pair of strong arms wrapped around Ravi’s waist from behind, and he leaned into his mate. He very much needed to spend some quality time locked away with his mate to apologize for all his worry and pain.
“Umm…Hoheit? Ravi?” Gunter’s nervous voice rose above the gathering. “A moment, if I may?”
Ravi looked up to see Gunter motion toward the slender, blond-haired mage who was still partially hiding behind Gunter. Nikki looked very frightened. Though, there was a hint of mischief in their very large eyes.
Twisting, Ravi quickly brushed a kiss across Sora’s jaw and then jogged over to Nikki. He struggled with his stupid too large, borrowed pants. He was ready to shift into his dragon form until he could get his own clothes back.
“Hoheit, everyone, this is Nikki. They helped break me out of the Jaeggi cell and created the first explosion that distracted the Jaeggi.”
“Wow! You did that?” Cameron asked. He straightened as if finding new energy at the mention of a destructive spell.
“That was amazing!” Tori added.
“No! You’re not practicing that at the castle,” Alric said quickly and then turned his attention back to Ravi and Nikki. “Thank you for saving Ravi. We are in your debt.”
Nikki gave a small wave of their hand, a crooked smile sneaking out. “No problem. I think. I kind of slammed together some sunlight, griffon feathers, and diesel fuel.”
“Oh my word,” Gunter gasped, his voice strangled. Ravi was sure he’d gotten even paler, and he didn’t want to know how close he’d come to dying thanks to Nikki’s creative spellcasting.
“I’d like Nikki to come back to Burkhard Castle for a while. Just until they can figure out what they want to do next,” Ravi pressed on.
“Of course. Nikki, you are very welcome at Burkhard.”
Cameron took a step toward Nikki, and the mage actually backed up, putting themself farther behind Gunter. Cameron’s eyes darted to Ravi in panicked question, demanding to know what he’d done to scare Nikki.
Mages scary, Ravi mouthed to Cameron. His friend still looked confused, but he nodded and retreated into Alric’s arms.
“We would be honored to have you at Burkhard for as long as you wish,” Alric added smoothly.
Ravi looked over his shoulder to see that Nikki had relaxed a little.
“Can I ride with you, Ravi?” Nikki asked, and Ravi’s heart twisted.
“I would very much like to carry my mate,” Ravi admitted, and Nikki nodded.
“Oh. Yeah. Of course. Makes sense.”
“But there are plenty of dragons here who would be happy to take you back to Burkhard.”
Nikki’s dark eyes immediately lit up, and they gazed up at Gunter with the widest smile. “You’re so pretty as a dragon. And just as pretty in your human form. I would like to fly with you.”
That same chicken squawk Ravi had heard earlier broke from Gunter’s throat as Nikki wrapped one arm tightly around his waist. Gunter lifted wide, panicked eyes to Alric and then Ravi. He raised both arms up in the air, holding them out from his body in confusion. It was like a wet kitten had suddenly clawed its way up his pants leg, and Gunter couldn’t decide whether to pull it off or cuddle it.
Ravi was hoping he chose the latter.
But right now, Gunter’s terror was perfect.
Ravi coughed, trying to fight back his laugh as he stumbled over to Sora. He lost that fight when Alric announced, “Excellent choice!”
“Hoheit?” Gunter croaked.
“Gunter will carry you safely to Burkhard and keep you safe at the castle.”
Holy shit! Was Alric playing matchmaker?
One look at Alric’s smug expression said the answer to that question was yes.
Ravi cackled, falling into Sora. His mate cuddled him close, pressing kisses to his temple.
“Are you ready to return home, my handsome dragon?” Sora whispered in his ear.
Ravi’s dragon rumbled happily in his chest, and he couldn’t agree more. Home with his mate and his family. Nothing sounded better. Well, except for maybe…
“Yes, my honey bear. We have a bonding ceremony to plan.”
Ravi looked at his reflection in the hall mirror one last time, a lump forming in his throat all over again. He ran his hand down the bright red sherwani with the intricate gold embroidery. The long jacket stretched down past his knees, and his fitted trousers were the same shade of red.
Yuki swept into the hallway to check on him. His soon-to-be mother-in-law had been a freaking whirlwind, saving his ass.
Upon arriving at Burkhard after escaping the Jaeggi, Ravi had gone straight to Yuki with his newest problem. Ravi wanted—no, needed—to be bonded to