Page 20 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume One

A smile bloomed over Baldewin’s face. “I’ll do that. Here, exchange numbers with me. Just in case.”

With a nod, he paused long enough to give his number to Baldewin and to program both Baldewin’s and Alric’s in return. Cameron got out, closing the door behind him, and immediately questioned himself. Did he seriously just tell a dragon king to not be late? Muttering to himself, he headed for the front lobby doors of the hotel. “I’ve either got bigger balls than I gave myself credit for or I’m crazy. The man can roast me if I piss him off. Suck in a breath and bam, charcoal.”

His phone rang, and he lifted it to see the caller. Halmeoni. Of course, it was. It figured she was still awake. He answered it with resignation. “What, did Cassie call you before going back to sleep?”

“Yes, because she’s a good grandchild,” Halmeoni answered in her cute, accented English. She sounded pissed enough to broil him over a spit right now, though. Her accent always got thicker when she was mad. “What’s this I hear about you meeting dragons?”

“Yeah…that just happened. I, uh, didn’t know they still were around?” Cameron picked his words carefully, as he was still passing people in the halls, and he didn’t want to speak carelessly. He sped up a little, trying to get to his room so he could talk freely.

Halmeoni sounded beyond excited. If she wasn’t bouncing in her favorite chair, he’d be surprised. “Which clan?”

“Hang on just one sec, I’m in the hallway and getting into my room.” He juggled phone and wallet, pulled out the electronic pass key, and let himself into the room. With the door closed behind him, he let out a breath of relief. “Fire Clan.”

Halmeoni made a sound only dogs could hear. “Fire Clan! You’re sure?”

“Veeery sure, trust me on that. One of them went dragon form to prove it to me. Good god, Halmeoni, but they’re huge in dragon form!”

She cackled like a mad witch. “I’m so glad you finally believe me.”

Cameron really had no good defense there. So he chose not to comment. “Thing is, Halmeoni, they haven’t seen another mage in five hundred years.”

“WHAT!”

“Seriously. They’ve been looking this whole time, and right now their clan is in bad shape because no new mages. So they’re latching onto me pretty hard right now because apparently I smell strongly of magic?”

Her excitement somehow impossibly tripled. “So, you are a mage!”

“No,” he protested, exasperated as he dropped down to sit on the edge of the queen-sized bed. “I⁠—”

“I always suspected you were. You and your sister. So analytical in how you think, and the way you see the world and can put the pieces together. A mage’s mind.”

“Will you please focus? The point is, the Noh Clan was known for magic, and once they put it together that I’m a descendent of that clan, and that I have family, they’re now very interested in meeting the rest of you.”

She sucked in a sharp breath. When Halmeoni spoke again, it was with all the wonder and joy of a small child. “They want to meet me too?”

Cameron smiled, a little helplessly, because it was cute how excited she was by all of this. And really, he felt like he was helping to make a dream come true for her. “They are literally on the edge of their seats, dying to meet you. They have so many questions for you.”

“Tell them I’ll look at flights. Damn, I need to get my hair redone first. The purple’s fading.”

Cameron felt like he needed to give the dragons here a head’s up.

Brace yourself. Halmeoni is coming.

Alric drove up to Cameron’s hotel promptly at nine o’clock the next day, simply grateful that the man was willing to give him a second chance. He was going to take it a little slower this time. Move at a pace Cameron was comfortable with. He couldn’t afford to scare him off.

He touched his tie, making sure it was still perfectly in place. He was dreadfully overdressed for the final day of the festival, but Alric didn’t possess much in the way of casual wear. It was expected that he always appear pulled together. A show of strength. He wanted to at least present as someone his people could have confidence in.

The summer sun was only now warming the city as the shadows were chased away. It would be a pretty day, it seemed.

Alric had a speech in his head, an apology to give, but it faltered almost immediately as he pulled up to the front of the hotel. Cameron wasn’t sedately standing outside, oh no. He had a leg out like a woman showing off, pulling his pants up a bare inch to show a slice of ankle. It was such an absurd pose that Alric stared for a full second, befuddled, before bursting out laughing.

Cameron waggled his eyebrows in an outrageous manner as Alric pulled up and stopped. He opened the door, leaning around the side to give Alric an outrageous eyebrow waggle again. “You couldn’t help but stop for that sexy ankle, am I right?”

Alric’s helpless laughter continued. “Absolutely. The sexiness of your ankle did me in. A siren’s call too hard to resist.”

“I’ve got exceptional ankles, I know. I don’t unleash them on men often. Causes too many car accidents.” He hopped into the car, a smile on his face as if he knew he’d broken the ice and was smug about it.

Alric was so relieved at Cameron’s teasing he could have wept. Far too many hopes rested on Cameron, and their connection was far too tenuous to put much weight upon. Seeing him here, smiling, after he’d stormed out yesterday allayed his fears. Still, he felt the urge to clear the air, too. Not just leave things unspoken and swept under the rug. “About yesterday, I’m sorry things did not proceed how you’d likely hoped. I was too focused on discerning what you do know and what you didn’t, and failed to consider your own reaction to it all. I genuinely enjoyed spending the day with you, and would like very much to repeat it. If you wish, we can return to the castle for that tour. No talk of dragons or mages. Just you and me walking around the castle. Or Baldewin if you’d rather talk with him. Ravi can also be quite fun once you get used to him.”