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Jules appreciated that Halian seemed to be going out of his way to give him personal time. He figured that Hal had Lucien in the woodland somewhere, and chained him up when he needed to visit. And, Jules didn"t like how haggard Halian looked. Day by day it got worse.

"h.e.l.lo, Jules," Halian greeted, sitting on the moss-covered log beside him. "Are you out here alone?"

"Ruto is on the other side of that bramble thicket," Jules informed. "I speared him a couple of fish, and he"s happily eating." He gave the kitten sling over to Halian. He"d knitted it the second day of owning her, just to keep her close to him as he went about his day. So far, she hadn"t complained. Also, she was a lot bigger than he thought she should be.

Halian smiled at the kitten, touching noses with her. "Aren"t you a big girl?" He asked, smiling even wider when she meowed, and batted his cheek.

Jules looked at those bright blue eyes and the dark smudges of fatigue underneath. Halian"s face showed a few crinkles near his eyes, as if he smiled often, but Jules could bet he hadn"t smiled today until seeing the baby lynx. "Hal, if you have to stay out there with your brother, do it," Jules said. "I appreciate your effort, but you"re getting tired."

"I"m bringing him back tomorrow morning," Halian said, lightly petting the kitten. "Isolation only took the majority of the aggression out of him. He needed to know I was serious, and now he does."
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"Really?" Jules doubted that.

"It"s a matter of draining him," Halian explained. "Without an audience, he can only focus on me. Without his servants, he relies upon me to feed him and keep him safe." He shrugged slightly as he smoothed the kitten"s whiskers back one side at a time. "It"s how Sam reconditions abused or aggressive horses. You make the animal rely upon you."

"Lucien isn"t an animal," Jules pointed out.

Halian met his eyes, and cool as anything, said, "Actually, Jules, he is."

Jules"s mouth went dry. He pushed down a strange and indefinable sense of fear. "That makes ??? an animal, Hal."

Halian nodded solemnly. "If you could see me when I fight in the Alpha Arrangement, you would agree."

They held each other"s eyes for what seemed a long, long time. Jules got lost in all that blue. But, his eyes slid shut on their own at feeling Halian"s strong, work-roughened hand gently spreading out over his jaw.

"In my life I"ve never seen a man as lovely as you," Halian murmured. "Every feature both handsome and beautiful... And, inside, you"re like a burning sun. Pure and bright. No one could look at you and deny G.o.d"s existence. He put extra work into your creation."

"Hal..." Jules leaned into Halian"s hand. Though they sat out here in front of the cold lake, he felt so warm.

"???, ????? ?? ????," ?????? ????, ??????? ?????"? ???? ???????. "?"?? ?????? ??????."

Jules thought that maybe Hal had never meant virginity. He considered Jules pure for something else. For what he was on the inside.

Jules didn"t know how he"d gotten so lucky as to be bought by an alpha so focused on treating people well. Even Halian"s parents were like that. How did Lucien miss the lessons of his parents and brother?

"You make me want to do anything but sleep in the woods with my fiend of a brother," Halian said, and Jules"s eyes popped open. "I miss my bed, and the person in it."

Jules smiled as Halian"s hand dropped away. "It"s terrible to not have you keeping me warm," he told him. "I feel safe enough, but it"s different when I can put my hand on you any time I want."

"I couldn"t agree more." Halian gave him the kitten back gently.

It might have been Jules"s imagination, but the baby lynx felt heavier when he slung her back around his neck.

Halian got up and stretched. "Make sure you introduce the cat to the dogs," he said. "Don"t let them get too close. Just allow them to smell you. I don"t want her in danger."

"I"ve already been doing that," Jules reported. "Ruto"s been sleeping in your bedroom, by the way. I can"t make him leave me."

"I asked him to stay with you," Halian said. "Until tomorrow, Jules. Sleep well."

"You too, Hal," Jules said, sorrowing inside.