Page 81 of Soar

Gregori stepped into the office, opening and closing his fists at his sides. The door closed behind him, and he glanced over his shoulder to find Thiago had left him alone.

“Drag your sorry carcass in here, Gregori. I’m not going to bite you,” Rodrigo called out.

With a sigh, Gregori stepped farther into the large room. It was hard to believe this was a dragon king’s office. The walls were a soft, buttery yellow, and instead of weapons on the walls, there were exquisite paintings of ocean scenes. There was the typical large desk and long conference table, but the other furniture was soft and comfortable, with bright pastel fabrics.

It was all a stark difference to the old office the Valerii kings had maintained in Russia, where the dragons had lived in a stone castle and every wall had been covered in weaponry, pelts, or animal heads. But then, when the ice dragons had lived in Russia, the castle had been a place of protection and war. Before the Great Dragon War was launched against the Jaeggi Clan, the dragons had fought the fire dragons of the west for territory. They’d also fought the wind dragons to the south.

But losing more than half of your clan of dragons and three-quarters of your mages tended to put things in perspective. The Valerii Clan had been on the brink of extinction, their morale as bleak as the Siberian tundra in the middle of winter. Rodrigo had saved them all when he’d announced they were moving to Brazil. They’d needed to shed the weight of the past if they were to have any hope for the future.

When Gregori had allowed himself to dream of a brighter future with a mate of his own, he had to admit someone like Salem had never crossed his mind.

Two walls of Rodrigo’s office were covered in floor-length windows and sliding glass doors that opened out onto acourtyard overlooking the beach and ocean. Several of the doors were open now, allowing a salty breeze to sweep in and push about the long sheer white curtain.

Rodrigo poked his head into the office through a set of curtains and waved for Gregori to approach. “We’ll talk out here.”

Gregori gulped and shuffled out into the bright late-morning light to find a small table set up with a teapot, a couple of cups, and some small pastries. Rodrigo sat in the chair on the right and refilled his cup with a dark, rich tea that reminded Gregori of mornings in Russia. After moving to South America, he’d shifted from being a tea drinker to a coffee drinker, like most of the clan, but this was one of the few ways in which Rodrigo clung to the old ways.

“My winter rose likes to have breakfast with me here so we can watch the sun rise over the ocean waves,” Rodrigo said as Gregori dropped into the only remaining seat. “It’s a peaceful way to start the day.” He held up the teapot, offering it to Gregori, but he shook his head. As nervous as he was, it didn’t seem like a good idea to dump a bunch of caffeine on top of the roiling mess inside him.

“Velichestvo, I beg your forgiveness. I should never have lied to your mate, and by extension, you. I have broken your trust. I-I?—”

Rodrigo waved off his apologies and took a sip of his tea. He turned from where he had been facing the ocean to stare at Gregori with a sad smile. “You are forgiven. It’s like you think I haven’t gone through this with all the other mated dragons in our clan. Every last one of you becomes thick in the head.” He poked Gregori in the center of the forehead with one finger. “You find your mate, and all the good sense I know you possess either pours out your ears or out the end of your cock.”

The king sighed and slumped a little in his chair, his arm coming to rest on the table. “Not that I was any better. When I met my Ha Na, I became a foolish child again, but my silliness was on display before King Alric.” He shuddered. “The ridiculous excuses I came up with to remain in Burkhard Castle just so I could be close to my love.”

He made another dismissive noise and returned his attention to Gregori. “There’s no point in asking why you took such a horrible risk with your life. You did it to remain close to your mate, to protect him and win him over. It is a timeless tale among the dragons. No, what I wish to know is why you did not ask for help? At the first sign of your magic failing, you should have contacted Ha Na, Evora, me, or even Sora for assistance. Is there a reason you felt you could not come to any of us for help?”

Gregori frowned at the pretty floral pattern painted on the top of the table, unable to lift his eyes to Rodrigo. “I…was afraid.”

“Why were you afraid?”

“I was afraid if you or Sora discovered I couldn’t properly use magic or that my dragon wasn’t speaking to me any longer, you would command me to return to Brazil.” He finally looked at Rodrigo and leaned forward. “Salem is a brilliant doctor, but he sees my presence as a threat to this life he has been building for himself. He still won’t commit to being mates but is firm on the fact we are in a relationship. Which is a vast improvement from where we started. Even though he’s here now, I’m still walking a tightrope with him. If I push too much or say the wrong thing, he could pack up and return to the United States without a single thought. Staying in the States and slowly winning him over was my only hope of finally claiming my mate. If I left…”

“All your hard work would be undone,” Rodrigo finished for him. The dragon king shook his head and stared at the ocean waves for a moment. “Did it not occur to you there were otheroptions besides ordering you home? I would have happily sent half the clan north to you. It would have been enough to soothe your dragon and preserve your magic while you won Salem’s heart.”

Gregori’s mouth fell open, but not a peep of sound slipped out. In truth, the thought had never crossed his mind. He’d been so sure Sora or Ha Na would summon his ass back to Brazil if they caught even a whiff of trouble on his part.

Rodrigo muttered a curse under his breath and rolled his eyes. Clearly, he didn’t need an answer from Gregori. “See. Brain out the end of your dick. Every last one of you. Thankfully, your brains seem to grow back after you’ve been bonded for a while. Dimitri is just now starting to show signs of intelligence again. God help me with Luka and Vasily.”

“I’m sorry.” Gregori’s shoulders slumped, and for the first time in too many centuries to count, he felt like a fledgling dragon who’d disappointed his parents.

“All we wish is to see the members of the Valerii Clan happily mated. Every mage needs to be protected, whether they are a potential mate or not. The risks you took meant you could not properly protect Doctor Hunter. Even when your head is full of nothing but air, you must remember to trust your clanmates and rely on them for support.”

“Yes, Velichestvo.”

“I am only asking for balance, Gregori. You can’t very well be a good mate to him if you kill yourself in the process.”

“You are right.”

Rodrigo sighed again and took a sip of his tea. “It has been known to happen on occasion.”

Some of the weight on Gregori’s chest lifted, and he was able to give a tiny smile. His king was taking his stupidity much better than he’d expected, but then Rodrigo had always been avery patient and compassionate leader. He had to be if he was going to survive guiding their clan of lunatics.

With the unpleasantness taken care of, Rodrigo leaned in close and smiled. “So, now that you have him here in Brazil, have you seen any signs of improvement?”

“Some.” Gregori reached for the teapot and poured some of the tea into the empty cup in front of him. “I can tell he’s making an effort to appreciate the little things I do for him. We even have plans for a date. I…” The words he was about to say got caught in his throat and he shook his head.

“What is it? Just say it.”

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