Page 79 of Designation: Null

He’s so relieved he laughs. Maybe it’s surprise, too. “It’s that easy? I thought you’d have a problem with me resigning.”

“Why? It’s your life and your brother needs you. I just want you to be happy. I want you to get to know yourself, who you really are, and I’m not sure the military is a good place to do that. And you’re not null, you’re submissive. I’d be concerned that going back on active duty would confuse things, make you question that identity.”

“What do you think I should do with my time?” he asks, curious what Robert will say.

“I don’t know. That’s up to you to figure out. But you have the resources and time to decide for yourself. And I can’t wait to see what you choose, who you become when you’re given the space to really figure yourself out.”

“And you’ll be there to help,” Logan says, nipping him. He means it as a joke, but once he says it, he realizes it’s true. Robert will help him. And Logan wants that. It will be a relief to have that love and support.

“I’ll be as involved as you want.” Which seems to be a diplomatic answer. But Robert gives him a kiss and is holding him tightly, and Logan sees the offer for what it really is. Guardrails and caring. Joy spills through him like warm water. Robert will keep him safe, will look out for him and make sure he’s loved.

“I think my life will be a lot better now,” Logan confesses quietly.

“I’m definitely going to try, Logan. You deserve it.”

“I love you, Daddy.”

“And I love you,” Robert says, and makes love to him again.

They spend the rest of the day in bed and Logan doesn’t ever want it to end. They’re just settling down to watch a movie when Liam Stone calls them back.

“Hello?” Robert answers.

Logan can hear the other man speaking. “Hi, this is Liam Stone, I’m returning your call.”

“Hello, yes. We met at a designation conference last year and I was hoping you might give me some advice. My partner’s brother has a prey designation and has been in stasis for the last few years. We want to bring him out with the least number of complications. We’d like for him to have a Dominant available for his reintegration.”

The man sighs heavily. “I don’t have any recommendations to give you off the top of my head. It’s very hard to find a Dominant who can give a submissive with a prey designation the care they need. Any Dominant can fuck a submissive, but to put a submissive with those needs first is not something a lot of Dominants are capable of. On the rare occasions a Dominant is good enough to be with a prey submissive, they usually wind up bonding. Most often the Dominant is unable to walk away once he’s been with a submissive oriented that way. The bond is very intense for both parties. How soon do you need someone?”

“Oh. The hope is to bring him out of stasis immediately.”

“I wouldn’t do it until you have the right Dominant lined up.”

“But you don’t know of anyone?”

Logan hears the man heave another sigh. “I wish I had something better to tell you. I recommend you start at the top of the Dominant range in terms of who is available, and if you find someone you like, contact their last few sexual partners to get the true story on what they’re really like in bed. Any sign of boundary pushing or nonconsent and you have to move on to the next candidate. Prey are just so submissive that it’s all up to the Dominant to keep him safe.”

“What about you? Is there any chance we could ask you to be there when he first comes out of stasis? I don’t know if he’ll be looking for someone permanent—”

“He will,” Logan says. He and Liam say it at the same time. Which is a relief because it tells Logan the man does have experience with someone like Daniel.

“Daniel needs one man and that’s it. That’s all he’severwanted.”

There’s a long pause on the other end of the phone before Liam asks, “I don’t think you mentioned. What is Daniel’s surname?”

“Burrows.”

“The person you’re with now, Daniel’s brother… is he Logan Burrows?”

“How do you know that?” Robert asks.

“Because Daniel told me when we were together. Daniel Burrows was my submissive. But Daniel’s dead. He’s been gone for three years now.”

The look of shock on Robert’s face likely mirrors his own. “Daniel was your boy,” Robert repeats.

Logan grabs the phone from him. “Daniel isn’t dead! My father is just an asshole with too much power and he probably told you Daniel was dead so you’d go away. My father put him into stasis, but now my father is dying and we’re bringing him out.”

“When?” Liam demands. “I have to be there. He—He’ll need me. And I need him. My god. I won’t believe he’s alive until I see him,” he says, voice rough with emotion.

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