Page 40 of So I Dared a Dragon

“How?” Hugo said. “We’re more resilient as wolves, but there are limitations.”

“You fly in with us.”

“I…probably shouldn’t.” Tina drew away. “It sounds like an adventure of a lifetime, but I’ve got two littles who will be up at the crack of dawn. And as executive producer, I need to stay here in case we need to send out a bigger team, depending on what you find.”

Marissa turned to Bjorn. “You should definitely go with them. It’s close to the bear reserve. And you have the cameras.”

“Is that your way of saying you’re staying here with me?” Tina chuckled.

“Yes. Let it be known the idea of going dragon hunting terrifies me.” Marissa’s cheeks pinked. “You don’t have to go, babe. But if one of us goes, it makes more sense it’s you.”

“I’m in,” the big bear shifter said with confidence. “Hugo, are you coming with us?”

“Damn straight.”

fifteen

. . .

Aarix

This was the first time I’d met the shifter known as Hugo in person. His reputation definitely preceded him—everyone on the production staff seemed to like him, but not everyone agreed he was the right wolf to lead security.

And Bibi was head over heels in love with him, which made me have questions.

“Hugo is Bibi’s mate?” I asked as Bjorn drove us out of Sunset Springs on a dark, windy road that led into the mountains. Playing by modern rules was an exercise in patience. It would’ve been easier to fly, to take whatever was causing this so-called hot spot by surprise in our dragon form.

“He is,” Bjorn said with a chuckle. “When she’ll let him be.”

“But if she’s his mate, how could he walk away from her? I was ready to burn down the world to claim mine. Didn’t you feel the same?”

Bjorn let out a long sigh. “Hugo’s putting everything on the line too. He’s just doing it his way.”

“Can we trust this wolf?” I asked. “He’s the head of security, but he left the show before the episode started. When there’s a threat against my mate. Is he taking this seriously?”

“Keep an open mind,” Bjorn urged. He turned off the road, following a narrow, dirt path up the side of the mountain. It was pitch dark, and one false move would send the van tumbling into a ditch.

He pulled in beside a pickup truck, pulled out his phone, and grunted.

“It’s supposed to be working,” he said quietly and shoved the phone back into his pocket before looking up at us. “Let’s go see what these hot spots are about.”

Luca’s concerned gaze met mine as we got out of the van.

These dragons had trusted me once before, and they’d paid for that mistake with centuries of their lives. Time I could never give back. And yet, they still followed me here. I had nerve questioning Hugo when I led those I cared about most into pain and suffering.

We found Hugo in a small cave-like room that looked much like what the security team had referred to as the hive back atThe Mating Gameheadquarters. He sat at a desk in front of many screens and had a notepad in front of him. All we could see was the back of his bald head.

He was massive in his human form, with broad shoulders straining against a leather jacket. He turned and gave us a grin.

“The rumors are true,” he said good-naturedly as he rose from his chair. “People have a tendency to exaggerate when it comes to creatures they don’t often see around here. But you guys are the real deal.”

“We’re hoping you can help us find more of our kind.”

Hugo’s dark eyes lit up. “I can’t make any guarantees, but ever since I heard that there were possibly more dragons trapped in the Rocky Mountains, I’ve been looking for unusual activity.” He motioned to one of the monitors, which had the same heat map on it that we’d seen at HQ. “Usually, when we have rogue shifters in the area, they’re acting alone or in verysmall groups. They don’t stay in the same place for long. So when we saw this spot, we honestly weren’t sure what it was. We thought it could be deep, dormant volcanic activity. But then, once we were made aware there could be dragons trapped down there, I started looking at it differently.”

“Have you seen any signs of life?”

“Let me zoom in closer so you can get an idea of what we’re dealing with,” Hugo said. “There have been slight movements and temperature variations, which makes me think there’s life inside the mountain.”

---