by Ophelia Bell
Cato nodded and followed him to the rooftop deck. Just before they shifted, Dez saw the look in his friend’s eyes and knew Cato had the same sinking feeling as he did—that it was far more likely tonight would be when everything fell apart.
14
Simina fidgeted with her napkin, oddly anxious about how this evening would go. Beside her, Veryl seemed equally tense. He’d all but lost his voracious appetite and left his dinner half-eaten before the waiter took their plates away and left the dessert menu.
“They said they’d join us for dessert, right? After their dates?”
Veryl stared at the vine-covered trellis that served as a screen blocking the private lakeside dock from the eyes of the lodge’s other diners. Twinkling lights were strung all around them and above them, the dim lighting creating an atmosphere that only had Simina’s blood pressure rising. Her dragon loved this feeling of being in a private romantic setting with Veryl, and she was struggling to remain detached after the incredible two days they’d spent together.
“Yeah. I told them they could bring their dates, if they wanted. The six of us can share dessert.”
“Do you think Gerri worked her magic for them the second time around?” He’d mentioned that his friends hadn’t connected with the dates they’d had their first night at the resort. Simina hoped that was a good sign. If they showed up alone, she’d be able to watch the three of them together and see whether there was a spark between Veryl and his two friends. Then she could make a graceful exit while Veryl explored a relationship with the partners he truly wished for. Yet what had seemed to make sense the first time she’d thought of it suddenly had her knotted up with dread.
Veryl took a deep breath and forced a smile. “It sure sounded like it when I talked to Cato earlier. I had the sense he was still with her, whoever she was. He sounded the way he sounds when he knows he’s won …” He trailed off with an odd look.
“Won? Won what?” Simina asked.
Veryl shrugged. “Oh, anything. I told you we were competitive.”
Simina smiled. “I know exactly what you mean. Talon had a tell when he was on the cusp of victory too.”
He gazed back at her in almost sheer wonder and shook his head, smiling. “They are going to love you. I have a really good feeling about this.”
She reached down and squeezed his thigh. “Remember I want to see how much they love you, though. Promise me if I’m right, you’ll take that chance. You deserve the love you really want, Veryl.”
His expression darkened and he shook his head. “I’ll still want you. We make sense together somehow, even if it feels incomplete. I know we can make each other happy.”
She opened her mouth to try to explain again that it just might not be enough, but Veryl surged to his feet at the sound of footsteps approaching. Simina’s heart jumped into her throat and she stood as well, silently cursing herself for her nerves.
Two shapes were just visible beyond the screen of vines. Two large shapes, almost as big as Veryl himself. Who were these men? What were they? They were too built to be average shifter males.
The first man came into view, his wavy golden hair brushing his shoulders and catching the twinkling lights in a way that made it look like highly polished bronze. He was striking in his perfection, with smooth, almost angelic features and a golden tan. But his blue eyes had a wicked glint that made Simina think his full, bow-shaped lips were accustomed to doing very sinful things. When his gaze landed on her, he abruptly stopped walking and just stared for a second.
She couldn’t tear her eyes away from him, either, and within her soul her dragon let out a roar of recognition that made no sense. It was the same spark she’d felt with Veryl, but it was not enough to light the flame and make it burn to the degree she’d had with her old lover.
When the second man stepped into view beside his friend and his red eyes met hers, a third spark lit and her entire body grew hot. She felt a little lightheaded and had to close her eyes for a second, lest she lose her balance entirely.
Veryl’s warm, hard body shifted close. He held her against his chest and whispered in her ear, “Is something wrong? What is it, starshine?”
She forced herself back to the present as the pair began moving again, smiling as they approached and made introductions. Veryl ushered her out from behind the table to greet his friends, and she struggled to focus in the midst of their reunion.
“Congratulations are in order, eh?” Cato said, pulling Veryl into a tight embrace. The big blond dragon held his friend for several seconds, jaw tense while his gaze remained fixed on Simina over Veryl’s shoulder. His eyes were almost wild with uncertainty, and he clung to Veryl for a beat too long, as though he were afraid to let go.
Simina wanted to ease his mind, promise him she had no intention of stealing Veryl from him, except her dragon objected and she had to restrain herself from blurting out her agreement that yes, congratulations were in order. Except that didn’t feel quite right, either.
She darted a glance to the other man. Dez’s appearance was shocking in its difference from the other two. His red eyes stood out against fair skin that could have been carved from marble, if not for the luscious pink of his mouth. The dark coloring of his brows and close-cropped hair framed his strong features so starkly she found it difficult to look away.
She didn’t know what she’d expected. Two more men who looked like Veryl, she supposed, with his dark skin and violet eyes. These three were as far from brothers as they could get, where their appearance was concerned, but the energy sparking between them was every bit as potent as what she’d shared with Veryl for the last two nights.
What the fuck was going on here?
Dez came toward her, and she fought the rush of heat making her dizzy at his approach. His gaze searched hers, as though seeking recognition.
“You must be Simina,” he said in a voice as smooth and seductive as warm honey. When he took her hand and squeezed, then leaned in to kiss her cheek, her dragon trumpeted her elation. His lips were warm and soft on the skin of her jaw, and he lingered there for a second as though hesitating to release her. He expelled a warm breath that sent a rush of heat between her thighs, and in a low, husky whisper, said, “It all fits now, doesn’t it?”
She shook her head, confused by his statement, and smiled politely when he pulled back again and held her chair out for her to sit. Veryl and Cato were moving to their seats now too. At a loss for anything else to say or do, she simply sat.
Dez took the empty chair to her right at the round table, his knee bumping against hers and sending a fresh thrill through her that only amped up her confusion of emotions. Veryl resumed his seat to her left, with Cato sitting directly opposite her.
For a moment they were all silent, nothing but the rhythmic sound of the lake water lapping against the dock to break up the lull. Then Cato surprised her by spearing her with a look that sent fire into her belly. “I have to say, you are a pleasant surprise. I want to know everything about you, Simina.”
She jumped at the commanding tone in his voice. Veryl squeezed her thigh to still her. The touch did nothing to calm her, though. Surrounded by these three men, her body had been lit on fire, and her dragon twisted around impatiently, itching to be set free.
“Simina’s a doctor,” Veryl offered. “A League doctor, in fact.” He looked down at her as though asking if that much detail was all right to share.
“Oh? Fascinating,” Cato said. “Must be challenging to work with so many hotheads.”
Grateful for a thread of conversation she was good at, Simina nodded. “I used to work one-on-one with champions. But for the past year, I’ve mostly been focusing on research. Trying to understand the physiological link between man and animal—their symbiosis, if you will. Arena champions are an incredibly fascinating bunch. Did you know that they’re so attuned to their beasts some can even control their mating instinct?”
She clamped her mouth shut, recalling how Talon had been the f
irst champion she’d treated who’d exhibited such a strong bond with his animal. While her research since his death had mostly been focused on the poison that killed him, the reason it had been so fatal was specifically due to that bond. Since discovering that detail, she’d spent countless hours trying to understand how the synchronicity between man and animal worked and what could strengthen it or weaken it.
The three men at the table all widened their eyes in surprise and shared a couple cryptic glances. Confused, she touched Veryl on the arm. “You said yourself that you … Oh, um, never mind.” She shut her mouth tight again, realizing she’d been so close to giving away Veryl’s secret about how he’d been able to resist marking his friends.
“That … sounds like quite a feat,” Cato said. “Most dragons succumb so easily to their baser urges when they finally meet the mate their animal calls to. Instinct simply takes over.”
Beside her, Dez let out a low chuckle that seemed to vibrate straight to her core. “I don’t know about the rest of you, but my animal’s calling to this dessert menu. My vote is … yes.”
Simina gave him a quizzical look. “Yes? Yes to what?”
Veryl sighed. “He means all of it. The whole lot. Dez is the most indulgent dragon you’ll ever meet. I’m pretty sure the word ‘no’ isn’t in his vocabulary.” Despite his exasperated tone, he cast an affectionate look at his friend that was impossible to miss.
“Brother, I haven’t been to Earth in decades. Everything here is new, and therefore, I have to taste it all.” He gave Simina a flirty, sideways grin and a suggestive wink.
Her dragon rumbled in agreement. “I like the way you think,” she said, smiling back at him. “Let’s order one of everything.”
Veryl shook his head. “I’m going to regret introducing her to you guys, aren’t I?” he asked, then tapped an order into the small wireless tablet at their table. “One of everything it is.”
“Simina,” Cato said, drawing her attention back to him. “I’m curious about your research. What compelled you to dive into such a problematic aspect of shifter physiology? Our relationships to our animals are as complex and unique as fingerprints.”
When she returned her gaze to his, she was once again struck by his effortless good looks. He had the same graceful movements as Veryl, as though he were aware of every muscle in his body and how it could move, but where Veryl’s violet gaze was always filled with deep affection, Cato had a sharp, almost calculating look. The intellect behind his eyes reminded her of Talon, and her chest burned with that strange recognition again. Talon had always been just as driven by a thirst for knowledge as he was by love or desire.
Cato lifted an eyebrow at her, and heat rushed to her face when she realized he’d asked her a question and all she’d been able to do was stare at him.
“Um, it’s a long story. It’s just something I believe we should know more about. Most of the information available on the dynamics between man and animal are mystical. As a physician, it’s my duty to understand as much as I can from a scientific standpoint so I can better help my patients. What makes you so curious? You’re the first shifter I’ve met outside the League Medical Institute who’s shown any interest.”
“I’m just fascinated by that link myself. I have my own theories about how the bond between mates works. If you ever discover the truth, I’d love to hear it.”
She was about to suggest he visit her lab when she stopped herself, realizing her reasons were more selfishly oriented than the simple sharing of knowledge.
“Do you get to meet many champions?” Dez asked beside her, and she was grateful for a shift in conversation.
“I do on occasion, but my research has kept me from working one-on-one with them for the past year.”
“How in the world have you not already found a mate among all those red-blooded males?” Dez asked, leaning closer with his elbows on the table.
The question should have caused a flood of grief in her the way it usually did when new acquaintances asked the same thing, but for some reason, the suggestive rumble of Dez’s voice only made her dragon purr in response.
Struck dumb by the unexpected intimacy of the conversation, she was grateful for the warmth of Veryl’s hand on her thigh and his intervention. “I think it should be obvious why she’s unmated until now, don’t you?”
“Is it that simple?” Cato asked, leveling Veryl with a piercing stare that had her date tensing beside her. The pair seemed to wind up in some silent standoff that was at odds with the earlier spark Simina had sensed between them.
“If it feels right, you just know,” Veryl said. “And this feels right.” He gave each of his friends a long look, and with each second the air grew thicker between them. Some strange energy Simina had never felt before crackled around the table. Her head buzzed and her skin tingled with euphoria and subtle arousal as though she were drunk, even though she’d only had one glass of wine with dinner.
“Can’t disagree with you there,” Dez said in a gruff voice. “Can you, Cato?”
“Not at all,” Cato said.
As she watched the short exchange between the red and blue dragon, she had the sense that their meaning went deeper than the conversation at hand. The pair had a secret, perhaps. She glanced at Veryl, who simply watched the pair with a slight frown marring his features.
Their waiter arrived with a tray loaded down with decadent confections, and all that roiling tension finally eased. All attention shifted to the selection of treats in front of them, rather than on each other, and Simina took a deep breath to clear her head.
She was Veryl’s date. They were doing this to find out if he had a reason to pursue something more serious with his friends, and she certainly had the answer to that question.
Except did she? Now that the three men were all at the table with her, she couldn’t shake the feeling that she was on a date with all of them. Maybe it was only wishful thinking. They would make an incredibly striking trio once mated, and she almost regretted that she’d have to say farewell to Veryl at the end of the night once she pushed him to be with his friends.
But as they shared their selection of desserts, she was overwhelmed by happiness for the first time in more than a year, and the longer the night progressed, the more she dreaded seeing the end of it.
15
“For a woman so keen on studying the bond between shifters and their animals, she’s endearingly oblivious to her own,” Cato murmured close to Veryl’s ear.
The small hairs on the back of Veryl’s neck stood on end at the gust of Cato’s breath on his skin. He glanced at Simina, worried she’d heard, but she was engrossed in a debate with Dez over which of their desserts was more delicious.
“She feels something. You can see it in her eyes.”
Simina caught his intense stare and smiled around a bite of cake. Her beautiful silver eyes sparkled with delight, and for the first time since he’d met her, everything seemed perfect.
“For whom, though? Two nights ago, you didn’t sound convinced she was the one. Did that change?”
He shot a shocked look at his friend. “What are you suggesting? That it isn’t me she’s meant to mate?”
“Merely that if she were, she’d have marked you whether she was aware of it or not. She’s no champion. What we’re capable of is rare. If you were clear-headed enough right now, you’d see exactly what’s happening here too.”
“My head’s just fine, and my bond with my dragon is perfect,” Veryl said, stabbing his fork into a piece of glazed fruit tart and chomping on it. She hadn’t marked him because they’d agreed not to. That was all.
Or was it? He knew he could control his animal, but Cato was right—Simina was no champion.
“You’re blind with love. I get it. It’s one of the things I love about you—you’re so fucking open-hearted you never stop to examine those feelings. Look at her. Her dragon’s in charge now, brother.”
Veryl swallowed his food and watched Simina again. Warmth rad
iated off her, and she practically glowed with the inner silver light of her dragon’s spirit. Her attention was completely fixed on Dez now, who was holding a forkful of some new sweet for her to taste. She opened her mouth for it, and Veryl’s nostrils flared at the intimacy of that gesture, but it wasn’t jealousy that rushed through him. His cock stirred as the fork went into her mouth, and then he hardened fully when she closed her eyes and made a soft moan of ecstasy.
In his mind flashed the crazy fantasy he’d had of watching Dez slide his cock between those pretty lips while he and Cato shared the tight, hot confines of her pussy. She’d made the exact same sounds then too.
Shaking his head, he tore his attention away from them. She was simply enjoying dessert. This feeling of rightness to the evening must have been brought on by the acceptance of his closest friends for the mate he’d chosen.
“You’re reading way too much into it,” he said.
“If that’s true, why is Dez about to kiss your girl?”
His eyes shot back to Simina, who was laughing as Dez lifted a hand to clean an errant bit of frosting from her lip. Those few seconds came into sharp focus and Veryl’s entire body tensed as he waited for it, yearned for it, as much as he’d yearned to be the target of a look like Dez was giving Simina in that moment. The red dragon’s eyes flashed with hunger as his thumb paused just shy of the frosting. He held her chin in his big hand and their eyes locked for a single, heavy moment. It was as though the pair were magnets, inescapably drawn to each other, and nothing would stand in their way.
As their mouths met, Cato’s lips brushed Veryl’s ear again. “What are you going to do about that, then?”
Fire shot down Veryl’s spine and his dragon roared its response. What it wanted was exactly what Veryl ached for too. He twisted in his seat and caught Cato by the back of the neck in a strong grip. As he claimed his friend’s mouth in a hungry kiss, he saw a flash of triumph in Cato’s blue eyes.