Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

“Hmm, yes, we might have to dig out the old rule books and refresh our memories.” Lisette regarded him from the side of her eye. “And why exactly are you watching from here? You could be in the bleachers next to Cameron if you wanted to watch.”

Alric carefully didn’t look at her. “Cameron needs more one-on-one interaction with the rest of the clan that doesn’t involve me.”

“In other words, you’re trying to shove him off on other people and see if he clicks with someone else? Alric, really,” Lisette sighed as if he were a particularly dense student and she wanted to smack sense into him. “Do you not see how that boy looks at you?”

He did, but…. “I can’t monopolize him. It would be unfair. Every single person in this clan will give way if I make my interest too obvious.”

“Ugh, I hate this responsible side of your nature. Will you just—oh dear.”

Alric’s head snapped around as he caught that worried tone in her voice. In the split second he’d taken his eyes off the players, Baldewin had swooped down and caught Cameron up. Even as he watched, Baldewin lifted them both back into the sky. Alric’s stomach dropped out. Sure, the game called for the mages to fly with the dragons, but that was with harnesses to keep the mages locked in. To prevent anyone from slipping and falling.

Baldewin wore no such harness.

Agitation rose hard and fast, and Alric shifted uneasily under it. His dragon reared its head, regarding the possible danger Cameron was in, and growled out its own displeasure. What was Baldewin thinking? Alric expected this kind of behavior of Ravi, not Baldewin.

“He’s always been too competitive,” Lisette muttered, already turning for the nearest staircase at a half-jog. “But really, I expect him to have better sense than this.”

Alric followed right at her heels, feeling better about her obvious concern. See, it wasn’t just him overreacting. Lisette was of the same mind.

It took them several minutes to cross the distance between garden and game field, and Alric kept his eyes mostly on Cameron the entire time. It felt like his heart lived in his throat. He believed firmly Baldewin would keep hold on Cameron, that his friend would keep him safe. But the chance of an accidental slip kept Alric’s nerves on edge.

He knew precisely how much damage could be caused in a moment, after all.

Lisette marched onto the field like a drill sergeant on the warpath. She lifted both hands, calling on the wind herself, and then chopped it in a sharp motion downwards. “Vente descen gev adi!”

Both Ravi and Baldewin’s heads snapped downwards as the long-distance smack reached them, Lisette’s wind slapping them on the top of their heads. They stopped fighting over the ball and turned, hovering in place.

“What was that for!” Ravi complained to her.

She yelled back, “You don’t take a young mage who has no knowledge of cushioning spells up in the air without a harness, ihr Vollpfosten! Bring him back down this instant!”

Sheepishly, Baldewin drifted back down and gently landed, settling carefully before he released Cameron to stand on his own two feet. Cameron also looked a bit sheepish, as if only then realizing the possible danger.

Alric regarded all three of them and wanted to bash heads together. Why were younger men always so reckless with their safety? Did they truly believe no danger could come to them?

“Baldewin, I know you have better sense than this,” Lisette chided, her hands on both hips. “Pray use it. Alric’s heart was in his throat watching you pick Cameron up like that.”

He couldn’t dispute that. It had been.

“Kindly don’t give our king heart failure,” Lisette continued, and Baldewin looked properly abashed now.

Baldewin gave him a duck of the head. “Tut mir leid.”

With a sigh, Alric nodded, accepting this.

“And Cameron, I think it’s fine to play this game with them,” Lisette continued, still in drill sergeant mode. “But if you’re going up, we have harnesses for it, so have someone put a harness on first before you fly.”

“Oh.” Cameron blinked, and it was obvious no one had mentioned the harnesses to him. “Sure.”

Shaking her head, Lisette turned sharply on a heel and marched back into the castle, muttering to herself as she went. Ravi gathered up the ball and sheepishly carried it back to the equipment locker. Baldewin followed him for absolutely no reason Alric could discern. Making a clean escape, eh?

He’d definitely have to talk to those two later about this. But for now, Alric let it go.

Cameron was more than a little windblown, hair in a sexy disarray around his face, a flush of color in his cheeks. He came up to Alric and put his palm directly on Alric’s chest, brow quirked. “Wow, I can feel it thumping. I really did scare you. Sorry.”