by Ophelia Bell
When his teeth grazed her skin, she pulled away. “Simon.”
“Sorry.” He dropped his gaze and lifted her arms off his shoulders again, then, with a regret-filled sigh, he lifted her off him and scooted away.
Without looking at her, he stood and retrieved his clothes, slipping into them in silence. He was frowning but Astra didn’t dare ask what was bothering him. She already knew.
“We probably shouldn’t do this again,” he finally said, and it was as if a spike plunged into her gut.
Swallowing, she nodded. “Too risky. But for what it’s worth, it was wonderful?” She didn’t intend the words to come out as a question, but they had, and Simon’s gaze shot to her face.
“Beyond wonderful. No regrets, all right?”
She chewed on her lip, suppressing her urge to blurt out every single one of her long list of regrets and the fact that he’d just been added to the end. Not regret that she’d shared this with him, but regret that her motives for doing it hadn’t exactly been about him at all.
With a fierce look, he climbed onto the bed and cupped her cheek with one hand. “No regrets, Astra. I’m serious.”
He took her hands in his and squeezed, then disentangled her wrists from the knotted scarves, freeing her hands. She clenched her fists and nodded. “Right,” she said through a forced smile. “Do you think it worked?”
“I suppose we’ll find out soon.”
14
Simon
It had never physically hurt to leave a woman’s bed before, but as Simon descended the stairs, hot pain radiated through his chest in waves. He just wanted to shower and sleep and block out the acute ache of longing that had begun drilling a hole through his heart the second he closed the door behind him.
He didn’t think he’d imagined the same look of longing in her eyes, but he didn’t know whether it was meant for him or if she was still pining for Javin and regretted fucking him after all. But what he did know was that in the heat of passion, her dragon had been front and center, and his hyena had been fixated on Astra’s animal the entire time.
He’d been so disconnected from the creature for so long that it was hard to miss when it woke up, and it was all he could do not to let it do what it wished. Because what it wished was to bury its teeth in Astra’s flesh and mark her. It didn’t matter that she was a dragon, that by shifter hierarchy she should do the initial marking in any union with a lower shifter. His mark might not fix her, but hers would most certainly fix him.
Not that he cared whether he was fixed now, because he’d had a taste of her and there was no going back from that. He didn’t think he’d ever want anyone else as much as he wanted her. Without her, what did any of it matter?
He pushed into his room and flipped on the light switch, stopping short at the sight of a haggard-looking Javin seated on the end of his bed, head in his hands.
Javin looked up, his eyes haunted. His nostrils flared and agony washed through his expression, so potent Simon could scent the emotion over the cloud of sex that still surrounded him.
“Please tell me you didn’t . . .” Javin said.
“Didn’t what? Didn’t fuck Astra? Because I think you know the answer to that already.” He shut the door behind him and stood in front of it, crossing his arms.
Javin stood and strode toward him, chest heaving as he breathed in what had to be a whole cocktail of scents clinging to Simon’s skin. Javin could be a scary motherfucker when he was pissed, but right now he just looked terrified. When he reached Simon he grabbed him by the jaw and squeezed, forcing his mouth open. Simon’s brow furrowed in confusion as Javin inspected his teeth, then it dawned on him what the other man was looking for.
“I didn’t mark her. But I thought that’s what you wanted for her to begin with.”
Javin dropped his hand and scowled. He still gulped in deep breaths, dipping his head to Simon’s neck and inhaling like he was starved for air.
Simon jerked back, his ass connecting with the door. “Am I not good enough to be Astra’s mate?”
“Not even fucking close,” Javin sneered. “You don’t deserve an ounce of what you got. How are you covered so completely in her scent?”
Simon shrugged. “Guess she just couldn’t keep her hands off me. Or her sweet pussy. She came all over me and we would’ve done it again, but that might have been overkill.”
Javin’s eyes flashed yellow and he growled. He slammed his hands against the door on either side of Simon’s head. “Strip,” he commanded.
“Fuck you. I don’t need any more pity fucks from you, asshole.”
Baring his teeth, Javin leaned in. “That’s not what I’m after. Strip so I can make sure she didn’t mark you.”
“She didn’t. We were careful.” He reached for the doorknob. “Now you can get the fuck out of my room.”
Javin slammed a hand against the knob before Simon could grab it. He flipped the lock, then clamped a hand at Simon’s throat, pinning him to the door. He raked clawed fingers down the front of Simon’s shirt, shredding the fabric in one sweep.
Simon’s eyes widened. The good doctor’s training was more thorough than Simon had thought if the man could manifest claws so and use them so well. He didn’t even feel a scratch besides the barest graze of nails against his skin.
Javin ripped the shirt off him and looked down, nostrils still flaring wide.
“This is driving you crazy, isn’t it? I’m covered in her and you can’t fucking deal. Ready to admit how you feel about her?”
Javin’s pupils had blown to black discs and Simon was amazed the man wasn’t shifting and clawing him to shreds in some alpha frenzy. Instead, he tore open Simon’s jeans and the next thing he knew, Javin was on his knees with Simon’s cock in his mouth.
It was so sudden he couldn’t process it before the pleasure of the other man’s mouth commandeered his senses. He cursed, banging his head back against the door. What the actual fuck was happening to him today? First Astra’s seduction, now this? He’d sucked Javin off on numerous occasions but not once had the doctor returned the favor. But now he was going at it with such abandon Simon didn’t know up from down. It only took a gentle tug on his balls before he lost it, groaning desperately as his cum shot into Javin’s mouth.
He collapsed, sliding down the door with his pants still around his thighs.
“I’m fucking lost,” he said once he caught his breath. “This hot-and-cold shit has to stop because it’s just confusing the fuck out of me.”
Javin wiped his mouth and stood, staring down at Simon. “If you fuck her again, I’ll bite it off next time I smell her on you. Got it?” He grabbed the doorknob, yanking hard and forcing Simon to scramble out of the way.
“If you think you deserve her more than I do, you’re deluding yourself!” Simon called after him, flinching at the sound of Javin’s bedroom door slamming shut down the hall.
“Asshole,” he muttered, hoisting himself to his feet. But Astra’s scent surrounded him, the sweet aroma already making his cock perk up again. He really didn’t blame Javin one bit for his reaction. Hell, if the wolf shifter had shown up covered in her the way Simon was right now, he probably would’ve done the exact same thing.
He’d have been less of a dick about it though.
With a sigh, he shed his pants and stumbled to the bathroom, turning the shower on at full heat and rifling through the cabinets for all the soap he could find. As much as he would love to wear her scent around like a badge of honor, it was clearly too much of a trigger for Javin. The three of them had to work together if they were going to see this mission through. Pushing the man’s buttons wasn’t an option, no matter how much fun he’d have doing it.
15
Val
Val barely heard Gerri over the rush of blood in his ears. After several weeks of nothing, today the matchmaker was introducing him to not one potential match, but three, and they were all perfect. But he didn’t understand why she’d put all three in front of him
at the same time.
“Valentino,” Gerri said, the use of his full name forcing his attention back to her. He smiled and blinked, darting another look at the fierce intensity of the dragon shifter female he’d just shook hands with. Astra.
“Ah, you were saying? I apologize, I missed that last bit.”
“This is a delegation from the Nova Aurora Arena League, Val. They’re interested in your work.”
Val frowned down at her where she sat beside him. “They’re not here for a date?” he asked in a low voice.
Gerri gave him a tolerant smile. “No. As I was saying, they have a rather urgent issue to discuss with you.”
“Oh. I must apologize,” he said to the newcomers at the restaurant where Gerri had requested he join her for lunch. “I had rather different expectations for this meeting. Mrs. Wilder is the most sought-after matchmaker, after all.”
“We are aware of her status,” the dark-skinned wolf shifter, Dr. Javin Traore, said with a nod. “But she also has connections that can help with our investigation. We’d be foolish not to take advantage of her offer to introduce us to you.”
The doctor seemed to be the spokesman for the group, his domineering presence and wickedly intelligent gaze instantly drawing Val in. On Val’s other side sat a muscle-bound man named Simon who’d said he was a retired arena champion. The pair of them flanked Astra, a jewel of a woman with spiked blond hair and dark, glittering shadow painted around her eyes. She looked just as capable of ripping him apart as Simon did.
Beauty and ferocity were sexy as hell and the perfect qualities in a woman, in Val’s opinion.
But he shook off those thoughts with a pang of disappointment. They weren’t here as potential matches after all, but in a professional capacity.
“I am all ears. Why not explain the nature of your investigation? I’m not sure how I can help. Gerri’s the one with the connections, after all.”
Javin started to speak but paused when a waiter arrived to take their orders. Val observed with fascination as each of the native Nova Aurora shifters chose from the menu. The waiter left with a baffled look, likely due to the fact the three of them had succeeded in ordering roughly three quarters of all the items available.
Finally Javin turned back and asked, “Are you familiar with the Nova Aurora Arena League?”
Val shook his head. “Not closely, though I have acquired some of the research on champion physiology and how it begins to diverge from typical shifter physiology with proper training. I’ve even begun studying some of the training practices myself.” He held up his hand and focused, summoning his panther and willing his claws to manifest from the tips of his fingers. That trick had taken him the last year to master.
Javin’s brows lifted and he gave Val an appraising nod. “Impressive. Have you ever seen an actual arena match?”
“Sadly, no. I haven’t had the luxury, though my dad is a fan. I’m a bit of a workaholic. But you three traveled all this way. My curiosity is killing me. Care to fill me in on why you’re here?”
Javin took a sip of his water and straightened in his seat, meeting Val’s gaze.
“About three years ago, a handful of less than ethical arena champions got their hands on a performance-enhancing drug we call levoro. They were seeking to improve their stamina and skill. I doubt many of them, if any, had any particularly sinister motives. They simply wished to win more matches.”
Val nodded, piecing together an idea of Javin’s interest from this information. Perhaps the doctor was interested in Val’s research into performance-enhancing drugs for shifters, or his methodology in identifying the risk factors of using them.
Javin went on. “It wasn’t until one of our top champions was injured by an opponent who used levoro that its presence came to light, in particular, the toxic by-product produced when the drug was metabolized by the champion who used it. The toxin proved quite lethal in high doses . . .” Javin’s voice caught and he cleared his throat before continuing. “That particular victim died from his wound—a wound his dragon would have been able to easily heal had the toxin not interfered with their link.”
A toxic by-product metabolized from the drug. The description was uncannily similar to the simulations from Val’s lab tests of his own drug. His skin went clammy and he found it difficult to swallow. He glanced at the other two members of the trio who both shared similar solemn looks. The woman’s eyes had gone glassy, and she gazed at Javin with a mixed look of longing and grief.
Clearing his throat, Val asked, “This drug . . . do you know the source? Do you happen to have a sample?”
“We do have a sample. As for the source, that’s what we’re here to find out. The only information we have is that it was manufactured on Earth by someone who goes by the name of Carver.”
The bottom dropped out of Val’s stomach, his previously keen appetite disappearing entirely. Nausea gripped him and he shook his head, staring at Gerri in sick dread. This couldn’t be happening.
“It isn’t possible,” he said, his throat dry.
Gerri placed a hand on his arm, and it hit him that when she’d introduced him, she’d only used his first name. Because if they were looking for a Carver, surely they’d have destroyed him on the spot if they’d known that was his name.
“It’s the truth,” Gerri said. “Which is why you need to know. I think you’re the only one who can help them, Val.”
“There’s no way it came from Carver’s labs,” he said. “There must be some mistake. Give me your samples. I’ll do some tests, help in any way I can, but I assure you the source can’t be what you’ve been told.” Though what were the chances that some other lab on Earth had created a drug with such similar characteristics to his?
“We only know the name of the maker,” Javin said. “The person who gave it to us would have had no reason to lie. He was delirious, suffering from acute withdrawal after a long addiction to the drug. Without a full set of data on the drug, it’s difficult to manage addiction to it, particularly when a patient is incarcerated.”
Val’s vision tunneled. He took a long gulp of water, his hand shaking when he set down the glass. “The only way to achieve full regression of the effects of Evo-Genesis is to reverse the polarities of the base elements when they are initially catalyzed. You can’t do that by reverse engineering it. It has to be done from scratch, and the metabolism of each subject must be taken into account. It’s a highly tailored formula. But that’s beside the point because it’s simply not possible the drug came from Carver.”
“What makes you so sure?” Astra asked.
“Because I’m Valentino Carver. Evo-Genesis-Alpha is my formula, and there’s no way in hell I’d let it into circulation as unstable as it is now.”
All three of the visitors jumped out of their seats and launched a mix of expletives at him, but it was the bulky, overpowered hyena shifter who grabbed him by the throat, slamming him to the ground, chair and all.
“You’re the reason my career is fucking over,” Simon snapped, his teeth bared, canines extending before Val’s eyes. “I should rip your fucking throat out right now. Lucky for you I don’t have command of my animal the way I used to thanks to your fucking drug.” His tongue darted out, the tip touching the sharp teeth. “Or maybe that’s unlucky for you.”
“It wasn’t me,” Val choked out, grappling at Simon’s forearm. The man was easily ten times as strong as him and didn’t seem to even break a sweat to hold him down.
The other patrons in the restaurant were staring and murmuring to each other. He slid his eyes to Gerri, who merely watched with a concerned frown, waving off the manager who had come rushing over. This guy wanted to kill him, and she was only watching?
Astra and Javin moved into view above him, the lovely dragon female crouching down to look into his eyes. Her jaw twitched as she regarded him in silence for several seconds. Her eyes were a deep, chilly blue.
“Why should we believe you?” she asked.
“I p
romise. My lab is everything to me. This drug is my life’s work. If someone died because of it . . .” He winced at the very thought, an old memory threatening to break the surface of his conscious mind. What if all they’d said was true? That somehow there had been a breach, and the drug had made it all the way to Nova Aurora?
“My brother died because of your drug,” Astra said, her voice an icy rasp, but as he pleaded with his eyes, a spark of something flashed in hers that piqued his panther’s instincts. He didn’t understand his panther’s need to submit to these three, but he gave in nonetheless. He released his hold on Simon’s wrist and let his arms fall straight out to the sides.
His gaze shifted between the three of them, from the doctor who stood over him with arms crossed, to the muscle-bound thug whose grip barely allowed him to breathe, to the beautiful warrior woman with the heartbreaking sadness in her eyes.
“Kill me if you need to, but trust me when I say this was not my doing. If you let me live, I will not stop until I’ve destroyed the person or people who are responsible. My own reputation is at stake here too.”
He blinked at her, hoping his look conveyed more than what he’d said. That he’d fix this for her, even if it killed him.
Her eyes closed for a moment, then she opened them and rested a hand on Simon’s shoulder. “Let him go. I believe him.”
“You sure, Midnight? I can end him with a twitch of my little finger.”
“Something tells me he’s tougher than he looks. Besides, he’s our only lead.”
Simon relaxed his hold on Val’s neck and sneered as he stood and moved back to his seat. Astra remained crouched at his side as the others settled back at the table, then she held out a hand to help him up. Her touch burned his skin as she hoisted him to his feet with surprising strength for a woman so slight of build, but up close he registered the flex of muscles beneath her snug dress trousers and sheer blouse. His panther purred in recognition of how powerful she was, and he mentally batted it back. Yes, a woman as intimidating as she was would be a worthy conquest, but conquest should be the last thing on his mind right now.