Page 7 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

seven

. . .

Calista

This room had many nicknames, including The Hot Seat and The Confessional. They were apt, because I was ready to explain myself once and for all.

Aarix filled the doorway frame, standing head and shoulders above the rest of us. His green gaze was fixed squarely on me, and it gave me goosebumps.

I wasn’t afraid of him. I was afraid for him.

He’d been inside that mountain for so long, he’d practically become part of it. Even after his shift, he wasn’t quite human. The scales, horns, wings, and tail were all still there. It broke my heart, because he’d been so certain that exposure to real sunlight would be enough to get him out of the limbo, the nightmare he’d been trapped in.

I couldn’t let him down. Again.

His eyes were the only kind ones on me, and it was almost enough to cut the tension in the room.

Yeah, I had a major amount of explaining to do. It was a predicament I was getting used to.

A production assistant approached me with hesitation. “We’re ready to start the interview.”

I nodded as hair, makeup, and wardrobe swooped in for last looks.

One of the sound guys handed Aarix a microphone. His hands were too big, too dragon to clip it into the neckline of his shirt. I grabbed an apple box from next to one of the light stands and slid it in front of him. Even standing on it, I had to reach up to help him.

I’d forgotten what it was like to be this close to him. Heat radiated off his body. He could call his flame at any time. No need for a shift. And there was this otherworldliness to him that I could only describe as being falsely calming and seductively addicting.

Could we make things work on this side of the mountain?

He closed his eyes and drew in a breath, like he’d done so many times when we were together, like he was savoring my scent. Way too intimate in a room full of people, when the cameras were always rolling.

“Thank you,” he said as he opened his eyes, leaning in closer. The heat should’ve been enough to turn me into a puddle. “I won’t hold back, Calista.”

“Neither will I.”

I turned to find Tina and Marissa, with their arms crossed, frowns part of their uniform. I nodded to them as I took my seat across from Bibi. She was in a chair, and they’d brought out a couch for Aarix and me.

“I wasn’t sure if you’d send Hannah out here for this interview too,” I said. I’d barely had a chance to process the fact that Bibi had been one of my contestants. I’d had a feeling when Hannah greeted me on the stage, but when Bibi answered that first question, I knew for sure.

Would I have picked her if Aarix hadn’t arrived when he did? Damn straight I would have.

“It wasn’t my intention to deceive you, Calista. But I also couldn’t tell you the plan in advance.” She pursed her lips and pushed her shoulders back. “I needed to prove to everyone mates are fated. No one can argue with a dragon intervention.”

“It was pretty dramatic.” I cautioned a shy smile at Aarix as he settled on the couch, but he didn’t return it. Moments ago, I thought he’d kiss me while I fastened his microphone to his collar. Now he was all business.

“Since Aarix is new to The Mating Game , I’ll take a moment to go over our objectives with this interview.” Bibi cut through the tension. “Frankly, we’re all in uncharted territory with this episode. We’ll be streaming this on our website, but not live. Our first priority is to make sure everyone associated with the show is safe. You always have a say over what makes the final edit. That being said, I encourage you to answer the questions candidly. My hope is that we can pick up the pieces and make this our best episode yet. Do you either of you have any questions?”

“I have many, but perhaps some will be answered in this conversation,” Aarix said.

“Completely understandable.” Bibi flashed a megawatt smile at him, and I tried not to be envious that he was in far better graces with her than I was, even after he’d almost obliterated our amphitheater. “We’re here to make sense of this, for everyone.”

“I have a question.” I waited for Bibi’s gaze to turn to me. It cooled considerably from the warmth she’d given Aarix. “What would you have done if I’d chosen you? Because I was about to.”

A low growl resonated from Aarix’s throat. “Explain why you were about to choose any other mate when you had already promised yourself to me.”

“That’s what we’re all wondering,” Bibi added. “It was risky for me to go on stage as a contestant. But if I hadn’t, everyone would’ve questioned if we really did belong together. Maybe a little piece of me wondered too. I hope we can save our friendship, and I think you might still have a happily ever after within reach.”

“So where do you want to start?” I asked. Aarix was hardly a consolation prize. Even stuck in between human and dragon, he was gorgeous. I’d never experienced his full power—until today. It was pretty spectacular, but I had to admit, I was terrified. Where did my dragon fit in this modern world?

Bibi cocked a brow. “Is there more than you haven’t told us?”

I shook my head.

“Good. Then let’s keep this conversation focused on the dragons.” She raised her gloved hand to her heart. She was still in her stage gown. I’d changed into a tunic and leggings. “First, tell me how you even knew that such fantastic beasts existed! I’ve traveled quite extensively, and this is my first encounter. I have to say, it’s quite exciting.”

“We feel the same way,” Aarix said. “We’ve never met another wolf like you.”

Of course the dragons would be enchanted by the sparkly drag queen.

“As you know, I followed Wolfsbane on tour, trying to meet up with you.” It felt like an unnecessary dig, but I had to paint the picture for everyone. “I’d made friends on tour, and when the band went back into the studio to record their next album, I didn’t have a place to go. One of my friends suggested we head to Summerland, Tennessee. Dragon’s Kiss, a band she was obsessed with, was in residency there. At first, it made no sense why a huge superstar like Cecily Lovewell would resign herself to only playing in this quirky small town in the Smoky Mountains. I mean, Double Barrel Republic had been huge, and she was the heart of that band. The more we talked to the locals, the more we discovered about the small town.” I turned to Aarix. “Are you okay with me telling this part, or would you rather?”

He nodded. “Cecily was drawn to Summerland for the same reason you were, sunshine.”

That one word uttered in that deep voice was enough to turn me into a pile of goo.

“She was fated to be a dragon’s mate,” he continued. “There were a few dragons who had escaped the curse of the Night God, and it was their job to draw the right elements to the town to help free those of us who’d been stuck underground for generations. It was my fault we were there in the first place.”

“No,” Bibi gasped.

Aarix nodded. “It was my job to guard the Night God, and it was a great honor, a position of status. He convinced me to lure the thunder underground. Of course, he wasn’t honest about his intentions. He meant to capture the goddess we worshipped. And he thought forcing us to serve him would help him claim her, but she rejected him. He took it out on us, on me. I’d made promises to our thunder, and he made a fool out of me. Once she claimed her true mate, they were able to free us.”

“That’s absolutely heartbreaking.” Bibi shook her head with astonishment. “I can’t wait to learn all the details of your story, and we’ll explore that soon. For the purposes of the episode, I’d love to hear more about how you and Calista met.”

“Some of this might need to be edited out of the broadcast,” I warned. “But I want to tell the whole story. I’m sick of holding back and having secrets. I’m hoping this can be a fresh start for all of us.”

“Absolutely.” Bibi brightened.

I let out a long exhale as I chose my starting point. “My friend and I were obviously fascinated by the prospect of seeing dragons, and then we got word there was a way we could meet them. There was a secret club, and they were looking for humans who were willing to entertain the dragons.”

“What kind of entertainment?” Bibi asked.

“We agreed to be a dragon’s plaything,” I clarified. “I had to sign an NDA before I set foot in the cavern. Which should’ve been a sign something was wrong. But dragons! Obviously, I’ve met many shifters, but I’d never seen a dragon. So I was willing to overlook the fact there were very few details given to us before we signed on the dotted line. We were brought deep inside the mountain, and I have to be honest, I was worried I’d never see daylight again.” It was painfully ironic. “We were lined up in front of the hungry dragons, and they bid on us.”

“We were dragons starving for a ray of sunshine,” Aarix added. “These humans were hope to us. The only proof we had that life still existed outside that mountain. We’d been in there so long, it was hard to remember what things were like before the capture.”

“Aarix chose me.” I smiled at him. “And I never had to go back to the auction.”

“Tell me more about the auction,” Bibi said. “Aarix, was it unusual for you to choose one…forgive me, plaything?”

“The others had given up hope for a life outside of the mountain,” he said. “But I never did. I couldn’t, since it was my fault we were there in the first place. Calista shined brighter than any other woman that had ever come into our caverns. Many of the ones who dared to visit us did it for the reward, hoping that we would send them home with a souvenir they could cash in. But my coy little wolf was there for the adventure. We hardly ever saw shifters—some had been captured and kept with us. It was dangerous for her to be there, but she kept coming back to me.”

“That’s beautiful,” Bibi gushed. “But something tragic must have happened to drive the two of you apart?”

“My friend was chosen to play with the Night God.” Chills ran down my spine as I said his name, just like it did every time I watched him lead Darcy into darkness. “At first, she was thrilled to catch the attention of the head creature in charge, but his games got more dangerous, and he started draining her to the point that she was becoming weak and ill when she left him.”

“She wasn’t the first,” Aarix growled. “All of us needed the fire from the sun to keep us alive, which is why they started bringing sun beings down to us in the form of humans. The Night God needed more of it, or so he claimed, and it was pretty well known that any playmate of his wouldn’t survive.”

Rage boiled my blood. “Darcy was like an addict. She only felt good when she was around him. Her whole world revolved around seeing him. Pleasing him, even as his requests grew more and more twisted. It was terrifying and heartbreaking, and I couldn’t just stand by and watch her die. I was so afraid every time she went off with him I’d never see her again. Things were good between Aarix and me, but I worried that our future couldn’t stay that way. That the Night God would punish him if he felt our love.”

“Sunshine, I would never hurt you.” He reached for me, and taking his hand gave me the relief I’d been searching for. It was crazy to think this dragon who’d been stuck in a mountain for longer than I could understand, and who couldn’t completely shift into his human form, would make me feel safe. There were still so many unanswered questions between us.

Could this really work?

“I never worried about you hurting me. I worried about him hurting you.” His energy filled me, and sweet moon, had I ever missed that feeling. Like I was the light of his world. “You’re so quick to trust me again, even after I left you.”

“Should I not?” His body stiffened, and the other dragons were at attention behind Bjorn.

“I’m afraid I’ve brought you back into the eye of the storm. That the Night God could be using me to get to you.”

“The Night God has been defeated,” he said with a growl. “But he is still alive, with the promise that he’ll let the dragons prosper. However, we’re not sure all dragons have been accounted for.”

“Oh,” I exclaimed. Bibi and I looked at each other, and her stunned expression had to mirror mine.

“If the Night God isn’t the one sending me those messages, who is?”