Tori’s meeting would be a little more involved, since he’d been somewhat trained by his clan. But Baldewin suspected that Tori feared more rejection and disappointment like he’d suffered at the hands of his teachers.
“It won’t be that bad,” Baldewin murmured.
“But what if…what if she changes her mind about me? She’s only seen me working on potions. What if she doesn’t care for how I cast spells? What if she decides that I’m not worthy of being a part of the Burkhard Clan?”
Baldewin gently cupped the side of Tori’s face, lifting it so their eyes met. “First off, we already know you have amazing skills. She has a strong idea of what you can do. She’s not going to change her mind. She only wants to do right by you. This meeting is as much for you as it is for her and the clan.”
“Maybe, but—” Tori started, but Baldewin lightly brushed his thumb across Tori’s lips.
“And second, you are a member of the Burkhard Clan and a mage of Burkhard. There’s no proving yourself to win your way in or hold your spot.”
Tori’s eyes narrowed skeptically. Grabbing Baldewin’s wrist, he pulled the dragon’s hand away from his mouth. “Lisette’s duty is to the clan, not me. She’s got to do what is best for the clan.”
“Yes, and if you’re a happy, well-trained, well-adjusted mage, that makes our clan stronger.”
Tori’s worried look dissolved slowly with each passing second until he gifted Baldewin with a crooked smile. It was enough to unknot some of the tension clenching tightly in Baldewin’s heart.
“You can’t help it, can you?” Tori inquired.
“Help what?”
“You can’t help being wonderful. Everything you do and say is just wonderful.”
Baldewin couldn’t hold it in any longer. Reaching over, he wrapped an arm around Tori’s waist and pulled the smaller man into his lap so he could properly nuzzle his neck. A surprised yelp escaped Tori, but he was soon snuggling closer, making happy little noises that were a balm on Baldewin’s weary soul.
“Do not rumple my mage.”
Without lifting his face from Tori’s neck, Baldewin looked up to find Lisette standing by their table. Her eyes were attempting to be stern, but her lips were fighting back a smile.
“You do not get to have him for at least another twenty minutes. I will rumple him all I want until then,” Baldewin growled. Tori laughed, and the sound bounced around in Baldewin’s chest. He was sure he could live on Tori’s laughter.
“I see Ravi stopped by this morning.” Lisette’s eyes darted down to the crystal jar on the table. “He was harassing my mages for a jar before any of us were properly awake.”
Baldewin groaned, but Tori surprised him by looking up and saying, “Wasn’t that incredibly nice of him? Such a sweet gift.”
Lisette laughed and shook her head. “I’ll see you soon, Tori. I’ll leave you to be rumpled by Baldewin. Otherwise, Alric will have to deal with his grumpiness.”
As the head mage walked away, Baldewin resumed the task of kissing Tori’s neck until the man in his arms made happy humming sounds.
“Should I worry that it seems the entire castle knows we’re…” Tori started breathlessly.
“That you’re my gefreogen? No.” Baldewin paused in his nuzzling to meet Tori’s eyes to make sure he wasn’t upset. “News tends to travel fast in the castle. Alric does what he can to stamp out gossip, but there is no malice meant behind it.”
Tori rubbed Baldewin’s chin with his finger. “Small towns talk, and this castle is like its own town. Don’t forget, I come from a very small town, and they did mean their gossip maliciously. This feels different. Like they’re all happy for us.”
“They are happy for us.”
Tori sighed again, but this time it sounded content. He laid his head against Baldewin’s shoulder as if he was in no rush to leave the dragon’s arms. That was perfectly fine with Baldewin. “What is on your agenda for today?”
“It is a normal day for me, now that I’m not running after wayward mages,” Baldewin teased.
“Har, har.” Tori shifted in Baldewin’s lap so he could look him in the eyes. “What does a normal day look like for you?”
“Mostly, it’s meetings. I spend a lot of time with Alric discussing security for the clan, particularly now that we are dealing with the Jaeggi problem. I meet with Lisette about how the castle’s security can help the mages in their search for more mages. Then I work on new training techniques and schedules for my guards so there’s a fair rotation protecting the castle and anyone who needs to leave. Of course, we have the added bonus of King Rodrigo coming to Burkhard, so we’re working on a number of last-minute arrangements, so we are prepared for his arrival.”
“Wow. Really busy. Is there anything I can do to help you?”