Origin (Scales 'N' Spells Book 1)

by AJ Sherwood

  The kiss this time wasn’t a question, but a demand. It was relief and joy and hunger. Alric plunged his hand in that rich, tumbled hair without conscious direction, loving the soft, springy texture of it between his fingers. Cameron’s tongue invaded his mouth sweetly, tangling with his own, and he groaned into the kiss. Kissing him like this was a mixture of being grounded firmly in this moment even as his mind soared. It was like he was flying.

  And it confused him.

  Alric wanted to get lost in the moment, to get lost in the perfection of Cameron’s lips and his hungry desire, but for some horrible reason, his brain had decided to come back online. Cameron’s question might have been answered but his hadn’t. Alric broke the kiss, leaning back an inch. “Cameron.”

  Cameron stopped, eyeing him carefully. “No, after all?”

  “I’m just confused what you’re thinking.”

  “Oh. Sorry, I forget you can’t read my mind.” Cameron’s hands ran through Alric’s hair, and that shouldn’t have felt as good as it did. Comforting but sensual. Alric suddenly wished dragons could purr.

  “I want us to date.”

  Alric blinked up at him, his mind re-engaging fully. He had many different responses on his tongue, but the words that popped out were, “So when you said you prefer older men, you weren’t kidding?”

  Cameron shook with a soft chuckle, eyes crinkling up. “Is that what you thought? That I was pulling your leg?”

  “Well, I could tell you were trying to joke with me and ease my tension. I didn’t put much stock in anything you said.” And he’d been trying to hide just how desperately aroused he was the entire time.

  “Damn. I was afraid of that. I was being serious with you, on that at least. I don’t like dating men my age. They’re immature for the most part, and I end up wanting to strangle them. It’s frustrating. Every time I’ve dated an older man, it worked better. And honey, I have to tell you, the first time I laid eyes on you I wanted to seduce you so bad.”

  Part of Alric’s unease fled. Cameron had told him several times that he found Alric attractive. Alric appreciated it on many levels as honestly, he needed that reassurance. And he liked hearing it, seeing the truth of it in Cameron’s face. “I’ve always found you stunning.”

  “Yeah?” Cameron lit up in a smile that stretched from ear to ear. “You like geeks, huh?”

  “I apparently do. I took one look at you and suddenly realized I had a type.”

  This delighted Cameron, and he laughed outright before kissing him, quick and sweet. Alric loved it, loved that he could make Cameron happy like this. He mentally kicked himself for not trying harder before to win Cameron over. His own insecurities were at fault here. But Cameron had seen the worst of him and still was here, warm and solid in his arms, and that spoke volumes.

  Still, he wasn’t sure if Cameron had really thought all of this through. So much had happened, in such a short amount of time. And Cameron hadn’t really seen what Alric’s life was like, how much the demands of his clan pulled at him. He didn’t want to blindside the man with that knowledge later.

  “Cameron, you do understand that whoever choses me, choses to be co-ruler of the clan as well?”

  Cameron stopped laughing, but his eyes were warm on Alric’s. “I know. Well, I can’t just say that because I honestly have a very limited grasp of all that entails. And I’m not sure if I’m what anyone would choose as a co-ruler. I’m the youngest by far in this clan, after all.”

  That was true. By several hundred years, no less.

  “But dating is all about two people figuring out how compatible they are.” Cameron nodded, confident with his own opinion. “And we can’t do that if we don’t even try.”

  “I’d love to date you, love to try,” Alric confessed. “I don’t want you to be blind to the burdens and responsibilities that come with me, either. I feel that would be a disservice to both of us. Perhaps sit with me from now on, at least watch and observe as I work. It will give you a better idea of the scope of everything.”

  “See? This is why I like dating older men.” Cameron’s fingers carded through his hair again, his touch gentle. It sent pleasurable tingles along his scalp. “Because you don’t irresponsibly think ‘it’ll work out’ and leave it up to fate. You do whatever you can to make sure it works out. I have a serious weakness for competent, smart men.”

  Alric didn’t particularly think of himself as either. He relied far too much on people like Dieter, Gunter, and Baldewin to keep things progressing within the clan. But he did like that Cameron viewed him as such.

  “I don’t know much about you,” Cameron admitted, and he frowned at the words. “There’s too much I don’t know about you.”

  “I can say the same for you but…well, would you like to learn something about me today?”

  Cameron blinked at him hopefully. “Yes? What would that be?”

  “Get your mind out of the gutter, young mage,” Alric mock-scolded him. In truth, he was a little too pleased by how obvious Cameron’s desire for him was. “I meant my hoard.”

  That derailed Cameron’s lecherous thoughts completely. “Wait, dragons seriously have hoards? That wasn’t just myth?”

  “Oh, we have hoards,” Alric assured him. “We have many rules about our hoards, too, as otherwise, with this many dragons in one place, the hoards would take over the castle.”

  “I can totally see that. Dragons who can age hundreds of years would have too much time on their hands to collect stuff. I mean, I’m twenty-three, and the amount of stuff I have is just ridiculous. So, what’s your hoard?”

  “Come and see,” Alric said in a low voice.

  “Said the spider to the fly.” Cameron slid off his lap, reaching for his glasses. “It’s ridiculous how much I trust you. I always seem to be following you somewhere.”

  Alric knew that. And reveled in it.

  They left the bedroom, Alric reaching for Cameron’s hand. He could remember each time he’d held Cameron’s hand, and no matter the number, it always felt special. Cameron’s hand wasn’t entirely soft—it had some calluses here and there—although it was a little cool. He looked down at their linked hands in concern as they reached the hallway. “You’re chilled?”

  “I always am,” Cameron answered ruefully. “I have no blood, or at least that’s the running joke in the family. I’m always colder than everyone else.”

  Alric frowned at him in concern. “But the castle interior is never particularly warm.”

  “Trust me, I know,” Cameron responded dryly. “And I really didn’t pack anything for cooler climes. That wool blanket that you bought me has become my best buddy.”

  “Really?” Alric’s heart skipped at the thought.

  “Mmhmm,” Cameron hummed. “I curl up under it each night.”

  Alric let that wonderful image warm him, but he didn’t like the idea of Cameron being cold. Not only was that uncomfortable, but wouldn’t it make him susceptible to illness? Humans and mages were fragile beings that way. At least until a mage was mated.

  His first instinct was to wrap his much warmer body around the mage and just hold him, but while desirable, it wasn’t a practical solution. “Perhaps we need to take you shopping.” Alric didn’t like the idea of him being constantly chilled.

  “I mean, that likely needs to happen. I planned on a two-week vacation, not an extended stay. And now that I know you want me, I need to arrange to have my stuff packed up and sent here. Which will take a couple of months, probably.”

  Alric had no idea how long it would take, as he’d not moved in modern times. But he trusted Cameron’s judgement on this. “We’ll need to do paperwork for you as well.”

  “Oh yeah. Visas and stuff.” Cameron sighed, shoulders slumping for a moment. “Yeah, that won’t be fun.” He bounced back up with a smile and a lecherous waggle of the brows aimed at Alric. “Worth it, though.”

  Alric matched him look for look, amused at him. “Oh, it’ll be worth it.”

/>   “Feel free to capitalize on that promise. Anytime. Literally anytime.”

  Alric planned to. Once he got a little more comfortable with the idea of having a lover. For now, though, he had another piece of himself that he wanted to introduce Cameron to. His hoard room was connected to his own suite, so it was an easy matter to enter via his sitting room and then go left. He released Cameron’s hand to slide open the engraved wood door, gesturing him in. “Welcome.”

  Cameron stepped through and gasped, eyes as wide as saucers. His head turned as he took in the floor-to-ceiling bookcases, filled with every book Alric had ever laid claim to. Alric thrilled at Cameron’s expression, at the wonder and excitement of what he was seeing. There was a comfortable set of chairs in the center of the room, a low polished wood table in between them, all for Alric’s comfort as he read. But other than that, there was no furniture aside from the plush window seat. There frankly wasn’t room for it.

  This room was for books and reading and nothing else.

  “I finally understand what Belle felt,” Cameron breathed, craning his neck to look at the second story of the shelves.

  “Belle?” Alric had no idea who he might be referring to.

  “Beauty and the Beast,” Cameron explained, eyes still trained on the books. “I could totally marry you for your book collection right now.”

  Alric laughed outright, enjoying Cameron’s reaction so very much. “I have 35,926 books in my collection.”

  Cameron whimpered.

  “Most of them are of history, some of science.” Alric went and touched the spines of the ones nearest to him, but he kept his eyes on Cameron. Cameron, who really did look as if he’d fallen in love. “Some of them are my mother’s collection. I absorbed hers at her passing. Books were rarer in those days, as of course printing presses weren’t invented yet. Her books were either of art or religion. Not to my reading taste, but priceless nonetheless. I keep them here. You may read them, if you wish.”

  Cameron went straight into his arms and kissed him soundly. “You could not get sexier right now if you tried.”

  “I like it very much,” Alric whispered against his mouth. “How much you love my hoard. I can see your desire to read in your eyes.”

  “They’re probably green with envy right now. God, I would have killed for this library as a kid. Who am I kidding, I’d do it as an adult, too.” Cameron looked around, a thought striking as he took in the shelves of books once more. “Gunter’s got a collection of his own going, I know, but that seems to have more of a purpose for him. More about work than pleasure.”

  “You’re correct. Gunter’s hoard is different. But he enjoys knowledge, so we have books in common.” Although, according to his dear friends, Alric and Gunter were never allowed to be alone together for any stretch of time. Their personalities were such that they fell into a depressive spiral every time and ended up deep in their cups and spouting terrible, angst-ridden poetry to each other. After the last time, it had been unanimously decided to never let it happen again.

  “Every dragon has a personal hoard? Do you visit each other’s hoards? Do you have hoard parties?”

  Alric shuddered at the thought, his arms tightening around Cameron. “Hoards are a very private thing. It’s rare for a dragon to see another dragon’s hoard. We can be quite territorial about these things. I have only one servant who is allowed in here to clean. I will know if another comes into my hoard room.”

  “How?”

  Alric leaned forward and nuzzled Cameron’s neck with his nose before lifting his lips to his ear. “I can smell it.”

  Cameron shivered, giggling softly. “And it doesn’t bother you that I’m in here?”

  “No.” He could hear his voice dipping deeper, and he wanted to growl at his dragon, but right now the beast was happy. Cameron was in the hoard room. When Alric returned later that night, he’d still be able to pick up hints of Cameron in here, and it was right. Cameron in here felt right. But he couldn’t explain that, didn’t want to try to explain it to Cameron. While the mage might not be overwhelmed by the idea of joining the clan, Alric was sure he would be if he understood the depth of Alric’s possessive feelings toward the man.

  Pressing a kiss to the edge of Cameron’s jaw, Alric straightened and loosened his arms only slightly. “I like sharing this part of myself with you.”

  Cameron stayed in his arms but his head panned the room. “How are these organized?”

  “If you ask me that question, I will inevitably start talking about my books,” Alric warned him, perfectly serious. “And if I start talking about my books, I will not stop before the end of the century.”

  “I,” Cameron said with matching seriousness, “have the perfect way to shut you up if I need to.”

  “Oh?”

  Cameron leaned in and kissed him, swiping a bit at Alric’s bottom lip with his tongue as a tease.

  “Oh,” Alric murmured in understanding. It was difficult to not smirk, but he did try. “You do have a point. Then, shall I give you the tour?”

  Cameron’s smile was winningly innocent. “Yes, please.”

  Alric went for the first of his collection, a storybook Dieter had given him as a young child and what had kick-started his obsession. It was ratty and worn now after many, many years of hands on it. But still a favorite.

  And if Alric planned to be a bit long-winded to entice Cameron to employ his shutting-up tactic, well, that was entirely his business.

  Alric looked up at the sound of the door to the War Room opening, signaling that his trusted friends were gathering for yet another meeting about this strange mage group. He and Dieter had been speaking for the past several minutes about the typical events and needs for the clan, waiting for the others to arrive.

  Ravi walked in first, his usual smile in place as he gave a little wave to Alric. The dragon was pure trouble, but he was dedicated to his adopted clan.

  Gunter followed, already in deep conversation with a mage by the name of Melissande. Her long blonde hair was pulled up in a messy bun, and her hands were animatedly moving around in front of her as she spoke. The mage had been mated to Karl for nearly as long as Dieter and Lisette had been together. She possessed a similar love of books and helped Gunter on some research projects on occasion, particularly when it involved magic lore.

  It was Alric’s understanding that she, Gunter, and another dragon guard had gone down to Sonthofen to investigate the spell Lisette had spotted while on the date that had yet to actually happen.

  A smile tugged at Alric’s lips as Cameron stepped into the room with Lisette. He couldn’t stop it. Whenever he saw Cameron, he couldn’t help but smile. Joy spread through his chest as he watched Cameron’s eyes grow wide as they swept over the large room filled with artifacts of war. He looked at the massive table that still bore the dents and gouges from a long history of angry, frustrated dragons and their mages.

  It was a few seconds before Cameron’s dark eyes finally landed on Alric seated at the end of the table. He smiled broadly and nudged his glasses as if adjusting them on his face. It was a nervous gesture Alric had come to love.

  Lisette closed the door behind them and ushered Cameron around the table to join Dieter on his right. If Cameron were Alric’s mate, the seating arrangement would change slightly. Cameron would be seated on Alric’s immediate right, moving Dieter and Baldewin down one. He was surprised by how much he liked that idea. So easily he’d be able to reach across and take Cameron’s hand as it rested on the tabletop. But now was not the time for silly daydreams.

  The only one missing from the gathering was Baldewin, but his old friend was still returning with Cameron’s family. There had been some delays due to weather in the States, forcing them to remain where they were another day. The last text he’d received—after getting more than a few threatening his life and his manhood—reported that they’d just landed at a small airstrip not too far from Sonthofen. It wouldn’t be long until Cameron was reunited with his fam
ily, and his clan would have two new mages within their midst.

  “Thank you everyone for meeting with me today. I will keep this brief, as I have a meeting with King Rodrigo this afternoon to pass along what we’ve learned to the Ice Clan.” He paused, taking a moment to look over at all the people gathered around the table. Cameron gave a little wiggle in his seat as if he were struggling to hold in his excitement at the mention of another clan. For now, he’d leave it to Lisette to explain the magnitude of Alric’s meeting.

  Turning his attention to Gunter, Alric gave a small nod before settling back in his chair.

  Gunter shifted to the edge of his seat and cleared his throat. “As you may or may not know, Melissande and I traveled down to Sonthofen to investigate the spell Lady Lisette noticed on her last trip to the town. Melissande was able to confirm that it was a type of stealth cloaking spell, but there was something odd about it.”

  “Odd how?” Lisette inquired.

  “For lack of a better word, the magic felt tainted,” Melissande said. She frowned and threaded a loose strand of hair behind her ear. “I’ve never felt anything quite like it. The spell itself isn’t particularly complicated to pull together, but the power behind it felt off.”

  “Like an anti-spell?” Cameron inquired, and a feeling of pride rose up in Alric that Cameron was learning magic so quickly that he could already follow the mage’s train of thought.

  “Almost, but that’s just it. I was able to track down the ingredients for the spell, and they don’t equate to an anti-spell.”

  “So that means it’s something to do with the mage,” Lisette murmured, and Melissande nodded.

  “You mentioned you were able to trace the ingredients. Can you use that to locate the mage or group of mages who have been hunting Cameron?” Alric said.