“We understand you like adventurous sports. On earth, you’ve been skydiving, no?”
She nodded. “How do you know?”
“Gerri got us some information on you. We wanted to make your time more enjoyable and so thought to show you one of the favorite past times for the younger kids.” Eros grinned. “The ones who can’t fly.”
Brecc pulled out the same blanket they’d used at the cave and laid it flat on the ground. She watched as the blanket reshaped into what looked like a metal wing.
What. The. Hell?
TWENTY-THREE
Brecc stood next to her. “Do you trust me?”
She gulped, unsure what to say. She loved daredevil stuff as much as the next person, but something told her this was going to be unusual.
For a long moment, she stared deep into his eyes. It was the first time she didn’t see the ice wall in his gaze. There were emotions there. Need, concern, desire, and something she daren’t hope because she questioned the same feelings in herself.
She glanced at Eros. His soothing smile took the edge off her fear. Ah, what the hell? She bit her lip and nodded slowly.
“I don’t know what you have in mind, but if I die, I’ll be really pissed.”
Brecc laughed loudly. She watched him lift the flimsy metal wing. The thing stood taller than she expected.
“Don’t be scared, beautiful. I promise it will be fun.” Brecc offered his hand to her.
She took it and in four steps stood in front of the giant wing. He turned her around, the wing flush to her back. Brecc stood to her left and Eros stopped at her right.
Something wrapped around her waist. Both men held her hand and walked closer to the edge. Her heart started beating faster and faster. Bile hit the back of her throat. Shit. Fear crowded her chest.
“Guys…”
“Trust us,” they said in unison.
Suddenly, the floor fell away and the air sucked out of her chest. They didn’t fall like she expected. Instead, the giant wing glided them out and above the valley. She saw the trees and winding river. Two boys shifted into dragons and took off into the air.
She gasped. The closer they came to the ground, the more she wanted to stay up. The wing glided seamlessly. For long minutes, she viewed a wider area of the valley.
They descended in giant circles over a patch of land she swore was way too fucking small to land on. She still swore she was going to die when they hit the ground, but she would go with a smile.
“This is amazing,” she yelled over the loud howling wind.
She turned to smile at Brecc. He lifted her hand to his lips and gave her a kiss.
“Do you like it?” Eros asked, squeezing her right hand.
“I love it!”
Once they were just feet from the ground, the wing turned soft, allowing them to land on their feet. She didn’t realize just how advanced this planet was until now. A single sheet could do so much.
“It was…unreal,” she said, her heart thundering in her ears and adrenaline rushing through her veins. She wanted to jump and squeal. She should have been worried over not wearing a helmet or any of the necessary safety items used for these kind of things, but who gave a fuck? It had been wonderful.
They landed in an open area, trees encircling the space. She took drunken steps away from the men, her legs feeling like jelly.
Brecc folded the sheet into a tiny square and shoved it in his pocket. One would’ve never known that little thing could do so much. She needed a few of those in her life.
“How are you enjoying your time here?” Eros asked her, his eyes full of sensuality. “Your pleasure is our priority.”
Good lord, they knew just what to say. “Most men don’t say that. Especially not to big girls. On earth, curvy women are not the most wanted.”
Eros and Brecc glanced at each other and then up and down her body.
“We are not on earth. And I’d lick every one of your curves until your taste was stamped on my tongue,” Eros said.
Brecc approached her. “Don’t question our words. We want you. Naked. Spread open and on display. We want every single curve on your body. Those little areas that make a woman insecure? We love it. Your breasts, your hips, your thighs. All of it.”
She smirked and shook her head. “All of it?”
“All. Of. It.” Brecc said, rubbing a hand on her abdomen. “Your curves are part of your beauty. Don’t let another person’s beauty standards cloud your thinking. You know we are not lying. You can sense it.”
He was right. She knew they were being honest. She saw it in their eyes. She loved that they were so crazy over her body. She loved it and for men to love it too was just surreal. She wasn’t just curvy. She had very big curves. She had rolls, she had jiggle and she had wiggle. But it all made her who she was and quite frankly she didn’t have a problem with any of it. A wall she didn’t know existed crumbled inside her heart. The genuine desire and lust of them for her brought the realization that she could really stay in Aurora and have a good relationship with the shifters.
What was she thinking? They needed a mate. She needed a vacation. Rebecca would kill someone if she didn’t return. Her sister was no joke.
She stepped away from them, her mind a mess of questions and desires. Of fears and hopes. Neither followed. It was as if they knew she needed a breather. Space to think. She walked to the edge of the clearing, touching the rainbow flowers she saw around her.
One of the most amazing things she’d seen in the alien planet had been the rainbow flowers. They puffed out like giant open umbrellas and each leaf had a different color on it. She didn’t know the official name, but she’d dubbed them rainbow flowers.
She needed to face it. She was falling hard and fast for the two shifters. While she’d been skeptical of Brecc, his personality reminded her somewhat of her own. He’d been emotionally lonely and she knew exactly how that felt.
The flapping of something in the air made her glance up. She cursed when she saw a giant purple dragon swoop down. It came down fast. The dragon curled claws around her and took off so fast she didn’t get a chance to really make out what was going on. Glancing through the claws, she saw Brecc and Eros shift into white wolves and chase after the dragon that had her in its claws.
In mere seconds, she was too far gone to see them anymore. She didn’t try to get loose. She didn’t have a fucking death wish. She’d wait until she was put down before she gave the dragon a piece of her mind.
TWENTY-FOUR
Charlotte didn’t even realize she’d fallen asleep when she woke up in a rush. She was on a bed in a giant room, decorated in frilly pinks and purples.
“You’re awake!” Razzy exclaimed.
Charlotte checked her body for injuries and frowned. “You brought me here?”
The young girl nodded. “I needed someone to talk to. I’d been flying by the valley of the precious flowers when I saw you.”
“Precious flowers?” She rubbed a hand over her forehead, trying to make sense of what the hell was going on.
“The ones with all the colors. They are called precious. We love them so much that we dubbed them that way.” Razzy slipped her hands into the pocket of her pants. “I’m sorry if you were busy, but I was so upset. I couldn’t think straight.”
“What exactly is the problem?”
“Vikter prohibited me from being friends with the pack,” she said. “I have many wolf friends. This isn’t fair,” she snapped. “Why should I have to be unhappy because he and Brecc have drama?”
In that sense, Charlotte agreed. Brecc and Vikter’s issues should remain their issues. “Where is your brother?”
Razzy’s purple eyes went wide. “Downstairs in his office. He won’t be bothered, right now.”
Too bad. Charlotte couldn’t very well argue with the kid. She needed to talk to an adult. “Show me where his office is.”
Razzy bit her lip, a frown deepening over her eyes. “I don’t want you to get into troub
“Honey, he’d be stupid to argue with me.”
The massive stone castle needed a fucking elevator. That and maybe a few walking escalators too. Charlotte swore they’d walked for five minutes before they finally got to Vikter’s office.
Razzy stood back, walking away slowly. “You don’t have to do this. I can take you back. I’m sorry I disrupted your time with your mates.”
She blinked. What? “No, you don’t understand.”
The door handle moved and Razzy took off so fast she didn’t get a chance to tell the girl to wait.
“Stop standing out there like a sulking baby, Razzy. Come inside,” Vikter said.
Charlotte pushed the door open, staring in wonderment at the giant library in the shape of a massive dome. The glass ceiling allowed for the clear view of the night sky or the sunlight to brighten the room.
“Nice office,” she said. The view inside was as amazing as the one outside.
Vikter swung around, a dark glower on his face and his lips tight. “How did you get here?”
“Your little sister is one very angry kid,” she said. “She needed someone to talk to so she sort of picked me up and brought me here.”
He slapped a hand on his forehead. “I’m sorry. She’s going through a phase. She hates all the rules and doesn’t understand I have a reason for everything.”
She took a few steps forward and another scan of the library. There were telescopes and maps of interstellar stuff she didn’t have a clue about but looked super interesting. “What could your reason possibly be to ask her to stop hanging out with her wolf friends?”
“There’s too much tension with the Ice pack,” he said, pointing to a seat. “Please. Would you like something to drink?”
She sat on an antique looking chair that reminded her of Game of Thrones. Too bad she couldn’t be Khaleesi. Unlike the queen of the dragons, Charlotte loved her wolves. Though right at that moment she felt like a queen anyway. “I don’t even want to know how old this furniture is.”
He laughed, filling a glass with wine. “You don’t. It might scare you.”
She took the glass he offered and watched him prowl around his office. She could sense he was agitated but tried to hide it. “Why the tension between you and Brecc?”
He stopped his pacing and met her gaze. “There was a time we were friends. Good friends. Our mothers were best of friends.”
She sipped on her wine and watched the play of emotions go through his face. “What went wrong?”
He started walking again, his long strides eating up the space in his large office. “His father. The man lost his mind when his mate died. Not that I can blame him.”
“So? What does that have to do with you two?”
He thinned his lips, a gold fire brightening his eyes. “His mother died in an accident. He blamed my family. He already hated my father, so when she died, he decided to start a war between our families.”
She gasped, placing the cup on a table next to her seat. Anticipation made her palms sweat. “People were hurt, right?”
He nodded. “Brecc’s father showed up here. My father and his father fought. His father killed my father.”
She put her face in her hands, her body wound tight over the revelation. So much pain and anger. She couldn’t understand this in such a beautiful and mesmerizing new world.
The door slammed opened. She jumped in her seat, her head jerking to the side to see who made the noise.
“Tell her what you did!” Brecc growled, his chest heaving from exertion. She noticed the wind-tousled hair and the anger sparking in his eyes. Damn, he was even hotter when pissed.
TWENTY-FIVE
“Brecc,” she said, trying to calm the fury she saw in his eyes.
Eros ran in behind Brecc, the worry in his gaze disappearing the moment he laid eyes on her. “Are you okay?”
She nodded. “I’m fine.”
“Tell her what you did,” Brecc said again. “Tell her how you dragged us into their war.”
“I did not!” Vikter roared. “It was an accident.”
Brecc turned to meet her gaze. “He killed my father.”
She glanced at Vikter. “You did?”
“It was an accident,” he said, sliding his fingers through his hair. “They were fighting. I was a kid. I was upset seeing his father hurting mine. I shifted and the dragon took over.”
“He burned him to death,” Brecc spat. He rushed up to her side, taking her hand and pulling. “Let’s go.”
“Brecc,” Eros started.
She yanked her hand out of his hold. “Hang on a second.” She frowned at Brecc. “You were friends. I know that you’re both living with regrets over what happened. I don’t need to be a shifter to see it.”
“Let’s go, Charlotte,” Brecc growled.
“No. Not until I’ve said what I need to.” She moved away from him, stopping in the center of the room. “This planet was supposed to be different from earth. Better. But like earth, emotions rule a lot of what people do, no matter where they are.” She glanced at Vikter. “I can see it hurts you to live with the knowledge that your actions killed this friendship. All these years of regret,” she shook her head. “How have you not forgiven yourself?”
He glanced away from her. “Things aren’t the same anymore.”
“This isn’t your business,” Brecc argued. “Leave it alone!”
Charlotte’s chest felt like it was caving in on itself. She’d been secretly hoping that Brecc and Eros were interested in sharing more than a vacation fling with her. His words just now proved her opinion wasn’t needed or wanted. He was right. It wasn’t her business, but she’d lived enough years in unhappiness to know it was a horrible companion.
“No!” She glared at Brecc, her own anger simmering from his words. “You are so selfish,” she yelled at him, and turned to Vikter. “Both of you. Don’t you think that as neighbors the wolves and dragons would find themselves being friends?”
Brecc’s eyes glowed gold. “Char―”
“Shut up!” she snapped at Brecc, ignoring the shock in his eyes. “You clearly don’t get told to listen often enough. You’re going to listen now!” She took a breath. It was because of Razzy she was willing to say anything. Seeing the girl so upset and depressed did something to her. It reminded her of her own lonely youth.
“Your people and his,” she said pointing at Vikter, “don’t want to be enemies. They like being neighbors.” She glanced at Vikter. “Your sister has friends she adores on his side.” She turned back and forth between both men. “Your issues are spilling to make others miserable. You’re doing what your parents did.” She shook her head. “You have the power to end this.”
Neither man said anything. She glanced at Eros who nodded at her, encouraging her to continue.
“I grew up lonely. With parents who didn’t care. Do you know how hard it is on a kid? You had each other.” She frowned at Brecc. “You had Eros and Vikter and friends. I had nothing. It sucked major balls.” She turned to Vikter. “Don’t do that to your own families. Don’t make them lose their friends and grow up lonely.” She took a step towards Brecc but stopped. “Let go of the past. Holding on to it won’t change things. What you do now, that’s what’s important.”
“I’m not holding on to the past,” Brecc argued.
She rolled her eyes and clenched her jaw. “You know what? You want to be a dick and ignore my words, fine. But I can’t stay here, knowing you two are going to destroy not just one girl’s life, but many others in the process over your own selfish issues.”
“Charlotte,” Eros said quietly, “I can take you home.”
She nodded and marched past Brecc without a single backward glance. The rest of the way back, she realized it had been too good to be true. Two men who wanted her was a nice fantasy, but that’s all it was.
TWENTY-SIX
Brecc watched the only woman he’d grown to care for in a long time walk away from him, leaving him feeling empty and angry.
Vikter turned to face him, his usual mask of nonchalance gone and replaced with a frown. “We fucked up.”
Brecc could argue with Vikter’s words, but he was right. They had fucked up. “I know.”
Vikter filled another glass with wine and did something he hadn’t done in a long time. He walked over to Brecc and offered it.
Brecc met his gaze. There was honest regret in there. “Your mate isn’t just right, she’s really good at making a man feel like a little kid.”
He was right. Fuck. She’d been right. Every word out of her mouth was like a punch to the gut. He’d been living in the past, letting his anger over what happened destroy him as well as the friendship he’d once had with Vikter.
“I’m a fucking idiot,” he growled at himself.
Vikter filled a second glass of wine. “Join the crowd.” He sat and motioned with his head. “You might as well sit. She needs time to cool off.”
He hadn’t sat with Vikter in so many years. It was strange. He glanced around the massive office he and Vikter used to play in and nodded. “I like what you’ve done to the place.”
Before, the room had felt dark and forbidden. Now that it was clearly Vikter’s domain, it was filled with what he’d always liked. Telescopes, maps, and astronomy related books.
“Thanks.” Vikter shook his head and sighed. “I’m sorry.” He glanced down at his hands then back up to Brecc’s face. “I doubt I’ll be alive long enough to have this chance again, so I want you to know. I never meant to hurt your father that day. It was an accident.”
Brecc listened to Vikter, knowing the words coming out of his mouth were true and honest. He felt like shit. He’d been just like his father. Closed off to the truth and unwilling to listen. “I know.”
“We were kids. I was still learning to control the dragon.” He leaned back in his seat and glanced up at the domed ceiling showing the suns going down. “If I could go back, I would. I’d stop myself from losing the reins.” He frowned. “I’d give you your father back.”
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