9. Aurum

Nine

What the actual fuck?

I was so flabbergasted by Mylo's declaration that I couldn't concentrate on the rest of the stupid challenge. Omegas came and went, and I didn't care.

All I cared about was Mylo.

Er, about his sleuthing.

When the challenge finally ended, Gaius was excited to announce the winners. I barely paid attention. As he ranted, I glared at Mylo buried in the crowd. He winced under my piercing stare and huddled closer to Alaric and Poppy.

I was confused. How did he figure it out? Shit, had other people figured it out, too? Was my scheme destined to fail just as the Games started?

No way. It couldn't. Mylo was a fluke. Ferrets were known for being mischievous. Maybe he didn't even know for sure and just guessed.

Except my overblown reaction proved he was right. Dammit.

What were my options? I could double down and lie, try to convince him he was wrong. But I didn't want to lie to Mylo again. It sucked the first time. Hell, it didn't even work. Besides, he was clever. He'd see right through my bullshit.

"Looks like we've got the winners right here!" Gaius announced, yanking me from my thoughts.

He'd finished sorting through the ballots. Each omega entered a card designating their guess as to which one of us was which.

I held back my smug grin. Thanks to my meddling at the meet-and-greet, the final result would be a total crapshoot. I'd told everybody I was Saffron, and since they had no way of distinguishing us, they'd take my word at face value. They might even think I thought they were special enough to be given the answer. I snorted at the thought. Like hell I'd fall for any of these omegas. In any case, their votes would either be flat-out wrong, or split at random.

Except Mylo.

My gaze crept back over to him as Gaius prattled on. He named a few omegas whose names didn't ring a bell—they were the lucky few who managed to beat the statistics and guess correctly, but not with any real knowledge.

"...and finally, Mylo Furoe!"

I sucked in a sharp breath.

Standing humbly in the crowd, Mylo caught my gaze and held it.

He knew—and he knew that I knew, too.

Annoying little tube rat.

"All the winners are invited to a dinner date tonight with both alphas," Gaius said cheerily. "Until then, feel free to relax and prepare for tomorrow's challenge. See you tonight!"

As the contestants left and staff tore down the partitions, Saffron grabbed my arm and pulled me aside.

"Dude, this sucks," he complained. "Why are we forced to have dinner with random omegas? I thought the bachelors got to choose the winners."

While I totally agreed, his comment gave me whiplash. Saffron didn't want to enjoy a romantic evening with potential mates? Did my real twin get abducted by aliens and replaced by an aromantic clone?

I shook my head. "Dunno, but it reeks of Jade's evil ploys. Are you seriously not interested in any of the contestants?"

Saffron didn't respond immediately. He pursed his lips, staring out into the ocean. "I don't know."

My triumphant feelings were squashed by sympathy. Even if it aligned with my selfish desire for Saffron to be mateless, I didn't like seeing him down.

"You could just need time," I suggested. "It was chaotic today. A little privacy at dinner might help."

Saffron sighed. "Maybe."

He didn't sound like he believed it, which made me feel worse. Curse you, conflicting emotions.

I put my arm around his shoulder. "Hey, chin up. This is our time. We've waited three seasons for this."

He shot a sidelong glance my way. "No, I waited three seasons for this. You didn't even want to be a bachelor, and then you—oh, never mind."

"And then I what?" I asked, furrowing my brows.

Saffron lowered his voice to an accusatory whisper. "And then you fell for that Mylo guy."

"What?" It came out as a disbelieving laugh. "Dude, you're crazy."

He crossed his arms. "Am I? When he tripped, you launched yourself at him like a torpedo."

"Was I supposed to let him fall?" I countered.

"And then you let him skip the line."

"Yeah, ‘cause it'd be weird if I caught him, then shoved him back into the queue."

"No, it wouldn't. You gave him preferential treatment."

Now Saffron was getting on my nerves. The hairs on the back of my neck bristled, threatening to shift into dragon spines.

"I did not," I argued, my voice firm. "Stop projecting on me."

"Then stop lying."

My stomach twisted. Not this shit again. Couldn't we talk for five minutes without it devolving into an argument?

This was Mylo's fault. Yeah, that was it. Everything would've been fine if Mylo kept his stupidly accurate deductions to himself. If it wasn't for him and his baffling psychic powers, Saffron and I wouldn't be fighting.

It was time to do something about that little weasel.

Five hours remained until dinner.I quickly returned to the castle, stashed my body mic under my mattress, then donned a disguise. There was no time to get hassled. The beanie covered my golden hair, and my blue plaid shirt was old and raggedy. Hopefully it was enough to throw people off my scent.

Contestants flooded the lobby, all talking over each other.

Good cover.

My initial goal was to slip past people, sneakily check the guest list, and suss out Mylo's room so I could accost the meddling ferret—but loud, accusatory voices made me stop.

"How did you manage to win?" one guy demanded.

I froze when I heard Mylo's meek voice respond, "It was a lucky guess?"

Shit. Mylo was in there? I knew he hated crowds. They made him nervous. What was going on?

"No way," an angry omega exclaimed. "He saved your fat ass from falling! You have to know something we don't!"

My blood boiled.

Whatever was said next, I didn't hear it. Nobody did. My teeth sharpened into fangs, my nails into claws, and a furious dragon's roar ripped from my throat.

The lobby went silent. Everyone stared at me, terrified at my half-shift.

Dammit. There goes my cover.

But I didn't care. My anger was too hot to be contained. People leapt back as I stormed closer, parting for me like I was a bomb about to explode. Mylo was the only one who didn't move. His knees trembled and his eyes were wet, on the verge of tears. That pissed me off even more.

Brimming with rage, I jabbed a clawed finger at the omega who'd uttered those foul comments.

"You," I snarled.

He went as pale as a sheet. "M-me?"

"You're done. Get the fuck out of here."

"Huh? What did I—"

"Don't act stupid," I snapped. "You insulted Mylo's appearance. I don't tolerate that shit."

The omega looked confused, then offended when he realized I was serious. "What? Come on! You can't kick me off the show when I'm telling the truth. He is fat!"

White-hot rage exploded in my veins. My dragon soul rushed to the surface, raring to rip through my human skin and let instinct take over.

Dear Holy Drake, help me before I decapitate this guy with my fangs on TV...

Something soft and warm touched my arm.

Mylo's hand.

My skin tingled like he'd administered a pleasant electric jolt.

His watery eyes were pleading. "It's fine, really," he whispered.

It was so not fine. He didn't deserve to hear such wretched words. But his beseeching gaze and gentle touch tempered my fury. Taking out my rage on the perpetrator was less important than supporting Mylo.

I shoved down my shift. Just barely.

"Get this asshole out of here," I announced to whatever security was nearby. They rushed in to handle it. Geez, how many more times would I have to kick dickheads off the show?

Ignoring the commotion, I focused on Mylo.

"Let's go somewhere less chaotic. Like your room," I suggested.

"O-okay."

I felt eyes burning into the back of my skull as everyone watched us leave together. Meh. Not my fault they couldn't mind their own business.

Mylo was silent on the elevator. His shoulders squared with tension, and he stared at nothing. He trembled like a purse dog about to get a dreaded nail trim.

"Hey," I said. "Chill."

Mylo squeaked. Like, actually squeaked. Damn, that was cute.

"Sorry," he mumbled, rubbing his arms. "I'm not used to... this."

"What? Being in an elevator?"

"No, um..." He bit his lip. "Being stood up for."

That made no sense. Why wouldn't people go to bat for Mylo? He was sweet and shy. It was like the perfect formula for ‘please protect me'.

"Why?" I demanded.

Mylo swallowed nervously. "I don't know?"

"Why are you so freaked out?" I asked. "Seriously, I'm not gonna hurt you, so calm down."

His gaze softened as he murmured, "I know you won't hurt me."

The way he said it made my stomach tingle. Weird.

The elevator halted and spat us out. Mylo was in a hurry to get to the room. I followed him closely. Normally, I enjoyed exploring and looking around, but Mylo kept drawing my attention. If we were in a video game, he'd be the main story objective and everything else mere side quests.

When Mylo finally shut the door to his room, his shoulders slumped and he let out a huge sigh. He seemed relieved to be alone.

Well, except for me.

Mylo put his back against the door as he caught his breath. The hotel doors locked automatically, but Mylo seemed not to trust it. It was like he was using his body as a shield against intruders.

"Just so you know, nobody can come in," I said, trying to reassure him. "Well, actually, that's a lie. I guess the cleaning crew can..."

Mylo's face suddenly twisted up. Then he started to cry.

Shit.

"You don't want them? That's cool. I can tell them not to come in," I said quickly.

Mylo shook his head. His hands covered most of his face so I couldn't see his expression. "No, it's not that..."

Trying to bite back a sob, Mylo sank to the floor. It didn't matter that he tried to hide it. His shaking frame and tiny hiccups gave away his tears.

What did I do? Did I say something wrong? Concern gnawed at me so hard it was painful. I clutched my chest, but the feeling didn't go away. The intensity of it freaked me out. The only person I'd ever been this protective over was Saffron. I'd never felt it towards anyone except my twin—until now.

I knelt on the floor. "What's wrong? You can tell me."

Mylo sniffled, shaking his head.

Fuck. Had I upset him that badly?

"Sorry," he managed to say between hiccups. "I just... need a second."

Fair enough. I wasn't a big crier—that was more Saffron's thing—so I knew how to wait it out. Usually when Saffron had a crying fit, I'd sit next to him with my arm around him until he chilled out.

Would the same thing work with Mylo?

There was no harm in trying. Scooting beside him, I draped my arm across his shoulders and pulled him against my chest. The closeness felt good. He was warm and soft, like a pillow I didn't want to release.

After a few seconds, Mylo stopped shaking, and he inhaled a few long, deep breaths. But his hands still covered his face. Wasn't it harder to breathe that way?

"You don't have to hide," I urged. He was meek and needed encouragement, so I gently pried his hands down to reveal his cheeks. They were bright pink and wet with tears. "See? You're all good."

His reply was a curt nod. Even though his crying fit was over, he was still tense. But his brown eyes weren't scared anymore—now, they sparkled.

Weirdo.

I smiled at him, endeared by his strangeness.

Mylo's cheeks burned like a bonfire. I actually felt the heat radiating off his face. His body heat was nice and cozy, too. I realized I'd never been so physically close to anybody I wasn't related to—was everybody in the world this warm, or was Mylo special?

Then again, the idea of cuddling up to randos made me wanna gag. Mylo was the exception. Everything he did was cute, even the snotty crying.

"Let me grab you a tissue, dude," I said, getting to my feet.

Disappointment washed over Mylo's face as I stood to leave his side. I hated seeing him like that, so I hurried to the bathroom and back as fast as possible. When I handed him the handful of tissues, he smiled.

"Thanks," he said.

As he blew his nose, I wondered if I should sit back on the floor beside him. I wanted to, but he wasn't crying anymore, so maybe the physical touch would be unwelcome. The last thing I wanted to do was make him cry again.

When Mylo was done wiping his face, he stood up and sighed.

"I'm so sorry you had to see me like that," he murmured, embarrassed.

I shrugged. "Why? I don't care. Obviously, I care that you cried, ‘cause I felt bad for you, but I don't like when people hide their feelings all the time. Just let it out."

Mylo blinked his still-wet eyes. "I'll keep that in mind."

"By the way, why'd you start crying in the first place?" I asked. "Was it something I said?"

He chewed his lip. "Um. It's embarrassing, but... I got overwhelmed because you were so nice to me."

My brows shot up. Me? Nice? I wasn't exactly Mother Teresa. I'd lied to him and every other contestant so I could hoard my twin all to myself. Mylo had the wrong idea about me.

"Kicking two douchebags off the show doesn't make me nice," I argued.

But Mylo's eyes flashed as he held my gaze, firm and steady. "Yes, it does, Aurum. Nobody's ever taken my side like that before. Nobody."

Hearing my name in that resolute voice sent shivers down my spine. Suddenly, the meek omega disappeared. I remembered that despite their cute appearance, ferrets were predators—perfect little killing machines.

I grinned. "Wow. That's the first time I've seen you act confident. I like it."

The confidence instantly melted. Mylo blushed again, sputtering, "W-what?"

"I said what I said."

Mylo huffed, stuffing his hands into his sweatpants pockets. It wasn't the first time I noticed it, but his clothes were oversized and baggy. Was he trying to hide his body?

Out of nowhere, my dragon stirred. An abrupt thrum of desire pulsed in my blood.

Mylo cleared his throat. "A-anyway, why did you come here? I wasn't supposed to see you until dinner."

I completely forgot about the challenge, Mylo's win, and our promised dinner date. Hope and anticipation fluttered in my belly.

And then it was squashed when I recalled the reason I'd come here—to confront Mylo about his meddling.

I stared blankly at him for a few beats. I couldn't soothe his crying, then immediately berate him for his uncanny powers. I wouldn't do that to Mylo.

"All right. I have a question," I said. "How can you tell me and Saffron apart?"

"Oh." Mylo tilted his head. He pursed his lips, mulling it over. "I don't know."

"Bullshit. That's not a real answer. And don't deny it. I know you can."

Mylo chewed the inside of his cheek. "I mean... You're obviously different. You're you."

I felt like I'd been punched in the chest, but in a good way.

"And, um..." Mylo shuffled his feet. "There's something else, too."

"What?"

His nose twitched. "You... smell different."

That surprised me. Dragons had decent senses of smell, but not the best. Plenty of mammal shifters had better olfactory senses, including ferrets. Yet none of the wolves or bears or what-have-you differentiated us during the challenge. Why was Mylo unique?

"I do?" I asked, wanting to hear more.

He nodded, avoiding my gaze. His cheeks were dusted pink again. "I mean, Saffron smells fine. He doesn't smell bad or anything. But you smell..."

He never finished his sentence. Instead, he zipped his lips and his face turned the color of a beet.

Propelled by curiosity, I stepped closer. "What? Tell me what I smell like."

Mylo gulped. He fiddled with the unnecessarily long edge of his shirt. "I dunno, kind of like... musky. And spicy. And like... lying in a grassy field on a nice sunny day." He blurted out the last part quickly, then exclaimed, "Gods, that doesn't make sense, just ignore me."

But I was floored. That sweet description wasn't what I expected. It filled my chest with an airy, fluttery sensation.

"Um, it's getting late," Mylo fretted. "I'd better get ready for our date—I mean, the date. Bye!"

He flew into the bathroom and shut the door.

Part of me considered breaking down the door to continue talking to him. But I wasn't Cobalt, the resident door-destroyer. Unlike my eldest brother, I had a modicum of patience. Although the longer I lingered by Mylo's bathroom door, the stronger the urge became.

"All right. See you tonight," I called to Mylo.

"S-see you, Aurum."

There was that fluffy tingle in my chest again.

What was this carnivorous tube doing to me?