Aurum’s golden eyes wavered. “Okay. Then come here. I ain’t flying with you on my back, Indiana Jones.”
Before I could respond, he reached to grab me with his paw. His grasp was gentle yet firm—and a bit ticklish.
When I was secure in his paw, Aurum spread his wings and launched off the sand. Within a few hard wing beats, he soared above the sea. The air was colder in the sky, and I blinked away the stinging in my eyes.
Saffron hovered miserably, beating his wings every few seconds. He clutched a small silver object in his paw. It looked tiny compared to his dragon form. As Aurum flew closer, I recognized it as a cell phone.
The dexterity of his individual digits surprised me. I wouldn’t think a dragon could use a cell phone, but I learned something new every day.
Saffron’s expression was clouded. He sighed deeply as he stared at the screen.
Aurum hovered quietly beside him. Tension and concern oozed from him like a fog. I sensed that Aurum had a thousand things he wanted to say, but he held back.
Finally, Saffron spoke. “He wants to call tonight.”
When neither dragon went on, I asked meekly, “Um, who does?”
“Billy. He’s my... human boyfriend,” Saffron replied.
I felt the minute twitch of annoyance in Aurum’s paws, but he said nothing. Did he wantmeto speak on his behalf? Earlier, he mentioned wanting my input on whatever was going on between them.
“I didn’t know you had a boyfriend,” I commented.
Saffron gave a stiff nod. “I don't talk about him often. Nobody seems to like him except me,” he added, shooting Aurum a pointed glance.
The puzzle pieces came together. “Is that why you haven’t been interested in any omegas during the Games? Since you already have a boyfriend?”
“Yeah.”
Something felt odd. Saffron was too subdued when he spoke about Billy. He had none of the exuberance that Aurum did when he talked about me, or that Taylor and Crimson had when they interacted. Granted, those were my only experiences with fated mates, but they spoke volumes. In comparison, Saffron sounded almost dejected.
“Then why don’t you call him?” I suggested, fishing for his reaction.
Saffron’s fingers curled around the phone. “I don’t know.” He heaved a loud sigh, like a weight lifted off his chest. “At first, it was amazing. We’d talk constantly, and he was so nice to me. Everything he said made me feel special. It was the first time a guy likedme.Notus.”
Aurum flinched. “What do you mean?”
Saffron fixed a bittersweet look on him. “You know what I mean. It’s always been you and me, and I love that. I always will. But I don’t want to share a partner with you, bro. Imagine if me and Mylo got together.”
The spines on Aurum’s neck bristled, then fell flat again. “Yeah, I get it. That’s fair.”
I smiled at his possessive flare-up.
Saffron went on. “So, when Billy kept saying he wanted me, it felt nice. I clung to that euphoria.”
There was an unspokenbutat the end of his sentence.
“What happened?” I asked gently.
Saffron’s voice broke as he whipped towards us and cried, “You two happened! I see how happy you are, how in love you are, and I don’tfeellike that.” He gripped the phone tighter, squeezing it so hard I was afraid it would shatter. “All I want is to find my fated mate, and I thought I finally had him, and I...”
As he trailed off, Aurum and I exchanged a sympathetic glance. To me, it was obvious that Saffron wasn’t truly in love with Billy—at least, it was not the passionate, soul-deep romance he craved. Billy was a bandage. A temporary solution to his lovesickness. But even in his doubt, Saffron still clung to him. We had to convince him to rip the bandage off.
“Saffron,” I said. “Can I, um, suggest something?”
He nodded miserably.
“I have an idea to see if Billy really is your fated mate,” I explained.
