Page 4 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

four

. . .

Calista

To be completely honest, this wasn’t the first time I’d been to Bibi’s house. After bingeing The Real Werewives of Colorado and the existing episodes of The Mating Game , it was easy enough to find. How many times did I dream about knocking on the door, surprising Bibi, and magically everything would be back like old times? Every time in the dream, she was thrilled to see me and welcomed me back into her life with open arms.

In reality, I came face-to-face with Hugo, looking like an angry bull who’d seen too much red. Much like he did now as he stormed out from the back of the house. The first time we had this encounter, he promptly escorted me off the property and told me if he caught me here again I’d be having a sleepover in jail.

Jail would be a walk in the park compared to some of the places I’d spent the night.

My heart pounded preparing for a repeat of that meeting. This time, I had every right to be here. But I didn’t even think he realized he had company.

“Hey, Hugo—” Marissa didn’t bother finishing the rest of the sentence.

He made a beeline for his truck and kicked up a cloud of dust as he gunned it out of his parking spot.

“Is he ever in a good mood?” I asked, trying to lighten the moment and realizing I once again made a mistake when it came to this wolf.

“Hugo’s a sweetheart.” Marissa was still frowning at the spot where his truck had been parked. “Something must be wrong if he left in that much of a hurry.”

Tell her , my she-wolf pleaded with me. Tell her about all the love letters you have tucked into your brand-new suitcase from the beasts who’ve vowed to make your life a living hell. Maybe she can get Hugo to help you.

But I couldn’t bring myself to do it. Marissa had been so patient and accommodating while Bibi was in Vegas, making sure I wanted for nothing while we prepped for my episode. I’d lost count of how many times she tried to let me down easy, showing me the pictures of Bibi and Hugo living their best lives on the Strip. It was obvious they were in love, but damn it, I was in love with Bibi too, and I needed a chance to prove it to her. So every time one of those nastygrams got pushed under my door, or delivered under the cloche of my room service tray, or—most horrifyingly—wound up on my pillow while I’d been indulging in a spa appointment, I was too afraid to say anything to the production team.

If anyone knew how much trouble I was in, they’d never let me have an episode. My plan had always been to tell Bibi everything. Even after all these years apart, she was still the person who knew me better than anyone. She’d understand the choices I had made. At least, she did every time I played out the scenario in my head. In my dreams, she fought for me. And if I couldn’t convince her to spend forever with me, there would be another shifter ready, willing, and able to claim me.

Of course, I’d have to come clean about everything before them before the episode was over.

It would take a lot more than these cute red suitcases, some hot new outfits, and a spa appointment to give me a total life makeover.

Marissa pulled her phone from her bag and frowned at the screen for only a second before giving me the brightest, fakest smile she could manage. Something was definitely not right.

“Let’s head in,” she suggested.

I hoped I was half as good an actress as she was, because I was lowkey freaking out. Hugo could’ve received a hot tip from those beasts who were after me.

Or…what if they attacked someone else as a warning? Was it time to take them seriously?

There were a bunch of cars in front of Bibi’s house, but I had no idea who they belonged to, so there was no way to do a preliminary headcount, to know who was here and safe. Except for the vintage Firebird that obviously belonged to Bibi. She’d always had a penchant for fast cars, and I could smile at its commanding presence, because she’d checked a major item off her vision board. The memories it brought back—I used to listen to Bronson go on about muscle cars for hours, even though I had no idea what he was talking about…I missed those days.

“How are you feeling?” Marissa asked. Maybe I wasn’t such a good actress after all.

“Excited.” I was still gonna give it my all, because I couldn’t tell her the whole truth. That I was terrified of whatever sent Hugo running. While I’d been waiting for my episode, I’d met the local pack. While none of them had volunteered to become my new BFF, they’d been kind, probably because there was a possibility—hell no, a certainty—that I was Bibi’s mate. But they were also cautious, because I was Montana pack, and my packmates had caused the locals nothing but grief. And there was no way I was vibrating at anything less than the frequency of chaos.

“Good.” Marissa seemed satisfied with my answer. “Your episode has been a long time coming, but I promise you, it’ll be worth the wait.”

She knocked on the door, but didn’t wait for an answer before she opened it. I’d seen Bibi’s bungalow many times on the show, so the hot pink couch, the fuzzy throw pillows, and the leopard print accents were no surprise. But nothing could’ve prepared me for how it would feel to walk in here.

Like I was finally fucking home.

Bibi sauntered into the living room. She wore a vintage black-and-white polka dot wiggle dress and a thin red patent leather belt, with impossibly high red stilettos to match. Her hair was platinum blonde today, no doubt a wig, pulled into a high ponytail that cascaded almost to her waist. Her red lips were perfect, but twitching at the corners with the vibration of the distress signal that pulsed through the bungalow.

“I can’t believe I’m finally here,” I said. “I can’t tell you how many times I’ve dreamed of this moment.”

Bibi didn’t say anything. I tried not to let it devastate me, because something had her on edge. I wanted to hug her, to make all the bad things go away, but something stopped me.

“I love what you’ve done with the place. It’s so you.” I kept talking, saying anything, trying to get a response. “I didn’t even know you could buy a hot pink couch. I can’t wait to see what you did with my bedroom.”

I cringed. That was way too forward and completely ineffective.

Bibi let out a sigh. “Calista, I don’t know how to tell you this, so I’m just going to say it. You can’t stay here. I’m so sorry.”

No . I couldn’t have heard her right. There was no way she could change her mind about this.

Stay calm. This will work out, my she-wolf assured me, like she had so many times in the past. Maybe this time she’d be right.

“Why?” I asked. “Did someone get hurt?”

“Not unless you count Hugo’s broken heart.” She closed her eyes for an excruciatingly long blink. Whatever reason Hugo had stormed off, it was clear she blamed herself for it.

Or, even worse, me.

I couldn’t take any satisfaction in her pain, even if Hugo had been a massive thorn in my side in this whole journey.

But now he’s out of the picture . My she-wolf, on the other hand, was delighted by this development. It was a lover’s spat. Make this work in your favor.

Bibi tipped her head. “Why did you ask if someone got hurt?”

“No reason.” Ugh! Why was I protecting these despicable beasts? I should have told her everything right then and there.

And Bibi knew me well enough to know when I was lying. She did a slight shimmy, like she was trying to shake the situation off and get back into character.

“Tina’s on the phone with the chalet to see if we can get your room back. We keep one on retainer for emergencies just like this,” she added.

No. I wouldn’t let her dismiss me.

“I can’t go back there,” I said.

Bibi cocked a brow. On my best day, and with a team of makeup artists, I’d still never get mine to be as perfectly sculpted. “Is there somewhere else you’d rather stay? And before you say here—again, I’m sorry—it’s simply not an option.”

I had to tell her everything right now or I might not get another chance. “I’m in danger.”

She gasped. “Why didn’t you say anything until now?”

“Because I figured you’d kick me off the show.” I wrapped my arms around my middle, but it didn’t make me feel better.

“Have a seat.” She motioned to the pink couch. “Tell me everything.”

I knew better than to think this invitation was a step into her life, but it might be my only chance to fix what I’d broken.

“Are we recording this?” I glanced tentatively at Bjorn, the bear shifter who stood behind the camera.

He nodded.

Tina seemed to magically appear with a glass of water. Of course she was here. Bibi adored her. My mouth felt like a desert, so I took a deep sip before baring my soul.

“As a contestant, you have final say over all edits,” Marissa said. “It’s never our intention to make you look bad. We know it’s intimidating to tell all, knowing millions of people will hear what your confession. We won’t let them get it twisted. But we like to film everything, because you might say something during this that ties everything together, and it would be a shame to lose that.”

I had to believe her and do something I hadn’t done in a long time. Trust that these people had my best interests in their hearts.

Where the heck did I begin?

“The pack went into upheaval after you left.” The beginning seemed like the right place. “We already had a hard time keeping an alpha because we were land hungry, money hungry. They gave credit for the little success we did have to the wrong wolves and used that logic to make even worse decisions. If anyone needed a fairy dragmother to come in and fix things, it was the Montana pack. Now, before you tell me they would’ve never listened, you’re right. But it didn’t mean that we didn’t desperately need you.

“As word got out you were gone, other bloodthirsty packs arrived, looking for revenge—”

“Of course they were,” Bibi interjected. “Our pack has done terrible things.”

There was no denying that. Even as I’d fallen into worse hands, more dire circumstances, it never made what our pack did better. And it never made me understand what their motivation was. As much as trouble loved me, all I wanted was peace. I envied Bibi for finding it.

“As the body count increased, wolves started pointing paws at each other. Whose fault was it that our fighting machine was gone? Things got real ugly while the pack failed to prove they didn’t need you. But eventually they found something they could agree on. You left because of me.”

“Oh, sweetie. No. This isn’t your fault. Our pack sold their souls to the devil long before we were even born.”

I tipped my head. “It took me a long time to realize that was true, but then when I finally came face-to-face with you, you said you left because you didn’t think I could handle the changes in your life.” I put my hand up before Bibi had a chance to protest. “Listen, you’re one hundred percent the reason that I left Montana. I thought if I could find you, I could make the pack stop fighting. Not that I wanted you to fight anymore. Just because you always won didn’t mean you didn’t have wounds to heal from. They wanted you back. I wanted you back. When I didn’t get an answer from you, when your phone number suddenly belonged to someone else and your email bounced back to me, I went looking for you.

“You would’ve been proud of me. I snuck out in the middle of the night and was in Idaho before anyone even realized I was gone.”

“That was dangerous,” Bibi said. “You’d never even left pack land before, right?”

“Not by myself.” Looking back, it was reckless. I’d been so na?ve. But I’d never felt like I made the wrong decision. Our pack was on a collision course with oblivion. “At first, it was a lot of fun. Going on the road, following a rock band. I made a lot of good friends, though now I realize that some of them were only around because they thought I could get close to you. Close to the band. Even before you met this pack and Hugo, you found a group of wolves that would do anything to protect you. When the tour ended, those friends disappeared. I was out of money and I couldn’t go home. For the first time, I was truly on my own.

“So I did what I had to do to survive. Some of it I’m not proud of, but I picked the best bad options I had.” Hopefully there would be no need for me to elaborate. “And you can take the girl out of Montana, but seems like you can’t take Montana out of the girl. I attracted shifters with bad intentions. I broke promises. Did things I absolutely wasn’t proud of. For a long time, I thought it was all for nothing. But finally, it led me to you. Please don’t make it be for nothing, Bibi.”

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “I had no idea in those early days you were so close by. I never intended to shut you out. I only needed space to blossom into who I was meant to be. A part of me might have dreamed about the possibility of going home, too. Both of us know why that couldn’t happen.” She gave a sad chuckle. “Once I knew you left Montana, I did everything in my power to find you. I laid awake at night, worrying that you’d gotten yourself into a predicament like you just described. My blood ran cold listening to you confirm those suspicions.”

“And you’re still pushing me away.” I sighed.

“No, I’m offering you a chance at happily ever after. It just won’t be with me.” She paused, probably to let me state my case again about why she should reconsider, but I didn’t have any more left to give. My she-wolf knew if we were this close and she wasn’t feeling what I felt, maybe all this really was for nothing. My heart… oh, that was another story. “Are you still in trouble?”

It was my turn to laugh. “Always.”

She closed her eyes for a long blink, then finally nodded. Even if she didn’t want me as a mate, we shared enough history that I knew she was imagining what that meant. I wanted to tell her she couldn’t, because she couldn’t possibly make it bad enough. But did I ever want that chance at happiness that she was dangling in front of me like a carrot.

But once again, my heart wanted nothing but Bibi. And it was unwilling to think of her as anything less than perfect. I’d put her on a pedestal, and if she fell, shattered, then I’d have nothing left to believe in.

“You keep telling me you've changed, but I see you, the parts of you that you didn't let the pack see. How kind you are and how you want to help people even at your own expense.That hasn't changed. Wish I got your street savvy, and the ability to turn everything I touch into gold like you do. Maybe you can show me your ways during this episode.” I reached for her hand. It was soft, but still strong. And her vibration did unspeakable things to me in places she might never see. “But you can’t fault me for hoping that maybe you’ll teach me how to make you fall in love with me.”

Bibi squeezed my hand. “That’s all lovely, but that doesn’t explain why you’re in too much danger to return to the chalet.”

I reached into my purse, which was still slung across my body. I hadn’t had a chance to take it off before Bibi tried to send me away. The notes were crumpled, because I’d tossed them in the trash, trying to make the whole situation disappear. I knew better, that I needed them, that they might be the only thing that could save me. So I’d dug them out and guarded them like treasures.

I handed them to Bibi. Her red lips formed a concerned O as she read them. “Do you know who wrote these?”

“I have a few ideas.”

“A few?” Her brows went sky high. “Meaning you’ve pissed off multiple beasts enough to make serious threats?”

I nodded. “That’s exactly what it means.”

Bibi rose from the couch and began pacing in the crowded living room. “I need names. All the information you can give me. I’m about to put eligible shifters on the stage—”

“Is this such a good idea?” Bjorn’s deep voice made the question sound even more ominous. “Maybe we need to find out who’s sending those notes before we start the next episode.”

Bibi threw her hands up in the air. “We’re supposed to film in four days!”

“We could postpone the episode,” Tina suggested.

“No,” Bibi and I said at the same time.

Our gazes met, and her lips curled into a familiar smile. My heart cracked open, and for the first time, I felt something I’d longed to feel since I’d gotten myself into trouble. Hope.

My best friend was much sparklier, more fabulous than ever. But the important things hadn’t changed.

“As I was saying, we go on stage in four days.” Now those eyes were as sparkly as the rest of her. “We send a message to these beasts—we won’t be intimidated.”

“Are you sure this is a good idea?” Marissa asked. “Hugo just walked off the job.”

He did? Oh, this was worse than I thought. And I was ashamed to admit my she-wolf was thrilled.

“Yes.” But Bibi looked anything but certain. “We won’t be intimidated by any beast.”

Bibi claimed she wouldn’t be intimidated by hulking beasts who hid in the shadows while they had their flunkies pass me notes like we were back in junior high, but I was different story. That meeting ended with me checking back into my room at the chalet.

Two security guards were stationed outside my door at all times. Nothing got past those beasts. No one had dared to leave another note, but I wasn’t allowed to anywhere without a chaperone, either. Normally, I’d be all into having two hunky male escorts with me everywhere I went, but talking didn’t seem to be included in their job description. And they refused to answer any of my questions about Hugo.

I was hoping his absence would mean I made some headway with Bibi…but I’d barely seen her since she sent me packing. Was it time to acknowledge that maybe he wasn’t the problem? Bibi was obviously distraught over this, and I wanted her to be happy…preferably with me.

But now, it was showtime, and I was about to flip this script.

“You need to give me lessons!” I couldn’t stop staring at my hair in the mirror as my stylist put the finishing touches on it. She’d managed to completely defrizz it, while making my curls look perfect and somehow giving it incredible volume. Not to mention I was rocking a flawless cat eye, lashes for days, and red lips that would just dare my soon-to-be chosen mate to sin.

Was it wrong that when I imagined that moment on stage, it was Bibi who rounded the corner? Shivers went down my spine every time, even though the scenario was impossible since she hosted the show.

“Of course. We’ll be spending lots of time together once we get started on your episode.” My stylist beamed. It was so surreal to have the glam squad fawning over me—I was far more comfortable feeling feral. “You’ll know all my tricks by the time you have your mating ceremony.”

Would I actually go through with the plan I’d concocted while being held hostage in that luxury chalet suite? Pick Bibi anyway? It had to be the reason she’d decided to still go through with my episode. She couldn’t admit that she wanted me.

This was crazy. Normally, I wasn’t into women. Bibi hadn’t transitioned, but she was obviously into men.

But if things were meant to work out with Hugo, well, wouldn’t they have already?

There was a knock at the door, and I held my breath as I turned around and found Marissa. She was in a cute little dress and was all done up to go on camera.

“You look amazing,” she said with a low whistle.

“Right? This outfit makes my body look like it did twenty years ago.” I did a little spin as I rose from the chair. Then I put my hand over my necklace before she had a chance to ask about it. It hadn’t been part of the outfit the wardrobe team had picked for me. It was my ruby, the only valuable thing I’d ever owned. I considered it my good luck charm.

“Miracles happen in these trailers.” She laughed as she motioned for me to follow her out of the trailer. “I have a pretty good idea of your answer, but how are you feeling?”

I wasn’t sure how candid I should be—if I should just tell her everything was as fabulous as my outfit and my hair or be honest that I was terrified that today was the end of the road and that I’d have no path forward with Bibi—and I’d make an absolute fool out of myself in front of the entire world.

There was this undercurrent of weird energy I’d been trying to ignore since the moment I’d arrived backstage…

“How did you feel before you went on stage?” I asked instead.

Marissa choked back a gasp. “Absolutely terrified. I was doubting all my life choices.”

I laughed. “Sweet moon, it’s not just me?”

“Hell, no. It’s every contestant that goes through that trailer.” Marissa winked at Bjorn, who had been waiting for us outside with his handheld camera.

“Do you have any tips for me?” I asked.

She leaned in close. “Okay, let me give you the inside scoop. Today’s contestants were all handpicked by Bibi.”

That should’ve warmed my heart, but instead it felt like she’d squeezed the life out of it.

“You know she wants nothing but the best for you,” she continued, oblivious to the fact she’d gutted me. “Traditionally, we have two really strong candidates on the other side of the stage, and one we affectionally refer to as the foil. It’s mostly for the audience’s benefit. You’ll know who they are as soon as you hear their answers.”

I blew out a breath. “I can’t believe I’m actually doing this.”

“Also totally normal.” Marissa grinned. “When it’s time to choose your mate, you’ll forget everything you just heard. You’ll have no idea if you’re making the right decision. Basically, what I’m trying to say is you’ve got this. My last piece of advice for you? Don’t hold back. Ask the right questions to get the answers you need, because this is forever.”

“No pressure or anything.” The roar of the crowd threatened to swallow us as we moved closer to the stage.

Bjorn handed off his camera and kissed Marissa on the forehead.

“Can’t wait to see who you choose,” he said.

Then he jogged up the stairs, disappearing onto the stage. The crowd even cheered for him. The Mating Game was a family, and it was time for me to become a part of it.

Marissa squeezed my hand. “Are you ready?”

I choked out a nervous laugh. “Hell, no.”

She grinned at me. “Trust the process. And have fun. Your life will never be the same.”

Then she let me go. My knees were rubber as I climbed the stairs. Sweet moon, there were so many people in the audience, and they cheered as I came into view.

“Please welcome Calista to the stage!” a familiar voice said, and as I made my way to the velvet chair in the middle of the stage, I realized it didn’t belong to Bibi.

Hannah beamed at me. What was she doing here? Don’t get me wrong, she looked amazing in her black gothic mini dress, fishnets, and knee-high platform combat boots. Wait, was that a microphone in her hand?

I scanned the stage…realizing a very important person was missing.

Where was Bibi?