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

six

. . .

Aarix

Humans in all black, with apparatuses strapped to their heads, appeared on either side of me. I wasn’t sure what their purpose was, but it was clear they weren’t directly involved with the spectacle that had been taking place on the stage when we arrived.

“Sir,” one of them said in a small voice. “I’ll need you to come with me.”

I gave my wings a shake. It was hardly the most threatening thing I could do, but it was enough to make the humans scatter.

“I’m not going anywhere without my mate.”

“You’re free.” Calista’s voice was like a song that danced along the surface of my skin. “I never thought I’d see you again.”

Mate.

I never thought I’d see her again either, and she took my breath away.

So many nights I’d dreamed about this woman, the way she had looked tangled in my bed sheets. If I closed my eyes now, that image would be there. It was always there. The way the warm light from the lanterns had flickered against her bare skin. The way she’d laugh as she told me stories about her life outside the mountain. And the way her lips tasted just after she’d promised she’d stay with me forever.

I couldn’t let any of that distract me from the fact this woman lied to me and broke my heart.

After all that, I still wanted her.

Not to mention she was wearing the ruby pendant I’d given her—an heirloom from my thunder known as the Guardian Stone—a promise, a symbol that would show everyone that she belonged to me.

This coy little she-wolf had a way of turning me into a fool. I’d sworn to myself before answering the call of the vibration that emitted from the pendant that I’d never let her do that to me again. I had a long history of trusting the wrong souls, and my mission was much more complicated than simply claiming my mate.

I was here to make things right.

“Free?” the most interesting she-wolf I’d ever seen exclaimed. She was almost as tall as me and had purple hair. The little human who’d called her over for help also had purple hair. I’d thought the shade would make me stand out, but maybe it was a common hue around this mountain range. Many things had changed since I’d been here last.

The fascinating wolf had a stocky build, but she still managed to be extremely feminine. She put a gloved hand on her hip. Her dress was silver and shiny, but I couldn’t let her mesmerize me. I didn’t know who I could trust here.

“Were you in prison?” she asked.

“Something like that,” I said. I could tell her it was because I’d trusted someone who had betrayed me, but it would make me sound weak. I couldn’t rewrite my history, but I could lay claim on my future. “Now, if you don’t mind.”

The sparkly wolf put her hand up as I went to step around her and claim my mate once and for all.

She wasn’t the least bit intimidated by my growl.

“Are you her bodyguard?” I asked. One huff of fire would obliterate everyone standing on this stage. I wouldn’t do that. I wasn’t here to cause anyone harm. I just wanted what was mine.

These shifters and humans cared about my mate. So many of them were ready to pounce to protect her. I hoped Calista treated them with more respect than she’d given me.

“I’m her best friend.” The interesting she-wolf stepped forward and offered her gloved hand. “My name is Bibi le Bonnet. I’m the host of The Mating Game and many think of me as a fairy dragmother. Are you a fan of the show?”

“I have absolutely no idea what you’re talking about, but it’s a pleasure to meet you.” I took her hand. The velvet soft—but firm—grip gave me more questions than answers.

She tipped her head. “Then how did you know Calista would be here?”

“The necklace.” Smoke blew from my nostrils as I rumbled and pointed at my mate. Calista gasped and clapped her hand to her chest, covering the ruby. But it was too late. It had already drawn me to her.

These modern beasts have no idea how valuable that stone is, I reminded myself. They don’t deserve to know your secrets.

Tension rose from everyone around us, but this she-wolf stayed cool.

“You won’t keep me from her,” I added.

“Well, I must say, your timing is impeccable because Calista was just about to choose a mate.” Bibi beamed at me, but then her expression quickly sobered. “You’re not the one sending her those threatening notes, are you?”

I looked over Bibi’s shoulder, meeting Calista’s frozen gaze.

“Someone’s threatening you?” I growled. I’d deal with the fact that she was about to choose a mate in a moment. As soon as I made sure no one would lay a claw on her.

Calista swallowed hard and nodded.

“And you allowed this to happen?” I said to Bibi.

“It seems like we have something in common. Calista hasn’t told either of us everything.” She stepped closer, and that easy smile was back. “Why don’t you come backstage with us? You must be starving after your journey. Our caterers are second to none. Not sure what hungry dragons like to eat, but I’m sure you’ll find something you like. We weren’t planning on having an influx of such big, handsome men, but our wardrobe department has dressed that big hunk of bear” —she motioned to the giant man standing behind the camera— “and even Bigfoot himself.”

“That guy’s still around?” Magnus, one of the dragons who’d stayed loyal to me, said. He’d warned me I should let Calista go, but still, he accompanied me on this journey. He’d be gloating about this for years. One of these days, I’d start listening to him. When I had my mate by my side, where she belonged.

I didn’t have too many more missteps left in me.

The little human with the purple hair and the microphone brightened. “You know Lars?”

I nodded. “It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other, but yeah, we’ve crossed paths once or twice.”

“Well, that makes me feel better about this whole situation.” Bibi pressed her hand against her chest. “I’d love to hear your story, and I’m hoping Calista will fill in some of the blanks for me. If the two of you are willing to move forward with your relationship, I have a unique proposition for you.”

Calista threw her hands up in the air. “Is anyone going to ask me what I think of this?”

Everyone turned to her, and she huffed out a frustrated chuckle.

“Do you not want me anymore?” I asked.

“I would think the two creatures I know better than anyone else on earth would care what I thought,” she continued. “Bibi, you left our pack because you didn’t think they’d ever accept you if you broke out of the role they created for you. And Aarix, how long were you held prisoner by that evil god?”

Held prisoner was a polite way of putting it. I had been assigned to guard the Night God, which had been considered a position of great esteem, until he duped me and I willingly led my thunder into a life of servitude and darkness. “Four hundred years. But the time without you was the longest.”

Calista closed her eyes for a long blink. Emotion radiated from her, and it made me think I still had a chance.

“It was never my intention to leave you like that, Aarix,” she said softly. “But worse things would’ve happened if I stayed. I would’ve told you, but I feared that I’d put you in danger.”

“No danger is too great to keep me from my mate.”

“I understand that.” Her lips curled into a tentative smile.

“Then why did you leave me?”

“Because it seemed like the way to keep you from danger,” she said. “I didn’t think I’d ever see you again. That’s why I’m here. How did you find me?”

“You’re a part of my soul. No distance can change that.” I looked around at the stage. There were cameras and lights and Bibi had just said something about a mating game. It was all starting to make sense. “You were about to promise yourself to another?”

“She was, and you arrived at the perfect time. Which can only mean one thing.” Bibi gave me a warm smile. “Let’s go backstage and talk about this. Calista is our contestant for this episode. It’s our goal to connect her with her fated mate.”

“Looks like your job is done.” I stepped toward my mate. How I wanted to take her in my arms, watch my flames dance along her human skin. They wouldn’t burn her—some of them were nothing more than a play of light.

“Wait.” Bibi quirked a brow. “Calista, you already promised yourself to this dragon?”

“I did. But I can explain.” She was saying that a lot.

“You will, in the confessional.” Bibi motioned toward the back of the stage. “I certainly hope you have a good reason why you would come on stage when you had already agreed to let this handsome dragon claim you.”

“Wow. We were just getting the hang of watching TV and now we’re part of one of the shows,” Luca said, turning in the mirror to admire his almost-human form. “Does this mean we’re famous?”

“Probably more like infamous,” Magnus scoffed. “But I have to admit, whatever it is, I could get used to it.”

As promised, we were brought a feast fit for royalty, and the wardrobe department managed to make something work for our not-quite-human bodies. We were all dressed in black shirts and pants—just like the humans that worked for the show. The only difference was our shirts closed in the back, allowing room for our wings, and the running pants all had openings for our tails.

“I always thought Calista was trouble,” Magnus added.

We were liberated several months ago. Our modern dragon thunder had introduced us to their present-day luxuries, such as computers, phones, and binging TV shows. After spending centuries trapped underground in a mountain under the rule of an evil god, freedom was still surreal.

“She’s my trouble, and that means I’ll keep her safe.” I paced the tiny space in the trailer they’d asked us to wait in. “I don’t need the two of you getting starstruck and distracted.”

“That sparkly she-wolf—”

“Is so fascinating,” Luca grinned as he cut Magnus off.

“She’s very gracious, and obviously in control of everything that happens around here,” I said. “We need to be careful. She could be an enemy.”

Magnus shook his head. “Why would you think that?”

Leave it to my dragons to side with the sparkly she-wolf. “Calista showed the world today that she has the Guardian Stone in her possession, but someone already knew that. And these wolves are allowing her to be threatened. That stops now. No one threatens my mate.”

“You let her take an ancient stone away from our collection, which made our entire thunder vulnerable.” Luca shook his head. “But we don’t know if that’s the reason she’s been threatened. She abandoned you without so much as saying goodbye. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, she would’ve promised herself to another. Would you still be willing to fight for her?”

“I gave her the stone.” I could tell them why, but it wouldn’t sway them, and it wasn’t answering Luca’s question. These dragons had stood with me when others walked away. They deserved an answer. “For a long time, I thought she was my only chance of seeing sunshine again. Yes, I’m willing to fight for her.”

Magnus groaned. “Aarix, promise us one thing—you’ll think with your head and not your dick when it comes to this woman.”

Someone knocked on the door before I had a chance to explain what this woman did to my brain—and my dick.

When they found their mates, they’d understand. When I claimed my mate, it would bring us closer to finally having peace.

There was a human at the door. They smiled brightly, even though they were unable to hide the terror in their eyes. “We’re ready for you in the studio.”

I nodded to my two oldest friends before following the human down the stairs and into the building. The vibration of their fear was bitter on my tongue, and something that I’d have to get used to in this modern world, where dragons were nothing more than a fantasy, something that humans consumed for entertainment while staring at their televisions and phones. I was told they even made up games about us and pretended to be us.

Soon, they’d know the truth about us.

Bibi might be dangerous, but she might also be the only one who could give us the chance to set the record straight.

“Something about this feels like the mountain,” Luca said in a low voice as we ventured deeper into the building. “We need to look out for ourselves first.”

I wished I could offer some encouraging words. But I couldn’t. I liked to think we learned something in those centuries of servitude.

The human held open a door. “This is the studio. You’ll probably start filming soon.”

I turned to Magnus and Luca. “You don’t have to stay. Calista is my mate. I’m not sure what I’ve gotten us into. If you truly believe that I’m once again leading you to darkness, I wish for you to go to the light.”

“We’re not leaving you. Our thunder sticks together.” Magnus put his hand out. Luca laid his on top of it, and I put my hand on top of both. “And this is bigger than Calista. We can’t let our sacred Guardian Stone fall into the wrong hands.”

“No one outside of our thunder can have any idea what that stone is worth,” Luca said. He’d been our scribe before we’d been imprisoned. He’d been working closely with our modern historian to restore some of the records that had been lost.

“This isn’t about the stone,” I reminded them with a growl. Calista would wear it proudly as my mate. I refused to entertain any other outcome. She’d been the only hope I’d had for too long to give up on her now.

I pulled my hand away from the pile and turned to head into the studio.

Calista’s lips parted when our gazes locked. There were so many things I wanted to ask her, so many things to tell her. But not yet. Not in front of all these people. I was used to having her all to myself. Soon, I would again.

Why did you run from me?

“We have your back.” Magnus’s words were no match for the magnetic pull of my mate. “Just don’t let her make you forget where you came from.”