“It’s Muzo,” Cobalt finally said.
I tried not to wince at the shocked gasps and derisive snorts that came from the other contestants.
“He barely did anything,” a nearby omega complained.
Another chimed in. “Yeah, he didn’t join the race at all!”
Surprisingly, it was Alaric who leapt to my defense.
“I see,” he said, crossing his arms thoughtfully. “The jackal had the right idea after all. Nowhere in Gaius’s instructions did he mention a race. What heactuallysaid was that the challenge tested our water affinity.”
“That’s right,” Cobalt said, summoning everyone’s attention. “Muzo was the only omega wholistenedto the water.”
The other contestants exchanged bewildered glances. Meanwhile, Poppy and Alaric looked confused but pleased at my win. I noticed Poppy’s shoulders sagging in relief, a stark contrast to how anxious he looked before the challenge started.
Gaius flashed a dazzling grin at the camera. “There you have it, folks, straight from the alpha dragon’s mouth. The winner of the first challenge is Muzo Zavala! I hope you’re looking forward to the prize—a date with Cobalt himself!”
Ten
Cobalt
The ocean would not have letMuzo drown. I knew that instinctively.
But the ocean didn’t control people’s behavior. They were the dangerous factor.
When Muzo disappeared under the mass of hooves and paws, I nearly lost control of my dragon. It took every scrap of willpower to keep him under control—because if it was up to him, he wouldn’t hesitate to crunch every other omega between his fangs to get to Muzo.
But my human form wasn’t slow, either. Not when it came to the water. I’d bolted to the shore, dove in, and swam towards Muzo’s sinking body in the blink of an eye. The relief I felt when I hauled him to the surface and heard him take a breath was indescribable.
There was no way I’d lose him. Not when he was finally in my grasp.
After I’d chosen Muzo as the winner and the other contestants dispersed, Gaius sidled up to us. I was busy drying off Muzo’s naked body with the towel. A crew member on standby held his clothes for him, but they’d been waiting for a while. I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d dried every inch of Muzo’s skin.
“You know, there’s been a lot of full-frontal nudity for a program that’s supposed to be rated PG-13,” Gaius remarked, nodding at the lurking camera crew.
I glared in their direction. Not everything had to be filmed. They scurried off when I uttered a low growl.
“That’s not very nice, Mr. Big Scary Dragon,” Gaius said. “That’s what you’re paying them to do, remember?”
I ground my teeth, biting back a hostile reply. My earlier conversation with Jade kept me in line. I had no choice but to put up with the presence of cameras and other contestants until the Games were over.
But it wasn’t all bad. Muzo was safe, and thanks to my thorough towelling, he was dry. When he met my eyes, he smiled so brightly, it lit up his whole face.
That made everything worth it.
* * *
“I’ve givenup being your personal stylist,” Crimson said with a huff. “If you want fashion advice, go to Thystle. But heed my warning—you’ll look like you walked straight out of a My Chemical Romance concert.”
Thystle shot him a withering glare. “And what exactly is wrong with that?”
“Nothing, if you love eyeliner and the color black.”
Thystle scowled. “Gerard Way is a queer icon, you arrogant, stuck-up lizard-brain. And in case you forgot, Matteo wears eyeliner and wears black when he performs, so I’d watch it if I were you.”
I sat restlessly in my seat as I listened to my younger brothers argue. Jade had tasked them with preparing me for my evening dinner date, since they were both experienced with it, but the discussion had rapidly devolved into my fashion sense—or lack thereof.
Crimson huffed, holding up a hand. “All right, fine, I won’t deny either of those things. My point is, Cobalt ruins every outfit I put him in. First it was the wool blazer, and then it was the pure cotton shirt logged with salt water.”
