"Right..."
I smiled gently. "Theywantyou to be here. That's why they invited you. So chin up."
"Okay."
Alaric scoffed as he briskly passed us. "You know some contestants get cast as filler, right? For there to be a winner, there have to be lots of losers. In fact, most of the people in this room are losers," he added with a smirk.
Poppy wilted. His shoulders slumped like a weight had dropped on them, and his big brown eyes filled with sadness.
Righteous anger filled me. It took everything I had not to claw Alaric's smug look off his face. Getting on my nerves was one thing, but harming Poppy's shaky confidence was something I would not tolerate.
"Leave my friend alone, Alaric," I growled. My tiger's voice rose to the surface, filling my throat with a rumbling vibration. I didn't realize how loud it was until multiple people turned to see. But this time, I didn't care. Getting stared at was worth it to defend my friend.
Alaric put his hands on his hips. "Or what? You're going to lunge at me? Claw me to shreds?"
Had he guessed I was a tiger already? Unlike him, I wasn't slathered in perfume, so it wasn't hard to miss my scent up close.
"I know you're trying to pick a fight with me, but leave Poppy out of it," I warned him.
"Some people just don't have the confidence to be a dragon's mate," Alaric said smoothly. "I'm just calling it as I see it."
His sudden shift in tone confused me. Why did it sound like he was speaking to an audience?
I caught motion in the corner of my eye. A short, scaly humanoid creature held up a big camera—and pointed it right at us.
Were they filming already?
The hairs on the back of my neck rose. Now I understood. Alaric had baited me on purpose. Again. And this time, he must've known the camera was nearby.
I wasn't in the mood to be filmed right now, but it was too late to back out. I'd already signed the contract to be recorded—whenever, wherever. Nowhere was truly private on this private island.
I put my hand on Poppy's shoulder. He'd frozen out of fear and needed help escaping the situation. Urging him away, I said, "Let's go, Poppy."
The short-legged, scaly creature briefly tried to catch up with me—presumably to ask my opinion on what just happened—but I was much taller and faster, and escaped into the stairwell before he had the chance.
On the other hand, Alaric had no desire to dodge the spotlight. I heard him speaking loudly to the cameraman in an affected I-know-I'm-on-TV voice. I was shocked my eyes didn't pop out of my skull with how hard I rolled them.
I found Muzo on the second floor grinning like a maniac. He'd propped his front door open with his empty suitcase and gestured inside his new abode.
"Check it out," he said. "King bed. Private bathroom. Huge freaking windows with a view of the beach! And it's allfree!Can you believe it?"
I had to admit, I was surprised at how gorgeous the room was, even with Muzo's things immediately strewn everywhere. It was easy to overlook the mess, though. The bright blue sky and crystal-clear waters were visually striking. The windows were more like glass walls that revealed a panoramic view of the island.
"Wow," I murmured.
Muzo laughed. "When Taylor's speechless, you know it's good." He blinked, then squinted at the window. "Hey, what's going on over there?"
All three of us shuffled against the glass. There was a commotion right outside the hotel. A crowd of those little scaly camera-wielding creatures huddled around a single figure, but respectfully kept their distance, as if the person was incredibly important.
My gaze focused on the figure. It was a tall man dressed in a brown suit. His jet-black hair was interrupted by a single blazing red streak. I couldn't see any other details from this distance, but he had a distracted and snooty aura, like he was uninterested in what was going on around him.
"Holy shit," Muzo muttered. "Do you think that's him? The dragon dude?"
My eyes widened. Could it be? If so, I was surprised Alaric hadn’t slobbered on him already. But maybe he wasn't allowed to go near him yet, since the Games hadn't officially begun.
Suddenly, the man lifted his head.
He looked directly at me.
