by Ophelia Bell
“I don’t want to mate anyone.”
A deep laugh shook his chest behind her. “That too. But my point is that for it to work, your dragon has to want it. I’ve seen you in the arena, Astra. You’re as much a master as your brother ever was. Your dragon wants what you want, and I don’t think losing the link changes that. Even if we are perfect for each other, we aren’t perfect enough. If we were, you would feel differently right now. You would want it.”
She frowned. “If that’s the case, why didn’t Talon and Simina ever go through with it? They were perfect for each other. They knew they belonged together. His career shouldn’t have made a difference by your logic.”
That was half the tragedy of her brother’s death: if he’d been mated to Simina, he might have survived.
Javin squeezed her hips and lifted her up and off his lap. The night air hit her wetness, making her tingle, and she grabbed her discarded panties to wipe up, glancing up at Javin with an expectant look. He needed to defend his logic.
“Talon always knew Simina was the one. His reservations weren’t just about his career.” He took a deep breath, holding her gaze as she buttoned up her blouse. “Before his final match, I asked why he was waiting. Simina had already shared her research into the possibility that mating strengthens rather than weakens a champion’s bond with his or her animal. He knew taking a mate wouldn’t be a detriment.
“He told me his dragon didn’t believe he was enough for her, that a mating would be one-sided. No matter how much he loved her, she would be incomplete with only him and he refused to do that to her. He said he was thinking about leaving the solo bracket, finding a team he could vet as his arena partners as well as bring to her with the hope of fulfilling that need. Believe it or not, he asked me. Simina and I have always been close, but I think he knew I would say no.”
“Because of me,” she said.
Javin nodded. “Yes. Because of you.”
“But how can you say we’re not perfect enough after this?” She swept her arm around the patch of disturbed leaves they’d just fucked in.
“If you’re genuinely arguing for us to mate, I’m in. But you aren’t. I’ve looked into your eyes when your dragon was near the surface. My wolf agrees that we aren’t enough for you the same way Talon believed he wasn’t enough for Simina. Deep down inside, your dragon knows it too. You need more than I can give you alone. If you disagree, I’m all ears. Just say the word, Astra.”
She gaped at him, struck dumb by his sudden shift in attitude toward her. Here he was offering himself up to her, something she’d wished he’d do for ages. But had she really wanted this? Or had she just wanted an acknowledgment of her feelings?
An unwieldy emotion she couldn’t name welled up within her. Love, desire, regret, gratitude—she couldn’t be sure what it was, but it brought an uncomfortable tightness to her throat nonetheless and she had to fight to swallow.
“What am I supposed to do?” she choked out. “If Val can’t make a counteragent, do I have any other choice? But if you aren’t enough, how do I know what is?”
He stepped close and brushed a finger across her cheek, stealing away a rogue tear that had escaped. “I have a feeling he’ll do everything in his power to help, now that we know we can trust him. Let him in a little, and listen to your dragon. Hear what she has to say about him.”
“I thought Val was just a means to an end,” she said, giving him a dubious look. “That our kind shouldn’t mix.”
Javin’s jaw flexed and he let out a soft laugh. “Yeah, I never said I wasn’t a victim of jealousy on occasion. Seeing him kiss both you and Simon pissed me off, but that doesn’t mean I wasn’t aware of the chemistry. I have a pretty good nose.”
She smirked at him. “You wanted him to kiss you too, didn’t you?”
“Maybe, but I wanted you more. If you’re going to be alone with him tomorrow night, I couldn’t leave things unresolved between us. I couldn’t let him have you first.”
“Well, you’ve had me now. What happens next? I hope you’re not expecting me to suddenly want a harem of mates with you three after I have one date with Val.”
Javin’s eyebrows lifted as if the idea intrigued him and she smacked his chest. He laughed. “All I want is for you to be happy, and tonight that means coming back to the house so I can give you your treatment.”
Astra groaned but the noise faded when Javin cupped the back of her head and looked into her eyes with a wicked glint. “I intend to make sure my bedside manner is up to your standards tonight. My ego can’t survive allowing Simon to one-up me, you know.”
A giddy rush filled her and she smiled up at him. “You think you can outdo Simon after last night?”
“I intend to try. And whatever Val does for you, I promise you I’ll do better.” He pressed one last kiss to her lips, then turned away, shifting back to his wolf and trotting into the dark woods.
Astra laughed and ran after him, her heart lighter than it had been in years despite all the confusion of the day.
19
Astra
The entire contents of Astra’s wardrobe were piled on her bed. She tugged on a deep-blue velvet cocktail dress with a flared skirt for the second time, turning in front of the mirror.
“Why are Earth clothes so complicated? On Nova Aurora, women have one all-purpose dress that adjusts to our needs. None of these stupid things have embedded AIs.”
Stella tutted from the doorway. “You look beautiful in everything, sweetie. I don’t think the man will mind what you wear.”
Astra smoothed her hands over the soft fabric. It hugged her toned body, flaring past her hips and swaying decadently around her thighs when she moved. But the dress left her feeling overly vulnerable with how much skin it left exposed. Her legs were bare from midthigh down, and the dress had a low back and low-cut bodice. She wasn’t shy about her body, but tonight was part of her mission. She would have preferred her battle armor to a skimpy dress.
Her stomach did a flip as she imagined what Val might think when he saw her. Would her appearance meet his standards? Should she even care? Did she even have a choice about caring? She wanted to see that look in his eyes that he’d given her the day before, the very first time they’d met, and then later when she’d taunted him by dropping her pants. He’d been intrigued, aroused, and something more too. And she was sure it had nothing to do with her outfit, so it was ridiculous of her to worry over it so much now.
“I guess this is it then. I’m done trying shit on.”
Stella let out a sigh and a murmur that sounded like “thank the gods.” The stocky woman steered Astra into the bathroom and set her down in front of the vanity.
Astra reached for her battle paint, but Stella snatched it out of her hand. “You’re going on a date, not to an arena match. And you’re meeting his father. You want more understated. Let me.”
Stella nudged Astra’s chin and Astra tightened her lips, lifting her head while glaring at the other woman. Stella only tutted again as she began applying makeup.
Footsteps creaked up the stairs after several minutes, breaking her out of the trance of Stella’s ministrations. Her eyes shot to the mirror when a shape appeared in the doorway behind her. Javin smiled back, his gaze tracking down her torso.
She reflexively covered herself, then dropped her arms. This stupid Earth dress felt more like some weird, conspicuous costume.
“You look beautiful.”
A second later, Simon appeared at his shoulder, his eyes lighting up. “Wow, now I’m jealous.”
Her cheeks warmed. “Please tell me he’s not down there waiting for me or something.”
Stella nudged her chin again and scowled. “No talking.” She pressed pale-pink lipstick to Astra’s bottom lip and swiped it across. Stella rubbed her lips together, nodding for Astra to do the same, then stepped back to look over Astra’s shoulder into the mirror.
“Perfection,” Stella said, beaming.
Astra scowled. With the understated makeup an
d abundance of bare skin, she looked more like a weak-willed princess than a warrior. Even her hair, which normally stood up in jagged spikes, had been somewhat tamed to a more relaxed wave over her forehead. She didn’t have a strong enough link to her dragon to shift if she needed. She’d have at least liked to look tough.
Stella disappeared, leaving Javin and Simon watching her as she stood.
“Don’t you guys laugh or I’ll fucking punch you.” Astra slipped into the glittery, blue sling-back pumps Stella had left for her. She stood eye to eye with Simon in these shoes and glared at his quirking mouth.
Her brows descended lower when he broke into a smile. He held up a hand to ward her off. “I’m not laughing at your outfit, Midnight! It’s that expression. You look like you’re ready to commit murder. Loosen up.”
Javin chuckled. “He’s right. It’s just a date. Try to have a little fun while you’re there, all right?”
She stomped to the bed and found the filmy wrap that went with the dress and slung it around her shoulders, then grabbed the matching clutch with her loaned Earth phone and a small thumb drive stashed inside. “It isn’t a fucking date. We’re getting intel so we can nail this fucker to the wall.”
When she turned, Javin was at her side, touching her arm with one hand. “I’m serious, Astra. Remember what I said last night. Let him in. Don’t let yourself wonder what could have been.”
“I don’t know if I like this agreeable version of you,” she muttered, pulling away.
“Yeah, this is an odd shift.” Simon shot a perplexed look at Javin. “You guys avoid each other all day and now you’re all about pushing her into Val’s arms. I think I have whiplash just being near you two.”
Javin shrugged. “I’ll explain everything later. Meet us downstairs?”
Simon glanced between the two of them, gave Astra another appreciative once-over, then disappeared back down the stairs to the kitchen.
“What is it?” She crossed her arms. “You want to boss me around a little more before I leave?”
Javin’s eyes flashed yellow for a second and he rubbed the back of his neck. “I just have one request.” His gaze heated and he licked his lips as he took her in. Astra’s nipples pricked under the intensity of his stare.
“Do you really think you have the authority to make requests?”
“It’s for you as much as for me,” he said. “Don’t fuck him tonight. Don’t fuck anyone else for that matter, not without letting me be there.”
A hot rush cascaded through her body, stealing her breath. She stared up at him, wide-eyed. “You want to be there?”
“I need to know, Astra,” he said in a rough voice laced with desperation. “I need to know whether I’m right, whether your dragon opens up more if more men are involved, or if it just doesn’t respond to me.”
“Oh, my dragon responds to you, trust me. She always has.”
“Not enough,” he said, sounding forlorn. “I think if the right men are with you at the same time, you’ll know. Call it a hunch. Also, something Simina said made me wonder if this was what had held you back all along.”
She tilted her head. “You really don’t like the idea of sharing, do you?”
Javin snorted. “Not one bit, but my wolf isn’t letting go of its feelings for you, so I have to compromise.”
“What was it Simina said?”
“That when she met Veryl, she was drawn to him but that it didn’t completely click until Dez and Cato joined them. It took all three for her dragon to take notice. She marked them without even realizing it. Our animals always know.”
“So by that logic, I couldn’t accidentally mark you if I tried as long as it’s just the two of us,” she said, stepping close. She lifted the hem of his T-shirt and slipped her hands beneath, pressing them against his taut stomach. Javin’s abs tightened and he gasped, his pupils expanding as he stared down at her. She slid her hands up to his chest, teasing fingertips around his nipples.
“No,” he said, calling her bluff by leaning into her touch and resting his hands on her shoulders.
Just then, Simon bounded back up the stairs, pushed through the door, and stopped.
“He’s here.” He glanced between them, eyebrows lifted.
Astra’s palms heated where they pressed against Javin’s chest. Her dragon uncoiled from its nearly constant rest and rumbled deep within. Suddenly Astra could sense Val in the house, hyperaware of how close all three of the men were to her again, and she had the most unbearable urge to close all the gaps between them.
Mark him. The resonant voice inside her head sounded urgent, needy. Mark them all. Her palms heated more and she snatched her hands back from Javin, stumbling away. She would have fallen over if Simon hadn’t lunged into the room to catch her and hold her steady.
“You all right?” he asked against her ear. “Not feeling sick or anything, are you?”
His voice and the weight of his arms encircling her made her dragon rumble again in impatience. No, this wasn’t what she wanted. She didn’t want a single mate much less three, no matter what Javin said.
“I’m fine,” she said, jerking out of his grasp. “Don’t want to keep him waiting. We’ve got a backstabbing bastard to flush out. We’re doing it tonight.”
She pushed past Javin toward the other exit to her room that led out to the main landing rather than down the back stairs to the kitchen. From up here she could see down the center of the circular stairwell to the house’s foyer.
Val’s shining black hair came into view as he paced from the front door, checking his watch. He shoved his hands in his pockets, pulled them out again, then turned to the mirror on the wall and combed fingers through his thick hair.
Astra’s pulse raced when he stilled and slowly turned his gaze up as if he sensed her there. His eyes narrowed and he cast her a predatory smile that quickly faded to one of true pleasure.
Her dragon was on fire now, and she struggled to push the beast back, but the toxin in her blood had damaged their bond too much. Her control was all but nonexistent. Somewhere within that first wicked gleam, Val’s panther had lain in wait, and her dragon was more than ready to tangle with the cat.
“Not fucking tonight,” she muttered under her breath. But as she descended the stairs, Javin’s request echoed in her mind and she couldn’t shake the image of the wolf’s eager gaze watching while she shared herself with the panther. And what if Simon were there too?
Her palms warmed again and she glanced down, shocked by the pulse of light just beneath the skin. It wasn’t just any light, but the shape of the Garrick family crest, the very emblem that their mother had emblazoned on her breastbone from when their father had marked her.
Clenching her fists, Astra descended the stairs.
For the first time in years, her training didn’t kick in on its own. Instead she had to focus and force herself to calm down, to push her dragon back into its cave, where it had hidden from her for days. It wasn’t welcome now, not when all it would be was a distraction. By the time she’d reached the first floor, her tension had uncoiled with her measured breathing.
She smiled up at Val when she reached the foyer and was relieved to see no trace of the panther’s hunger taunting her.
“You ready?” he asked after giving her a peck on the cheek. “Dad’s expecting us in half an hour.”
“I don’t know, am I?” She stepped back and spread her arms. “Do you think I’ll measure up?”
Val’s nostrils flared as he took her in, and a glimmer of his hunger returned. He licked his lips, took a deep breath, and seemed to force a smile back onto his face.
“You’re perfect,” he said, but a hint of salacious need tinged his voice, reminding her that to his animal, she must seem like the perfect prey. Pretty and more challenging than most women he’d encountered.
He’d learn not to tangle with a dragon.
20
Astra
Val drove them toward the city, turning not far past the lab
and heading down a secluded road lined with rows of manicured trees. Around the bend, an enormous stone house came into view with a vast expanse of forested hills behind it. In front a large driveway circled around a fountain in the center.
She’d seen plenty of opulence on Nova Aurora and this house could compete with some of the more enchanting villas of her planet’s elite.
“This is where he lives? Why in the world would he care about making more money?”
“That’s the big question,” Val said, pulling to a stop at the base of the front steps. A pair of suited footmen opened their doors and Val came around, offering her his arm.
“We’ve been well-off for generations, but I can’t promise it was all honestly gotten money. We’re Italian and you can’t survive as an influential Italian family in this city without some entanglements with the mafia. Dad always prided himself on staying clear, but maybe that changed.” He gave her a tight smile as he led her up the steps and into the house.
Astra was grateful for the distraction. Her dragon had finally faded into the background, apparently bored by Astra’s lack of interest in immediately marking her date.
Moments after entering, a tall, broad-shouldered man with salt-and-pepper hair appeared. He had an amiable smile as he approached, but his eyes held a gleam that put Astra on edge. He looked like an older, more calculating version of Val.
“Welcome to the Carver home. I’m Valentino Carver Sr. You must be Astra.” He closed the distance and took both her hands in his, squeezing. Shooting a look at Val, he said, “Gerri came through, just like I said she would. Shall we have a drink to start off the evening?”
Val rested a warm hand at her back, his touch searing her bare skin as he guided her along behind his father into a richly appointed study decorated in deep mahogany and leather. She took a breath as she surveyed her surroundings, remarking on the decor without even thinking.
The house was well lived in but also well maintained. This wasn’t a family who’d come upon their riches recently. But she was more interested in the layout of the rest of the house, eyeing the exits to this room. How close were they to their target? Val had said the office where the backups were stored was at the end of the north wing of the house, while the dining room was at the far end of the south wing. They’d decided she would be the one to go after it because it would be easier for Val to keep his father distracted.