Page 76 of So I Dared a Dragon

“My mom hired me to do some filing at my uncle’s law firm—I can’t stay focused. I miss half my lectures because I can’t stop daydreaming about literally anything else. And my fiancé—ex, you get the point—was completely scandalized by some of the things I wanted to do in the bedroom.”

“Most guys are excited when you want to try something kinky,” I said.

“You would think.” Darcy sighed. “I was determined to make it work. This was my life now.”

“It must have seemed like a sign when the wings appeared.” The word I really had wanted to use wasdivine intervention, but Darcy was hanging onto the idea of this vanilla suburban life everyone else wanted for her like it was her favorite pair of skinny jeans from high school.

“It freaked me out.” She leaned forward. “Because where did I go from there?”

Bibi tapped on her chin, a sign that she was cooking up a plan. “Tell us what a day in your perfect life would be. Not what you have now. What would it be like to live life on Darcy’s terms?”

Fairy dragmother mode: activated.

I glanced in the rearview mirror to see the look on Darcy’s face as she melted into her favorite mode of coping—daydreaming—but instead, noticed we had a giant black SUV riding our ass.

“I’d love to have a house on the beach,” Darcy said. “With a pool. And a rock star. Maybe he’s not touring anymore, but he understands the lifestyle. He’s covered in tattoos, of course. Maybe we start the day on the beach with stand-up paddleboard yoga…”

I changed lanes and slowed down, giving the SUV a chance to pass. It didn’t look like a cruiser, but they gave off undercover cop vibes. If we got pulled over, I hoped the officer was a fan ofThe Mating Game, because Bibi was in full dragmother mode right now and would be able to talk her way out of anything. If it were up to me, I could incinerate them with my fire breath.

I needed to learn to control that before something bad happened.

The SUV slowed and followed me into the new lane. That terrible feeling in the pit of my stomach formed as I prepared for the inevitable flashing lights.

“Maybe I could become a life coach or something,” Darcy continued, oblivious to the impending doom that was unfolding behind her. “Help people who want to bring more excitement into their lives. Do you think that’s something people would be willing to pay for?”

“If you can deliver results, the sky is the absolute limit,” Bibi said.

“Has anyone else noticed this SUV that’s been following us for way too long?” I sucked in another breath. “Sweet moon, there’s a whole caravan of them.”

Darcy gasped. “We’re being followed?”

“Or we’re leading some weird procession through the desert.” But the chances of it being harmless were practically zero.

On the bright side, I might finally meet the person who’d been harassing me for all these months, but this was so off-brand for them. Gripping the steering wheel tighter, I focused on the thin ribbon of road in front of us. Heat danced just above the surface, making my eyes play tricks on me.

“They can’t follow us all the way back to Colorado.” Bibi’s voice held a defiant growl.

“There’s no way we can drive straight through.” The plan was always to take turns driving, go as far as we could manage without stopping. A little no-tell motel on the side of the highway wouldn’t offer any safety. “Eventually we’ll have to stop for gas or a recharge.”

The minivan was a hybrid, but we’d been going fast for a few hours. It would need something soon.

“We’re close to Vegas,” Bibi offered. “I could call the Horny Hunks and we could hide out with them for the night.”

“That would be so epic.” Darcy was not grasping how much danger we were in, and the rest of her story was making a lot more sense.

“Girl, wait until our special comes out—”

Bibi didn’t have a chance to finish before the lead SUV raced passed us. I let out the panicked breath I was holding. I was more than ready to admit I’d been overreacting.

It hit the brakes hard and spun out in front of us, blocking the road. Darcy and Bibi screamed, and I barely managed to stop the minivan before we T-boned them.

My heart pounded, and the rest of my body was incapable of movement as the door of the SUV slid open and wolves bounded out.

“Fuck.” I could barely manage more than a whisper. “Those are Montana wolves.”

“What do we do?” Darcy asked.

“Can you shift?” I asked Darcy.

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