Origin (Scales N' Spells #1) - A.J. Sherwood Page 0,137

life altering decisions for Alric without a second thought when I really should be thinking about it. Oh, and I would never have upended my entire life for any other guy I’ve dated. And it’s kind of alarming, to be honest.” He frowned as the thought hit that maybe he shouldn’t be confessing all of this to Dieter. And wait, now that he thought about it…. “Why are you driving me, anyway?”

Cameron looked over and there was no telltale smile or anything to give away that Dieter knew exactly what he was talking about. The old dragon had a very good poker face.

“You’re the king’s advisor and things are getting a little crazy with the Jaeggi. I’m sure there are more important things for you to do right now, and there are plenty of guards available to run to town with me. I’ve got Warin in the car behind me, in fact, which begs the question of why we’re in separate cars. With you driving. This seems a little below your pay grade. Did Alric or Lisette send you to keep an eye on me?”

“Do you really think there’s anything more important than the safety and well-being of the king’s mate?”

“Oh god,” Cameron muttered, sinking lower into his seat. His heart skipped, tripping over itself to find an exit from his chest. “You think I am?”

Dieter’s laugh was louder this time, and his smile lingered. It made him look younger in a way, his eyes brighter and the lines in his face shifting from worry to joy. “I suspected the first day when Alric returned to the castle after meeting you. He didn’t talk about a mage who would help our people. He talked about the man with hair that kept falling into his large brown eyes, who had the sparkling sense of humor and brilliant mind. When Alric talks about you, I see a glimpse of the young, happy man I knew prior to the war.”

Cameron was pretty comfortable with the idea that he was a mage and he could perform magic. He was finding himself, his true self, for the first time ever. Which involved moving to another country, learning another language and culture, and the whole shebang. All of that was huge enough on its own, but did Cameron stop there? No, he had to date someone on top of it all. And not just any man. No, his boyfriend-possibly-mate was KING of the FREAKING DRAGONS.

“But to answer your earlier question, they both sent me. Since it’s my job to help Alric think clearly and use reason when things feel overwhelming, they thought I might be able to do the same for you.”

“It’s too much,” Cameron complained on a sigh. He turned his gaze out his window, watching the rolling green countryside unfold just past the car as they drove down out of the mountains and into the valley that held Sonthofen. The air warmed a bit as they left the mountain and went into the valley. Enough that Dieter adjusted the car’s temperature.

“You can’t honestly tell me you’re surprised.”

Cameron groaned softly. “No, not exactly. I mean, I campaigned hard for him to date me. It’s not like I went into this blind, as it was mostly me to begin with. It just seems fast.”

“Some know right away. Your sister—”

Cameron huffed a laugh. “Cassie is different. She’s always been different. She’s fearless. She has no problem jumping straight into something with a woman. Doesn’t seem to care if her heart’s gonna get stomped on. She just leaps.”

“Do you think Alric is going to stomp on your heart?”

Sighing, Cameron dropped his head back against the seat and closed his eyes. Would Alric intentionally hurt him? Never. There was zero doubt in his mind Alric would do anything and everything to keep him safe and happy. “No. No, it’s more the culmination of everything on top of what I feel for Alric. Which is a lot. Because choosing Alric means I’m immigrating to another country, learning a new culture, a new language—all of which is stressful and huge by itself—and to top that off, I’ll be gaining two new jobs. TWO. Because being a mage is only one job that I come with. Being Alric’s mate also means learning how to be a co-ruler of a clan, and that’s…whoa. Just a lot to take in all at once, you know?”

“I do not discount what you are saying, as you’re perfectly correct. It is a great deal to consider. But