“Yeah.”
“That’s terrible. How could they treat families like that? They had no way of knowing which of their children would be mages or humans. And there is absolutely nothing wrong with a child being born human.” Baldewin snorted, and Tori swore he saw a little wisp of smoke curl out of his nose.
Baldewin continued forward with a little bit of stomp to his step. “When a mage and dragon have a baby, most are born dragons, but there is always a chance that a baby could be born a mage. If a couple has a mage, it is not loved any less than if they’d had a dragon. It is a baby, LIFE, and it deserves all the love and support we can possibly give it.”
Biting his bottom lip to hold in his smile, Tori reached across and placed his hand on Baldewin’s arm. “I didn’t mean to upset you.”
The dragon quickly shook his head. “You haven’t. It’s your clan. More and more reasons are being uncovered for me to not like them. A part of me wishes to not tell Alric about your clan and let them stay forgotten at the top of Finland, but my silence might steal possible mates and happiness from my own clanmates. I couldn’t do that to them.”
“Some people were…” Tori hesitated, searching for a word, his nose scrunching up as he thought, “not…completely terrible.” He couldn’t ever describe them as ‘okay.’ “Maybe my bad experiences are just coloring my impressions. Maybe there are some nicer people among the younger generation that I’m not remembering. Maybe they’ll be better when they learn the truth about the war and mates.”
“Maybe,” Baldewin grumbled, not sounding convinced.
Tori frowned, searching his memory. He didn’t want his companion in a sour mood. Not after the amazing day they’d had. “But we were talking about the locks,” he started again, infusing his voice with new enthusiasm. “What if dragons put the locks on the bridge? How many of the couples do you think would still be together?”
Baldewin’s smile returned slowly, and it was like watching the sun peek over the horizon. “All of them,” he replied easily.
Tori couldn’t stop his laugh. “Really? All of them? You’re that sure?”
“Absolutely.” Baldewin’s smile never wavered as he looked down at Tori. “A dragon would only declare his love and devotion to his mate. Your mate…that’s forever. Some people say that a mate is cut from the same cloth or part of our soul.” He shook his head. “Your mate is your heart, is your soul. When a dragon finds their mate, it’s like they’ve finally become whole. Your entire existence is dedicated to that person’s happiness and well-being. Their happiness is your happiness. In no time in our entire history have two mates willingly separated. Once you’re bonded, there’s no living without that other person, and you wouldn’t want to. How could you go back to living a half-life after feeling such completion?”
“That’s…intense,” Tori said softly, getting lost in the warm look Baldewin was directing at him. His knees felt a little wobbly at Baldewin’s description. Intense didn’t seem to cover it. A mates for a dragon was huge. It was more than just having babies and giving mages access to nearly unlimited power. It was a chance at a kind of happiness Tori had never even dreamed of.
Baldewin’s strong hand landed on his shoulder and lightly squeezed. “I didn’t mean to overwhelm you.”
“No…I mean, I am, but then that’s a lot. More than I thought possible. And then to think that you’ve been unable to find mates for five centuries.”
“When it comes to such an all-consuming love and happiness, you are willing to wait.”
Tori continued walking, nudging Baldewin with his elbow. “Well, I’m glad your clan is starting to find mages again. Five hundred years is a hell of a long time to wait.”
“That is so very true.”
As it got closer to dinner time, they wandered toward the town square. Tori’s feet were aching, and he was exhausted, but it was a good kind of tired. His face ached from all the smiling he’d done. They didn’t find even half of the dwarves they’d marked on the map, and he didn’t care. The day had been filled with so many impulsive detours and unexpected stops, but Tori wouldn’t trade a minute of it.
In the massive town square, they found some more dwarves, shops, and a profusion of florists boasting a riot of colors and scents. People leisurely wandered around, taking in the sights and laughing. It had been the perfect day, and Tori wanted something to mark its perfection.
When his eyes snagged on a little tourist kiosk, he knew he’d found the perfect thing.
“Wait here,” Tori instructed, which only earned him a frown from Baldewin.
“I can’t let you out of my sight,” Baldewin said, his tone apologetic.