“And your dignity,” Alaric mumbled. He sounded serious, not like he was making fun of me.
“Yup, pretty much,” I agreed. “But other than that, I’m fine! Look, I’ve got all four paws and my head on straight. So don’t worry about me, okay?”
Poppy swayed like he was going to faint.
I pressed against him for support. “Hey, c’mon, it’s not that bad, Pops. We’re about to go to the Dragonfate Games! I’ll get cleaned up and fed, and everything will be okay.”
“The Games,” Poppy murmured, then perked up. “Right, the Dragonfate Games. Taylor will be there. I need to tell him.”
“No,” I blurted out.
Poppy and Alaric both stared at me like I’d lost it. But I hadn’t. Taylor had his own life and his own responsibilities. It wasn’t fair to disrupt his perfect existence with my own personal problems. I was a grown man. I could take care of myself.
“Don’t tell Taylor,” I urged. “He’s got enough to worry about. He’s a parent with a kid, remember? I don’t need him to babysit me.”
Poppy’s brow furrowed in concern. “But—”
“Please, Poppy. Don’t tell anyone. This is important to me. I want to fix this on my own.”
How? I didn’t know yet. But I’d figure something out. I always did.
Poppy fussed and whimpered. He looked like he wanted to grab me by the scruff and carry me around like a pup. But I didn’t want that—at least, not from him.
I wouldn’t mind it so much coming from a dragon.
Wait, why was I thinking about dragons?
I shook it off. “Promise?”
Poppy’s tail lay flat and listless on the ground. He wasn’t happy about this.
“Promise?” I asked again.
“Okay. I promise,” he murmured, hanging his head.
I wagged my tail. “Thanks. I’ll fix everything, don’t you worry. Just trust me, okay?”
Poppy nodded, but his expression was plagued with anxiety. I kept a positive attitude for his sake. I bounced up on all fours and gathered my clothes.
“Thanks for the bath, Pops,” I said before shifting to human form. “I smell a lot better already!”
“Debatable,” Alaric said, raising a brow. He suddenly reached into his pocket, pulled out a weird perfume bottle, then spritzed me with it before I could refuse.
“Hey!” I cried. Beside me, Poppy sneezed.
“It was for your own good, and for the sake of everybody on the plane,” Alaric said primly, pocketing the bottle like a smoking gun. “You should be thanking me. That wasveryexpensive cologne.”
I sniffed my shirt, then groaned. “Great. Now I smell like a freshly powdered baby butt.”
Six
Cobalt
“...andgood luck on the third season of the Dragonfate Games!”
As Gaius finished the opening ceremony, dozens of voices cheered in excitement. I glanced at the rows of unfamiliar omegas below the platform. They blended together in a faceless mass. I felt nothing towards them. Most would go home disappointed.
But one thing had changed.
