by Ellie Pond
Spencer looked over at Duncan, a low growl emitting from his core. Duncan held his stare. Spencer’s chin rose. Tad elbowed him in the stomach, but Duncan didn’t look away. “You have a problem?” Spencer said in a hushed tone.
“Maybe I do.” A zing of energy throbbed in him. An energy that he had never felt before. His gut roared.
“Hey, look what I have here: some amazing Belgium Quad from the Bjorn bar. I brought some for all of you,” the waitress, Naomi, said louder than normal and put a glass in front of each of them. She whispered into Aurora’s ear. “You need help, you wave me down.”
Why she thought Aurora would need help irritated him. Also, why did she whisper? Everyone at the table but Aurora was a shifter. Yelling would have done the same thing. It pissed the crap out of him. He narrowed his eyes at her, and she inclined her head to him in a bring-it-on arrogant way that only cat shifters could do. Again, he wanted to rip into someone. He wondered were Kyle was on the ship. But Sutton’s quick stop over in the infirmary had let him know that the two of them were not to mix it up again on board or both would be booted off the ship, whether they were at dock or not. The fact that the two of them had taken it to the next level didn’t impress Sutton, the famous Kunyon ball player.
“I am fine, thanks.” Aurora took a sip and coughed. “Wow, that’s strong.”
“This is amazing.” Gunnar winked at Naomi, who wasn’t affected by his charm. She nodded back.
“I’ll be back for your order soon.” She narrowed her eyes again at Duncan.
Duncan took the drink down. On another day, he would have enjoyed it.
Aurora picked up her menu to hide behind it. She still hadn’t said anything to him. Had she even looked at him?
Gunnar pointed his finger at Aurora. “You’re okay? Right?”
Aurora lowered her menu. “I’m okay.”
Spencer cleared his throat, and Duncan leered at his brother. This wasn’t going well.
Gunnar raised his glass. “I’m glad. But can we talk about how epic your fall was? I mean, seriously? Don’t get me wrong, you’re in pain and that’s awful. But this is the best one you’ve done yet and you’ve—”
Aurora cut him off. “Like the time I stumbled into the pit on the construction site, right after everyone had gone to lunch and had to stand in the rain because no one was around and my phone was in the office.” The table went silent and then Aurora snorted.
“When I pulled you out you were covered in mud.”
Gunnar, Tad and Aurora laughed. Only Spencer and Duncan didn’t. Duncan remembered that day. It scared the crap out of him. He was thankful it was lunch and not the end of the day. And then he and Spencer argued about if he should send her home, even though she refused to go. Aurora wore Spencer’s spare shirt as a mini dress the rest of the day. He got a nosebleed at three p.m. that wouldn’t stop. When Spencer told him to go home, it made him furious. But no amount of cotton would stop the bleeding. It didn’t stop until after dinner at home. But now he was thinking of Aurora in the shirt and that made the throb move out of his leg to another place in his body.
“Wasn’t that funny?” Aurora said to him. She laughed.
“What? Sorry, I’m a little out of it.” He tried to smile.
“Right, are you okay?” The concern on her face hit him hard. She shouldn’t care about him.
“I’m fine.” He took a long drink of water. She stared him down and so did Spencer. Right, leave her alone. “Fine. Never better.” He turned to Spencer. Well, she should know who was in command.
Spencer ignored him. And patted Aurora’s hand again. Patted her like she was a dog or a toddler.
“Is there a video?” He took a sip of the Belgium brew that half drained his glass.
“There isn’t a video, is there?” Aurora’s eyes widened.
“No, Princess, there’s no video. If there was, I would have seen it last night at the club.” Gunnar closed his menu.
“Why? Was my little incident mentioned?”
Gunnar looked at Spencer. “No. Not really.” That wasn’t what Gunnar told him this morning. Aurora didn’t need to know that.
Aurora looked at Spencer. She pointed her finger at him. “Not helpful.”
He held up his hands. And when Aurora turned back to Gunnar, Spencer nodded at Gunnar to tell her the truth.
“Maybe once or twice. It’s a funny story.”
“It is.” Aurora chuckled. “I am fine. I have proven more than once I can’t die from embarrassment. If there was a video, I would want to see it. Bet it would be hysterical.”
“You want me to try to find one?” Gunnar leaned in.
“Not that much.” She laughed again.
Naomi checked on them, but Gunnar said they would wait to order when Michele and Lauren arrived. Waiting for food wasn’t a normal thing for Gunnar to be willing to do—something must have happened last night.
Duncan heard someone approaching from behind him. He scented Michele and someone else. And the other girl radiated excitement.
“Hello, hope today has been better than yesterday.” Michele sat down next to Gunnar, her long blonde hair hanging straight to her waist.
“Did you have a nice nap?” Michele’s companion—who he assumed to be Lauren—said over his shoulder to Aurora.
“I did. These crutches are taking their toll on me.” Aurora’s menu now lay on her lap, her brown eyes bouncing between Spencer and Lauren. “Did you enjoy the pool? Oh, forgive me, I forgot you hadn’t met Spencer earlier. Spencer, this is my college roommate, Lauren.”
Lauren stepped behind Duncan and around the table to Spencer. Spencer looked like he might vomit. Lauren put her hand out for Spencer to shake. His brother stared at her hand long enough that everyone was uncomfortable. Finally, he took it. Duncan felt a wave of nausea come over him—a wave so strong he thought he might pass out—but it cleared and the knowledge that he had always held inside of himself was able to be heard. His wolf jumped inside. Mate. Aurora. He did what anyone who had been denied their destiny for fourteen years would do; he landed a solid right hook on Spencer’s jaw.
19
Family Dinner
Spencer stumbled to the ground. What? Aurora froze. Why would Duncan punch Spencer for shaking Lauren’s hand? It made no sense. Spencer stood up. He glared at Duncan but didn’t hit him back. Tad and Gunnar each took one of Duncan’s arms behind his back, and he pulled against them. Their chairs lay on the ground. Waiters rushed to the table. Laurit wasn’t far behind them. All the eyes in the dining room were on them. Time slowed.
Aurora didn’t move as she looked between Spencer and Duncan. Spencer picked up his chair.
“Duncan, why would you do that? Spencer was only shaking Lauren’s hand.” Aurora looked around for Lauren, but both her and Michele had moved away. Michele’s arms were looped around Lauren by the waiter’s station.
Duncan didn’t answer her. His eyes glowed with his wolf at the surface. Aurora looked to Spencer, but he looked away, too.
“Let’s take you someplace to cool down.” Laurit put his hand on Duncan’s shoulder and guided him out the main door of the dining room.
Spencer followed them without saying a word to her or the other guys. He turned his back to her. She wanted to say something, anything. None of it made sense to her. Gunnar and Tad sat back down. Aurora stood, and her mouth gaped at them. Lauren and Michele were gone now. Colors swirled around everyone, and she blocked them out.
“Who says family dinners aren’t fun?” Gunnar sat down and reached across the table for Spencer’s half-empty Belgium beer. He tucked his napkin into his pink polo shirt collar. “Lobster sounds great. Now what are yinz going to have?” Gunnar said in his Pittsburgh accent.
“I … I … what the hell just happened?” Aurora sank to the table.
“Did Aurora swear?” Gunnar tapped Tad’s menu.
“I am going for something different. Steak. And yes. At least we know what it takes to make it happen.”
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“Stop it. What … why did Duncan punch Spencer, and why did Spencer not go all alpha on him?”
Tad looked at Gunnar. “They will have to explain that to you.”
“Explain what? Why won’t you tell me? And how the hell do you know what the hell happened?”
Gunnar’s face firmed. “Wow, the floodgates are open. Why? Because it’s not our story to tell. But, Princess, it will be okay. It finally is going to be okay. Except for this guy, he’s screwed. Or rather, he isn’t.” He tapped Tad’s shoulder.
Tad pursed his lips and shot Gunnar the finger.
“Wow, Aurora’s swearing and you’re using vulgar sign language.” Gunnar used his best uppity voice. “This family is going someplace.” Gunnar picked up Spencer’s beer and held it out to toast Tad.
At least she understood that Gunnar meant Tad and the doctor.
“Okay? Okay. How can you be sure of that?” Neither of them said anything. “Right, it’s not your story to tell. Well, can one of you go and make sure Lauren is okay?” Aurora sank into the chair.
“I think that’s already being covered.”
“So, you’re going to sit there and eat dinner,” Aurora huffed.
Gunnar looked at Tad. “That seems like a grand plan, as long as we can get more of the Belgium beer.”
“I feel for you,” Tad said.
“What?” Aurora watched the door. But everyone was gone now.
“Must be horrible that you can’t storm off, too.”
“I am going to go check on Lauren.” Aurora stood up.
Tad looked up at her. “No, Aurora. That’s not a good idea. Sit down.”
Aurora recognized his teacher's face and sat down.
“Give me that.” Aurora pointed to Tad’s beer. He handed it to her tentatively, and she took three large gulps. And shivered at the taste. “You’re not going to tell me anything?” Aurora’s face flushed, and her vision blurred a little. She could see colors around the room, colors coming off most of the other guests. Tad had wafts of purple smoke circling. She blinked. Normally when she saw colors, a good blink made it go away. But now the colors were stronger. And it wasn’t only Tad that had colors. Was that a trail of color that followed the guys out of the room? That was new.
“Look at that.” Gunnar picked up a roll from the bread basket Naomi placed in front of him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. Ready to order?”
Gunnar ordered most of the menu, and Tad ordered himself and Aurora the fish. It didn’t matter. She wasn’t going to eat anyway. Aurora studied the colors around the room.
20
Locked Down
The cushioned twin bed was comfortable by jail cell standards. Although FO Laurit had clarified that this wasn’t the brig and that he didn’t want to see the brig. Duncan lay on the bed, his hands behind his head, staring at the ceiling. There was a spot up there. Blood maybe? He focused on the spot and tried to forget Aurora was his mate and the denied decade together. At his adulthood ceremony, he should have been able to tell they were mates, but no. With his father stepping down as alpha and Spencer taking over at age 20, his stupid alpha vibes must have masked his sense. He was furious. But for the first time in his adulthood, he wasn’t sick or fatigued. And no blood poured out of his nose. Hell, Aurora didn’t want him, anyway. And now Aurora would have to watch Spencer mate with her friend. He rolled onto his side, facing the wall. He closed his eyes and was shocked how quickly sleep took him.
He dreamt of her; he always did. Now it made more sense. Aurora as a teenager, on her visits home from college, in the office trailer with his aunt, Aurora baking Spencer’s favorite pie at Thanksgiving. He roused himself from the dream to the most wonderful aroma. Not pie; rather, Aurora. He didn’t roll over right away. His cousin Rachel told him how she wanted to meet her mate, and as far as he guessed, her story didn’t involve a shifter behind bars. He bet Aurora’s didn’t either. He should have listened more, but she was his cousin—more of a sister—and it weirded him out.
He sat up. His leg hurt from the match; everything else was better than normal.
She stood a good five feet away from the bars.
“Aurora.”
“Duncan.”
They didn’t say anything. Finally, Aurora spoke. “Why did you hit Spencer? Tad said it wasn’t his story to tell.”
Duncan grunted. “Figures. The one time I want him to talk, he keeps his mouth shut. Yet, that time I washed his mother’s wool dress and shrank it to the size of a toddler, he was all over that.”
She didn’t laugh. She always laughed at his dumb jokes.
“Why, Duncan? Are you jealous?”
She got it, but ‘jealous’ wasn’t the right word. He was furious. Furious at being denied their bond. Furious at Spencer being the one she turned to. But the anger bubbled in him when he thought of all the years they’d missed. And yes, it disgusted him—all the girls and shifters he’d kissed and fucked that he didn’t need to. “It’s more than jealousy.”
“Well, that’s the way it is for you. How do you think I feel?” She reached out and grabbed a bar.
That stopped him. How had he not thought about it? Wasn’t that a mate’s most important job, to understand what his mate wanted and needed? It was the reason his father stepped down as alpha so young. His mother needed to travel to help her dad take care of things in Arizona, and he didn’t want to be without her.
“I am not sure. How do you feel, Rory?” He stood up and put his hand on the bar above hers, their hands almost touching.
“I’m good. I’m glad that Spencer found his mate, and there isn’t a better person out there than Lauren. She’s kind and smart and funny and beautiful. Her hair is like silk. So, I get it, Duncan, I understand why you would want her, too, but she’s Spencer’s mate, so leave them alone.” Tears streamed down Aurora’s face as she ran down the hallway away from his cell.
Duncan stood there, gutted. She thought he was jealous of Lauren. Not Spencer. How did she not see that he was always there? Even when he didn’t have the strength to admit it. Fuck. He didn’t even call after her. What kind of mate was he going to be? He put his hands on a bar. A loud growl rumbled through him. His wolf begged to shift.
The door at the end of the hall opened. The damn alpha vibes announced Spencer before he appeared. Double fuck. He sat down on the edge of the bed.
Spencer sauntered into view, the smug look on his face tempered somewhat.
“You look a little better than the last time I bailed you out.”
“Yeah, well, that was a crew of puma shifters and some gut rot moonshine.”
Spencer squeezed his forehead up. His weird brown-flecked eye twitched. “I fucked up,” he said.
“What? I didn’t hear you?”
“Yes, you did. I fucked up. I didn’t know she’s your mate. I swear.”
“I know.”
“Good hook.”
“Thanks.”
“I could have taken you.”
“I know.”
Spencer walked down the hallway.
“Good talk,” Duncan yelled after him. Shit, him I can call out to, but my mate I freeze on.
Duncan sat down on the bed again, his head in his hands. He closed his eyes. This time, two sets of steps echoed in the hall. Spencer and someone bigger from the sound of it.
Laurit stood next to Spencer. “You’re sure he won’t lose it again?”
“I am sure. Can’t blame him, really.”
“All right, I am releasing him to you. Anything else happens and you’re both off the ship.” Laurit pointed his giant index finger at both of them.
“Understood.” Spencer ran his hand over his beard.
Duncan nodded.
Laurit unlocked the cell with the keypad and pressed his finger into the biometric lock. The door popped open. “You’re free to go.”
Duncan grabbed his dinner jacket from the bed and put it on. “Thanks.”
He had to find Auror
a, and fast. He didn’t want her to think he was jealous of Lauren and Spencer. She was the most important person on the planet to him, and he needed her to hear it from him.
Why he hadn’t started his search for her on deck, he had no idea. But what you’re looking for is always in the last place you look, as his mom said, because if you keep looking when you have found what you’re looking for, you’re a fool. There she was, her crutches next to the lounge chair and a pool towel over her legs for warmth.
He walked up to her quietly, but she saw him coming and turned away. Her face was puffy from unneeded tears. He sat on the chair next to her, facing her, his legs off the side of the chair.
“I don’t need your sympathy. I am fine. Really, I am.” Her smeared lipstick made her lips bigger and fuller than they already were, and kissing her beautiful face senseless was all he wanted to do, but now wasn’t the time.
“You’re cold.” He took his jacket off and motioned for her to lean forward as he put it around her. It dwarfed her. His chest warmed when he saw her sniff the collar.
He chuckled.
“It smells good. I mean, thank you, I am cold. And stuck.”
It should smell good. I am your mate, he wanted to tell her, but now wasn’t the time for that either. Not this way. Not with her heart broken over his brother. She needed to love him because she wanted to.
“You’re not stuck.” Duncan reached for her hand but pulled it back before she noticed.
“I am. I’m here, and I can’t move my leg; it’s throbbing.” She pulled the towel off of her legs, and her knee was more swollen than when she walked into the dining room only an hour before. “I know. Don’t say anything. Dr. Cottage told me to not walk on it. But I did and now I am paying the price.”
