Page 36 of So I Dared a Dragon

“Wait.” Magnus furrowed his already heavy brow. “What’s that on your arm?”

“Aarix painted scales on me.” I stepped closer to give him a chance to admire Aarix’s work. “Aren’t they gorgeous? They look real.”

Both dragons stared at my arm, but not in awe. The vibe was…incredulous.

“You know what that means, sire,” Luca said softly.

“She’s my mate.” Smoke billowed from Aarix’s nostrils. His tone didn’t leave any room for negotiation. “Let’s go investigate the trailers.”

The dragons didn’t wait for me to lead the way. Bibi fell into step beside me. Bjorn began to follow, but she waved him off.

“Are you sure?” Tina asked. “I’d rather film everything and cut than have missing pieces we can’t get back.”

Bibi nodded, but the damage was done. She was shook.

“That’s why we’re a team. It means we always have someone thinking clearly.” She put her arm around me, pulling me in closer. She lowered her voice to a whisper. “What was that all about? You’re much more well-versed in dragon than I am.”

“I have no idea.” I glanced down at my arm. “I thought it was sweet.”

“It is.” She sighed. “I’m unsure about giving them more access to our security team. I understand they have a unique perspective, but also, we have protocol.”

We reached the trailer before she could say there wasn’t a chance in hell Aarix or his friends would follow that protocol.

I didn’t know it was possible to be even more furious with Hugo, but here we were.

My knees were jelly as I climbed the stairs to my trailer. It was impossibly full of dragons. With the exception of the clothes I wore to set, nothing inside belonged to me, so it didn’t feel like a violation to have them pick up and examine everything.

“The wire on the camera was cut.” I pointed to the surveillance equipment in the corner, considering they mightnot be looking for technology simply because they weren’t familiar with it. “But nothing else seemed unusual.”

Bibi came up the stairs with her phone to her ear.

“Thank you,” she said, before ending the call with a swipe. “The security team will be more than happy to share the evidence we have with you.”

“Do they have any leads?” Aarix asked.

“Their review of the surveillance footage hasn’t shown anyone unauthorized entering Calista’s trailer. Yet.” She emphasized the last word. “They’re checking all local delivery companies and are tracing the origin of the roses and chocolates.”

“Where’s this security office?” Magnus asked.

“In the main building,” Bibi said. “Near where we filmed the interviews after you unexpectedly arrived on stage.”

Magnus and Luca focused on Aarix, who nodded. One by one, they put down whatever they had been examining and headed for the door.

Aarix kissed the top of my head before he left. “I’ll make sure no one ever dares to threaten you again.”

“We should’ve stayed,” I protested as Bibi drove us home in her vintage Firebird. I was so happy she’d been able to live the life of her wildest dreams, and it gave me hope that maybe someday I could classify my life as something more promising than a dumpster fire.

The headlights from an oncoming car sliced across her face, illuminating her heavy lashes and dramatic liner. “We couldhave, but the way Luca saddled up at that computer and started asking questions made me think those dragons will be there all night long. They need this, Calista. Give them the time and the space to do what they need to do. Let them find their power in the new world.”

“We could help and answer questions.” I stifled a yawn, but exhaustion would get the last laugh.

“The security team is more than capable of doing that. In fact, it’s their job.” It was a defensive statement, and I wondered what else was said on that phone call.

“But they let that threat through.”

“We were fooled too. You thought it was a gift from Aarix,” she reminded me as she pulled into the driveway in front of her bungalow. “Admittedly, we’ll need to do a better job going forward making sure all deliveries are inspected before distribution. But trust me, I’ve learned the absolute hardest way possible that it’s impossible to do all this yourself. There will come a time when the dragons and the security team need us. We’ll be there for them. But let Aarix have this.”

“So am I the worst contestant you’ve ever had?” I grinned at her before I got out of the car.

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