“Holy Drake, it’s worse than I thought,” Crimson mumbled. “He doesn’t even realize he’s doing it...”
Taylor snorted in amusement while Gaius and Crimson engaged in friendly bickering. I ignored them and took another bite of food. I’d been so mired in my feelings, I didn’t realize how hungry I’d been.
Gaius interrupted his argument with Crimson to loudly clear his throat. “You sidetracked me, foul dragon. I’m here on a very important mission.” He put a finger in the air, summoning everyone’s attention. “I bring news from the next island over!”
The unnamed island where Gaius lived was a few dozen miles away, out of sight from the shores of Chromatimaeus Island. Aside from the hotel where our secretary and housekeepers lived permanently, most of the staff who worked on the Dragonfate Games lived on the neighboring island. That meant Gaius’s information was probably from them.
Nine months had passed since the first Dragonfate Games. Dragon gestations were unusually short among shifters and Ruby hatched seven months ago, so I wondered if the producers were impatient to shoot the second season. It made sense to film it as soon as possible so they had plenty of time to edit and advertise it.
I’d never watched the first season. Reality TV wasn’t my cup of tea, and the idea of binge-watching hours of it bored me to tears. Besides, I’d seen Crimson fall in love in real life. That was enough for me.
“Well? Did the show finally get cancelled?” Crimson asked.
Gaius wagged his finger. “Just the opposite, my friend. Ratings are through the roof. Everyone is clamoring for season two. All our social media pages are flooded with people begging for more!”
Crimson shuddered at the thought. He put an arm around Taylor’s waist. “I amsoglad I got that over with,” he mumbled. “It was a blessing in disguise that you all forced me to go first.”
I tossed the last piece of bun in my mouth. This conversation had nothing to do with me, so I sank back in the beach chair and relaxed, though I hid under the umbrella so my pale skin didn’t get burned by the sun.
“As the host of the show, I’m pivotal to the Dragonfate Games, so Duke and the other producers invited me to a work meeting,” Gaius went on, sounding proud of himself. “This morning, we finally decided who the next bachelor should be.”
Crimson raised his brows. “Oh? Do tell.”
“Drum roll, please...” With a dramatic flourish, Gaius gestured at me. “Our lucky bachelor is Thystle!”
I thought he was joking. When he kept pointing at me, I realized he wasn’t.
“You can’t be serious,” I said.
“I absolutely am!” Gaius confirmed.
Crimson and Taylor turned to look at me. I grew flustered under their gaze. Hell, if I couldn’t handle two family members staring at me, how could I handle a TV audience?
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“Sure you can,” Gaius assured me. “Crimson did it. So can you!”
“No, I can’t. I’m not in a good mental state right now,” I sputtered. “Why don’t you pick Aurum, or Jade, or literally anyone else?”
“We picked you,” Gaius stated with finality, flashing me his award-winning grin. I swore he always used that to his advantage. He should’ve been a used car salesman.
“It’s not so bad,” Crimson said wryly. “And you’ll do well to remember how pushy all ofyouwere when it was my turn in the spotlight.”
“It’s different when it’s someone else,” I grumbled.
Taylor came over to give me a sympathetic pat on the back. “Hey, I get it. I don’t like that kind of attention either. But honestly, after the first day, you get used to it. And who knows? You could find your fated mate, like Crimson did.”
“I won’t,” I muttered.
“Why do you think that?”
I buried my face in my knees. “Because Aquila is my fated mate, and nobody’s seen him for a decade.” After a moment, Taylor asked, “What if he’s a contestant on the Games?”
My mouth opened to shoot down his idea. It was ridiculous. Yet as I mulled it over, I realized how badly I wanted it to be real. A bud of hope unfurled in my chest.
Slowly, I lifted my head. “What if hewasa contestant?” I suggested.
Gaius swooped in to encourage me. “And why can’t he be? It’s like I said, Thystle. The ratings for this show are wild! Humans, shifters, it doesn’t matter. We’re anticipating a huge surge in applicants for season two. We’ll reach out to his agent! It would be a great opportunity for him.”
