Chapter 25
Baldewin was confident that this was the brightest, most beautiful morning he’d ever witnessed. Maybe the sky was the same blue it always was, and the birds hadn’t learned a new song, but this morning just felt better than any other in his very long life.
Of course, his improved outlook on life and mornings in general probably had to do with the man he’d woken next to in bed. Or the fact they’d woken next to each other for the past three mornings.
Today, Tori had looked exquisite stretched out against the sheets, his tousled dark hair pretty against the light sheets.
Baldewin had been lucky enough to wake before Tori.
While it was his normal routine to immediately jump out of bed, he’d lingered so he could watch Tori sleep.
The little lines of tension that never seemed to disappear eased, and his lips were full and slack. So very beautiful.
He couldn’t believe he was so lucky to have found not only his mate but such an amazing, strong man. That he’d done something in this life to be worthy of such a creature.
It was on the tip of his tongue to tell Tori they were mates. That this was just the beginning of a long, wonderful life together that would be filled with laughter and cuddling like this.
But he swallowed the words back. Tori had been through a lot over the past month.
He’d escaped an abusive clan, discovered new truths, fallen in with dragons, been attacked, and now had a new clan who cherished him completely.
It had to be overwhelming. He didn’t want to rush Tori into mates and bonding yet. Let him simply enjoy what he had now.
It was bad enough that he had to wake the sweet mage and get them started on their day. There were too many things that needed to be done before the arrival of the Ice Clan.
“Are you…are you purring?” Tori’s question came with a bubble of laughter later at breakfast, pulling Baldewin from his musings.
He blinked and looked down at where Tori sat next to him in the dining hall. It was still early, and they’d managed to claim a table for just the two of them as dragons and mages stumbled in for coffee, tea, and something hearty to start the day.
Tori leaned in close, placing his ear lightly against Baldewin’s chest. “I swear it sounds like purring.”
Baldewin cleared his throat. “Dragons don’t purr, but they do make happy rumbling noises, and you make my dragon very happy.”
Lifting his head, Tori stared at him, eyes wide with wonder and surprise. “Do I?”
He couldn’t help himself. Not when Tori was looking at him with such open joy. He dipped his head and captured his sweet lips in a tender kiss. “You make me and my dragon very happy simply by being you.”
A crooked grin spread across Tori’s lips. “You’re easy to make happy, but your dragon? I never imagined I’d make a dragon happy.”
“You make him very happy. In fact, he would like to show you his hoard.”
Tori’s eyes widened again, and his mouth fell open. “A hoard? That’s real? Dragons really have a hoard? I always thought that was some silly myth.”
“Yes, dragons have hoards, but they’ve changed over the years. Once we started gathering together in clans and thinking as a community, we stopped hoarding riches.”
A low chuckle lifted from Tori’s lips, and the mage shook his head. “So, I’m not going to find your dragon curled up on a pile of gold coins?”
Baldewin wrinkled his nose, his lip curling at the idea. Why would his dragon want to lie on an uncomfortable pile of cold, dirty coins when he could have a nice, soft bed? Even better, a nice, soft bed and a Tori waiting for him with open, welcoming arms.
Tori laughed even harder at Baldewin’s expression, to the point he had to wipe tears from the corner of his eyes. “Okay, gold is out.”
“Every dragon has a hoard that reflects what is most important to them. They collect something that reflects their soul. At least, I’d say that for most dragons.
” He narrowed his eyes a bit as Ravi stepped into the dining hall and looked around.
Something in the dragon’s posture screamed that he was already up to trouble, and the sun had barely climbed above the horizon.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if Ravi was more magpie than dragon.
He likely collects whatever shiny thing catches his eye. ”
“You don’t know what’s in his hoard?”
Baldewin tore his gaze away from the young dragon and smiled at Tori. “Hoards are incredibly private. We are territorial about our hoards and our mates. We don’t like other dragons sniffing around either.”
“Oh yeah?” he said in teasing tones. “Afraid another dragon is going to fly off with your treasure?”
Leaning in close, Baldewin bumped his nose against Tori’s.
“No one is going to steal from me what I treasure,” he growled, causing Tori to shiver and his eyes to light wickedly.
If they both didn’t have important meetings that morning, Baldewin was pretty sure he’d be tossing Tori over his shoulder and marching back to either his or Tori’s chambers.
“So, Mr. Mysterious, are you going to give me a hint at what’s in your hoard?” Tori teased.
Baldewin hesitated for only a second, biting the inside of his lip. Sharing a hoard, even such a little fact, was a monumental moment, but he found himself wanting to gather Tori up and show him everything. “Musical instruments.”
Tori’s mouth fell open and his eyes became brilliantly wide. “Seriously?” he asked with an almost quiet reverence.
“Yes, if you want, I—"
Someone close to them cleared their throat, and Baldewin barely swallowed back a sigh as he straightened to find a smug looking Ravi standing on the other side of the table.
“Good morning, Ravi,” Baldewin murmured. He grabbed his lukewarm coffee and forced himself to drink the last of it. He was going to need the caffeine to sharpen his mind and get the gears moving in the right direction. At the moment, his mind was filled with Tori, and that was just about it.
Was this what it was like for every dragon when they found their mate?
It would explain why Alric was so distracted during the first month Cameron came to stay in the castle. He mentally snorted. It would also explain why Alric was still incredibly distracted at times. His old friend was hopelessly lost in thought about his sassy mage.
“Good morning, Tori, Baldewin,” Ravi said cheerfully.
He turned semi-serious but sent a warm look toward Tori and extended his hands.
They held a beautiful crystal container that had Baldewin choking on the remains of his coffee.
“I just wanted to officially welcome you to Burkhard Castle and the clan.”
“Seriously, Ravi? Here? Now?” Baldewin asked in a strained voice.
Ravi’s grin never wavered as Tori looked at the container like it might hold a bomb.
“What is it?” Tori asked, shrinking back in his chair.
“Lube. Mage-made lube,” Ravi announced happily. “I understand you’re going to need it.”
Baldewin dropped his face into his hand. This was a clear reminder of why Alric frequently threatened to wring Ravi’s neck like a chicken’s.
“Thanks! I do need that,” Tori said with such enthusiasm that Baldewin nearly hurt himself, his head snapped up so fast. Tori carefully accepted the crystal container with such poise and dignity that anyone watching would have thought he was accepting a Nobel Peace Prize.
At the very least, no one would have guessed from his demeanor that he was accepting a jar of lube.
“Ravi,” Baldewin growled.
“Yes?” Ravi smiled at him broadly, eyes twinkling with laughter.
Baldewin pointed toward the door to the dining hall. “Go! I’ve not had nearly enough coffee to deal with you yet.”
With a cackle, the curly haired imp gave Tori a wink and strolled casually out of the dining hall again. He’d be back later for his own breakfast, and then he’d find Baldewin for work, but that wouldn’t be for another hour. Enough time for Baldewin to get his head screwed on straight.
“He can’t help himself, can he?” Tori murmured.
“No, but it’s partly his nature. Wind dragons are notoriously mischievous. They love adventure and stirring the pot to get excitement started.”
“That would explain why he and Cassie get along so well.”
Baldewin groaned. “Cameron as well, though Alric is quite good at keeping his mate out of trouble.”
Tori’s grin turned a little sly as he purposefully set his hand on top of the jar of lube sitting between them on the table. “Alric is good at keeping Cameron distracted, huh?”
Oh, this was a lovely turn in the conversation. It was very nice that Tori wasn’t embarrassed by Ravi’s thoughtless joke. The mage might not think of him as his mate, but Baldewin certainly didn’t mind spending every free moment proving to Tori that they were meant to be together.
“Are you thinking of starting some trouble? I would be happy to keep you distracted. Would you like me to distract you later today?”
A beautiful flush rose in Tori’s pale cheeks, and he seemed to be fighting back a laugh. “If we’re talking about the way you distracted me last night, and the past several nights, then yes, I would very much like to be distracted by you. I want to be distracted by you every chance I can get.”
Baldewin’s gaze darted to an old clock that hung on the wall, and he frowned. He had a meeting with Alric in roughly forty-five minutes. It wasn’t a lot of time, but enough to leave Tori relaxed and smiling. “You have a meeting with Lisette soon, correct?”
A heavy sigh broke from Tori, pulling Baldewin’s gaze back to him. “Yeah,” Tori muttered.
“What’s wrong?” Baldewin cocked his head to the side, trying to meet Tori’s lowered gaze. “You’ve met with Lisette before. Why would this meeting upset you? Do you not like her?”
“What? No! She’s wonderful. Sweet and understanding,” Tori said, his head raising so he could meet Baldewin’s eyes. The lines of worry were back and carving deep furrows across Tori’s brow.