Breath (Scales 'n' Spells 2)

Tori sighed as Baldewin put the car into drive, the GPS already orienting itself to navigate them. “I really don’t know why you’re making a fuss over these scrapes. Soap, water, a little moonlight to cool the heat of the injury, I’ll be fine.”

“You’re in pain. I do not like seeing you in pain.”

Silence.

Baldewin snuck a peek at him as he slowed for a stop sign. Tori didn’t seem to know how to respond to that. The man’s reluctance to be cared for in any way was quite telling. Abused? Possibly. Neglected? Very likely. There was no doubt in Baldewin’s mind that Tori had never been properly loved. He didn’t even know how to respond to someone’s concern for his well-being. Baldewin rarely felt homicidal rage. It usually only came in the need to protect his clanmates when threatened, but he could feel it start to burn in the back of his throat. Tori was so very precious, and no one had ever loved him. This needed to be fixed.

But he had to proceed carefully. Tori had already suffered much at the hands of his clanmates. He didn’t need a dragon making things worse for him. And yet, Baldewin was itching for more information. “Should we contact your clan and tell them what happened today?”

“No!” Tori growled instantly, then winced and moderated his voice before continuing, “No, I have no interest in telling them.”

“Alright.”

Even in the wake of an attack, he wanted no contact with them? Very telling indeed.

Baldewin was torn about what to think of the man’s clan. On the one hand, knowing there was a mage clan in Finland was very exciting, and he wanted to explore the option of bringing them into his own clan.

On the other hand, if Tori was an example of what that clan did to its members, then Baldewin was just as likely to raze it to the ground upon meeting them.

For now, his focus was on protecting and helping Tori. The Taavi could wait.

The pharmacy was in a two-story building of orange and blue that sat on the corner of two intersecting streets. Baldewin parked next to the curb and opened the door for Tori, not wanting him to use his hands. The mage eyed him sideways but didn’t say anything. They ducked inside the pharmacy, with its white walls and white floors and white shelves, the colorful boxes of products lined up neatly.

Baldewin wasn’t very familiar with Finnish products, but Tori, of course, knew what he needed and picked up bandages, ointment, and rubbing alcohol. Baldewin paid for it all before escorting them both out to the car. He sat Tori in the passenger seat and knelt down in front of him to carefully clean out his palms. He meticulously removed the road grit from his skin without causing more pain than necessary.

“I’m not going to break, Baldewin,” Tori sighed in exasperation. “And you’ll have to scrub harder than that to get all the dirt out. Forget it, let me do it.”

Baldewin made a disagreeing noise. “I’ve got it. You said moonlight will let you heal?”

“Uh…not exactly. It’ll take the heat out of the wounds, help them heal faster.”

“Is that all you can use on wounds like this?”

“At the moment. I don’t have any other magical elements to work with.”

That made more sense. Baldewin knew road rash like this was child’s play for most mages. He’d expected Tori to work some magic and heal himself rather than suffer Baldewin’s attentions. That he hadn’t done so told Baldewin there was a problem. Of course, the lack of magical elements made sense. Tori had practically nothing to his name.

“This will hold you for a time, then.” He put bandages on his palms and elbow carefully, struggling a bit with the stubborn adhesive strips as they stuck to his fingers. “Just until we get to the hotel. You can soak in moonlight there.”

Tori stared silently at his bandaged hands for several moments. Baldewin wondered if maybe he’d applied it all too tightly and he was causing the mage more pain. He wasn’t accustomed to patching people up. He was the guard. His job was usually about causing damage.

“Thank you,” Tori whispered. His voice was low and rough…and maybe a little awed.

Had Baldewin heard him correctly? It was one of the first times he’d not gotten the usual dose of sarcasm or cynicism from the man.

“You are very welcome.” Baldewin’s fingers twitched with the need to gather this man in close and give him a hug. If there was anyone who needed a hug, it was Tori.

Which was strange.

Baldewin wasn’t a hugger.

Well, it wasn’t that he minded hugs all that much. Cassie was a very proficient hugger, and Baldewin had been on the receiving end of many hugs from her, but he’d never been one to initiate.