If the fire dragons appreciated the cold and the snow, maybe they weren’t all bad. Now, if the Germans understood the importance of a good sauna, they might actually prove to be tolerable.
Baldewin glanced over to the passenger seat to see Tori stretched out, a small smile playing on his lips as he stared out the window toward the growing sight of Riga, Latvia, in the distance.
They’d arrived in Estonia with no problems and promptly rented a car for the drive back to Sonthofen, since Tori refused to even consider flying. It would take them a few days to safely make the trip, but Baldewin wasn’t complaining. The hours in the car had given him and Warin a chance to get to know the mage.
And Tori had not been shy about his questions. Now that he seemed to be relaxing a bit around them, he peppered them on every topic under the sun, from how many dragons lived in Burkhard to the number of mages, the hierarchy of the clan, who decided what tasks a mage did, and even more about bonded mates. He still seemed skeptical of the idea that male mages were welcome. Not that Baldewin could really blame him after everything he’d apparently been through as a child.
Cameron as their consort was a great start, but he was only one male mage and the mate of the king. It wasn’t like all the male mages could have the king’s stamp of approval the same way Cameron did.
The only way to truly convince Tori would be for him to meet the king and the Burkhard Clan. No amount of cajoling and promoting from him and Warin was going to change the mage’s mind.
So far, Baldewin’s only complaint about the drive was the car itself.
The Opel Corsa was one of the most commonly rented cars and would offer them some anonymity on the road as they tried to safely make their way back to Germany.
Unfortunately, the economical machine was not built for men of Warin’s and his stature. Tori, on the other hand, was six inches shorter and had a more slender build, making the Opel a comfortable fit for him.
He missed Alric’s fleet of SUVs back at the castle. With plush leather seats and lots of leg and head room, the SUVs were made for fire dragons. The Opel was better off for little wind dragons like Ravi.
Halfway into their four-hour drive to the hotel, they made a quick stop to stretch their legs, grab some snacks, and top off the charge on the electric car. Muscles that had nothing to do with his human body ached and throbbed, and no amount of walking around was going to stop it. He hadn’t shifted since he and Warin arrived in Helsinki, and it was looking like it would be several days before he had a chance to safely shift at Burkhard Castle.
It didn’t help that his dragon was also grumbling about wanting to fly. For the most part, he seemed happy to simply be near Tori, but even with his dragon’s fascination with the mage, he needed to fly.
But daydreams of soaring above the clouds were easily forgotten when Tori offered to switch seats with Warin as they continued their trek to Riga. Warin had started the drive and said something about catching a little sleep while Baldewin took the wheel for the last half of the drive. Tori had mentioned that Warin would be able to stretch out more in the backseat.
Considering how Warin’s wide shoulders and long legs still seemed to be bunched up in the backseat, Baldewin wasn’t too sure that his friend was more comfortable. But the low snores coming from the rear of the vehicle indicated that he found a way.
And Baldewin now had the mage sitting beside him with the faintest smile, as if he was thinking about something that amused him. Or maybe he was just happy to be getting farther away from his old clan.
Tori had been asking the majority of the questions, focusing on Burkhard mages and dragons. Warin and Baldewin had attempted to ask a few questions of their own, but Tori’s open and relaxed manner frosted over in the blink of an eye. The man was not ready to talk about such things just yet, and Baldewin didn’t want to push and destroy all the progress they had made.
It had been interesting to speak to Tori since sharing a meal on the ferry. The man had started to unbend with each kilometer he put between himself and his old clan. He teased them; his mind quick. And his smile. Most of the time, his smile was more of a smirk, with just one corner lifting, but there were a few times where his true, full smile came out, and it was like watching the sun break over the mountains in the morning. It stole Baldewin’s breath away. The smile ducked away again far too quickly, as if dark clouds had rolled in. Baldewin couldn’t draw his eyes away from Tori. He wanted—no, needed—to see his smile again.
“How often does a dragon need to fly?” Tori asked suddenly, breaking the silence of the car. With an electric engine, the vehicle made nearly no noise as they traveled down the road. There was just the low shush of the tires gliding along the pavement. They’d been talking so much until they swapped positions that they hadn’t even bothered to turn on the radio. Even now, with the quiet of the car and Warin’s snoring, the silence was surprisingly comfortable.
“I beg your pardon,” Baldewin murmured.
Tori cast a sly grin at Baldewin, and his heart might have skipped a beat. “I’ve seen both you and Warin doing this kind of itchy back wiggling in your seats. Not quite rolling your shoulders. You’re uncomfortable. Need to stretch your wings?”
“Noticed that, huh?”
Tori lifted one hand and gave a little roll of his eyes. “I mean, it’s not like most people would give it much thought, but then most people have no idea you’re a dragon. You could have dry skin…or you feel the need to fly.”
Baldewin huffed a soft laugh and glanced in the rearview mirror to double check that Warin hadn’t woken. Not that he begrudged his friend time with the mage, but Baldewin was enjoying the idea of having a private and friendly chat with Tori.
“My dragon would very much like to spread his wings. I’ve not flown since we arrived in Helsinki from Sonthofen. Usually, I can go weeks without flying, but I’ve noticed that nearly every dragon in Burkhard is suddenly a little more restless than usual. Everyone is taking to the air in the evenings with increased frequency.”
Tori turned in his seat so he was looking directly at Baldewin. “Really? Is it a summer thing? Humans tend to get out more when the weather turns warm and sunny.” Before Baldewin could answer, Tori’s expression was already clouding over. “No. Wait. Fire dragons prefer the cold. It would make more sense for you to be restless in the winter.”
“And we usually are. Once the mountains have built up a few solid meters of snow, you can hardly keep us inside and in our human form. I think the mages have grown to enjoy the quiet time they get during those months. The castle is empty, and we’re not constantly under foot to cause them problems.”
Tori barked out a surprised laugh and then clapped his hand over his mouth before looking into the backseat at Warin. His pale grey eyes still twinkled with laughter when he looked over at Baldewin. “Dragons are troublemakers in the castle?”
“There might be a few,” Baldewin said dryly, his mind automatically filling with the endless trouble Ravi managed to find at every turn.
“But if it’s not the nice summer weather…” Tori started, leading them back on topic.
“I think it started shortly after the arrival of Cameron’s twin Cassie and their grandmother Noh Ha Na. Cameron was the first mage we’d found in five hundred years. We’d nearly given up hope of ever finding a mage again, of finding mates and love. Then in the span of weeks, we suddenly had three new mages living in our castle. While the human side of us might be willing to listen to logic, I think our dragons are pushing for us to all take flight and search in earnest for our missing mages.”