Page 8 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)
eight
. . .
Aarix
“Does the person threatening you know that you belong to me?” I was furious. My mate was in danger, and she hadn’t called for me. Of course, she thought I was still a prisoner of the Night God.
And why hadn’t I felt it? The guys were giving me a hard time for giving her the Guardian Stone, but I wasn’t sure I would’ve been able to pick up on her vibration without it. It had been soft, all the way in Tennessee, like the thump of her heartbeat when she slept on my chest. It was a miracle I found her. My only mistake was not giving her more protection.
And where were the dragons that called these mountains home?
At one time, we’d had a strong alliance, the two most powerful thunders in North America. As the Night God’s guardian, I’d assured them he had our best interests in mind.
If they had followed my advice to their demise, their blood was on my talons.
“I was afraid to tell anyone about you.” Calista’s eyes were wide and full of emotion. She scraped her teeth over her bottom lip and turned to Bibi. “I’m sorry I didn’t say something sooner. That evil god hurt my friend, and I had to act quickly. I was terrified every time he brought her to his chamber that she wouldn’t come back. I had to act fast before he drained the life out of her. I figured he was watching us, waiting for a time to get her back, because nothing’s gone smoothly since I left Tennessee.”
“Where is she now? Is she safe?” I asked. The Night God had conceded, agreeing to give us back the light. “She was the blonde, correct?”
I remembered her as a free spirit with an infectious laugh. But the Night God had sucked her essence until she was brittle and looked like she could be blown into dust.
“Yes. Once I got Darcy out of there, she decided to go back to her family and get a fresh start. She’s in California, studying to become a paralegal.”
“Has she received any of these notes?” I asked. If she had, we could pinpoint the source easily.
“She didn’t stay in touch.” Calista chuckled sadly. “She was able to quit danger cold turkey. Wish I could say the same.”
“Tell me more about this Night God. It’s the first I’ve heard of him.” Bibi crossed her legs, clearly uncomfortable with having these revelations delivered while the cameras were rolling. “Is he an ancient or a modern deity?”
“Both.”
She nodded. “Did he only work with dragons? Or did he associate with other shifters too?” Bibi leaned forward. “Specifically, dire wolves.”
“There were some roaming the Smoky Mountains…ages ago, but I haven’t seen any since the Liberation.” There were no other shifters in our mountains except dragons. “Are they still here?”
“Fortunately, no. They’ve gone back to earth, where they belong. But we seem to attract many ancient beasts.”
“Tell me more about them.” There would have to be some familiar creatures, and maybe some clues who was bold enough to threaten Calista.
“We’ve already mentioned Bigfoot. He’s the one we work closely with, as an invaluable member of The Mating Game team. He works security with my… Lars helps keep our perimeter safe.” Bibi sighed. She had secrets too.
“Let’s not forget the zombie shifters,” one of other women who worked on the show said. I was pretty sure she’d said her name was Marissa. “The dire wolves brought them back from the dead. Not sure if that answers your question. They were shells of what they had been.”
It sounded like something the Night God would be involved in. I glanced at Magnus and Luca, registering their concern.
“They’re gone now,” Bibi confirmed. “I feared they were holding Calista hostage.”
A growl rolled through my entire being.
“They said they could help me, but they wanted to drain me.” Calista shuddered.
“You should have called for me.” I took her hands in mine. “You didn’t have to face any of this alone.”
Some of the tension faded. I never thought I’d wish we were back in those caverns, but I’d been able to keep her safe there.
I used to love listening to the wild stories about her life and listening to her laugh. The only light would be from my flame, bathing her body a soft glow.
Now I realized she was protecting me. Protecting herself.
“But you were trapped in that mountain, Aarix. After helping Darcy escape, I didn’t think it would ever be safe for me to contact you again. And I couldn’t go home. That’s why I turned to Bibi. I knew she’d help me.”
“And you sure the troublesome ancient shifters are gone?” They hadn’t said dead. I’d make no assumptions.
Calista and Bibi looked at each other.
“Our security team assures us they’re no longer a threat,” Bibi said, but there was a shake to her voice that made me think there was something she wasn’t telling us.
“Were there any dragons with those zombie shifters?”
“We didn’t take the time to differentiate who they’d revived.” Bibi frowned. “The beasts weren’t able to think rationally for themselves. On an earlier episode, we discovered an ancient shifter talisman known as the Hudaknocker. Are you familiar with it?”
I glanced at Marcus and Luca, recognizing the shock on their faces. “Yes, that was a very important relic in our time. There were festivals and ceremonies dedicated to it.”
“Oh, how fascinating.” Bibi’s face lit up. “I’m thrilled to hear that our modern research is accurate. But our experience with the relic hasn’t always been positive. We believe it might have been used to summon those awful ancient beasts. I’ll have to put you in touch with Lars, as well as Wendy and Laura. They’re my local historians, specializing in shifters.”
“We’d love to speak with them,” Luca said eagerly.
“Luca was my scribe before we were led into the mountain. He’s been working closely with our modern thunder to make sure all records are correct.”
“So the Night God would have used the Hudaknocker too?” Bibi asked. “Do you think we could use it to find these missing dragons?”
“It was an important part of our traditions, yes,” I said. “If the dragons are trapped inside these mountains, it won’t be as easy as luring them away. If they had the freedom to leave, they would have. If they were able to shift, you’d see them flying in the sky. If they’re in there, it’s because they’re being held there.”
Calista put her hand on mine. “Are you sure you’re ready to go through this all over again?”
“Every dragon deserves to see sunshine.” The answer was much more complicated than that. We couldn’t guarantee we could use our recent liberation as a playbook. “But we have no idea what happened to the Rocky Mountain dragons.”
“We won’t let them rot in darkness,” Magnus seethed, smoke billowing out his nostrils. His copper scales shined in the studio lights. He was a fantastic sight, and the cameras turned to catch it.
Someone or something is threatening my mate,” I reminded them. “It could all be related.”
Calista frowned and drew her hand away from mine. “I’ve pissed off more than my fair share of shifters. The Night God is an easy explanation. But I hate to say, it could be anyone.”
“Let us rule out potential threats.” I reached for her hand again and brought it to my lips. The feel of her soft skin sent a shiver down my spine. “I promise no one will ever think of you as an easy target again.”
Bibi cleared her throat, drawing attention back to her. “Production will support this mission any way we can. But we also have an episode of The Mating Game to deliver. You saw the fans in the audience, and that’s just a fraction of our show’s viewership. They expected to see Calista choose a mate. The two of you…” She tipped her head and smiled. “Definitely have some chemistry. And the most compelling backstory the show has ever seen. Usually, Calista would have chosen you in front of all those people. She can still choose you now. Then we could start setting up the dates. Pending a more extensive background check, of course. Not that we don’t trust you! But our head of security…” She steeled herself. “We want to make everyone is safe and we don’t have any more surprises.”
I turned to Calista. “Are you ready to show me your world, sunshine?”
“You think you can handle me on this side of the mountain?” Her lips curled into a playful smile. “Danger follows me everywhere I go.”
“Not if I have anything to say about it.”