Page 84 of So I Dared a Dragon

“You can get rings for them like Aarix has,” Bibi suggested.

“I’m much stronger, but I go through energy faster. And I feel things…there’s no way to compare it. There’s so much energy all around us, especially because we’re in Vegas. The euphoria and the desperation are intense. Your energy is a color.”

“Oh, what color is mine?” Bibi asked.

“Glitter, obviously.” I laughed. “You’ve always had a purple hue, even before you came Bibi. Or maybe I’m remembering things through a dragon lens.”

“That’s fascinating,” Tina said.

“Since I know the rest of you are gonna ask—Tina, you’re blue; Marissa, yours is orange; Hannah, you’re yellow; and Darcy, you’re green.”

“We’re like our own little rainbow bunch,” Bibi said. “I love that. Can you see your own?”

“No, I wish, but Aarix says I’m a mix between red and violet. According to him, the colors change and sometimes one is stronger than the other.”

“That must be so magical.” Hannah sighed. “Do you see them too, Darcy?”

“I’m sure Lars has made you see stars a time or two.” Darcy grinned. “Yes, I see the same colors and can confirm that Calista is red and purple.”

Marissa leaned forward, making the orange swirl. “We’ve had everyone sequestered inside the Alta Vista since we’ve arrived in Vegas, but tonight we’re headed out, and there will be no escaping the paparazzi, especially since they know about your shift. They’ve already posted pictures, supposedly of the battle in the desert. We’re tracking the source of their photos to see ifthey’re real or deep fakes—but they have enough details to make us think they’re the real deal.”

“We want to do a press conference before we head out, control the narrative, and make sure no one can catch us off guard,” Tina added. “The guys will be there too.”

“What Tina didn’t say is the forums are going bananas over those pictures.” Hannah held up the tablet in her lap. The forums had a cool feature where you could always see the latest post up at the top, and it was pulsing like a heartbeat with all the changes. “Some of the regulars, who are usually spot on with their info, are sharing information about the Rocky Mountain thunder. It’s convincing enough for media outlets to quote them. Problem is, we’ve forwarded everything to Wendy and Laura so they can fact check their little hearts out, and they can’t find anything to back up these claims.”

A growl resonated from deep inside me. “Can I see them?”

The production team shared surprised expressions, their colors swirling together like a dizzying, psychedelic rainbow. Hannah handed me the tablet.

The screen was tinged with darkness in the corners. I tried to swipe it away. The text on the screen bounced with my efforts, but those corners didn’t budge.

I shared the screen with Darcy. “Can you see it?”

She furrowed her brow at the screen. Same, girl, same. This gift of supercharged sight took some getting used to. “There are black splotches moving across the screen.”

“That’s impossible,” Bibi huffed. “The Mating Game’stechnology is all top of the line.”

“It’s energy,” I said as I took the tablet back, watching with wonder as the black splotches covered certain parts of the text. “Sweet moon, I think this is what was happening with everything at the library and the museum. The energy is literally rearranging itself before my eyes.”

“How fascinating!” Marissa exclaimed. “Is the information still there?”

“Yeah. Clicking on one of the threads made it easier to read.” The post claimed that the dragons had been erased from existence, after a disagreement…oh. “This says that the dragons angered the Shifter King. Wasn’t that Lars’ brother?”

“Yes, and he’s one of the ones who came back to try to stop Lars from claiming me.” Hannah pursed her lips together. “Along with the dire wolves…wait, this ties in with Montana’s claim.”

“It could be the Montana pack spreading these stories. I wouldn’t put anything past them after they ambushed you in the desert.” Tina shook her head.

“It would be helpful if we could establish any contact with them since that encounter.” Bibi sighed. “Not that I’m surprised they’re not taking my phone calls—”

“You did exactly what they trained you to do,” I reminded her. “You fought off a vicious attack and made them sorry they woke up that morning. Don’t you dare feel guilty about it.”

But no amount of makeup or spectacular lashes could hide the pain in Bibi’s eyes. It tasted like too much salt.

I couldn’t believe I could actually taste it. Whoa. These new dragon powers were intense.

“Chaos is Montana’s default, and I wouldn’t be the least bit surprised if we had a not-so-chance encounter with them again before we left Vegas.” I put down the tablet. The Rocky Mountain thunder’s past wasn’t nearly as important right now as their future. “What’s our game plan if they strike again?”

“Our entire security team is here, working with our local contacts,” Bibi said.

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