Page 91 of So I Dared a Dragon

“You’re ready to fight,” I said as we reached the same entrance that we’d used to come into the resort. It was eerily quiet compared to what we’d seen outside the Alta Vista.

Calista turned to me, taking both my hands in hers. “This god—I hate giving him such an exalted title—kept us apart for centuries. He’s got this coming.”

“We still have centuries ahead of us, sunshine.” I kissed the top of her head.

“I’ll wrap my mind around that one of these days.” She smiled at me. “I’d like to run an idea by you.”

“Of course.”

“We’re not sure that’s actually the Night God, right? It could be another supernatural being doing his bidding, especially since he’s not even supposed to rise until after the Summer Solstice.”

“True.”

“And we can’t kill him, because then there would be no night,” she continued.

“What do you propose?”

“Whoever that was is probably licking his chops, waiting for us to come for them. There’s probably a whole group of them waiting to catch us outnumbered.”

“I can signal Magnus and Luca if we need them.” I was surprised Magnus hadn’t caught up to us yet. It was a giant leap of faith for him to trust Calista in a fight. I was proud of him.

She shook her head. “We won’t, because we’re not going to fight him.”

I quirked a brow. “Do tell.”

“We go get the Guardian Stone. Then we head back to Sunset Springs and free the dragons before the Night God has a chance to catch up with us. Then we’ll never have to worry about being outnumbered again. If I remember correctly, they’re a fierce group of fighters. That’s where Bibi gets it from.”

“You do remember correctly.”

She turned around. “Would you unzip my dress? It’s to pretty to get burned in the shift.”

“You never have to ask me twice.” The tiny zipper was hard to grasp with my talons, but the effort was quickly rewarded by Calista’s glorious body as she stepped out of it.

I undressed, and she texted Bibi, letting her know where we left our belongings. Hugo had told us about how the various internet systems worked, and how they went wrong. For a moment, I worried that someone might intercept the message. That they’d hurt our friends in retaliation for our plans.

But our friends could more than handle themselves. They were proud dragons who’d been denied their power and some of the fiercest wolves I’d ever met.

The Night God didn’t stand a chance.

thirty-four

. . .

Calista

All my life—at least, in this lifetime—I’d talked a big game. And it usually came back to bite me in my ample ass. Stunned tourists stared at Aarix and me as we walked across the parking lot naked in preparation for our shift. I blew them a kiss that made me explode into my dragon form and launch into the sky.

“That was dramatic,” Aarix said when he joined me.

“They came to Vegas for a show.” I laughed. Flying felt amazing. So amazing that it could almost take my mind off our mission. “If you need to call in backup tonight—”

“Absolutely not. You know what to do.” He wouldn’t even let me entertain the thought. “If I thought I could’ve liberated those dragons without you, they’d be free already. I need you, sunshine.”

“It’s funny you’ve always called me sunshine, and now I’m the only one who can help you defeat the Night God.”

“There’s no such thing as a coincidence,” he said. “I like calling you sunshine, but I’m proud to call you mate.”

This man. This dragon. He needed my power, but he had no idea how much of it he gave me. With him by my side, I felt absolutely invincible.

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