Atlas nodded and watched her take off the scarf, then moved his hand to her neck. Lightly, he ran his fingers over the marks, then bent his head down to brush his lips over the skin. "I'm sorry I couldn't be there," he murmured against her skin. "I'm sorry I couldn't stop it."
He pulled back and stared into her face, one hand moving to her arm, holding her gently. He opened his mouth to say something else, then heard Apollo's high pitch bark behind him, followed by Oc's low whine. Then the two dogs came around the corner and Octavius took the opportunity to jump up onto his spot on the couch and Apollo went for Minerva, wiggling into her lap and wagging his tail.
"Apparently the boys don't want us to have anymore grown up time," Atlas said with a grin, wrapping his arm around the large dog.