Dragon Star (A Shifter Football League Novel)

by Aurora Reid

  Dragon Star

  A Shifter Football League Novel

  Aurora Reid

  Contents

  Copyright

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 15

  Chapter 16

  Chapter 17

  Chapter 18

  Chapter 19

  Chapter 20

  Chapter 21

  Epilogue

  Bear’s Bride

  Jax’s Mate (Wood Bear’s Unexpected Mate)

  Also by Aurora Reid

  Copyright © 2016 by Aurora Reid

  All rights reserved.

  No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without written permission from the author, except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

  Jax’s Mate (Wood Bear’s Unexpected Mate) is included as a bonus book at around 60%.

  1

  Cass escaped her golden cage.

  She showed up at the LA Outlaws practice with Jae’s favorite candy—gold flecked truffles from the gourmet chocolate store, a flashy treat for a dragon. Except what seemed like a nice gesture was anything but.

  She’d been stuck inside of his home and needed some fresh air and sunlight. There was also a part of her that clung to that tiny thread of hope that there would be someone at the practice who could help her, someone who would see the desperation in her eyes.

  The Outlaws were rushing into mats, doing drills. Cass could hear the thudding long before she got to the gate. A few spectators were standing there along with reporters following one of the best teams in the Shifter Football League. The analysts said they were going all the way to the Championship this year.

  Jae would know she had arrived.

  He was a dragon shifter, senses so sharp he told Cass he heard her every breath.

  The scary part was that she believed him…

  Cass had woken in such a feverish mood. She’d been cooped up in Jae’s home for months. Going to the practice would anger the red dragon, but she’d hit her breaking point, fearing what would happen to her if she was isolated any longer.

  And while he might leave her door unlocked sometimes, she knew she could never get far. Jae would go to the ends of the Earth to find her, and being a dragon, that wouldn’t be so hard.

  He’d seemed like a nice guy at first. Actually, he had been a nice guy. His behavior had changed ever so slowly. Now she was stuck in one of his rooms in his isolated mansion, like it was normal, like everyone goes through a period like this in their lives.

  Her fingers trembled as she grasped the fence.

  A single helmeted player turned and faced her, not budging. It was Jae. Inside of the shadowy helmet, his eyes burned, a flash of red like a death ray pointed right at her.

  “Ms. Warren, it’s nice to see you.”

  Cass spun to see the Outlaws’ head coach, Coach Howard, standing by the side of the gate. He went to let her through the entrance. The guard nodded and let them through.

  “You’re just the person I need.”

  She blinked. What? “Oh, hi, Coach Howard.”

  She already began to walk with him, no idea what use she could be.

  Coach adjusted his cap with the LA Outlaws logo on it. Whenever she saw him, he always wore that cap, reminding her of her father at her minor league game for her little brother. He’d fit right in. At his age, whatever it was—must’ve been a lot, since he was a shifter with grey hair—he looked the part. And played the part as well, in more ways than one. Coach Howard was like a father to every one of the Outlaws.

  Even Cass.

  “Nico is here. We could use your expert set of eyes on his injury.”

  Oh...that was right. She was one of the leading sports physical therapists with a Master’s in Shifter Studies. She’d just been Jae’s private nurse for so long that she’d almost forgotten she was anything else.

  Now she would be meeting the only other dragon she knew, their star quarterback, Nico.

  Jae wasn’t going to be happy about this. She clutched the small gift bag closer to her chest as she followed Coach inside, going through the long, dark hallway that led to the locker rooms.

  Once they were in the light, Coach grunted. “What’s in the bag?”

  “A gift for Jae.”

  “Anything good?”

  “It’s his favorite candy.”

  “Tell you what, you help out Nico here, and I’ll buy you a bag of your favorite candy.”

  “It’s my job.”

  They stopped at a door.

  “Could’ve sworn it was your job too.” He noticed the wriggle of Cass’s nose, the little twitch and added, “Jae’s got you all to himself, and I let that go, but you’re technically on our payroll, which you already know. If you ever get tired there…”

  Cass waved the thought away.

  I’m more than tired of it. I’m terrified. But I can’t say that out loud.

  The dragon breathed fire at her heels.

  “Let’s see what’s going on, shall we?” She nodded to the door and Coach Howard opened it, heading right in.

  Something told Cass that Coach had his suspicions of Jae. Yet he was an eagle shifter, and an eagle was no match for a dragon.

  Nico waited, sprawled out on a massage table in some shorts and no shirt. They never met before, but she knew about him. A single quarterback with a mysterious and dark past, a handsome shifter who could transform into a powerful dragon, he was on every celebrity blog’s radar.

  “Hello,” he said, his golden eyes glowing as he tilted his chin up at her.

  Since she watched every game—Jae grilled her on his performance during each one—she saw when Nico was injured. He had been rushing past a sack when his Achilles tendon had torn.

  “I’m Cass.”

  “Cass? You’re a sports therapist?” He showed an inkling of a white smile that had heat spreading like wildfire in her.

  She could see why girls were so obsessed with him, lining up after the games in order to get his autograph and pictures, or in some cases in order to seduce him and get to his gold chambers, which she assumed he had. All dragons did.

  Coach Howard slapped her on the shoulder. A little too hard. Perhaps he’d been around the boys too long, but she appreciated it, nevertheless.

  “Cass here is one of the best damn therapists you could ever hope to walk in this door. I won’t bore you with her resume, so just trust me.”

  He gave her shoulder another pat and then headed for the door. “Good luck, let me know what you think after, Cass. I’m eager to hear all about it.”

  The door shut, leaving Cass alone with the intimidating dragon shifter.

  He’d be intimidating enough with his shirt on, never mind off. Usually, quarterbacks didn’t have the most impressive physiques. Nico looked like a statue of the perfect man: wide shoulders, a lean yet muscular chest, a ripped set of arms with bulging biceps and some nice looking legs too, every part of him honed to be the best possible. Looking at his physique, you could see his dedication, his striving to be the best he could be.

  “Why have I never seen you before? I think I would’ve noticed.”

  Cass took cautious steps to the side of his table.

  “I’ve...been with the team for a whi
le, but mostly I’ve been helping Jae.”

  “Oh, so you’re the one he won’t answer questions about?” The edges of his eyes crinkled a little as he looked up at her. She didn’t think that there could be wear on his body. He looked immortal.

  “Well, whatever you’re doing, it must be good. He hasn’t even had a stubbed toe all year.”

  “I can only do so much,” she began, but he stopped her.

  “Something tells me you’re being modest.”

  Seeming uneasy, he stared past her then. As soon as she placed a hand on the table, he winced.

  “You’re not healing as quickly as you should be,” she noticed at once.

  He looked distant.

  “May I?”

  Thinking about laying her hands on his skin, that ball of energy in her stomach burst into a roaring fire. She held back, waiting for his response.

  Shifters usually healed quicker than humans. Their quick healing meant fans didn’t have to wait for their favorite players to return to the game after injuries. But sometimes, after a particularly nasty injury, healing could be slowed from a shifter who was stressed, psychologically damaged, or there were other diseases, specific shifter diseases that could overwhelm their healing abilities.

  This was why Nico was nervous. Cass definitely would be. She’d probably be hiding under the table.

  “Go ahead. Work your magic, doc.”

  Cass checked his tendon. She made sure to be careful as it was probably painful.

  She turned it over a little, rotating it. He took an inhale, almost unnoticeable, but Cass caught it while checking for the tiniest movements in his body. There was a lot of pain. This guy could hide it well.

  “I see it hurts.”

  “I just want to use it again,” he grunted.

  “Sorry, I’m going to have to manipulate it some more.”

  “No problem.”

  The tendon was turned ever so slowly and then massaged, Cass careful to monitor his breathing as she did it.

  “Why shifters?” he blurted out. “Why would a human study shifters? I thought you all hated us.”

  “That’s not true.”

  Gold flashed in his eyes. “Or feared us.”

  She smirked. “I’m definitely not afraid of you.”

  He returned a sly look that seemed to say, “Oh really?”

  “Really. I’m pretty sure you’re the one on the table here.”

  Nico grinned. “You’re not wrong.”

  The hair on the back of her neck prickled when she caught Nico looking behind her.

  A wave of fear passed over her. Jae was there, she imagined, right behind her, whispering, “I hear every breath you take.” Kind of like that Police song. She’d never thought it very romantic, more like stalker-ish.

  When she turned around, he was there, standing in the doorway, his face solid like a rock and stern.

  “Hi, Jae,” Cass said in a hurry. “I brought the chocolates you like.”

  Jae simply nodded. Up and down, he nodded, his eyes not moving.

  It was unsettling. Cass didn’t want to return back to touching Nico’s leg. She knew how possessive Jae was.

  “Go on, I’ll be here,” he said, his voice cold.

  Nico shrugged. “What’s up, Jae?”

  “Go on. Ignore me.”

  He was making that difficult.

  Like Nico, Jae had that sharp, impenetrable look about him. They were both cut, but Jae was shorter and buffer, necessary for his defensive end position. His hair was also a deep black, unlike Nico’s warm chestnut colored hair that further pronounced his golden eyes.

  Cass did her best to ignore Jae. She put her back to him to make it less awkward. Touching a patient was always clinical. With Jae there, he forced it not to be.

  She let go.

  Now wasn't the time. Later she wanted to discover the secret to why this shifter wasn’t healing.

  Cass was so good at her job because she was so damn curious and always asking questions.

  “I want to order some tests for you.”

  Nico shook his head vehemently. He looked deeply into her eyes.

  When Jae did that, she would be terrified. Instead, Nico’s look caged her, and then prodded her in areas that she had assumed were dead long ago. Her arousal stirred.

  “No tests,” he grunted. “I’ll manage.”

  She smiled at him, his intense look softened.

  “You’re not managing. That’s why you need my help.”

  Nico snarled a little. Not at her. Behind her.

  Cass didn’t want to turn around. Fear told her that Jae might be stupid enough to fight a member of his own team. Dragons were territorial, more than that, possessive, so to have two in the same room seemed like she was asking for the room to be torched.

  Nico’s abs flexed as he pushed up. It looked so hot to Cass.

  And kind of made her want to see a brawl, just a dirty little thought of a hot shifter quarterback fighting for her and protecting her, not like she’d really want to see a fight.

  “Are you going to stand back there the whole time and watch?”

  Jae said nothing again, only nodded at Nico.

  Cass saw a spread of fire emerge around Nico’s pupils but it was almost too fast to see, like a split second look at a star exploding.

  This wasn’t good.

  Thankfully, Nico put an end to it.

  “There won’t be tests, I’m sorry, I’m fine. Thanks for taking a look at me.”

  Nico was now expressionless. Cass turned around and saw Jae lift an eyebrow.

  So that was it?

  It was time, like always, to return back to Jae.

  She squinted and furrowed her brow at Nico. They had only just met. But she was still disappointed in him.

  Then she followed Jae out of the room, sure that she had angered the dragon and would be sure to pay.

  2

  Alone with Cass, his dragon wanted to soar. She was gold. Rare and beautiful, something to keep and never let go of, to cherish and wonder at. His senses were more alive than he could remember.

  Then Jae had walked into the room. That smug ass had stood there with a pissy look on his face. And that made his dragon want to roar. Made his dragon want to tear and bite and bellow his awesome fire onto that smug face until it melted before him.

  Something wasn’t right with them. Something wasn’t right with the emotions that had surged inside of him because of Cass as well.

  How many years since he felt emotion like that? Felt so vulnerable, felt such a need? Not even last year, after that Hail Mary pass which took the Outlaws to the playoffs, did Nico feel such overwhelming emotion.

  He winced and flexed his ankle. The tendon responded by shooting pain up his spine. Gritting his teeth, Nico swung his legs onto the ground and then stood to hobble over to his crutches.

  The girl's words had been worrying. Mostly because he had believed her. She knew something was wrong with him; everyone had been guessing at it but not saying it. Nico wasn’t healing fast enough, which pointed to a separate issue. Either he had some sort of disease or it was his mind blocking his progress.

  He hobbled out of the room. At first, the crutches had made him want to shelter himself even more, keep himself in his home, in the cold.

  But he needed to show up for his team to support them. As their quarterback, he was their de facto leader.

  Hobbling about more, he became less self-conscious until he could swing himself around expertly on the crutches.

  That girl had been intoxicating, and as he left the room, moving down the hallways to meet with the rest of the team, he felt drunk on her still. A tugging in his gut directed him, his temples pounding as he heard her name being muttered by Jae.

  Cassandra. Was that her full name? And what of her last? Nico hadn't asked her.

  If Jae hadn't arrived, he probably wouldn't have been so frustrated over his injury. Their conversation would've went smoother.

  Even now,
he wanted to apologize. Still, he’d never agree to the tests.

  He'd be fine.

  But her?

  He was worried about her. Her name was said again harshly. Nico turned the corner. It was Jae, speaking to her in a way that got his blood boiling. No girl should be spoken to that way, and to hear that sweet girl talked to like that…

  The other dragon might be his teammate, but Nico had never trusted him.

  Well, I've not trusted many people, if I'm being honest with myself...but him especially. A dragon knows a dragon.

  “Are you crazy, coming here? I thought I told you. I guess you haven't learned your lesson yet. I don't want you here. I don't want you to leave the house. Not without me.”

  “I came here to surprise you.”

  Their voices were coming in quick. Nico pressed his back against the wall.

  “I don't give a fuck why you're here. I thought I could leave your door unlocked when I was gone. This gives me doubts. Now get back to your fucking room before I really get angry.”

  A pause. He expected Cass to say something in return.

  “Go home. Now,” he said, this time loud enough where Nico didn't have to be listening in to hear it.

  Footsteps traveled away from him. Then a pair were heading toward him. Instead of waiting for Jae to meet him, he sped off on his crutches, at first, going back to the locker room. Yet there came a flash of brilliance in his mind and instead of going back to think more, he went straight to Coach's office.

  Coach sat at his desk, typing away at his new computer. He'd just gotten the latest Mac and the guys had helped him set it up. Before he had done everything stubbornly with pen and paper and a landline.

  “Hi, Nico, what'd she come up with?” Coach steepled his fingers like a mad genius. “She's brilliant, you know?”

  “That's exactly why I'm asking for this.” Nico stood tall. This would be tough for him. Tough for the team. But Nico thought it would be right.

  Coach looked worried. “Asking for what?”

  “Asking to go home for my rehabilitation.”

  Coach took his glasses off and wiped them on his shirt. It always struck Nico funny that an eagle shifter would need to wear glasses. He figured that it was a habit from before he had been Turned.