Chapter 8
North wanted to twirl.
But twirling would be a really bad idea considering his stomach was still so stuffed with delicious food from the massive banquet that had been arranged in his honor.
The dining hall had been a boisterous place full of conversation and laughter as they ate their way through so many dishes.
He’d even been given a place of honor between Cameron and his twin sister Cassie.
They were both so full of energy and mischief, he’d struggled to keep up with the conversation.
The only thing that would have made it better would have been sitting next to Warin, but it was probably better if he didn’t get too attached to the sexy dragon.
It wasn’t like he was Warin’s mate. Even as he got lost in conversation over magic with Cameron and Cassie, he kept sneaking glances over at Warin during the entire meal.
Of course, it helped ease his own worries to hear the twins had come to the castle with no magical experience whatsoever, and they’d been accepted into the clan without the dragons blinking an eye.
He already had a small advantage over them.
Lisette would have to accept him. Sure, he could only do a handful of relatively easy spells, but that was more than the Noh twins.
But all that magic stuff was tomorrow.
Tonight was dinner and celebrating with many bottles of very nice wine. Warin had politely escorted him back to the room he’d been assigned and given him a light kiss at the door before hurrying away as if he didn’t trust himself around North.
Oh, North was dying to give him all kinds of reasons to not trust himself, but now was not a good time. His belly was full, and he was exhausted.
The twirl to celebrate dragons, magic, and his stunning room turned into more of a flop onto the buttery soft duvet covering his king-sized bed.
Lying on his back, he stared up at the evergreen canopy while kicking off his sneakers with a pair of loud thuds on the thick carpet.
The room was elegant in a refined, understated kind of way with warm, burnt orange walls.
Heavy curtains covered in green leaves hung over the windows, blocking out the cold winter air.
The furniture was heavy and dark wood, making him feel as if he was sleeping in a hidden forest glen.
What did Warin’s rooms look like? The dragon had been quick to point out that he was only one floor away. Just up a quick flight of stairs and down three doors. Should he go find Warin’s rooms and…sort of do a comparison?
Funny how the idea of getting up and climbing stairs didn’t seem so bad now that it was to locate Warin’s room.
Before he’d reached his own bed, he had been half sure Warin would have to carry him to his room.
But he didn’t mention it because the dragon would have undoubtedly tossed him over his shoulder.
And really, that was too obvious, right?
Not that obvious seemed to be doing him a bit of good.
North was not the promiscuous type at all, but really…what did a guy have to do to get laid in this castle?
Maybe Warin was just shy and didn’t want to make a move in front of others.
Maybe North really should go find his room and simply crawl into the dragon’s lap.
Lay it all on the line and see if Warin really was attracted to him.
The rejection would sting, but right now he was riding pretty high on the whole finding-dragons-and-mages thing.
With a groan, North pushed himself upright on the bed and debated whether to put his shoes on again versus walking through the castle in just his socks. Would anyone notice? Before he could come to a conclusive answer, his phone started ringing.
How was that even possible? Did he actually have bars up here in the Alps? Shifting on the bed so he could pull the phone from his pocket, North nearly groaned again to see that it was his mother attempting to FaceTime him. It wasn’t a question of bars so much as Wi-Fi.
The idea made North stop and smirk. The dragons had Wi-Fi. Well, of course the dragons had Wi-Fi, but the idea seemed a little absurd since they were supposed to be ancient, magical creatures. But from what he’d seen, his parents were more technologically challenged than the dragons he’d met.
His thumb hesitated over the button to answer the call. He didn’t want to talk to her. Didn’t want to face this world. But there was no point in putting it off. She’d only keep harassing him and hounding him until he finally answered. There would be no getting any sleep.
Sighing, North tapped the button and tried to summon up a smile for his mother’s scowl.
The woman’s dour face was too close to the screen, allowing North to clearly see the large pores in her too-pale skin.
Her brown and grey hair was scrapped back in a severe bun.
She wore minimal make-up. He’d tried once to get her to shake up her routine with a cute bob and some softer colors to accent her eyes, but he could only guess that no Southern mama wanted to get make-up advice from her son. Even if he did do it a fair bit better.
“Hey, Ma,” North said. He scooched up on the bed until his back was against the headboard. This wasn’t likely to be a short call, and his adventure to find Warin’s room was put on hold indefinitely.
“Freddie! Where the hell are you?” she screeched, causing North to lose hold on his weak smile. “The last we heard from you was that you were in London, and then your grandpa told us you were in Brussels. Where the devil is that even?”
“Belgium. I—”
“Belgium! Why would you ever go to Belgium?”
“The same reason I was in London—trying to track down a dragon using the scale,” he replied wearily. He’d been having this same conversation with his mother for a few years now. The only difference was that an ocean separated them instead of a kitchen table.
“Nonsense. It’s all utter nonsense. We never should have let you go.”
Which was the same answer he’d heard from her every time he’d brought up this trip.
It was sad they were having the same talk while he sat in Germany.
He took this as a clear sign that nothing was going to change with his family.
His mother was bellyaching at him now, but it could have just as easily been his father.
The only one who’d ever believed in dragons, magic, and their mage heritage was his gramps.
“I’m in Germany now—”
“Germany! What’re you thinking? Do you think you’re some spoiled son of a millionaire who can just tromp across Europe without a care for his family? Do you think we’re made of money?”
“No, Ma, but I need—”
“What you need to do is come home this instant! It’s nearly Christmas, Freddie, and you should be home with your family.”
“Yes, I understand, but—”
“There are no buts, mister. Family is important. It’s the only thing you’ve got.
I raised you better than this.” She sucked in a breath through her mouth and almost snorted it out of her flared nostrils.
How many calls had he missed to have her work herself into this froth?
“Just running wild across Europe like you don’t have a care in the world.
God only knows the kind of trouble you’re getting yourself into without us there to watch over you.
The people you’re meeting. I shudder to think if you catch some disease.
The shame it would bring on this family—”
North closed his eyes for a moment and turned her ranting voice down to a dull roar.
It was the only way to keep his sanity when dealing with his mother.
His father was nearly as bad, but he wasn’t the type to rant.
That was left to his mom. No, Dad just sort of frowned down at him, as if everything about his person was a disappointment to him, the family, the state of Georgia, and all men everywhere in that order.
“Mom! I found dragons!” North blurted out, cutting her rant to an abrupt halt.
“What?” she said, her voice softening for the first time.
“While I was in Brussels, I met a pair of dragons. They brought me to a castle in Germany where an entire clan of dragons are living with mages.”
“Oh Freddie, you need to get out of there. Those aren’t dragons. They are going to kill you or sell you for sex. I saw a documentary on that—”
“They are! They are dragons. And mages. Gramps and I aren’t the only mages left. I’ve met them. I’ve seen them doing magic. All the old stories Gramps heard are true.”
A groan nearly escaped North when he saw his mother’s dark, skeptical look.
He wasn’t sure if she didn’t believe him or simply didn’t care.
Dragons, magic, and the family’s mage heritage had never meant anything to her.
It was all about what she called the real world and the family’s image to the community, which already had a black eye because of North.
Boys weren’t supposed to like other boys.
Boys weren’t supposed to wear make-up. (Especially better than their own damn mothers.)
Boys weren’t supposed to like bright colors.
Boys weren’t supposed to be soft spoken.
The list went on and on and on. North’s entire person seemed to break every rule she had for what a boy was supposed to be, and he was so damn tired of trying to cram himself into the box she painted for him with all her rules and expectations.
This trip had always been about more than finding dragons. It was about getting away from all of his family’s rules and finally being himself for just a little while. It was about being able to breathe.
“Freddie, it’s time for this nonsense to end. You’re coming home tomorrow,” she announced in her firmest voice.
Now it was his turn to screech. “What?”
“No more galivanting off around Europe. Your spoiled brat routine is over. You’re not some entitled little prince who gets to have his way at the cost of his family.”