by Kiki Howell
“If you think all it would take is getting rid of me, then you don’t understand the Alliance at all. It’s not about me, Tigre, it’s about standing together against oppression. Something you just don’t have a clue about.”
El Tigre smiled at him. “Oppression is such a negative word, don’t you think? It always leads to resistance and uprising. It’s like a battle cry for the weak. Always gets them riled up.”
“Yeah, you keep blathering on about nothing all you want, but I am walking out of here with my mate and the Alliance intact.” Smoke billowed out of Dominic’s nose as he glared at his opponent.
El Tigre shifted his right arm, and the hand resting on Lucinda’s shoulder became an enormous striped paw, long razor-like claws suddenly poised directly at her throat. “Oh, I don’t know about that, Draco. I mean, you know all it would take is one effortless swipe of a single nail from my paw, and this lovely young lady would bleed out before you could ever reach her. Surrender Inferno and your territory to me, or say goodbye to your new mate.”
Dominic looked at Lucinda. Her beautiful face was streaked with dirt and tears, and she shook her head as she stared back at him. Was she begging him not to let El Tigre hurt her, or was she telling him to save the Alliance? It didn’t matter, because he had no intention of leaving until he had done both.
His eyes lit up with fire as his hands balled into fists, and with one flying leap his wings emerged and propelled him forward with all the shifter speed he could muster. His outstretched fists hit the tiger shifter squarely in the chest, knocking the wind out of El Tigre as he went sailing backward.
They tumbled around on the floor in human form behind Lucinda’s chair, and she twisted this way and that, struggling to see what was happening behind her. El Tigre shifted into tiger form, and from what she could tell, that made the battle even more perilous for Dominic. The tiger swiped at his flesh with massive claws that rivaled the long teeth threatening to chomp down on Dominic’s head.
They wrestled for several moments before Dominic shifted himself, and Lucinda was almost taken aback by the sheer size of him. The tiger lunged at the dragon’s body, taking out a chunk of flesh as they fought. Lucinda winced at what she could only assume was a roar of pain. Her mate was in trouble, and all she wanted to do was protect him.
Still tied to the chair, she moved, awkwardly standing as best she could. Then she hurled herself and the chair at the huge cat. She made contact, knocking the tiger away from the dragon before she and the chair landed with a jolt and went skidding across the floor.
Slightly dazed, the tiger shook it off as he regained his footing and lunged for the dragon once again. But Lucinda had done what she’d set out to do. She had freed Dominic from El Tigre’s clutches and given him time to regroup. When the tiger lunged, the dragon swung around, nailing it with one swipe of his enormous tail and tossing the tiger into the air. The cat slammed into the far wall, and the dragon opened up with a mighty roar and lit the place up as a bright orange flame plumed from his mouth.
Lucinda could feel the heat from the blaze as she lay crumpled in a corner, still unable to free herself, and the cat’s loud roar became screams of agony as El Tigre shifted back to human form. The flames consumed his body as he ran through the rubble of the fallen wall and out onto the property.
“My love!”
Dominic rushed to Lucinda’s side, ripping the ropes from around her wrists and ankles. “Are you all right? Did he hurt you?”
With a shake of her head, she threw her arms round him. Then he scooped her up and carried her from the rapidly burning home.
When he stepped out through the fallen wall, Dominic was startled at the sight that greeted them. Everywhere he looked he saw his men — dragons, wolves, hawks and bears — fighting a ground war with the cats. Hand-to-hand combat going on all around them. Only when the flaming El Tigre screamed and fell to the ground did the fighting cease. The cats stood in a stunned silence as they watched their leader burn.
Dominic shifted into dragon form and clutched Lucinda tighter as he lifted off the ground and took flight. He glanced down to see the dragons and hawks shifting and lifting into the air behind them as the wolves and bears retreated into the woods behind El Tigre’s property.
“Wait! Dominic, we shouldn’t retreat now. El Tigre’s dead, we should stay and fight. Let’s subdue the Cats once and for all. This is our chance!”
Talon’s telepathic plea came through loud and clear, and Dominic glared at the hawk as he flew next to him. “Our chance to do what, Talon?” Dominic responded as he flew on with Lucinda in his arms. “I am not El Tigre. It is not my mission to overthrow his reign and take the Cats’ territories as my own. That is not what the Alliance is about, and it’s not what I want us to become.”
“I get that, but ...”
“But nothing!” Dominic snapped with a labored gruff voice that seemed to reverberate off the treetops. He didn’t often speak when in dragon form, even though they did posses the ability to do so. “My words are final. And as long as I’m head of this Alliance, that decision will stand until I say otherwise!”
.
Chapter Nine
“I’M SO SORRY! I promise, I will never give you a hard time about the security again. I swear it!” Lucinda’s words came out in an urgent apologetic rush as she stared up at Dominic, clinging to his chest.
“Shh.” Dominic tightened his embrace, pulling her closer as they sat on the bed. He glanced around their bedroom as he held her, basking in the feel of her in his arms. She was safe. She was alive and safe, and here with him. All was right with the world again.
“In my mind, I knew you would come for me, but I was scared, Dom.”
“Hush. It’s all right now, baby. You’re home. You’re safe now.”
She looked up at him with a start. “Cara! Oh, my God, Cara. Is she okay? What happened?”
Dominic ran a hand over her back and caressed her face with the other as he attempted to calm her down. She had been in this sort of hyper excited state since he’d landed on the front lawn and carried her through the house.
“Shh. It’s all right, Lucinda. Cara was hurt pretty badly in the fight with the cougars. But I just got word from Loup. It’s going to take a little while for her to fully recover, but Cara’s going to be just fine. She was relieved to hear that you’re safe.”
He kissed the top of her head as she settled against him again, and he held her close. They sat that way in silence for a while as Lucinda finally began to breathe easier. He thought perhaps she had fallen asleep until her soft voice broke the silence in the room.
“Dom? What were you and Talon arguing about as we flew away?”
He hesitated for a moment. “Just a difference of opinion about strategy is all. It’s nothing for you to worry about.”
“You sounded so angry. Are you upset with him?” She ran her fingers over his shirt, gingerly playing with the buttons.
“No, Lucinda. I’m not angry with him. It’s just that leading my clan and leading the Alliance are two very different things. My clan does what I say without question. But the Alliance is a special animal altogether, and leading it is not always an easy task. I want Talon and Loup and Barrett, and the other alphas to feel like they each have a say in how the Alliance is run, and how we conduct ourselves in the conflict with the Cats. But ultimately, the major decisions are mine to make, whether they agree with those decisions or not. Sometimes the stance I choose is unpopular with my fellow alphas.”
Lucinda studied him for a moment, taking in the tiny lines at the edges of his eyes. “That makes you worry about keeping your position. You’re wondering if Talon will oppose you now as leader of the Alliance.”
Dominic looked at her with a cocked eyebrow, then gave her a sad smile. “Getting to know me pretty well, are you?”
She grinned back at him. “I already knew you better than most. But I am your mate now. So yeah, I’m getting to know you very well.”
He p
lanted a kiss on her forehead. “And you are the only person I could ever be this candid and vulnerable with. I don’t know what I would have done if I’d lost you today, Lucinda.” He squeezed her tight for a moment.
“I love you too,” she breathed as she held onto him.
“I’ve had Mrs. Mott run you a bath. You should go soak in the tub and then get some rest,” he said as he finally let her go and stood up.
“You’re leaving?” She sounded almost forlorn as she stared up at him.
“I have to meet with the other alphas to talk about the repercussions of what happened today. It’s all right. I’ll be right downstairs in the study. It shouldn’t take long.” He leaned down to kiss her lips, letting his tongue brush against hers before he turned and left the room.
As he descended the stairs, his mind was a troubled swirl as he thought over the events of the last couple of hours. He had killed El Tigre to save his mate, not to protect the Alliance, but the end result was the same. The Cats were now without a leader, and what happened next would undoubtedly determine the very course of both factions, good or bad.
He could hear what sounded like a heated discussion already going on in his study as he neared the room, and when he stepped inside and closed the door behind him, all chatter ceased and all eyes turned toward him.
“Thank you for coming, gentlemen,” he said as he ventured further into the room and looked around at them. They were all there — Loup, Talon, Barrett. Even Buddy and Muir were in attendance. The warm air in the room was laced with a certain strained quality, and he wondered exactly what they had been arguing about.
“Before we go any further, let me say thank you for disobeying my orders and following me into Cat territory today. I meant it when I said it was my fight alone, but I couldn’t have rescued Lucinda without your assistance, and for that I’m grateful. As always, your loyalty and friendship astound me.”
He glanced around at each of them, and when his gaze landed on Talon, he was surprised when the hawk shifter stood up.
“I’d like to address my outburst back there, if you don’t mind, Dom.”
Talon looked him in the eyes, and Dominic gave him a curt nod of the head as he stared him down.
“I’ll admit that I didn’t understand your stance on the situation at the time,” Talon began. “And honestly, even now I’m not sure I agree with it. I believe leaving the Cats in a position to easily regroup and come back at us, even without El Tigre to lead them, was a bad idea.”
“Talon, you should ...” Barrett spoke up.
“No.” Dominic held up a hand to stop Barrett from saying more. “Let him speak.”
“I’ve said my peace,” Talon said. “I stand behind my assertion that we should have finished them when we had the chance.”
They stared at one another for a few seconds, and Dominic placed his hands in the pockets of his suit pants. No more wondering what the heated discussion must have been about. But he did wonder about something Lucinda had said only moments ago. Would he and Talon truly clash over this? Would the hawk shifters part ways with the Alliance over this issue? Or worse ... could he lose a valued friend and ally over a difference of opinion? He didn’t want it to come to that.
“And what exactly does ‘finish them’ mean to you, Talon? Killing them all? Including their women and cubs too?”
A disgusted scowl crossed Talon’s face. “Well, no. Of course not the women and cubs. But ...”
“And what are the women and cubs to do if we go back and kill all their males?” Dominic asked with a shrug of his shoulders. “What would we be showing them if we seized control of their lands and placed them under the soles of our boots, the way they did to us not so long ago? How are we to end this faction war if we show the Cats that we can be just as heartless as they’ve been? That we’re just as greedy to control their territory as El Tigre was to control ours?”
Talon said nothing as he stared at him, and Dominic looked around at each of them as he continued. “This Alliance was built so that our former alphas could help each other stand and fight against the Cats’ constant incursions into our territories. Our alphas weren’t interested in taking over the Cats’ lands. They simply wanted to live free of terror and senseless brutality. Those are still my goals for this Alliance, and I hope they’re your goals too.” He made eye contact with each man for a moment before his gaze turned back to Talon.
Talon looked at the floor for a second and nodded. “My apologies for overstepping back there.”
“Apology’s not necessary, Talon. I just want this Alliance to remain united. That can’t happen without you.”
Talon nodded again and took his seat, but Dominic couldn’t help but wonder what the hawk shifter’s next move might be. He sighed and looked to the others. “Buddy, Muir. I’ve asked you both to join us because I think you’ve been left out of these discussions for far too long. You may not physically join the fight against the Cats, but your people contribute to the Alliance in other ways that are just as important, and what we say in these meetings affects us all. So welcome.”
“Thank you, Mr. Draco,” they said in unison.
“Call me Dominic, please.” He turned to Loup and Barrett with a questioning gaze. “Anything?”
Loup nodded at the question. “The intelligence my pack is hearing is that the Cats have been fairly devastated by the battle. Seems it wasn’t just El Tigre they lost in this whole thing, but most of his lieutenants as well. Both the black panther that Deacon killed when Lucinda was kidnapped, and that slimy cheetah shifter El Tigre was so fond of are both dead. There’s a lot of speculation among the different cat communities right now about who will lead them from this point, or even if there will be a united Cat faction going forward.”
Dominic’s eyebrows shot up. Now that was an appealing prospect. “Is a divided Cat faction a real possibility?”
Loup’s mouth twisted in a thoughtful smirk. “Doubtful, but not impossible.”
“Well, I think the chances are better than that. I've heard rumblings the Cats are scrambling over many issues at the moment,” Barrett said, glancing at Loup. “El Tigre had his paws in several different illicit activities that have been left dangling by his death. There are those among them who may attempt to pick his operation apart piece by piece now.”
“True, but I agree with Loup. I’ll be shocked if the entire Cat faction falls apart completely with El Tigre’s death.” Talon shook his head as he responded. “Someone will rise among them to take his place and pull their empire back from looming chaos.”
“I tend to agree, but Barrett’s assessment may not be wrong,” Dominic said with a nod as he looked at them. “In any case, we’ll need to keep a close watch on the situation in the coming days and weeks.”
“Agreed.” Loup clasped his hands in front of him as he leaned forward. “I’ll have my pack continue to monitor things around the clock.”
“Thank you,” Dominic nodded. “In the meantime, we’ll keep security at Inferno on high alert and go about business as usual.”
As their meeting drew to a close and everyone stood to leave, Loup turned to Dominic.
“And your mate, Dominic? How is Lucinda?”
Dominic sighed. “She’s still shaken, but I think that’s to be expected after what she’s gone through today. How’s Cara?”
“Last I checked Cara was resting comfortably. I’m on my way back over there now to check on her,” Loup said.
“Please tell her my thoughts are with her. I’ll bring Lucinda by tomorrow to visit with her.” He shook his friend’s hand and then turned to thank the others as well. But he noticed that Talon lagged behind. When everyone else was gone, he turned and looked at him.
“I hope our difference of opinion doesn’t come between fifteen years of friendship, Talon.”
Talon shook his head and folded his arms. “No, it won’t. You were right, Dom. I was just angry and thirsty for blood after that battle. I wanted the Cats to pay for the thin
gs they’ve done. For hurting Lucinda, and Dinah Martin. Hell, I wanted them to pay for the things they did to my family so long ago.”
Dominic could see the burning anger in his friend’s eyes, but he didn’t ask him to elaborate. He didn’t need to. The Cats had been responsible for countless untold suffering over the years. Crimes perpetrated against every species represented in the Alliance.
“You and me, we’re still on the same page, Dom. We still share the same goals for the Alliance.” Talon reached out to shake Dominic’s hand.
The corner of Dominic’s mouth ticked up in a relieved smile as he shook his friend’s hand.
“Am I interrupting?”
The sweet sound of Lucinda’s voice made Dominic’s heart leap, and he turned toward her. She was standing in the doorway wearing a long blue silk robe over a matching pair of pajamas, and she looked fresh faced and tired all at once. The scent of her skin told him she had just emerged from the bath. He smiled as he reached out his hand to her.
“Not at all, Lucinda. I’m happy you’re all right.” Talon smiled at her. “This guy is much less of an ass since finding you.”
Dominic smirked at him and puffed out a small ring of smoke that encircled Talon’s head.
When the smoke dissipated, Talon looked at Lucinda. “And he jokes now. You see that? Before you, I would have walked out of here with my feathers on fire for that remark, so bless you.”
Lucinda giggled at their exchange as Talon left the room. Then she looked up at Dominic. “Looks like your fears were unfounded. Everything’s okay between you two?”
He wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her close. “Yes. Everything is good with Talon.”
