But a dragon's curiosity couldn't be contained. We were like giant, scaly cats.
Instead of walking away, I examined the photo. The omega had well-combed, dusky blond hair, dark almond-shaped eyes, a strong nose, and a handsome jaw.
But it was his stoic expression that seized me. Unlike the other contestants, he wasn't smiling, yet he didn't look unfriendly. It was like he was looking directly into my soul.
Impossible. It was just a damn photo.
I scanned his description.
Taylor Chalchin. Age 27. 5'10". Siberian tiger shifter.
On their own, none of those traits meant anything. But all together, and combined with his striking photo, they did something to me. I wanted to know more about him on an instinctual level. What was he like? How was his personality? Was he as handsome in person as he was in his photo?
I snorted. None of that mattered. Just like the rest of the applicants, Taylor wasn't my type. Hecouldn'tbe. As if I'd ever be fated to an omega who voluntarily participated in a reality TV dating show…
Then again, I'd been swept up in the chaos of it against my will. Maybe Taylor had six annoying brothers who'd forced him into this, too…
Without noticing, my hand had moved across the paper. My fingers brushed against Taylor's portrait.
Sucking in a sharp breath, I yanked my hand away. Why was I tenderly caressing a fucking piece of paper?
The rapid motion drew Thystle's attention. Frowning—as usual—he stormed over and snatched my wrist, pulling me towards the filming zone.
"What the hell are you doing? You're not supposed to look at those," he snapped.
"There wasn't much to see," I replied in a snarky tone.
But that wasn't entirely true. My mind drifted back to Taylor, remembering how his feline gaze had struck me.
Thystle huffed. "Well, whatever. I know you're gonna brood and sulk the whole time, so I guess it doesn't matter that you got a sneak peek of the contestants."
"You're one to talk about brooding and sulking," I teased.
He glared before throwing me toward the stage. The camera crew gestured for me to smile, pointed at the prompter, then began filming.
The whole time, all I could think about was that stoic tiger ferociously staring back at me.
Five
Taylor
"Holy crap!"Muzo exclaimed. "Look at the size of that landing strip!"
That earned us a bunch of awkward stares from the other local contestants waiting to board. I ground my teeth, pulling Muzo into a gentle yet restraining headlock.
"Can you please refrain from yelling and causing a scene?" I muttered. "Especially when it involves innuendos?"
"Who's making innuendos? Get your mind out of the gutter. I'm clearly talking about the literal landing strip." He grinned and wiggled his eyebrows, obviously not as innocent as he claimed to be.
The waiting area was spacious. I appreciated the ability to keep away from the other contestants. Not because I was unfriendly, but becausetheyall teemed with excitement about the Dragonfate Games. I couldn't go a minute without hearing someone gush about dragons, or being on TV, or gloating about the amazing selfies they were taking.
It got old fast.
Still, I made a conscious effort not to be too cranky about it. After all, these people were omega shifters, just like me. It wasn't often I was in a place without humans.
All of the accepted participants in our area had been asked to arrive at this private airport. Looking around, I didn't see more than two dozen men. Would more of them arrive at the island from different locations?
"I've never been on a plane before," Poppy murmured. He sank back in his seat and glanced anxiously at the huge bay window where the plane awaited us. "Are they scary?"
