I had to maintain control. If I lost it and shifted now, I’d crush Saffron and destroy the entire hotel.

  I bit down on my tongue hard enough to taste copper. The sudden pain diverted my attention for a few moments. It afforded me enough time to bolt out of the room and make it outside the hotel.

  As I gulped down the fresh air, I already felt the hard ridges of my dragon’s spine bubbling beneath my human back. I gasped, falling forward on all fours on the ground, panting hard. The hot sand spiked into my palms—another distracting bite of pain.

  With eyes clamped shut, I breathed through the instinctive urge to shift.

  Not yet. Not now. Get to Muzo first.

  I hauled myself upright, then ran towards the inlet. Every footstep sank deeper in the sand than normal. My dragon’s weight was still there, a reminder of his bid for freedom.

  Blood pounded in my ears as I reached Muzo. He kneeled by the edge of the stream, his arms wet from the elbows down. Poppy was next to him. Upon my approach, I noticed the camera crew edging closer in my peripheral vision. I didn’t want them present for this conversation. I steeled myself.

  “Muzo,” I said under my breath.

  Muzo jumped excitedly at the sound of my voice. His face lit up. “Cobalt! You came back!”

  The pure joy he radiated soothed my dragon’s fury. Slightly.

  Poppy’s fur stood on end. He turned around with wide eyes, but didn’t interrupt.

  “I need a moment with you, Muzo. Alone,” I muttered. I wasn’t trying to sound angry, but with my towering position and shaky voice, I was afraid I might’ve seemed that way.

  Thankfully, Muzo never misunderstood my intentions. He tilted his head. “Sure. Oh, lemme grab my bucket.”

  He picked up the handle and followed me towards the edge of the forest. The hairs on the back of my neck prickled. My skin felt tight. I didn’t know how much longer I could contain my dragon.

  The camera crew toddled along behind us, but as we reached the treeline, I whipped around to glower at them.

  “Stay where you are,” I growled.

  They exchanged confused glances. I was the big boss. I paid their salaries. They were trying to do their jobs, but now I was ordering them not to.

  I didn’t care that the entire show was meant to be filmed—I needed to speak with Muzo privately. The whole world didn’t need to be part of this conversation.

  Besides, if my dragon broke free, the crew could easily film from a distance.

  Muzo paused, unsure. “Not that I don’t love getting whisked away by you, but, uh, what about the challenge?”

  “This will only take a minute.”

  “Okie doke.”

  The two of us—and Muzo’s bucket—stopped in a clearing in the forest. A chill rolled down my skin. A storm was about to break.

  There was no good way to bring it up, so I just started.

  “I overheard you talking to Poppy on the live stream,” I said.

  Muzo’s mouth pulled into a frown. “Oh.” He hung his head. “You heard, huh?”

  I didn’t like seeing him shrink into himself. He was already so small. I stepped closer and put my hands on his arms, clutching him dearly.

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked.

  Muzo bit his lip. “About the not-having-an-apartment-anymore thing?”

  Pain stabbed my heart just thinking about it. “Yes.”

  Muzo’s gaze fell to the ground. “I was having such a good time. I didn’t want to bring it up ‘cause I didn’t wanna worry you. Besides, I’d figure it out on my own. No need to burden anyone else with my problems, right?”

  He didn’t want to worry me.

  He didn’t want to be a burden.

  My fated mate kept his problems to himself—because he didn’t yet know I was his fated mate.

  My skin rippled with barely contained power. My dragon let loose a primal roar in my soul, then finally snapped the restraints holding him back.

  Fifteen

  Muzo

  I clutched my bucket and its contents for dear life as Cobalt transformed.

  The towering alpha in front of me disappeared in a split-second. His presence exploded like a starburst, expanding into a massive, hulking form.

  Calling Cobalt’s dragon big was an understatement. He was tall as a three-story building, and his sprawling wingspan made him seem even larger. Long whiskers trailed from his face, and a silky blue mane flowed down his spine like a waterfall. His talons sank into the earth, gleaming like obsidian knives.

  When the dust settled and his shift was over, I’d somehow landed on my butt with the bucket in my lap.

  When I stared up at him in awe, the air left my lungs.

  The dragon before my eyes felt unreal, like he’d been picked out of a fairy tale and dropped into real life. Each one of his overlapping scales glittered brighter than sapphires. Just like his hair in human form, Cobalt’s hide ranged in shades of blue. His extremities were deeper blue, like the depths of the ocean; the main parts of his body were a rich royal blue, and his belly was the color of the morning sky.

  He was so freaking gorgeous.

  “Whoa,” I said, at a loss for words.

  Cobalt lowered his head, which was the size of a couch. His streaming whiskers tickled my outstretched legs.

  His reptilian nostrils flared as he blew out a soft exhale. “I apologize. I couldn’t contain myself any longer.”

  I laughed, putting my hands on the sides of his face. “What are you sorry for? You’re amazing, Cobalt!”

  A low sound rumbled in his throat like the world’s deepest purr. He closed his eyes contentedly, his long lashes brushing against his cheeks.

  “What’s with the sudden shift? Is something wrong?” I asked. He’d seemed upset earlier. Was that what triggered his transformation?

  Cobalt’s beautiful eyes opened again. They were bottomless liquid pools with rings of neon blue.

  “You told me the other night that I had a way with words,” he began. “But I’m not the best at expressing myself. There is something I should’ve told you sooner.”

  I tilted my head. “If it’s that you’re a gigantic dragon, then I already know about that. But phew, seeing it up close and personal is really something else.”

  An amused huff escaped Cobalt’s nostrils. “Not that.” He went quiet and solemn before speaking again. “A few weeks before you came to the island, I sensed your pain. Every time life hurt you, I felt it. Here.”

  He raised a paw and placed it on his chest. Even though he was massive and his claws were terrifyingly sharp, the motion exuded unbelievable tenderness.

  “A few weeks before,” I echoed, remembering the string of unfortunate events. “That was when I got evicted, and then lost my job right after.”

  A growl like an earthquake reverberated in Cobalt’s throat. It was so strong, it shook the ground beneath me.

  “I was terrified,” Cobalt admitted.

  It was odd to hear that from his dragon’s mouth. Such a huge, powerful creature shouldn’t be afraid of anything. But he was... because of me.

  Guilt washed over me again. This was the same thing that happened with Poppy. I didn’t want to keep hurting the people I cared about.

  “I’m sorry,” I murmured, stroking the sides of his head. His scales were cool to the touch. “I never want anyone to feel bad ‘cause of me. Especially not the people I love.”

  Cobalt’s eyes flashed like lightning. His body went incredibly still—even his mane stopped flowing.

  He parted his jaws slowly, revealing rows of fangs. He looked like he wanted to say something.

  “Muzo, I—”

  Suddenly, Gaius burst into the clearing with a gaggle of camera crew members in tow. The kobolds spread around us in a semi-circle, eager to catch us on film.

  “And here we find the dragon in his natural habitat,” Gaius announced, shattering the quiet. “Which is, apparently, having a one-on-one conversation with a contestant.”

  Cobalt’s mane spiked into hackles. Tension rippled across his scales and his spine arched in anger.

  “What are you doing here?” Cobalt growled at Gaius. The tenderness in his voice was gone.

  Gaius sauntered up to the dragon without hesitation. He was lucky to be a close family friend—I got the feeling that was the only reason Cobalt didn’t bite his neon shirt clean off.

  “You know the drill by now,” Gaius chided. “You do your thing, we capture footage for the show. You can’t just run off on your own. The cameras see all,” he said, wriggling his fingers.

  Cobalt glared at him.

  Gaius ignored the infuriated colossus behind him and summoned the cameras closer. He put his arm around me, pulling me into the shot. I grinned and waved.

  “Well, folks, the Dragonfate Games are always full of surprises,” Gaius said to the camera in his best hostly voice. “I sure didn’t expect to see our bachelor go full dragon during the second challenge!” He thrust the mic into Cobalt’s snout. “What made you shift, Cobalt? Did this contestant surprise and thrill you with his contribution to Catch the Catch?”

  I wondered if that was Gaius’s way of throwing him a bone. Clearly, Cobalt had no interest in the actual challenge, and Gaius must’ve realized the shift had nothing to do with it. But this way, he made them seem connected for the audience.

  “Yes,” Cobalt said slowly. I think he noticed Gaius’s intervention too, because it shaved the edge off his irritation.

  Gaius nodded. “What you’re saying is, you were so impressed by Muzo’s catch that you couldn’t contain your draconic shift.”

  “That’s right,” Cobalt rumbled.

  “Brilliant! There you have it, folks. If there’s one sure-fire way to decide the winner of a challenge, a spontaneous dragon emergence is it!”

  By now, the rest of the contestants noticed something was up. I mean, they couldn’t not notice the skyscraper of a dragon in the vicinity. They crept to the edge of the clearing in various forms, still holding their buckets—although some of them had been dropped in shock at the sight of Cobalt’s massive form. For a lot of the other omegas, it was their first time seeing the real him.

  Well, his body, anyway. I was pretty sure only I knew the real him, inside and out.

  Two familiar white-haired figures caught my eye. Poppy and Alaric were among the gathered contestants, both in human form now. Poppy lit up, barely containing his enthusiasm, while Alaric examined the non-existent tan on his arms.

  “So, Muzo,” Gaius said with a grin. “Care to share what your big catch is? The catch that impressed our bachelor this much?” He gestured to Cobalt’s sweeping form.

  In the chaos, I’d forgotten to show Cobalt my treasure. “Oh, yeah!”

  Cobalt’s long whiskers twitched. He angled his great head curiously. “What did you find?” he asked.

  All eyes—and cameras—were on me. I stuck my hand into the bottom of the bucket and pulled out my catch. The snail’s wet brown and gray shell gleamed in the reflected sunlight.

  Cobalt’s liquid eyes widened.

  Everybody else squinted at the snail. Their confusion was palpable. I heard some contestants mutter that there must’ve been some kind of mistake.

  “Ah,” Gaius said, enthusiasm faltering. “That’s... What exactly is that?”

  It was Cobalt’s growl-laced voice that broke in.

  “That’s a Chromatimaeus brackish river snail,” he uttered. His tone was grave, yet brimming with hope. “They’re a rare species that only exists on this island. But I haven’t seen another one in over a decade. I... I thought they were extinct in the wild. Muzo, I can’t believe you actually found one.”

  Hearing the excitement in Cobalt’s voice excited me, too. I broke into a huge grin. “I knew there was something special about this little guy!”

  Suddenly, I felt a long, cool sensation brush against me. I glanced down to see the tip of Cobalt’s tail curling against my legs. His eyes blazed with emotion as he stared me down. The intensity of his gaze sent a shiver across my skin. It was like Gaius, the crew, and the other contestants didn’t even exist. I was the only thing in Cobalt’s whole world.

  I put the snail safely back in the bucket. Gaius was saying something about a winner’s date in the background, but I wasn’t really paying attention because Cobalt reached his large paw towards me. A second later, I was gently clutched within it.

  His booming command rang out: “Everybody back up.”

  Everybody stumbled out of the way as Cobalt pumped his wings and pushed against the ground at the same time. He heaved upward with grace I’d never expect from such a huge body. Once he cleared the tops of the trees, he flapped his wings. The gusts born from his wing beats whooshed across the canopy, making all the leaves dance.

  The wind whipped my face as Cobalt soared higher. I cried out in unabashed laughter.

  We were freaking flying.

  “Whoo!” I screamed with joy. Then, remembering the precious cargo, I clutched the bucket closer to my chest, the same way Cobalt held me to his chest. Thankfully, the snail was stuck to the bottom.

  Cobalt was one with the sky. I eagerly looked around. Everything, everywhere, as far as I could see was blue. The sky, the ocean, and Cobalt’s scales. I relaxed in his grip as I enjoyed the view. Whoever said blue was a calming color wasn’t lying.

  It wasn’t a long flight. Soon Cobalt landed in front of a beautiful castle, then placed me gently on my feet. He patted me on the head with his paw and smoothed out the windswept explosion that was my hair.

  “We’re home,” Cobalt stated, already walking ahead.

  That specific word caught me off guard. I stopped. “Home?”

  He looked over his shoulder. “Yes. Our home.”

  For one wild second, I wondered if he meant me and him, but then I figured he meant his brothers—his actual blood family.

  I followed him inside the yawning front doors. It shouldn’t have surprised me that everything was dragon-sized. Here, away from humans, the dragon shifters could live however they wanted. That sounded so freeing. Nobody could evict them from their house because of any pet clauses.

  I craned my neck back to stare at all the ceiling details. The castle was a bit overwhelming.

  “Are you all right, Muzo?” Cobalt asked when I hadn’t moved.

  “Yeah,” I said. “Just thinking about how you could fit, like, a million of my apartment in the front hallway alone.” I paused, then corrected myself. “Uh, former apartment.”

  Cobalt’s mane bristled like icicle shards before settling again. He reached his paw towards me. “Come. I want to show you something.”

  I stepped closer, letting Cobalt hold me like he’d done in the sky. I had to say, being snuggled against a dragon’s chest was truly the superior way to travel. It was so relaxing that my eyes lulled shut.

  When Cobalt suddenly paused at the top of the stairs, I opened my eyes to an unexpected sight. A tall alpha dressed in dark leather blocked our path. His hair was a deep shade of purple, almost iridescent black. He sat on the final step, as if waiting for Cobalt’s arrival. His piercing eyes flashed upon seeing me.

  Math was never my strong suit, but I tried calculating it in my head. How many colors were there in a rainbow again? If there were seven alpha dragons, and this purple guy clearly wasn’t the other purple alpha Thystle, then who was he?

  The alpha nodded at me. “That him?” he asked Cobalt roughly.

  “Yes,” Cobalt replied. His deep dragon voice filled the stairwell. As he spoke, his paw clutched tighter around me. It didn’t hurt, but it was enough that I noticed it.

  The purple alpha grunted and stood up. “Good,” he muttered. “Congrats.”

  Despite the alpha’s gruff tone, I noticed he sounded oddly relieved. I glanced up at Cobalt. “Are you two having a fight or something?” I asked.

  Cobalt’s paw relaxed. “No,” he said after a moment.

  The alpha snorted. “That’s a nice way of saying we had a fight, but we’re cool now. And since he won’t introduce me, I’ll do it myself. I’m Viol. You must be Muzo.”

  “Viol!” I said in a eureka moment. “Like violet, right? That’s the color I couldn’t figure out.”

  Viol’s mouth curved into a wry smirk. “No, not like violet.” As he grinned, dragon fangs filled his human mouth. “Like violence.”

  “Whoa,” I murmured. “Cool.”

  Viol grinned. “I like this one already.”

  “Not cool. Edgy and unnecessary,” Cobalt grumbled. “If you’ll excuse us, Viol.”

  Viol sauntered out of the way. He grabbed the railing, casually leapt over it, then shifted half-way down.

  Cobalt huffed and marched down the hall before I could see the rest. “Don’t mind him.”

  “Who’s minding? I think he’s cool,” I said.

  I felt the immediate rumbling growl in Cobalt’s chest.

  “Not cooler than you, obviously,” I corrected, grinning up at him. “I’ll always think you’re the best, Cobalt.”

  He paused. “Do you mean that?”

  “Duh. You’re only the biggest, nicest, most thoughtful and awesome dragon I’ve ever met.”

  His maw curled into a smile. For a dragon, he was oddly expressive.

  When we reached a nondescript door, Cobalt finally shifted back to human form. I still felt as safe and warm in his arms as I did in his paws, but now he was noticeably naked. Too bad I couldn’t check him out properly since I was curled up bridal-style.

  Cobalt carried me into a shockingly simple room. A king-sized bed, a dresser, and a desk were the only pieces of furniture. The back wall was a window that overlooked the ocean. There was nothing overt in the room that screamed ‘Cobalt.’

  “This is your room?” I asked.

  “Yes.”

  Before I could probe further, he plopped me on the bed while he rummaged through the dresser. He threw on a simple white T-shirt that showed off his muscular arms and a pair of dark blue jeans that showed off his shapely ass—I mean, nope, definitely wasn’t checking out his butt.

  Dressed now, Cobalt walked towards the far wall. “Come with me.”