The Leopard King

by Ann Aguirre

  Presently, Dom was all smiles, tickling the crap out of Jilly, who might never leave his lap. There was no way she could disillusion her aunt with the truth. So she smiled and accepted the praise with a quiet face that hid her byzantine reaction. Her mate grabbed Jase then and dragged him into the tussle, so he was covered in shrieking, laughing children.

  Maybe someday, they’ll be ours. The sweetness of that possibility made her want to go over to him and kiss his head. But a thunderous pounding on the door prevented her from making that public claim.

  Dom used the visitor as an excuse to stop wrestling. Waving the others off, he answered with an inquiring look and found Beren, red-faced and short of breath. “Sorry to interrupt but I have urgent news.”

  “Let’s talk privately.”

  In short order, he said farewell and thanked the family for their hospitality, and then he followed the bear lord to his quarters. The fact that Beren didn’t want to talk in the conference room spoke volumes. Dom expected to find Raff waiting, but not only was the wolf lord absent, even the clan guards had been dismissed.

  “I received this ten minutes ago,” Beren said.

  He handed his phone over with a video file queued up. The sound and picture quality was shit, and it was obviously shot raw, but the content chilled Dom’s blood—only thirteen seconds of footage, men in fatigues, shouting, cries of pain, a kaleidoscopic glimpse of live combat—and then static. No attached message, text or voice.

  “From who?”

  “One of my scouts. I can’t raise him. His unit is comm-dead too. As I see it, the Golgoth have already broken the Pax Protocols, and they’re massacring my people. I’m telling you in private as a courtesy… I’m done with this farce. First thing tomorrow, I’m going home.”

  Dom tried to sort bad from worse. “Are you sure it’s the Golgoth?”

  “Who else? I showed you the troop movement reports before. You think humans bypassed you and went straight for bear territory? Offer some bullshit that at least makes sense.”

  “I’m not arguing. Just fact-finding. Why strike now?”

  “Element of surprise, fool cub. We’re all away with unproven people left in charge of our demesnes. Lockdown or no, don’t try to stop me.”

  “I’m not giving you an answer right this second. You do what you must in the morning, and I’ll do the same. Because you know as well as I do that if you bail out on these talks, I lose all authority and the others will follow suit.”

  “I give no fucks about your authority. The only reason I’m not moving right now is the fact that half of my guards are hungover. It wouldn’t serve me to drag them into combat at half efficiency. They’re under orders to eat well, sleep it off, and be ready to move at six sharp.”

  “Calm down—”

  “Are you trying to piss me off? If not, let’s shorthand the rest. I have more important things to do.” With that, Beren went to the door and gestured, clearly wanting Dom to get out.

  “Why don’t you contact another unit to investigate? I don’t underestimate the danger to your people, but if things fall apart here, the consequences—”

  “Good day, pride master.”

  Beren grabbed Dom by the shoulders and shoved him so hard that he slammed into the opposite wall. As the door closed, Dom balled up a fist and contemplated breaking it down. No, that will only escalate. Maybe I can talk some sense into him in the morning. If he couldn’t, then he’d have two bad choices: either let Beren break lockdown, setting precedent for everyone else, or take up arms against an allied Animari. Under the circumstances, it wouldn’t surprise him if Raff sided with Beren, and he definitely couldn’t count on support from the Eldritch whereas Prince Alastor struck him as the sort to play the fiddle while the city burned.

  Knowing the problem didn’t bring him any closer to solving it, of course. With a muttered curse, he sent messages to Magda and Slay. Unlike Gavriel’s request to stall Talfayen, he couldn’t keep this development under wraps. Surprisingly enough, breakfast had relaxed him somewhat and taken his mind off his troubles, but the throb in his head came back with a vengeance. By the time he got to the ops center, his second and security chief were waiting.

  “You said it was crucial,” Magda said. “And your timing couldn’t be better. I was about to pull that wolf’s head off.”

  “Listen up,” he barked.

  Dom didn’t mince words, and when he finished, both Magda and Slay were staring at him like he’d kicked them in the face. Understandable. The situation sucked in every conceivable way. For obvious reasons, he didn’t want to be the one on record when the Pax Protocols collapsed like a badly designed bridge in earthquake territory. The humans had been watchful and cautious on their side of the border since the Allegheny Accords, and they limited travel like their neighbors to the north carried a host of infectious diseases. If the conclave failed, it would be as good as admitting humans were right about how warlike and dangerous the Animari, Eldritch, and Golgoth were. Shit, a full-scale conflict might even draw an attempt at human intervention since they were fond of imposing their will for the “greater good”.

  “Where are we on the spectrum of fucked, so fucked, and completely fucked?” Slay asked finally.

  Dom shrugged. “Depends on how it goes with Beren in the morning.”

  “Any chance we can talk sense into him?”

  “He’s been grumbling about the talks since the beginning. To be honest, I think he wants a chance to kill some Golgoth. I’d hoped he was just venting, but…” Dom trailed off, as there wasn’t a whole lot more to say.

  “You want to greenlight a lockdown in the bear section of residential?”

  That was one option. But with enough rage and sheer brute strength, electronic locks probably wouldn’t keep Beren and his clan pinned long. Then they’d rampage through the hold on the way to the gate. One way or another, it would most likely get ugly tomorrow, and he had to figure out how to best minimize collateral damage.

  “That’s a temporary solution,” Magda objected.

  Slay cut her a dark look. “I don’t hear anything better coming out of your mouth.”

  “Well, think about it, both of you, and get back to me. Before I take off, do you have anything to report?”

  “Talfayen sent me a message,” Slay said. “Wants to talk to me alone in the morning.”

  “Not the first time,” Dom noted.

  Magda wanted to know, “What’s that about?”

  Slay shrugged. “I’ll tell you when I know. But I figure I need to put it on the table because I might be occupied when the shit goes down with Beren, unless you want me to postpone the meeting.”

  “No, go ahead. Inform me as soon as you know anything about what’s up with the Eldritch. Whatever you learn will help us.”

  “Wonder why Talfayen’s targeting Slay,” Magda said softly.

  Dom had that question too, and he had suspicions, none of which he’d speak aloud when circumstances were already so tenuous. They talked a while longer, but nothing concrete could be accomplished via conversation. Then a thought occurred to him, something useful at last.

  “Mags, do we still have an operational drone?”

  “Just one. Why?”

  “Send it north. It’s a long shot, but maybe it will deliver additional intel, something we can use to reassure Beren and buy a little more time.”

  “You have coordinates for me?”

  Closing his eyes, Dom wracked his brain to remember the scouting reports he’d read when he first arrived back at the hold. “Close enough.”

  Leaning over the console, he tapped the screen and highlighted a zone for her. “For now, aim for this area. Stream the footage live. If we lose the drone, it’s fine. We can buy another from Raff. The important thing is to get all the info we can, as soon as possible.”

  “I’m on it,” the security chief said.

  A few minutes later, the drone was online and zooming north. At its current airspeed, if it didn’t encounter host
iles, it would reach bear territory in six hours. Dom glanced at the clock. That’ll be almost five in the afternoon. Damn. I wish we had more time to search. After a moment’s contemplation, he rang up the bear lord.

  “I need coordinates on the last-known location for your unit.”

  “What for?” Beren demanded.

  “I’ll have eyes on site in five hours and forty-two minutes.”

  “What about your fucking lockdown?”

  “Drone bypass,” Dom said. “I’m pretty sure I said nobody in or out. Not no machines.”

  “Maybe you’re not as dumb as I thought. I’m texting you longitude and latitude. Are you in the ops center?”

  “Yes.”

  “Let me know when the infernal gizmo gets close. I’ll head over. But won’t this take a lot of time, keeping track?”

  Dom offered a weary smile to Magda and Slay, who were unabashedly eavesdropping. “I’ll do it. All things considered, I wouldn’t be sleeping much tonight anyway.”

  19.

  “Where are you?” Pru practiced the question in the mirror.

  No, too confrontational. She paced in the bedroom, fretting over whether she should call Dom, but it was past midnight. Really, he should’ve messaged her if he didn’t plan to come back, and she had no idea where the lines were drawn. Am I supposed to worry… or not?

  Finally, she took a breath and dialed. “Is everything all right?”

  “Oh, shit. Pru.” From his tone, he’d completely forgotten that she existed.

  Awesome.

  “I’m so sorry. I’m tied up in the ops center and won’t be back tonight.”

  This time, she didn’t swallow her ire. “Next time, message me. Or call. I’d like to know whether you’re coming home or not.”

  “It’s my fault. I won’t do it again. I’m sorry, but I have to get back to it. Things are a mess. I’ll tell you more later.” With that, he disconnected.

  Her dad had gone to bed an hour ago, disgruntled with the lockdown. Still, it was good to see him eating well and sleeping enough, even under these circumstances. Pru could’ve retired without guilt, but when she thought of Dom’s dinner in the fridge, it didn’t seem right; he probably hadn’t eaten yet. Plus, she admitted to a certain curiosity about Beren’s visit and what new catastrophe it portended.

  I won’t sleep without checking in anyway. Thus decided, she warmed his food and packed it up, along with a thermos of strong tea. He’d need the boost to stay alert through the night. She slipped out of the apartment with his lunchbox and navigated the silent residential building.

  Outside, a light snow was falling, dusting her hair with dainty ice crystals. The night seemed to hide all kinds of secrets, and she shivered a bit as she hurried down the walkways that crisscrossed Ash Valley. A few times, she thought she glimpsed a shadow in her peripheral vision, but possibly it was just her nerves. Normally Pru didn’t roam around so late. Of course, the hold was also lousy with Noxblades, one of whom had reason to want her dead.

  The admin building was locked at this hour, but Pru entered her personal security code, hoping Caio had upgraded her status. Sure enough, he was as efficient as he was old school, and the door clicked open. She pulled it firmly shut behind her and hurried through the eerily silent halls toward the ops center. Through the frosted glass, she made out Dom hunched over the console, chin propped on his hand.

  Well, he’s certainly not living it up without me.

  Quietly, she rapped on the door. He jolted in his chair and swiveled to stare at her. But he quickly motioned her in and turned back to the screen. As Pru came in, the image resolved to a low-resolution live feed being shot by what she guessed was a drone. Setting his meal on the table, she leaned in for a better look.

  “What’s going on?”

  In a few words, Dom summarized the issues. “So that’s where we are. Beren was here earlier, but so far, the drone hasn’t spotted combat or corpses.”

  “That’s good, right?”

  “Not necessarily. If the Golgoth slaughtered the bear’s scouts, they might have also concealed the bodies, so it’ll take more than a hovering camera to spot them.”

  “Then what’re you trying to accomplish here?”

  Dom groaned, but he didn’t look away from the monitor. “I thought I might learn that the situation isn’t as bad as Beren thinks… that maybe I can still save the conclave.”

  “All right,” Pru said. “If you’re looking for combat or corpses, I can take over while you have a dinner break.”

  “Dinner… did I have lunch?” Since he didn’t seem to remember, she shooed him out of the seat and took his spot.

  “Just eat. I’ve got this.”

  “I can’t believe you came over. You should be in bed.”

  “Why?” Pru asked.

  But Dom was too busy shoveling food to respond. He scraped all the containers clean and guzzled half the tea before he seemed ready to focus on words again. Though she studied the screen that whole time, the drone didn’t show her anything but darkness, trees, and bushes. It was probably a long shot that they’d learn anything this way, yet she understood why her mate would be clutching at straws.

  “Actually… I’m glad you’re here,” Dom said, once he finished.

  “Tired of watching? If you want to rest—”

  “I’d be lying if I said there wasn’t a whisper of that, but more importantly, there are a couple of things we should discuss.”

  That conversational gambit struck Pru as a gentler version of We need to talk, and that never went anywhere good. But… he wasn’t wrong. So without taking her eyes off the shifting landscape, she said, “I agree. Is it all right if I go first?”

  “Of course.”

  “I know you apologized over what happened at the columbarium, and my gut reaction was to wave it away and smile and act like it didn’t bother me. But… I’ve been thinking about how I said we need to be honest and… well, I was hurt. I’m not saying you did anything wrong. I meant that. But it wasn’t right for me to act like something was nothing. If that makes sense.”

  “I guessed that.” Since she wasn’t looking at him, she didn’t see him move, but suddenly his chair was close, and he wrapped his arms about her from behind, resting his chin on her shoulder. “But it’s good to hear you confirm it. I’ve been worried since then that things were not okay between us. Which brings me to my next point.”

  Pru raised a hand to stroke his cheek. Until this moment, she hadn’t realized the core of dread that had settled inside her or how much she feared the threat of emotional distance. “You have my full attention. Let’s clear the air.”

  “I’d rather have you chew me out than hide it when I hurt you. The best thing about us is the fact that we’re friends first, and we’ve always been straight with each other. Over time, petty shit could poison what we’ve built. I hate wondering how you feel. I hate suspecting you planned a party and chose not to invite me.”

  That almost made her turn around; only recollecting how critical this could be to the fate of the conclave and the Animari overall kept her watching this damned monotonous drone feed. Covering his hand with hers, she explained how the breakfast came about.

  “That’s just how my family is. My dad wanted to go for a run, and it spiraled from there.”

  “Can we both promise to do better and call it even?”

  Pru smiled. “That sounds fair. It’s inevitable that we’ll rub each other wrong. The important part is how we deal with the aftermath.”

  “I really like it when you come across so levelheaded and wise.”

  “Yeah?”

  “Most definitely. Hang on a sec, I have an idea.”

  Letting go of her, Dom got up and dragged one of the armchairs from the meeting room and deposited it in front of the terminal. He dropped into it with a weary sigh and opened his arms. There was no reason to feel shy, but she did a little, as she slipped from her seat into his arms. She’d never been cuddled on somebody’s lap be
fore, but it felt fantastic. His arms encircled her with a palpable tenderness, then Dom kissed her temple.

  “You feel good. Smell better. I’ve been cooped up with Beren and Slay all evening.”

  “Seems like an apt penalty for neglecting your wife. Can you see the screen?”

  “Does it matter? You’re watching for me, right?”

  “If you’d filled me in sooner, I would’ve been here hours ago.”

  “At first, I didn’t want to worry you until I knew more, and then I just got wrapped up in this. After you do it for a while, it becomes strangely hypnotic.”

  Given how the drone cam swayed and buzzed, she could see falling into a fugue state. “I’ll let it go this time. Just don’t forget what I said about halving your burdens.”

  He let out a soft sigh, tickling the hair near her ear. “I’m afraid that by morning, they’ll be too heavy for even the two of us together to lift.”

  “Oh shit,” Pru muttered.

  Dom jerked awake, slightly disoriented, but gratified to find his mate still curled up in his arms. “What’s wrong?”

  “Combat. These are definitely Beren’s men, and I’m not positive, but those look like Golgoth on the attack.”

  “Where is this?” Gently, he shifted her off his lap and got his phone, sending messages to Slay, Magda, and Beren at once.

  This won’t help the conclave. But it’s proof. I can’t carry on with the lockdown. It’s time to admit that the conclave has failed.

  Fate forgive me.

  Pru rattled off the coordinates, her gaze locked with abject horror on the violence unfolding. It was hard to make out numbers, but this didn’t seem to be a limited engagement. Someone was shouting orders as the scouts went bear, and the enemy responded with the most horrific shift Dom had ever seen. No one creature was the same, and they were easily twice the size of the largest grizzly, like reptile demons, or shit, he didn’t even know what: thick scales, horns and tusks, grotesque plates and protrusions. A bear went down beneath the heavy onslaught, and blood spattered the drone.

  Pru shuddered. “This can’t be happening.”