7
Jade
After a sleepless nightin which Alaric plagued my thoughts, I arrived to the beach the next morning in an already-fatigued state. Unfortunately, what I saw when I got there only tired me out further.
“What are those?” I asked my gaggle of brothers, pointing at the rows of picnic benches in the sand.
Aurum replied first. “Benches. Duh.”
Thank Holy Drake he wasn’t the only brother involved with the Games. As the rest of them flitted around me, Cobalt gave a real answer.
“The contestants will sit there during the challenge,” he explained.
“I surmised that much,” I said, clinging to my rapidly dwindling patience. “But what exactlyisthe challenge?”
“C’mon, man. Don’t you want it to be a surprise?” Aurum asked.
“Not particularly.”
“Well, tough shit. You put us all through the same thing, so deal with it,” Aurum shot back.
He had a point. It was my turn to get a taste of my own medicine.
Thystle grunted as he hauled a large cardboard box in his arms. The contents must’ve been heavy, since he strained with effort. “Why’s everyone standing around like useless lumps? Can I get some fucking help with this?” he snapped.
Crimson, one of the accused useless lumps, sighed and strode to Thystle’s side. “Don’t be so dramatic, Thystle. It can’t be that—oh, fuckingDolce & Gabbana.”
Thystle looked smugly validated as Crimson groaned from exertion while carrying the box to the benches.
“Care to explain?” I asked Cobalt.
“They’re full of books.”
An icy shiver ran through me. “Not from my library, I assume?” I said in a warning tone.
“No. Don’t worry,” Cobalt eased.
The tension in my shoulders vanished. My fellow dragons understood our innate territorial nature over our hoards, but it never hurt to be cautious, especially with my disorganized brothers involved. Namely, Aurum and Saffron, who’d ‘borrowed’ BDSM literature from my library before. I hadn’t forgotten about that incident—and after their punishment, I assumed they hadn’t either.
“This book was chosen specifically for the challenge,” Cobalt went on. With a small smile, he added, “I hope you like it.”
“I hope so, too,” I admitted.
The Dragonfate Gamesfelt all too real when Gaius joined the fray. His shirt today was a retina-searing shade of neon green. Despite the horrendous color, I commended his efforts tocoordinate with the bachelors. At least his foul Hawaiian shirt made my forest green suit and hair look fabulous by comparison.
“Good morning, dragons!” he greeted, joining us with a jaunty stride. “I hear Jade’s the lucky alpha this time around.”
“Indeed. Just my luck,” I said.
Gaius was either oblivious, or flat out ignored the hint of sarcasm in my voice. “We’re going to have a blast, my friend. We’ll find you a nice omega faster than you can saymate!”
As he said the word ‘mate’, a particular white-haired figure popped into my mind’s eye, then disappeared like a wisp of smoke.
I let it go without chasing it. As usual, I made a calculated effort not to get my hopes up.
“Let’s hope that’s the case,” I agreed with a thin smile.
“Here they come now!” Gaius announced, grinning at the imminent throng of contestants.
