Page 36 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

thirty-six

. . .

Calista

I’d always taken the sky for granted. And as the gentle spring blue welcomed us, I vowed to never be so selfish again.

“You look so beautiful,” Mom said for…I’d lost count of how many times. There was a whole world waiting to greet her, and she couldn’t take her eyes off me. At some point, once we got my thunder settled in their new lives, I’d utterly break down at the enormity of what had happened. How long I’d lived feeling like I didn’t belong anywhere, like I didn’t have anything to offer. I’d been as trapped as the rest of these dragons.

“You do, too,” I said. She hadn’t aged at all. Her eyes were clear blue, her skin smooth, and her hair full and wavy, falling to her waist. Her dress was nothing more than an intricately wrapped piece of fabric, showing only a few scales on her upper arms. She seemed so human. My sisters Celina and Celeste had hardly any scales. No wings, no tails.

But they were full dragon, because they had gone inside the mountain when I’d been excluded. I closed my eyes, trying to remember our father, but no memory came.

Soon, all our questions would be answered. But now, it was time for them to get their magic back.

“I can’t wait to hear about everything you’ve accomplished,” Mom gushed.

I stopped dead in my tracks. I wasn’t ready for that wave of emotion. I could only remember this current, mostly disappointing iteration of my life. How could I explain I’d been a runaway wolf pack brat?

“She was instrumental in helping our thunder gain our independence.” Aarix filled in the blanks for me, reminding me who I was when I’d been too tempted to shrink back into that box that had never fit in the first place. “And now, she’s the star of a television show. It’s like a theater production that gets transmitted all over the world.”

Mom’s face lit up. “What kind of magic is that?”

“It took us a while to understand it too, but you’ll love it.” And I loved how Aarix was winning her over. For a moment, I thought the dragons might refuse to claim their own freedom because they thought my mate was their enemy.

If only we had found each other before the Night God had put his plan into place.

“It’s technology,” I said. “I can’t wait to introduce you to everyone. You’ll adore Bibi—”

“Bibi’s still with you?” Mom gaped.

“Yes.” I was astonished she asked for her by name. But that had to mean Bibi had been a she-wolf all those lifetimes ago. “She runs the show. She’s a—”

“A wolf.” Mom beamed as I nodded. “The two of you were inseparable. The best of friends. Not that it was that unusual—our thunder and the local wolf pack were great allies. We worked closely together. I’m so glad they took care of you, just like they promised.”

This had to be a dream. I’d wake up in my bed in Montana and find out I was late for school, or naked in the cafeteria or something equally awful.

I took Mom’s hand in mine as we crossed the exit. She stopped, blinking, taking in the early morning brightness, and simply tipped her head up toward the sun, like she needed to drink it in. I was thankful for so many things, big and small, like Aarix’s hand on my back, holding me steady.

The rest of the thunder gathered around her, doing the same.

Darcy stood on the other side of me.

“Are their scales coming out?” she asked softly.

Mom peeled an eye open, tipping her head toward us. “We’re creatures of the sun. We crave it.”

A crowd had gathered at the bottom of the path. Bibi stood out anywhere she was. Hugo was most certainly standing beside her. As I squinted, I was able to make out the production crew. They must have taken a private red-eye flight to get back here so fast. Some of the local wolves had come, and Bigfoot stood head and shoulders above everyone.

“Did they bring the Horny Hunks with them?” I squinted, looking for a familiar face. “There are some people here I don’t recognize.”

“It’s the Smoky Mountain thunder,” Luca said proudly. “We called them when we were doing research, and once Aarix realized that your power would free these dragons, we asked as many of them to come as possible. The modern dragons who’ve never known anything but freedom, their mates who are powerful in their own right, and the dragons who spent eternity trapped in that mountain with us. We want to support them as much as we can.”

“Our motive isn’t completely selfless,” Magnus said. “We need to establish a strong front against the Night God and any of his agents to make sure all of us stay free.”

It was the first time Magnus and I had agreed about anything.

Bibi sauntered toward us, swearing the fabulous catsuit she’d worn to the Horny Hunks last night. She pressed her fingers to her lips—which were still perfect—and shimmied with excitement. We hadn’t needed words to communicate for a long time.

“Today is epic. Historic, magical, and powerful.” She tilted her head as she took in my mom, and then her gaze slid to my sisters. “Forgive me for being rude. It’s just that you look so familiar! Just like Calista. But I feel like I’ve seen you before.”

Mom took Bibi’s hands in hers. “It’s okay that you don’t remember. It was a long time ago.”

Not even the best makeup job could hide Bibi’s shock.

“It’s all true, everything that Declan claimed when we confronted him in the desert.” I would relish this feeling of overwhelm. Finally, my life had meaning. Purpose. And Bibi really was a soulmate. Not my mate, but a valuable companion in this lifetime and many others. “We’ve lived so many times before. I can’t wait until we can fill in all the blanks.”

“Eventually, those wolves were bound to tell the truth about something,” she said with a sad chuckle. “But this is a moment for celebration! We had an emergency production meeting on the way here. Since the dragons are free, and we have everyone we know and love here with us, we thought would be the perfect time to break with tradition and have you and Aarix promise yourselves to each other so we can invite everyone to the mating ceremony of the century.”

“Why start following the plan now?” I laughed.

“I don’t understand what any of that means,” my mom confessed.

I motioned for Bjorn to come over. The ladies in the thunder were very interested in the giant, muscular bear shifter, but I’d have to break it to them he was off the market. Of course, Bibi didn’t miss their interest, and once I filled her in on the backstory, she’d be bending over backward to find them mates.

“This is a camera. It records all of us.” I pointed at the monitor in the back. “And then using technology, which is magic that helps us all stay connected, anyone who’s interested in my love life can watch the show.”

Mom looked at it with astonishment.

“We need your permission to film you,” Bibi said. “I know your head must be spinning with all this new information. We always give our on-screen talent final say before we air anything. So if you say yes now, we can always edit things out. Once we get back to HQ, we can show you all the footage from the show so you can see Calista’s journey. I think you’ll be proud of her.”

“Let’s do it,” Celina said. “I’m so excited to find out what this show is all about.”

Aarix’s eyes were glittering jewels. “Ready to spend forever with me, sunshine?”

I met his lips in a kiss that would leave him with absolutely no doubt and the crowd of friends and family, past, present, and future cheered us on.

Finally, I was home.