Warm fingers brush gently over his skin through the cage, and Daniel blinks up at him through blurry eyes. It’s a huge thing in his chest, and he realizes it’s misery. It’s everything he’s holding back and it’s all caught behind that word.

“You’re so lovely, angel. And you’re trying so hard when you don’t need to. Be soft, sweetheart. Give it to me.”

Liam pulls Daniel’s hand down to the cage. “I’m yours,” he says, feeling cherished. Protected. The most intimate part of him, held safe by his Daddy.

“Good boy, that’s right,” Liam murmurs and Daniel is in his lap, limp and weak, suddenly safe and protected as he says it again and again, huge racking sobs into his Daddy’s shirt, crying more than he’s ever cried before. He can’t stop, can’t even think about stopping, hitching breaths and so much misery pouring out of him.

He burrows closer, needing more. Why can’t he stay here forever in his Daddy’s arms?

Eventually, Daniel realizes the crying has slowed. And then stopped. He’s staring at nothing, curled up against his Daddy.

He doesn’t ever want to leave. He didn’t get to run but he knows his Daddy would have caught him.

Would you have punished me? Daniel wants to ask, but it’s the ultimate question for a submissive like him. The ultimate test and declaration of devotion. What would a Dominant do when he catches a prey submissive in truth? But the question is too heavy, too dark and needy, scary to even think about. If he ran away from the man then he’d want to be caught and punished severely. He’d need to know his place. Who he belongs to. That part of his designation would be satisfied.

A submissive as high needs as he is can get into trouble, get killed by the wrong Dominant, and sometimes the Dominant can claim it wasn’t his fault, that the submissive egged him on, demanded more and more, and somehow wound up dead. He knows that isn’t why his Daddy is saying no. He’s saying no because it’s the only thing left for them. The bond would never be broken then.

He’d be claiming Daniel in truth, not just helping him in a professional capacity.

His Daddy won’t let him run. He burrows closer, needing to be content with what he can have.

16

Dr. Chang arrives on Monday without warning. They hear the car pull up. Liam makes him stay in the nest and Daniel is so drowsy he goes along with it. Then he hears the doctor’s voice outside and realizes that it’s over.

His father is alive, then. He hears several pairs of boots coming up the steps. Armed guards to escort him back.