“Go on and mount yourhorse,” Jade teased. “The sooner we finish filming, the sooner you two can return to your illicit activities.”
I stifled a squeak of surprise. Was it that obvious?
“Gaius, you take over,” Jade instructed.
He saluted. “You got it, boss.”
“Mylo, come on!” Aurum called from the shore.
The twins stood side by side. They were mirror images, perfect copies of each other. But even from this distance, there were still minor differences. Saffron’s expression was friendly and platonic, while Aurum’s eyes glittered when he looked at me.
I ran over, then caught my breath. “I’m here. Now what do we do?”
Aurum shrugged. “I guess I shift and you get on my back?”
“What about me?” Saffron asked.
“I dunno. Stand around and look hot, as usual.”
His twin grinned. “Thanks, bro.”
“No problem, bro.”
Gaius swept into the scene with a smile brighter than the white moonlight. He waved, summoning the camera crew and launched into a charismatic speech.
“Good evening, Dragonfate Games viewers! Have we got a special treat in store tonight. As you can see, I’ve got three beautiful people in front of me—two alpha dragons, and our winner of the second challenge, omega contestant, Mylo!”
My cheeks flushed at being calledbeautiful. I’d never thought of myself as being attractive before I arrived here. Now, under Aurum’s bombardment of affection, plus everyone else’s nice compliments, I was finally starting to change my perspective. Maybe I could be beautiful, too.
“What a better idea for a moonlit date than horseback riding on the beach? But I hear your cries. What horses, you may ask?Well, we might not have horses, but we have something better—dragons! Let’s watch our bachelors assume their four-legged forms.”
Gaius was clearly having the time of his life. Meanwhile, Aurum and Saffron stared deadpan at the cameras.
Suddenly, I felt an icy glare from somewhere behind us, so cold it could freeze hell over. The twins smiled, although a bit forcibly. I didn’t dare check over my shoulder, but I had a suspicion Jade lurked behind the camera crew, keeping the twins’ facades in check.
Aurum sighed as he faced Saffron. “Ready?”
Replying with a sigh of his own, Saffron mumbled, “As I’ll ever be.”
They both closed their eyes. Recognizing the shift was about to occur, I stepped back to give them space. My heart skipped with abandon. I was wildly excited to see Aurum’s dragon again.
They shifted at the same time, but my focus was utterly on my mate. The way my eyes snapped onto him was pure instinct. I physically couldn’t look away, even if I wanted to.
Aurum’s inner dragon broke free of his human body. He exploded upward in a magnificent display of gold scales and sharp teeth. Leathery wings unfurled, cracking in the air like a whip. As his long, elegant neck arched in the sky, gilded spikes jutted up along his spine. His black talons curved into the sand, slicing through it like a hot knife through butter.
I held my breath as the shift finally completed. He was just as gorgeous as I remembered.
No, now that I knew he was my mate, he was even more stunning.
A pleasant growl vibrated in Aurum’s throat as he tilted his head down. He pressed the tip of his cool snout to my nose. My hands trembled as I stroked his scaly cheeks.
Was this really happening? Was this magnificent dragon reallymyfated mate?
Aurum suddenly licked my lips, making me squeal with laughter.
“Sorry. Couldn’t help myself,” he growled mischievously. His dragon form changed his regular voice, turning it smoky and deep. It shot a pleasurable shiver down to my core.
Aurum dropped his belly to the sand and gazed at me expectantly. He wanted me to get on his back.
