Aurora Champions Box Set

by Ophelia Bell

  Finally Val pulled himself together and, after raking his hands through his hair, turned around, a little harried but otherwise no worse for wear.

  “It’s amazing what a good woman can do for a man, isn’t it?” his father said, chuckling softly. “Come, my dear, I think you will enjoy the dessert course almost as much as my son seems to have enjoyed you tonight.”

  He offered his arm to her and Astra took it, still buzzed from the sensation of Val’s strong frame pressed against hers. Walking at his side, she was awash in the pleasant, spicy scent of the older man’s aftershave. Yet beneath the scent was something more acrid, more pungent, and all too familiar. It was all she could do not to recoil from the scent of the toxin he exuded.

  By the time they made it back to the dining room, her appetite had fled and she had to force herself to finish what was probably an utterly decadent dessert.

  Under the table, Val nudged her foot with his and she glanced up after pushing her food around on her plate for several seconds. His brows were furled in concern but she just shook her head, forcing herself to take a bite and smile.

  “This is delicious. The entire meal has been wonderful,” she said, offering a gracious look to Mr. Carver.

  He smiled back and reached out, patting her hand. Her skin prickled with revulsion and she took a quick sip of the sweet, sparkling wine that had been served with the dessert to try to calm her stomach.

  “You look tired, my sweet,” Val said. “Do you want me to take you home?”

  Relief bloomed within her at his offer. “Yes. I think all this rich Earth food may have been overdoing it. I’m used to Auroran fare.”

  “Aurora,” Val’s dad said. “You’re not from Earth? I knew dragons were rare here, but they do exist.”

  A cold spike of dread shot down Astra’s spine and she cast a horrified glance at Val.

  “She’s a recent transplant. Still getting used to the differences,” Val offered. “Gerri really went out of her way for me, didn’t she?” He gave Astra a warm smile but his dad’s suspicion hadn’t subsided.

  “Gerri really did go overboard to introduce us,” Astra offered, hoping a bit of the truth would satisfy the older man.

  Mr. Carver’s tense expression eased a little and he nodded. “Yes, the woman is quite talented. I can have some tea brought in if you would like. Something to settle your stomach, perhaps? I stock a few imports from Nova Aurora.” With a secretive smile he added, “They were not acquired through normal channels, so this is just between us.”

  Astra forced a light laugh. “You don’t need to go to any trouble. I’m sure those imports are too valuable to waste on me. But if you don’t mind, I would like Val to take me home. It’s been lovely.”

  She started to stand and the two men rose from their chairs, Val rushing around to pull hers out for her. Rounding the table, he placed a palm to her back, his touch warm and comforting and doing more to ease her agitation than any tea could have.

  They said their farewells, but Astra had become hyperaware of the nearly manic glint in Mr. Carver’s eyes. Now she knew what it meant, and it wasn’t good.

  21

  Val

  The shift from such acute arousal to worry for Astra’s well-being left Val feeling empty inside despite the huge meal they’d shared with his dad. As they exited the estate in his car, he reached across the console and took Astra’s hand, squeezing. “What happened back there? Something spooked you.”

  She shot him a haunted look and squeezed back, her touch banishing most of the chilly feeling inside. “He’s been taking the drug. I could smell it on him.”

  Val turned back to the road, shaking his head. “It has no scent. Although . . .” He trailed off, frowning. “You’ve scented it before tonight, haven’t you?”

  “Twice,” she said, taking a shaky breath. “The first time was after my brother was attacked. And then again when I was. I would never forget that smell, Val. He’s using.”

  “But you didn’t smell it on Simon?”

  “He hasn’t taken a dose in over a week. He’s pretty desperate to quit.” She sighed and let out a soft laugh. “He says being around me helps take the edge off.”

  His gaze softened when he looked at her. “I understand that feeling. Being near you is like a balm.”

  She grew quiet and stared out the window, her hands tangled together in her lap, worrying her fingernails. He was about to reach for her again when she blurted, “I’m not going to be your mate. I hope you realize that.”

  Val blinked at her before focusing on the road again, forcing the cold disappointment in his gut aside. “Tonight was just a ruse. We both knew that going in.”

  “So you were lying when you said you wanted me?”

  “Ah.” He chuckled, shifting in his seat to ease the growing tightness in his pants. “No, that was the truth. Meeting the three of you was eye-opening for me in a lot of ways. It was honestly a surprise when I realized Gerri hadn’t introduced us for a date, because when I saw you all, I thought I’d died and gone to heaven.”

  Astra turned to face him, curling her legs underneath her. “Wait, you really are into both Simon and Javin? I thought you were just fucking with them.”

  “Yes,” he gave her an indulgent smile, “I really am into them. Though not as much as you. My panther is a competitive beast. You being a dragon makes him itch for the conquest. He sees you as the bigger challenge. Moreso with two other men in the mix.”

  “And how do you see me?”

  Her voice had gone soft and she sounded utterly vulnerable, as if begging for him to look at her. They’d reached the end of the long driveway into the estate and he jerked the wheel, pulling off the road into a turnout delivery trucks used to maneuver in and out of the narrow drive. He cut the engine and turned to her, his cat eyes focused on her beautiful face.

  “I see you as a warrior, Astra.” He cupped her cheek. “I know I’ve never seen you compete, but your strength is not invisible to me. My panther and I are usually not at odds, but in this, I think we are. If being the conqueror is what would make you happy, I would lie down and surrender and not even think twice.”

  “But your animal enjoys the idea of hunting a dragon, huh?” Her eyes flashed with interest.

  “Very much. He’s kind of annoying about it, in fact.”

  She released her seat belt and leaned over the console, bringing her face within inches of his ear. “I may not want a mate, but I still love a little sport. Let’s give your panther something worth chasing.”

  His neck prickled with the sensation of her breath against his cheek, and he itched to turn to her, to close the distance and take her mouth again. His panther of course was ready to pounce, but he held it at bay. Keeping the thing caged for as long as possible while Astra flaunted her upper hand would only make for a more satisfying encounter when he let the beast out later, assuming her suggestion of “sport” meant what he thought it did.

  Astra traced the edge of his ear with her tongue, then nipped at the lobe. A low growl erupted unbidden from his chest and was met with a sexy laugh from her. She took his chin in one hand and turned him to face her.

  “So much control,” she said. “Impressive in an Earth shifter.”

  “Synchronicity training.” The explanation was only a gruff whisper.

  “Holding back will only rile up your animal, you know.”

  “I know. Which means you should be prepared when it breaks free.” With that, he did give in, cupping the back of her head to pull her into a ravenous kiss. He wanted to give her a taste of how intense it would be when he finally let his beast run free.

  Astra was panting when he released her and she looked poised to leap across the console and attack, but she held back, sliding into the seat and refastening her seat belt.

  “Take me home,” she said. “We’ll see how strong your control really is.”

  He pulled back onto the road, finding it difficult not to punch the pedal to the floor. His panther roa
red with the need to have her and would have happily chased her into the woods and fucked her there if she’d offered. But she was a champion, which meant this would not be an easy contest, and despite his animal’s eagerness, he could tell it relished the challenge.

  The interior of the car was thick with the scent of her arousal, making it even more difficult to focus on driving. A rustling noise from her seat made him glance over and look.

  “Eyes on the road,” she purred, but he’d had an eyeful of the hem of her dress sliding up and the colorless bandage at the top of her thigh, followed by the strip of lacy blue fabric being pushed down her legs.

  “You like to play dirty, don’t you?”

  “If there are rules I need to follow, you’d better lay them out.”

  “You tell me,” he said, unwilling to fall into any trap. “What are your rules, Astra?”

  “Hmm,” she said, leaning her head back and gazing at the ceiling. She slid her bare legs back and forth, the motion sending even more of her delicious scent his way. Beneath, he caught a hint of something a little bitter and realized it must be the trace of toxin in her blood, but he hadn’t noticed it before. Was that what she’d smelled on his dad?

  To hell with his dad. He shoved all thoughts of their other dilemma out of his mind, resolving to focus entirely on her for the remainder of the night.

  “You’ll need to tie me up when we get there,” she said. “So I hope that doesn’t ruin the fun for your panther because I will be at your mercy.”

  “Why would you want that?”

  She held up her hands, palms toward him. They shook slightly, and her palms had begun to glow. In the center were two identical emblems that pulsed ultraviolet beneath her skin.

  “I’m a dragon, Val. We mark by touch, and my dragon really wants to mark you tonight. I don’t want that but with this toxin in my system, I don’t exactly have the control I normally would.”

  His mouth went dry at the implications of what she’d just shared. Her dragon wanted to mate him, yet she was decidedly not onboard with it. That cognitive dissonance made no sense, but then he’d grown used to having an understanding with his animal that meant by and large they always wanted the same thing, even if they had very different ideas about how to get it. But her link to her animal was compromised, which would account for the conflict.

  “I will happily bind you before I fuck you, Astra, if that’s what you want. Is there anything else?”

  “One more thing. This isn’t my rule, but Javin’s.”

  Val lifted his eyebrows, his interest piqued. “He’s giving you rules and you’re obeying them?”

  “To a point.” She smirked. “He wants to be in the room. Something about observing my reaction when there are more men involved.” She rushed to add the last part as if to justify the request, but Val didn’t need the rationale to agree.

  “You do realize he’s requested to watch us fuck for science, right?” He laughed out loud at the absurdity of it.

  She frowned at him and nodded. “When you put it that way, it sounds pretty ridiculous, but you’ll have to have him explain why. He and Simina—our friend back home—have been doing research into the alchemy of shifter matings. Why things work the way they work. He has a theory he wants to test, I guess.”

  Val couldn’t believe his luck and was hesitant to test it, but he had to try. “And what about Simon, does he have any rules? I don’t want to step on any toes.”

  “No . . .” she drawled, then bit her lip. “But I think I do. I want him there too.”

  “Watching.” He hazarded a glance at her, ignoring the intense tightness in his groin. “You want them both to watch while I tie you up and make love to you.”

  Her sharp intake of breath sent yet another spike of desire between his legs and he had to grit his teeth to keep driving the fucking car. “I don’t want to be tied up, but it’s safer. As for what they do . . . I suppose that’s up to the three of you.”

  “Then I suppose I’ll have to see what the situation demands. For data-gathering purposes, it might require several rounds of experimentation. Javin would understand, I think. That is, if he really told you he wanted to watch us together.”

  “You don’t believe me?”

  “He seemed quite possessive of both of you yesterday. Protective. It just seems like a stretch for him to suggest us even being together, much less wanting to witness it.”

  “Javin is complicated,” Astra said on a sigh. “And we have a history. He was my brother’s best friend, so he’s always been overprotective of me. I couldn’t tell you why he acted that way about Simon, but I think Javin has feelings for him. I also think he has feelings for you.”

  “What about you?” he asked in a softer voice. “Who do you have feelings for?”

  She swallowed and shook her head. “What I feel isn’t important. I’m not mating anyone, because the arena is all that matters to me. Fighting to honor my brother’s memory is what I live for, nothing else.”

  The resolute tone made him drop the subject, and they remained silent as he pulled up the gravel drive to the sprawling house. The lights were on inside and when he cut the engine, the front door opened and two figures emerged, one tall and lanky, the other broad and powerful. His desire ebbed slightly with the flutter of anxiety in his gut. Both of these shifters were bigger and stronger than him and could tear him to pieces easily, but then so could Astra if she chose to, even with her link to her dragon as weak as it was.

  Before he could open his door, Astra touched his arm and he looked at her, eyebrows lifted.

  “A memento.” She held out a hand to him. In her fingers was a bundle of blue lace covered in her scent. His desire surged to the surface in full force again.

  “I will treasure it.” He took the proffered gift with a wry smile. He lifted it to his lips and brushed it across them, breathing in.

  Then she was out of the car and trotting up the steps before he could even regain control enough to fumble for his own door handle. She paused in front of Javin and handed him something from her small purse, then darted into the house, disappearing up the stairs.

  22

  Val

  Javin’s and Simon’s attention were still fixed to the front door Astra had just blown through and Val could tell why. Her passage had left behind a pleasant trail of her scent. Would she be offended if he told her she smelled like peaches?

  “Everything okay?” he asked, though he could guess where their thoughts lay at the moment.

  “She’s scared of something,” Javin said, nostrils flaring as he turned back to regard Val with an intense stare. “What happened tonight?”

  “Everything went mostly as planned aside from discovering my dad has also been taking the drug on top of exporting it.” He met Javin’s gaze but was unable to read the other man. If Astra was scared of anything, it was likely whatever fear made her insist that she be tied up during sex.

  “Shall we go take a look?” Javin said, holding up the tiny thumb drive.

  Val hadn’t given any thought to how the evening would play out once he got Astra home, but for some reason, actually inspecting the files they’d gone to the trouble to retrieve hadn’t been part of it. But of course they should look at the damn files.

  “As long as you don’t mind me staying while you check them out,” he said. “I’d like to see this through to the end.”

  “I would prefer it if you stayed.” Javin pulled the front door open, standing aside to let Simon and Val step through. As he passed, Javin inhaled, nostrils flaring. Val’s skin tingled with awareness of the subtle inspection.

  “We only kissed,” he said in a low voice. “In case you were worried I overstepped.”

  “Not at all,” Javin said, heading down the hall into a small but comfortable study with a worn antique desk occupied by a much more modern-looking desktop computer.

  “I was worried,” Simon said from behind him. “Not about what you would do, but what she would do. Was hoping
she’d leave you in one piece for me.”

  Val shot a surprised look at the hyena shifter. “I get the impression she’s willing to share. And there’s plenty of me to go around.”

  Simon laughed, the sound setting Val at ease. After their initial confrontation, he’d hoped more than anything to earn the powerful shifter’s respect, if not his attraction, but the spark in Simon’s eyes now filled him with optimism.

  Perhaps his hope for the three of them would be fulfilled after all.

  Javin settled in the seat at the desk and inserted the drive into the small slot. After a few clicks, its contents were visible.

  “We should wait for Astra,” Val said.

  “I’m here,” came a breathy voice, and a stronger scent of peaches hit Val’s nose. He turned toward the doorway to see Astra, no longer in her slinky blue dress with the understated makeup. Now she wore a silky black robe that fell to midthigh. Incongruously, she had applied dark makeup around her eyes and styled her hair in the intimidating blond spikes she’d had when he met her. The image was even sexier than her in a pretty dress. She looked dangerous even in bare feet, and his panther sat up and took notice.

  He took a step to the side behind Javin’s chair and she filled in the gap between him and Simon.

  “What have we got?” she asked, resting her hands on Javin’s shoulders. The wolf seemed to lean back into her touch and Val took a deep breath to steady himself. The confounding contradiction of desire versus jealousy had no place tonight. Seeing her touch Javin shouldn’t surprise him any more than Simon’s comment. The four of them had chemistry, something that had been more than clear to him the day before, when they’d met.

  To stave off that itch, he hooked an arm around her waist, resting it against her hip and absorbing the delicious sensation of her warmth beneath the silken fabric that covered her. She reacted with a satisfied sigh but otherwise didn’t move. Simon, however, lifted an eyebrow and gave him a sidelong look, then smirked at his hand. Val smiled back and shrugged.