Alpha Dragon's Eagle (The Dragonfate Games Book 2), page 10
“He literally doesn’t,” Saffron argued.
“He literally does.”
Saffron made a face like his twin was delusional. “Can’t you see it?”
Aurum scoffed. “See what? His smudged eyeliner?”
Mercury must’ve been in retrograde if the twins disagreed this much about something.
“My eyeliner is not smudged,” I grouched. “Anyway, pipe down, I’m trying to watch the show.”
Saffron ignored me, frowning at Aurum. “Do you seriously not notice that Thystle’s brain is scrambled?”
I huffed. “My brain is not—”
Aurum cut me off. “No? Are you high or something? I can’t believe you’d do that without me...”
“I’m not high. Look at him,” Saffron urged, gesturing at me. “He has the same dopey expression he wore all the time as a teenager, when he was obsessed with that singer.”
I couldn’t even be annoyed at their comments. I was too surprised that the twins were in the middle of a real argument. I’d never seen them at odds like this before.
Aurum gave me a half-hearted look before shrugging. “Nope. Don’t see it. Anyway, who cares?”
“I do!” Saffron insisted. “Thystle’s obviously in love!”
“So what?”
Saffron and I both let out a derisive scoff—which shocked me. Saffron never agreed with me over his twin. This Twilight Zone shit was starting to freak me out.
“I care that our brother’s in love, and so should you. One of these days, it’s gonna be our turn to find our fated mates,” Saffron explained.
Aurum stared at his twin with a blank face. Eventually, he sighed and ate another handful of popcorn. “Great,” he snarked. “Can’t wait for that.”
Saffron and I exchanged a what-the-fuck-is-happening glance. This was beyond my pay grade. Whatever Aurum’s attitude problem was, Saffron would figure it out. I hoped.
But I forgot all about my brothers’ issues as the screen showed Matteo’s face.
I rushed forward and slammed my finger onto the pause button, forcing the screen to linger on him. Heart racing, my eyes glued to the laptop, I forgot how to breathe. Fuck, he was drop-dead gorgeous.
His eyes were the same warm shade of amber brown, but this time, they weren’t obscured. I witnessed them in their full glory.
A creeping recognition came to me. I knew those eyes. They were deeply familiar to me in a way I couldn’t place.
I scrutinized them, leaning in as close as I could. They belonged to Matteo, sans the obvious purple swelling. But there was something else I couldn’t put my finger on...
“There it is again,” Saffron said knowingly.
“What?” Aurum grumbled.
“See that face Thystle’s making? Same one he made for that guy. He’s in love.”
From the corner of my eye, I saw Saffron gesturing at my old Aquila poster. Instinctively, I turned to look at him, my masked crush of ten long years. My jaw dropped as I stared at the poster, dumbfounded.
Matteo had Aquila’s eyes. The exact same ones.
Without a word, I slowly rose from the bed and ran off into the hall towards Jade’s library. The whole time I kept remembering Matteo’s scream in bed. I knew it sounded familiar. It was Aquila’s raw, primal scream, the one that chilled me to my core every time I listened to his music.
When I appeared in Jade’s doorway again in a huff, he looked up from his strewn papers in surprise.
“Thystle,” he said. “What’s wrong?”
I was convinced I already knew the answer, but I needed outside confirmation.
“What’s the Latin name for golden eagles?” I demanded.
Jade blinked. “Aquila chrysaetos. Why do you ask?”
Thirteen
Matteo
I fell asleep waiting for Thystle’s return. It was late by the time he left, and I was exhausted from our tryst, so I was content to cozy up in the bed that still smelled like him.
The next morning, I showered thoroughly—my friends were canine and feline shifters with keener senses of smell than mine, and I didn’t want to tip them off—then ambled down to the lobby. The crowd had noticeably thinned. I suspected many of them stayed up too late partying and missed their morning alarms.
But for better or for worse, the ones who were serious about the Dragonfate Games were present. My friends were all bright-eyed and ready to face the next challenge. Poppy floated by Muzo’s side as the jackal shifter stretched his gangly limbs. Alaric took a tiny sip of complimentary coffee, though the milky concoction in his cup was more cream than coffee at this point.
Talon mingled on the other side of the lobby. I prayed he didn’t notice me. I didn’t care for our shared kinship as eagles, or his gloating. If he bragged to my face, I might passive-aggressively let it slip that I blew my load down Thystle’s throat last night.
“If you’re going to dislike somebody, you should be subtle about it,” Alaric remarked under his breath.
I smirked. “Coming from you, Alaric? Your disdain for Taylor in season one was as subtle as a bomb.”
He sniffed. “Exactly. I learned my lesson. If you want everyone to know you hate Talon, you should stop glaring at him from across the room.”
“I don’t hate him. I just don’t care for him.”
“Sure. Do pigs fly, too?”
Muzo butted in. “They can, if you put a pig shifter on a plane!”
Alaric let out a theatrical sigh. “Why do I even bother?”
“The concept of a flying pig is scary,” Poppy murmured, rubbing his arm. “That boar we hunted in season one was terrifying enough...”
“Oh, for gods’ sake,” Alaric snapped. “You’re a wolf. Don’t you have any pride?”
Poppy meekly disappeared behind Muzo’s shoulder, avoiding the question.
“Hey, pride doesn’t mean squat if you’re dead,” Muzo pointed out. “Don’t try to tell me that boar didn’t freak you out, too, Alaric. All your fur went poof during that hunt.”
Alaric narrowed his eyes. “That was a different situation.”
It was too early in the morning for this tension. I swooped into the conversation to save all three of them.
“Thystle spoke to me about the challenges,” I said. “There shouldn’t be any dangerous ones from now on.” Alaric’s pencil-thin brow arched sharply. “When did he speak to you? Nobody saw him yesterday.”
Shit. In my effort to dissolve the conflict, I’d dug myself into a hole.
“After the challenge ended, we went back to our rooms. So, where were you?” Alaric accused.
His odd eyes sharpened into daggers of blue and green. I understood now why Taylor often clashed with him. Being on the receiving end of Alaric’s ire wasn’t pleasant. But I wasn’t as eager to fight back as Taylor. I avoided conflict between friends, but more than anything, I loathed being the source of it. I’d had enough of that for one lifetime.
My instinct to keep the peace warred with my desire to keep my rendezvous with Thystle a secret. Would Alaric understand if I told him the truth—or would he turn on me, just like all the others?
“Why, he was with me!” Talon declared. The other eagle shifter appeared out of nowhere, throwing a friendly arm around me and flashing Alaric a million-dollar grin.
Both of Alaric’s brows disappeared beneath his bangs. “He was?”
I swallowed a groan. What the hell was Talon doing? If he was trying to save me, his timing was abysmal. Barely five minutes had passed since I’d spoken to Alaric about my dislike of the man.
“Of course. After the challenge, Thystle pulled us feathered folk aside for a little chat,” Talon proclaimed, then winked. “Consider it a little after party between the winner and the runner up.”
Alaric glanced back and forth at the two of us, unsure of who to believe. I didn’t blame him. I thought I was a decent liar, but Talon was like a boasting politician. If I shattered Talon’s lie, we’d both look bad. Maybe I owed it to Talon to play along. I didn’t know why he did it, but he did save me from an uncomfortable conversation.
“That’s right,” I said. It came easily because it wasn’t a total lie—I had spoken to Thystle after the challenge, just under different circumstances than Talon’s story.
“I see,” Alaric replied, his expression unreadable.
Talon clicked his tongue. “Ah! I forgot my drink by the table. Come on, Matteo.”
There was no room in his statement for disagreement. I waved a quick goodbye to my friends before Talon whisked me to the opposite end of the lobby and hid us behind a pillar. There was no drink on any table.
“So, my feathered companion, let’s trade,” Talon began, still wearing that blindingly white grin. “I saved you from a sticky situation. Now you owe me.”
Of course there was a catch. Not that I was surprised.
“What do you want?” I asked.
“Information. What did Thystle tell you about the next challenges?”
I shrugged. “If you want specifics, you’re out of luck. All I know is that he wants them tailored towards his interests.”
Talon nodded. “Those bands he likes.”
I bristled. How did he know that?
Before I could ask, Talon grinned proudly. “I dug around before the Games began. A pair of guys I met knew a surprising amount about Thystle.”
A pair of guys with a lot of info? Did he mean the twins?
“What did they say?” I asked.
Talon smirked. “I don’t know if I should share. You are competition, after all.”
I stifled the urge to scoff. There was no competition anymore—but I was the only omega who knew that. I kept my relationship with Thystle to myself. For Talon, ignorance was bliss.
“Fair enough,” I said.
The fact that I was unbothered bothered Talon. A tick appeared in his previously brilliant smile.
“Well, since you played along with me earlier, I guess I can spill a bit of info,” Talon conceded. He lowered his voice. “Rumor has it Thystle is hot for a certain music celebrity.” His mouth split in a scheming grin. “And he’s here among us.”
I blinked, taken aback, but kept my expression neutral. Talon spoke as if he knew a lot... but how much did he actually know? He couldn’t suspect me of being that particular celebrity—he had no proof. Besides, if he did suspect me, he wouldn’t declare it to my face.
Then who the hell was he talking about?
“Hello, contestants!” Gaius greeted over the noisy lobby.
“Time’s up. Good luck on the next challenge,” Talon murmured before melting into the crowd.
Somehow, I doubted he meant that.
“It’s a new day, and that means a new challenge!” Gaius announced. “Follow me outside.”
As everyone left the lobby, we saw a new development on the beachfront. A flashy stage was set up with a podium and a throne-like chair. Before the stage were rows of chairs. It looked like a game show set. It never failed to surprise me how quickly the staff set up challenges.
“Omega contestants, please take your seats,” Gaius said, gesturing to the chairs.
I sat near the front next to Muzo, Poppy and Alaric. For whatever reason, Talon took the seat next to me. I was grateful that Gaius hopped on stage to begin his host spiel so I didn’t have to talk awkwardly with anybody.
“Today’s challenge is a very exciting one,” Gaius assured as he strode across the stage. “For the first time ever on the Dragonfate Games, we’re hosting a quiz show! What’s the topic, you might ask? Why, it’s our one and only smoldering alpha dragon bachelor—it’s Thystle!”
My heart soared as Thystle appeared from behind the back curtain and joined Gaius on stage. I couldn’t stop myself from sitting up sharply and leaning forward in my seat. Thankfully, everybody else seemed too enthralled with Thystle’s first challenge appearance to notice. A few people cheered and whooped, but Thystle paid them no mind.
He was staring right into my eyes.
Everyone beside me turned to look. Heat bloomed in my cheeks—and to my embarrassment, between my thighs as well.
So much for my cover.
Thystle blinked hard, then wrenched his gaze away from me. I let out a silent breath of relief. With Thystle’s attention on Gaius, nobody commented on the random staring contest between us.
Gaius patted Thystle’s back like he was tapping the hood of a prized car. “That’s right! Today’s challenge is all about Thystle. What do you know? What don’t you know? And will it be enough to win the dragon’s heart today?”
I tamped down a flicker of irritation at that comment. I knew Gaius played up the drama for the cameras, and hell, he didn’t even know about my relationship with Thystle.
How would I describe our relationship, anyway? I didn’t have the words for it. Calling it a crush felt pale and weak, and calling it a one-night stand was too cheap. Whatever I felt for Thystle was beyond comparison.
My heart clenched. Had I fallen in love with Thystle?
Gaius summoned everyone’s attention. “One at a time, our omega contestants will take the stand. I’ll ask questions about our bachelor. Each correct answer yields a point, and gets you closer to the winner’s circle!”
Alaric thrust his hand up.
“Yes?” Gaius said.
“What does that mean?” Alaric asked. “Will the one with the most points automatically be deemed the winner, like in the first challenge? Or is this like the first season, where the bachelor gets the final say?”
Thystle spoke up before Gaius could respond. “I choose.”
Talon sniffed, squaring his shoulders. “What’s the reward for this challenge? I didn’t get anything last time.”
“You got an after party with Thystle and Matteo,” Alaric pointed out.
Thystle looked confused. He didn’t know what Alaric was talking about, since Talon had made that up.
“I’m sorry for not being there for the first challenge. I’ll make it up to the winner later,” Thystle said, giving Talon a quick glance. His tone made it obvious that was a hassle he didn’t want to deal with.
Talon didn’t seem to notice. For him, any attention was good. He sat up straighter with a smug grin, eager for his reward. I resisted the urge to roll my eyes. Whatever he thought would happen between him and Thystle was a fantasy.
There was no mistaking the predatory glint in Thystle’s eyes when he looked my way. It was enough to make me hard, sitting there in the crowd. I shifted my legs so it wasn’t obvious.
“Alaric makes a good point,” Gaius said, nodding. “What’s a challenge without a prize? For today’s challenge, the prize is... a moonlit beach date with Thystle!”
Excited murmurs sprang up among the crowd.
I leaned closer to the edge of my seat. This time, I wasn’t going to let Talon or anyone else steal it from me. That date was mine.
Fourteen
Thystle
It took every last atom of my willpower not to stare at Matteo. It was like trying to ignore the booming foghorn and blaring brightness of a lighthouse while standing right next to it. Almost fucking impossible.
I had half a mind to call this whole thing off, declare the Games over, and jump Matteo’s bones right in the middle of everybody. But though that’d make great TV, it wasn’t a great look for us dragons. The world only just found out we still existed at all. Making us all look like horny devils on national TV wasn’t the play here. I had to bite my lip and bide my time until this stupid challenge was over. Then I’d take him home and fuck his brains out all night long.
He was Aquila. I was positive of that now. He stared me in the face this whole time, yet a couple black eyes had obscured the truth. Not anymore. I knew that sexy scream and those golden-brown eyes off by heart.
You can’t run from me, Matteo.
“...the first round! Please welcome to the stage… Poppy Faolan!”
Gaius’s announcer voice yanked me from my daze. Ugh, of all the times to be thrust in front of a crowd and camera crew. All I wanted was to pin Matteo to the ground and claim him, but I had to get through this shit first.
I plastered a smile onto my face. It edged closer to being genuine when I saw the meek omega climb on stage. His blond hair was so pale, it matched the coat of his Arctic wolf form. I felt bad for Poppy. He looked like he wanted to be on stage just as much as I did—which was to say, not at all.
“H-hello,” he said on the opposite edge of the stage.
“Hi there,” I replied.
Gaius guided Poppy to the podium, since the omega looked glued to the floorboards in fear, then gave him a reassuring pat.
“Don’t be nervous. This is a great opportunity to test your knowledge,” Gaius said to Poppy, then grabbed the mic. “All right! First question. I’ll throw you a bone, kiddo. What color is Thystle’s dragon form?”
Poppy trembled. The poor guy looked like he was about to faint.
“Um... uh,” he whispered.
“Don’t forget the microphone,” Gaius reminded him with a smile.
Poppy instantly forgot about the microphone. “Erm, ah... it’s... purple?”
Gaius gave a slight nod, trying to encourage him. “Gotta be more specific. What shade of purple?”
Poppy sweated bullets. His gaze flickered from me to Gaius, to the onlookers, to the cameras. He swayed on his feet. “V...violet?”
Oh, poor sweet Poppy. He’d mixed me up with my freak brother. If he couldn’t even handle being on stage, he wouldn’t last a second with Viol.
I nudged Gaius with my elbow and mumbled, “This is torture. Let him go.”
“Time’s up, Poppy! That was a good effort, we’ll give you half a point for that,” Gaius said, leading Poppy off stage with a smile. “Up next, we have Muzo Zavala!”
I resisted the urge to groan. How many times did I have to do this? I risked a glance to the front row. Matteo wasn’t too far off. Only a couple more contestants until it was his turn. Out of everybody, he knew me best. He’d win for sure. Then we’d put this challenge to rest and get down to business. As in, me plowing him into next Tuesday.
