When Mathilda finally sat down in a chair across from the two kings on her floral-patterned couch, Eija looked distinctly uncomfortable.
“It is clear the Jaeggi lied to our clan centuries ago. The dragons did not start the war, did not betray the mages,” Eija stated as she handed one of the journals back to Gunter. The dragon quickly collected the last two from Kirisi, packing them safely away in his leather satchel.
Mathilda turned her attention to Alric and Rodrigo, holding her head up high. “All I can offer is our most humble apology. We acted on false information, and we are sorry for our rude behavior upon your arrival. I was only acting to protect my people.”
“We understand the need to keep your clan safe from all threats,” Rodrigo murmured.
“We just hope that we can move forward from this day with the Taavi no longer viewing dragons as the enemy,” Alric added.
“Oh yes, of course!” Mathilda quickly said. “It would be so very wonderful if our mages could prove to be mates to members of both your clans. We have several female mages who are quite gifted. And while we appreciate that you have generously taken in Tori, we have many other mages who are far more valuable and talented.”
Two astounding things happened at once. Candles around the room popped to life with high, dancing flames, while a fire in the empty fireplace suddenly ignited with a roar. Meanwhile, the temperature in the room dropped to bitter cold. Thick frost crept across the two front windows, and when Tori exhaled, his breath gusted out in front of him as a white fog.
With one sentence, Mathilda had pissed off every dragon in the room, and the power they were barely holding in check was damn impressive.
Mathilda and her companions jumped a little and looked around the room, confused and frightened.
Tori laughed. He couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed. Yes, what they’d said was insulting, but he’d heard it all his life and wasn’t surprised. It just didn’t bother him anymore, because he knew they were wrong. He had his family. He knew his worth.
“Wow. You’ve just got a knack for angering dragons,” Tori mocked.
“But-but—”
“Somewhere along the way, the Taavi Clan chose to forget that dragons are pansexual. They value all mages equally. To them, all mages are precious and deserve to be treasured, regardless of their sexual orientation or skill level.”
Baldewin bent down and kissed the top of Tori’s head. “Well said, my treasure.”
“Yes, well said indeed,” Alric agreed.
The flames remained, but the temperature in the room started to warm by small increments, indicating that Rodrigo had gotten control of his temper again.
“While it is not our place to criticize your culture, we must be frank and say that your attitude toward homosexuality would not be welcome within either of our clans,” Rodrigo said sharply.
“Nor would we welcome your rigid approach to teaching magic or rampant sexism,” Alric added. He pushed to his feet, and everyone else seemed to follow. “It would appear that we all have much to think about before we move forward. King Rodrigo and I would like to send emissaries to the Taavi Clan to further discussion and establish an open dialogue. Would that be agreeable to you?”
“Y-y-yes,” Mathilda stammered. She looked completely shellshocked. Her entire world had been turned upside down in a matter of hours. While there was no question dragons needed mates, it was clear they had no intention of bringing the toxic culture of the Taavi into their clans.
Alric turned toward Cameron and extended his hand. “My mate,” he said in a low, sweet voice, and it looked like Cameron was going to melt right there on the spot. Rodrigo wasn’t the only smooth dragon. Of course, Tori was willing to argue Baldewin could out-smooth all of them.
Tori almost laughed again when Mathilda audibly gulped to see that King Alric was in a same-sex relationship. Oh yeah. She’d totally stepped in it. If she wanted any of her mages to be mated to dragons, she would need to make some serious changes.
They filed out of the house in an orderly fashion, making plans to meet up at the hotel again to gather their things and rest for the day before making the return trip to Germany tomorrow. Tori wasn’t excited about flying yet again, even if he was going to be unconscious for it, but he was looking forward to being home. He wanted to check in on Cassie and work with the other mages on the health and beauty products. He wanted to talk with Lisette and concoct new spells.
And he very much wanted to be officially bonded to his handsome mate.
“Hey, Tori!”
Tori’s head popped up to see Panu jogging over to him. The young man looked nervous, glancing over his shoulder, as if taking in the people watching him. He stuck out his hand and flashed a wobbly smile. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life. Saving Tanja and Markku, too. We would have been dead without you.”
“Well, I did have some help,” Tori said, shaking his hand. He immediately noticed the scrap of paper against his hand. There was a pleading look in Panu’s wide, blue eyes. He gave the smallest nod as he carefully palmed the paper and covertly shoved it into his pocket.
“I’m sorry about…everything.”
“We were taught a lot of wrong information.”
Panu took a small step closer and lowered his voice. “I need out. Please. Maybe not right now. My dad’s sick. But soon.”
“Germany or Brazil?” Tori whispered.
“Whoever is willing to take me,” he said a little desperately. He paused, and his lips tilted into a sad smile. “But it would be nice to not see snow for a long time.”
“I’ll talk to Rodrigo,” Tori promised, and Panu breathed a quick sigh of relief. He clapped Tori on the shoulder and wished him safe travels before jogging away again.
“Everything okay?” Baldewin inquired as he came to stand beside his mate.
“Yep. I think I might have found Rodrigo his first new mage.”
Baldewin grinned at him. “That will make the ice king happy.”
True. They’d known it would be an uphill battle with the Taavi Clan, but they were leaving with the feeling that some positive progress had been made. With time and patience, the dragons and the mages might slowly start to come together again.
Were men cute?
Tori pondered the question seriously in his half-awake, under-caffeinated state. He’d never thought of men as ‘cute,’ instead thinking of them as sexy, or yummy, or something along those lines.
But lying here in bed with Baldewin, watching the man sleep in the morning rays of sun, he looked cute. Cuddly. Like an oversized teddy bear waiting for Tori to snuggle him.
He didn’t, not just yet. Mostly because if he moved, he’d wake Baldewin, and he didn’t want to disturb the man’s sleep.
Tori stayed on his side, head propped up on one hand, studying this man he’d given his heart to. It was such a sweet moment for him, a moment he never realistically thought he’d have. Loving someone, knowing he was loved just as fiercely in return, it was an unexpected miracle. And he mostly had Baldewin’s amazing well of patience to thank for it, as he’d never have thought to pursue a dragon as a romantic partner.
Another, less happy thought intruded.
With all that had happened, Tori hadn’t found the right time to speak to his parents. He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to. It was more a feeling of obligation to tell the people who’d raised him how his life had changed. That he was engaged, soon to be married and mated. That he’d changed clans and had no intention of ever coming back, though some of that information had likely filtered back to them already.