Page 53 of So I Dared a Dragon

Magnus nodded at Luca.

I groaned. “What do you two have planned?”

“Conforming to the narrow scope of reality that these landbound shifters can process will not help us get inside that mountain,” Luca said matter-of-factly. “You’re not helping Calista by not showing her all of you, Aarix. She needs to understand who you really are.”

The problem was I didn’t know who I was anymore. The dragon who went into that cave didn’t know this new world.

“The world moved on without us,” I reminded them.

“That’s their problem, not ours,” Magnus scoffed.

An enthusiastic knock at the door interrupted the conversation. My mind was spinning; the guys were right, but I didn’t know how to find the answers to their questions. Or if we liberated those dragons, if we’d be making their lives better or worse.

Not even the fabulous fairy dragmother on the other side of the door could fix this one. We’d have to do it on our own terms, unapologetically.

“I’m so excited for tonight.” Bibi clapped her hands together. Today she was wearing a bright red wig, similar to Calista’s hair color, and a gold dress that looked like it was made out of foil. “And very thankful you were all available for a last-minute adventure.”

“It’s just me tonight,” I said. “These two have other plans.”

“Oh.” Bibi blinked rapidly, confusion written all over her face. “Is there any way you’d be able to postpone? Because I don’t think you want to miss this.”

I groaned inwardly.

“Aarix and Calista deserve some time on their own,” Magnus said, sounding much more pleasant than he had before her arrival.

“They’ll have plenty of it.” She put her hands on her hips. “I didn’t want to spoil the surprise, but tonight’s date is taking place at the not-yet-open Museum of Shifter History. You’llbe among the very first patrons to see the collections that a specialized team of archeologists, anthropologists, and curators have created. They’re very much looking forward to talking to actual dragons. It would be a very beneficial conversation for all involved.”

Magnus’s lips parted, and Luca’s face lit up. There was no way either of them could say no to that offer. Also….hot damn. I was excited to have a chance to look at their collections, especially before the exhibits opened to the public. Too much energy could dull magic.

I needed to manage my expectations. So far, everything pointed to the dragons being erased.

“Maybe we could reschedule,” Luca said. “That’s quite an opportunity.”

“You don’t have to be part of the date,” Bibi said. “You can stay off camera if you like. We’ll be headed to HQ first so Aarix can get ready and have his pre-date interview.”

We followed her out to the van. Something about Bibi was different tonight. Her energy was more subdued since the last time we saw her. Still gracious, but she wasn’t her usual chatty self, instead sticking to business.

A black suit was waiting for me in my trailer. I ran my hand over the velvety fabric of the jacket, admiring the pattern that looked like it had been burned into it. It was much nicer than any of the clothes we’d been given to this point. Not that they were poor quality. But like our interaction with Bibi, this was much more formal.

The black button-down shirt was thick and soft against my scales. They were sensitive, especially so soon after a shift. My body wasn’t quite the same this time—I’d expected to become more human, like Luca and Magnus had. But instead, I kept more of my scales, and my talons had grown, making it damn near impossible to work these tiny buttons…

“Come in,” I said, relieved that someone from the wardrobe department had arrived at the perfect time.

Instead, I turned and found Calista.

“Sweet moon. You’re gorgeous.” My mate looked like a dream. Her coppery red hair flowed down her back in gentle waves. Her lashes were dark and thick, her lips cherry red and begging for a taste. Tonight she wore a green dress with straps that fastened behind her neck, leaving her shoulders bare, and draping over her curves softly, like she was back in the caverns, tangled in my sheets all over again.

“You’re not so bad yourself.” She grinned and came closer. Her scent, her vibration, enveloped me in this tiny space and threatened to dissolve every ounce of self-control I had when it came to this woman. I reached for her, cradling her face gently in my hands. She was so beautiful, breakable, and the contrast between us was never starker than when I had my talons in her hair. She put her hand on top of mine. “Are you purring?”

“I’m thinking of what it will be like when you finally belong to me.”

“Tell me about it,” she said with a sigh, closing her eyes for a long blink.

“I want to kiss every inch of this body.” I ran my talon lightly along her jawline, loving the way she shivered at the gentle motion. “I want to see you naked in the sunshine.”

“Will you kiss me?” Her voice was practically a whisper. “Last time—”

I didn’t let her finish. I couldn’t. My mouth crashed against hers and we moved together like we were dancing to the frantic rhythm of our heartbeats, mixed with her vibration and my purring, as she called it. There were so many things I wanted to tell this woman, so many things I didn’t have words for.

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