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“This is the short version?” Bobby Lee asked.

“I agree,” I said, “speed it up.”

“I want you to help me stage a palace revolt, Ms. Blake. Is that quick enough for you?”

“Maybe that was a little too quick,” I said. “Why do you want to revolt, and why do you want my help?”

“I told you, I fear that Chimera will destroy us all. The only way to prevent that is to kill him.”

Well, that was blunt. “So, why my help?”

“You have a certain reputation for deadly force.”

“You talk like an English professor,” I said, “or an expensive lawyer. Why not just kill him yourself?”

“The others that follow him, fear him, they would not trust that I alone could guarantee his death.”

“And I can?”

“You and your people, yes.”

“My leopards are not going inside.”

Nathaniel said, “Anita . . .”

I shook my head. “No, I won’t endanger the rest of you to save one of you.”

“What kind of pard would we be if we allowed our Nimir-Ra to go into danger alone?”

“A pard that obeyed orders,” I said.

He leaned back against the wall, but there was an unusually stubborn set to his face that said maybe, just maybe, he’d been picking up more than just weapons skill from hanging around with me. Was stubbornness catching?

“Not your leopards, but the wolves, and the rats.”

“The rats aren’t mine.” And I’m not the wolves’ lupa anymore.

“Rafael is already on his way here with some of our people,” Bobby Lee said.

I frowned at him. “Well, nice you mentioned that.”

He shrugged. If he was getting tired of pressing the gun into Zeke’s back, it didn’t show. “Rafael is my alpha, not you, ma’am.”

“I understand that, but if we’re going to get along, you still need to keep me informed. I’ve had enough surprises for one day.”

“Amen to that,” he said.

“Where are Micah and Cherry being held?” I asked.

Zeke shook his great wolfish head. “No, not until you agree to help us.”

“Chimera wanted to blackmail me into being his sweetie, you want to blackmail me into helping you kill him. I don’t see much difference.”

“The only way to stop Chimera and those still loyal to him is their death. I propose that we pool our resources and accomplish that.”

“You talk awful pretty for a goon.”

“I am his goon because when he conquered my small pack of wolves, he forced me into this form and kept me in it. When he allowed me to try and change back, this was the best I could do.”

I looked into those human eyes. “Only your eyes,” I said.

“Only my eyes.”

The eyes were usually one of the first things to go animal if you stayed in beast form too long at a time. His eyes being the only thing human was odd. But I didn’t ask him to explain, because we were eating up our time and I wanted Micah and Cherry back.

“In this form,” Zeke said, “I can be nothing else but a goon, an enforcer. I cannot be human.”

I didn’t try to argue that he was human. I let it go. “Let’s cut to the chase. Bobby Lee, will Rafael help on this?”

“I think so. He’s coming with enough soldiers to make a good show.”

I looked at Bacchus. “Will the werehyenas join forces with their, what, oppressors? Will you guys help Zeke and his people?”

“Zeke always tried to save us pain. He always spoke for moderation.” Bacchus nodded. “I think the others will agree to work with him, but whether they’ll agree to let everyone live afterwards, that I can’t promise.”

“If we help you destroy him,” Zeke said, “then you turn around and slaughter us, we have gained nothing.”

In looking between Bacchus and Zeke I’d glanced back over the photos. I’d spent the last few minutes not thinking about them. I’d managed to concentrate on other things, but it was as if that one glance had torn through all the barriers that usually kept me from doing stupid shit. I stood up, abruptly enough that everyone looked at me.

“Would you kill Zeke?” I asked.

“No, but Marco, he has to die,” Bacchus said.

“Why?” I asked.

“He and the snake men have to die,” Bacchus said.

“Agreed,” Zeke said. Then he looked up at me. “And I think I know a way to have the wolves involved.”

“I’m listening.