Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

“Meetings. It’s late. There’s barely time for coffee now. You have class.”

“No,” Nikki whined. “This is better than coffee and meetings.”

“Yes, it is, but—”

Whatever Gunter had been about to say was suddenly interrupted by loud banging on Gunter’s door. Nikki jumped and tugged at Gunter, trying to use his larger body to shield his own nudity.

“Eep!” It was a totally undignified sound. Nikki would be embarrassed by it later, but it legitimately sounded like the Jaeggi were trying to break down the door.

“Shake a leg, Grumpy!” Ravi’s muffled voice filtered into the rooms. “Alric wants to talk to you about the report you sent over last night. You’ve got fifteen minutes.”

“Go away, Ravi!” Nikki shouted.

Ravi didn’t answer, but they could clearly hear his laughter.

“Tell Alric I’ll be along at my usual time after I’ve had breakfast like a civilized creature,” Gunter added with a snarl.

Ravi laughed harder. “I can’t wait to tell him that.”

Yep, they totally got it now. Nikki wanted to strangle the wind dragon.

Gunter sighed, looking as disappointed by their interrupted morning as they felt.

“I guess we can’t tell Alric you’re not coming, huh? Or to maybe go suck a lemon?”

Gunter’s lips twitched like he was fighting back a smile, but their serious dragon recovered. “Alric is understanding, but I don’t like the idea of disappointing my king. He at least understands I need coffee before I can tackle his demands.”

This time, Nikki sighed. They got that. Alric was a good king, and he had offered Nikki safety and protection. If he needed Gunter, they could allow the king to borrow his dragon for a few hours.

Gunter pressed a kiss to their temple. “You can lounge a bit longer while I get a quick shower. Then we’ll grab a quick breakfast.”

Nikki unbent a little. Breakfast with Gunter was always nice, and it gave them a chance to monitor their dragon’s bad eating habits.

The dragon started to lift off of them but stopped suddenly. “One more thing. You can move in if you’d like.”

“Really?” Nikki’s heart soared and then stopped as all of what Gunter was saying finally processed in their brain. Oh fuck yes, finally. Gunter was secure enough to move their relationship up to the next level. Nikki might cry. Mostly tears of relief they didn’t have to drag Gunter to this next step. “Yes, absolutely yes, I want to move in with you. I sleep better when I can hear you breathing and when I can smell you on the pillows.”

“Good. These are our rooms now. Feel free to move your things in whenever you wish, or we can do it together after dinner, if you’d like.” Gunter started to kiss them again but jerked away with a growl. “Shower. Running out of time,” he muttered under his breath before tossing back the blankets and leaping out of the bed.

Nikki continued to lounge in the bed, enjoying the show of Gunter stalking naked to the closet to grab some undergarments before stomping into the bathroom, still grumbling under his breath. His dragon did not like mornings and he did not like to be rushed. That was okay. Nikki would come up with new ways to improve Gunter’s mood in the morning.

Yes, that sounded like an excellent plan.

But after they moved all their things into Gunter’s—no, their—rooms.

This whole Nikki thing brought a new dimension to life. Gunter was used to waking up alone, going through a morning routine, eating with the clan, and holing himself up with his books and research. It wasn’t that life was monotonous, per se. It was mostly just predictable.

Nikki and ‘predictable’ didn’t belong in the same sphere of existence.

Only two mornings together, and Gunter’s morning routine was already trashed the second Nikki opened their eyes. It was energy, and affectionate kisses, and being tackled in the shower. It became less a chore and more a show that Gunter was privileged to watch as Nikki tried on three different outfits in succession before settling on one. Only to change their mind and go for something else entirely.

Gunter could admit, even if only to himself, that maybe life had been a bit boring before Nikki burst on scene.

They went up to breakfast and settled in with full plates. Before much time had passed at all, Nikki was glancing at their phone and saying, “Oh, I’ve got a magic lesson with everyone in about twenty minutes.” Nikki finished up the last bite of breakfast, smiling. “I’ll come get you for lunch, okay?”

They bounced up from the chair, smacked a kiss on Gunter’s mouth before he could get a word out edgewise, and bussed their dishes with a pep in their step.

Gunter could only watch, jaw dangling.

That was Nikki, right?

His Nikki, the one who distrusted and feared mages?

The Nikki who didn’t ever leave Gunter’s side?

And look at them now, skipping off to a magic lesson without a care in the world. Gunter was on the one hand incredibly proud. It was an amazing show of growth on Nikki’s part, and definitely a sign of healing. Really, Gunter couldn’t be more pleased or relieved.