Page 19 of So I Dared a Dragon

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 dancealong 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?”

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