Soren laughed, watching as she raced down the carved stone steps to the beach, her shrieks lost to the sound of the waves.
***
Valerie looked over her shoulder as Zale and Adrian walked ten steps behind with Sam. The violet surf washed onto the sand dotted with smooth multi-colored crystals and they sparkled in the bright star shine.
“This place is off the chain, Aggie! Besides Soren being hot and handy, no wonder Hannah traded the streets of New York and her stuffy library for this!” Val lifted her face to the warm rays, her body alighting with energy.
Aggie hooked her arm with Valerie’s and kicked the surf, sending bubbles into the air. “The water has healing properties. Can’t you just feel the toxins leaving your body?”
“Mmhmm. I haven’t felt this good in ages. Almost better than sex!” Valerie glanced at her two hunks again and laughed. “Actually, it’s not even close. Those boys are going to wear me out.”
The flesh between her legs ached, and she winced as they walked, but the secret smile on her face spoke volumes. She couldn’t wait to tell Hannah all about it.
She left her clothes on the floor in her bedroom where Zale dropped them, deciding to be comfortable in a pair of capris and tank top instead. Not that she’d be able to wear her leggings again. Not unless crotchless became a thing. One impatient rip, and goodbye yoga pants. Did Aggie say there were shopping malls or not? She couldn’t remember.
A shriek of laughter so familiar it made her heart squeeze echoed off the sides of the tall cliffs. Valerie shielded her eyes, and in seconds spotted her friend as she ran down the steps toward the beach.
“Idiot girl! She’s gonna fall and kill herself before I even get to her.” She spared a look for Aggie and then took off, kicking up sand as she ran.
“Hannah!” she screamed, waving like a crazy woman. Valerie raced to the bottom of the stairs, her fingers digging into her flesh from the stitch in her side. “You crazy girl,” she panted as Hannah flung herself into her arms. “You’re too clumsy to run down stone steps!”
Hannah squeezed her hard, tears on her cheeks. “Not as crazy as you! You took that god-awful plunge just to see me?”
“Yup, but it wasn’t too bad considering who my traveling companions were,” Val hinted.
Hannah pushed back, but held onto Val’s arms, her eyes going wide. “Tell me!”
“Zale and Adrian. Gemini Gorgónes. Shifters, but not dragon. Sea gods, Hannah! Honest to goodness Aquaman times two!”
Valerie angled her head, gesturing to the two hotties walking toward them down the beach. “To be honest, once I spotted you on the stairs, I half expected one of them to tackle me after I took off running in your direction. Are they all so protective?”
She laughed. “Yup, but you’ll get used to it.”
“Get used to what?” a male voice asked, making both women turn.
Hannah’s face lit up, and a huge smile spread on her lips. “Valerie, this is Soren Draakki. My mate.”
“It’s nice to finally meet you in person,” he said, holding his hand out.
Valerie slipped her fingers into his palm and was immediately pulled into a giant bear hug with Hannah, his big arms engulfing them both.
As if their combined gaze weighed hundreds of pounds, Val felt Zale and Adrian’s eyes on her as they approached. She disentangled herself from Soren and Hannah and stepped back.
Hannah knitted her fingers with Soren’s, and she stood with him beside Aggie as Valerie walked to get her Gemini.
Val situated herself between her two hunks, stifling a giggle at how they dwarfed her in size.
“I know,” Hannah laughed, as well. “Makes you feel small, right?”
Valerie nodded with a grin. “For the first time in my life…ever.” Her smile went ear-to-ear, but when she looked up to introduce the guys, her grin faded at their pokerfaced expressions.
“Zale…Adrian—” she began slowly. “This is Hannah. My best friend in the whole world.” When neither said a word, Val flicked her eyes to Aggie for help, but the older woman didn’t budge. Just waited as deadpan as the Gemini.
“Nice to meet you both,” Hannah said, exchanging a look with her friend.
Zale and Adrian each shook Hannah’s hand, their eyes moving from her smiling face to Soren. “Do you know who we are?” Adrian started, only to have Soren lift his hand, stopping him.
The dragon shifter nodded. “I’ve only heard stories about you, but yes, I know who you are.” Soren looked at Zale, his eyes conflicted. “Especially you. There’s much of Calliope in you.”
Zale’s jaw tightened, and Valerie slipped her hand into his palm. “It’s okay, babe. That’s a good thing. A compliment.”
“Calliope?” Hannah questioned.
Soren kept his eyes on Zale. “My sister,” he replied.
Hannah’s mouth dropped. “Your sister? We’ve been together for months, and you never bothered to mention you have a sister? Let alone a nephew your same age?” Her brows tensed and she looked to Aggie and Val for explanation.
“I had a sister,” Soren corrected. “She died before I was cursed.”
Valerie squeezed Zale’s fingers again, and this time Adrian slipped his hand onto the alpha’s shoulder.
“I think you mean she was murdered before you were cursed. Right, Draakki?” Zale challenged, his voice low.
Aggie stepped between the two men, her eyes changing color. Both men took the warning and relaxed. She eyed them both, but kept her attention focused mainly on Soren.
“Zale has more of Calliope than just her features,” she stated. “He has her fire and her determination. After years watching him grow and thrive on the surface, I can attest to that no question. He also has her compassion, though to look at the set to his jaw now, you’d never guess.”
Breaking eye contact with Soren, Zale spared a cautious glance for the old woman. “Since I never knew my mother, I’ll have to take your word for it, Aggie. That pleasure was robbed from me by Ores a long time ago.”
At his father’s name, Soren’s jaw tightened. “My father was a hard man. He ruled Drakkylon with an iron grip and didn’t hesitate to bring that heavy fist down on anyone who crossed him. Including me. You’re right.” He nodded. “Calliope was murdered by his hand, and I grieved for centuries of her death. Had I not been so preoccupied with my dick, I might have saved her, and spared us both that heartache.”
Zale’s gaze stayed locked with his, the sound of the waves behind them keeping time.
“Maybe we should leave the rest of this conversation for another time,” Hannah started, but Soren shook his head.
Zale took a step, and Adrian’s hand tightened on his shoulder. He looked at his omega and shook his head. “It’s okay, bro. I’m good. I got this.” He leaned down and kissed Valerie’s cheek, unlacing her fingers from his hand.
Taking another step, Zale extended his hand. “Draakki, that you felt the same loss over the years is something I never considered. For that, I’m sorry. So for Calliope’s sake, I offer peace.”
Soren nodded, clasping Zale’s arm like brothers.
“Thank God, their brains aren’t in their biceps,” Hannah said, sliding her arm around Val’s shoulders. “One less man mess for us to clean up.”
Valerie laughed. “Preach, bookworm. Preach.”
Adrian scooted in beside Zale and covered Soren’s grip with his hand. “Don’t leave me hanging alone. With those two, we really need a band of brothers.”
Aggie slipped in on Valerie’s opposite side. “Don’t forget me. I may your Dracosarra, but I’m all woman.
Sam grinned, covering the pile of man hands with his own as well. “Amen, love. Aggie’s harder than the other two put together, so count me in as well, gentlemen.”
Soren laughed. “Like the Stygian witches. Clever and dangerous.”
“Isn’t this the tempting picture,” a gruff voice said from the rocky cove at the base of the steps. “I sacrificed lifetimes waitin
g our alpha and omega to return, only to find them in a willing embrace with our enemy!”
The man that approached was older than dirt. Dressed in a green robe the color of Zale and Adrian’s eyes, he walked with a quick steady gait, as if the years worn on his face were a mask.
He carried a tall, timeworn staff, knotted and carved with unusual symbols. A strange orb sat at the top with two empty indentations on either side.
Aggie stepped forward to stand between them and the newcomer. “Malus. I expected you’d turn up at some point, but I didn’t think your bloodhounds were that fast.”
“Dracosarra. Still defending the sins of your masters, eh?” he replied with a wheezy chuckle. “Move aside, woman, and let me pass. I have a destiny to fulfill.”
Malus pointed his staff toward the small group, but then lowered it again, his eyes finding Valerie. A yellowed grin broke across his wrinkled face, and he turned a shrewd eye toward the old woman.
“It seems you’ve redeemed yourself after all. Not only freeing the Draakki wastrel, but also completing the ordained Gemini triad. Well done. Even for a Draakki bitch.” He coughed again.
Soren’s eyes flamed red, and he took a step forward. “Watch your mouth, old man. We may be on neutral ground, but our Dracosarra is a particular favorite of the king, and he might look the other way if I tear off your arms and feed them to the sharks.”
Zale stepped forward with Adrian as well, but not before pushing Valerie behind him for safety. Soren did the same, motioning for Hannah to join her, as the three men formed a line of defense. They were in full protective shifter caveman mode. No one knew this man other than Aggie, and he’d already insulted her twice.
“Who are you and what do you want with us?” Zale demanded. “You wear the robes of a Gemini elder, but the staff you carry is not yours. I recognize the mark below the medallion orb. Where is Castor?”
Malus’s cagey eyes narrowed. “Young as you were, I see your years on the surface haven’t polluted your memory as much as it has your loyalty. Your old tutor is not well. He was removed from his post for his health, and I have taken over as master elder.”
“Taken over? By whose order? Only an alpha and omega can appoint a new master,” Adrian said, eyeing the man warily.
Malus shrugged. “Desperate times call for desperate measures.”
“Your business is no concern of ours, old man. Until we hear from Castor, you are no Gemini elder.” Zale folded his arms and took a step forward.
He raised the elder’s staff and the wind blew, gusting rough enough to whip their hair. “My business is your concern. Our people have languished in darkness long enough! You must return with me with your mate so the Triad Rite can be performed. It’s time to unleash our power. Take revenge on the Draakki scum. Not embrace them!”
Valerie slipped under Soren’s arm and stalked forward, pushing right past Zale and Adrian. “Listen up, you. I don’t know who you are or what you’re trying to accomplish, but peace was just declared in your so-called war. You ought to be thrilled! Not ranting about revenge. No one here gives a rat’s ass about revenge. That kind of negativity never got anyone anywhere, and it certainly won’t get me to join your frequent flyer club. I’m happy right here.” She folded her arms mimicking both Zale and Adrian’s stance, and both men had to stifle the urge to laugh.
Zale shrugged. “What can I say? She’s got a mind of her own. Something Castor would have appreciated and cherished. Like I said earlier, until we hear from the only elder we know and trust, we stay put with our mate.”
“Agreed.” Adrian nodded, but then his eyes narrowed, and he inhaled. “You’re not even a Gorgóna. You have no shimmer, no thrash. How is it you are a Gemini elder?”
Pushing Valerie behind them again, the two tensed, their bodies coiled for the unknown. Malus raised his staff once more, but this time the sky darkened, and the winds eddied and churned.
Violet waves crashed with brutal force and Adrian turned, jerking his thumb toward the cove. “Take the women to the palace and alert the king!” he yelled over the torrent.
Green eyes flashed, streaked with red fire. Their backs hunched as muscles rippled with the need to shift. Malus laughed, striking the soft ground with the base of his staff. Sand swirled, engulfing him in a raging tornado until he disappeared, and all was still again.
Still tense, Zale straightened as he scanned the beach. “You okay?” he asked, keeping Adrian in his peripheral vision.
“Yeah. You?” Adrian dusted the sand from his clothes. “That was freaky. I didn’t know we could shift on dry land. It would have been an epic fail if we flopped around like two fish out of water.”
The alpha nodded. “You can say that again. Though, something tells me that wasn’t in the cards.” He exhaled, stretching his neck. “I think we just found our inner dragons.”
“Holy fire breath.”
Zale chuckled. “Now you sound like our girl. Still, we knew it was possible.”
“You know this means, right?” Adrian met Zale’s gaze.
Zale nodded. “We have to find Castor. My gut is roiling, and it’s never wrong. He’s in trouble, man.”
“I know.” Adrian glanced up at the palace, looming above the rocky cove. “What about this Malus guy? What are we going to do about him? I don’t trust him, and I don’t want Valerie any place he can just show up.”
Zale nodded. “Draic won’t let that happen again.”
“Perhaps. He’s the king. He’s got more to worry about than one human girl and her Aquamen. Isn’t his wife about to have a baby?” Adrian pointed out.
Zale crossed his arms. “Just spit it out. What?”
“Maybe the best thing would be to take Valerie somewhere Malus wouldn’t think to go. Not that he’d get in, magic or not,” Adrian replied.
“Okay, I’ll bite. Where?”
Adrian looked at him and shrugged. “Drakkylon. She could leave in the morning with Soren and Rylan. Hannah will go wherever Soren goes, and that’ll be enough for Valerie. In the meantime, that will give us peace of mind, and the time to find Castor and figure out what’s going on.”
“You know,” Zale slipped his arm around Adrian’s shoulders. “You’re pretty smart for an omega. Castor knew what he was doing when he chose you.”
Adrian snorted. “Yeah, right. Castor chose me because he needed someone with cool intelligence to keep your impulsive ass in check. Now let’s go find our girl and get this search party started.
Chapter Eleven
“Val! Hurry up. We’re going to be late,” Hannah’s voice prompted from the communicator Aggie happened to leave in the suite’s common room.
Zale shrugged into his shirt, cracking a grin. “For someone you call bookworm, she’s pretty bossy.”
“That’s not bossy,” Valerie replied. “She gets anxious about being late. I think it was her Catholic school upbringing.”
Adrian cocked his head as he slicked his long blond hair into a low ponytail. “Her what?”
“Catholic school,” she repeated. “Strict rules? A ruler across your palms for transgressions?” She shook her head, chuckling, as they both stared at her. “Forget it. I guess that bit of surface pop culture doesn’t translate.”
Adrian grabbed her around the waist and bent, kissing her neck with a loud smack. “And what about you? Were you a rule breaker?”
She sighed, letting her head fall to one side, giving him better access. “I am now, with you two.” Her eyes fluttered shut, but when she felt Zale reach for her from behind, she wiggled herself out from their shifter sex sandwich.
“What?” Zale grinned. “Don’t I get any?”
She smoothed her clothes with a self-conscious cough. “You had plenty, for now. And that goes for both of you. We’re already late. If we don’t get to this dinner soon, I won’t be able to make eye contact with anyone, let alone the king and your new Draakki friends.”
“You look beautiful, love. Eye contact will be all on you, and not b
ecause we’re a little late.”
Val looked down at the flowy maxi dress that somehow found its way into her suitcase. She smirked to herself. Aggie. It had to be.
The dress was a silky ginger print that reminded her of a scarf she bought in the Caribbean on vacation one year. The dress's handkerchief style complimented her curves, and the halter top flattered her breasts in ways that made her proud. She felt pretty and sensuous, but it wasn’t just the dress. It was the two men who made her body quake twice that day. She smirked to herself. Multiple times, actually.
Checking her makeup in the mirror, she looked at them as they finished getting ready. Soft cotton shirts highlighted their broad chests and ripped torsos, while their pants molded to muscular thighs. She sighed again. If this was a dream, then damn. She hoped she was comatose.
***
“There you are!” Hannah said, poking her head from the garden’s ornate wrought iron gate.
Valerie rushed forward, her high heels clicking on the tiles. “I’m sorry, Hannah. We sort of lost track of time.” She peeked through the gate. “I don’t see Aggie. Please tell me I beat her here, at least.”
“Aggie is already here, slow poke,” Hannah joked. “And all I can say is thank God the walls aren’t as thin as the ones in your apartment, though the acoustics here are pretty good.” She waggled her eyebrows.
Valerie’s mouth dropped open. “Hannah!”
“You’re doing pretty good for yourself, huh?” Her friend snickered. “At least that’s the way it sounded down the hall.”
Valerie rolled her eyes, but the secret smile on her face spoke volumes. Adrian winked and she had to press her lips together, ignoring the flush that crawled up her cheeks.
She gave Hannah’s outfit an appreciative once over and smiled. “You look great, Hannah. I love that blue on you. It really brings out your skin and eyes.”
“Ha. Nice dodge, Val.”
Zale laughed, giving Valerie’s cheek a quick peck. “A triad never kisses and tells.” He glanced down at Hannah’s dress and nodded. “Val is right, though. You look very pretty tonight. You do the Draakki proud.”
Taming their Tailfins: Howls Romance Page 9