After years of traveling with the man, Baldewin had learned that Warin was largely a walking stomach.
“You don’t mind, do you?” Baldewin prodded, trying to pull them back to their original conversation.
Warin’s head snapped over to Baldewin, and his brow furrowed for a moment. “About you and Tori?” His face cracked into a wide grin. “Of course I don’t mind that my good friend has discovered his gefreogen. I, naturally, want one of my own, but I’m not going to begrudge your happiness.” He paused and shrugged. “We are finding mages at a much faster rate now. Mine will likely turn up any day now.”
There was a burst of muffled laughter from the next room, and all three dragons stared at the closed door before Warin spoke again.
“Besides, you should worry that your potential mate appears to be getting along quite famously with Cassie. I bet he’ll even turn out to be great friends with Ravi.”
Baldewin couldn’t stop the little shudder that ran through his frame. Trouble and danger followed Cassie and Ravi around like shadows. Cameron had been much the same way when he’d first arrived, but he appeared to be slowing down a little, now that he’d assumed the official title of consort.
It would be his luck if Tori fell in with those troublemakers. Not that he could be too upset over it. He very much wanted Tori to make friends and be comfortable at the castle. The mage needed to see it as his home.
The bedroom door opened, and the two mages stepped out. They both carried something in their hands. Cassie naturally dropped into Sasha’s lap, wrapping her long, slender arms around her mate’s neck as if they had been separated for days rather than a few minutes.
“Did you miss me?” Cassie purred, nuzzling Sasha’s neck.
“I missed you like the flowers miss the sun at the end of each day,” Sasha murmured.
Tori lifted one eyebrow at Cassie. “So, is that a mate thing or a Sasha thing?”
Cassie hummed for a second. “I want to say it’s a Sasha thing, but Cam claims that Alric can be just as romantic and sweet. I guess it could be a mate thing.” She turned her attention to her mate. “Tori showed me how to make the coolest amulet for you to contain the masking spell.” The mage looped a length of chain over Sasha’s head and laid it against her chest. The ruby-colored stone winked in the lamplight, and Cassie gave a happy sigh.
“We tested the ones we made for ourselves with a seeking spell, and the amulets are effective,” Tori explained as he handed Warin an amulet on a chain that looked similar to the one Sasha was now wearing. He also stepped over to Baldewin and held out one for him. Baldewin was watching his face, and a new tension seemed to creep into his expression. There was a mild smile on his lips, but there was fresh worry in his eyes that hadn’t been there when he’d handed the amulet to Warin.
Baldewin lowered his gaze to the amulet resting on his fingers, and his heart skipped a beat. It was similar to Sasha’s and Warin’s except that the stone was green with hints of greenish grey. The wire that was wrapped around it to hold it in place had been stretched across the top of the stone and formed a swirling B. Tori had made this for him. This was more than just protection for all of them. Tori had made him a gift.
“Thank you,” Baldewin said in a rough voice as his throat threatened to close off. He looked up to see the worry evaporate from Tori’s gaze, and the mage’s smile turned a little wry.
“With any luck, the magic will last until we can get to Sonthofen at least.”
“I’m sure it will.” Baldewin’s hands itched to reach out and pull Tori to him, to kiss the mage thoroughly for such a gift, but he wasn’t sure how he’d react to such a display of affection in front of the others. The man was coming from an extremely homophobic clan, and he might not yet feel comfortable with displays of affection. “I think I’m going to see how it looks in a mirror.”
There were two in the main sitting area of the suite, but Baldewin bypassed both of them and went straight for the bathroom attached to Tori’s bedroom. As he’d hoped, Tori followed closely on his heels.
Standing in front of the mirror, Baldewin looped the long chain over his head and allowed the amulet to settle against the middle of his chest on his soft cotton shirt.
“The stones themselves aren’t really that important,” Tori volunteered in a soft voice. “They’re just a porous material to hold the magic in, but when Cassie showed me the materials she’d brought for us to make the amulets, I thought…”
Baldewin turned to face Tori, smiling at him in a reassuring manner. “You thought?”
Tori swallowed hard enough for Baldewin to hear it. “The green stone reminded me of your eyes.”
Taking a step forward, Baldewin cupped Tori’s cheek, letting his thumb slowly caress the man’s cheekbone. The scruff on his jaw scraped against his palm, and he savored the feeling, savored everything that was distinctly Tori. “It’s perfect. I love knowing that it was made just for me.”
“You’ve already done so much to protect me.” Tori paused and winced. “Even after I froze you. I like…like that I can use my magic to protect you a little.”
“And I’m honored.”
Tori shook his head and started to step out of his touch. “You don’t have to keep saying that.”
Baldewin captured his chin and forced his head up to meet his gaze. “But I am. You were born with this amazing gift. You could do anything with your magic, and yet you’ve chosen again and again to use it to keep me safe. I am honored.”
He leaned in with the intention of taking a small kiss, but either Tori had guessed his plan or didn’t wish to wait, because the mage pushed up on the tips of his toes, meeting him halfway in such a rush that the gentle kiss quickly became something entirely different.
Baldewin groaned as those soft, plush lips smashed against his own. Tori’s hands gripped his broad shoulders, fingers biting into them as he tried to steady himself. He wrapped his own arms around Tori’s slender body, pulling him in tight so he could feel the tremble that ran through the mage.
Teeth scraped, and his tongue glided along Tori’s in a silken dance. What should have been a simple thank you kiss was turning needy and demanding. He couldn’t tell which of them was more starved for this moment. It didn’t matter because Baldewin never wanted it to end.
Tori wobbled in his arms, little noises escaping him as they kissed and nipped at each other’s mouths, trying to get closer.
Growling in the back of his throat, Baldewin broke the kiss so he could reach down and grab Tori by the back of the legs. Confusion gave way to shock on the man’s face when Baldewin lifted him up and set him down on the sink counter. Now Baldewin was no longer six inches taller than Tori. The mage was now at least two inches taller than him, giving them both perfect access to each other’s mouths.
A low hum vibrated in Tori’s throat, and he locked his heels behind Baldewin’s thighs, pulling him in close between his legs. “This is much better.”
Baldewin smiled, tilting his head up to offer himself to the mage. “You’re enjoying this?”
“Very much.”
Wrapping his arms around Tori, Baldewin allowed himself to sink into the feeling of touching him, feeling the play of muscles under his fingers. Naked would have been better, but he was cherishing every little step they took together.