With a flash of shame and irritation, I reined in my tiger. Normally I had better control of myself. The stress of this TV show was getting to me and it hadn't even started yet.
Poppy grabbed my arm and led me. Usually I was the one who comforted him, but now he returned the favor. I felt myself relax.
A smiling middle-aged man who I assumed to be the pilot welcomed us on board. "Have a great flight! We're just finishing up the magic fueling, then we'll be on our way."
"Magic fueling?" Muzo asked, brows shooting up to his hairline.
The pilot nodded. "That's right. Our team of wyvern engineers fuel the plane with magic. One of the dragon brothers in charge, Cobalt, was insistent the Games be as environmentally friendly as possible."
That was a pleasant surprise compared to all the human superstars with no qualms about polluting the air for the sake of their personal convenience.
"Whoa!" Muzo cried. "Did you hear that, Taylor? Not just dragons, but wyverns, too! And magic! This is not a drill—this is really happening, people!"
Alaric cleared his throat and addressed the pilot. "Is Cobalt the dragon whose affections we will compete for?"
The pilot gave a mellow laugh. "Well, I'm probably not supposed to tell you... but no, it's not Cobalt. Different color."
Poppy blinked. "Cobalt...?"
"He said different color, Pops," Muzo said. "Think green, or yellow, or whatever. Anyway, let's board already, I'm tired of waiting around!"
As a group of three, we found our seats. The inside of the plane was surprisingly spacious and comfortable. Muzo took the window seat, Poppy sat securely in the middle, and I took the aisle, since I didn't care where I sat.
Alaric shot me the stink eye as he passed, but we kept our jabs to ourselves. I wasnotlooking forward to being on a remote island with him.
Still, despite all my misgivings about my decision to accept this offer, I couldn't help my curiosity about whatever was to come.
* * *
As the planebegan its descent over the picturesque island, it finally hit me.
This wasreal.
Muzo clambered against the window. "Guys, look! It's a freaking island!"
Anxiety forgotten, Poppy glanced outside and gasped. "Oh, wow. It's beautiful."
Even I joined in. From the sky, I saw lush green forests, blue-gray mountains dotted with trees, and white sandy beaches. It looked like an award-winning photograph out of a nature magazine.
And we were going to live there for the foreseeable future.
The kind flight staff assured us our luggage would be brought to the hotel, so all we needed to do was walk there. After getting off the plane, we stepped out into the warm air. It was so clean and fresh, with a tinge of salt from the sea breeze. I closed my eyes to breathe it in. After the human city air, it smelled incredibly sweet and pure.
The hotel sat on a grassy outcropping above the beach. It was a modern building with clean lines. Despite being surrounded by untouched nature, it looked unobtrusive, like it was designed for minimal impact.
As we entered the lobby, I continued to be impressed. The inside of the hotel was modern yet homey, lavish yet unpretentious. It was nicer than any hotel I'd ever been in, but still managed to feel welcoming. Not like those glamorous rich people hotels I passed when walking downtown.
But in reality, wewerecompeting for the affection of a glamorous rich person—the unknown dragon brother. He was probably just as bad as those snooty humans. If so, he'd pick Alaric, who was already salivating to win.
After the concierge politely handed out key cards to our rooms, we were told to enjoy ourselves until the Games began that afternoon, when the opening ceremony was to be filmed. A mix of nerves and excitement fluttered in my stomach. I'd nearly forgotten that this whole spectacle was going to be broadcast on TV. I recalled the way Alaric riled me up earlier. I wouldn't let that kind of slip-up happen again, especially not for the world to see.
"Last one to their room loses!" Muzo declared before racing up the stairs.
"Loses what? You just made up a game on your own," I mumbled, following behind him at my own pace.
Poppy clutched his key card tightly. "Will they get mad if I lose this?"
"No, they won't," I promised. "If you do, they'll just give you another one." Seeing his uneasy expression, I said, "Nobody's out to get you here, Poppy. The staff and everyone's been nice to you so far, right?"
