Total pages in book: 143
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 138844 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 694(@200wpm)___ 555(@250wpm)___ 463(@300wpm)
After pouring a glass of… What the fuck even was this? Blueberry juice? Cam must’ve picked this up. The label screamed of all things healthy—antioxidants, vitamins, organic, and on it went.
I took a sip.
Not bad.
Then I called Cam and prepared myself for Greer answering.
I wasn’t wrong. Greer’s voice filtered through after the third ring.
“That’s a nice couple selfie Cam’s got there when Owner calling lights up the screen. I’ve been expectin’ your call, buddy. How are ya?”
I suppressed a sigh and leaned back against the counter. “Half of me is missing. I assume KC and the rest of the community have given you all the information.”
“Yeah, we’re a chatty bunch,” he chuckled. Though, he sobered pretty fast. “You got us all worried. I didn’t know it was that bad.”
I cleared my throat, more interested in knowing how bad it had been for Cam today. “Honestly, neither did I. But I suppose I was due for a lesson in learning I’m not immortal. Can we talk about Cam? How is he?”
“He’s…” Greer blew out a breath, and I heard some rustling in the background, as if he was walking to another room. “Today’s been rough on him, man. He feels guilty as fuck for leavin’. Meanwhile, he’s scared shitless he’s about to lose you. And do you know what it does to a slave—in that mind-set—to worry about losing that one person who’s supposedly his world? For chrissakes, we’ve been teaching this at demos for years.”
The last thing I needed was a lecture on things I already knew, but I fucking deserved it. With a hard swallow, I sank down on the floor and scrubbed a hand over my face.
“He’s deep into that line of thinking, Lucian. When something happens to you, he suffers even more because he’s not in control. He can’t do shit but watch.”
Another thing we’d drilled into the skulls of our members for as long as I could remember. When a sub fucked up, the sub suffered. When a Dom fucked up…the sub suffered.
My eyes started burning as I tried to see things from Cameron’s perspective. What it would be like to watch a loved one wreck himself—all while that person constantly swore to always be there.
Fucking hell, I was the lowest of the low. And to think, I’d given myself a pat on the back for never canceling plans. I’d been firm on being honest about working late, rather than promising I’d be home early and then calling to say I couldn’t make it.
Talk about setting the bar low.
“I don’t need to tell you any of this, do I? You already know.”
I sniffled and cleared my throat, and I exhaled unsteadily. “Knowledge doesn’t necessarily prevent stupidity. Evidently.”
Greer hummed. “Question now is, what’re you gonna do about it? You’re one of the best men I know, so I expect it to blow my fuckin’ mind.”
I croaked a chuckle and wiped at my cheek. “I can always trust you to raise the bar, my friend.”
“More like putting it where it should be,” he replied. “To be honest, I fuckin’ hate comin’ atchu like this, because you’re a Master worth looking up to. I expect more from you—because that’s what you’ve delivered in the past. You always put a sub’s needs before your own. You’re always protective. You’re always careful around behavioral conditioning and settin’ up structures that will affect someone’s mind-set. So… Jesus Christ, why did you think you could fuck with the entire foundation Cam stands on? He needs you. He needs you—to be okay. You are that foundation, in case I wasn’t already crystal fuckin’ clear.”
I screwed my eyes shut and pinched the bridge of my nose as the hits kept coming. He wasn’t saying anything I hadn’t thought of today or been told by KC—and I was sure Penelope was going to give me an earful along the same lines tomorrow. And I had no response. What could I say? I’d overestimated my own abilities, and in doing so, I’d done exactly what Greer was telling me now. I’d stolen the very foundation Cam walked on. I’d ripped it away from him in the middle of an arrogant slew of promises to the contrary, how I’d always be there for him and that he could count on me.
“One last thing, buddy,” Greer said. “We’re part of dynamics where not just one person relies on us, but three. A lot more is at stake, and a lot more will unravel if you yank the wrong thread.”
Christ, he knew where to strike. I coughed to clear my throat, and I rubbed at my chest. I’d noticed this today, how different things were when one part was missing. And in the end, that was all we were. Several parts of a whole.
Greer cleared his throat too. “And now that I’ve given you a sufficient amount of shit, I’ll have your back when our mates get their turn in the comin’ days. Except for Pen—good luck with her.”