Breath (Scales 'n' Spells 2)

“Just how much did you look into his history before coming to see us?”

“Probably dug around for a good hour,” she admitted frankly. “I expected more questions than I got, really. And I wanted to see where he was from, if he had a clan. I saw no sign of a clan. There’s likely a lot I’m missing, but the gist I get is that he’s thirty-five, single, has no formal education past high school, and his work history is all dead-end jobs. He moved to Helsinki, like, three days ago, hence why my seeking spell picked up on him.”

Because he was within range of it. But probably just barely, as the seeking spells didn’t have much distance to them. Having lived in northern Finland, he would have been undetectable to them for most of his life.

“God, why couldn’t I have been casting a seeking spell three days ago? We would have found him that much sooner!” she continued, her hands balled into fists at her sides.

“I’m amazed you could put a name to him.”

“Yeah, that took some ingenuity. Turns out my computer skills come in handy, even as a mage.” A cheeky grin lifted the corners of her mouth. With a spring in her step, she opened the door and led him inside.

All castle suites had a sitting room attached to a bedroom at the very least. The more established suites had four rooms, including bathroom, bedroom, sitting room and an extra room for the hoards.

Cassie had taken the sitting room and turned it partially into a computer room. She had a three-monitor array over a glass desk and a massive chair in front of it that she promptly curled up in, her legs crossed. Despite the obvious dedication to technology, there were still hints of Sasha in the room, like the giant pile of oversized cushions covered in satiny cloth, as well as a couple of books. It looked as if the dragon had created a place to relax while also keeping an eye on her precious mage as she worked.

Baldewin leaned over her shoulder as she brought up different screens, flipping through tabs. “So, here’s our guy.”

The screens displayed a basic profile of picture, name, address, and a brief work history. It was a job application site, one unfamiliar to him and he assumed popular in Finland.

Nestori Taavi did indeed look handsome. His skin was pale, barely a hint of color, and he had dark hair that was long on top with buzzed sides. Chiseled features, strong jaw, and eyes so lightly grey they looked haunting. He was sure he’d never forget those eyes; it was as if they could see right through him.

Cassie’s assessment of him was right. He did look hot. His dragon clanmates would take one look at him and gravitate like magnets to steel.

“You likey,” Cassie crooned and then laughed.

“He is handsome,” Baldewin admitted. “Can you send his picture to my phone, too?”

“So you can stare at it some more?”

Incorrigible, this woman. Baldewin shook his head and rolled his eyes. “No, so I can find him. You mentioned he wasn’t staying in a good motel?”

“I mean, Google Earth didn’t give me a good impression of it.” Cassie switched tabs again and showed it to him with a gesture toward the screen.

Baldewin took it in with a growing frown. The building looked barely acceptable—white on white with a grey roof in a style from many decades ago, with trim that seemed warped by sun and time. There was a vacancy light in the window, as well as rates listed off on a white sign below it, a clear indication that this was a cheaper motel. Frankly, it looked more like a converted barracks building than a motel to him.

“Not a great place to stay for long. He’s got a room there. You see why I think he’s not doing so well.”

“Yeah, it doesn’t look it,” Baldewin agreed slowly. He straightened, already forming a game plan in his mind. “I’ll need to go pack a few things. This might take some days to do.”

“Go for it. I’ll start sending you and Warin all the information I’ve got.”

“Danke, Cassie.” He left, putting together a mental list of what to pack. Thinking of it, he texted Warin to ask if they got travel expenses. The reply quickly came back yes, and Warin was on it. Not that Baldewin was surprised. Alric would spare no expense to bring a new mage into the clan, to make sure every single precious mage was safe.

News spread quickly around the castle that another mage had been found. Baldewin was stopped several times on the way to his room by various people asking for confirmation and whether he knew anything. He patiently repeated the news that they’d found a mage, a man in Helsinki. He was going with Warin to meet him. Yes, today.