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be rehabilitated?” Ori asked, eagerly, leaning forward in his seat.
    “Yes,” Everet said.
    Poor, delusional sod. Kane only just kept back a burst of laughter.
    “What do you think, sir?” Ori asked Raynard.
    “If Everet thinks he can reform him, I see no reason why he shouldn’t be allowed to try. However, I’d give the venture no better than fifty-fifty odds of success.” He studied Everet for a moment. “I’d suggest each man be allowed to swap the arrangement for Kane’s sentence in the cage if and when the need arose.”
    Ori smiled, as if he’d been given permission for a huge treat. Without warning, he turned to Kane.
    “Do you understand what this would mean, Kane? You’d belong to him in every way,” Ori said. He looked down for a moment. “Everet is a good man, but being under any man’s protection can’t always be easy. He could set any rules he wished you to follow. If you did something wrong, he’d be allowed to punish you in whatever way he saw fit.”
    Yeah, right. Kane was sure they all thought that was the way things would be between them. “I understand,” he said. He understood far more than any of them ever would!
    Silence filled the room for several seconds.
    “So, what do you think, Kane?” Ori eventually asked. “Will you accept Everet as your master and agree to do your best to be a good submissive for him?”
    Kane smiled, all his faith in his ability to find a nice safe perch to land upon very nicely confirmed. “Of course, sir.”
    If he’d given a damn about being honest with any of the men in the room, he might have crossed his fingers for that last bit. As it was, he didn’t even bother.

 
     
     
     
    Chapter Three
     
    Everet closed the door leading into his set of rooms at the nest carefully behind him. It was important that he pay attention to every single thing he did. Monitoring his future actions was now essential in a way it had never seemed to be before. If he didn’t keep a careful watch on himself, he might let another insane act slip through all the barriers of common sense he possessed.
    Everet still didn’t know what the hell he’d been thinking, agreeing to take the damn magpie under his wing. He was reasonably sure that it would always remain a mystery—possibly because he’d lost his mind.
    Holding back a curse, Everet turned away from the door. He was just in time to see Kane stride into the middle of the small sitting area that took up most of his accommodation at the nest.
    Kane ran his gaze over the space with obvious distaste. “The guest quarters were much nicer.”
    “I’m not a guest,” Everet said. “I work here. Once you’ve healed, you’ll be working here, too.”
    Kane made no comment on that. Selective deafness seemed to be one of his current specialties. Everet added it to the end of the ever-increasing list of behaviors he’d have to try to modify if Kane could ever be allowed any kind of freedom.
    Everet stepped away from the door as he watched the other man examine his surroundings.
    Sofa, armchair, shelves, coffee table. He didn’t miss a thing.
    Whatever Kane had taken, it obviously did a sterling job of keeping him oblivious to his pain. Every movement he made was fluid and easy. It was almost possible to believe the bruises were just colors painted onto his skin.
    The boy would have a hell of a shock once his high wore off.
    “Are you hungry?”
    Kane shook his head, not even bothering to look over his shoulder.
    Everet, however, was hungry enough to eat whatever anyone would put in front of him. Stepping over to the fireplace, he picked up the phone from its holder on the wall and called down to the kitchens.
    Kane glanced into the bathroom before drifting into the apartment’s only bedroom.
    Everet listened out for a crash, just in case Kane’s high ended with a bang, but no sound emerged from the bedroom. No comment regarding the fact Everet’s apartment only contained one bed made its way out to him