Page 20 of So I Dared a Dragon

Leave it to my dragons to side with the sparkly she-wolf. “Calista showed the world today that she has the Guardian Stone in her possession, but someone already knew that. And these wolves are allowing her to be threatened. That stops now. No one threatens my mate.”

“You let her take an ancient stone away from our collection, which made our entire thunder vulnerable.” Luca shook his head. “But we don’t know if that’s the reason she’s been threatened. She abandoned you without so much as saying goodbye. If we hadn’t arrived when we did, she would’ve promised herself to another. Would you still be willing to fight for her?”

“I gave her the stone.” I could tell them why, but it wouldn’t sway them, and it wasn’t answering Luca’s question. These dragons had stood with me when others walked away. They deserved an answer. “For a long time, I thought she was my only chance of seeing sunshine again. Yes, I’m willing to fight for her.”

Magnus groaned. “Aarix, promise us one thing—you’ll think with your head and not your dick when it comes to this woman.”

Someone knocked on the door before I had a chance to explain what this woman did to my brain—and my dick.

When they found their mates, they’d understand. When I claimed my mate, it would bring us closer to finally having peace.

There was a human at the door. They smiled brightly, even though they were unable to hide the terror in their eyes. “We’re ready for you in the studio.”

I nodded to my two oldest friends before following the human down the stairs and into the building. The vibration of their fear was bitter on my tongue, and something that I’d have to get used to in this modern world, where dragons were nothing more than a fantasy, something that humans consumed for entertainment while staring at their televisions and phones. I was told they even made up games about us and pretended to be us.

Soon, they’d know the truth about us.

Bibi might be dangerous, but she might also be the only one who could give us the chance to set the record straight.

“Something about this feels like the mountain,” Luca said in a low voice as we ventured deeper into the building. “We need to look out for ourselves first.”

I wished I could offer some encouraging words. But I couldn’t. I liked to think we learned something in those centuries of servitude.

The human held open a door. “This is the studio. You’ll probably start filming soon.”

I turned to Magnus and Luca. “You don’t have to stay. Calista is my mate. I’m not sure what I’ve gotten us into. If you truly believe that I’m once again leading you to darkness, I wish for you to go to the light.”

“We’re not leaving you. Our thunder sticks together.” Magnus put his hand out. Luca laid his on top of it, and I put my hand on top of both. “And this is bigger than Calista. We can’t let our sacred Guardian Stone fall into the wrong hands.”

“No one outside of our thunder can have any idea what that stone is worth,” Luca said. He’d been our scribe before we’d been imprisoned. He’d been working closely with our modern historian to restore some of the records that had been lost.

“This isn’t about the stone,” I reminded them with a growl. Calista would wear it proudly as my mate. I refused to entertain any other outcome. She’d been the only hope I’d had for too long to give up on her now.

I pulled my hand away from the pile and turned to head into the studio.

Calista’s lips parted when our gazes locked. There were so many things I wanted to ask her, so many things to tell her. But not yet. Not in front of all these people. I was used to having her all to myself. Soon, I would again.

Why did you run from me?

“We have your back.” Magnus’s words were no match for the magnetic pull of my mate. “Just don’t let her make you forget where you came from.”

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 afraidforhim.

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.

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