The Leopard King

  As they tumbled to the mattress together, he seemed to startle, like someone waking from a dream. But his cock was still hard, so she nuzzled a trail of kisses along his jaw, skirting his mouth, and then she went for his throat. A muffled groan escaped him, and heat flooded her pussy. He wants me. There was something irresistible in that.

  Rubbing her wet, open mouth over his chest made him jump and shake. On some level, Pru couldn’t believe he was still letting her set the pace. She straddled his hips and lowered her head to lick his pectorals. Other than the hands in her hair, he didn’t react, but she felt the tremors working through him. Just like hers, his nipples were hard, and his whole body twisted when she kissed one. Silently he pushed her head down until she sucked and licked to the point that he actually raised his hips, grinding against her.

  Impossible to get a breath. On fire and a little dizzy, she slid lower, licking a path over his ribs to nibble the curve of his hip. He fisted his hands in the covers, feverishly silent. Now it wasn’t enough that he wanted her. Pru needed him to talk—to make sounds—and it seemed like he was strangling them. Only the rapid rasp of his breath made it out.

  “You have to tell me what you want next.”

  This was a gamble. He might be pretending she was someone else; this could shatter illusions and interfere with his fantasy. His eyes were closed, and his expression radiated a complex pleasure-pain. But she couldn’t do this if he wasn’t with her.

  Dom opened his eyes, and he jerked when he saw how close her face was to his cock. The tremor deepened into a full shudder. She’d never heard his voice sound like that when he said, “Suck me.”

  She took him without further teasing; he lifted his hips with an alacrity that made her mouth water. No pretense now, no hesitation. He tangled his hands in her hair and urged her on. Pru swirled her tongue beneath the head and grazed him tenderly with her teeth. That made him thrust faster, not even trying to throttle his moans anymore. Like an animal, he hunched upward, and a snarl escaped him when she pulled back. But he couldn’t finish like this; that would leave him an escape clause.

  Her breath came in soft whines. “It’s time, Dom. You promised you’d come back when I could shift, when I became your mate. I’m offering myself now. Will you be mine?”

  Something flashed in his face, not reluctance exactly, but he didn’t want to say it. He had to say it. She squeezed his cock.

  “Yes,” he bit out. “Fuck yes.”

  Pru held him still as she mounted. His eyes just about rolled back in his head when she sank down on him. From this angle, he felt massive inside her. She paused to adjust, but it wasn’t fast enough for him. He framed her hips in his big hands and lifted her, then dropped her down, fucking up into her with uncontrollable need.

  “You feel so sweet,” she whispered. “Talk to me, Dom.”

  A desperate, strangled laugh escaped him. “Nothing to say. Just have to come.”

  “You want to come for me.” Some devil drove her as the pleasure spiked. She had to keep him fastened tight in this moment. He had to focus on who was making him feel this.

  “Pru…” Her name slid out of him, part moan, part protest.

  “That’s good. Do it. Faster.”

  “You like it.” Suddenly, he was talking, just as she’d asked.

  “I love it.”

  “Harder. Like this.” He pulled her down to punctuate his words. “You feel so…oh, fuck.”

  With a moan, he lurched upright and wrapped his arms around her, so they held each other and worked in quick, tight pushes. She dug her hands into his back. As he came, he kissed her, wet, sloppy and open-mouthed, and that was enough to finish her off. It was a light orgasm, but he felt it as he shuddered and filled her with heat.

  Afterward, she expected him to disengage and make her feel shitty-guilty about the whole thing. Instead he stayed close, hands gliding over her sweat-slick back, so unexpectedly dear that tears prickled her eyes. She dusted kisses over his chin, his shoulders, and nuzzled him until he kissed her back, a sweet little thank-you of a caress.

  “It wasn’t awful,” he said with a thread of laughter in his tone. “You win, Pru. We’ll go home in the morning.”

  Deep in Dom’s gut, guilt had both claws and tentacles, chewing and lashing until he could hardly stand it. But when she threw herself on him like he was a sex grenade, he fucking lost his mind. Now, the truth gnawed at him—after the Noxblade attack, he’d already made up his mind to go with her. In his defense, he had tried to speak.

  And now the die was cast. She’d offered and in the heat of the moment, he had accepted. The emotional aspect of the mate bond might take a while to form, but he couldn’t go back on his word. People paired up for all kinds of reasons, and he could do a lot worse than Pru for a lifelong companion. But what the fuck am I going to tell Slay? He knew damn well his best friend had been waiting his whole life for a miracle. Now that it’s finally happened, I get the girl? Even to Dom, that seemed ten kinds of jacked up. Though he didn’t approve of how Slay protected himself and kept Pru at arm’s length, he’d seen his second’s eyes, how he watched her when he thought nobody was paying attention—so much longing that it hurt him to log it.

  Though Pru winked out, likely exhausted by her first shift and then fucking him into submission, he couldn’t sleep. Partly because the Noxblade might circle back and partly because he was weighing the variables. I could tell her I was just being an asshole when I offered that deal. All of that was even true. But she’d take it wrong, as people had been making her feel inadequate her whole damn life. As Dom recalled, she stopped eating for three days when Slay turned her down. No, it’s done, agreement made. In all honesty, returning to the hold with Pru at his side pushed his reluctance to the fair side of bearable. Maybe she could prop him up long enough to keep the pride from figuring out that he was an empty husk.

  Fuck it. I’m a terrible person, and Slay let her go.

  He held her until dawn when he roused her with a kiss to the temple. “Moving out.”

  “Hope my clothes are dry. I really can’t travel in your underwear.”

  Laughter startled him. It had been years, so he’d almost forgotten he could make the sound, but she’d amused him so many times already. “Have you always been this hilarious?”

  “I think so.”

  Fortunately, her things were ready to wear, if somewhat crispy. He liked that she had no shame around him, no awkwardness. You’d think they had been waking up together forever. Dom dressed in a hurry, then they layered up. Pru led the way out of the retreat, heading down the steep steps like she’d never doubted she would drag him home. In fact, she was even humming, some cheerful little song.

  “Did you bring the Rover?”

  “Yep. It should still be powered up enough to get us back, unless…” She trailed off, and he could guess what she was thinking.

  “The Noxblades disabled our vehicle.”

  Without replying, she quickened her pace. It was only an hour and a half driving, but if they had to run, it would change the scale. Plus, it would mean arriving in cat form, which he supposed was a hell of a way to announce her new status.

  Just then, her foot slipped, so he grabbed her arm. “Hold up. See the melting ice? You could break your neck.”

  And that… no. Just, no.

  Her pale gaze seemed to see everything, even the quiet dread he’d rather not acknowledge. “Sorry. If the Rover’s broken, rushing won’t fix it.”

  The view during the descent awed him all over again. A snowy valley spread before them, filled with evergreens frosted white. Cold and crisp, the air sparkled in his lungs, until he wished he could bathe in it. Dom couldn’t remember the last time he’d paused to appreciate the beauty of the territory he had been appointed to protect. Pride leadership didn’t always pass down by bloodline. If they’d found him weak or wanting, they would have chosen someone else after his father died.

  Golgoth bastards.

  She seemed to sense
his anger, but she didn’t flinch from it. When she took his hand, all the badness flowed away, leaving him calm and focused. Dom felt fucking bulletproof, like words and ammo alike would bounce right off. The stairs yielded to a rocky path that wound through the trees to the clearing where she’d left the Rover. As he’d half-suspected, their ride was smashed to shit, wires cut, solar panels broken into shards.

  Pru sighed. “Good thing I can cat up, huh? Otherwise it would take us forever.”

  “Go for it,” he said.

  After taking a deep breath, she closed her eyes. But he could see that she was tense and scared, the prospect of failure practically immobilizing her. Dom had no idea if this would work, but it couldn’t hurt. He pulled her close and rubbed her back, like he had right after her first shift, right after their first mating. As he whispered nonsense, tiny reassurances into her ear, she eased against him. A little shiver ran through her, and then he was holding a squirming ocelot, tangled up in her clothes. When her head popped free, her sparkling eyes seemed to say she hadn’t expected it to be so sudden. Laughing, he extracted her.

  She bounded around in the snow, tail lashing, as he stripped, chucked their things into the defunct Rover, and changed. For him, it didn’t hurt, more like diving into deep, cold water. A shock, holding his breath, and then he could run like the wind. He had no worries that she’d keep up; she might be small, but she was quick.

  The ground spoke of various animals that under other circumstances might be prey, but he didn’t intend to spend the night in the wild. Like she’d said, Pine Ridge and Burnt Amber were already waiting for him. Delaying would only make it worse. Now and then, he caught a whisper of Noxblade, but that trail led away from the hold.

  He’s returning to report, not hunting us down.

  Pru’s rumbled growl said she smelled it too. She gave him an inquiring look, but he pushed on. No time for a detour, and we’re not a raiding party. Since he’d been waiting for an ambush, he relaxed a fraction. Not completely, of course. While there should be nothing but wild animals and Animari between the retreat and the hold, complacency could be catastrophic.

  I was sure. So sure our borders were secure.

  Never again.

  Tension made it impossible for him to focus on anything but guiding them safely to sanctuary. Pru, on the other hand, made it clear that this run was the most fun she’d ever had. She frolicked in the snow, scratching at trees and generally acting like he had at the age of twelve, all brand-new in leopard skin.

  It was…

  Fucking adorable.

  For her sake, he even regretted it a little when they crested the final rise and Ash Valley lay before them like a jewel. An ache started in his chest. How did I stay gone so long? How? His grandfather had designed the town, and that fact only increased his pride in its beauty. The pale, perfectly mortared stones of the wall gleamed in the late-afternoon sun, nearly blinding him when it reflected on the snow. Beren from Burnt Amber always called this the city of bone because of that ivory gleam, but there were no dead hidden beneath their streets.

  Dom greeted the guards on the intercom, ignoring their amazement as they opened the gates. Pru wouldn’t know how to go about this; it was her first time. Inside, he took her to the changing room, applicable in more ways than one. Since it wasn’t always possible to bring back the clothes you had on when you left, they kept the shelves stocked with basic attire in varying sizes. He slid back into human form and slipped into a tunic and trousers, wondering if he’d have to shift-whisper her again. But no, she only seemed to have a hard time with going cat. She’d worn human skin for twenty-seven years, after all.

  “I never even knew this was here,” she said in a marveling tone.

  This stone chamber wasn’t anything special, but until now, she’d had no cause to use it. For that reason, it must seem magical. He could almost hear her thinking, I lost my clothes, so I need this place. Just like everyone else. That wonder kindled in her eyes and illuminated her smile, so radiant that it drew an answering look from him, irresistible as breathing.

  The moment shimmered between them, fragile as spun glass.

  “The fuck is going on here?” Slay snarled.

  6.

  The timing couldn’t be worse.

  In contrast to Dom, Slay was burnished and strong with a mane of dark hair that tumbled past his shoulders. Sharp features, high cheekbones, a divot in his chin, and thick-lashed golden eyes. Always, always, it was his eyes that seduced her, time and again. A storm was building in them as he stared at her naked body.

  It wasn’t like Slay had never seen her this way, but everything was different now. A muscle ticked in his jaw when Dom stepped between them to shield her. Looking ready to kill, Slay strode forward, but Dom didn’t give ground. To diffuse the tension, she went ocelot and darted around Dom’s legs. Her tail high, she showed off a little, and Slay stilled.

  Slay murmured, “Beautiful. You’re so beautiful.”

  His eyes glinted, as if he might be on the verge of tears. Then he knelt and reached for her with a shaking hand, a smile brightening his face like sunrise. Pru only let him graze one of her ears before backing off. Wearily, she returned to human form. Dom was right. It’s easier. The pain no longer dizzied her, at least, but she wasn’t looking forward to this exchange.

  Slay beamed at her, all sparkling joy that she was about to crush. “So that’s why you’re naked. For a minute, I thought…” He laughed and shook his head.

  When he reached for her, Dom blocked him again as she dressed. “We should talk.”

  It would be easier to let Dom take all the heat, but that would imply they weren’t equal partners and she needed him to sort her issues. Plus, she owed Slay one last conversation and a proper good-bye. Of course she’d still see him, but things could never be the same. Their failing relationship had been on life support for years, but it shuddered and died the day he decided she was expendable. For all he’d known, Dom might’ve turned into a killing machine, left alone for so long, and she’d lacked both claws and fangs.

  So she tapped Dom’s arm lightly and shook her head. “Go greet our guests. I need to take care of things here.”

  “You sure?” Dom brushed her shoulder in passing, support or reassurance.

  Slay’s brows shot up, over the touch or at her use of “our”, but he had to suck it up. For better or worse, she’d be leading Ash Valley alongside Dom from this day forward. That would take some getting used to, but she intended to be a strong, reliable partner.

  No matter what.

  She traded a look with Dom and then tipped her head toward the door. With his eyes, he asked if she was all right on her own. Faintly surprised Animari silent communication had already developed, she nodded. Slay balled up a fist as Dom left.

  When the door clicked shut, Slay punched it. “I really don’t like this vibe. Since when am I a thing to take care of? Clue me in before I lose my shit.”

  Part of her wanted a better setting than bare gray walls, plain shelves, and benches, but did it really matter where she said this? While she wrestled with the kindest way to break the news, he settled his agitation. One breath, another, and then he was smiling again.

  It would be better if you were angry.

  “Never mind.” Typical Slay, he didn’t wait for explanations. Instead he pounced, buried his face in her hair and then recoiled. “You smell like Dom. Why the fuck—?”

  “I made a deal,” she said softly.

  “Don’t jerk me around, Pru. It’s not funny.”

  “I’m not. Dom and I, we’re mated.” There was no way to be gentle. Best to drop the truth like a bomb and deal with the fallout.

  Baring his teeth, he snarled, “You went away mine and came back his? How does that make sense? Especially now. You know—you fucking do know—that I’ve been waiting.”

  Closing her eyes briefly, she sucked in a sharp breath. This was the first time he’d ever said anything remotely like that, and it didn’t sooth
e the bitter sting since it came only after she’d shifted. Mostly she recalled the shape of his back as he strode away. She also remembered the brutal humiliation of his rejection five years ago, sitting across from Slay and his parents as her nails cut crescents into her clammy palms. Her mother wore a determined smile as she made small talk, and then her father carved through the chatter with his customary bluntness.

  “From what I know, these two want each other. We’re here to put our stamp on the match, if your family’s willing.”

  Pru had watched the rebuff forming in Lorelle Slater’s eyes, but to her eternal shame, Slay spoke first. “I need a stronger mate, someone capable of fighting beside me. Sorry.”

  That old hurt broke wide open, bolstering her resolve, and she shook her head. “I wasn’t yours, and you were never mine, either. You made sure I knew that. I can’t even count how many times you said it… This was fun. As you left.”

  “So you fucked my best friend to get even?” Like somebody taking a punch, he rocked a little as he said it, hands opening and closing as if he didn’t know what to do with them.

  “That’s not why. Dom needs me, the pride needs him, and you? Don’t deserve me.”

  “When did you start hating me?” he whispered. “And why didn’t I know about it?”

  “I don’t. I’m just… done. You had ten years of my devotion, and you rewarded me by weighing the odds and deciding the pride could afford to lose me.”

  “Fuck, no. I never thought for a minute that Dom would hurt you.” Torment kindled in his lambent eyes, as if she’d cut out his heart and eaten it in front of him.

  Pru didn’t let his pain weaken her when she had truth-ammo left to fire off. “We were attacked by Noxblades. If I hadn’t managed to shift, they would’ve executed both of us.”

  His legs seemed to give out, and he collapsed onto the nearest bench. “So this is for real.”

  “It is. I think… it’ll probably be easier if we put some space between us. Eventually I’m sure we can—”