Page 5 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

five

. . .

Bibi

“I can’t believe we get to meet you!” a woman gushed. “This is already a dream come true. I don’t care if I even make it to the stage.”

“Don’t sell yourself short.” I was in what we lovingly called The Pit, where we rounded up our finalists before we chose the final three to go on stage. Traditionally, I paid the contestants a quick visit to wish them luck before the festivities began. They still didn’t know I had a number this time, just like they did.

“It’s hard to do anything but when I’m around someone so fabulous. This outfit is everything.” She motioned to my dress.

“Isn’t it great?” I’d dressed for the occasion with a strapless silver ball gown and silver crushed velvet opera-length gloves, a light purple wig that I’d grown particularly fond of during my Hot Hannah Era, and dark purple lips that were positively royal.

The woman raised a concerned brow. “Has there ever been a lady on this side of the stage?”

“No! You’re making history on The Mating Game !” I held out my arms, letting the cheer of the small crowd that gathered around me soothe my nerves. This felt normal. Like any other episode.

Even though I should know by now, there was no such thing as a typical episode.

But I had to admit, I loved the idea of flipping the script and having a man in the hot seat. Maybe next season, we could give that a try. There was no reason to limit ourselves, if there was a next season.

“Can I get a picture with you?” one of the guys asked.

“Absolutely. You just have to pinky swear that you won’t share on socials until the episode airs.” Of course, they had all signed an NDA, but I knew that didn’t guarantee anyone’s discretion.

“Are you here for Calista?” someone else asked.

My heart jumped into my throat. “Aren’t we all?”

“Can you give us some pointers?” the first woman asked. “If the forums are right, you know Calista better than anyone.”

“Are you sure you’re ready to let her loose on this pool of contestants?” Another gentleman chuckled.

“You’ve all been thoroughly vetted,” I reminded them. They were all shifters—wolves, lions, and a bear. I’d handpicked them myself. Now all I could do was trust my instincts.

Tina arrived in The Pit at the absolute perfect time, before I gave away any secrets. “Calista is ready for you and it’s time to announce who will be joining us on stage. You’ve all been wonderful participants so far, and if you aren’t chosen this time, we may reach out to you if we think you’re a good fit for a future contestant. But today, we’ll be taking contestants number fourteen, seven, and one on stage.”

One of the she-wolves let out a gleeful yelp, bringing her hands up to her mouth in surprise. She was adorable, and I hoped Calista was open to it. Every time we asked her, she was steadfast in her insistence that I was her mate.

Going on stage would be the riskiest thing I’d ever done.

“Wait, who’s the third person?” the bear shifter, also known as contestant fourteen, asked.

“Guilty,” I said, feeling every bit of the word as jaws dropped around me. I’d lost count of how many times I reached out to Hugo and tried to get him to talk. It would be much easier if he wasn’t letting all my calls go straight to voicemail. I’d even tried going to his house, but he wasn’t answering the door, either.

He was still heading our security team, but according to Tina, he claimed there was a top-secret matter that demanded his attention deep in the mountains.

I had no need to cause drama because moon knew we had enough to deal with already, but if I had to create an emergency to get his attention, I wouldn’t hesitate to do so.

“I’m so leaking this,” one of the contestants who didn’t get chosen muttered under their breath. “I’ll ruin you.”

Two security guards appeared, letting him know his time on the show was over.

“I’m about to step on stage in front of thousands of people who adore this show. It won’t be a secret for long,” I reminded him before he was escorted out.

But as I headed toward the steps, I was doubting everything. This plan could backfire.

I had a mate and this was my very unorthodox way of proving it.

Tina pulled me aside before I climbed the stairs. “Are you sure about this? As your best friend and your coworker, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself if I didn’t tell you the truth. This is a terrible idea, Bibi. Everyone’s still here. I can put someone else in your seat and no one will ever know the difference.”

I exhaled, but it didn’t clear any of the doubt. “I need to know the answer as much as Calista and Hugo.”

Tina nodded. Eventually, she’d understand. She met her mate working on The Real Werewives . Sterling kept choosing the wrong woman until he realized Tina was the common denominator among all of them. It was her. Calista deserved to know that when she chose her mate, it was definitely, beyond a shadow of a doubt, not me.

“I’m getting word we have two of the three contestants ready to go.” Hannah’s voice boomed from the other side of the stage. I was so proud of her for stepping up to the plate and absolutely slaying her first hosting job.

Tina gave me another concerned look, but I waved her off, and before I could talk myself out of it, I headed toward the stage.

The crowd went absolutely wild when they saw me and realized what it meant. I waved to them and brought my gloved finger up to my lips, asking them to keep the secret for just a little while longer.

“Everyone’s there, great. Let’s get started.” Hannah sounded relieved. “You’re in for a treat with this episode of The Mating Game . If you’re new here, let me get you caught up to speed. Calista is here to choose her mate, sight unseen. On the other side of that stage, there are three shifters. She’ll ask them three questions, and then choose one of them to take her on three dates before she decides if this is forever. Cameras will follow her every move every step of the way. Tell everyone how you’re feeling, Calista.”

“Excited. I’ve spent a long time searching for my mate and it’s surreal to know they’re waiting for me on the other side of this stage,” she said.

The crowd oohed, and I brought my finger up to my lips once again, this time adding a playful wink for the camera.

“Ready to choose the shifter you’ll spend forever with?” Hannah asked.

“So ready,” Calista said, and I didn’t need to see her to know how her eyes had brightened at the opportunity. She’d most likely thrown her shoulders back with the declaration. I wondered what she’d decided to wear. Marissa and Tina insisted that I couldn’t be a contestant and a producer on the same episode. These rules were so maddening when they applied to me. Still, I’d picked out an outfit for her and left it with the wardrobe department. I couldn’t wait to see if she wore it.

“Question one. Why will you make a good mate?”

The first contestant, the male bear, grinned as he brought his microphone to his lips. Thanks to the magic of technology, all our voices would be altered. “I protect what belongs to me, and I know how to provide.”

“I’m looking to for someone to share my life with,” the she-wolf next to me said. She was dark-skinned, very fit, and on vibes alone, I had a feeling she’d make a compelling contestant. “I think of life as an adventure, and how better to celebrate it than with your fated mate?”

Silence fell over the stage and the other two contestants turned to me.

Right, my turn.

I’d automatically defaulted to fairy dragmother mode, thinking about their answers, which meant I didn’t have one ready to go.

If I was really a good mate, I’d leave this stage immediately and find Hugo at whatever remote outpost he insisted needed his protection. But then we’d always have doubts.

“I’m a good mate because…” Sweet moon, this was much harder than I’d anticipated. All my time on stage, performances, improv, hosting, nothing compared to this. “I care deeply about people and love seeing them happy.”

“Those were all great answers,” Hannah said, but I didn’t miss the confusion in her voice. Usually, there were two serious contenders and a foil. Not this time. “I can’t wait to hear their answers to question two.”

“It’s a two-parter, if that’s okay,” Calista said. “Contestants, describe your perfect night out and your perfect night in.”

“Oh, I can’t wait to hear this,” Hannah added.

“For a night out, I’d bring you on a run through the mountains. I’m more comfortable in my animal form, and I hope you are too,” the bear said. “And for the night in, I’d bring you to our cozy cabin, build a roaring fire, and make all your dreams come true.”

It was the she-wolf’s turn. “I’m an adrenaline junkie. I’d love to take you on a sunset zipline trip through the forest, and then we could go out for an amazing dinner made by an award-winning chef. For the night in, I’d cook you the best meal of your life, we’d have cute cocktails, and watch a romantic movie before reenacting our favorite parts in the bedroom.”

The crowd oohed, loving that possibility. If Calista didn’t pick the adorable she-wolf, we’d definitely be reaching out to her for a future episode.

“For our night out, we’d visit the spa and get the works. Massage, facial, mani, pedi. Then we’d head out on a shopping spree, a fun dinner with tapas and cocktails, and maybe a show? For the night in, I’d love to play a game and make it slightly scandalous, have a charcuterie board, and maybe another spa night. What can I say? I love a little pampering, and my mate should too.”

I’d totally just given myself away. For a moment, I wished I’d made something up, but that wouldn’t be fair. If I was going to do this, I owed it to Calista and myself to be genuine. There would be no doubting the outcome.

“These answers have been amazing so far,” Hannah said. “Calista, this is your last question, so you know it needs to be epic.”

“I think it fits the bill,” Calista said. “Contestants, I’m curious—” Oh, she was getting more comfortable. Maybe because she knew I was here. “What made you turn to a reality show to claim a complete stranger?”

“I’m a solitary bear and it’s not easy to find the right mate,” contestant number one confessed. “I’m confident that The Mating Game will help.”

“Like I said, I love an adventure, and this seemed like the place to find a shifter that feels the same as me.” The she-wolf beamed at the audience.

What was my answer? I had to wonder if Calista had chosen this with the expectation that I’d be on stage, adding this question to trip me up. If that was her intention, it worked. Although, the bubbly she-wolf had given a very Bibi-esque response.

Tell the truth , my wolf said.

“Because I never felt like I belonged to my pack. They didn’t understand me, and had I chosen a mate from my pack, we would’ve both been very unhappy. I believe in infinite possibility, and more importantly, that love truly conquers all.”

“Wow,” Hannah said. “I don’t know how you’re gonna choose. All those answers were so good! What are you gonna do?”

“Choose my mate,” Calista said with all the confidence in the world, and my heart jumped into my throat.

She’ll gonna pick you , my wolf said. And there’s nothing you can do to stop it.

There had to be something. There always was. I was a fairy dragmother, and it was in my job description to fix everyone’s life. Make all their dreams come true. I still had time to build a dream for Calista that featured me as a main character without becoming the villain.

The she-wolf beside me gasped. “What the hell is that?”

Her question startled me out of my Calista-induced haze. “What are you talking about?”

The bear pointed at the sky. “Are those…dragons?”

“Holy shit,” Hannah’s voice boomed from across the stage.

“No way,” Calista’s response was hardly more than a gasp. “How can that be?”

Shock rolled through the crowd as everyone turned to see what had us alarmed. I blinked rapidly, thinking my vision would correct and that question would be rendered preposterous, but instead, those dragons just came closer. Got bigger.

Yes, multiple dragons.

Sweet moon, I thought I’d seen it all, but I’d never seen anything like this. Three dragons, big enough to darken the sky, were headed straight for us.

If they weren’t absolutely terrifying, I’d say they were magnificent. The lead one was an inky purple color that shone aqua in the sun’s rays. There was a green one, and an orange one that had a dark blue tip to his scales.

Heat rose around me, and with my gaze fixed on the sky, I braced myself for more dragons. As the she-wolf next to me let out a howl and the bear on my other side ripped his skin away to allow his animal to emerge, there was no denying we were under attack.

What was I gonna do about it?

People from the audience rushed to the exits as the dragons approached the stage. I wanted to tell everyone it was okay, but I wouldn’t be able to fairy dragmother my way out of this one.

I rose from my seat, as wolf as I could possibly be without messing up my fabulous outfit. I’d never lost a fight, and I’d be damned if I started now. My fellow contestants would have my back, unless this invasion wasn’t a surprise.

No, we’d vetted them carefully. They came up clean.

This would be a really good time for Hugo to start returning my phone calls….

A ball of fire erupted in the sky. Flames licked the top of the stage and melted my makeup, and the dragons shifted. It was much smoother than any transformation I’d seen before, except the men still had wings, horns, and tails.

“The dragons have joined us on the stage.” Poor sweet Hannah was still trying to host the episode like we’d planned this. “They’re very handsome, and, uh, very naked. Would you—”

With a puff of smoke, the electricity shorted, and anyone who’d stuck around in the audience to see what happened next made a beeline for the exits.

“No!” Calista cried. “Aarix, this isn’t what it looks like. I can explain everything.”

Calista knew these dragons?

These majestic beasts couldn’t possibly be the cowardly bullies who’d been leaving her anonymous threats.

It didn’t matter who they were, I wasn’t letting them lay a claw on Calista or anyone in The Mating Game family.

“There’s nothing to explain. You belong to me.”

What?

Bjorn let loose a growl. The bear shifter formerly known as contestant number one took off in a run to the other side of the stage.

“Bibi!” Hannah cried out. “I need you.”

“I knew it!” Calista said.

I charged to the other side of the stage, willing my wolf to stay inside me as long as possible. The situation with the dragons couldn’t have been that bad if Calista was still thinking about choosing a mate.

The dragons were human, mostly, and as advertised, very naked. They were huge, standing a head above me in my stilettos. In addition to the wings and tails, their arms, chests, and backs still had colorful scales.

One of them had his gaze fixed on Calista. His wings were a rich violet, with iridescent green catching the light. The scales were outlined with purple, again with that hint of green, and his hair was the same inky hue. And his eyes almost took my breath away. The green was like gemstones. My gaze locked with Calista’s. She was frozen in place.

And at this moment, she didn’t need me to be her best friend. She needed me to be Bibi le Bonnet.

“Bibi.” Hannah’s voice was so small without the power of the microphone. “I don’t know what to do.”

Bjorn was still human, and hopefully the battery backup had kicked in on his camera. We didn’t want to miss a moment of this.

“First, we need to get pants on these dragons,” I said, throwing my shoulders back and giving my hair a shake. My gaze landed squarely on Calista. “Then I need to know why you’ve never told me that an actual dragon might land on stage and attempt to claim you.”