Origin (Scales 'n' Spells 1)

“You’re going out?” Ravi asked in worry.

“Well, I’m kind of running low on a few essentials,” Cameron explained to him with spread hands. “I packed for a two-week vacation, not an extended stay. I thought I’d ask someone to drive me into town and guard me.” Well, he wasn’t too low thanks to the castle having nearly everything, but after being in the castle eight days, Cameron needed to just get out and stretch his legs.

“Ohhh. I can do that.” Ravi bounced a bit on his toes as he admitted frankly, “Alric’s given firm orders that we’re to protect you. You have priority if you want to go anywhere.”

“Um, thanks?” Cameron felt like that should be flattering but really, it was weird. Having a bodyguard available to him who was also a dragon was just really, really weird. He felt like an imposition, and it wasn’t a comfortable feeling. “I only need about two hours or so.”

“You can take as long as you’d like,” Ravi assured him cheerfully. “I’m tired of being stuck in the castle.”

“Oh. Well in that case, let’s definitely get some fresh air.”

“Wait right there. I’ll grab one of the cars.” Ravi darted off to the garage. He returned in under a minute with a Jeep, one of the more modern versions with an enclosed hard top.

Cameron hopped in, still buckling as Ravi headed for the main gates. “Do we need to alert anyone?”

“I texted Baldewin as I grabbed the keys, no worries.”

Ravi darted him a quick, hopeful look as they passed through the gates. “So, you really intend to stay? You don’t want to return to your home?”

“Eh, not really. I mean, I have friends I’ll miss in the States, and of course, I’ll want to visit family too, but…I don’t know how to explain this and have it make sense.”

Ravi made an encouraging noise.

Heartened by it, Cameron wet his lips and tried. “I went to Berkley for my master’s and when I did that, the world changed on me. I visited my hometown during the summers to find that most of my friends were gone and had no intention of coming back. My sister went to school in Massachusetts. I felt uprooted after that. There’s not anything pulling me back to the US. But here—god, Ravi. It’s like I finally found where I was supposed to be all along. It’s this incredible feeling of belonging, like I’m rooted to the ground. I didn’t realize how disconnected I was in the US until I came here and met all of you.”

Ravi nodded as if this made perfect sense and Cameron wasn’t waxing poetic. “Yes, I understand that. I felt the same before Alric invited me into his clan. It was such a relief to find a home truly my own and not one I was trying to fit into.”

“Yes,” Cameron said with relief. “That’s it exactly. So I want to stay, but so much has been thrown at me that I’m also kind of overwhelmed on where to start. I’m trying to take this one thing at a time.”

“Perfectly understandable.” Ravi slowed to take a curve, his eyes on the road but his head cocked as if he were thinking about something. “I think shopping and getting a few things is a good step. Alric wants you to be comfortable here, and I think he’s giving you some space to work through it all before formally inviting you in.”

That was one of the questions lurking in Cameron’s head, and he was glad someone had finally voiced it. “So, there is a formal invitation to be issued?”

“Absolutely, yes. And Alric will be happy to issue it to you when he feels you want it. He’s not pushy, our king. Not unless the situation calls for it.”

Cameron was of the opinion Alric could be pushier. He really didn’t know where he stood with the man. In fact, this might be a good opportunity to ask some questions. Ravi was a chatterbox, after all. “Yeah, I’ve got that impression off of him. Hey, Ravi, clear something up for me. Sometimes, being near Alric is Mixed Signals Central, and I really don’t know which way the man will jump.”

“Yeah?” Ravi encouraged. “Like when? How?”

“So, like the first time I worked magic, he offered a bit of dragon’s breath to do a spell with. And he kissed me to give me the breath. And it wasn’t just a peck, it was this body-tingling, sensual caress, and I went a little gooey.”

“I love the gooey kisses,” Ravi sighed, but his eyes were sharp on Cameron. “Really? My stiff king did that? Ohhhh, this is interesting. What else has he done?”

“I may have taken advantage of Lisette’s order to put oil on him and sexed it up a bit. And I swear to you, the man looked like he wanted to pounce and eat me right there. But he didn’t make a move.” Cameron spread his hands. “I thought I was pretty fucking obvious, but I can’t seem to pinpoint if he’s really interested or not. Or if he’s just enjoying the flirting but isn’t interested. Sometimes straight guys do that, just flirt to mess around. But my gaydar’s going a bit haywire around him. Is Alric gay?”