Tori really, really wanted to blame Baldewin for this entire state dinner thing he found himself at, but he knew it wasn’t Baldewin’s fault.
And he definitely couldn’t complain about the blowjob that had temporarily distracted him and scrambled his brains. Holy shit, that man’s mouth was amazing. He desperately wanted to discover all the things that Baldewin could do with his tongue, but they couldn’t. Because they were both sitting at a dinner with not one but two kings.
If someone had told him just a few weeks ago that he’d be sitting at this fancy dinner surrounded by dragon royalty and other mages who looked at him like he was someone worthwhile, he would have laughed his ass off. His life had taken an incredibly strange and unexpected turn, but as he squeezed Baldewin’s hand yet again while the next delicious course of food was brought in, Tori couldn’t bring himself to deny that he was enjoying himself just a little bit.
His entire world had become this slightly surreal, strange place. He was part of a clan. A dragon clan. He was valued for his skills with magic. He was paid to work magic. Two kings had invited him to dinner because they valued his opinion. Yeah, that part was definitely a little crazy, and he was still expecting someone to call him out as a total fraud.
But until that happened, he’d just cling to Baldewin and enjoy the food that was placed in front of him.
Baldewin had explained that they were eating in a rarely-used royal dining room reserved for visiting dignitaries and the royal family, when they preferred to eat away from the rest of the clan. Since coming to Burkhard, Tori had noticed that Alric almost always ate with the rest of the clan in the main dining hall, seeming to prefer being surrounded by his people rather than alone or just with his mate.
Of course, Cameron was clearly a social creature, easily conversing with just about anyone who entered his orbit. If they used the royal dining room, Tori could imagine that half the castle would be invited inside for “private” dinners.
It was a shame it wasn’t used more often. The tall windows lining one wall faced the southwest, offering up a stunning view of the sunset and the mountains against a rich sky of purple, deep blue, crimson, and orange. The walls were white, but two of them were covered in exquisitely painted murals of playful summer scenes in the woods.
They were all gathered around a beautiful, long table and eating off delicate china that was probably as old as the dragons in the room. The seating arrangement was a little unexpected. Tori had thought that the Burkhard dragons would be on one end and the Valerii dragons on the other end. But when Baldewin ushered him into a chair, he found Rodrigo sitting directly on Alric’s left across from Cameron. Tori was seated on Cameron’s right, and Baldewin was beside Tori, thank god. From there, it was a rotation of Burkhard and Valerii dragons and mages, as if they were all one big happy family.
And maybe the Valerii were content to at least pretend to be a family, judging by the way they kept watching Tori. He got it. He completely understood. He was the only thing standing between them and an entire clan of mages unclaimed by dragons.
Though, he wasn’t sure how happy they’d be about those mages once Tori started talking.
“I wish to thank you again for agreeing to have dinner with us this evening,” Rodrigo began with a warm smile as he met Tori’s gaze. “I can only guess that this entire ordeal has been very trying and exhausting for you. King Alric has informed us that the Taavi Clan is currently under the mistaken belief that dragons are the culprit for the war. To find yourself now surrounded by dragons must be…” He waved one hand at his side as if searching for the right word.
Tori continued to carry Cassie’s earring in his pocket as both a handy translation spell and a talisman of good luck. Even with it, Tori was sure it wasn’t a matter of trying to think of the Finnish word, but rather a properly diplomatic term.
“Well, overwhelming is probably the best word,” Rodrigo concluded with a smile.
The king of the Ice Dragons was very smooth, as well as incredibly friendly. Where Alric was always calm and collected, Rodrigo came across as a passionate man who wasn’t accustomed to reining in his emotions. He laughed loudly and gestured broadly. His personality seemed larger than life.
And yet, when he smiled at Tori, it was like they were the only ones in the room.
Except that spell was quickly broken by a squeeze of Baldewin’s hand or a low grumble from the dragon. Not that Tori minded. The only person he wanted to be alone with was Baldewin.
Tori took a quick drink of his wine and placed the delicate glass back on the table, glad he managed to do it without his hand shaking too visibly. “You’re right. It can be overwhelming, but the Burkhard Clan has been incredibly welcoming, even before I arrived at the castle. In an incredibly short amount of time, it has become the home I’ve always longed for.”
Alric puffed up a little bit, while Rodrigo threw him what looked to be a sly smirk.
“We are so pleased to hear that Burkhard is starting to feel like home for you,” Alric murmured.
“Yes, the fire dragons have always been such a warm and welcoming group,” Rodrigo agreed, earning a look from Alric that Tori couldn’t quite read. There were more political undercurrents than Tori understood, and he honestly didn’t want to know.
“You’ll have to forgive King Rodrigo,” Thiago said a little farther down the table. “He doesn’t mean anything by his comment. The dragon kings have a long history of being incredibly competitive.”
Rodrigo nodded. “My advisor is once again correct. My poor ego is rumpled because King Alric has uncovered the first four mages anyone has seen in five centuries. But his discovery and generosity will benefit us all.”
Tori couldn’t hold back his frown. There was no mistaking the hope in Rodrigo’s voice or in the eyes of all the Valerii dragons gathered at the table. Hell, he could even see it in the eyes of Ravi and Gunter, as they also hoped that Tori and his former clan might hold the key to them all finding mages.
He wasn’t sure what to even tell them. How did he explain that his own clan hated him and thought he was a waste of skin, not only because he was born a male, but a gay male at that? From what little he’d seen of Rodrigo and the Valerii dragons so far, they didn’t give a damn that Alric’s mate was a man. They didn’t care that Tori was a male mage rather than a female. All they seemed to see was mage, and in their eyes, mage equaled hope.
Would that feeling of hope still exist if they realized the kind of beliefs his former clan had?
“I know you are hopeful of integrating more mages into both the Valerii and Burkhard Clans from the Taavi mage clan,” Tori started slowly. He kept his eyes locked on the soup bowl in front of him. It had started out tasting quite lovely, but now it seemed to sour in his stomach, and he found himself placing his spoon back on the table. “I just worry that the Taavi Clan might not be what you’re expecting. Particularly after you’ve had the pleasure of meeting Cameron and his sister Cassie.”
Cameron laughed loudly on Tori’s left, pulling Baldewin’s gaze up to the tall young man. “Trust me, I think they are hoping your clan is nothing like my sister.” He winked at Tori, and his smile remained encouraging.
“Well, the Taavi Clan is nothing like Cassie,” Tori agreed.