Chapter 506: New Arrivals

Arion had not intended to bring twelve dogs home.

Unfortunately, leaving them in Draxil had proved considerably more complicated than transporting them.

The first problem appeared when Arion attempted to leave Claudia’s Palace without them.

All twelve followed him.

When Hendrik tried to redirect them toward the secured containment wing, the animals stopped, sat in the middle of the corridor, and refused to move until Arion returned.

The second problem was Amaru.

The newly established ruler of Draxil had watched the entire demonstration with an expression of remarkable composure before informing Arion that his country had suffered enough from Claudia’s experiments without being expected to accommodate twelve additional consequences.

Arion had pointed out that the animals were originally Draxilian.

Amaru had pointed out that they were currently following the crown prince of Alamina.

Neither argument improved the situation.

In the end, Victor arranged for the animals to travel in individually secured compartments aboard a military transport aircraft, with their pheromonal output monitored throughout the flight. Arion’s own jet followed separately, carrying the medical records, recovered research, and several pieces of equipment that Victor had apparently decided were too important to entrust to anyone else.

Amaru had accompanied them to the airfield.

He shook Arion’s hand beside the waiting aircraft, his injured shoulder supported beneath his dark military jacket.

"Good luck."

Arion looked toward the transport carrying the dogs.

"You sound far too pleased."

"I am immensely pleased."

"That is not diplomatic."

"I have spent eight years in a medical prison. I have exhausted my interest in being diplomatic about Claudia’s property."

Nero had laughed.

Then he had climbed aboard Arion’s aircraft.

Arion stared at him.

"What are you doing?"

"Coming with you."

"You have responsibilities in Saha."

"I cleared a week for Draxil’s containment operation. That operation is now proceeding without requiring my involvement, and I refuse to spend the remainder of my holiday pretending this is not entertaining."

Arion had closed his eyes.

Apparently bringing twelve dogs home was not punishment enough.

He was bringing Nero too.

Dean was waiting when the convoy reached the private residence.

The transport aircraft had arrived ahead of them, but Victor had kept the animals in their secured compartments until Arion returned and the final environmental readings were cleared.

Consequently, when Arion stepped out of the vehicle beneath the western entrance, he found his husband standing near the doors with his arms folded and an expression that suggested the entire household had been warned against intervening.

Dean wore loose black trousers and a soft cream shirt, the fabric falling comfortably over his rounded stomach. His pale hair had been tied back loosely, though several strands had escaped around his face.

Boreas stood beside him.

Arion stopped.

Dean looked him over.

The dark field trousers. The fresh shirt. The familiar gold eyes. No visible black channels. No blood. No evidence that Arion had somehow acquired another biological anomaly during the return flight.

Then Dean crossed the remaining distance and threw his arms around him.

Arion caught him immediately.

The relief came through their bond before Dean said anything, warm and overwhelming enough that Arion tightened his embrace without thinking.

Dean pressed his face against Arion’s chest.

"You fucking idiot."

Arion lowered his head and kissed his hair.

"I missed you too."

Dean held him harder.

For several seconds, the anger from that morning disappeared beneath the simple reassurance of having his mate home, warm, solid, and smelling exactly as he should.

Then Dean pulled back.

"You are never doing that again."

Arion looked down at him.

"Going to Draxil?"

"Leaving me to discover your departure by watching an aircraft take off."

"That is reasonable."

Dean narrowed his eyes.

"You agreed suspiciously quickly."

"I am learning."

"Not quickly enough."

Arion kissed his forehead.

Dean allowed it, although his expression suggested the argument had merely been postponed until he was satisfied that Arion was not secretly dying.

Nero emerged from the vehicle.

"How touching. Are we finished with the reunion, or should I return after dinner?"

Dean looked past Arion.

"Nero, I was prepared to forgive you for participating in this nonsense until you started laughing during the call."

Nero smiled.

"I was laughing at the dogs."

"You were laughing at my husband."

"Those are not mutually exclusive."

Arion sighed.

Dean leaned against him again.

Then he noticed the transport vehicles approaching the secured garden entrance.

His expression changed.

"Oh, right."

Arion followed his gaze.

Nero’s smile widened.

"The puppies."

Dean looked at him.

"If you call twelve corrupted beasts puppies one more time, I am going to make you responsible for feeding them."

Nero considered that.

"Does Arion know what they eat?"

Arion stared at him.

"That is not helping."

The first compartment opened twenty minutes later.

Victor had insisted on using the enclosed western garden rather than the main residence, where the animals could be observed without exposing the rest of the household to an uncontrolled pheromonal release.

Hendrik stood near the access gate with two security officers, his expression suggesting he had already written three separate reports explaining why the palace now contained more infected animals than most research facilities.

Arion entered the garden first.

The dogs followed him from the transport compartments in a surprisingly orderly line.

Dean stared.

They looked normal.

There were twelve of them, ranging from a stocky brown animal with enormous paws to a slender grey dog whose long tail swept constantly across the stone path.

All had completely black eyes.

Otherwise, there was nothing about them that suggested they had once been enormous corrupted beasts capable of tearing through reinforced containment walls.

The largest barely reached Boreas’s shoulders.

Dean looked toward Arion.

"You actually did turn them into dogs."

"I showed you the video."

"I thought perhaps there was something wrong with the camera."

Nero laughed.

Boreas did not seem amused.

The enormous dog had been standing beside Dean with his usual relaxed dignity until the first animal stepped into the garden.

Then his entire posture changed.

His shoulders rose. His tail stopped moving.

A low growl rolled from his chest.

Dean immediately reached for his collar.

"Boreas."

The dog stepped forward, placing himself between Dean and the approaching animals.

Arion stopped walking.

The twelve dogs stopped with him.

For several seconds, the garden remained perfectly still.

Then the smallest black dog moved.

It had a soft, slightly shaggy coat, broad little paws, and a face so innocent that Dean immediately suspected it was going to become a problem.

The dog approached Boreas.

Boreas growled again.

The little animal stopped directly in front of him, and then it lifted one foreleg.

Dean blinked.

With its leg stretched perfectly straight, the black dog placed one small paw directly against Boreas’s nose.

Just a tiny, deliberate paw resting on the enormous dog’s muzzle.

Boreas stopped growling.

Everyone stared.

The black dog remained in that position for another second before lowering its paw and sitting politely.

Boreas sniffed it.

The little dog wagged its tail.

Then Boreas lowered his enormous head and sniffed the animal more thoroughly, apparently deciding that whatever threat had existed moments earlier no longer required consideration.

The black dog stood and rubbed against his front leg.

Boreas wagged his tail.

Dean slowly released his collar.

"What the fuck?"

Nero made a strangled sound.

Hendrik stared at the two animals, looking as though he had just witnessed a diplomatic negotiation conducted through a language nobody had thought to translate.

Arion looked down at the black dog.

The animal looked back with those completely black eyes.

Then it lifted its paw again.

Boreas lowered his nose obligingly.

Dean covered his mouth.

"Oh, my God."

The other dogs began approaching.

Boreas sniffed the first, then the second, before allowing the entire collection to gather around him without another growl.

Within minutes, the enormous dog was walking through the garden with twelve smaller animals following him.

The little black dog remained closest to his side.

Nero finally started laughing.

Hendrik looked toward Arion.

"I have absolutely no idea what to put in the report."

Arion watched Boreas accept another affectionate nudge from the black dog.

"Neither do I."