“Arin, too.” Xavier scowled. “It wasn’t enough he had his own daughter murdered. He ordered his grandson poisoned as well.
Valerie’s shock was palpable.
Arin’s face hardened again. “I lived. My mother didn’t.”
“The triad was broken,” Xavier continued. “The elders performed the rites as soon as they were able, and I was chosen as the omega. The elders concealed us from the Dragos until we were old enough to travel. By then Ryker had been cursed into some book by the sirens in the Wyanar Woods. Mrs. Wilder was the Dragos seer then. Their Dragosarra. From what we know, she warned Ryker not to stick his dick in dark places, but he didn’t listen.” He shrugged. “Because Mrs. Wilder didn’t prevent what happened to him, she was exiled to Earth.”
Arin’s face softened a bit. “My grandmother, Ariadne, didn’t want me harmed. I was all she had left of Calliope, so she made a pact with the Gemini elders. She knew she could never have me with her. Not only was I the son of her husband’s sworn enemy, but I was also the alpha of the next Gemini triad. She agreed to allow Mrs. Wilder to take me and Xavier to Earth, where she would watch over us until we could safely return to Nova.” He shrugged.
“So why is it safe now? Is it because of me?” Valerie asked.
Xavier nodded. “Partly. I also think she’s found a way for this feud to end.” He frowned at Arin. “If someone could learn to keep their fire on slow burn.”
Valerie dropped her gaze to the empty bag of cookies in her hand. This was so not good. The minute Arin and Xavier learned the reason they sensed Ryker at the townhouse was because he was Camille’s mate, it was game over. She drew in a quick breath, turning back to the guys.
“What?” she asked, watching Arin watching her.
He gave a chin pop toward the door. “Gerri had us come to that townhouse, but it wasn’t just for you. Your friend,” he paused, “The one recently mated to a Nova shifter. She wouldn’t happen to be the reason I scented a Dragos in that house?”
Valerie wasn’t going to lie. It was time for the truth and the chips would fall wherever.
“Yes. Camille is mated to Ryker Dragos. I know the whole story about his curse, but what I didn’t know was about you or your feud.”
Arin’s face was conflicted. He got up to pace, but in a small confined space it didn’t really work.
“Sit down, dude. Your brooding is getting on my nerves,” Xavier complained.
Valerie gathered the empty snack bags and stuffed them in Arin’s backpack. “They’re going to fix the pod doors any minute, and the truth is I’m here to see Camille and meet her mate. The tie formed with the two of you wasn’t something I expected, and for better or worse, I couldn’t get away from it even if I wanted to.”
She paused, letting her words sink in. She had their complete attention. Even Arin stopped pacing.
“If you truly want me, then you’re going to have to come to terms with my association to the Dragos.” She lifted one shoulder and let it drop. “Look, I’m outspoken and determined. I was before you met me, and I am now. I live my life on my own terms, and I will continue to do so. Good, bad or otherwise. Alone or with the two men I’m falling in love with.
“We’ve known each other two days. In my world, bonds don’t happen that quickly. I have reservations, it’s true, but I can’t deny what I feel or the attraction that seems to have a mind of its own, Gerri explained how it’s different with shifters. Maybe that’s part of what I’m feeling. I don’t know. You’re both marked. I’m not. But that doesn’t mean I won’t be or that I don’t want it. All I’m saying is Camille is my family and Ryker is her mate. I won’t choose between you.” She shrugged. “So, the ball’s in your court.”
Before either Arin or Xavier could reply, the doors to the transport slid open. Gerri stood in the transport hub right outside, her faced a mix of annoyance and concern. Worry changed almost immediately to pleased, and she gave them a shrewd smile.
“Looks pretty cozy in there. I guess I don’t have to wonder what you three did to occupy yourselves.” She chuckled.
Valerie went to get up from her spot on the floor and Arin jumped up to help her, hitting his head on the broken intercom panel. “Ouch, shit.” He rubbed his head. “What did you expect? You matched us with this one, and she’s insatiable. From the minute the pod doors closed, seriously.”
“Arin!” Val smacked his arm.
Xavier grinned, picking their jackets up from the floor. “You don’t remember some of the nasty things you said. Very hot. We could barely keep up.”
“Oh my God! You two suck.” Embarrassed, she pressed her hands to flushed cheeks.
Arin waggled his eyebrows. “Yes we did.”
Valerie lobbed his backpack at him.
“My transport smells like a bordello and you three smell like cookies and sex. Either way, it sounds to me like you had a good time.” Chuckling, Gerri beckoned them frontward. “Your rooms are waiting, so let’s go. I’ve already had your bags sent up.”
Valerie dusted Nutty Buddy crumbs from her clothes, shooting Xavier a dirty look as he held out her jacket. “Is Camille here?” she asked Gerri, ignoring him and his teasing grin.
A deep male voice answered. “She’s down by the beach. Ryker’s taking her the long way ‘round so you can surprise her.”
Valerie’s eyes took in the tall, handsome man. He looked so much like Ryker she did a double take.
“Dragos,” Arin said, taking a step closer. His eyes went wary, but this time they stayed green.
The man inclined his head. “That’s right. I’m Vikter Dragos, alpha of my clan. You must be Arin Gemini.” He extended his hand. “Welcome home. Nova Aurora has missed you.”
Xavier pushed past his friend and accepted the outstretched gesture. “Thank you, Vikter. It’s been a long time coming.”
Arin’s gaze took in the man and the familiar features he noted. Features he saw every day when he looked in the mirror. They had the same shaped nose and mouth. Dragos features. Traits he got from his mother.
Xavier released the man’s hand, and Vikter extended it again to Arin, and this time he took the offering but didn’t say a word.
“C’mon,” Gerri motioned for them to follow again. “The palace is waiting. Let’s get you three settled.”
Chapter Nine
They followed Gerri through the busy transport hub, ducking floating luggage carts and whizzing transportation bots until they came to an elevator bank at the opposite of the crowded port.
“Nice, a palace built on top of an outer space Penn Station. Must be convenient for the king and his court to get back and forth from wherever,” Valerie said, her eyes trying to take in as much as she could in the chaos.
Vikter grinned. “Alyx and Bella and the other royal families have a private dock in a separate hub. The palace is connected, but only through a specific lift system.” He spread an arm out to an ornate set of silver doors set into a chrome façade.
The doors slid open immediately, as if waiting for them specifically. “Cool. Elevators on demand. Imagine that,” Valerie joked.
“The lift was programmed to recognize you. Mrs. Wilder has special clearance to use the royal entrance,” he continued. “The king would have been here himself, but the queen is due to deliver their baby any day now. He’s on baby watch, and since this is a matter for the royal houses of Dragos and Clan Gemini, he thought it would be best if I greeted you when you arrived.”
“Are you a king?” Valerie asked.
Gerri looked from Vikter to the Gemini boys and back. “Vikter is the alpha of the Dragos.”
“So you’re related to Ryker, then,” Valerie replied back.
They filed into the elevator, and Vikter nodded. “Yes, but only distantly. Ryker’s situation is usual. If he hadn’t been cursed he would be very, very old.” He gave a chin pop to the Gemini alpha and omega. “Sort of like Arin and Xavier. Their time on Earth put their aging process into a suspended state. To be honest, Ry
ker is more closely related to Arin.”
Valerie spared a glance for the dark-haired Gemini. “So I’ve heard.”
The awkward silence that followed was practically deafening. The lift doors slid shut and she watched the silent faces in the chrome interior, each trying not to make eye contact.
“Ever notice it’s the same dude signing all the maintenance reports in the elevators in New York? I wonder if his name is here, too, somewhere.” She scanned the four walls for some sort of floor panel. “Hey, no buttons. Is there only one floor?”
“You won’t see a lift panel in any elevator in the palace. Technically this isn’t even an elevator,” Gerri replied. “I just call it that because it’s easier for Earth guests to understand. All you need do is say where you wish to go and whoosh, you’re off. Anywhere in the space hub or in the case of this elevator bank, anywhere in the palace or surrounding grounds.”
“Communicator, the gardens,” Gerri stated.
“Working.”
Valerie looked from Arin to Xavier before tapping Gerri on the shoulder. “We’re not moving. Is the elevator broken like the transport gate?”
“Arrived,” a digitized voice announced.
Valerie’s mouth opened slightly. “How? We didn’t even move.”
Vikter chuckled at her amazed face. “There’s moving, and then there’s moving Nova style.” His smile spread. “If you think that’s pretty cool, wait until you see your suite. You really need to keep an eye on the walls.”
She snorted. “Why? Are they going to compress and crush me like the trash deck in Star Wars?”
Gerri tapped her on the shoulder, shaking her head. “They won’t get your movie reference, dear. They live it.”
The lift opened into an extravagant living area. Sofas and rich furnishings lined the large room. Tapestries hung on the walls that changed scenes and color schemes.
“What the—” Valerie said, walking in. “Are those wall furnishings moving?”
Arin nodded. “Now this I remember. We had mood walls in our quarters in the Ice Mountains. They changed colors depending on what Xavier and I were feeling. Comforting shades when we were sad or angry and light, fun colors when we were content.
“This place is amazing!” Valerie said, walking toward the window. The glass disappeared, giving her total access to the veranda and the view of the city and the haze of mountains in the distance.
Arin and Xavier joined her, each slipping their arms around her waist.
“Look, Arin.” Xavier pointed to the horizon and the shadow scraping the sky. “Home.”
Arin inhaled, tightening his grip on Val’s waist. He lifted a hand. “You can’t see it now because of the cloud cover and haze, but from about half way up the mountain straight to the summit is covered in ice and thick snow. It’s permanent and only certain beasts can survive the climate and thin air. Dragons don’t do well in icy conditions, but when the Gemini split from the Dragos, too many millenniums ago to count, we found a way to make the Ice Mountains our home. We adapted.”
“Are they still there?” she asked.
Xavier shrugged. “We can only hope. We don’t know what happened after we left for Earth. We rely on the news Mrs. Wilder brings us from her trips back and forth. Last we heard they had retreated to the caves at the mountain’s interior.”
“I’m guessing that’s not a good thing,” she replied.
Arin shook his head. “No, love. That’s not a good thing. Not with the crystal cave and the warm and luminescence it provides locked to them.”
“The same crystal cave you told me about? The sacred one?”
He nodded. “Yes. Once Xavier and I unlock the power of the crystals, the Gemini can exist anywhere in comfort, even on the icy peaks.”
Clouds cleared slightly and the vista brightened. “Holy Twice the Sunscreen Batman! You have two suns!” Valerie marveled at the identical suns high above the palace turrets.
“So, who’s ready to unpack?” Gerri asked. “This is a four-bedroom suite. One for each of you, plus a fourth with a bed big enough for all three of you to play peekaboo under the sheets, plus a few extras I asked for just for fun.”
Valerie rolled her eyes. “Dirty old broad strikes again.”
“You’re just figuring that out?” Vikter laughed as the three headed back inside. “You should get together with my mate, Becca, and the queen. They’re both human, like you, and they’ve stories about this one that will curl your hair.”
She chuckled. “Maybe some other time. Right now I want a quick bath and then to see Camille.”
“We’ll go with you.” Xavier nodded. “Might as well get all the introductions out of the way at once. After all, you said the ball was in ours, right.”
Arin conceded. “Yup, and we have home court advantage.”
Gerri spread her hands out. “Okay, then. Go get cleaned up and let’s go. Ryker’s got Camille on some cockamamie hike, and he won’t be able to keep it up much longer.”
Arin snorted. “Yeah, what she said.”
“Dude!” Valerie laughed. “What are you, fifteen?”
He growled, throwing her over his shoulder. “Horny teenager, at your service!” At her shriek of laughter, the wall color changed to a soft pink flush, the same color as Val’s cheeks.
“Make that two!” Xavier added. “Quick, which way is that fourth playroom?”
Valerie squirmed, pummeling Arin’s back, but her laughter deepened the walls to a deep raspberry. “Put me down! Why do the walls keep changing? If they’re trying to drive me insane, they’re too late!”
Gerri gave them a wide smile. “The palace is mood sensitive. The walls in each room try to help set the mood for whatever you’re feeling. Just go with the flow, honey. Just wait until you’re hot and bothered. You’ve never seen such a gorgeous shade of crimson.”
A soft chime sounded and Gerri glanced at the clock above the fireplace mantle. “It’s getting late. Bella and Alyx have a dinner planned in your honor, so let’s do this, okay?” She looked at Arin with Valerie still on his shoulder. “Play later. I need you three on the beach in twenty minutes. Got it?”
Valerie slid down Arin’s chest, every hard inch of him registering in her mind for later. She straightened her clothes, zipping her jacket higher. “No problem, Mrs. W. Just point me to my room.”
Gerri held out her hand toward the stairs. “Straight up on the left. You’re between Arin and Xavier.”
Arin’s eyes followed her as she headed up the step. “Just as she should be.”
Valerie turned, and the look on Arin’s face made her catch her breath. “Uhm, maybe you guys should check out your rooms as well. Compare notes, you know?”
With a low whoop, Arin took the steps two at a time, Xavier close on his heels. He scooped Valerie onto his shoulder again and laughed. “Just leave the directions to the beach on the couch,” he called down the stairs. “You and the Dragos can let yourselves out.”
Vikter smirked. “Wow, being cooped up on Earth all this time really has them making up for lost time.”
Gerri slipped her hand through the dragon’s elbow and walked with him to the door. “You have no idea. My guess is we’ll have to send in a search party for Valerie pretty soon.”
Chapter Ten
“Put me down! I stink like interstellar travel. Not to mention a jet-fueled orgasm in a confined space.” Arin nibbled her upper arm as it hung over his chest. “You said you wanted a quick bath, but I don’t think you’re quite dirty enough.” He nipped at her skin. “What do you think, Xavier?”
She slid from his shoulder for the second time, this time every hard inch of him included a rock hard erection. The hard bar pressed against her stomach as her feet hit the ground and she sucked in a breath.
Xavier nodded, stepping in behind her to slide his hand from her waist to cup her breast from behind. “Not nearly dirty enough.”
The feel of their hands on her sent a new wave of current skittering across her ski
n. If muscle has memory, then flesh does as well, because hers went up in flames on contact. She closed her eyes savoring the insanity. Yup, instant, insane lust. And the fact they wanted her…were into her? It blew her mind.
“Is this going to be all about me again, or do you plan to fuck me this time?” Her own words were so raw they stunned her as they left her mouth. Fuck it. She squashed the momentary backpedal. This was her fantasy come to life. Maybe not the interstellar part, but the two hot shifters all up on her? Definitely. Raw was the only way to go.
Two hot dragon shifters. God, she wanted to taste them both. Their fingers and lips left her breathless as they roamed her body. They were like magnets, not only drawing her to them, but in the way they moved. Reciprocal. Symbiotic. Alpha and Omega.
But it was more than that.
Triad.
The word rang in her head along with lyrics to a song by the same name…”Triad,” by David Crosby when he was with the Byrds.
Saying to me what can we do, now that we both love you
I love you, too
And I don't really see
Why can't we go on as three…
Arin and Xavier were raised with the knowledge this was how things were meant. A hot threesome with two men all about pleasuring one woman. Who was she to argue? Funny how the song said it all.
It breaks all the rules you learned in school.
She told them she played by her own rules, so yeah. She wanted them. Right now. Hot. Naked. Breaking every rule of convention with both of them so willing to share and share alike. She already knew what it was like to have them rocket her body to climax with just their fingers and their tongues. Now she wanted it all.
Every hot, sexy, hard inch.
“Show me. Now,” she challenged, raising an eyebrow.
The two exchanged glances and she gave them a sideways smile. “Three’s company, right?
Arin kissed her quick and then swung her onto the mattress. “Honey, when we’re done with you, one man will never be enough.”
“Unless, of course, it’s one of us,” Xavier added with a grin, “but even then you’ll be comparing notes.”
Paranormal Dating Agency: Taming Their Talons (Kindle Worlds Novella) Page 7