Page 32 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

thirty-two

. . .

Calista

“Tell him if he wants me, he knows where to find me.” Aarix breathed fire to punctuate his statement, sending the rest of the reporters running for their lives.

“Babe.” I took Aarix’s hands in mine. They were so hot it took everything I had not to rip them away. Flames danced in his eyes, and smoke rose from his skin. He was moments away from a shift. “You can’t take the reporters seriously. It can be damn near impossible sometimes, but you have to remember, their job is to get you to react.”

And whoever had asked that question scored the fucking jackpot.

“You don’t understand.” Aarix’s body shook. Sweet moon, he was about to shift. Any reporters brave enough to stick around would get the story of their careers. “I’m pretty sure that was the Night God.”

Oh, shit. No wonder he was ready to blow.

“How?” I scanned what was left of the crowd, but couldn’t find any unfamiliar supernatural creatures. “I thought he was a country music star in his human form.”

“He must have more than one.” Smoke plumed from Aarix’s nostrils, and he glared into the distance like he planned to hunt the reporter—or the Night God—down. “That energy is absolutely unmistakable.”

“If it was really him, wouldn’t he have”—I hated to say it, because the last thing the night needed was two dragons hellbent on destruction—“gone for Darcy?”

“He got what he needed from her,” Aarix growled. “Now he wants me. And he’ll get nothing. I plan to make him regret every decision he’s ever made.”

Hugo came up and put a tentative hand on Aarix’s arm, wincing when he felt the heat. But the wolf didn’t back away. Hugo and I would never see completely eye to eye, but he was slowly earning my respect.

“Remember what we talked about up there,” he said. “The best revenge you can get against that bastard is to let him watch you living your best life with your mate by your side.”

“It’s the power,” I said. My heart thumped in my chest in tandem with Aarix’s. “That’s what scares the Night God. He knows he can’t overcome the two of us together when our powers mix.”

“Then there’s nothing to worry about?” Bibi said as brightly as she could manage. But there was no mistaking the fact she was absolutely spooked. Maybe it was just the flames, but Aarix was right. The power was funky out here, like the Night God had left one of those nasty little notes behind. “The two of you have already mixed powers, so to speak, correct?”

“We have.” And right now it was so strong I could barely breathe. “Promise me you’ll enjoy yourself tonight. You gained your freedom, don’t give it back to him willingly.”

That sounded much better in my head than out loud.

“We need to get that necklace back,” Aarix grunted as he stormed toward the van.

I couldn’t will my feet to move. I looked to Bibi for guidance. She always knew how to fix a situation when it fell to complete and utter shit. Her eyes were wide, her lips parted, and that little unicorn horn headband was so hopeful, even if it had gotten slightly crooked in the commotion.

“What if the Night God wants revenge for what we did to the Montana pack?” I didn’t think it was possible for a chill to go down my spine. I was a dragon. Fire ran through my veins. “And how many forms can he shift into?”

Bibi straightened her unicorn horn and steeled herself. She wasn’t letting anything ruin this date night. “Don’t give him more power than he deserves. He practically drained Darcy dry and if that was actually him, he didn’t even look in her direction. Once he gets what he wants from you and Aarix, he’ll do the same to you. This is a lesson we’ve learned before. We let the Montana pack convince us to shrink into roles that were far too small for us. We deserve better. All those dragons deserve better.”

“He’s weak, Calista,” Darcy said. “Take it from me—and no, I don’t give a single fuck that he ignored me. I got what I needed from him too. He led me to Luca.”

“Okay.” I closed my eyes for a long blink and grounded myself. “Let’s go see the Horny Hunks.”

I climbed into the van next to Aarix. His gaze was fixed out the window, his muscles tense.

“Will it always be like this?” My heart threatened to crack at my own question. “The Night God won’t let you find your own happiness? When will this battle end?”

Aarix turned to me and softened. “For a long time, I wasn’t sure why he’d fooled us into imprisonment. He was a god, and we were far from it. What I didn’t realize was that as long as he has control over us, he can harness our power.”

“But I’m not all dragon,” I reminded him. “He ordered the Montana wolves to breed it out of me. Whatever I am, mixed with your power, is something he can’t control.”

Aarix nodded thoughtfully.

“So we go have fun and show this bastard we don’t have a care in the world. Then we find the necklace.” It was a wild card that scared me. If the Guardian Stone had been powerful enough for Aarix to track me with, then others would feel that power too.

Unless it had been the effect of my power mixed with the stone.

I took a deep breath, because my next statement would be the scariest of them all. “But I need you to promise me something, Aarix. Tell me it’s not always going to be like this. A cat and mouse game between the two of you.”

“No. This is a fight that will only need to happen once.” He leaned over and kissed my forehead. His power surged into me. “Remember when we were in the caverns, and I used to ask you to tell me about your dreams?”

“Of course.”

“I remember every single one of them. I wrote them down, because I knew someday I would have a chance to make them all come true. That’s worth fighting for.” He lowered his lashes, and that incredible green gaze was enough to turn me to goo. “I can’t wait to start a whole new world with you.”

“That is the most romantic thing I’ve ever heard.” Bibi’s voice startled me. I’d slipped into a place where only Aarix existed. “But we’re ready to go into the show. This would usually be the time to ask how you’re feeling, but feelings don’t feel like they’re big enough to encompass tonight’s energy.”

“I have a question for you,” I said.

Bibi’s perfectly sculpted eyebrows shot up. “Ask away.”

“What did it feel like when you completed your transformation into Bibi le Bonnet?” I asked. “How did you know it was complete?”

“Oh, that’s so juicy. I love it.” She took a moment before she answered. “I knew I’d completely shed my old identity when the things that used to get under my skin didn’t bother me anymore. Like there was a force field around me.”

Aarix scoffed softly. “Guess I’m not there yet.”

“You’re not transforming into a new creature,” I reminded him. “You’re regaining the power that was stolen from you. There’s a difference.”

He simply nodded as we got out of the van and put his hand firmly at the small of my back as we walked into the resort. Even for a service entrance, it was strangely quiet here; either none of the reporters had figured out our destination, or after Aarix’s outburst, they hadn’t dared follow us. I would take this moment of peace. If Aarix had meant what he’d said about making my dreams come true, it was a precursor of what was to come. The endless drama and chaos of my pack had worn me out, and I was tired of running.

I was ready to belong.

“Oh, this is so amazing,” I exclaimed as we walked into The Theater of the Horny Hunks. Dry ice hugged the floor, and the lights that came up from it were all pink, purple and teal. Clear crystal and unicorn horns rimmed the perimeter, and waiters wearing thong codpieces with unicorn horns took orders.

The usher led us to a table front row center. “Enjoy the show.”

“This is absolutely amazing,” Darcy exclaimed as she took the seat to my left. “Tonight they’ll be performing Lord of the Horns. I can’t wait to see how they pull this off. Pun totally intended.”

A perplexed dragon sat on my other side. “I’m not sure what any of this means.”

“It’s a unicorn shifter male revue,” I explained. “And instead of just taking their clothes off while women scream at them, they put on a show that’s a parody of pop culture. It might be better suited for girls’ night than date night, but I thought we deserved something that was just fun.”

“The unicorns have carved out a very profitable niche for themselves. The concept can’t be replicated, but there’s a lot we can learn from them,” Bibi added. “Embracing our true selves instead of hiding from humans. Giving them an experience they can get lost in. I’m not sure what your plans are after the show, but if I can help, all you have to do is ask.”

My drink arrived in its signature souvenir cup that was shaped like a unicorn horn. The bottom lit up in the same colors as the theater, and as I lifted it to take a drink, I realized the bottom of the mug was shaped like balls.

Definitely coming back for girls’ night.

But as the theater filled, I thought about what I wanted to do once the episode was over. The question was as much for me as it was for Aarix. Since he’d come to Sunset Springs, he’d been so focused on liberating the Rocky Mountain dragons. And until now, I’d been focused on finding Bibi and the feeling of safety.

Now, my best friend was back in my life, I’d found my actual soulmate, and I had more security than I ever thought was possible. What would I do next?

As the lights dimmed, I took another sip of my drink. Las Vegas was the perfect place to figure it out. Everything felt attainable here. My heart thumped with excitement as the curtain rose and the Hunks came onto the stage.

Aarix felt it too. He curled his fingers between mine and squeezed them as the haunting music grew louder.

The Hunks wore cloaks, horns on their heads much like the one Bibi had donned, and horned codpieces—just like the waitstaff, but they lit up. All my favorite Horny Hunks were on stage tonight as they began their search for the One Horn to Rule Them All.

Dark Horn always played the villain. “I will destroy this horn in the fires of Mount Hunk, where it was forged.”

Aarix and I looked at each other.

I leaned in and whispered. “The guardian stone will free the dragons.”

He nodded. “Magnus got the results of the stone found at the museum. We think it’s a match for the Guardian Stone. But it needs your magic to come into its full power.”

“Tonight,” I said even more softly. Bibi had razor-sharp hearing, even when she was captivated by gorgeous, mostly naked unicorn shifters. “We’ll fly back to the desert and get that stone.”

“Then we leave for Sunset Springs immediately,” Aarix punctuated the statement with a kiss.

I gave him a wicked smile, and then turned back to the show. My brain was working a million miles an hour. We were scheduled to stay for another day, but we didn’t need anyone to alter our travel plans. As long as I was able to fly that far. California would be easy from here, but Colorado felt daunting.

Then I remembered what Bibi had said about the Horny Hunks—how they were unapologetically, authentically themselves.

It was time to go home—to my thunder. Until then, I would bask in this audacious unicorn energy.

The Hunks thew off their cloaks to the audience’s delight and danced in a circle, chasing Dark Horn toward the mountain, but it was no use. He got away with the horn.

The stage went black, and a dramatic silence fell over the theater. I was so glad we came here tonight. This was exactly the silly fun we needed.

A shadowy figure emerged from the back of the stage as the lights slowly grew brighter. Murmurs swelled throughout the theater like the dry ice that hovered over the floor.

I leaned forward to get Bibi’s attention and shrugged, hoping she could explain what was happening.

“New Hunk,” she said.

But heat rose from the body of my dragon mate, and when I put my hand on his arm, he felt like he’d turned to stone.

The new Hunk came to the center of the stage. He was still dressed in his cloak, with the hood obscuring his face. But something about him wasn’t like the other hunks. I was halfway to the bottom of my giant, potent drink, which hit my dragon system much harder than I had expected, so it took me a few minutes to realize the light on his body wasn’t coming from his groin. Instead, it was a red glow coming from under the hood.

All the oxygen left the room as he pushed back the hood and revealed those glowing—no, burning—red eyes.

“I meant what I said, Aarix.” The voice boomed from the speakers at a vibration that rattled my bones. “You’ll never keep her, and you’ll never get inside that mountain.”