Mathilda turned her attention to Alric and Rodrigo, holding her head up high. “All I can offer is our most humble apology. We acted on false information, and we are sorry for our rude behavior upon your arrival. I was only acting to protect my people.”
“We understand the need to keep your clan safe from all threats,” Rodrigo murmured.
“We just hope that we can move forward from this day with the Taavi no longer viewing dragons as the enemy,” Alric added.
“Oh yes, of course!” Mathilda quickly said. “It would be so very wonderful if our mages could prove to be mates to members of both your clans. We have several female mages who are quite gifted. And while we appreciate that you have generously taken in Tori, we have many other mages who are far more valuable and talented.”
Two astounding things happened at once. Candles around the room popped to life with high, dancing flames, while a fire in the empty fireplace suddenly ignited with a roar. Meanwhile, the temperature in the room dropped to bitter cold. Thick frost crept across the two front windows, and when Tori exhaled, his breath gusted out in front of him as a white fog.
With one sentence, Mathilda had pissed off every dragon in the room, and the power they were barely holding in check was damn impressive.
Mathilda and her companions jumped a little and looked around the room, confused and frightened.
Tori laughed. He couldn’t help it. He threw his head back and laughed. Yes, what they’d said was insulting, but he’d heard it all his life and wasn’t surprised. It just didn’t bother him anymore, because he knew they were wrong. He had his family. He knew his worth.
“Wow. You’ve just got a knack for angering dragons,” Tori mocked.
“But-but—”
“Somewhere along the way, the Taavi Clan chose to forget that dragons are pansexual. They value all mages equally. To them, all mages are precious and deserve to be treasured, regardless of their sexual orientation or skill level.”
Baldewin bent down and kissed the top of Tori’s head. “Well said, my treasure.”
“Yes, well said indeed,” Alric agreed.
The flames remained, but the temperature in the room started to warm by small increments, indicating that Rodrigo had gotten control of his temper again.
“While it is not our place to criticize your culture, we must be frank and say that your attitude toward homosexuality would not be welcome within either of our clans,” Rodrigo said sharply.
“Nor would we welcome your rigid approach to teaching magic or rampant sexism,” Alric added. He pushed to his feet, and everyone else seemed to follow. “It would appear that we all have much to think about before we move forward. King Rodrigo and I would like to send emissaries to the Taavi Clan to further discussion and establish an open dialogue. Would that be agreeable to you?”
“Y-y-yes,” Mathilda stammered. She looked completely shellshocked. Her entire world had been turned upside down in a matter of hours. While there was no question dragons needed mates, it was clear they had no intention of bringing the toxic culture of the Taavi into their clans.
Alric turned toward Cameron and extended his hand. “My mate,” he said in a low, sweet voice, and it looked like Cameron was going to melt right there on the spot. Rodrigo wasn’t the only smooth dragon. Of course, Tori was willing to argue Baldewin could out-smooth all of them.
Tori almost laughed again when Mathilda audibly gulped to see that King Alric was in a same-sex relationship. Oh yeah. She’d totally stepped in it. If she wanted any of her mages to be mated to dragons, she would need to make some serious changes.
They filed out of the house in an orderly fashion, making plans to meet up at the hotel again to gather their things and rest for the day before making the return trip to Germany tomorrow. Tori wasn’t excited about flying yet again, even if he was going to be unconscious for it, but he was looking forward to being home. He wanted to check in on Cassie and work with the other mages on the health and beauty products. He wanted to talk with Lisette and concoct new spells.
And he very much wanted to be officially bonded to his handsome mate.
“Hey, Tori!”
Tori’s head popped up to see Panu jogging over to him. The young man looked nervous, glancing over his shoulder, as if taking in the people watching him. He stuck out his hand and flashed a wobbly smile. “I wanted to thank you for saving my life. Saving Tanja and Markku, too. We would have been dead without you.”
“Well, I did have some help,” Tori said, shaking his hand. He immediately noticed the scrap of paper against his hand. There was a pleading look in Panu’s wide, blue eyes. He gave the smallest nod as he carefully palmed the paper and covertly shoved it into his pocket.