invited Ryland to join him.The seat next to the professor was vacant, but Ryland somehow found himself lowering himself down to sit on the rug at his feet instead.Arslan stared down at him, a curious light in his eyes, but he didn’t order him away.
He’d never struck Ryland as the kind of man who would allow someone to do something that displeased him just because it would be easier to let things stand as they were.If the lion side of his personality was anything like the professor part of his psyche, he was apparently happy for Ryland to stay where he was, maybe he was even a little bit pleased with Ryland’s choice.
Ryland relaxed slightly.He relaxed even more when it became clear that the other lions intended to keep their distance.No one else joined them on that sofa.
Balancing his plate on his knees, Ryland ate a little of the meat he’d collected from one of the trays and did his best to follow what was going on around him.As far as he could tell, he was now in the middle of some sort of social gathering for lions.Arslan’s attention moved from one lion to another, and Ryland did his best to keep track.
The first to receive Arslan’s attention were two lions who were sitting close together, in a tangle of limbs, on the sofa opposite them.Luther and Blaine, the lions Arslan had spoken to earlier, when he and Arslan were… Ryland felt his cheeks heat at the memory of exactly what those lions had watched him and Arslan do together.
When he looked up, Ryland realised that he wasn’t the only one making observations.Several of the lions were studying him in return.He wasn’t sure if they were remembering his time on the rug in front of the fire with Arslan, or not.For all he knew, the entire feast was just supposed to be some sort of mid-orgy snack, and they were actually thinking of what they were going to do with him after they’d satisfied a different sort of hunger.
Whatever their reasons for studying him, Ryland found himself sitting up a little straighter, squaring his shoulders, trying to make the best of himself.He wasn’t sure what he wanted them to think of him, but he was very sure that he didn’t want Arslan to be ashamed of him.
A glance up, and he saw Arslan was watching him, too.He nodded once, as if in approval, before guiding Ryland to sit even closer to his feet and rest his head against his thigh.
Once Ryland was settled into a position that seemed to please Arslan, the professor went back to his conversations with the other lions, but his hand remained buried in Ryland’s hair.As he spoke, he stroked his fingers through the strands with casual tenderness.
Ryland soon felt his eyes drifting closed as the gentle rhythm soothed him and encouraged him to just relax and let Arslan take care of everything for a little while.As tempting as the proposal was, Ryland forced his eyes to stay open.
