Six
Thystle
“Afight?”I choked out. “In thelobby?”
I’d been on my way to take a much-needed nap in my room before that evening’s meet-and-greet began when Jade stopped me in the hallway to drop the bombshell.
“Yes, I’m afraid so,” Jade said with a sigh. Since the first season of the Dragonfate Games, he’d taken on an administrative role between Duke’s film crew and us dragons. He was responsible and orderly, with a friendlier demeanor than Cobalt, so it was no surprise he took on the task.
Whatwasa surprise was that some dickhead started a fight in the hotel lobby before the Games even began.
I gawked at Jade, unable to believe what he’d said. “Who does something like that?”
“Someone intoxicated, that’s who,” Jade replied, pushing up the rim of his glasses. “Sometimes, being on reality TV brings out the worst in people...”
“Where’d he even get the alcohol? They only serve it at the meet-and-greet, but it hasn’t started yet.”
“He brought it with him, against the clearly established rules,” Jade said with a tight frown. “Needless to say, he was kicked off the show immediately, along with the others found to possess alcohol.”
“There weremore?”
Jade sighed. “Yes. They’ve all been put on a plane home and won’t be participating in the Games.”
“Was anyone hurt?” I asked.
Jade grimaced. “Unfortunately, yes.”
Guilt wormed its way through my chest. I wasn’t responsible for any person’s actions, but it still felt like my fault.
“Who is it?”
“The victim was Matteo, one of the returning contestants from season one.”
The name didn’t ring a bell, which made me feel even guiltier. The guy got hurt because of me and I didn’t even know who he was. The least I could do was apologize in person.
But then another thought struck me. If someone had gotten hurt on set, would the whole show be cancelled? Was that how TV worked? Ugh, I should’ve paid attention when Duke explained everything to me. If the show was cancelled, I’d lose the possibility of meeting Aquila—ifhe was even here. Surely with the entry requirements and the number of omegas here, there had to be a chance...
“Thystle?” Jade asked when I didn’t respond.
I seated myself back in reality. “How badly was he hurt? Can I see him?” I asked.
Jade mulled it over. “I suppose there’s no harm in it. He’s in the medical ward, here in the castle.”
“Wait, why here? Isn’t there a nurse’s room in the hotel?”
“There was, but the crew repurposed it as a regular room to accommodate the number of contestants. So, no.”
I winced. I was starting to think inviting so many people was a bad idea. First the forbidden alcohol slipping through, then the lobby brawl, now this. But how was I supposed to know they’d behave badly? The omegas on Crimson’s season were all so normal.Toonormal. None of them could’ve been Aquila, the celebrity superstar.
“I’ll go apologize to him,” I suggested.
Jade nodded. “That’s a good idea. It’s good optics for the show.”
“No, I don’t want cameras filming him when he’s down. They probably already got the whole fight on film...” Jade smiled warmly. “True. I’m sure he’ll appreciate that.”
A pair of footsteps thundered around the corner.
“Did you guys see the fight?” Aurum asked, out of breath. He wore a backwards baseball cap, for some reason. “It was awesome!”
