“Finally! Someone talking sense!” Lisette agreed, immediately turning on her heel to head into the castle.
Baldewin’s mouth dropped open, and he looked around the gathering. “Already?”
“We’ve been out here for several minutes now. If you’d been on time, you’d be cold now too,” Cameron teased.
“Forgive us, Hoheit. Tori distracted me,” Baldewin murmured, but Alric shook his head and smiled.
Tori gasped. He tried to give Baldewin a shove, but the larger man was already wrapping him up and nuzzling his neck.
“Ugh. Newlyweds,” Ravi groused as he headed toward the castle.
North stood in the courtyard, oblivious to the cold as he watched these people wandering toward the entrance. Gunter was already in deep conversation with Dieter and Lisette. His eyes strayed to Baldewin and Tori in a tight embrace, kissing as if they hadn’t seen each other in days. He looked over at Alric and Cameron in time to see the king wrap his arm around his mate’s waist and sort of twirl the man until Cameron tossed his head back, his giggles filling the courtyard before Alric swallowed them with a kiss.
He looked again at Dieter, Gunter, and Lisette. There were a few other people outside, going about what seemed like their normal duties. No one paid the two couples much attention beyond maybe a grin or an amused shake of the head.
It was like he’d fallen into the most wonderful dream. More magical than the castle with the dragons and mages, he was stunned to find no one cared that men were holding each other and kissing in plain view for everyone to see. No one was sneering or calling them names. In fact, it all seemed…normal.
“What’s wrong, North? Are you nervous?” Warin placed a hand on North’s shoulder and even turned his body so that he was blocking the wind.
“No.” He quickly shook his head, his eyes darting back to Alric and Cameron as they laughed and cuddled close while walking into the castle. “I…I’ve just never seen that…out in public.”
Warin glanced over his shoulder, his thick brows beetling over his nose for a moment before his expression cleared into a smile. “A dragon and his mage? No, probably not.”
North snorted. “No, not that. Two men, together. Two men laughing and cuddling and kissing…and no one cares.”
Warin’s smile never wavered, but sadness seemed to creep into his eyes as he stared at North. Stepping even closer, he slid his warm hand along North’s cheek, brushing his thumb across his cheekbone. “No, everyone cares very much. Everyone within the castle is extremely happy to see King Alric mated with Cameron. The mage gives our king endless joy. Baldewin has been a stout defender of our king and our people almost since he was born. He deserves the happiness he has found with his mage. That is all that matters. Their love is no different than the love between Dieter and Lisette.”
Very slowly, Warin claimed North’s lips in a kiss far too sweet for words. North’s eyes fluttered shut as he let himself get lost in the perfection of Warin’s touch. The rest of the world floated away and there was only Warin. At least, until…
“I saw that!” Cameron’s voice echoed across the courtyard followed by a celebratory whoop.
North pulled away with a laugh. Burkhard Castle was definitely going to be a unique experience.
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.