Alpha Dragon's Eagle (The Dragonfate Games Book 2), page 6
Without thinking, I raised my arm to put it around him. The urge felt natural. It felt right.
Just before my hand landed on him, someone cleared their throat, jolting both of us. We pulled apart.
At first I bristled, thinking it was the obnoxious jock omega from earlier. But it was a contestant I hadn’t met yet. The man had slicked-back dark hair and sharp, cutting brown eyes. Unlike me, he had no issue looking flashy. His loosely buttoned shirt revealed the top half of his chest, and an expensive watch glinted on his wrist.
“Sorry to interrupt,” he said with a bright white smile. “I’m Talon, one of the contestants.”
The name shot into my brain like an arrow before I realized I was overreacting. The fact that it was half of TalonStorm was a coincidence. It was a common name among bird of prey shifters. He must’ve been a raptor of some sort.
Talon went on. “I couldn’t help but notice our bachelor was missing, so I came to find him. Can’t have a meet-and-greet without Thystle, can we?”
I searched Thystle’s expression, wanting to know how he felt about the intrusion. But taking a break from the crowd seemed to afford him the mental stamina to greet someone new.
“Hey, Talon,” he said. “Nice to meet you.”
As they shook hands—which was a completely normal, polite thing to do—a hot rush of jealousy surged through me.
That’s when I knew I was screwed. I was already off the deep end for Thystle.
“And you must be a fellow contestant,” Talon said. His white smile continued to blind me. “Sorry we haven’t met before. Big crowd, you know?”
“Yes,” I said, trying not to sound too curt.
“And your name is?”
“Matteo.”
Talon nodded, then appraised me. “What kind of shifter are you?”
Why did he want to know? Was he trying to get an edge on me in the following challenges? Or he was only curious, and I was overthinking it?
“Golden eagle,” I replied.
Talon’s brows rose. “What are the odds! I’m a Steller’s sea eagle. We feathered folk better stick together in the challenges.” He winked at Thystle. “Might give us an edge with the handsome bachelor, eh?”
At that moment, I was happy not to be in eagle form—all my feathers would’ve furiously puffed up, making me look like a raging harpy.
The hot envy coursing through my veins was unusual. I never got jealous. I was a calm, collected, down-to-earth person...
Until Thystle entered my life.
“Haha, yeah,” Thystle said, though he didn’t sound enthused. He faced me with a strained smile. “Guess I should go back and mingle with the crowd I invited, huh?”
Dammit, we hadn’t even finished our conversation. I wished Talon hadn’t shown up to interrupt us.
“Guess so,” I agreed through my teeth.
Thystle lingered, watching my face. He seemed in no hurry to leave.
“Why don’t you come with me?” he suggested. “Might be nice to have a bodyguard like before.”
There was a playful edge in his voice, but it was also earnest. He wanted me to stand by his side. Hope flared within me. I didn’t care that Talon’s expression fell flat with disappointment. If Thystle wanted me there, I’d never refuse.
I flashed him a relieved smile. “I’d love to.”
Eight
Thystle
After the category five disaster that was the meet-and-greet, I was exhausted from that soul-sucking endeavor. I wanted to melt into my bed and fuse to it for the next year until I regained my energy. Whose thoughtless idea was it to invite all those Drake-damned people?
Oh, right. It was mine.
Once the event ended and the producers ushered the omegas back to the hotel, I couldn’t even move. As much as I wanted to, dragging myself back to my bedroom seemed beyond the scope of my abilities. I lazed on a beach recliner and stared up at the evening sky. I was too tired to even put on my headphones and listen to music. I needed silence.
How many new faces had I seen today? Definitely more than all the people I’d known in my entire life. I’d already forgotten most of their names, but a few stood out. The omegas from season one, I remembered hearing about from Crimson and Taylor. Alaric, that haughty cat; Poppy, the meek wolf; Muzo, the whimsical jackal...
Among the new faces, there was Talon, the snappily dressed sea eagle. Admittedly, his name intrigued me more than his personality. Was it just a coincidence that it was half of TalonStorm? He had brown eyes, too, like Aquila.
But Talon’s eyes... they weren’t right. The shape and color were correct, but something was missing, a spark that only Aquila ignited in me.
I sighed, rolling over on the recliner. My hand dangled in the sand. I drew little circles in it as my mind wandered... and landed on Matteo.
My hand froze. I’d drawn the shape of a golden eagle.
I sat up as my heart snagged, throwing in a few extra beats. Could I not even think about him without my chest getting all fluttery?
I turned towards the hotel. It was late enough that most contestants should’ve been asleep, especially considering the long day they’d had. But a good chunk of the rooms were still brightly lit. I guessed they were partying to make the most of their vacation. That’s all this was to them. An all-expenses paid vacation. And honestly, I didn’t even care. Let them party. I felt nothing towards most of those omegas except a mild annoyance that they were here, but that was my fault.
But there was somebody in the hotel who called to me. The urge simmered, then overflowed into a boil. It was impossible to ignore.
I stood up and took a slow step towards the building.
It wasn’t the party crowd I wanted to see.
It was Matteo.
But how was I supposed to find him? I couldn’t go in and ask the front desk, since I technically wasn’t supposed to talk to the contestants after filming hours, and the thought of asking the partygoers made me shudder. Knocking on every door and waking everyone else up until I found him obviously wasn’t an option, either.
I pulled out my robust flip phone. The twins made fun of me for being stuck in the past—ten years ago to be precise—but I didn’t give a crap about their opinions.
A weary, familiar voice answered. “Hello?”
“Hey, Taylor,” I said. “I didn’t wake you, did I?”
He yawned with his tiger’s growl slipped into it. “No, I’m making sure Ruby doesn’t yank Crimson’s suits off their hangers. My mate would have a conniption fit.”
I snorted, wishing I was there to see it.
“What’s up?” Taylor asked. In the background, I heard Ruby’s babbling and the rustling of coat hangers.
I shuffled on my feet. “Do you remember what Matteo’s room number is?”
When Taylor spoke, I heard him grinning. “In the hotel? Sure, it’s 328. Why?”
Heat rushed to my cheeks. Nothing got past him. But Taylor’s knowledge that I liked Matteo was a small price to pay for his room number.
“Thanks, gotta go, bye,” I mumbled hurriedly, then hung up.
Third floor. My gaze flew to the third floor on the outside of the building. All the rooms were brightly lit, their windows open and rowdy voices streaming out... except one. That must’ve been Matteo’s room.
Magic flowed through me as I shifted. I slipped into my dragon form for a few moments to fly to his balcony, then promptly changed back to remain hidden. Nobody made a fuss. They must’ve been too busy partying to notice a giant purple dragon outside their windows.
Matteo’s room was dark. His sliding door was slightly ajar to let in the night breeze. I felt bad for him. How could he sleep with this surrounding racket?
I quietly opened the door just enough to slip through. As I took my first step into Matteo’s room, I paused.
Was this creepy? Yes.
Did I care? No.
Was that a bad sign? Maybe.
I didn’t want to do anything weird to Matteo. I just wanted to look at him a little.
There he was, lying on his back in bed. His eyes were closed, and his chest rose and fell in a steady rhythm. I crept closer as my heart fired up. My dragon soul stirred, pleased with this situation. It liked that Matteo was asleep and vulnerable right in front of me...
Okay, maybe it was in my nature as a dragon to be inherently creepy. We were selfish, possessive creatures who guarded our things fiercely.
And I wanted Matteo to be my thing.
My footsteps fell silently on the carpet as I approached his bed. Matteo’s poor eyes were still swollen from the fight. They were in the rough stage, where they got worse before they got better. But the rest of him was in fine shape. It pleased me to see him wearing something other than a stuffy white button-up shirt. The simple grey tank he wore to bed exposed his toned arms. He was no bodybuilder, but he wasn’t a waif of an omega either. He was just right. Fit, healthy, and fertile...
The intrusive thought struck me like an arrow. I shook it off. Why was I thinking about that? I blew out a quiet breath, willing the sudden rush of heat to leave my cheeks.
I came to look. That was all. So, I looked. I looked at his gorgeous face, marred by the unfortunate black eyes. I looked at his strong nose, his high cheekbones, his jawline peppered with stubble, the bob of his Adam’s apple as he breathed in and out...
I was riveted. I couldn’t stop staring at him. Like, literally could not stop. My eyes objected to every attempt to gaze somewhere else. My own body rebelled against me. The only other time I’d felt this way was about my Aquila poster, and even that paled in comparison to this.
As I stared like a madman at Matteo’s closed, puffy eyes, it struck me that I’d never seen them not swollen. What did they look like? Excitement thrummed as I recalled my promise to watch the first season of the Dragonfate Games. Then I’d know exactly. But watching the show meant leaving Matteo’s room, and I didn’t want to go. I wanted to stay here with him until daybreak.
A familiar obsession swirled inside me. This was just like with Aquila, except Matteo was a real flesh-and-blood person. He was an omega contestant on my show. He was in my reach. He could be mine.
My hand rose on its own and reached forward. As my palm landed gently on Matteo’s cheek, electric jolts flew up to my shoulder. My skin tingled. My heart leapt into my throat. Growing bolder, I moved my thumb along his soft cheek. It felt so nice to touch him. I almost wished he was awake to feel it, too.
“Hi, Thystle,” Matteo murmured.
The warmth in my blood turned to ice. My hand froze in place. Right against Matteo’s cheek.
He didn’t say that, right? I was hallucinating. He was still asleep, because his eyes were still— Oh. They weren’t closed anymore. He was looking straight at me.
Embarrassment shimmied up my spine, flooding me with shame. This would be a great time for the hotel floorboards to break.
When I tried to retract my hand, I couldn’t. Matteo’s fingers curled around my wrist, keeping my hand there. I felt dizzy.
“Um,” I said. “Hi.”
He smiled, even though he had no business smiling since a dragon just broke into his room and creepily touched his sleeping face.
“I thought you were asleep,” I admitted.
He angled his head towards the sliding door. “I was trying to be. But it’s pretty loud.”
I felt the blood drain from my face. “So... you were awake this whole time?”
“Yes.”
“Great. Amazing,” I muttered, slapping my other hand over my face.
Matteo chuckled. “You seem upset.”
“I’m not upset. I’m just an idiot.”
“I fail to see how.”
“Gee, how about we start with breaking and entering into the room of a guy who’s fully conscious?”
“If I’d been unconscious, it would’ve also been bad,” Matteo teased.
He should’ve been mad. Why wasn’t he mad? Why was he taking this so damn well? Flustered, I blew out a breath. “Do you like that I’m here?”
A slow grin spread over Matteo’s mouth. “I’m not opposed to it. It felt nice when you touched my face.”
My temperature skyrocketed. I hadn’t just broken into his room, I’d stroked him—while he was awake the entire time. The creep-meter was pegging hard.
Or at least, it should’ve been—except Matteo was totally into it. Hell, he’d grabbed my arm to prevent me from leaving.
“You know, I’m technically not allowed to be here,” I reminded him.
“Sure. But you’re here now. What am I supposed to do, chase you away?” he joked.
“That is fully within your right,” I mumbled.
He tilted his head, gazing up at me. “And so is allowing you to stay.”
Heat flooded my cheeks. The way he looked at me, combined with his firm hand on my wrist, elicited a strange, fluttery feeling in my chest. The closest sensation was how I felt when I listened to Aquila’s songs. But this was different. It was immediate and visceral, like sticking my hand into an open flame versus sitting by a cozy campfire.
And I wanted to keep jumping into the flames over and over again.
“If that’s what you want,” I said slowly, “then I’ll stay.”
My heart pounded in my throat. It was Matteo’s suggestion, but fuck, I wanted it so badly. I didn’t care if it was selfish. The only way I’d leave his room was if he told me to get out.
Matteo smiled. “Good.”
When he shuffled over in the bed and patted the space next to him, my jaw dropped.
“I—I was going to sleep on the floor,” I said.
Matteo scoffed. “Really, Thystle? We’re not teenagers at our first sleepover. Come here.”
I stared at the empty half of the bed. “This is so against the rules.”
“You already broke them,” Matteo reminded me dryly. “So you may as well enjoy yourself.”
My heart did back flips as I edged towards the mattress. The fact that this was forbidden made it feel so good.
And fuck, the whole bed smelled amazing. Matteo’s scent was all over it.
I couldn’t resist for a second longer. I was about to climb into bed when Matteo asked, “You’re going to sleep dressed like that?”
Blushing, I shot back, “What, do you want me to strip?”
He shrugged. “It’s odd to go to bed fully clothed, don’t you think? Sleep like you usually do.”
The temperature steadily rose in my cheeks. “I sleep in my underwear.”
Matteo grinned. “So do I.”
I gave up. With a huff, I kicked off my pants and shirt, then climbed into bed beside him, not giving a shit what rules I broke.
“Was that so hard?” Matteo asked.
“No. But if Duke finds out, he’ll skin my hide.”
He chuckled, resting his head against the pillow. “He’ll have to go through me first. And trust me, you don’t want to fight a pissed off eagle. Our talons aren’t for show.”
He’d do that for me? I thought.
“Speaking of talons, the first challenge is tomorrow, huh?” I mused. “That Talon guy is gonna be there.”
As soon as I mentioned the name, Matteo’s eyes flashed. Despite the swelling, I could tell they’d grown sharp and hard.
Was he... jealous?
“That’s right,” Matteo said in a clipped tone. “If he thinks we’re somehow allied because we’re both eagles, he’s in for a surprise.”
Yeah. Totally jealous. That was a side of Matteo I hadn’t seen yet and didn’t expect. He was such a cool guy that it amused me to see this facet of him.
I grinned. “Don’t worry, you’ve got the edge on everyone. You have experience from being on the show before.”
Matteo smirked. “True.”
He had an extra edge, too—the fact that I liked him. But I felt too shy to share that. I was already in Matteo’s bed. It might make things weird if I confessed to crushing on him.
That jealous aura continued to mill above his head. As adorable as it was, I didn’t want him to worry, so I scooted closer reassuringly. His shoulders relaxed. That seemed to calm him down.
“Hey,” I said. “Is this weird? Be honest.”
The corner of Matteo’s mouth curled up. “You’ll have to be specific, because plenty about this situation is weird.”
“You know what I mean. That I’m in your bed.”
He sighed in amusement, like I was being silly. “Look at it this way. I’m one of dozens of omega contestants on a private island being filmed for a reality TV dating show in which you, an alpha dragon, are the prize. The fact that you’re lying in bed with me is the least weird part about all this.”
I blushed furiously. “Well, when you put it that way...”
To my surprise, Matteo put his arm around me. I sucked in a soft breath. The sudden touch made my skin hot and tingly all over.
“Thystle, if you’re weird, I don’t ever want you to be normal,” Matteo murmured.
If the warm touch wasn’t bad enough, his beautiful, comforting words were the final nail in the coffin. I was head over heels for Matteo and the Dragonfate Games had barely begun.
I exhaled sharply, because if I didn’t, I would’ve broken into a big, stupid smile, and I didn’t want to embarrass myself like that over a few nice words.
“Are you always this mushy?” I asked, hiding my face from him.
“Why? You don’t like it?” he teased.
“Didn’t say that,” I mumbled under my breath. “If you’re trying to get a head start in the Games, you’re doing a decent job.”
“Thystle, I don’t care about the Games,” he said mildly. “If I have to participate in the challenges, then so be it. But I’m only here to find my fated mate. That’s all.”
My heartbeat rampaged. He was so earnest, it was painful. He wasn’t like the people I’d met tonight chasing the fame of being on a popular TV show, or the glory of courting an alpha dragon. Matteo was here for love. For the mate destined for him.
What if that was me?
A firm knock came from the hallway, followed by the irritated voice of hotel staff ordering the partying neighbors to quiet down. They argued for a moment, then reluctantly obeyed. The floor went silent after that.
