ous you wouldn’t have stayed with us willingly because of the state of mind you were in. ”
“Oh, so I’m a pity case, is that it?”
“The first time I saw you was in that cell, so brave and fierce, coming up to the cell door and baring your teeth. You weren’t afraid of anything. I didn’t feel pity for you, Logan. I wanted to make love to you. ”
Logan squirmed uncomfortably on the chair. Ian’s eyes burned as they looked at him, and he was very aware of his bare body. Ian and the feelings he aroused confused him so much he didn’t know if he was coming or going.
“What about you, Logan? What did you think when you first sawme?”
He lifted one shoulder in a shrug. “Just another big wolf coming to look at me like I was something to eat. ” He shrugged again, admitting, “Handsome. I thought maybe you were picking out which part you wanted to eat first. ”
“Oh, I was,” Ian said with a smile, walking over to him and bending down to kiss him lightly on the lips. “I definitely was. ”
Logan blushed, pulling away, and Ian laughed and pulled him up to stand beside him. He ran his hands down to cup his ass. “Damn, if I wasn’t so hungry,I’d skip breakfast and just concentrate on you. ”
“Stop. I’m not into all that. ” Logan felt himself blushing like a damn girl.
“You don’t even know what you’re into. You’re so uptight about your sexuality. Why can’t you just relax?”
“I’ve never been with a man before. I don’t even know what I’m supposed to do. ”
“There aren’t any rules, baby. There’s no one here to judge you. It’s just you and me. I like you to walk around naked in our rooms, and I like looking at you. Get used to it, because I plan on making love to you often. Actually, every chance I get. ” He patted his ass fondly and went back to pour a cup of coffee.
“Can I ask you something?”
“Sure, what do you want to know?”
“When you came back out of the council room, you were furious at me. I know I shouldn’t have said what I did to that jerk, but why did you get so angry? He taunted me, you know. ”
Ian sat down at the table, motioning for Logan to join him. “I know, and I was more furious at Casey than you. The one cardinal rule of the Wolf Pack is that we protect our pets and our mates at all costs. That rule is first and foremost and is never to be broken. The idea of another wolf attacking one of our mates is unthinkable. Our law forbids even touching another wolf’s mate. When you said what you did to Casey, he totally lost his temper and attacked. Luckily, he retained enough sense not to seriously hurt you. When I saw those bruises on your arms, though, I got furious all over again. You have to watch what you say to the wolves, Logan, and never touch one. I can’t stress that enough. It would be so provocative to him. Even if you didn’t mean it that way, he might think you’re coming on to him. ”
“I lost my temper too. He sneered at me about being a coward—said I didn’t look so tough. ” His face flamed, and he touched his collar. “Probably because of this. ”
Ian reached across the table and pulled down his hand. “Casey has a smart mouth. He gave his own mate a hard time when they first got together. The collar is a sign to all other wolves that you belong to me. That you’re my mate. It’s there to protect you, not humiliate you. It should make you feel owned and cherished, because you are. ”
“What happened to Casey?”
“You mean after they pulled me off him?” Ian smiled grimly. “I don’t know—they got me out of there, but I’m sure Marco had more than a few choice words for him. ”
“What’s his deal, anyway?”
“Casey is a hot head, but Hunters have threatened us for years and too often they’ve killed our kind without provocation. Tensions are running high, especially after the attack on Marco and Rory. ”
“I didn’t shoot them,” he said, knowing itprobably didn’t make any difference. He’d been with the group that did. “I thought once I was bitten, I was this Werekin thing, not a Hunter anymore and the things I did before are forgotten. ”
“That’s right. Casey was way out of line to taunt you. ”
“Is it because—because we’re both men? Because I let you…” His voice trailed off, and he shook his head in confusion. “His own mate is a male, right?”
Ian smiled and shook his head. “The sex of our matesdoesn’t matter to us,” he said in reminder. “Yes, Casey’s mate is a male. So is Marco’s, a very colorful, beautiful young man named Nicky. I’m sure you’ll meet both of them soon. ” He covered Logan’s hand with his. “Logan, I’ve tried to tell you we don’t have the same human prejudices here. Since our blood most often picks our mates,and we never know until we meet them what gender they’ll be, we don’t pay any attention to such concerns. Love is just love. C’mon. Let’s go down to the cafeteria to get something to eat. Go get dressed. ”
Logan returned to the bedroom and opened the drawer Ian told him was his. It was filled with nothing but the tight leather pants. Sighing, he pulled a pair of them on and went back out to the main room. “Any particular reason why I have to wear nothing more than these?”
“It’s traditional. Looks nice on you, with your body, but if you want to wear a shirt, it’s up to you. ”
“Then yeah, I would like a shirt. ”
“I don’t have any for you. We can stop by the purser’s downstairs and get you one. ”