The Leopard King by Ann Aguirre

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