Page 16 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

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Bibi

I had a bad feeling about those scales on Calista’s arm. The paint should’ve washed off easily. Moon knew I got enough of it on my hands while I was painting, and it was all gone.

What’s happening in the hive? I texted Tina. I’d tried to go to bed, but I couldn’t possibly sleep when there were most likely major developments happening at HQ. But I also knew the dragons wouldn’t find what they were looking for if Calista was there.

You need to stop trying to protect her , my wolf warned. She’s a grown woman, and she’s more than familiar with the consequences of her own actions.

At least my wolf was talking to me, even if I wasn’t thrilled with what she had to say. Calista did have a flair for the dramatic—it was no wonder we got along so well. If she didn’t feel her wolf, it didn’t mean that it was totally gone. And she had every right to be concerned that those scales wouldn’t budge.

The three little bouncing dots kept popping up and disappearing. It wasn’t like Tina to not get straight to the point.

Tina: The guys are off to the mountains.

What? No, that couldn’t be right. The purpose of putting the dragons in touch with the security team was so they could share information and intelligence and narrow down the suspect list so we could hit the ground running as a team the next time we were together.

Which guys? I asked for clarification. Did the dragons head back to the chalet?

Nope, they all went to the mountains. Bjorn, Hugo, and the dragons.

And you’re only telling me this now???

It’s late, and you deserve to have your time off be exactly that.

Normally I would agree with you…but this is too big to keep under wraps.

I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. I can keep you updated when they come in.

Did you talk to Hugo? I sighed, rubbing the bridge of my nose to keep the emotion at bay. I missed the wolf more than I could possibly find words to explain.

Yes, but it was strictly business. He showed us one of his beloved heat maps, and I can send it to you…it definitely looks like something’s up.

A chill went down my spine. I can get dressed and come in.

Don’t you dare. I’ll be heading home soon. Marissa volunteered to pull the overnight—we owe her big time. She’ll keep you up to date. We need you well-rested and at your fabulous best.

If you insist . She was right, even if I didn’t like it.

I wanted to move fast on this episode. First, because I’d been worried that things would be weird with Calista. I’d let her come between me and Hugo, and my first order of business would be to invite him brunch tomorrow as a thank you. We needed to talk, like yesterday. I couldn’t expect him to put himself in danger for this episode when it was clearly causing both of us so much heartache.

Reluctantly, I headed to my boudoir and slipped in between my silk sheets. I had my white noise machine turned to high and my sleep mask on. Otherwise, my wolf would be on point at every noise.

Not that I turned my phone to silent. I wanted to hear that noise, confirmation that this outrageous mission had gone according to plan.

I hated not being in the thick of things.

No surprise I tossed and turned all night, willing myself not to pick up my phone. In the rare moments that I managed to drift off, I was treated to nightmares of Hugo in the jaws of a dragon.

Okay, message received, loud and clear. I simply couldn’t let this silence go on another day. I had to tell Hugo I was ready to commit to him, even if it terrified me, because living without him scared me more.

I should’ve just gone into the office , I thought as I threw the covers off me. There was no way today would be anything close to productive, but I could show everyone who worked until the early hours some appreciation. I thought about ordering brunch, but they’d probably appreciate the extra sleep more. Once everyone had rested, we’d be able to work on a cute date night recap and then start working with Aarix to plan his date.

Of course, that plan hinged on whatever they’d discovered overnight.

I made a matcha and did a few quick stretches before checking my phone. My morning routine was crucial to being able to roll with the inevitable punches that each day provided.

A frantic knock on the door caught me in the middle of one of my favorite poses. I opened it to find Marissa.

“I’m sorry if I woke you. I tried to message and call, but when you didn’t answer, I couldn’t wait any longer—”

“What’s wrong?”

Her makeup was smudged under her eyes, and she looked absolutely exhausted. “I haven’t heard from Bjorn in hours. Hugo, either. They went to the mountains with the dragons, but Bjorn’s got satellite service on his phone for when he goes to visit his family.”

“Come in.” I was frantic, my mind spinning with a thousand things I needed to do but couldn’t execute. “Help yourself to some matcha. I’ll get dressed and wake up Calista.”

Marissa bit her lip. “Maybe that’s not such a good idea?”

I put my hands on my hips. “Did something happen? Tell me everything.”

“Nothing new. Whoever’s threatening her might be trying to bait us into bringing her somewhere dangerous. I don’t have any intel to back that up, but the ink’s barely dry on that note.”

“Any word on who placed the order?” We needed to start getting answers, because these questions were piling up.

“Nope. Still too early.” Marissa sighed. “I have an alert set to my phone to call them as soon as they open.”

“I don’t feel comfortable leaving Calista alone,” I said.

“We’ve got to give her a way to help, so she doesn’t feel left out. Maybe we could have her work at the library with Laura and see if she can find any mentions of dragons in those ancient books?” Marissa suggested. “I could text Wendy too. She’ll most likely jump at the chance to talk about new-to-her ancient artifacts.”

“Excellent idea. I’ll be ready in just a few minutes.” I turned around and almost charged headfirst into a very sleepy looking Calista, who’d just padded out of the spare boudoir.

“Morning,” she said with a yawn. She blinked a couple times, and then tilted her head. “Hey, Marissa. Didn’t know you were coming over this morning.”

“I forgot I invited Marissa over for a matcha and production meeting.” I wasn’t sure there was any reason to panic yet. “We have a special project for you today. We need you to do some research.”

“Sure. What am I looking for?”

“Any mention of the Rocky Mountain dragons, especially if they have any connection to the Hudaknocker or any of the other ancient relics,” Marissa said. I was impressed that she was so on the ball with no sleep. “And anyone who might have had an issue with them.”

“Will do.” Calista started the espresso machine. “How did last night go after we left?”

“The guys are still working.” Sweet moon, Marissa was good.

Calista nodded as she fixed her coffee. She had a dreamy smile on her face, like she wasn’t quite awake yet.

“How’s your arm?” I asked.

She pushed up the sleeve of her robe. The scales were still there.

Marissa’s eyes widened and she looked at me, her expression full of question. I mouthed that we’d talk about it later.

“Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll send a driver to bring you to the library.” I squeezed her shoulder.

“Wait, you’re not coming with me?” Calista asked. “I thought you’d want to film us at the library.”

“Oh, you’ll definitely be filmed. Marissa and I have a production meeting this morning. If we’re back in time, we’d love to join you. The library is one of my favorite places in The Village, and Laura is a delight.”

Calista took a sip of her espresso. “I thought you already had a production meeting.”

“There’s always more meetings.” I chuckled nervously and cursed my mistake. I was anxious to get out of the house and start this quest without any further complications.

I headed to the Firebird.

“We can take the van,” Marissa suggested.

“I’d prefer to be a little more incognito. Can never be too safe.”

“True,” Marissa said, and then got into the car. She was quiet until the house was little more than a speck in the rearview mirror. “Is it just me, or did those scales look real?”

“That’s the question of the morning. Well, one of them.” I sighed. “Calista tried to wash them off last night, and they wouldn’t respond to any makeup removers.”

“It was just watercolor paint, wasn’t it?” She furrowed her brow. “My hands came clean easily.”

“It should have been. Last night I touched it, and it didn’t feel like skin. Granted, I was exhausted, but it was quite peculiar.”

“That could explain why Magnus and Luca had words with Aarix about the scales,” Marissa said.

“Do tell.”

“I’m not sure I was supposed to hear the conversation, but there was obvious tension, so I paid attention. If I understood correctly, it seems like it was an old tradition, possibly signaling mating, and maybe something about power.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was part of their mating ritual, which is awfully sweet. But the power thing is concerning.” I eyed Marissa. “Because last night, Calista said she couldn’t feel her wolf.”

Marissa gasped. “If the scales don’t go away, we should probably get an expert opinion. Where are we headed?”

“To the mountains. That’s where you said everyone went.” Although it was entirely possible that I misunderstood her in the panic of our crew members being missing.

“They did.” She stretched out the words, which made the matcha go sour in my stomach. “But the plan was for them to fly into some remote location.”

“How?”

“With the dragons.” Marissa confirmed my worst fear. “Not sure what the logistics were, beyond the shift. I didn’t want Bjorn to go, but also there was no stopping him.”

She let out a screech as I pulled a U-turn on the narrow mountain road.

“Where are you going? Back to headquarters?” she asked, gripping the arm rest for dear life.

“No. We’re going to Hugo’s.”

“Bibi, he’s not there,” she said softly. “He went with them.”

“I know.” And my heart pounded, reminding me how much I hated this situation. How there were so many things still unsaid. How if I didn’t see him again… No, absolutely not. There was no way I could think like that. There was a perfectly logical reason that Marissa wasn’t able to get in touch with the heart and soul of our crew. “I have a key. I probably should’ve used it long before now.”

“Wait.” That came out much more forceful. “We’re breaking into his house?”

“Darling, we won’t be breaking anything. We’re letting ourselves in. Hugo is meticulous with his research, and if he shared those heat maps, that means he thinks there’s something credible there to investigate. And you know how much he loves his supporting evidence. If there are dragons in those mountains, there’s no way Hugo doesn’t know about it.”

“You’re right.” But doubt was written all over her face.

Green Mountain Village was bustling. The pack had made many recent improvements to their land, and the energy here was so good. I waved to Cindy and Logan Mathis, who looked like they were on their way to the park in the village center with their kids.

“We’ll have to stop and chat with them when we’re done,” I said, like this was the most natural thing in the world. “Logan will be leaving to start work on the next season of The Wolf’s Moon soon.”

“Bibi, I’ve got to be honest with you, I don’t like this.” Marissa turned to me as we came to a stop in front of Hugo’s cabin.

A piece of me had hoped we’d find his pickup truck out front. But the driveway was empty.

“I don’t either.”

“It’s not just breaking into Hugo’s house.” She chewed her lip. “You haven’t been yourself since Calista showed up. I’m worried about you.”

I sighed, because she was right. “Once I found out Calista was in trouble, all I wanted to do was help her.”

“And you have. You’re honestly the best friend anyone could ask for. To all of us. But Hugo absolutely adores you, and to see the two of you apart… I hope we can find a way for us to all coexist together, and we’re not under another damn curse.”

“What do you mean, a curse?” I got out of the car before she had a chance to answer. Time was a luxury with our loved ones missing, and every second was gold.

“I just have a feeling that it’s all connected—from the Hudaknocker to the dragons. And we’re playing a game we don’t know the rules to.”

Marissa had been convinced the Hudaknocker was solely responsible for her attraction to Bjorn, to the point she did some reckless things with the ancient relic to prove her point. The bear was her mate, no divine intervention needed.

“Whatever’s happening, we all deserve answers. And we need to do right by these ancient creatures who’ve trusted us with their traditions and their modern lives.” My hands shook as I turned the key in the lock.

Hugo’s house smelled like him. I wasn’t prepared for that. I took a deep, indulgent inhale of the earthy, leathery scent as I tried to collect myself.

The house was always neat and a little rustic. He’d left a coffee mug on the table near his favorite leather recliner. A plaid blanket was folded over the overstuffed couch. Every single spot in this cabin held so many memories—and some ghosts I hoped I never had to deal with.

I could fix this. No, really, I could.

Throwing my shoulders back, I headed straight for his office. His energy was practically tangible in this room, with his oversized monitors and corkboards with articles, maps, and charts neatly pinned on them. There were binders meticulously labeled, in order of episode, on his bookshelf.

“Damn it,” I said under my breath.

“Did you find something?” Marissa said. “I don’t want to touch anything. You know how Hugo is about his systems.”

“There’s no binder for this episode.” I scanned the other shelves, like there was actually a chance he’d misfiled it. “He has one for all the others.”

“Maybe he brought it with him to his mountain outpost,” Marissa suggested. “It sounds like he’s got a full setup out there.”

“It’s possible he’d do just that. Hugo’s very detail-oriented, and he saw something that he thought was worth investigating.”

Then I spotted a file folder that said CALISTA on the tab.

My heart pounded as I flipped it open. It was thick, and on first glance, contained articles and pictures printed from the internet, receipts, and some handwritten notes.

A click startled me, one that sounded too much like a bullet falling into a chamber.

Hands up, I turned around to find Hugo. His lips parted, and his expression was a mix of anger, exhaustion, and relief as he slid the bullets out of the chamber and put the gun back into the holster.

“Saw your car out front, but didn’t think you’d be here without a very good reason,” he said. “So I had to prepare for all the bad reasons.”

This wasn’t the reunion I’d been dreaming about since he walked out on me.

My mouth was so dry I was surprised I could speak. “Marissa said that you went to the mountains with the dragons, and she lost contact with you. If we needed to put together a search party, this is where we’d find the most accurate information about what we should be looking for.”

“Is Bjorn with you?” Marissa asked.

Hugo nodded. “He’s out in the van waiting for—”

She didn’t let him finish before she was out the door.

Hugo smirked. It looked completely out of place with the dark smudges under his eyes and the days’ worth of unshaved whiskers. “You know what those two do when left to their own devices in a van.”

“It’s heartwarming for someone to be so excited to see their mate. Especially when they were in danger.” My lips wobbled into a smile. “I’d jump your bones too if I thought that was what you wanted.”

“Oh, I want that, more than I can possibly put into words.” But the words he did say were careful, measured, all business. “But I’m not sure we want the same things, Bibi.”

“I can assure you we do. And we’ve both chosen to be reckless about how we plan to get them.” Emotion pricked my eyes. He was so beautiful, even though he was absolutely enraged at me. He had every right to be. Truth be told, I was furious with him too. “I’m glad you’re back safe. I don’t know what I would’ve done if—”

Before I had a chance to tell him all the things I wished I’d said earlier, he pulled me into his arms, and his lips crashed against mine, telling my heart everything it so desperately needed to hear.