Page 44 of So I Dared a Dragon

“Any mention of the Rocky Mountain dragons, especially if they have any connection to the Hudaknocker or any of the other ancient relics,” Marissa said. I was impressed that she was so on the ball with no sleep. “And anyone who might have had an issue with them.”

“Will do.” Calista started the espresso machine. “How did last night go after we left?”

“The guys are still working.” Sweet moon, Marissa was good.

Calista nodded as she fixed her coffee. She had a dreamy smile on her face, like she wasn’t quite awake yet.

“How’s your arm?” I asked.

She pushed up the sleeve of her robe. The scales were still there.

Marissa’s eyes widened and she looked at me, her expression full of question. I mouthed that we’d talk about it later.

“Let me know when you’re ready, and I’ll send a driver to bring you to the library.” I squeezed her shoulder.

“Wait, you’re not coming with me?” Calista asked. “I thought you’d want to film us at the library.”

“Oh, you’ll definitely be filmed. Marissa and I have a production meeting this morning. If we’re back in time, we’d love to join you. The library is one of my favorite places in The Village, and Laura is a delight.”

Calista took a sip of her espresso. “I thought you already had a production meeting.”

“There’s always more meetings.” I chuckled nervously and cursed my mistake. I was anxious to get out of the house and start this quest without any further complications.

I headed to the Firebird.

“We can take the van,” Marissa suggested.

“I’d prefer to be a little more incognito. Can never be too safe.”

“True,” Marissa said, and then got into the car. She was quiet until the house was little more than a speck in the rearview mirror. “Is it just me, or did those scales look real?”

“That’s the question of the morning. Well, one of them.” I sighed. “Calista tried to wash them off last night, and they wouldn’t respond to any makeup removers.”

“It was just watercolor paint, wasn’t it?” She furrowed her brow. “My hands came clean easily.”

“It should have been. Last night I touched it, and it didn’t feel like skin. Granted, I was exhausted, but it was quite peculiar.”

“That could explain why Magnus and Luca had words with Aarix about the scales,” Marissa said.

“Do tell.”

“I’m not sure I was supposed to hear the conversation, but there was obvious tension, so I paid attention. If I understood correctly, it seems like it was an old tradition, possibly signaling mating, and maybe something about power.”

“It wouldn’t surprise me if it was part of their mating ritual, which is awfully sweet. But the power thing is concerning.” I eyed Marissa. “Because last night, Calista said she couldn’t feel her wolf.”

Marissa gasped. “If the scales don’t go away, we should probably get an expert opinion. Where are we headed?”

“To the mountains. That’s where you said everyone went.” Although it was entirely possible that I misunderstood her in the panic of our crew members being missing.

“They did.” She stretched out the words, which made the matcha go sour in my stomach. “But the plan was for them to fly into some remote location.”

“How?”

“With the dragons.” Marissa confirmed my worst fear. “Not sure what the logistics were, beyond the shift. I didn’t want Bjorn to go, but also there was no stopping him.”

She let out a screech as I pulled a U-turn on the narrow mountain road.

“Where are you going? Back to headquarters?” she asked, gripping the arm rest for dear life.

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