Page 22

22

Saffron

Through some miracle, Rorik and I arrived on time to the third and final challenge. Maybe a good fuck was all we needed to sleep like bricks throughout the night and wake up refreshed and ready to go.

Thanks to our preparatory chat with Jade, we had an inkling of what to expect. Rorik and I held hands up until we reached the beach, then figured we needed to untangle, although neither of us wanted to. I tried not to pout as Rorik walked over to join the omega contestants, but my spirits lifted when he found Poppy in the crowd and they fell easily into conversation.

I’m glad those two made up, I thought.

Tearing my gaze off Rorik, I hopped onto the wooden stage to join Gaius. His shirt was a severe shade of yellow. If he kept that up, the rest of us would require corrective eye surgery.

“Is there some kind of evil shirt emporium out there? Where do you even get those awful clothes?” I asked.

Gaius flashed his million-dollar smile. “Why? Do you want one?”

“Fuck no.”

He clicked his tongue and wagged his finger. “You say that now, but I know the truth. You love my shirts.”

“Huh? The fuck are you talking about?”

Gaius left me hanging as he strode to the front of the stage to begin his host duties. “Good morning, contestants! Have we got a treat for you today on this final challenge. Take a look at this!” He gestured to a large, empty glass bowl on a table. Next to it were stacks of paper and pencils. “What in the heck is that, you may ask? Get ready… because today’s challenge will spark your creativity.”

The contestants and I all watched as he picked up a piece of paper, scribbled something, then tossed it into the bowl.

“Well, there’s my attempt.” He laughed. “Your task today is to cook up a romantic movie scene. The bachelor’s favorite scene will be the winner. The prize? You’ll get to film the scene with Saffron himself!”

My brows shot up. When we discussed it with Jade, we’d agreed on a movie scene. Where did the romantic part come from? That annoying green pervert…

Whatever. It wasn’t like I gave a shit romantically about anyone besides Rorik. I was determined to have fun with it. After all, it was the only challenge based on my hoard—and the last one of my season.

I met Rorik’s gaze in the crowd and winked. His eyes widened into round, dark buttons, like a teddy bear. He was so cute; I resisted the urge to leap off the stage and tackle him in a hug.

“All right, folks, let’s get this show on the road,” Gaius announced. “Form a neat line and grab your paper…”

I shuffled impatiently on my feet as the contestants each took their turn writing things down and depositing them into the bowl.

“What’s the point of picking them randomly if I have to read them all anyway?” I complained to Gaius under my breath.

Gaius flashed a dazzling white smile. “The magic of TV, my draconic friend. You can’t just pick Rorik’s answer on the first try. You have to go through two wrong answers before the third time becomes the charm.”

I snorted, amused. “So, you know about Rorik, huh?”

Gaius put a hand on my shoulder. “Oh, Saffron. A tapeworm could see how much you love Rorik.”

“Ew. Don’t talk about tapeworms and my mate in the same sentence ever again.”

“You just did it, too.”

“Shut up.”

Gaius grinned. “Unfortunately for you, Jade pays me a lot of money not to shut up.”

I glared at the walking chicken nugget, but my ire disappeared when Rorik took the stage. My heartbeat picked up speed as he met my gaze. The corner of his mouth curled in a small smile, then he quickly wrote down his answer and tossed it into the bowl.

Once everyone was finished, Gaius ushered me to the table.

“Here it is—the moment of truth!” he declared. “Saffron, go ahead and pick your poison.”

I reached into the bowl, digging into the pieces of paper. They all felt the same. But as I shuffled them around, a familiar smell wafted from the bowl. It was distinctly bear—thick, warm, potent. Rorik’s scent. As my fingers explored the paper, I noticed the corner of one was folded into a sharp point.

Gaius quietly cleared his throat behind me.

Yeah, yeah, I get it, I thought. Don’t pick his first.

I pushed Rorik’s answer aside for safekeeping, then grabbed a different paper at random. When I unfurled it, it read: A moonlight walk, followed by a kiss.

I ignored the instinct to grimace. I didn’t know who submitted this, but it wasn’t Rorik, so I didn’t care. Besides, a moonlight walk? Seriously? I wondered if that was inspired by Aurum’s season.

I read the answer out loud, then placed the paper on the table. “Sorry, not this one.”

“Ooh, no dice,” Gaius lamented. “Try again, bachelor. Will the next one be our lucky winner?”

Already knowing the answer was no, I reached for a second answer. I pulled out the paper, which was folded neatly in half, and saw text written in neat, small handwriting, as if the writer was afraid of shouting on paper.

Then I read the text and knew immediately who’d written it.

Ignore me please! Pick Rorik’s paper instead!! → It has a folded corner.

I caught Poppy’s eye in the crowd—the frail omega was impossible to miss beside Rorik’s huge frame—and gave him a reassuring smile. Geez, that wolf would do anything for his friends, wouldn’t he?

“Ah, man,” I said out loud, putting aside Poppy’s paper. “Video games are Aurum’s thing, not mine. Sorry.”

Poppy looked relieved. He nudged Rorik excitedly, but my bear remained stoic as he stared at the bowl. Still, I noticed that gleam of anxiety in his eyes.

Dummy, I thought, shooting him a smirk. Do you really think I’d pick anybody but you?

I shoved my hand back into the bowl and pinpointed Rorik’s paper with its distinct scent and curled corner. When I lifted it out, I saw him stand taller in the crowd.

And then I actually read his answer, and instantly burst into laughter.

Curious, Gaius peered over my shoulder. “I don’t get it,” he whispered.

I wiped a tear from my eye, still grinning like an idiot at what Rorik wrote.

I read it out for the audience: “ Listening to ‘Let It Snow’ together until Aurum passes out.”

Reading it made me laugh again. Nobody else in the audience got it, but Rorik’s eyes sparkled. It was an inside joke just for the two of us.

“This one,” I told Gaius, handing him the paper. “Let’s do it.”

Aurum melted into his chair like a snowball on a hot day. “Why in the name of Holy Drake do I have to be here for this?” he whined.

The three of us were seated in front of a huge projector on the beach. The evening sky provided a perfect backdrop for watching a movie. I vibrated with excitement. Somehow, we’d never thought of setting up an outdoor watch party before. The movie hadn’t even started and I was already hooked on this fun new concept.

Meanwhile, my complaining twin attempted to fuse with the seat cushion.

“Because Rorik decreed it so,” I answered.

Rorik shuffled his feet in the sand. “Sorry, Aurum. When I wrote that answer, I didn’t actually think they’d drag you into it…”

Aurum crossed his arms petulantly. “Jade is evil. He takes every possible opportunity to torture us.”

“Really?” Rorik said. “I think he’s quite generous and kind.”

“Generous and kind, my ass,” Aurum mumbled, sinking deeper into his chair. “I bet he loves forcing me to watch this movie again.”

I glared at him. “Quit complaining. Rorik won the challenge, and he chose this movie.”

“Do you like this movie?” Aurum shot back.

“I like every movie.”

“Bullshit.”

Rorik whirled around, shocked as he faced Aurum. “Wait. You don’t like Ice Princess ?”

He sounded so genuinely sad that Aurum was at a loss for words. My obnoxious, talkative twin, rendered silent by my mate’s genuine question. I stifled a fit of laughter.

“I-I mean,” Aurum stammered, “it’s not that I hate it. I’ve just seen it so many times.”

“I’ve only seen it once,” Rorik said ruefully. “It’s the only movie I’ve seen all the way through.” He sounded a bit embarrassed as he murmured, “And I really liked it…”

Aurum blanched. He resembled a parent who’d accidentally let it slip that Santa wasn’t real.

“No, that’s great!” he blurted. “It’s awesome that you like it, Rorik. You know what? We should watch it more. All the time.” He paused. “Okay, maybe not that often. But if you like it, that’s what matters,” he finished with a smile, patting Rorik’s shoulder.

Rorik seemed relieved. “Thanks, Aurum.”

My heart frolicked. It brought me great joy to watch my mate getting along with my twin. I hoped they grew closer as they spent more time together, too.

The projector flung a huge image onto the screen. I gasped, sitting upright and clutching Rorik’s hand tightly.

“It’s starting!” I cried.

Aurum snorted. “You sound as excited as Kiara and Desiree. By the way, can we get some popcorn or drinks around here? Thanks,” he added as a staff member darted in to hand him a giant bowl of popcorn. Apparently, it was the only thing getting him through this ordeal.

I ignored Aurum’s tantrum and leaned closer to Rorik. Both our eyes were glued to the giant screen. It didn’t matter to me that I’d seen this movie multiple times, or hell, that I’d watched it last night. I was ecstatic to watch anything with Rorik, especially a movie he loved; and watching it on a huge projector on the beach was fun.

To my surprise, Rorik seemed even more excited to watch Ice Princess a second time. Maybe he liked knowing what to expect.

His very first comfort movie, I thought with a smile.

I dragged my focus from the screen to subtly watch Rorik from the corner of my eye. He was mesmerized. It was like watching somebody witness real magic for the first time. I smiled wider, and snuggled closer to him. As his familiar scent filled my nose, I relaxed against his broad shoulder. I felt so happy.

The movie took its usual twists and turns until finally it came to the seconds before the big musical number.

Rorik whispered, “It’s starting.”

Meanwhile, Aurum groaned, shoving a handful of popcorn in his mouth. “It’s starting…”

‘Let It Snow’ blared out from the speakers in full force, dousing the beach in its catchy tune. As the music played, I noticed Rorik rocking in his seat and bouncing his leg to the beat.

I grinned at his honest excitement. He was so fucking cute, I couldn’t stand it. Who knew my big stoic bear would finally open up because of a song from a kids’ movie? Maybe he simply felt accepted enough to let go, have fun, and be himself.

A sudden wave of emotion hit me. Tears welled up in my eyes. Rorik had been through so much, and stayed strong through it all. But he didn’t need to act tough anymore. He had me to protect him—and every other alpha dragon on this island. We’d never let him be treated the way he’d been in the past.

He was one of us now. And once you belonged to a dragon, there was no going back.

As the credits rolled, I turned to Rorik and asked, “So? Did you like it the second time around?”

“I loved it,” he blurted, grinning ear to ear. Childlike joy sparkled in his dark eyes.

Behind him, Aurum yawned loudly and stretched in his chair. “Well, I’m glad someone enjoyed himself… Am I allowed to leave now?”

I snorted. “Get outta here, bro.”

Aurum wished us goodnight, then ran away so fast a cartoon cloud of dust nearly kicked up behind him.

With him gone, I escalated my PDA. I looped my arm around Rorik and kissed his cheek. “Did you have fun tonight?”

He nodded vigorously. “A lot of fun.”

His smile was shy but honest. I recognized how much effort it must’ve taken him to come out of his shell.

“So, you like movies?” I asked, my heart pattering.

“If they’re all like this, then I love them.”

My heart soared at his enthusiasm. “They’re not all Ice Princess , but there’s a lot of great movies out there.” I paused. “Do you want to watch a different one with me tonight? It’ll be in our room, not on the beach, but…”

Rorik took my hands. “I’d like that. Very much.” He tilted his head. “We never did finish that other movie, did we? With the… dinosaur?”

My jaw dropped. He was gonna need my emotional support for this one, but I was thrilled he brought it up.

I leapt out of my seat, still gripping Rorik’s hands. “Holy shit, you’re right. Get up. We’ve got couch snuggles to do and a movie to finish.”

Rorik nodded, then glanced backwards at Aurum’s abandoned bowl of popcorn. It was half full.

“Can we bring more snacks?” he asked, flushing.

I chuckled and ran my fingers over those pink, round cheeks I loved so much. “Anything you want, my big beautiful bear.”