Page 89 of So I Dared a Dragon

A perplexed dragon sat on my other side. “I’m not sure what any of this means.”

“It’s a unicorn shifter male revue,” I explained. “And instead of just taking their clothes off while women scream at them, they put on a show that’s a parody of pop culture. It might be better suited for girls’ night than date night, but I thought we deserved something that was just fun.”

“The unicorns have carved out a very profitable niche for themselves. The concept can’t be replicated, but there’s a lot we can learn from them,” Bibi added. “Embracing our true selves instead of hiding from humans. Giving them an experience they can get lost in. I’m not sure what your plans are after the show, but if I can help, all you have to do is ask.”

My drink arrived in its signature souvenir cup that was shaped like a unicorn horn. The bottom lit up in the same colors as the theater, and as I lifted it to take a drink, I realized the bottom of the mug was shaped like balls.

Definitely coming back for girls’ night.

But as the theater filled, I thought about what I wanted to do once the episode was over. The question was as much for me as it was for Aarix. Since he’d come to Sunset Springs, he’d been so focused on liberating the Rocky Mountain dragons. And until now, I’d been focused on finding Bibi and the feeling of safety.

Now, my best friend was back in my life, I’d found my actual soulmate, and I had more security than I ever thought was possible. What would I do next?

As the lights dimmed, I took another sip of my drink. Las Vegas was the perfect place to figure it out. Everything felt attainable here. My heart thumped with excitement as the curtain rose and the Hunks came onto the stage.

Aarix felt it too. He curled his fingers between mine and squeezed them as the haunting music grew louder.

The Hunks wore cloaks, horns on their heads much like the one Bibi had donned, and horned codpieces—just like the waitstaff, but they lit up. All my favorite Horny Hunks were onstage tonight as they began their search for the One Horn to Rule Them All.

Dark Horn always played the villain. “I will destroy this horn in the fires of Mount Hunk, where it was forged.”

Aarix and I looked at each other.

I leaned in and whispered. “The guardian stone will free the dragons.”

He nodded. “Magnus got the results of the stone found at the museum. We think it’s a match for the Guardian Stone. But it needs your magic to come into its full power.”

“Tonight,” I said even more softly. Bibi had razor-sharp hearing, even when she was captivated by gorgeous, mostly naked unicorn shifters. “We’ll fly back to the desert and get that stone.”

“Then we leave for Sunset Springs immediately,” Aarix punctuated the statement with a kiss.

I gave him a wicked smile, and then turned back to the show. My brain was working a million miles an hour. We were scheduled to stay for another day, but we didn’t need anyone to alter our travel plans. As long as I was able to fly that far. California would be easy from here, but Colorado felt daunting.

Then I remembered what Bibi had said about the Horny Hunks—how they were unapologetically, authentically themselves.

It was time to go home—to my thunder. Until then, I would bask in this audacious unicorn energy.

The Hunks thew off their cloaks to the audience’s delight and danced in a circle, chasing Dark Horn toward the mountain, but it was no use. He got away with the horn.

The stage went black, and a dramatic silence fell over the theater. I was so glad we came here tonight. This was exactly the silly fun we needed.

A shadowy figure emerged from the back of the stage as the lights slowly grew brighter. Murmurs swelled throughout the theater like the dry ice that hovered over the floor.

I leaned forward to get Bibi’s attention and shrugged, hoping she could explain what was happening.

“New Hunk,” she said.

But heat rose from the body of my dragon mate, and when I put my hand on his arm, he felt like he’d turned to stone.

The new Hunk came to the center of the stage. He was still dressed in his cloak, with the hood obscuring his face. But something about him wasn’t like the other hunks. I was halfway to the bottom of my giant, potent drink, which hit my dragon system much harder than I had expected, so it took me a few minutes to realize the light on his body wasn’t coming from his groin. Instead, it was a red glow coming from under the hood.

All the oxygen left the room as he pushed back the hood and revealed those glowing—no, burning—red eyes.

“I meant what I said, Aarix.” The voice boomed from the speakers at a vibration that rattled my bones. “You’ll never keep her, and you’ll never get inside that mountain.”

thirty-three

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