Chapter 18
Baldewin barely fought the urge to pull Tori into his arms as the jet taxied along the runway to the hangar where they would be met by a horde of dragons and a handful of worried mages.
Tori had woken easily from his sleep and immediately started checking on Cassie, even though he might have asked Baldewin to confirm at least twice that they were firmly on the ground.
Cassie had suffered no problems during the flight, and her color continued to improve. She was clearly on the mend, but everyone would feel better when she was safe at home.
With nothing left to do, Tori sat stiffly in a chair, his leg bouncing while he gripped the arms of the chair tight enough to make his knuckles white.
This was not about flying or being in a plane.
Baldewin suspected this was about meeting a bunch of dragons and mages.
Tori was about to be thrown into the deep end of the pool.
Baldewin had hoped he’d be able to introduce him to the clan slowly, ease him into a crowd of dragons and excited mages.
“They are going to adore you,” Baldewin murmured.
A nervous laugh left Tori, and he shook his head. “I think I’m going to be the least of their concerns.” His smile was crooked when he looked over at Baldewin. “While I would never wish harm on Cassie, it is nice of her to take the focus off me.”
Baldewin smirked back at him. “Cassie does like to be the center of attention, but I don’t think she would approve of this. I get the impression she’s fond of you already, and I’m sure she’s going to be frustrated that she can’t be the one to introduce you to everyone.”
“I’m happy to put all that on hold until she’s on her feet again.” Tori’s eyes strayed from him to Sasha as she carefully lifted Cassie into her powerful arms and carried her to the front of the plane. They’d stopped rolling at last, and Warin was working on getting the door open.
Sucking in a deep breath, Tori leaned toward the window to look out.
A strange, strangled noise left him, and he straightened again quickly.
Baldewin shifted in his seat to look out the window and nearly chuckled at the sight.
More than a dozen people were standing just beyond the plane waiting for them.
The one face he was glad to see was Ravi.
If Cassie couldn’t be awake to help smooth everything over for Tori, then Ravi was an excellent second choice.
He would do a great job of taking Tori’s mind off everything.
“Don’t worry too much about introductions. The main focus will be getting you to the castle and settled. We’ll worry about the rest later.”
Tori flashed him a weak smile. “Thanks. It would be nice to just relax for a little while. Though, I’m sure King Alric and the others would like the full details of what we know.”
“We’ll get there. We’ve got some time now that we’re home.”
The smile on Tori’s lips became a little stronger at the mention of ‘home,’ and Baldewin could only hope that the mage would soon start thinking of the Burkhard Clan as his home. He wanted him to feel welcome and comfortable among these people.
Baldewin reached over and gave Tori’s shoulder a quick squeeze before climbing to his feet.
The door had been opened and the steps lowered.
He reached them in time to find that Warin had gone down first and was gently lifting Cassie out of Sasha’s arms so she could safely descend.
Alric and Cameron were right there, lines of worry digging deep in their faces.
It could have been a trick of the lighting, but it did look as if there was a little more grey in Alric’s hair at the temples.
At least he was in good hands with Cameron.
As he reached the tarmac, he heard Tori climbing down the stairs behind him.
“I can’t believe I freaking flew here,” he muttered under his breath.
Baldewin threw a grin at him over his shoulder. He couldn’t possibly be prouder of the man. He’d put his own fears aside to do what was best for everyone. Tori was going to be the perfect addition to the clan.
For now, the mage was edging closer to Baldewin, almost using his larger frame to hide behind. Not that he could blame him. Any dragon or mage who wasn’t focused entirely on Cassie was staring at Tori with open curiosity.
“No, she’s good. Everything looks good here,” Lisette said as she pressed her fingers to Cassie’s throat and head.
“Let’s get her in the van and back to the castle.
” Her head popped up, and her serious expression melted into a warm smile as she looked at the mage behind Baldewin.
“Tori, we’ll do proper introductions soon, but you’ve done a wonderful job. Thank you for saving her.”
Tori sucked in a sharp, ragged breath. His grey eyes were shiny, and his lips pressed tightly together, but he gave Lisette a quick nod.
“That’s Lisette,” Baldewin whispered to him.
“Tori?” Cameron’s head popped up, and he stopped following his sister to the nearest black SUV.
The mage turned on his heel and marched straight to Tori. Baldewin’s dragon perked up its head, eyes seeming to narrow as it wondered if the mage meant Tori harm, but before the dragon could even grow disgruntled, Cameron wrapped Tori up into a tight bear hug.
“Thank you so much for saving my sister’s life,” Cameron said in a choked voice. The consort released him and gave a teary smile. “We’ll talk more soon. Get settled first.” He hurried to his husband’s side, roughly wiping tears away with the heels of his palms.
Alric touched his mage’s cheek, as if silently checking to make sure he was alright, before looking at Tori. “I’m sorry, this is not the welcome I hoped to give you.”
Tori laughed and waved him on. “Go. Take care of Cassie. I’ve got Baldewin to keep an eye on me.”
Alric’s eyes shifted to Baldewin, his scrutiny sharpening. Oh yeah, Alric could clearly read that this was more than a protection detail. His old friend could always see right through him. “Good. Baldewin will take very good care of you.” He then climbed into the SUV with his mate.
“That leaves you with me, too.” They both jerked around to find Ravi standing behind them with a playful grin on his face.
“You’ve got to be Ravi,” Tori said, and the dragon’s eyes widened to almost comical proportions.
“I am. How?”
“Cassie. She told me a lot about you. Said you’d be the best person to show me around the castle.”
He hadn’t thought it possible, but Ravi actually looked lost for words. He shook his head and dropped his hands to his hips. “That girl,” he mumbled. He looked up at Tori and grinned again. “I am. I know everyone and where everything is. And I’m far more entertaining than grumpy dragon Baldewin.”
Baldewin mock-gasped. “Grumpy dragon? I thought Gunter was grumpy dragon.”
Ravi shrugged, looking completely unrepentant. “You seem to take turns. Though, Gunter takes more turns than you.” He looked back at Tori and waved him toward another SUV. “Let’s get this show on the road.”
Bags were unloaded from the plane and carefully placed in the SUVs, though Baldewin made sure Tori’s guitar was put in the SUV he was riding in. With the royal family having already left the airfield, Tori was joined by Baldewin, Warin, and Ravi, while another SUV followed with more guards.
Luckily, Ravi had Tori fully engaged in conversation as the little wind dragon regaled the mage with more stories of castle life.
Normally he’d try to tame Ravi’s eagerness, but if Ravi’s talking helped to settle any worries Tori might have about meeting the clan, then Baldewin was happy to let him talk.
“No. Way,” Tori said slowly as they finally neared the castle.
His mouth fell open and didn’t quickly close again.
He pressed close to Baldewin, staring out the car window with wide eyes.
Baldewin followed his gaze and smiled when he was greeted by the white spires of Burkhard Castle. They were home at last.
“Welcome to Burkhard,” Baldewin greeted.
The mage’s head jerked around to stare at Baldewin. “You’re serious? That’s Burkhard Castle. The place you and Cassie and Warin and Ravi have been talking about. That can’t be real. It’s a glamour, right?”
“Nope, that’s the real thing,” Ravi said proudly from the front passenger seat. “Amazing, isn’t it? I’ve lived there my entire life. There’s nothing like flying circles around the towers on a clear day.”
“I can imagine,” Tori whispered. His wide eyes moved back to Baldewin’s window and then to the front windshield as the SUV moved along the curves of the road.
“Do you like it?” Baldewin inquired.
Tori’s attention snapped back to him. “Really? It’s gorgeous. Of course I like it.” The mage’s grey eyes narrowed, and his lips quirked into a wicked grin. “Did you actually think I wouldn’t? Baldewin…are you nervous?”
“Maybe a little,” Baldewin admitted with a shrug of one shoulder. “It’s important that you like it here. We would all very much like it if you would consider joining our clan.”
Tori snorted. “I think you’re jumping the gun a little about others wanting me to join the clan, but I appreciate the sentiment.”
“I know I can speak for Sasha, Cassie, Warin, and myself when I say that we would truly like you to join the Burkhard Clan.”
“What about the king? And Lisette? Don’t they decide if I’m invited into the clan?”
“I wouldn’t worry too much about that,” Ravi chimed in.
“Because you’re that desperate for mages.”
Baldewin quickly touched his cheek, his expression growing stern. “No, because you are that amazing. If Alric and Lisette haven’t learned that yet, then they will realize it within minutes of speaking to you. I know it.”
Tori’s blush was back, and Baldewin wanted to kiss the man so badly, but he behaved himself while the mage’s attention was drawn back to the castle as they drove through the open gates and into the massive courtyard.
Warin parked the SUV next to the other they’d followed. As they stepped out, a massive red dragon flew over the courtyard, shooting a geyser of flames into the air before heading off to the mountains with a brisk flap of his wings.
Tori was smiling lightly when he turned to look at Baldewin. Cassie had already been taken inside, and the other SUV was starting to unload with guards. The courtyard was full of the usual activity, though many were slowly passing through to check out the new mage.
“I’m confused,” Tori admitted suddenly.
“About what?” Baldewin walked over, his hands shoved into the pockets of his trousers to keep from reaching for Tori.
“I get that the king lives here with his consort. It would make sense for Cassie to live here with her mate since she’s related to the consort. But where does the rest of the clan live? Are they in the town that we passed?” Tori jerked his thumb back in the direction of Sonthofen.
Okay, now he definitely couldn’t keep his hands to himself. Baldewin draped his arm across Tori’s shoulders and pulled him in close. “We all live here.”
“What? What do you mean ‘all?’”
“‘All’ as in the entire clan. All the dragons and all the mages of Burkhard. We all live and work together in the castle.”
Tori wobbled a little on his feet, and Baldewin held him tight, supporting him.
“You live here?” Tori whispered.
“Yes.”
“And the mages?”
“All the mages live in the castle. If you join our clan, you would live here, too.”
“Oh my,” Tori said in a slightly choked voice. “I think…I think I need to sit down.”
Baldewin chuckled. “How about I show you to the room where you’ll be staying? You’ve got to be exhausted from all the travel. You can rest for a little while before dinner.”
“Yeah, rest would be really good.” Tori tilted his head up to look at Baldewin. “Do I need to meet the clan today?”
Baldewin shook his head. “We can wait if you want to take some time to rest from your journey. I’m sure Alric and the others will understand that you’re tired.”
“And you’ll be around, right?”
Baldewin’s heart gave a happy skip as they started toward the castle. “Yes, I’ll be right by your side as long as you want me there.”