Page 46 of So I Dared a Dragon

Hands up, I turned around to find Hugo. His lips parted, and his expression was a mix of anger, exhaustion, and relief as he slid the bullets out of the chamber and put the gun back into the holster.

“Saw your car out front, but didn’t think you’d be here without a very good reason,” he said. “So I had to prepare for all the bad reasons.”

This wasn’t the reunion I’d been dreaming about since he walked out on me.

My mouth was so dry I was surprised I could speak. “Marissa said that you went to the mountains with the dragons, and she lost contact with you. If we needed to put together a search party, this is where we’d find the most accurate information about what we should be looking for.”

“Is Bjorn with you?” Marissa asked.

Hugo nodded. “He’s out in the van waiting for—”

She didn’t let him finish before she was out the door.

Hugo smirked. It looked completely out of place with the dark smudges under his eyes and the days’ worth of unshaved whiskers. “You know what those two do when left to their own devices in a van.”

“It’s heartwarming for someone to be so excited to see their mate. Especially when they were in danger.” My lips wobbled into a smile. “I’d jump your bones too if I thought that was what you wanted.”

“Oh, I want that, more than I can possibly put into words.” But the words he did say were careful, measured, all business. “But I’m not sure we want the same things, Bibi.”

“I can assure you we do. And we’ve both chosen to be reckless about how we plan to get them.” Emotion pricked my eyes. He was so beautiful, even though he was absolutely enraged at me. He had every right to be. Truth be told, I was furious with himtoo. “I’m glad you’re back safe. I don’t know what I would’ve done if—”

Before I had a chance to tell him all the things I wished I’d said earlier, he pulled me into his arms, and his lips crashed against mine, telling my heart everything it so desperately needed to hear.

seventeen

. . .

Calista

Something was up. Bibi was usually an oversharer. She was so head over heels in love with her role as a fairy dragmother that she couldn’t help but tell anyone willing to listen every single detail of her latest project.Tight-lippedwasn’t her shade of gloss or her vibe—and this morning, she was trying to pull it off. Not only were she and Marissa speaking in half sentences, but Bibi never left the house unless she was at maximum capacity for fabulous. And today her outfit could only be described as half drag. Sure, she was in a wig and what I would consider makeup for her, but regular top and jeans? She might as well have just wrapped herself in a red flag.

So when it was announced I was headed to the library to do research, I knew it was just a fancy way of saying that I had a babysitter for the afternoon. Even though the production crew gushed about the resources at Laura’s disposal, the only thing I’d ever participated in at The Village library was spicy shifter romance book club, where after many, many glasses of wine, we skipped to the good part and the ladies of the Colorado Ranch pack took turns reading the passages out loud, and then reinforcing or debunking the myth of the scenes.

Those nights were so much fun, and I’d always wanted to chime in and tell them about my experiences with Aarix. But I never did. Not only had I felt like an outsider, but their mates were all wolves, lions, bears, and… Bigfoot.

Would they have even believed that a dragon wanted to claim me before they saw him with their own eyes?

And as much as I had built-in cred as Bibi’s childhood bestie, there was also a stigma as being the one she left behind.

“I’m so glad you’re actually here!” Laura gushed as Tina and I walked into the library. “Bibi keeps telling me to get ready for an epic research session, but we haven’t made plans.”

“These came together last minute.” Tina stifled a yawn and held up her travel mug. “I hope you don’t mind I brought coffee. I need all the caffeine I can get today.”

Laura gave the mug a disapproving look the way only a librarian could. “I’d prefer you enjoyed it out here. Not that I don’t trust you, but everything in the research room is one of a kind, and accidents happen.”

Tina nodded. “No worries. I’m a boy mom. I know all about accidents.”

“Late night last night?” I asked. I hadn’t been able to make out what Bibi and Marissa were saying this morning before I’d come out of my bedroom. All I’d been able to decipher was panic in their tone, but everyone insisted on acting like this was business as usual when I was in the room.

Sure, I’d given them more than enough reasons not to trust me. But I desperately wanted to feel like I belonged here. I didn’t know what the future would hold for Aarix and me, if we’d stay here or head back to Tennessee. If we even had a future, a thought that made my blood run cold and the scales that had become a part of me heat up. I had a feeling this morning’s mystery chaos haddragonwritten all over it.

“The twins don’t know what it means to sleep in.” Tina chuckled. “Usually, our schedule accommodates that, but this morning, I’m feeling it.”

Not the answer I was looking for.

“Follow me,” Laura said. “This is the newest and the oldest part of the library. The local packs didn’t have a system for keeping their history all in one place. When Mason let me take over the old library building, I was determined to give back to the pack. I wanted them to know I was one of them.”

So Laura had felt like an outsider at one point too, and now she was firmly part of the heart and soul of this pack. There was hope for me yet.

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