It was easy to follow his Dom's footsteps. All he had to do was trust him. This wasn't a question of trust, but of confusion and being lost. That bubble of safety around them had popped so violently that it felt like there was a literal ringing in his ears and the world around him was too vivid, too loud, the air harsh against his skin. Then there was Eli, pressed up against him and everything good, warm and soft and safe. How could he not trust that?

If Eli said he hadn't done anything wrong, he believed that, but then what had happened? Someone else wanted him, someone had come to have him and his mind couldn't keep up with the demand. He was Eli's, but there was that pull at him that only set to make his thoughts more disorganized and distressing. "We're safe," he whispered, not only trying to keep it away from whatever boogeyman was there but to convince himself as well. They were safe. Because Eli was right there. Why couldn't his stupid brain listen to that?