Breath (Scales 'n' Spells 2)

She pointed out, “But you don’t have to lose a leg.”

“You really think a dragon of your clan will look at me and fall head over heels?”

There was that suspicious gleam in her eyes again. She pursed her lips, evaluating him for a moment before speaking. “I believe my first introduction to you followed an interrupted kiss between you and Baldewin.”

Oh. Yeah. He might have forgotten because of the chaos…or maybe the kissing. “Um. In my defense, the man’s smoking hot and very kissable.”

Sasha snorted a laugh, trying not to jostle her sleeping mate. “Did you initiate, then?”

“That time, yeah.”

“You’ve kissed him multiple times?” Sasha asked with keen interest.

“The first two, we were in a tight spot, and I needed dragon’s breath.”

“And the times after that?”

“Usually because he’d done something incredibly thoughtful, and I couldn’t seem to help myself.” A touch plaintively, he demanded of her, “He wouldn’t just humor me, would he? To get me to come to the clan?”

Sasha shook her head firmly before he could even finish the question. “No. After what Kaiser Jaeggi did, we are very careful to not lead anyone on or give false expectations. And Baldewin especially is a cautious, responsible man. If he’s giving you gifts and kissing you, then it’s because he genuinely likes you.”

Tori chewed on his bottom lip and absorbed that information.

“Is this cause for alarm?” Sasha asked cautiously.

“What?” His head jerked back around to look at her. “No! I mean, no, it’s great that he likes me. It’s just, uh…oh god this sounds lame. It’s just that I have no experience with dating. At all. I had no chance to be with anyone in my old clan, mostly because we were in the middle of nowhere. I’m thirty-five, and fuck if I know how to flirt, much less what to do with a boyfriend.”

Her eyes went a little wide. “Oh my. I see why you hesitate, then. But what worries me most, Tori, is what will happen tomorrow.”

“Uh, why?”

“Because you’re handsome,” she answered sincerely. “And a good man. Once my clan sees you, you’ll be on the receiving end of a great deal of attention unless Baldewin stakes a claim. And Baldewin might hesitate if he doesn’t believe his interest is returned.”

Tori flushed a little. She thought him handsome? He wasn’t a troll by any means, but he never really thought of himself in terms of handsome or plain. It was so far down on his priority list that as long as he was clean and not dressed in rags, it was a good day. But Sasha clearly meant every word.

“But I’m…I’m not really a true mage?”

She snorted. “Cassie was entirely green when I first met her. I didn’t care. I assure you, my clan won’t care either. They care that you are a good person and a mage. And that’s all they will care about. If you need more training, Lisette will be happy to take you on as a student. We do not just see you as you are, Tori, but as you are now and what you will become.”

That was the sweetest sentiment ever handed to him. That she looked at him and saw nothing but potential to be someone amazing. That she liked what she saw even now. He felt his eyes burn a little bright with tears.

“And I will kick Baldewin for you,” she promised, shaking her head. “You shouldn’t be second-guessing his intentions. He’s not courting you right if you’re in doubt of where you stand with him.”

For some reason, Tori felt the need to defend him. “Hey, we’ve been a little busy dodging bad guys. It’s understandable.”

“I,” she rebutted archly, “was dodging bad guys and still managed to snag my mate.”

She did have a good point. “Men suck at communicating?”

“That’s more likely the problem, yes.” Sasha dropped a kiss on the top of Cassie’s head. “It’s a shame this one is still sound asleep. If she were awake and heard all of this, she’d have much to say about it.”

He’d only known Cassie three days and was absolutely certain that Sasha was right.

Speaking of the devil. Baldewin stepped into the room, his hands shoved into the pockets of his slacks and his handsome face a mask of dark worries. His grey-green eyes slid to Tori, seeming to soften for a heartbeat, before continuing on to Cassie’s unconscious form.

“How is she?”

“Steadily improving,” Tori replied. “She’s warmed and her magical core has improved. She needs many more hours of rest and an application of the salve at least once more, but I think she’s past the worst of it.”

A heavy sigh of relief left him in a rush, and his broad shoulders slumped some. “That is good to hear. I will relay the news to Cameron and Ha Na. Alric is managing to keep them at the castle rather than racing to us, but I know they will breathe easier knowing she is fully on the mend.”