Total pages in book: 138
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 129584 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 648(@200wpm)___ 518(@250wpm)___ 432(@300wpm)
“Are you liking it at Burkhard?” North suddenly asked.
“I am. Very much. Everyone is incredibly nice.”
North hummed his agreement, his eyes darting back toward the water, which had turned into a black pool in the growing darkness. “They are. When I went searching for dragons, I never expected anything like this.”
“You mentioned before that you didn’t grow up around magic, right?”
North shook his head. “No, not really. Definitely not like Tori or you. Only my Gramps believed in magic. He taught me a couple small spells, but that was it. When I started out, I didn’t even know if dragons really existed anymore. It was just sort of a wish or a dream.”
Warin wrapped his arms around his slender mage, pulling him back into the circle of his body.
“A very good dream,” he growled.
“Yes, the very best dream.”
“Do you miss your family?”
North gave a little laugh and shook his head. “My family never believed in magic, and I don’t think they’ve ever cared much for me. Well, except for my Gramps. He has always believed in magic.”
“And Earl loves you very much,” Warin added.
“I still talk to him every day, but I don’t really talk to the rest of my family. Burkhard has become my family. I always feel welcome and useful here. I belong here.”
A low rumble came from Warin, and Sora couldn’t decide if the man or the dragon had made the noise. It was warm and possessive.
“You definitely belong at Burkhard, and you are never, ever leaving.”
North tilted his head up and sweetly kissed his mate. Sora looked away to give them a private moment and found Ravi smiling at him.
“You know, Burkhard would be a great fit for you, as well,” Ravi said, nudging Sora with his elbow.
Smiling, Sora inched a little closer to Ravi. He wrapped his arms around the wind dragon and laid his head on his shoulder. “Do you think so?”
“Oh, definitely. Think of all the things you’ve already done here. All the adventures you’ve had. You have been able to help and share so much healing knowledge, but there’s still lots you can teach the other mages.”
Sora made a noise of agreement in his throat. “That’s true.”
“Plus, if you stay, you’ll get to take part in more Ravi pranks,” North tossed out.
“You know you don’t want to miss out on any of that,” Ravi agreed with a wicked grin. “You have not lived until you’ve seen Cameron react to being pranked. He makes these hilarious noises and chases me around the castle, threatening to turn me into a chicken.”
Ravi shook his head and chuckled as if reliving the memory of his last joke on the consort.
“It’s a lot of fun.”
“Sounds amazing,” Sora hedged, his heart squeezing. It really was a temptation. He could easily imagine the years stretching out in front of him, filled with laughter and insanity because of a certain wind dragon.
But more than the fun, he could see himself so easily fitting in among the mages and dragons that filled the halls of Burkhard Castle. He worked so easily alongside the other mages, and they were eager to learn everything he had to share about healing and other everyday spells that had filled his life almost since birth. No one looked at him as an interloper or an unwanted know-it-all. They soaked up the knowledge and demanded more. They understood that every new thing they learned only helped the clan.
Sora was also learning new and interesting things. The mages of Burkhard had been forced to craft new spells and learn alternative ways of doing things when the knowledge had been lost during the war. So many of their spells and techniques were better, smarter than the old ways. He was eager to spend his days in their workshops, learning and understanding all they’d done in the past five hundred years.
But beyond the spells and the tight-knit family he’d found at Burkhard, there was Ravi. The dragon’s smile lit his day with a glorious light. Leaving Ravi would be like giving up the sun.
Ravi could so easily come to the Sodalicium and find brotherhood among the dragons there, but would his light dim without his family? Would Sora be enough for him?
Never had he thought his path in life would lead him away from his family. He’d traveled plenty over the years, but always returned to his base, his clan, his parents. When he found his mate, he’d assumed that they would be joining his clan.
But that thinking now felt like a thorn stuck in the side of his brain, and he wasn’t sure what to do about it. Could he really leave his family and remain at Burkhard Castle?
With a grunt, Warin shoved himself to his feet and started to fold up his towel. “We should head back. I’m sure someone has noticed that we’re missing by now. I’ll need to explain to Alric why I took two mages outside the castle without the proper complement of dragon escorts.”