by AJ Sherwood
“Everything alright, Cameron?”
“Eep!” He twisted around to find Alric standing beside him. “How did you sneak up on me?”
Alric laughed and shook his head. “Sorry. I didn’t think I was sneaking since I spoke to several people before coming to stand beside you.”
Cameron straightened his glasses and shoved his hair out of his face. The early evening sun had yet to disappear behind the mountains, and the castle courtyard was sliding into a cool chill. What summer warmth they had was dropping as the sun edged out of view. He absently wished for a long-sleeve shirt.
“No, sorry. I was lost in thought.”
“What’s troubling you?”
Cameron managed a small smile as he looked over at Alric standing perfectly erect and dressed in a sharp, dark suit. Of course, it didn’t look like the slight chill in the air bothered him. But then, as a fire dragon, Cameron doubted any kind of cold bothered him. “I just worry that my family can be a bit much.”
“I don’t know. You’re talking about a sister who took down an assailant twice her weight with only a baseball bat and duct tape. And of course, your grandmother has turned the head of my royal guard into a man who hides in a tiny jet bathroom so he can send me threatening texts.”
“Oh god, he didn’t,” Cameron gasped, covering his mouth with both hands. He was trying not to laugh, he really was, but…Baldewin was so tall and strong and intimidating. What had his grandmother done?
“Baldewin will recover. He’s also explained that Cassie is now quite attached to Sasha.”
“What?” Cameron shrieked, forgetting all about his own worries because Alric clearly had the best gossip. “Have you and Baldewin been texting non-stop since he left?”
“Not quite. Just quick updates about their progress, which occasionally include little snippets about your grandmother and sister.”
Cameron thrust both of his hands into his hair. Maybe he should have made up warning labels for those two. Cameron was used to their craziness, he could take it in stride, but his poor dragon friends had no idea what was coming. It would surely be hysterical (for Cameron), but still, a warning wouldn’t be amiss. But all that was forgotten when Alric stepped a little closer and placed his right hand against Cameron’s lower back.
Alric leaned closer and whispered into his ear, “Your family sounds amazing. I can’t wait to meet them.”
“Oh, they’re fun. They’re just also a little…” he said breathlessly.
“They can’t possibly be more eccentric than Ravi. And I love Ravi like a little brother.”
Cameron’s eyes snapped to the sky where the dragon was still flying circles and loops over their heads. He’d been at it for nearly twenty minutes and wasn’t showing any signs of slowing down in his excitement to meet more mages. So maybe Alric had a point about eccentric family members.
“I hope you don’t mind, but I’ve arranged for a private dinner to be served in your chambers this evening so you can spend time with your family without all the hustle and bustle of the clan. It will give them time to rest and to catch up on events. If you think they’re up for it, tomorrow we can have a more appropriate celebration with the entire clan.”
Laughing, Cameron turned to face Alric. Only a couple inches difference in height stood between them, and it would be so easy just to lean down and kiss him. It didn’t matter that they were standing in the middle of the courtyard where at least a dozen other dragons were gathered along with a couple of mages. Not to mention the couple of dozen dragons likely watching out the castle windows.
“You can’t help it, can you? You’re just naturally wonderful and thoughtful,” Cameron murmured.
“You’re clan now, Cameron. This is your home. And I want your family to feel welcome in our home too.”
Cameron’s heart skipped for an entirely new reason. He definitely had to kiss this man now. Didn’t matter if it was in front of the whole clan. He—
The sound of an engine entering the courtyard and tires zipping along concrete had Cameron jerking away in time to see a fancy black sedan pull into the open space. So much for that kiss. His family was here.
“I’m so kissing you senseless later,” Cameron muttered under his breath.
“I’m holding you to that,” Alric replied in the same low voice.
Cameron bit his tongue against the first dirty response that came to mind and smiled as the car doors were thrown open. Cassie was the first to pop out, and she ran straight for him. She was dressed in her usual mish-mosh of bright colors, and her blue hair couldn’t be missed. But it was her enthusiasm he’d been longing for. Nothing stopped Cassie once she put her mind to something. And she was damn scary if you tried to get in her way.
Thin, strong arms wrapped around his neck, and her slender body slammed into his, knocking him back a step. Once again, he felt Alric’s hand on his back, steadying him.
“Cas—”
“Oh my god, Cam! It’s so good to see you! And this place is so amazing. We rode on a private jet. A private jet! Can you freaking believe that? Halmeoni wouldn’t sit still for a second. She talked poor Baldewin’s ear off. I swear he was hiding in the bathroom half the flight just to get a break. And is that a dragon overhead?” She twisted in Cameron’s arms and squealed directly in his ear loudly, and Ravi swooped low and landed in the middle of the courtyard, his blue wings shimmering in the sunset.
Cassie squeezed him again and then shot off, jogging over to where Ravi practically vibrated in his excitement. Cameron’s own grandmother didn’t even come over to see him first. She briskly walked over to the dragon and stroked the side of Ravi’s massive head while giggling like a little kid.
“In case you were wondering, we are now both chopped liver in the face of meeting a dragon,” Cameron grumbled. Alric’s laughter rang out across the courtyard while he wrapped his arm around Cameron’s waist, pulling him in close. Cameron didn’t hesitate to rest his head against Alric’s for a moment, soaking in his touch.
“If they are happy, then I don’t mind,” Alric said before releasing him. “Why don’t you go greet your grandmother while I speak with Baldewin about the trip? I’ll be here when they are ready to meet me.”
Cameron shook his head. “Yes, because the King of the Fire Dragons has nothing better to do with his day than to wait on my grandmother’s whims.”
Alric just shrugged. “I’ll always wait for you.”
Slapping his hand over his heart, Cameron groaned. “Shameless charmer.” He slipped away from Alric and hurried over to where Ravi now stood with his long neck fully extended so Halmeoni could scratch him under his chin while cooing at him.
It took Cameron three tries to get his grandmother’s attention, but at least she fluttered at him and hugged him tightly when she finally turned to face him.
“Oh, my sweet Cam! I’m so glad you’re safe and you’ve found our people,” she gushed as she squeezed him tightly. For such a small woman, she gave some obscenely strong hugs.
“And I’m so glad you’re here. Did you have a good flight?”
Releasing him, Halmeoni waved one hand absently. “The jet was so fancy. Baldewin and Sasha took excellent care of us. We were quite safe at all times.”
“I’m glad to hear it.”
“I’m so glad she came, really. Sasha, I mean. She’s your sister’s new girlfriend. They’re so cute together.”
Cameron could only blink at that news. Girlfriend? His grandmother had to be wrong, but he was not going to dig into that now. It was always better to tighten the screws on Cassie when they were alone, and he’d made sure it was harder for her to escape him.
“King Alric would like to meet you,” Cameron prompted, motioning across the courtyard where Alric was in deep conversation with a frowning Baldewin. They were likely talking about the man Cassie had captured and their failed interrogation. Cameron just wanted to cross the distance separating them and wrap his arms around Alric, snuggling into him until the frown was
gone.
He glanced down to see a sly smile lift his grandmother’s lips as her eyes darted from Cameron to Alric and back again. Dear god, he didn’t want to contemplate the evil swirling in her mind.
With her hand on his arm, Halmeoni marched straight over to Alric as if she met with dragon kings every day. And why not? His grandmother didn’t so much as blink an eye at the crazy things of life. She’d always believed their family came from mages and they were destined to do magic. Why wouldn’t she be meeting with the leader of the Burkhard clan?
As they approached, Alric quickly ended his conversation with Baldewin and arranged an appropriate smile on his lips. It was like watching the dragon fit himself into a role. The switch from Alric to King Alric was visible as he straightened, his expression smoothing out into something politely interested. It suddenly became critical to Cameron that he continuously knock Alric out of those molds and roles when they were alone together. The dragon definitely needed to escape from his duties every once in a while.
“King Alric, may I introduce you to my grandmother, Noh Ha Na?” Cameron said, briefly wondering if there was some more appropriate way of doing this, since Alric was a king. Should Dieter have handled the introductions? Or maybe even Baldewin.
Alric didn’t even blink an eye. He bowed to his grandmother and extended his right hand. “It is an honor to meet you in person, Lady Noh.”
“I trust you’ve been taking good care of my grandson. No more kidnapping attempts?”
Cameron hissed at his grandmother. His cheeks burned hot enough to fry an egg.
The dragon’s face became incredibly serious, and he actually held his grandmother’s hand in both of his. “I assure you that I take Cameron’s safety and well-being very seriously. He’s being protected by the entire Burkhard clan. I am personally seeing to his safety.”
“And what about his happiness? Are you personally seeing to his happiness as well?” The waggle of her eyebrows made it clear what she really meant by that.
Alric’s eyes widened and darted frantically to Cameron, a rosy flush painting his cheeks. Beside Alric, Baldewin nearly fell over laughing, and Cameron could only sigh loudly. Yes, his family had arrived at Burkhard castle in style.
Carefully pulling Halmeoni’s hand from Alric’s, he started to usher her away from the pair of dragons. “Alright, that’s enough. You’ve scared one dragon, and from what I’m hearing, you’ve scarred another. Let’s go get you settled in your room.”
“What? Scared a dragon? How would a dragon be scared of a little old woman?” his grandmother demanded as she was ushered toward the castle.
“He’d be scared if he was smart, and Alric is a smart man,” Cameron replied.
“He’s only smart if he snatches you up as his mate,” Halmeoni said fiercely, and Cameron struggled to not roll his eyes. He was pretty damn sure mates didn’t work that way, but he was also a smart man, and he was not going to argue with her.
Instead, he focused on corralling both his grandmother and wayward sister into the castle. Cassie hadn’t been excited about separating from her new girlfriend—Cameron still needed a minute to wrap his brain around that—but she was soon distracted by the opulence of the castle. They oooed at the paintings, furniture, and various decorations. They happily met every person Cameron had met over the past several weeks.
But the ooo’s turned to shrieks—mostly on Cassie’s part—when they saw their private suites.
Cameron dropped them off in their rooms to rest and refresh after their long trip before escaping into his own.
The silence lasted two minutes.
Cameron was still pulling off his sneakers when there came a knock at his door. His heart skipped a beat, hoping that maybe Alric had come to check on him again. But on the other side of the door, he was faced with Cassie’s determined glare and Halmeoni’s questioning look.
“So? Have you rocked that dragon’s world?” Cassie demanded.
Cameron groaned and stepped backward, waving for his twin and grandmother to enter. “I’m working on it.”
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Cassie grumbled back at him. Her grumpiness was short lived as a smile spread across her face a second before she darted across the room and launched herself at Cameron’s bed. She landed with a bounce and sighed, settling against the heavy blankets and thick pillows.
“It means I’m working on it,” Cameron repeated.
Halmeoni’s hand gently patted Cameron’s cheek, drawing his attention down to her. “Seriously, child, what’s the hold up? That man looks like he needs a little nookie.”
“Halmeoni!” Cameron choked on a laugh, though he wasn’t really surprised. His grandmother had always been rather blunt and outspoken. She just chuckled at him as she crossed the room and dropped into a heavily cushioned chair in front of the empty fireplace and placed her feet up on the matching ottoman.
Closing the door, Cameron turned back to his family, arms folded over his chest. For as exhausting as they were, Cameron didn’t hesitate to admit he was glad they were here. Not only were they safe from the threats from this secret mage group, but they could give him some much-needed insight into a certain tight-lipped dragon.
“It’s complicated.”
Cassie snorted from her blanket nest. “Sex is not complicated. You only make it complicated.”
“Is that what you told your new girlfriend?”
Cassie’s head immediately popped up and she glared at her twin. “Sasha isn’t just sex. She…” Cassie paused and let out the dreamiest sigh he’d ever heard. Cameron expected little red hearts to dance around her head and blue birds to start singing in his room. What the hell! “Sasha is just amazing. She’s fierce and brilliant and so protective. She looks at me like I’m the most precious thing she’s ever seen. And she’s not intimidated or overwhelmed by me. She’s…she’s perfect and I adore her.”
“Are you telling me you’ve met your mate already? Are you kidding me?”
“Yeah. Why not? I just look at her and know.” Cassie fisted her hands in the bedding. “She’s mine.” His sister looked ready to go to war to defend that statement.
“Does Sasha feel the same way?”
“I think so.” Cassie shrugged and looked away. “It’s not like we’ve had that conversation, but I can see it when she looks at me. She’s mine and I’m hers.”
Cameron wandered over and flopped down on the comfy sofa in front of the fireplace next to his grandmother’s chair. “Yeah, well… things aren’t so obvious with Alric. He’s complicated.”
“Men like to think they’re complicated, but they’re not,” Halmeoni said sagely, earning a glare from Cameron before he dropped his arm over his eyes.
“It’s not a matter of whether he’s interested. We’re definitely attracted to each other.”
“That’s a good start in terms of nookie,” Cassie interjected.
Cameron ignored her. “But I don’t know if he’s my mate, and I don’t get the feeling Alric is sure I’m his mate. We’re both being cautious, and I understand. Alric survived this whole war that decimated his family, his people, and our people because some asshole wanted a dragon who wasn’t his mate. I don’t want to be that next asshole who destroys more dragons, and Alric doesn’t want to hurt me.”
And then there was the entire issue with Alric’s self-esteem and sense of self-worth thanks to his old war injury. But Cameron wasn’t comfortable talking about that just yet. The urge to protect the dragon was damn near suffocating.
A scoffing noise came from Halmeoni, and Cameron lowered his arm to see his grandmother looking at him with an expression of disbelief. “Do you really think you’re going to start a war over Alric?”
A little voice in Cameron’s heart immediately shouted, “YES!” Alric was his. Cameron wanted to lay claim to all his smiles and even his frowns. He wanted to be the person Alric talked to when he was worried or upset. He wanted to be the one who took his cares away and made him feel light
er. He wanted to teach him that his damn scars didn’t matter, that he was beautiful, strong, and powerful even with the scars.
He blinked. Um. Emotions, where did those come from? Shit, had that possessiveness really been hiding under the surface all this time? How had Cameron not realized it before? And what should he do about it because obviously this was so much more than attraction or a crush. Cameron’s heart was going into some pretty serious territory.
Cameron’s eyes focused on his grandmother to find a knowing smile on her face, as if she could read his thoughts. Magic or no magic, Halmeoni was a dangerous woman. God help the world when she did know magic. Yeah, okay, he’d better think about his feelings on Alric later. When he had the privacy to really turn it over in his head.
“It just takes time. We’ll get there or we won’t,” Cameron said on a sigh. “In the meantime, I have been made an official member of the Burkhard clan. Alric said you’ll both be meeting the clan tomorrow, and there will be a celebration of sorts. Tonight, he wanted to give you a chance to relax and rest.”
“Such a sweet, thoughtful dragon,” Halmeoni murmured. The woman was not helping. It was better to change the subject completely.
Cameron sat up enough to look over at his sister. “What about mom and dad? Why didn’t they come?”
Cassie snorted. “You know how dad is when he’s in the middle of a major project. And it’s not like he ever believed in magic in the first place. Definitely not when it came to our family. It’s not like mom’s going to leave his side either.”
“But if it’s not safe—”
“They’ll be fine,” Halmeoni said calmly. She dropped her feet to the floor and leaned toward Cameron. “Baldewin had this wonderful amulet that he waved at both of them, but it didn’t glow like it did for Cassie and me.”
Cameron grunted. He couldn’t say that he was particularly surprised that his parents weren’t mages, but it would have been nice if they’d come so he could be sure they were safe. “They were tested and neither are mages. At this point, they’re not really in danger. The kidnappers are only interested in mages.”