He blinked slowly but didn’t stop staring. Meanwhile, I wasn’t sure if I’d blinked at all during this charged encounter. The dragon mesmerized me, as if I’d fallen under a high-level magic spell.
I was suddenly aware of my intensely dry throat. I swallowed.
The dragon finally turned his head away in a stiff motion. I could’ve passed out from relief.
My ears rang like I’d been hit in the head with a football—not that I actually knew what that felt like—but I recognized Gaius announcing things in the background.
“...you won’t be competing for both bachelors’ affections, of course,” Gaius went on. “Each dragon is seeking his own fated mate. But as you can see, our bachelors are identical twins.” Gaius beamed, spreading his arms towards the opposite dragons. “Will you be able to tell them apart?”
I glimpsed at both of them. They were identical, no doubt about that. But the one that glared daggers at me stood on the right side of the stage. After I fell on my ass, the left dragon hadn’t spared me a second glance.
“Wait,” Poppy murmured, pale brows furrowed. “So, two omegas could find their mates this season?”
Alaric crossed his arms. His odd eyes flashed with intrigue. “Sounds like it.”
“I wonder who they’ll be,” Poppy pondered.
Alaric’s fingers tightened. “I intend to be one of them.”
“Oh! Good luck, Alaric,” Poppy said warmly.
I sneaked another glance at Alaric. With his perfect hair, skin and body, he was attractive enough to be a model. It wouldn’t surprise me if an alpha picked him to be his mate. Compared to him, I looked like a lump of dough stuffed into a sweaty, clingy shirt.
“You’re wishingmeluck?” Alaric asked with a scoff. “Honestly, wolf, you need to focus on yourself. You’re just as single as I am.”
So Poppy was a wolf shifter? I didn’t expect that given his soft-spoken demeanor. I assumed he was a bunny, or a sentient cotton ball.
“You’ll have a chance to meet the twins tonight at the meet-and-greet,” Gaius stated. “Good luck, omegas!”
As he wrapped up his speech, my gaze slipped back to the dragon on the right side of the stage.
He glared at me again.
I swallowed the anxious lump in my throat. Was it too late to grab a plane back home? Or was I stuck on this island until I made an utter fool of myself on national TV?
Five
Aurum
“Are you ready yet?”Saffron called from his room. “We’ve gotta be on the beach by six.”
“Just about,” I lied. “Are you?”
He stepped into the main area wearing tight blue jeans and a black tank top. Honestly, his outfit was overly casual. But if that was what he wore...
Saffron saw my open door from where he stood. He peered in and furrowed his brow. “Dude, you’re not even dressed. Put some pants on.”
“I couldn’t decide what to wear.”
The truth was I wanted to match with him. Unique outfits made us easier to tell apart, and I wanted to avoid that.
He rolled his eyes. “And your hair still isn’t dyed.”
“I told you I couldn’t find it!” That part was true. Seriously, how did hair dye just disappear?
I quickly threw on the same jeans and tank, then stepped out of my room.
“Okay, let’s go,” I said, hurrying past him.
