"The Dragonfate Games, huh?" Aurum beamed. "That's actually perfect!"
I had to admit, it was better than my idea,The Stupid Waste of Time Games.
Saffron lapsed into a catchy sing-song tune. "The Dragonfate Games, gonna learn our fated mates’ names!"
Thystle groaned. "Now that's gonna be stuck in my head for a week..."
I shook my head, sharing Thystle's misery. The earworm was wedged in my brain, too.
"Well," I announced, "if nobody needs me urgently, I'm going to go mope."
"Go ahead and enjoy your moping session," Jade urged with an amused look. "We'll find you when we need you."
I followed in Viol's footsteps. Outside the castle, I shifted into my dragon form and launched into the sky. The cold wind whipping against my scales cooled off my temper, but it couldn't stop the mix of looming anxiety and disdain from roiling in my stomach.
The Dragonfate Games... What a joke. No matter what happened, I vowed never to find my mate in such a ridiculous fashion.
Three
Taylor
A blaring,raucous sound woke me at 8AM sharp.
I never slept in so late, but last night's sleep had been plagued by uncomfortable dreams. I'd tossed and turned until the small hours of the morning. My eyes felt sticky and tired when the phone blasted me awake.
Grumbling, I snatched the accursed thing off my nightstand. I must've forgotten to put it on do-not-disturb like I usually did.
I checked the screen. Instead of a number, the caller ID said "CHROMATIMAEUS OFFICE."
I blinked, squinting at the odd name. At first I thought I’d misread it, since I was still battling consciousness, but I'd read it correctly. What kind of office name was that?
But an office was an office. Besides the weird name, the ID didn't look shady. I picked up the call.
"Hello?" I said gruffly.
A peppy feminine voice replied, "Hi there! This is Winnie from the Chromatimaeus Island office. Am I speaking with Taylor Chalchin?"
Those words made my brain feel like soup. I sat up, rubbing my eyes. "Yes, this is him."
"Let me be the first to say congratulations!" Winnie exclaimed.
Now I was really confused. "Um... for what exactly?"
"Taylor, your application was approved! You've been selected to participate in the Dragonfate Games!"
Was I still dreaming? I didn't know what the hell this woman was talking about, or why she sounded so peppy about it.
"I'm sorry, I have no idea what's going on," I admitted.
Winnie paused for a second, then continued in an upbeat voice. "Oh! Um, do you remember submitting an application to appear on a TV program?"
I couldn't help the derisive snort that came out of me. "Sorry, no. I'd never do anything like that. I think you have the wrong number."
A keyboard clacked on the other end of the line. "Taylor Chalchin, omega Siberian tiger shifter, age twenty-seven. Is that correct?"
I paused, frowning. All of that information was true.
"How do you know all that?" I asked.
