Origin (Scales 'N' Spells Book 1)

by AJ Sherwood

  Alric closed his eyes and let Cameron’s warm reassurance wash through him. How had he lived so many centuries without this man? He prayed he never had to live another second without him in his arms.

  Cameron eventually fell asleep with his head still on Alric’s chest, in his arms, and Alric followed with a very content smile lingering on his face, feeling a deep peace he’d not known in a long time.

  Cameron, for probably the first time in his life, was seriously stumped. This was quite the conundrum he’d been handed.

  Did he wake up Alric with a blowjob?

  Or let the man sleep a little longer?

  Looking at Alric lying flat on his back, head tilted ever so slightly toward Cameron, that peaceful expression on his face, Cameron was inclined to let the man sleep a little longer. After all, Alric had been jumping from one stressful situation to the next for days now. He deserved his sleep.

  But on the other hand, Cameron had not gotten his fill of sex last night. He, too, had been strained and exhausted, and that fatigue had snuck up and ambushed him before he could get round two started. Cameron had had absolutely every intention of throwing a leg over Alric and riding the man hard. And Alric really needed some positive reinforcement. Last night had been good, a positive first step, but Cameron didn’t think the battle was won yet on that score. The insecurity went in too deep. Cameron would need to pounce on him and pounce often to get it through Alric’s head that he was a sexy, sexy beast. Dragon. Whatever.

  It was a sacrifice, for sure, but Cameron was willing. Definitely too eager.

  The scale toward morning blowjob was tipping that direction. In Cameron’s not at all prejudiced opinion, the dragon king needed sex more than he needed sleep.

  The sun was rising steadily, creeping its way across the room and toward the bed. Cameron knew time was slipping past him. Soon, people would come in to see where Alric was, to rouse him for their own purposes. Cameron would have to share him at that point. He knew, intellectually at least, that Alric could never be fully his. Not his time, at least. There would always be the demands of the clan pulling Alric away.

  It was alright. Cameron didn’t need to be the sole focus at all times. That would honestly get to be too stifling. Over a long stretch of time, it would lead to Alric driving him bat shit crazy, in fact. As long as Cameron could have Alric part of the time, as long as they had moments like this one, these lazy mornings where he could see and touch Alric to his heart’s content, it would be fine.

  Yeah, okay, sex won.

  Cameron leaned in, kissing just under Alric’s jaw in a slow caress of lips on skin. Alric was warm against him, like a hot water bottle, which was delicious in the cool air of the morning. Cameron was careful to not put any weight on the left side as he trailed lips down the column of Alric’s throat, his hand sliding smoothly down over ruined and pristine skin alike. The difference in texture was actually fascinating to touch.

  Alric stirred under him and there was a smile in his husky voice. “Guten Morgen.”

  “Guten Morgen,” Cameron returned. His German accent was still stiff, the words not comfortable on his tongue yet. But since he’d apparently live in Germany for the rest of his life, he was determined to learn the language quickly. He lifted his head, a hint of a smirk playing about his mouth. Alric looked mussed and adorable, and best yet, still relaxed. Excellent. “Just so you know, I plan to wake you up like this every morning.”

  “Oh?” Alric’s eyes crinkled up in a smile. “But what if I wake up before you?”

  “Then I expect you to wake me up in a fun, sexy way.”

  “You’re a fan of morning sex, I take it?”

  Cameron shifted up, kissed him in a lingering way before breathing over Alric’s mouth, “I’m game for sex morning, noon, and night if it’s with you.”

  Alric’s Prussian blue eyes darkened in hunger. Oh, he liked hearing that. Cameron thrilled a little at putting that look on his lover’s face. His hand snaked up, grasping Cameron right behind the thigh and hauling him over to straddle Alric’s hips. “And this morning?”

  “I think you can tell that I’m very on board with this morning.” Cameron’s hand dropped down, gathering up not only his morning wood but Alric’s, pulling them together and stroking them in a light grip. “You clearly are too.”

  “I am indeed,” Alric all but purred at him. “And I think this morning, I want to have you.”

  It was very hard, but Cameron didn’t crow in glee. Near thing, though. Very near thing. “Yes please—”

  There was a knock at the sitting room door. It was immediately followed by the snick as the door latch opened. Ravi’s voice called out from the adjoining room, “Hoheit—"

  Alric twisted immediately, putting Cameron on his side and under the blankets while simultaneously popping up onto his right elbow. He snapped out, “The first person into this room is beheaded!”

  Ravi’s footsteps immediately stopped. “Uh, Hoheit?”

  Hiding his face against Alric’s chest, Cameron tried to smother a snicker.

  It didn’t matter. With a dragon’s keen hearing, Ravi heard it anyway. “Wait, Hoheit, do you have company this morning?”

  “I do, as it happens,” Alric ground out. “And you’re interrupting. Out, Ravi.”

  “Really? Who? Oooh, tell me it’s—”

  “OUT!” Alric bellowed.

  Ravi skittered out the door, slamming it behind him. He plaintively complained from the hallway in a loud voice, “I didn’t know!”

  Cameron snickered again, holding onto Alric. “Maybe we need to invest in a do-not-disturb sign.”

  Alric groaned. “Apparently we do.”

  The mood was somewhat killed, but Cameron strangely didn’t mind. He had faith he could get Alric revved up again. It was almost a good thing Ravi interrupted them, in a way. It showed Alric that even with the interruption, Cameron wasn’t going to get pissy about it. He knew Alric’s time was precious and complicated.

  He kissed Alric’s jaw affectionately. “Come on. Shower with me. Then I’ll slather the oil on you.”

  Alric tensed, and not in a good way. “I can put the oil on.”

  Welp. There was the roadblock. Not entirely where Cameron had expected it to be, granted, but he had been ready for it. It figured that Alric would try to evade him here. “Alric, it’s not a big deal—”

  “It’s not your responsibility,” Alric said repressively, still as taut as a novice fakir on a bed of nails. And about as comfortable, too.

  “You can’t even comfortably reach your back,” Cameron argued in exasperation. “None of us can.”

  Alric sighed, uncomfortable and not really hiding it all that well.

  Right, wrong tactic. Time to try something different. “You liked it when I put the oil on you before.”

  “A little too much,” Alric muttered in dark amusement.

  Oh? That sounded as if Cameron needed to get the details later. “So why is this an issue now?”

  “Cameron.” Alric passed a hand up and down Cameron’s back, much like he was stroking a cat. “No man wishes to be a burden to his lover.”

  “Yeah, I get that. I really do. But I don’t see this as a burden. Alric, I can’t help you with a lot of things. There’s a lot you shoulder on a day-to-day basis, and I can only do so much to help with that. But making sure you’re not in pain while you’re working? That I can do. And I get my hands all over you in the process, which is a bonus. Don’t take this little thing away from me.”

  Alric pulled back enough to look up at his face, scrutinizing it as if to see Cameron’s sincerity. Cameron looked steadily back, willing him to believe it. To not argue the point.

  Slowly, as if he were puzzling this out aloud, Alric murmured, “You really do see it that way, don’t you?”

  “I really do. Once I put that oil on you, I’m relieved. Because I know you’re going to be alright.” At least until the next morning, when the potion wore off.

  Alric stud
ied him for several moments longer. Not in a way that suggested he was judging Cameron’s words, but more as if he were adjusting his own attitude about it all. He finally acceded with a faint smile. “As long as you’re offering.”

  Cameron’s internal cheerleader jumped up and down a few times. “So, oil before or after shower?”

  “After. It’ll wash off and will do me no good.”

  It didn’t look like Alric was in true pain yet. He always got a crease between his brows, a tension around his eyes as if he were fighting to subdue the pain. Cameron didn’t see that yet on his face. It was likely safe to do more than chastely shower together.

  Cameron might be just a little horny and hot for dragon still.

  Rolling free of the bed, he stood there and held out a hand toward Alric. “Then come on. Before someone else tries to barge in.”

  Alric took it, fetching up against Cameron and kissing him deeply. “We might need to be quick this morning.”

  “Sadly, yeah.” Cameron kept hold of his hand as he led the way toward the ensuite bathroom. He did toss an innocent glance over his shoulder, though. Alric was damn fine to watch, casually walking about nude like this.

  “What?” Alric asked as if he knew very well what Cameron was doing.

  “So, I just have to ask, what’s your opinion on nooners?”

  Alric laughed aloud.

  Cameron had barely sat at the table with breakfast when Ravi appeared out of nowhere—literally thin air—and plopped into the chair next to him, practically vibrating. Cameron eyed him sideways, knowing full well what this was about but perfectly ready to string Ravi along for a while. Just for the evil pleasure of it. “Yeees?”

  “So?” Ravi prompted, practically vibrating in his chair. “Don’t leave me hanging, man, you were still in bed with my king this morning. Please, oh please tell me sexy times ensued because if there’s anyone who desperately needs to get laid, it’s Alric.”

  “Oh, sexy times did happen,” Cameron promised him, stirring a spoonful of sugar into his coffee. The coffee here was really excellent.

  Ravi’s head tipped back as if he were saying a prayer toward heaven. “Thank god.” Dropping back down, he demanded, “And how was it?”

  He let his smirk speak volumes before taking a sip of his coffee.

  “Oh really.” Ravi leaned in, eyes shining. “Spare me no details. Literally none.”

  Someone dropped into the chair across the table, and Cameron looked up to find his sister with a coffee and loaded croissant in hand. “What’s this? I heard sexy times.”

  “I almost walked in on Cameron and Alric this morning,” Ravi explained rapidly. “And now he’s going to tell us all the details.”

  Cameron deliberately put a confused expression on his face. “I don’t remember promising that.”

  “I personally don’t want to hear all the details,” Cassie put forth. “Because he’s my brother. Ick. No. Just like he doesn’t want to hear what Sasha and I got up to last night, despite how dreamy it was.”

  “You’re right, I want no details on that, only that you liked what you did and you’re still happy this morning.” Which she obviously was. Cassie practically glowed. He’d never actually seen her like this before. Most of her dates went rather poorly.

  “Oh, I definitely liked it,” Cassie purred, more smug than a feline with a new dish of cream. “But you finally got Alric, eh? About time.”

  “I told you it was complicated. I managed to get past the complications, is all.”

  Ravi’s joking took on a more serious note. “May I ask what your intentions are, good mage?”

  “I intend to make him happy, as much as I can.” Cameron deliberately met Ravi’s eyes, and Ravi’s relief could not be more apparent. Cameron meant every word of it. He wasn’t entirely sure what he and Alric were doing, but his feelings for the man were very strong. He wanted to make Alric happy. Nothing could please Cameron more.

  Putting them back on a lighter note, he added, “And to sex him up whenever possible. Because damn, that man is perfectly delicious.”

  “Yeah?” Ravi rubbed his hands together in brisk anticipation. “I’m so teasing him about this later. Alright, I’ll spread the word. No one in the king’s rooms in the morning. He’ll be busy.”

  Cameron nodded solemnly. “Very busy.”

  Ravi promptly stood up in the chair and announced in a loud voice, “Everyone hear that? No entering the king’s bedroom in the mornings! He’ll be occupied with the most handsome Cameron Park.”

  Most of the clan was in the room for breakfast, and as one they all turned, then let out a cheer, some of them clapping. Cameron took the teasing in stride and stood, giving them a bow in both directions, taking this congratulations as his due. He should have known Ravi would do that.

  On second thought, maybe it was just as well Alric hadn’t joined him for breakfast. The poor man would have combusted on the spot.

  And when he heard of this later, he might still kill Ravi for it.

  “Pacing is not going to do anything but wear you out.”

  Alric nearly growled at his advisor, but he did stop and stand in front of the large window looking out on the valley below, his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks. The sun was just starting to peek over the mountains and burn off the early-morning mist. The world looked peaceful and the day full of wonderful promise.

  But there was also the promise of disaster.

  Gunter and Melissande had left early for the town they’d discovered as the possible hiding place for the dark mages. They’d taken only one other dragon guard with them, and Alric was not happy about it. They should have taken an entire damn army with them. It wasn’t that he lacked faith in Gunter’s ability to keep Melissande safe. He was more concerned with Gunter keeping himself safe. His old friend tended to get lost in his studies and search for knowledge. He didn’t know when to retreat sometimes, and Alric didn’t want him pushing things too far.

  “We should have sent more guards with them,” Alric muttered.

  “This is a reconnaissance mission, Hoheit. Not an invasion,” Dieter said patiently.

  Alric spun around suddenly, glaring at the older dragon. Sometimes he just wished Dieter would lose his cool, confident exterior. Nothing ruffled the man. Well, nothing but Lisette.

  “They’ve already come after Cameron and his sister. To me, that warrants an invasion,” Alric countered.

  Dieter just smiled at him, and Alric suddenly felt like a petulant child. “Their actions deserve an appropriate response, but not before we know who we face and the size of their force.”

  Alric grunted and turned back toward the window, ignoring Dieter’s too-knowing gaze.

  “When did you last shift and allow your dragon some time in the sun?” Dieter inquired, and Alric barely held in his snap of frustration. It wasn’t that long ago that he’d thought the same thing about Gunter and his endless devotion to his books.

  “My dragon is fine,” Alric said in a hard voice, hoping to end Dieter’s line of questions. He didn’t shift often. According to Dieter, it was far too infrequently. But shifting was only a painful reminder of what he’d lost. Dragons were meant to fly, to soar high above the world and feel the wind rushing past his face.

  But Alric couldn’t fly. It had been five hundred years since he’d last flown, and he could feel each one of those days etched in his dragon’s soul.

  For the most part, his dragon had been content to curl up deep inside of him and let the world pass him by. The only exception to that was Cameron. It grew harder by the day to ignore his dragon’s demands where Cameron was concerned. Alric might well have to let his dragon out soon just so it would stop fussing so much.

  Right now, those demands were to gather all of the dragons in Burkhard Castle and lay waste to the entire town. Only its total destruction would mean Cameron and his family were safe from these mages.

  “Cameron is safe,” Dieter murmured, his voice low and soothing. “He
and his family are safe in the castle. They had a lovely breakfast with the clan this morning. A fun one, apparently, as there was a great deal of teasing and laughter. Though…I understand they had a little trouble locating Cameron this morning.”

  Alric turned enough to glare at his advisor. “Don’t,” he warned.

  Dieter smiled at him in return. “We only want your happiness.”

  “I will not discuss Cameron, and you can inform everyone else who is concerned about my happiness that we are not to be a topic of castle gossip.”

  Dieter bowed his head, his smile still not disappearing. “Of course, Eure Majestät.”

  Not that Alric believed for a second the gossip would end right there. The appearance of three mages after so many years was of great interest to everyone. The only thing of more interest was who would prove to be their mates. Alric wasn’t letting himself think about that issue any longer. He only wanted to enjoy the time he had with Cameron while he could.

  Those moments were growing more and more precious to him with each passing day. It wasn’t just the incredible sex or the fact Cameron didn’t give a damn about his scars. Alric had seen and felt quite clearly that Cameron was attracted to him.

  No, it was waking up this morning wrapped in his arms, their naked skin pressed together. It was being lucky enough to see Cameron’s very first smile of the day and knowing he’d caused it. He was allowed to see Cameron naked, skin flushed with desire and joy. His hair had been perfectly disheveled, and those wide brown eyes stared only at him. For just a few minutes, he’d been Cameron’s entire world, and it had been heaven.

  Was it greedy to want to start every morning the same way?

  Probably.

  But it wasn’t greedy to want Cameron safe and secure at all times.

  Unrealistic maybe, but not greedy.

  Alric’s phone started ringing, and he nearly jumped out of his skin, he’d been so deep in thought about Cameron. He pulled it out of his pocket and answered the call, immediately switching it over to speaker when the caller ID came up as Gunter.