Page 192 of Scales ’N’ Spells: Volume Two

Gunter was smoking hot, alright? And Nikki was dying to get their hands on him. If they’d possessed the slightest clue on how to seduce Gunter and get him into the mood, Nikki would have already had the dragon naked and lubed up. Their own inability to make it happen just put another layer of frustration on their already itchy libido. The closest they’d come was that moment in the storage closet, which had been hot as sin—and just short of the goal line.

It didn’t help that Nikki was also a little emotionally frustrated. Gunter didn’t seem to understand Nikki’s investment in him. They had taken one look at Gunter while the world had been exploding around them, Jaeggi screaming, dragons roaring, magic flying everywhere, and they had just known Gunter was theirs. He’d been their white knight in glinting spectacles. Stern expression and blond hair falling in his eyes, Gunter had the look of a warrior who would vanquish all foes and carry them off.

Of course, his dragon with deep red scales and large, wise eyes had been impressive as well. For some reason they could never fully explain, Nikki had always felt safe around Gunter and his dragon. He felt cherished and cared for, and somehow needed.

Gunter needed them.

Ugh, Nikki wasn’t sure how to get any of that through Gunter’s head. But surely sex would help? Nikki had to try something, at any rate.

Maybe that was why they couldn’t focus. They’d rather sit here and plot how to get Gunter naked. It was a more enticing thing to focus on than the very dry analytical information about every spell ingredient.

Seriously, far too many numbers and dry facts. Nikki was retaining nothing of it.

Nikki hadn’t been able to concentrate in Gunter’s room. They’d naïvely thought being in their room would help, for some reason. Boy, had that not worked at all.

A brisk knock on the door had Nikki sighing in relief as they tossed the book aside. Thank god; pretending to study wasn’t going anywhere. They’d much prefer to spend their time with Gunter. They knew that knock. Gunter was at their door.

Nikki ripped the door open but managed to not leap at the dragon. Playing hard to get might be utterly out of their reach, but they could play it cool. A little. Maybe. “Hey!” Nikki greeted, somehow managing not to bounce on the balls of their feet like an overly excited puppy.

“Good evening. I’m not disturbing you, am I?” Gunter inquired. His eyes landed on Nikki briefly and then quickly darted away again. He touched one arm of his glasses, resettling them on his nose. His long fingers then fluttered to the collar of his shirt before dropping down to his side. His other hand clenched around an old looking book he carried. Was he nervous about something?

“Nope. I was trying to read some of the spell instruction book Lisette gave me,” they replied with an absent wave over their shoulder in the direction of the dreaded thing. Most of the book was interesting, but that one chapter…it might take a month to get Nikki through the equations chapter.

“Oh. I didn’t mean to interrupt. I can come back another time.” Gunter retreated a step as if he intended to run down the hall, but Nikki grabbed Gunter’s free hand and pulled him across the threshold.

“No, you’re definitely not escaping. I’d much rather have a visit from you than read another page of that book.”

“You need to study,” Gunter admonished, but Nikki wasn’t really listening. They’d gotten the reluctant dragon into their lair and closed the door behind him. Nikki leaned against the sturdy wood barrier, grinning. Oh, what to do with the dragon now?

“I know, but the book is boring. I think I might be more of a hands-on learner.” As Nikki spoke, they raised their hands and made a grabby motion at Gunter.

He just shook his head, but Nikki didn’t miss the little smile lurking on his lips. Gunter crossed into the sitting area and looked around the room.

Not too much had changed since Nikki had moved in. Some of the things they’d ordered with Gunter’s help had arrived, adding brilliant color to the room. There was a new jewel-toned blue and green throw blanket draped over the back the sofa, and a rainbow of little glass jars. Nikki wasn’t sure what they’d do with them yet. For now, Nikki just loved the colors.

“Sit,” Nikki directed, crossing to the sofa so that they could sit right next to him.

Gunter dropped to the soft cushions, moving the book to his lap. He looked down at it and frowned.

“What’s that? A little light reading before bed?”

Nikki leaned in to look at the cover, but there was no title. It was covered in exquisitely tooled leather with worn gold embossing. It looked as if it might be a couple centuries old at the very least. Maybe older. Those books rarely left the library. Gunter preferred to read them in the library where they were protected from accidents.

“I had thought to make it a gift, but now I’m questioning the logic of it. You’ll likely find it boring. I shouldn’t have brought it.”

Gunter moved to stand, but Nikki caught his arm and pulled him back down on the sofa. They held on with both hands in case the dragon tried to flee yet again. “It’s a gift? The book is a gift for me?”

“Yes.”

“I like books. I like reading. I spend all day reading with you.”

“I thought I’d found something special for you, but I tend to forget that not everyone gets excited over books like I do,” he said, still looking painfully awkward.

Nikki held out their hands. “Why don’t you give me the book and let me decide how special the book is?” Naturally, they’d think the book special because Gunter had specifically selected it for them. That alone made it precious.

Gunter sighed and placed the somewhat heavy tome in their palms. Nikki carefully settled the book in their lap and gingerly flipped open the front cover, which was also blank. The interior of the book was all handwritten, like a journal. That was unexpected. It couldn’t possibly be Gunter’s personal journal. While he was certainly old enough to have written this, the handwriting didn’t look like his.

“What is it?” Nikki flashed him a wicked grin. “An ancient cookbook that snuck into your library?”