“I don’t know.”
“That’s fine. Just think about it. Okay?”
“Sure.” Tori paused and licked his lips. “Baldewin told me that dragons don’t care what gender a mage is. You really will take a male mage in as readily as you would a female?”
“Male. Female. Nonbinary. Gender fluid. Dude, we do not care. We seriously do not care. My question to you is, do you feel that, because you’re a man, you can’t be properly accepted as a mage?”
“That’s…not quite right. It’s more that I can’t carry on the magical line, which is the main duty of the mages.”
“Uh, sure you can? We’ve got magical incubators. It’s how Alric and I plan to have a child.”
Tori’s eyes crossed. “Seriously?!”
“Sure. What, you think Alric and I are the first same-sex couple in a dragon clan? Ha! No, not even close. Hell, the dragons don’t even keep count how many they’ve had, that’s how natural it is for them. I don’t know who told you that, Tori, but as long as you want to have a kid, you can. And if you don’t, that’s fine. But don’t let that stop you or direct your choices. You can be a full-fledged mage in our clan, and we’ll be thrilled to have you.”
Tori was back to staring at the floor, his expression a complex mix of hope and pain. “And what if I’m not a good fit for you?”
“Then we’ll introduce you to the Valerii Clan—ice dragons. Or, if that doesn’t appeal, you can walk right back out. We won’t stop you.” Cameron paused again, and Baldewin heard him release a deep breath. “Look, Tori, we’re not trying to kidnap you or force you into something you don’t want. I know it probably doesn’t feel that way because dragons can get so wrapped up in their enthusiasm that they just kind of steamroll you—”
Baldewin straightened up indignantly, a retort ready on his lips. He had not done that!
Had he done that?
Maybe he had.
Tori rolled his eyes to the dragons on the bed, a rueful smile on his lips. “Oh yeah, definitely.”
“—but that’s just how excited they are. They don’t mean anything bad by it. You’ve got my royal guarantee that you can leave whenever you wish, and I’ll buy you the plane ticket.”
“Can we change that to a train ticket?”
“You can leave however you wish, but does that mean you’ll come?”
Baldewin’s heart skipped a beat and then raced off as he stared at Tori. The mage met his gaze, frowning. The man was clearly torn, and he hated putting such pressure on him.
“I know things are kind of dangerous right now, but can I think about it?”
“I understand. You’ve been thrown a lot of information recently. It’s overwhelming, and we’re asking you to make some potentially life-altering decisions. Take some time to think about what I’ve said and what Baldewin has said. He might be a little overly enthusiastic, but he’s a good, honest man who only wants you to be safe.”
“Thank you.”
“Not a problem. And if you have any more questions, feel free to have Baldewin or Warin call me at any time.”
“I would greatly appreciate that. Thank you again for taking the time to talk to me.”
“I’m always happy to help out another mage,” Cameron said, and Baldewin could clearly hear the honesty ringing in those words.
Tori handed the phone back over to Baldewin, who was feeling more than a little relieved. Cameron had indeed been the right one to call. “Hallo,” he said as he placed it against his ear.
“I think mage negotiations were mostly successful. Give him some time, and I think he’ll come around.”
“I think you’re right.”
“Good, because you need to get your sexy asses back to the ranch, okay? Alric’s slowly losing hair over here, he’s that worried. And I really like his hair.”
“I understand,” Baldewin said with a smirk. “Thank you, Cameron.”
“Nichts zu danken. Gute Nacht.”
“Gute Nacht.” He hung up the phone and smiled at Tori. “Thank you for talking to him.”
Tori just shrugged, seeming unsure how to respond. “Help me take the bandages off?”
“Of course.”
Holy crap, he was really doing this!
Tori sat on the deck chair with his feet up on the railing as the ferry—which was really more like a cruise ship—steadily moved away from the port. They sailed through the archipelago, weaving effortlessly between the hundreds of little islands that dotted the bay as they crossed the Baltic Sea to Estonia.
He’d thought finally making the leap to escape his clan had been a huge decision. Yes, he’d planned it for a few years, but actually taking those final steps hadn’t been easy, and he’d second-guessed himself for the first two days.
This felt bigger, but strangely enough, easier. Maybe it was because he’d already made such a big change in his life. But a lot of it had to do with what Cameron had said to him, what his words quietly promised. A home. A place to belong.