The Leopard King

by Ann Aguirre

  When he came out of her room, dressed and drying his hair, she was slicing meat for a fry-up. At least that was what her mother had called it when she cut up whatever was in the fridge and sautéed it together. He took the knife from her and made short work of the few vegetables that were still good. It turned out fairly tasty, she thought, and he didn’t complain.

  As they ate, he filled her in about the Golgoth activity in the north. “Hard not to worry about that,” she muttered, once he finished.

  “Don’t. That’s my job.”

  “Mine is to halve your burdens, however I can.”

  His gaze locked on her, all citrine intensity. “When you say shit like that, it is impossible for me to fathom why Slay didn’t lock you down years ago.”

  “Funny, huh.”

  Though he doubtless intended his words as a compliment, they stabbed her in the squishy bits. Tears threatened, so she gathered their plates and retreated to the kitchen. Pru thought she’d have a minute to compose herself, but when she turned, Dom stood there with a penitent look.

  “I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have said that.”

  “No, I don’t want you to be guarded. Dalena and Slay were part of our lives for so long… it doesn’t make sense for us never to mention them. It’s critical that we stay honest, if we’re building something together.” That sounded wrong, but it was the path they’d both chosen.

  He nodded. “Just know… if it was me, I’d have claimed you regardless.”

  Dom cursed himself inwardly. Throwing Slay under the bus was a shitty thing to do, and he’d hurt Pru with his careless tongue. His conscience might be technically clear, but he also felt like a backdoor man who crept around while the husband was away. They weren’t bonded, he told himself. It’s not the worst thing anyone ever did.

  His mouth smarted, reminding him that Slay felt otherwise. Gonna be a while before he forgives me. If ever.

  Pru studied him for a long moment, then her expression brightened to a willingness to tease. “Easy for you to say. I can shift, so you won’t be tested.”

  “You have a point. Wash up if you like. I’ll clean the kitchen.”

  Given what she’d said about helping him, Dom didn’t expect her to accede, but she smiled and thanked him. They hadn’t made a huge mess, so he made short work of the dishes. By this point, it was late enough that he felt like going to sleep, but it seemed wrong to retire without Pru on their first night together. So he got a random book from the shelf and was dozing with it on the sofa when she finally came out of the bathroom.

  “Sorry I took so long. Ready for bed?”

  “More than,” he answered.

  She crossed to him and took his hand, tugging him to his feet. “Don’t be polite. This is home now.”

  “I know.” He followed her to the bedroom, where they worked in tandem turning down the covers.

  It’s been forever since I slept in a real bed.

  As Pru eased under the blankets, she said, “I think it’s natural for it to be a little strange at first. But… we have a lot going for us. Friendship. Respect. And we’re definitely… compatible.” By the look she slid from beneath her lashes, Dom took her meaning.

  Despite his general exhaustion, a flicker of heat shimmered through him. “True.”

  “So as long as we communicate well and remember to ask for what we want and need, I’m sure we can make this work.” This sounded like a pep talk she had been giving herself, so he didn’t poke holes in it.

  Besides, she made some fair points. “I can’t promise I’ll be good at any of that. Hell, I didn’t talk to anybody for quite a while.”

  “I won’t expect immediate perfection,” she said, smiling.

  “Thanks.” Dom pulled the covers over him and settled in.

  When she rolled onto her side, facing him, he did the same, because it seemed like she had more to say. Hopefully the conversation wouldn’t run long, as he had no idea if he could stay awake, and it’d probably piss her off if he drifted while she was talking. At least that had been the case with Dalena.

  Reaching over, she switched off the light, plunging the room into shadow. “This next issue is a bit more complicated. I mean, if we’d been lovers for a while it’d be different…”

  “Just tell me what’s on your mind. Honesty is our motto, right?”

  “Definitely. At first, it might be difficult to come out and say that we’re… in the mood. So I propose some kind of signal.”

  Suddenly wide-awake, Dom realized she was talking about sex. Yeah, I can’t grab Pru and growl, “Let’s fuck.” Part of him still couldn’t believe they’d done that. It was odd enough being in bed with her when he only meant to sleep. During the daylight hours, his mind had skittered away from the heat that sizzled between them. Probably because I was starved for it, and she was riding an endorphin wave. Even so, they’d both want more sooner or later, as it wasn’t like orgasms came with a warranty.

  Good for six months or six thousand miles.

  He thought for a moment. What would look innocent to anyone else? “Like, if I kiss your neck, it means—”

  “Yes,” she whispered. “And if I run my nails down your back…”

  Dom barely checked a moan. The idea of a secret sex signal turned him on something fierce. He imagined her coming to him in the middle of the conclave with some innocuous excuse while her fingertips whispered filthy things in a slow slide down his spine. With no further prelude, his cock stirred, half-ready to play.

  Somehow he managed a sensible response. “If you don’t pick up the cue, I’ll know it’s not in the cards.”

  “Saves us both some embarrassment,” she said.

  At the moment, he didn’t know if he could sleep because his dick just kept getting harder, and they’d only had this sweet, awkward little conversation. Dom weighed the odds. She may not want to, but… he leaned over and brushed his lips against her throat. Her eyes widened in the moonlight, but she scooted closer, no more than a whisper between them. A light shiver worked through him as he remembered the feel of her coming on his cock. Last time, he had been so shocked and passive that it was a miracle she’d gotten anything out of their encounter.

  This time I’ll make her moan.

  Like they were petting furtively, he touched her over her pajamas, running his hands down her body until she arched and sighed. Then she pulled his palm to her breast, and a hard little nipple nudged for attention, so he lowered his head. Dom licked until the fabric clung to her. Through her top, she gasped at the pressure of his lips and teeth.

  I wanted to die until you came to me. The thought crystalized as he nuzzled her shoulders and collarbone, and the anguished sweetness of needing Pru, even this much, made him want to drive her out of her mind. He teased her with forays to her bare belly until she squirmed against him, her breath coming in soft gasps. She smelled of hot, willing sex to the point that he went lightheaded, and he must be hitting her exactly the same way.

  “Please take my clothes off.” Her voice sounded husky.

  “Right after mine.”

  Dom just about shredded what he had on, wanting to be closer to her. Pru didn’t wait for him, however. By the time he was done, she’d flung her pajamas all over the room. Why didn’t I notice how sexy she is until now? He couldn’t stop looking, tracing a path with his eyes over the swell of her breasts, the indent of her waist, the faint curve of her stomach, and the delicious roundness of her ass—all of her dappled beautifully. A full day wouldn’t be long enough to lick every place he wanted.

  “Why are you staring?” She didn’t try to hide, but he spied the first hint of shyness, endearing after her determined seduction.

  “Because you’re eye candy, and I’ve got a sweet tooth.”

  Obviously delighted, she giggled. “I can’t believe you said that with a straight face.”

  Her laughter went to his head like the strongest liquor. No more provocation than that, and suddenly he was shaking. Another minute and he mi
ght combust. “Pru…”

  “Yes?”

  “I don’t think I can wait. Is it okay if we skip a few steps?” With unsteady hands, he stroked her pussy, once, twice, and his mouth watered over finding her wet.

  In response, she fell back and opened her thighs, but he wanted something else, had to have it. Snarling a little, he flipped her and lifted her hips, then he slid beneath her, face first. She startled when he licked her; there was no strangling her moans as he tasted and sucked. When his tongue grazed her clit, she rubbed against his mouth in reflex. He didn’t know how long he could control himself, so he grabbed her hips and rocked her on his face. Pru took the rhythm and ran, gasping in helpless pleasure.

  “I can’t,” she moaned.

  Only she didn’t stop riding his chin, squirming until he could drown in her. Her orgasm astonished him since he felt crazed instead of skilled. In the midst of it, he pounced on her and took her from behind in a hard thrust to savor the last few pulses of her tight, slick pussy. The melting bliss nearly made him come, so he held still, shivering and swearing.

  “I’m okay. I’m okay. I just need a minute.” He didn’t even know what he was saying, and then she started pushing back on him, demanding more.

  “Oh, fuck.” She squeezed down on him, and it actually felt like she might be going again.

  “You can’t, you can’t be—” Only she was. Her pussy did magical things to his dick, and again, until he couldn’t breathe or think or even thrust.

  Dom came so hard he almost passed out.

  8.

  Years ago, Dalena had whispered, “Mating frenzy,” and Pru gave her a look.

  “You’re making that up,” she’d replied.

  “No, I’m serious. It’s a real thing. You think sex was good before, but when you’ve just agreed to be bonded, it’s wildly intense. You’ll find out for yourself.”

  Now, lying in bed with Dom, she wondered what her friend would say now. But of course, if she could comment, I wouldn’t be here. I might never have shifted and I’d still be waiting for Slay. It seemed ridiculous that she was discovering the truth of the mating frenzy with Dom.

  She sighed faintly, and he shifted to settle her head on his chest, his hand playing idly in her hair. “You okay?”

  “Just… surprised,” she said.

  “By what?”

  “The fact that our bodies communicate so well.” There, that was clear, but she still blushed over saying it.

  “It’s a little unexpected. But I’m glad you want me. I’d almost forgotten how it feels.”

  Pru shied away from that admission; it skirted too close to forbidden territory. She’d made peace with the idea that some parts of him would always be off-limits. Since Slay had been partitioning their relationship for years, she was used to that, and at least Dom wouldn’t treat her like a dirty secret or hide her from his family.

  Her silence seemed to trouble him, however. Because he touched her cheek and prompted, “You do, right? While we’re together, you’re not thinking of…”

  Slay, her mind supplied the name he didn’t say. Pru shook her head quickly. “Of course not. When I’m with you, I’m with you.”

  She could have said that he was different than Slay, wilder. Slay prided himself on how crazy he could make her without letting his guard down. Maybe that had been because he didn’t want them to get attached, even accidentally. That was also why Slay had doled out their physical encounters like starvation rations. But Pru refused to open the door to comparisons; there was no way she’d win against Dalena, and she didn’t want to.

  “Glad to hear it.” He sounded sleepy, so she let him drift off.

  Once he winked out, she breathed him in with a sort of bittersweet bewilderment. He smelled of fresh mint and aspen wood, delicious to the point that it was hard not to nibble him. Lying beside him, Dalena must have felt exactly this way, and Pru fought tears that tasted of betrayal. Pru had spent her life trying to work hard enough to make up for the fact that she was defective, and she didn’t know how to stop that anxious trying. In time he might find her bothersome or overzealous. The day would probably never come when the shadows left his eyes, but maybe he could be content with her.

  Eventually, she slept.

  She dreamt of a particular autumn afternoon, of golden sunlight, crisp air, and the fluttery of orange and crimson leaves. The four of them on a picnic, Dalena and Dom had gone cat, tumbling each other and snarling with mock ferocity, while Slay rested his head in Pru’s lap and lazily demanded she pet him, like some kind of emperor. Pru sank her hands into Slay’s hair, as she had a thousand times before.

  “This is perfect,” he purred.

  Suddenly, the scene soured—and Dalena shifted back to human form, her eyes tricking blood tears. Though Pru didn’t recall them moving, Dom and Slay had swapped places and he was touching her while Dalena watched. He nuzzled her thigh with his cheek, then moved so he could kiss higher, and she squirmed, pinioned between pleasure and shame, and it was like she was the only one who could see Dalena anymore, a sorrowful ghost fading in the sunshine.

  “How could you?” her best friend wept.

  Dom was gone when she started awake, her entire body trembling. It took Pru a long time to settle down.

  After she gathered herself, she got out of bed. Dom must have picked up her pajamas because they were no longer strewn about the room. Abashed, she got dressed and discovered that he’d left tea and toast on the table for her, a kindness that made her misty as she ate breakfast. Before she could tidy up, a knock sounded at the door. Pru checked in case it was Slay, come to fight with her some more, but she brightened when she spotted her cousin, Jocelyn. As usual, Joss only waited a few seconds, then let herself in.

  “Rumors are rampant,” Joss said with a grin. “So I came straight to the source.”

  “Good morning to you too.” Sighing, she put her dishes in the sink and got a sponge.

  “Don’t be grumpy. I’ve got juicy gossip. Slay got seriously shitfaced last night and had to be thrown in the drunk tank until he settled down. I’m willing to bet a week of patrol duty that it’s related to the whispers I’m hearing about you.”

  While she washed her cup, she summarized the current state of affairs for Joss.

  “Holy shit, you can shift. You realize you just doubled your workload, right? In addition to teaching, you’ll also have guard rotations, and… I suspect you’re too happy to care about that.” With this reaction, Joss established why she was Pru’s favorite cousin and closest friend since Dalena died. “Congratulations, copper top.”

  Anyone else would be fixating on the mess I’ve made of my relationships.

  “Don’t call me that.”

  “You prefer carrots?”

  Pru sighed. But she knew exactly why Joss was acting this way. “It’s all right. You can ask about Dom and Slay if you want.”

  “Whew. I thought I might die of curiosity. So…?”

  Joss listened with occasional nods, but she didn’t interrupt. When Pru ran out of words, she glanced at her cousin, who was now sitting at the table with her chin propped on her hands.

  “I don’t know if you want my actual opinion or unconditional support.”

  “Honesty is best.”

  “Considering how long you and Slay did that dance, it’s a little shitty you didn’t break it off clean first, but there were extenuating circumstances, and I’ve never liked how Slay treats you, so it could be argued that he deserved a hard lesson. All told, my vote goes to Dom.” Joss offered an impish grin. “Of course, that might be because I can say that my cousin leads the pride. What kind of perks can I expect, huh?”

  “You’re ridiculous,” she said, laughing.

  Joss tossed her hair, which was curlier than Pru’s, and so dark that unless the sun hit it, you wouldn’t realize how red it was. She’d also escaped the freckles and gotten green eyes like a mossy pond. The fact that she hadn’t chosen a mate related directly to the fact that she
refused to settle down. There had been two or three contenders, but when Joss laughingly challenged them all to a series of quests to win her hand, they backed off so fast it had been embarrassing.

  “Seriously, though, all I care about is that you’re happy. You’ll be surrounded by the patter of little paws in no time.”

  “I doubt it. We’ve barely talked about where to live, so I won’t flip the fertility switch until we agree it’s time.,” she said, recalling how Slay’s mother hinted she had inferior genes.

  Wandering to the kitchen, Joss helped herself to leftovers. “I’ve heard that human women have no say over when they get pregnant or if they do.”

  “That’s quite a design flaw. But I think maybe the Eldritch have the same problem.”

  “Golgoth?” her cousin asked.

  She shook her head with a half-shrug. “Can you imagine someone sending a survey to investigate their reproduction? I’ve never even seen one in the flesh.”

  “They do seem like stories we’re told to keep us from roving too far from the hold, but come to think of it, our curiosity will be sated in a few days.” Once Joss scarfed down the food, she tossed her dirty dishes in the sink. “More importantly, I can’t wait to patrol with you. Have you talked to Caio about getting on the roster?”

  “Not yet. As you can see, I’m still in my pajamas.”

  “Well, put some pants on. Let’s take care of business.”

  Thus motivated, she rushed through getting ready and followed her cousin to the cramped office that completed admin-related tasks like housing assignments and guard duty. Caio glanced up and then rose when he recognized her. To her astonishment, he executed a half-bow, the like of which she’d seen old pride mates use with important guests.

  “Er—”

  “Welcome, matron.”

  Pru traded looks with Joss, who was wide-eyed and failing to quell a bad case of the giggles. “You don’t have to be so formal.”

  Caio ignored that. “What can I do for you?”

  “I want to join the rotation. Do I need to fill out a form or prove that I can shift…?”