Embers (Scales 'N' Spells 4)

“Thomas Moore,” Alric said approvingly. “So, no one compares to Nikki?”

“Even suggesting that anyone compares to Nikki is an insult to Nikki.”

“Then court them! Gunter, truly, you’re moping in my office to no good result.”

“But I don’t know how,” Gunter complained. “What if we’re both wrong? What if Nikki sees me not as a love interest but as a safe harbor? What if we’re mistaking the strength and calmness we see in the day as a sign of growth, when really, it’s only a front?”

Alric poured him another scotch, tsking as he did so. “You have to at least try.”

“But I’ve never courted anyone before. I’ll screw this up.”

“You can’t screw it up. Nikki already likes you.”

That was a good point. “Oh. They do?”

“They absolutely do.”

“Really? Oh, that’s…that’s good. Then the next time they kiss me, I should kiss them back. Right? That’s the right thing to do.”

Alric nodded supportively. And maybe slid sideways in the chair a little, as if balance was a tricky thing. “You should. Alright, are you drunk enough yet to admit Nikki’s your mate?”

“Nikki is completely my mate.” Gunter’s chest puffed up with pride. “And they’re the best mate. Or will be. When I can convince them to be my mate.”

Alric clacked his glass against Gunter’s. “Finally got you to admit to it. Now, hold on to this when you’re sober, okay? You have to court them, Gunter.”

“I will.” Gunter felt confident saying that until doubts came spiraling back in. “But Alric, it might not be easy. Right now, I have their full attention because they spend all day with me. But when they do start branching out, and working magic, they’ll be gone most of the day. What happens then?”

Alric paused, looking stricken. “Oh no. Cameron does that now—spends most of the day away from me. I miss him terribly, but I can’t be a bother, either. He’d hate that. Do you think it’s bad?”

Gunter started to worry about Alric. His head was swimming a little with chaotic thoughts that didn’t quite connect, but the worry he could latch on to. Because Alric was his brother. “I don’t know, is it bad? I’ve never been in a relationship before.”

“It must be bad. You’re worried about it, and you have more free time than me.” Alric slumped, drinking more of his whiskey. “I have so many people who take up my time, I can’t spend it with Cameron like I want to. He’s going to be frustrated with me, isn’t he?”

Gunter poured him more whiskey. It seemed the thing to do. “Maybe spend more time with him. We’ll have time to spare when the Jaeggi are dead.”

Alric slammed a fist down on the armchair. “Yes! Let’s kill the Jaeggi. Right now. Then I can spend all the time I want with Cameron.”

This sounded great to Gunter. Kill the Jaeggi, and he wouldn’t have to worry about Nikki’s safety. And Nikki wouldn’t be afraid anymore. Gunter’s dragon wholly approved this plan, and a challenging roar echoed through him—a war cry.

Gunter felt adrenaline like quicksilver in his veins; he was all pumped up and ready to fly out of the castle right now. Right. Now. He put his glass firmly down, stripped off his shirt, and promptly shifted to dragon. “A Burkhard to me!”

Alric also put his glass down and shifted right over. Dragon limbs spread in all directions, the king’s massive frame impacting with Gunter’s, very shortly becoming a tangle of limbs.

Gunter immediately realized his mistake. They really should have left Alric’s office before shifting. He couldn’t fit through the door, for one thing. And there might be a chair in his ribcage. He tilted his head at an odd angle, trying to see Alric’s face, but all he got was a foot in his jaw.

“A-Alric, maybe let’s shift back and leave the room first?”

There was a pained grunt. “I can’t, my foot is stuck in the hallway.”

“That sounds painful. Uh, I think…we maybe broke something? I feel something under my tail.”

“We broke the desk. Maybe.” Alric paused and then whined, “Gunter, I can’t shift back. What if we’re stuck like this?”

Alarm slammed through Gunter and he wiggled about, but that didn’t help; he somehow got Alric’s tail trapped against his chest trying it. “Alric, we can’t be stuck like this! We have to shift back!”

“I know, I’m trying, but I can’t!”

Gunter tried too. But his dragon was still in battle-mode and didn’t want to go back to human form so that failed pretty quickly. A high-pitched whine rolled out of his chest. “I can’t shift either. Alric, what do we do?”

“I—”

“Who in their ever-lovin’ mind decided to shift to dragon in the king’s office,” a voice they both knew very well demanded, “and bust out the door in the process?”

Alric burst out in a giggle. “Stop tickling my feet!”