“That makes itsomuch better...” Alaric curled his feathery tail around his body and scanned the beach. “There are fewer contestants here than last time, thank gods.”
Poppy nodded gratefully, then looked at me. “That’s good. Maybe one of us will have a better chance of, um... winning.”
Alaric narrowed his odd-colored eyes. “Since when have you possessed the competitive spirit, wolf?”
Despite being five times bigger than Alaric, Poppy shrank under the house cat’s gaze. He shuffled his paws together, staring down at the sand. “Um, I’m not really, I just—”
My nose erupted in a sudden sneeze. I swear the force of it was enough to knock me on my butt.
Alaric took two deliberate steps away from me. “Never mind,” he muttered.
Poppy’s shoulders slumped, as if relieved that the conversation was cut short. I was about to ask him what was up when gasps and murmurs filled the air. I turned around, following the crowd’s shifting attention, then bolted upright when I noticed the arrival of two people—Gaius and Cobalt.
My eyes snapped instantly to Cobalt. How could I not stare at him? He was huge, tall and broad-shouldered, his blue hair striking even against the backdrop of the ocean. His rugged face was expressionless as he stood next to Gaius, waiting for him to take the lead. Cobalt stood like an unmoving statue except for the slight knit of his brow and the tilt of his head as he scanned the crowd, searching for someone.
Was he looking for me? I held my breath as the thought crossed my mind.
And then Cobalt met my gaze.
My heart pounded like a drumbeat at two-times speed. He was just so cute. And cool. And handsome. And every other adjective I could think of.
“Muzo?” Poppy asked.
“Huh? What?”
“Your tail’s wagging... a lot.”
“I’m excited for the challenge,” I said, which wasn’t a lie.
Poppy said nothing, but he followed my line of sight. He crossed and uncrossed his paws. Did he want to say something?
If he did, there wasn’t time. Gaius’s charismatic voice boomed over the beach. “Welcome, omegas, to the first challenge of the third Dragonfate Games!”
The response was a chorus of excited cries. It struck me then how many people were here vying for Cobalt’s love.
A weird, stringy feeling skittered unpleasantly in my belly. It caught me off guard. That had never happened before. In the previous two Games, I was happy just to be along for the ride. But now, when I imagined someone else beating me in the challenges, I didn’t like it. Weird.
“Today’s challenge is all about testing your water affinity,” Gaius said. In his typical fashion, he wore a flamboyant Hawaiian shirt—this one was searing cyan blue with crisp white waves to match today’s theme. He swept his arm towards the water, indicating a wide semi-circle of orange buoys.
“Not another swimming challenge,” Poppy murmured, flattening his ears. “I only made it the first time because of Taylor’s help...”
Alaric’s whiskers twitched in annoyance. “Indeed. I thought we’d moved on from these absurd physicality-based challenges. I, for one, look forward to being tested on my impeccable intelligence.”
For once, I didn’t poke fun at Alaric. I was too busy staring at Cobalt. My eyes were drawn to him like a magnet. Was it my imagination, or did he get more handsome the longer I looked at him?
“You can use your human or animal form, whichever you prefer,” Gaius went on. “Isn’t that right, Cobalt?”
Even hearing his name gave my heart goosebumps. I felt the fur rising on the back of my pelt.
Cobalt seemed distracted. He turned to Gaius like he’d forgotten he was there, nodded curtly, then locked eyes with me like it was his life’s mission.
My tail wagged in the sand. I couldn’t help it. Looking into his eyes—and seeing him looking back—just made me happy.
Gaius cut his hand through the air. “Go!”
Every shifter on the beach ran for the water—except me. I hung back. There were a lot of bigger animals present, like horses, deer, bears, and wolves. I didn’t want to get trampled under their hooves and paws.
Besides, what was the big hurry? Gaius didn’t say anything about a race. He only mentioned water affinity.
