Blaine chuckled.“I thought you didn’t like your masters telling you what you what to do.”
Marrick grinned up at them both.“It depends what we’re doing at the time.If we’re getting laid, you can be as bossy as you like.I’m all for orders when it’s about sex.”
Blaine ran his eyes down Marrick’s body.Every line of him seemed to be subtly different, just a little bit more perfect.Within minutes, his clothes had fallen away.Not all of the garments had remained as intact as they probably should have, but Marrick made no complaint—possibly because his squirming to help them remove them had led to the majority of the tears along the seams.
Finally, Marrick was as naked as they were.Blaine stared down at their pet, at where their hands held him in place, their grips tight enough to turn the skin white along the edge of their hold on him.
“We’ll tread carefully,” Blaine said.“No rushing.That’s how accidents happen, how humans get hurt.”
Marrick nodded.
“You won’t be allowed to have whatever you want until you can prove what you want does you no harm.In some ways, you are like Ryland,” he added.“He let himself get into situations where he could have been hurt in a way he wouldn’t have enjoyed at all.That is not allowed, not ever.”
Marrick nodded again, seemingly willing to agree with anything and everything his masters said to him right then.
Dipping his head, Blaine pressed a kiss against their pet’s bare skin.Rubbing his face against Marrick’s body, he inhaled deeply, savouring the pleasure in his scent along with the simple fact that he was back there with them.
Luther was quick to follow Blaine’s lead.Within moments, their tongues were exploring Marrick’s body as their hands pinned him down firmly against the grass.
They soon chanced upon that ticklish little spot that made their pet writhe and howl for them.Within minutes, he’d squirmed his way out of their tight hold on him.
Rather than try to get away, he flung himself with complete abandon toward them both.They rolled back and forth on the grass, pouncing on each other and toppling each other over and over again.
It was impossible for Blaine not to be a little bit more careful with Marrick than he was with Luther, to make sure their human didn’t land too harshly, that he wasn’t knocked and battered around the way another lion might have been if he’d been caught between them.
But, as their laughter mingled, it was impossible to believe that Marrick cared about such insignificant details.He was there with his masters, and as they collapsed back on the sun warmed grass, all of them panting for breath, it was impossible to believe all wasn’t perfect in his pet’s world.
Picking his head up off the grass, Blaine looked to Marrick, and then past Marrick to where Luther lay on the other side of their pet.The moment was perfect.That only made it harder to face the bitter truth—there was one thing still left to be done before they could all rest truly comfortably together.If they demanded the truth of their pet, they couldn’t refuse him the same in return.
Blaine closed his eyes for a moment.When he opened them, he couldn’t look at either Marrick or Blaine.He stared up at the sky and told the last truth that was left to be told between them.
“If Arslan hadn’t stepped in, he’d be dead.”
Chapter Eight
Luther felt Marrick tense between them.
“What?”
Luther swallowed down his reservations.As much as he hated to speak about it.It wouldn’t be fair to let Marrick think anything had been entirely down to Blaine.“If Arslan hadn’t stepped in, he’d be dead,” he echoed.
“Who?”Marrick asked.
“The first human who was thrown to us.”
For a long time, their pet was silent.“What happened?”
Luther made the mistake of closing his eyes.All at once, he was back there.Fear and the confusion rushed through him.They had come so close that night, so close to doing something that—
“We were so used to being with each other,” he managed to say.“Neither of us had any experience with humans, neither of us wanted to admit that to Arslan.”
“We were too rough with him.”Blaine’s voice was just as uneven as his.“Being with a human for the first time, we didn’t—it wasn’t until Arslan separated us that we realised that he was hurt, he was scared, bleeding.”
“Lions have to be careful with humans.We have to keep them safe.A lion can never forget that.”Luther opened his eyes, but he couldn’t bring himself to look toward Marrick.He felt Marrick move between them and knew he was leaving again.He closed his eyes again, clenching his hands into fists next to his sides as he resisted the urge to reach out and try to pull him back.
Lips brushed very gently against his own, shocking a gasp out of him.He blinked open his eyes as the touch faded away.Marrick stared down at him, a strange expression on his face.
When he turned away from Luther, it was only to offer Blaine a similar kiss.
