by Ophelia Bell
“What the hell did he make you do?” Astra asked.
Taking a deep breath, Val leaned back. “The first time was shortly after my mom was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was human, so she didn’t have the normal shifter resistance. He wasn’t happy with my insistence that the drug wasn’t ready for her yet—our initial simulations were very promising but the side effects were too unpredictable. He locked me out, insisting I spend time with her. At the time, I didn’t think anything of it. I have a habit of burying myself in work to avoid facing the truth, and my mom was fucking dying. I’m still glad I had that time with her. But if he went to the lab . . .”
He trailed off, the implications of that old manipulation hitting him like a punch to the gut.
“Val, you can talk to us,” Astra said in a gentle voice. She rested a hand on his shoulder and he reached up and squeezed. Why she felt the need to be so nice to him now made no sense, but he would take it.
“She went into remission for a few months. According to the doctors, it was a miracle considering how advanced the cancer was. Then one day she just collapsed.” He gave her a stricken look, then turned to the two men. “I think he tried giving her the drug. It’s the only explanation.”
He remembered the day all too clearly. His father never cried, but that day he’d been beside himself. He’d been an overbearing ogre for the next week, refusing to let the doctors perform an autopsy or even to let Val see his mother’s body. He’d had her cremated before Val had had a chance to say his own goodbyes.
The senior Carver hadn’t been the same since, and his interest in the drug had all but disappeared.
“Do you think it killed her in the end?” Javin asked.
“In its state at the time, it was certainly possible. It’s designed to awaken a human’s latent animal, which can trigger the body to heal itself, but I would never have given it to a weakened subject in a testing phase. It wasn’t ready. It still isn’t ready. As weak as Mom was, if her animal was awakened and wanted to shift . . .”
An image flashed through his mind, a memory of that night when he’d come to visit his mother only to find his dad clutching her to him on their bed and sobbing. He’d only seen a glimpse of her arm before his dad had slammed the door in his face, but she’d been a misshapen mess. He’d forgotten about the memory in his grief.
“Oh god, what have I done?” He stared up at Javin, whose brow was furrowed.
“Sounds like your dad was the one who did it, not you.”
“I need proof. If I can gather enough, I can go to the authorities. But I can’t let him know I know yet. He has too much power over my lab access. If you want me to help create counteragents for the two of you, I need to maintain access to the lab at all costs until he’s out of the way.”
“So getting to those backups is out of the question, I take it?” Simon asked.
Val sat up straighter, his mind whipping through the possibilities. Now that he knew where he stood with his dad, he could make a plan.
“Not quite. The last time he locked me out was before I first met with Gerri. He’s the one who gave me her number. It seems now that I’m nothing more than his legacy. My sole purpose is to give him grandchildren.”
“He’d lock you out of your lab to force you to breed?” Astra asked. “What an asshole.”
Val chuckled. “He had concerns that I might not be interested in women, and for good reason. Men tend to be less complicated partners for brief flings. Women in this city only want one thing from me—my money.”
“But you do like women,” Astra said in a husky voice, slipping into his lap. Both Simon and Javin started to growl at the same time and Astra shot them a glare. “Cut it out, you two. We’re trying to help him.”
Val rested a hand on her thigh and squeezed. “Yes, I do like women. I have a feeling you may be more woman than I ever bargained for, but you’re how we’re going to get into Dad’s office.”
“Do tell,” she said, combing her fingers through his hair.
His skin tingled from the contact and he lost focus for a moment, his panther purring from the sorely needed attention. It was as if she’d read his mind and knew exactly how to calm him down. But now her touch was starting to turn him on. He cleared his throat and grabbed her hand, clutching it to halt her distracting touch.
Simon and Javin both looked like they were coiled tight enough to spring at the slightest provocation, so Val eased Astra off his lap and stood. He grimaced at the aching tightness in his groin, but he’d managed to keep from getting fully hard at least. He was sure they still noticed his arousal from the suggestive eyebrow lift Javin gave him when he glanced at Val’s crotch—and Simon’s amused snort.
“Astra’s going to be my mate,” he said. “At least as far as my dad’s concerned,” he quickly added before the two men could tackle him.
“How will this work?” Astra asked, propping her butt on his desk.
“He sent me to Gerri to find a woman. It’s as good a time as any to announce that she found me someone.”
“And that someone will be me,” Astra said.
“I’ll call Dad tonight, ask if we can join him for dinner at the estate tomorrow so I can introduce you to him. While we’re there, one of us can sneak into his office and copy the backup drives. Then we’ll know for sure.”
“If he really did this, wouldn’t he have altered those recordings too?” Simon asked.
“Maybe, but that would just prove he’s the one who tampered with them if the missing data isn’t on those secure backups. If that’s the case, I’ll just have to confront him with what I know. We’ll get to the bottom of this one way or the other.”
“Fuck yeah!” Astra said, bouncing on her toes. Val’s cock twitched at the lovely jiggle of her breasts and he forced his eyes to Javin, but the other man was giving him a look so hungry he lost his breath for a moment.
Clearing his throat and tearing his gaze from the wolf’s, he said, “There’s one more thing though. You’ll have to tone down your appearance just a bit. The battle paint is sexy, but Dad needs to believe you’re an Earth shifter if this is going to work. The second he sniffs Nova Aurora champion, your cover’s blown.”
Astra grinned, her eyes sparkling. “You think I’m sexy.”
Val chuckled and leaned close, ignoring the tense males on either side of her. “You’re probably the sexiest woman on the planet right now,” he whispered, then stood up and addressed all three of them. “It’s best if it’s a believable ruse, don’t you think? So my wanting her is a bonus.”
“You wanting her is a distraction,” Javin said. “Don’t get any fucking ideas.”
“You mean like the idea that there’s more going on here than just an attraction between me and Astra, right?” He swept a finger between the three of them, lifting one eyebrow. He’d overheard enough of their conversation in the lab to grasp some intense sexual tension.
Javin’s nostrils flared and he closed the distance, meeting Val’s eyes. “I’m warning you not to get too close, that’s all. You’re an Earth shifter, she isn’t. She needs to be with her own kind. All you are to us is a means to an end.”
Astra smacked Javin on the shoulder hard enough for the big shifter to stumble back. “I’m not your fucking property, asshole. You don’t get to dictate who I spend time with. We finally have a solid plan, so just trust that I won’t fuck it up, all right? Whether or not Val and I get close really is none of your business.”
Fixing a challenging look on Javin, Val said, “If I had to guess, he’s feeling a little proprietary about more than just you, Astra. Does your wolf enjoy chasing panthers, Javin? Maybe he can’t help himself.”
The charged yellow eyes sparked as Javin regarded him, their animals coming to a silent understanding. Val sensed a promise deep in that golden gaze, but as much as he’d have liked to agree, he preferred to keep his options open, especially now that he had the opportunity to spend an evening alone with Astra.
“It is u
p to her,” Val finally said. Then he turned to Astra. “Give me the address of where you’re staying. I’ll pick you up at seven tomorrow.” He bent to give her a peck on the cheek, her smoky scent tingling his nostrils and her skin hot beneath his lips. When he turned, he was faced with a mountain of muscle blocking his path.
“If you pursue her, you’d better fucking make sure the feeling is mutual, you got it?” Simon said. “I may not be at full strength right now but I can still split you in fucking two.”
“I don’t doubt it,” Val said. “Would it help if I kissed you too?”
Simon blinked at him in startled confusion, but before he could answer, Val grabbed the sides of his face and kissed him hard on the mouth. Simon instantly leaned in, his hard body a granite wall of heat pressing against Val.
It had been a crazy impulse, something so unlike him he didn’t quite understand why he’d done it, but when he pulled away, Simon’s ragged breathing and hazy eyes told him he wasn’t the only one who’d wanted that somewhere deep inside.
“That’s enough,” Javin snapped. “Let’s go.”
Val remained standing at his window as they filed out, too baffled by the dynamic between the three of them, not to mention his own strange draw to each. His panther saw something in them and he knew better than to ignore it, but he wasn’t sure the three of them were quite as attuned to their animals as they would like to think.
Hell, he knew Simon and Astra weren’t. It was a side effect of the toxins in their system, which was something he intended to fix. But Javin didn’t have the same excuse. His wolf had been ready to attack, to dominate in a way that made Val’s panther pace in anticipation of the challenge, but it was a game he loved to play that always led to sex. His panther never showed interest otherwise. So if his instincts were right and Javin wanted him, where was the conflict?
Rubbing his mouth, he settled back down in his seat. The three of them were all new to him, and a pleasant surprise despite the way they’d complicated his life today. But as he sat and began his daily breathing exercises to synchronize with his panther, the truth of the situation became clear. He wanted them all, and whether they knew it or not, they were a unit, as inextricably bound together as the component elements of his drug. But for them to function at their highest potential, they would need a catalyst to bring them together.
Val would be that catalyst.
18
Astra
“That was some kiss,” Astra said, smiling at Simon as he rubbed his mouth. He still had a dazed look and it took a few seconds before he focused on her and dropped his hand to his lap with a shrug.
“I don’t know what the fuck just happened back there,” he said, staring out the window of the limo as Bruce drove them home.
“You like him. I admit I don’t think any of us saw that coming though. I mean, the kiss on the cheek wasn’t a big deal, but I think he only held back with me to keep you two from ripping him apart.”
She touched the tingly spot on her cheek and sighed. Touching Val had felt good, in a way not much had since her injury. It felt good the way having Simon inside her the night before had felt good. She wanted more of it. She wanted it all the time.
Which was really fucking confusing because she wanted Javin that way too, except wanting him hurt because of all the times he pushed her away.
“I guess I’ve been out of touch with my animal too long. Romantic entanglements used to be more straightforward,” Simon said. “Mostly because I knew it was only going to be sex. My hyena has a pretty healthy appetite for it and has never once seemed interested in more than the physical.”
“But that felt different, didn’t it?” Astra asked. “There’s something about Val.” She directed her gaze to Javin. “You felt it too, didn’t you?”
Javin only scowled harder and reiterated his earlier point. “He’s a means to an end. We need him to help us end export of the drug to Nova Aurora. Then once he’s made the counteragents for the two of you, I’m going to ask him to destroy it.”
“He’ll never agree,” Simon said. “You heard him talk about it. It’s the only thing that matters in his life.”
“We’ll talk him into it somehow,” Javin said. “If his conscience is as strong as it seems, it can’t be that hard.”
“That would be a pretty shitty thing to do and you know it,” Astra said, glaring at Javin. “I didn’t think you were such a ruthless ass. And to think I loved you.”
His gaze snapped to hers in shock. “What did you say?”
“You heard me. But it can’t be a surprise, can it? I’ve loved you my whole life, but now I’m not so sure. I didn’t think you were the kind of man who would destroy someone else so easily.”
“It isn’t easy, Astra, but I have no choice. It’s either that or risk it coming back to Nova Aurora. You should understand better than anyone. Talon’s death didn’t need to happen. He’d be alive now if it hadn’t been for Val’s father. My best friend would still be alive!”
He bellowed the pained words so loud her breath caught and a sob welled up inside her. The car pulled to a stop in their driveway and she shoved the door open before Bruce even managed to come around to open it for her. She ran past the house and into the darkening woods beyond, wishing like hell that her dragon would wake the fuck up and let her fly.
She didn’t stop until darkness overtook her completely, finally falling to her knees in the dry leaves and half panting, half sobbing, tears streaming down her cheeks.
“I miss you, Talon,” she said into the darkness. “You’d know what to do, I’m sure of it.”
After several minutes of crouching in silence, cautious footsteps and faint, panting breaths reached her ears through the forest. She frowned as the sounds came closer. Had Simon followed her?
But the sounds were definitely not human and she turned, crouching in the shadows in anticipation of whatever wild beast might lurk in the forests of Earth. She’d heard there were animals that had no ties to humans, animals that would attack helpless people who wandered into their territory, and without her dragon she was as helpless as she’d ever been.
The footsteps slowed and she heard sniffing noises as whatever beast approaching scented the air, then drew even closer. Her eyesight was still keen despite her dragon’s dormancy, but all she saw was a dark shape loping through the trees several yards away. Then it turned toward her, yellow eyes gleaming.
“Javin?” she blurted out, standing and taking a step closer. “Did you follow me?”
The black wolf shimmered and transformed into a crouching man before her eyes, the fur receding and leaving smooth, brown skin behind, but Javin’s yellow eyes remained vivid and glowing. He stood and came to her, his expression agonized.
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I was unfair to you and to Val. I just don’t know what the fuck to think when I’m around you. I want you constantly, and you fucking test me at every turn. It drives me crazy.”
“Were you fucking my brother?” she blurted.
Javin’s head jerked back. “What?” An incredulous look crossed his face. “No! Fuck, Astra, we were best friends. Simina’s my friend too. I’d never betray them that way.”
“You’re into men, so I had to ask,” she said with a shrug. “Not to mention, you say you love me, yet you would rather avoid me and fuck someone like Simon. Someone you hate.”
“I don’t hate him. Not anymore anyway.” He sighed and his bare feet crunched in the leaves as he closed the distance between them. “I’m honestly not sure what to feel about anything lately. Val succeeded in confusing all of us, I think.”
“I didn’t imagine that look you gave him then, did I? Do we all want him now? Is that what’s happening?”
“We just met him today.” Javin’s voice had gone husky, his wolf’s eyes still at the surface. He raised a hand and cupped her cheek. Her breath hitched.
“You know as well as I do that it doesn’t take more than a look or a scent for our animals to know who our
true mates are.”
“But you don’t want a mate, remember?” he said, looking down into her eyes.
She swallowed and shook her head. “Damn straight I don’t. I want my career back.” Despite her bravado, her voice came out shaky. Her body seemed to gravitate toward him of its own accord, drawn to his naked heat.
“Then does it really matter what we see in each other? Whether you see it in me, or Simon, or Val. Whether we see the same in you, or each other. We want different things, all of us.”
She rested her palms on his chest, inhaling sharply at the jolt of heat that shot between her thighs at the mere feel of him.
“You’re right.” She sighed, tracing the lines of his strong muscles, drifting her fingers down his stomach. “I definitely don’t want to touch you, and I’m pretty sure you hate this, don’t you?” She dropped one hand to his groin, exhaling in a low murmur when she found his hot, hard erection. She stroked him once and he groaned.
“Fucking hate it,” he said.
“And you probably don’t want anything to do with my mouth going near your dick, do you?” She dropped to her knees, peering up at him as she brought her lips close to his tip, flicking her tongue out and tracing the line of his slit. Tangy fluid hit her taste buds and her mouth watered.
“Fuck no, that’s literally the last thing I want.” He threaded his fingers through her hair, letting out a sharp exhalation as she wrapped her lips around him and took him into her mouth.
She whimpered around his shaft, hating the game but loving it all the same. Hearing his subtle admission of his feelings was all she’d ever wanted, and having him pliant under her touch was even better. But despite her unbearably powerful desire for him, for Simon, and now for Val, Javin had succeeded in reminding her what mattered more: the arena. If she lost sight of that by falling in love, she’d never forgive herself, and she wouldn’t doom a relationship with the inevitable resentment that went with mating a champion.