I scoffed. “Geez, you guys are stubborn. I don’t know jack shit.”
The gray wolf bared his fangs. “Don’t play dumb. Or maybe you justaredumb.”
The insult made me snort with laughter. I’d heard way worse from Alaric. These bullies would have to try harder to upset me.
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Let’s not start a dog fight over some moss, okay?”
“It’s not about the damned moss,” the coyote snarled. “It’s about a million dollars. Split three ways, we’ll be set.”
The two wolves exchanged a subtle glance. Geez, did they plan on shutting out the coyote shifter? These guys really sucked.
I shrugged. “I dunno what to tell you. Seriously, you’re better off looking elsewhere instead of following us.”
“I’m sorry. Muzo really doesn’t know where it is,” Poppy murmured. “So, please, leave us alone.”
“Hey, don’t apologize to these dudes,” I said.
Poppy’s voice came out as a soft whimper. “I’m sorry...”
“Enough whining already,” the brown wolf barked. His voice echoed off the narrow cave walls. “If you really want us to leave, then tell us where the moss is. Now.”
I wasn’t worried about an actual fight. The bullies wouldn’t dare harm either of us on tape. The camera guy was still present, hiding along the shadowy cave wall while filming. At least, I think he was. It was difficult to tell with all the bodies in the way.
But that didn’t stop Poppy from trembling. He shivered violently, flattening his belly to the ground in terror.
Andthatpissed me off.
“Screw you, dickhead,” I snapped, stepping in front of Poppy. “Leave him alone.”
The brown wolf lunged closer, his spittle flying across my face. “What the hell did you just call me?” he shouted. His roar echoed louder this time, ricocheting violently off the walls.
Suddenly, the floor rumbled beneath my paw pads. The entire cavern groaned. Dirt showered from the ceiling.
My heart leapt into my throat.
The narrow cavern chamber was about to collapse.
“Shit. Run!” the brown wolf yelled.
As he bolted away, a torrent of dirt landed where he’d been a second earlier.
I skittered backwards. Poppy yelped with fright.
Within seconds, the light at the end of the tunnel disappeared, and everything went dark.
Twenty-Two
Cobalt
“Pregnant?”Gaius said, his eyes going wide. “Did Muzo just say he’s pregnant?”
I stared at the live feed in disbelief. I’d been glued to the screen since Poppy and Muzo disappeared into the cavern twenty minutes ago, but the sudden topic of our relationship—and Muzo’s possible pregnancy—caught me by surprise.
“He could be,” I admitted, my heart fluttering at the idea.
Gaius let out a hearty laugh and slapped me on the shoulder. “Cobalt, you dog! You couldn’t even wait until the Games ended!” He put a finger to his chin thoughtfully. “Actually, all three of you did the deed during the show, didn’t you? You naughty dragons just can’t keep it in your pants.”
I waved a hand at Gaius to shush him. He was speaking over Poppy and Muzo’s conversation, and I wanted to hear everything.
