Page 9 of So I Dared a Dragon (The Mating Game #6)

nine

. . .

Calista

Well, hot damn. That didn’t go as I expected.

Once I returned to the chalet, I flopped down on the bed and stared at the ceiling. I wasn’t the same woman who left this room this morning. I wasn’t convinced the whole thing wasn’t a dream.

Aarix was free. I could hardly believe my eyes when he landed on stage. I never thought I’d see him again. It was so surreal. He used to ask me to tell him about the world, or the outside , as he called it, and he’d listen wide-eyed, marveling at everything I told him like it was a fairy tale, nothing more than pure fiction. For him, it was. I’d recalled every historical lesson I learned in school, and then it was his turn to astonish me with his first-person account of the event, or even more bizarre, no knowledge of it at all.

He’d dreamed of liberation, and the day everyone stuck in that mountain, mining minerals to feed their vengeful god, would once again see the sun. There was so much I’d been afraid to tell him, afraid the power of that knowledge could lead to trouble with the Night God. That he would punish Aarix to humble him.

But my dragon had downplayed his power. How important he’d been before his imprisonment. It made him a target all over again.

I worried whoever was leaving me these little love letters was one step ahead of him. I couldn’t let him get hurt because of me.

A knock on the door sent me straight into the air. My heart pounded as I headed to answer. I was pretty sure I was seeing things when I looked through the peephole.

“Bibi?” I gave my hair a quick smoothing before I stuck my head into the hallway, expecting to find an entourage. At the very least someone with a camera. “Are you by yourself?”

“I am. May I come in?” She was no longer dressed in her stage clothes. Instead she wore a purple velour running suit with her name in sequins across the chest, and she’d replaced her purple wig with a sleek blonde bob.

Her makeup was still over the top, which made me think this visit was unplanned.

Not a good sign. Maybe that background check had uncovered something that was a deal breaker. Or something even worse.

“Of course.” I stepped aside to let her enter. I was in my pajamas, not expecting company.

This was the first time we’d been alone together since she’d left the pack.

Her face brightened as she sat in one of the chairs in front of the fireplace. “So, there’s been a change of plans.”

My heart sank. “Did Aarix change his mind?” I couldn’t say the last part out loud. About me.

I’d started the day thinking I’d claim the wolf standing in front of me, and now I was afraid to lose a dragon I thought I’d never see again.

“Nothing to worry about there. That dragon adores you. The change is purely logistical.”

I narrowed my eyes at her. I wasn’t able to read her as easily as I used to. “Did something else happen?”

She shook her head. “Everything checked out with what the dragons shared with us during their interview. What we could find, anyway. No surprise there was very little available online about Aarix Hale and his handsome friends.”

“Spill it. You’re scaring me.”

“I didn’t say anything was wrong, just that there’s been a change.” Bibi held up her hands. “Turns out, every room in town is sold out and we don’t have anywhere for the dragons to stay. Of course, we did build a makeshift man cave for Lars in the studio when Sasquatch hunters put a bounty on his head. But we all agreed that we didn’t want the dragons to feel like they were in another prison. Which is why I want them to stay here. In this room.”

My mouth dropped as I sank into the chair beside her. “You want all three dragons to stay in this room…with me?”

She shook her head “I’m here to help you pack up to come stay in my spare boudoir so they can have your room. It will be a little tight, since it’s not made for three massive dragons, but management is willing to work with us to make it as comfy as possible until we can find more appropriate accommodations.”

Whoa. I did not see this coming at all. “Will Hugo be okay with me staying with you?”

Bibi’s eyes darkened, and there was no hiding her sadness. “Like you said, it’s tradition for each episode’s contestant to stay with me. But more than that, I don’t want to lose everyone I care about for the sake of the show. I owe you an apology, Calista. I thought taking the stage as a contestant was the best way to prove my point because I was afraid of what would happen if I didn’t. This is a reminder that I need to be true to myself before anything else.”

“I would’ve chosen you,” I confessed. “If a big, handsome dragon hadn’t crashed the party.”

She grinned, and I could finally breathe, knowing we might come out of this okay. “I know you would have. And you still can, as your best friend. The two of us are very different wolves than we were in Montana. I’m looking forward to this chance to get to know you—”

“You don’t have to be so formal.” I interrupted. “It’s me. Yes, we’re different, but we’re not that different. You’re still the same wolf under all the sparkles. I would’ve loved to have cheered you on as you built this empire. I’m still me. I’ve done a lot of things I can’t take back, but it didn’t change my heart.”

Bibi let out a long sigh. “I guess I have a hard time confiding in anyone.”

I raised a brow. “Even Hugo?”

“Especially Hugo sometimes.”

I rose from my chair and grabbed my suitcase out of the closet. It was still half full…can’t blame a girl for trying to manifest the outcome she so desperately wanted.

Okay, so Bibi wasn’t my mate. But she was still my dearest, oldest friend in the entire world, and I missed her more than anything.

So I was pretty excited to be moving into the spare boudoir.

“Maybe I can help you with that,” I said as I took dresses off hangers and tossed them into the suitcase. “This is gonna be so fun. I know we’ll be busy, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve thought about the sleepovers we used to have. Staying up all night talking. It made me feel better, like I was closer to you, even when I thought I might never talk to you again. We have so much catching up to do. Not that I’m the wolf to take relationship advice from. But I can listen.”

“I would love that,” she said, and finally she let her defenses down. “But it’s supposed to be the other way around. I’m your fairy dragmother, and it’s my contractual responsibility to give you a total life makeover.”

“Maybe I can help you clean up a few things in your life too.” I grinned at her. “I know how much you love behind-the-scenes footage for the website. Maybe we can start a new segment. How Bibi got her Sparkle Back.”

“That’s one catchy title.” The sparkle was already back in her eyes, but only for a moment. “We need to be very careful—I don’t want anyone to know Hugo is out of the picture, especially while whoever’s leaving you these nastygrams still at large. We’ve had some security breaches—”

“Right. Seems like I’m the only one who can’t get past the big bad wolf.”

“You did though, when you came on stage during Hannah and Lars’ episode. I will say you were rewarded quite handsomely for your bad behavior.”

I laughed. “I’ve missed you so much.”

“I missed you too. I’m glad you’ll be staying with me and I can’t wait to hear everything about this mysterious dragon who only has eyes for you.”

“I’m happy too.” I hesitated. “Can I give you a hug?”

Bibi brightened. “Of course.”

As we embraced, I felt something I hadn’t in a long time. Like it might be possible for me to go home again, even if that place wasn’t in Montana anymore. And that was okay. Home wasn’t a place. It was a feeling. “I’m gonna make sure that you get your happily ever after too.”