Page 17 of So I Dared a Dragon

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.”

Calistaknewthese 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 inThe Mating Gamefamily.

“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 mystilettos. 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.”

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.

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