Page 17 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

“What’s done is done. Learn from it. You’re wasting energy on something that can’t be changed now. You must turn your gaze forward and plan for the next step.”

Alric nodded. “You’re right. Baldewin will help calm him.”

“A passionate mage makes for an excellent mate,” Dieter declared as if it was already settled that Cameron would just come around and join their clan with no more problems.

“And he’s brilliant,” Alric quickly added. “During our walk yesterday, he was telling me all about his travels and the things he so clearly remembered. His mind is sharp. I know he’s going to take to magic so easily. He will just soak everything in and possibly even expand upon what we already know. Cameron will bring incredible strength to our clan and the mages. He would make an excellent mate for Gunter. Both of them are geniuses in their own right. They’re driven and determined. But then, we believe his line is from the Noh Clan. They are typically mated with the Wind Clan.”

Dieter cringed. “Possibly, but I’d hoped for someone with a firmer hand and calmer temperament when it came to Ravi’s mate. Pairing Ravi with Cameron’s clearly passionate nature seems dangerous.”

“Then Baldewin. He’s a calm and steady force. Not prone to emotional outbursts. He could be a rock for Cameron to lean on. Or maybe someone else from our clan. Most of our people are unmated.”

“Or maybe our king,” Dieter said, but Alric was already shaking his head. “You deserve a mate just as much as the rest of our people. It makes you stronger in ways that cannot be easily explained.”

He had to be careful wanting Cameron in any way. A mage wanting someone he couldn’t have was what led to the destruction of dragons and mages. Alric would not make the same mistake.

“It is as you’ve told me in the past—if it’s meant to be, then it will be. I need to direct my energies toward what is best for my people. I just pray that Baldewin can help calm Cameron.”

Because no matter what happened, he was not letting Cameron out of his sight again.

Cameron sat in the passenger seat of the car fuming. He wasn’t sure who he was angrier with—Alric or himself. Alric was being stubborn and pushy, insistent on a topic Cameron couldn’t wrap his head around.

He’d been pushed so much in his life by loving, well-meaning people that it grated now when anyone did it. Take his engineering degree, for example. Here he was with a master’s in it, a decision that wasn’t really of his making, and it rankled. The moment they’d handed him the diploma, Cameron knew it had been a mistake. It wasn’t truly what he wanted.

And now here was Alric, pushing him to be something else. And for selfish reasons, too, as the man was only interested in trying to save his clan. Save from what, was the question he should have asked, but that was neither here nor there right now. He was too upset to care. Cameron hated him for that a little because the man had been personable and charming yesterday. But it was all with that agenda in mind. Cameron felt a little used.

But what burned the most was that for a moment, just a moment, he had wanted it to be true. Every kid dreamed of being something special, something magical and amazing. Cameron had dreamed of it through a good portion of his childhood, and his grandmother had fueled the dreams by telling him stories of what his ancestors had done. The magic they had wrought, the spells they could do, and how they’d lived with dragons. His parents had knocked sense back into him as he’d headed into his teen years, and the dreams had crumbled and faded. Hearing Alric speak to him so earnestly, he flashed back to those childhood daydreams. For an incredible moment, the future had been nothing but magic stretching out ahead of him.

Until reality came crashing back in.

Reality was a bitch.

Baldewin drove without saying a word, but the silence was judgy. Very judgy. Cameron glared at him from the corner of his eye. “You don’t like how I spoke to him.”

“He’s already feeling guilty about many things. He was afraid of overwhelming you with too much information. I’m sure that after your reaction, he’s convinced he did overwhelm you and is now kicking himself for it.”

Oh. Well, that took some of the wind out of Cameron’s sails. Only some, though; he was still pissed. He wasn’t sure how much to say to Baldewin. The man struck him as loyal to a fault. “What are you to him, precisely?”

“Technically, a retainer. I serve as head of security too. But we’ve known each other almost since diapers.”

“A childhood friend, huh.”

“Yes.” Baldewin shot him a measuring glance before his eyes returned to the twisting mountain road. “I know he seems stiff and formal with you. That’s his default with people he doesn’t know well.”

“Actually, the man was charming all day yesterday. It’s why he pissed me off so badly because I wouldn’t have followed him up here if he hadn’t been sort of…leading me on, I guess.”

Baldewin slowed for a curve, his head canted as if puzzled. “He was charming with you? Well now. That’s interesting. I’ve never seen him open up with someone he’s known less than a day.”

Cameron tumbled that through his head for a moment. Either Baldewin was playing him or…well, no, the man seemed perfectly sincere. And a little confused, truth be told. “So you think he actually does like me.”

“Yes. Answer me one question, did he laugh at any time yesterday?”

That was a weird question. “Sure. I’m a funny person.”

Baldewin let out a huff of astonishment. “Ravi is hysterical and can barely get him to crack a smile half the time. But you heard him laugh? Then yes, he likes you quite a bit.”

“Well shit. Now I feel like a jerk for blowing up at him.” The charm hadn’t been faked, but he’d still taken it personally and blown up at the man. Cameron sank into his seat, slouching a little. Maybe there was a hole somewhere he could crawl into and pull something over his head.

“I think he’ll understand your reaction. We did throw a lot at you all at once.”