But then Cameron quickly showed that he could fill an emptiness within Alric their friendship never could. He completed Alric, gave him a joy he’d never known. Baldewin could only be happy for his friend.
And now Baldewin understood that completion all the more because of Tori. It was amazing, freeing, and scary all at once.
“Congratulations. I knew it was only a matter of time,” Alric murmured.
Cameron snorted beside him, shifting to sit on the empty arm of Alric’s chair. “That’s king-speak for a dignified ‘I told you so.’”
“But you’re not too dignified for it,” Alric teased.
“Nope,” Cameron replied, popping the P with obvious pleasure. “I could see it in the way he talked about Baldewin and looked at him. That man was already in deep smit with our Baldewin by the time he arrived at Burkhard.”
“Thank you,” Baldewin said with a bow of his head. “I feel very lucky that he even listened to me in the first place.”
Cameron laughed. “He didn’t. He hit you with a freezing spell and ran in the opposite direction.”
“Is it any wonder?” Rodrigo growled and resumed his pacing as the ice dragon brought them back to the problem at hand. He spat out some angry-sounding Russian that Baldewin didn’t entirely catch, but the feelings were clear.
“Hoheit, King Rodrigo, I am truly sorry for my loss of temper today. I never should have acted so impulsively. I have acted shamefully and poorly represented our clan,” Baldewin said, bowing.
Rodrigo snorted. “I would say you acted quite admirably in defending your mate and your clan.”
Baldewin looked up as Alric sighed and threw a somewhat castigating look at Rodrigo before turning his gaze to him. “Yes, you should have held your temper, especially considering that we knew what kind of situation we were walking into. However, I can’t entirely fault you for your reaction. If our roles had been reversed and someone threatened my Cam in any way, I don’t think anyone could have stopped me.” Alric waved his right hand in the air a little. “Besides, I don’t think you truly did any damage. Mathilda had already dug her heels in and was refusing to listen. It was probably good to remind them, at least a little, that we are not to be pushed around or taken lightly.”
“Do we have a plan, Hoheit? A next step?” Baldewin asked.
“I would not be opposed to scooping up that Mathilda and dropping her on an iceberg in the middle of the ocean,” Rodrigo snarled.
“I think he meant something useful,” Evora countered, and Baldewin tried hard not to smile.
“I believe that solution would be very useful in terms of freeing the Taavi Clan from her negative influence,” Alric announced to Baldewin’s surprise. “We might not be able to get through to some of the older, thickheaded mages, but certainly the younger mages, Tori’s generation and younger, might be willing to listen to us. Be willing to save themselves from such acidic, hate-filled rhetoric.”
“Hoheit, you can’t be serious,” Baldewin replied in a firm voice. Alric was usually a reasonable person. The only time he’d seen Alric completely lose his mind was when Cameron had been kidnapped. The encounter with the Taavi Clan was coming in a close second.
“He’s not,” Cameron said sharply. Alric glared at his mate, and Cameron glared right back at him, daring the dragon king to cross him.
“Cam. Liebling—”
“Oh, don’t ‘Liebling’ me,” Cameron shot back. “I know you’re pissed. I’m pissed, too. That-that witch could be standing between our clanmates and happiness. She could be keeping Rodrigo’s clanmates from finding happiness. I’d be thrilled to knock some sense into her using a two-by-four, but how is that going to look to the rest of the Taavi Clan? Is roaring in there breathing ice and fire going to prove to them that we’re not exactly what the Jaeggi have said we are?”
Alric stared at his mate for another second, but Baldewin could already see some of the telltale lines around Alric’s eyes disappearing. “I don’t think I want you having anymore lessons with Dieter. It’s interfering with my ability to act impulsively.”
Cameron smiled and leaned down to press a kiss to Alric’s cheek. “There are plenty of other ways for you to be impulsive.”
“Where does that leave us?” Rodrigo said sharply. “Do we leave? Pretend this clan does not even exist when I have dragons in need of mates? Do we leave them vulnerable to the Jaeggi?” He stopped and shoved a hand through his hair. “I know I said I would be content even if I walked away empty handed, but I was still hoping to avoid that if possible.”
“Do you want a mage if they believe the things about us that Mathilda described? Or what Tori told us?” Thiago inquired.
Rodrigo lifted a helpless hand. “And if we bring such a mage into our clan, we risk that person sowing discord. I feel damned no matter which choice I make. My life is the well-being of my clan. My dragons need mates, and I can’t turn away potential mates, but I also cannot bring such unhappiness and hatred to my dragons.”