Chapter Four

Meyer was Bennett's best friend, and he always would be, but Bennett had no idea what to do with him. Meyer had closed himself off, no doubt because of the Tyne thing. He was pushing even Bennett away, which Bennett didn't like. When Meyer did this, Bennett always had the hardest time pulling him out of his funks.

Meyer had always had his moods, and usually Bennett could drag him out of them before they turned too dark. It had been fairly simple when their lives had been normal, but they were anything but that now. They'd quit their jobs and were living in a castle with a bunch of people they barely knew. Their lives had changed, and it would take anyone a little time to get used to it, including Bennett and Meyer.

But that wasn't Meyer's main problem. No, that was Tyne, and Bennett had had enough of the way he was treating Meyer. He was a mage. He knew about the memory loss and that Meyer couldn't remember anything he'd done before. Tyne had seen it with Parker and Marlow, so why was he treating Meyer like this? What the fuck had Meyer done to him in the past? Had he eaten his puppy?

The situation was frustrating, and after trying to get Meyer out of one of his moods and failing, Bennett had decided he needed to take a walk. If he didn't, he would start yelling at his friend, which wouldn't help anyone, least of all Meyer.

Bennett ran a hand through his hair and stomped down the hallway. He had no idea where he was going, and he didn't care.

At least his relationship with Penley was getting better. They weren't best friends, but Penley had stopped running the other way every time he saw Bennett. He was still flustered and blushed almost every time Bennett talked to him. Bennett thought it was adorable, and it made him want to kiss Penley.

What wasn't adorable was what Tyne was doing to Meyer.

Bennett huffed and pushed open a door at the end of the hallway. He blinked when sunlight flooded in. He hadn't realized he was headed outside, but it sounded like a good idea. He could roam the castle's hallways, but being outside was better for his dragon. Maybe he could fly off his frustration.

He crossed the courtyard, unsure where he was headed. He could hear the sound of someone hitting something, so he followed it. Maybe if he found Tyne, he could yell at him and finally get all of this off his chest.

But when he reached the next courtyard, he didn't find Tyne. Parker was at the center of the space, bare-chested and panting. He was wielding a sword, and Bennett watched him hack at a wooden dummy. From the state of the thing, it wasn't the first time Parker had done it.

Bennett winced at another whack of the sword against the dummy. He must have made a sound, because Parker twirled around to face him. He didn't raise his sword, no doubt because he knew that no enemy would sneak up on him in the castle. When he saw Bennett standing there, he smiled at him, but he looked a bit puzzled. He probably wondered what Bennett was doing there.

Bennett rubbed the back of his neck. "I didn't mean to bother you. I can go."

Parker shook his head and moved toward one of the benches that lined the courtyard walls. He put down his sword and grabbed a towel to dry his face and chest.

Bennett wasn't a creep, but he couldn't avoid looking at Parker. He was handsome, but then, it seemed like everyone in the castle was. Bennett was focused on Penley, but he had eyes, and the place was full of sexy men.

"It's odd to see you without Meyer," Parker commented.

Bennett grimaced. "I'd have dragged him out if I thought it would change his mood, but he's been in a funk for a while, and nothing I do or say is changing that. I needed some space from him before I started yelling at him."

Parker grimaced. "Tyne is getting to him?"

"Yeah. Meyer doesn't understand why Tyne is being so harsh, and I don't, either. I don't understand how Tyne can expect Meyer to change whatever he did in the past if he doesn't tell him what that is."

Bennett started pacing the length of the courtyard. He'd had no one to talk to until now, and even though he wanted to stop the word vomit, Parker hadn't mentioned not wanting to listen to him. He was probably too polite to do so, and now, he was Bennett's captive.

"I mean, Meyer's nothing like the man he was before. All the mages know about the memory loss, and I don't get why Tyne is holding whatever the old Meyer did against him now. He's not the same guy anymore. He won't ever be that man again because he can't remember and never will. I understand that it might be hard to forgive him because he has the same face, but this isn't going to get better unless Tyne gives Meyer a chance. I'm at a point where I'm tempted to shove both of them in a locked room and wait to see how things will go, but I'm scared that Tyne will hurt Meyer, and I'm not willing to sacrifice Meyer's safety." Meyer might be able to turn into a massive dragon, but he'd never hurt Tyne, no matter how harshly Tyne treated him. Bennett wasn't sure the same could be said for the mage.

Bennett sucked in a breath and glanced at Parker. He didn't need an answer. There wasn't one.

"I don't know Tyne well," Parker said. "I've been here longer than you, but not that long. He's always been closed off, and I wondered if something had happened in his past, but I don't know what that something is. I don't think anyone does. I mentioned it to Jarvis, who told me things had always been odd between Tyne and his shield, but not like this. He's tried talking to Tyne, but Tyne won't talk to anyone."

"It's almost as if he's punishing Meyer, but Meyer doesn't know why he's doing it. I don't know what he thinks he's doing or what he believes he's going to obtain, but he's going to drive Meyer away if he doesn't stop."

Parker frowned. "You think Meyer might leave?"

Bennett sighed and went to sit on the bench. "I don't know. I don't want him to go, and I don't want to leave. I'm just now getting to know Penley, and it's important to me that I stay and protect him. I also don't want to lose my best friend, though, especially for something like this. It doesn't feel fair, you know?"

Parker nodded. "It doesn't, but I think it also depends on what happened. Tyne is clearly hurting over it, even though he won't tell anyone."

"I don't think Meyer would have done anything that could have pushed Tyne to behave like this. He's a nice guy. He doesn't want to hurt Tyne now and doesn't even remember him. I can't believe he hurt him when he was his shield and his job was to protect him."

Parker hesitated. "Do you know if Tyne and Meyer were fully bonded?"

"You mean if they had sex?"

"Ansley and I weren't fully bonded in the past, but we are now. I felt different when I first met him than I do now that we are. Tyne never found a new shield, so maybe they weren't, but none of the mages did, not even Ansley. I guess I'm wondering how close Tyne and Meyer were before."

"I don't know. I don't even know if Penley and I were bonded."

"But you can ask him. I don't think Tyne would answer if Meyer asked him about it."

"I did ask Penley, and he said that we were just starting to get to know each other. We hadn't been together long and weren't a couple."

But maybe there was something here. The kind of feeling Tyne clearly had for Meyer was strong. It might only be because Meyer was Tyne's shield, but it suggested that there had been something more between them. Maybe they'd been together, and Meyer had betrayed Tyne? It didn't feel like something Meyer would do, but Bennett couldn't remember the man Meyer had been before.

Once again, there was only one way to find out, and it would be to ask Tyne, something they couldn't do.

How the hell was Bennett supposed to help Meyer when he had no idea what was happening?

* * * *

Penley was ready to scream. He needed to be more helpful, but he didn't know how. Ansley was busy getting ready to cast the spell again. Keylon and Dallin had been patient, but if Ansley didn't hurry, one of them was going to do something stupid like try to cast the seeking spell on their own. It might even work, but Ansley was the one with the most experience when it came to seeking spells. He'd find the two missing shields. If Keylon or Dallin tried to cast the spell themselves, they might find their shield, but they might also end up on the opposite side of the world from them.

Seeking spells were tricky. It wasn't easy to cast a spell to find a specific person, especially someone you didn't know. The dragons weren't the same men they'd been before, both mentally and physically. They looked similar, but their lives had taken them down a new path, and it was hard even for Ansley to locate them. He might have been able to do it more easily if they'd still been the men they'd been before, but they hadn't been in a long time.

Penley poked at the book in front of him, but it didn't give him any more answers than before. He still had no idea how to help Emory.

This was the only thing Penley could do. His powers had been somewhat useful in the fight against Carlyle. He'd been strong enough to keep Carlyle and his minions at bay when they'd attacked Marlow and Jason, but now he couldn't do anything.

It was incredibly frustrating. Penley pushed the book away and flopped back against his chair. Maybe leaving his office for a bit would help. He wanted to talk to Emory, anyway. He felt he hadn't apologized enough about the fact that he and the others hadn't looked for him after he'd disappeared. He didn't think they would have been able to do anything about Emory's dragon and the fact that Carlyle had stolen his magic, but maybe if they'd found him, they would have been able to stop Carlyle from doing everything he'd done after that, including his final attack.

Penley got up and stretched. Staying in his office and focusing on these books wasn't helping. He hadn't found anything that would tell him how to give Emory his dragon back. He wasn't even sure he could do it. He might have to come up with a spell himself.

The thought was intimidating. Ansley had created his own spell to find the dragons. That was why it had taken him so long. He hadn't been able to use a normal seeking spell, possibly because he'd been looking for people who technically didn't exist anymore. He'd been focused on the old versions of the dragons, but those versions were gone. They were new men, and Ansley had only found them by using a new spell.

Penley had never created a spell. He didn't know if he could, but it was the logical next step. He might have to talk to Jarvis or one of the other mages about it, but he wanted to attempt it on his own for now. He'd taken on the burden to help Emory, and he'd see it through.

He left his office, relieved to see that Sandy wasn't at her desk. She'd want to know what was happening and where he was going, and he hadn't told anyone he was working on helping Emory. He didn't want to disappoint people if it turned out that there was nothing he could do. He still hoped, but he hadn't found anything so far, and it worried him.

The castle was silent, but not as silent as it had been in the past. If Penley listened hard, he could hear Jason screeching somewhere in the distance. It didn't bother him. If anything, he liked having a kid around. He hadn't expected any of the dragons to have children, but he should have. It made sense that some of them would have created a family. They hadn't remembered they already had one.

It didn't take long to find Emory. Penley had been keeping an eye on him since he'd arrived, so he knew where the dragon liked spending time. Usually he was on top of the highest tower. It was clear that Emory missed shifting, and Penley ached for him.

Emory turned when Penley stepped out of the tower. He frowned, making Penley wonder if he should leave him alone. That would probably be for the best. Was he bothering Emory? He'd come to find him to apologize again, but he probably shouldn't have.

Emory smiled, and Penley felt better. Emory needed friends. Penley and the other mages had abandoned him once. Penley wouldn't do so a second time.

"Penley," Emory said.

"I hope I'm not bothering you. I needed some fresh air," Penley explained as he went to sit on the nearest bench.

Emory was standing by the edge of the tower. He'd been looking out at the lake before he'd turned to face Penley, and Penley wondered what he'd been thinking about. Did he miss his little house in the mountains?

Penley sucked in a breath. "I wish I could do more for you," he said.

Emory shrugged. "What more could you do? You and the other mages have taken me in, and that's enough."

"Is it? Because it looks like you had a good life even without us. We should have done more when you vanished, and I hate that we didn't. We should have known Carlyle had hurt you."

"Is that why you came to find me? To apologize?"

Penley shrugged and looked away. "We should. Even though Carlyle's betrayal came out of nowhere, we should have wondered about you when we realized what he was doing."

"You barely knew me, Penley. How could you have known I wasn't on Carlyle's side? He was my mage, and I was in love with him. It would have made sense."

"But you weren't, and he took away your ability to shift. I hate him for that."

Emory looked surprised. "Why? I'm nothing to you."

"You're a friend. I didn't know you well back then, and I still don't, but what Carlyle did to you isn't fair, and I want to help you."

Emory shook his head. "Not even Jarvis tried to find me, and he's the mage who knew me best. I don't want you to feel guilty about what happened back then. What Carlyle did is entirely on him, and you have nothing to apologize or make amends for."

Penley didn't feel that way, even though logically, he knew Emory was right. Penley had barely known him. After the dragons had vanished, he'd been focused on finding them, and he hadn't thought about Emory and what had happened to him. It might make him an idiot, but he'd always feel guilty about that. Maybe if he'd realized Emory was missing, he would have been able to help him. Even if he couldn't, he would have had decades to find out how to give Emory his dragon back.

He didn't want Emory to have to wait anymore. He'd already done so long enough.

"How can I help?" he asked, leaning forward. "What Carlyle did might not be my fault, but I still want to help you."

"You don't have a reason to."

"You're my friend. Isn't that reason enough?"

Emory stared at Penley for a moment before smiling. They might not have been friends before, but Penley wanted them to be now. Emory had been alone for too long. He deserved a family and people who cared about him, and Penley wanted to be that for him. It might not help erase the pain Carlyle had caused, but it would give Emory something he hadn't had for decades.

"I want revenge," Emory said in a hard voice. "It might be stupid, but I want Carlyle to get what he deserves. I want him to pay for taking away my dragon and your shields. I know I can't get revenge on my own because I'll never get my dragon back, but I can have something. I can watch as you and the other mages punish Carlyle for what he did. Work on that, all right? Make Carlyle pay for what he did to me and you."

"We'll do that anyway. I want to do something for you."

"That will be enough."

But it wouldn't be. Emory had lost all hope that he could ever get his dragon back. He hadn't shifted for decades and didn't think he ever would again. If there was one thing Penley could do for him, it was to give him his dragon back, and he would.

He just didn't know how long it would take.