Chapter Seven

Penley might be done avoiding Bennett, but that didn't mean he knew how to behave when he was around him. Their kisses in the hallway hadn't helped, and now, every time they spent time together, he felt more flustered than he ever had in his life.

Like now.

They were both in the kitchen, where Bennett was helping Jillian with the dishes. He'd offered to help her cook but had warned her that he sucked at it, and she'd decided to assign him to the dishes instead. She always said that cleaning up while she was cooking was the best way to ensure she didn't have too much stuff to deal with once she was done, and it seemed she was right. With Bennett rinsing dishes and putting them in the dishwasher, Jillian was free to focus on the food, which smelled heavenly.

As if on cue, Penley's stomach growled loudly. He flushed when Bennett grinned at him and tried to act as if that growl had come from someone else, but even though he was surrounded by people, everyone knew it had been him.

"Hungry?" Bennett asked as he moved closer.

"I should have eaten more at lunch," Penley muttered. "I was working and forgot, and even though Sandy brought me a sandwich, it feels like I ate it hours ago."

Bennett frowned and dropped a kiss on top of Penley's head. "I'll put something together for you to eat now."

Penley had no idea how to deal with this. Bennett was affectionate in a way Penley hadn't expected. He behaved as if it were entirely normal and something he'd done forever, but it had only been one day since the two of them had kissed. It felt like they'd skipped the phase of first dates and being awkward, at least on Bennett's side. Penley was awkward, but he suspected there was nothing he could do about that. It was just how he was, so it was good that Bennett didn't seem to have a problem with it.

"I can wait for dinner," he said.

"Are you sure? It won't take me much to put together another sandwich."

"As long as he doesn't ruin his dinner," Jillian warned.

Penley hid a smile. She was human, so she wasn't a parent figure to the mages. She'd only been working at the castle for a couple of decades, and they were all older than she was. That had never stopped her from mothering everyone, especially Penley.

Penley was used to it. Looking the way he did, everyone tended to mother him. Jarvis had even apologized for it recently, but Penley had brushed him off. He didn't care that people hovered around, asked him if he wanted something to drink or eat, and took care of him. It was how they showed him they cared, and he'd cherished it after losing his dragon.

Penley was happier than he had any right to be. He hated that he felt guilty about it, especially since both Dallin and Keylon had reassured him that they were fine. They were worried, of course. Everyone was. They didn't know what had happened to the last two dragons and might never find out. But, as Dallin had pointed out, they couldn't stop living just because of that. What if they never found Kent and Alvin? Should they stop living until they did?

Besides, they might still be able to find them. Ansley had promised he'd be ready to cast the spell again today or tomorrow and had agreed to try locating Alvin again. If he still couldn't, he'd wait another few days and move on to Kent. They had to find the dragons as quickly as possible, but without knowing what had happened and why they weren't able to locate Alvin the first time around, it was impossible to decide which way to go.

"I'm hungry too," Jason said, giving Penley an understanding expression. "But Dad says I don't have permission to eat right before dinner."

"And for a good reason," Jillian pointed out. "Remember the last time you were starving and had a sandwich an hour before dinner?"

"I wasn't hungry for dinner," Jason muttered.

"Exactly. Feeling a little hunger isn't going to hurt you."

"But Jillian might if you don't eat her dinner," Bennett muttered as he leaned down to kiss Penley's cheek.

Penley grinned at him. "I'll wait," he said.

Bennett opened his mouth, probably to insist that he should at least have a piece of fruit or a carrot. He was taking his job of protecting Penley incredibly seriously. It made Penley feel cherished and like he mattered, and he loved it. He might still be slightly hesitant because he had no idea where things were going, but as long as Bennett treated him like he was precious, he'd be happy.

That probably meant he was high maintenance, but he didn't care. Bennett didn't seem to care, either, and his opinion was the only one that mattered when it came to their relationship.

The alarm started blaring, making everyone in the kitchen jump. Bennett looked around wildly as if he expected someone to blast their way into the kitchen, but Penley knew that this alarm was the one placed around the castle. It wasn't the alarm from the castle itself, which meant that the intruders were still outside.

He jumped to his feet, but Bennett pushed him back down. "Where are you going?" He had to yell so that Penley could hear him over the loud sound.

"I need to see what's happening."

"It could be dangerous."

Penley loved that Bennett wanted to protect him and take care of him, but he also needed Bennett to see him for who he was. He squared his shoulders and straightened his back, then looked straight at his shield. "I know. I still have to do this. You'll protect me. You're my shield, aren't you?"

Bennett stared at Penley for a moment before nodding. "I am. I'll make sure nothing happens to you."

Penley quickly kissed him. "I know. I trust you." Penley really did. He had no idea what was happening, but he knew that with Bennett by his side, he'd be strong enough to face it.

* * * *

Bennett followed Penley closely. He wished he could convince him to stay inside, but he could tell from Penley's expression he wouldn't succeed. Penley's family might be under attack, and he was set on protecting them.

Bennett understood and felt the same. He wished Penley could avoid getting involved, but he respected his mage. No matter how much he wanted to wrap him up and keep him inside where it was safe, he wouldn't. The other mages treated Penley like he was precious and fragile, and while in some ways, they were right, Penley was a powerful mage and an adult. If he wanted to be out there with the others, that was where he would be, no matter what Bennett thought of it.

They rushed out of the kitchen and down the hallway. Bennett could hear people talking close by, so he knew they wouldn't be the only ones there. He would have been surprised if they had been. He suspected the mages and dragons were gathering in the courtyard by the entrance, including him and Penley.

Just before they exited the castle, Bennett heard footsteps behind them. He turned to find Meyer running toward them.

"What's going on?" he asked.

"It's the outside alarm," Penley explained as he opened the door. "Whoever's coming is still outside, but they're close."

"Is it Carlyle?"

"I don't know."

That was the worst part. Bennett had to know who was coming in order to protect his mage, but he wouldn't find out until he was out there facing the danger.

He was a bit panicky. He might be a dragon shifter, but magic could hurt him. He was supposed to protect Penley and the other mages, but he wasn't sure how. He wasn't worried about the mages who'd found their dragons but about Keylon and Dallin. It would be too easy for whoever was out there to hurt them, especially if that person was Carlyle and he'd done something to keep Kent and Alvin away.

The three of them burst into the courtyard. Jarvis and Marlow were already there, standing in front of the door that opened on the bridge. It was wooden, so there was no way to see who was on the other side. For now, Bennett couldn't hear anything except the voices of the people in the castle.

"Jason's in the kitchen?" Marlow asked.

Bennett nodded. "We left him with Jillian."

Marlow relaxed and turned his attention back to the door. Bennett had questions, but he had to stick close to Penley, so he moved closer to his mage. He pressed a hand against Penley's back, surprised when Penley turned to smile at him.

"We don't know who it is," Penley said. "It might be a friend."

"Who would come up to the castle without calling first? Besides, I might not know who set up the alarm, but I'm sure that whoever did it made it so that any of your friends would be welcome inside the castle's perimeter. You wouldn't go through this every time."

Penley grimaced. "That's true. Our families and friends are always welcome, so there's no alarm when they visit."

"Which means it's not someone you know."

"It could be someone from town."

"Or it could be Carlyle and his minions," Parker muttered.

All the mages and dragons had arrived. When Bennett glanced up, he noticed a few people looking out the window, but as long as they stayed inside, they would be safe. He knew a bit about how the castle was protected because he'd been initially worried. It was a freaking castle, which made it an obvious target, or at least, that was what he'd thought. He'd been told about the various protections the mages had created over the years, including a shielding spell that covered the entire castle. The alarm blaring was only there to warn the mages that someone was coming. If that someone tried attacking, they'd be in for a bad surprise.

Silence fell on the courtyard as everyone waited to see what would happen. Bennett wanted to go out there and check who had crossed onto the property, but until someone told him to do so, he'd stay by Penley's side.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" a muffled male voice asked from the other side of the door.

"I'm telling you it is," a second man said.

"This is a freaking castle."

"Exactly. Do you know a better place for a mage to live?"

Bennett cocked his head as he listened to the conversation. Whoever the two guys were, they talked in a tone of familiarity. Their conversation made Bennett smile. It would have been funny if the situation hadn't been so dire.

"Just knock," the second voice said. "You can talk to whoever opens and stop bothering me."

"Why are you here again?"

"Because you would have had to fly if I hadn't opened a portal so you could come and see who the fuck is looking for you."

Penley and Bennett exchanged a glance. Penley's eyes were wide, and Bennett had to resist the urge to reach for him. They couldn't focus on each other right now. They needed to focus on the two guys bickering outside the door.

Jarvis stepped up to the door. When he reached for it, Marlow grabbed his shoulder, and Jarvis stopped moving. He sucked in a breath, then turned to face Marlow and everyone else. "This is the only way to find out who's behind the door," he said. "It's not Carlyle. I would recognize his voice."

Bennett prayed that was true as he watched Jarvis reach for the door again. Jarvis pressed his fingertips just above the lock and muttered something, probably a spell to unlock it. Bennett held his breath as Jarvis slowly opened and peeked outside. Because of the way he held the door, Bennett couldn't see who stood on the other side of the door.

"Who are you?" Jarvis asked as he leaned further out.

The two guys stopped talking. The silence was heavy as everyone waited for them to answer. It wasn't Carlyle, so at least they had that going for them.

"Alvin?" Jarvis asked. He sounded like he couldn't believe his eyes.

That wasn't what Bennett had expected. He doubted anyone had expected Alvin to show up at their front door.

Keylon cried out as Jarvis threw open the door. He pushed forward, ignoring the people telling him to wait. He'd heard his dragon's name and wanted to see him. It made sense, but it might still be dangerous, so Bennett grabbed his arm before he could reach the door.

"Let me go," Keylon ordered.

"Wait. We need to see if it's really Alvin or if it's a trick. Jarvis will be able to tell us."

Keylon glared so hard that Bennett thought it was a miracle he didn't have a hole in his forehead. "I'm a mage. I can deal with anyone attacking us."

"I'm sure you normally could, but this is an emotional moment. You won't see anything else coming at you because you're focused on Alvin."

"Who the fuck is Alvin?" the first man asked.

Bennett remembered the moment he'd been found. He'd had no idea who Penley and the others were or why they were calling him Devon, and it had been confusing.

Alvin was in for a hell of a ride, and it seemed he would take all of them along.

* * * *

Penley couldn't say he'd expected either of the two missing dragons to come knocking on their door. Hell, until a few minutes ago, he'd been convinced something bad had happened to Alvin and Kent and that they might never see them again. He'd been worried that Carlyle had hurt them or that they'd been hurt while they'd been separated.

But here Alvin was, standing outside the castle, demanding to know what was going on.

"Who the fuck are you, and why have you been trying to find me?" Alvin asked.

Jarvis raised his hands. "I can explain, but I'd appreciate it if you stopped yelling at me."

"Yeah, Winter, don't be rude," the second man said.

"I want to know what's going on," Alvin said.

Except that now, he seemed to be named Winter. It was what the second man had called him, anyway. Penley was getting used to calling the dragons by their new names, so it wouldn't be a problem. It might be one for Winter, though.

"My name is Jarvis," Jarvis said. "Why don't you come in? We can go to the sitting room, have a few snacks, and talk about what's been happening."

"I'd rather you tell me now," Winter said.

"Oh my God," the second man whined. "You're so fucking annoying, Win."

Jarvis stepped aside, and a man Penley didn't know stepped into the courtyard. He looked a bit like Penley because he was blond with light-colored eyes, short, and slight. No one would have mixed them up, though. Penley liked comfortable clothes in neutral colors. He enjoyed grays, browns, and greens. This guy, on the other hand, was a punch in the eye. He had on bright red jeans and a white jacket and shoes, while the hoodie under his jacket was green.

He reminded Penley of Christmas.

The man glanced around, clearly interested in the castle. That didn't last long when he noticed everyone there. He arched a brow, then looked back at Winter, who Penley could see now. He was standing by the door, gaping at his friend.

"Look at all these hot guys," Winter's friend said. He bounced on his feet. "I'm going to have so much fun here."

That was the moment everything went to shit. Keylon pulled away from Bennett's hold and rushed forward. He was headed straight for Winter, which wouldn't have been a problem if Winter's friend hadn't stepped in. His expression went from gleeful to serious in a few seconds as he placed himself between the two of them and raised his hands.

A shimmering shield appeared in front of him. Keylon tried to react, but it was too late. He'd been so focused on Winter that he hadn't noticed what was happening until he had no other choice but to slam into the magic barrier.

He bounced back, almost falling on his butt. He reacted quickly and raised his hands, probably to use his magic.

"Enough!" Jarvis snapped.

Everyone in the courtyard froze. Penley wanted to reassure Keylon that everything would be all right. Winter was there, standing in front of them. They hadn't found his shield, but it didn't matter anymore.

Keylon's shield had found them.

They didn't know what had happened to Winter and who his friend was, so they had to be cautious. Hopefully, this second guy had nothing to do with Carlyle.

"Please, come in," Jarvis said as he waved at Winter. "I apologize for Keylon, but he's been waiting for this moment for a long time."

"I'm going to kill this guy," Keylon said with a growl as he pushed up his sleeves.

Winter's friend crossed his arms over his chest and arched a brow. He allowed the shield to drop, almost as if he wasn't scared of Keylon.

Penley could already see those two fighting like cats and didn't want that to happen. He rushed forward and grabbed Keylon's arm, pulling him back.

"You can't attack Alvin's friend," he scolded gently.

"I don't care who this asshole is, and I'll attack him if I want to."

"You can try," the new guy said.

Jarvis cleared his throat. Thankfully, it was enough for both Keylon and the other guy to quiet down. It allowed Winter to walk in, and he did so cautiously.

He appeared surprised when he saw the many people gathered there, but it wasn't enough to get him to leave. Instead, he came to stand next to his friend.

They stood close enough that Penley wondered if there was more between them than friendship. The same seemed to go for Keylon because he made a wounded sound and slumped against Penley. Penley held him up, remembering how hard it had been on Jarvis when he'd realized that Marlow had a child.

The dragons had no memories of their mages, so they hadn't known they had someone waiting for them to return. After being separated for so long, it was logical that some of them had families and significant others.

"Are you his shield?" Keylon asked.

Winter looked confused, but the other guy didn't. He loudly snorted as he shook his head. "Gosh, no. I can't think of anything worse than being bonded to this guy for the rest of my life. Besides, it wouldn't be a full bond, and that's what I want with my shield."

"What the fuck is everyone talking about?" Winter demanded to know.

His friend waved him off. "Mage stuff."

Jarvis took a step forward. "I understand this must be confusing for you. As I said earlier, my name is Jarvis, and I knew you before you lost your memories. We all did."

Winter stared. "How do you know about my memory loss?"

Jarvis's smile was gentle. "I can tell you the exact moment you lost your memories. I can tell you who you were before. All the dragons in this courtyard have been through what you've been through."

"And my name was Alvin?"

Jarvis nodded. "It was."

"Well, it's not anymore. I'm Winter."

"It's so good to see you again, Winter. Why don't you and your friend come in?"

"I'm Samuel, even though no one seems to care," Winter's friend said.

Penley wasn't sure what to think of the guy, but he was Winter's friend, and Penley was intrigued. The guy was a mage, but he wasn't Winter's mage. That meant things weren't as bad as they'd looked earlier.

That didn't mean they weren't bad, though. Winter had always been like Keylon. They were both headstrong and stubborn, and if Winter decided he wanted nothing to do with any of this, he'd never look back.

They needed to make sure that didn't happen. They had to be careful with him and make him listen. So far, all the dragons had agreed to move into the castle and help with the fight against Carlyle. Would Winter do the same, or would he be the first to run the other way when they told him the full story?

* * * *

Bennett resisted the urge to pull Penley away. So far, Winter and his friend hadn't done anything weird, but Bennett wouldn't put it past either of them to react badly to what Jarvis was about to tell them.

"No one cares about you," Keylon snapped at Samuel.

Samuel's scowl was fierce. He raised his hands, possibly to cast a spell on Keylon. Bennett couldn't say he blamed him. Keylon was rude, and Samuel had no way to know why he was behaving like this.

Bennett had no idea how powerful a mage Samuel was or what he was about to do, so he acted quickly. He shifted, knowing he'd be more resistant to spells in his dragon form. He hadn't known that before, but Parker had explained that his thick, leathery skin would protect him from many spells. Bennett hoped to shock Samuel into dropping his fight with Keylon.

Bennett's body grew. He moved his tail before he was fully shifted, placing it between the two mages. Keylon took a step back, but Samuel looked like he wanted to attack Bennett now. Bennett grinned at him, showing him his teeth.

He would have been disappointed if he'd expected Samuel to be afraid. The man scoffed and waved in Winter's direction. "I see enough of this every day with him. Why should I be afraid of you?"

Penley cleared his throat. "He's not trying to scare you. He's just trying to get you to stop attacking Keylon. Emotions are running high, especially for Keylon. Please, listen to what we have to say before attacking us."

No one could say no to Penley. Samuel's gaze softened when he looked at Bennett's mage. "Fine. I'll listen to you, but I don't like him."

"The feeling is mutual!" Keylon yelled from the other side of Bennett's tail.

Bennett narrowed his eyes at him. Keylon flipped him the bird.

Bennett wasn't offended. It was good to see Keylon reacting so strongly after he'd been so down since Ansley's spell had failed yesterday.

Bennett wondered if the reason Ansley's spell had failed was standing in front of him. It would make sense that Samuel had somehow blocked the spell. After all, he was a mage and close to Winter.

"I apologize for casting the seeking spell to find you," Jarvis told Winter, even though he hadn't been the one to cast it. "Our dragons were taken from us around a hundred years ago. We've been looking for them since, and when we started finding them, we realized none of you had memories."

Winter rubbed his face. "How is that possible? Can you give them back? Samuel tried, but he said it's like they just never existed."

Samuel nodded. "They're not blocked. There's just nothing there."

"Unfortunately, I'm afraid we can't help with that. We tried when we found the first dragons, but as Samuel said, the memories aren't there."

Winter huffed. "Fine. I guess I didn't need those memories, anyway. Why were you trying to find me? Am I one of your dragons?"

"You are. You were Keylon's shield before you were taken from him."

"Oh, hell no," Samuel snapped. "There's no way he was that guy's shield."

From Keylon's expression, he was ready to climb over Bennett to get his hands around Samuel's throat, so Bennett decided to nip that in the bud.

He wrapped his tail around Keylon.

Keylon punched Bennett's tail, but Bennett barely felt it. He stuck his tongue out since it wouldn't be practical to flip Keylon the bird in his dragon form. Samuel guffawed, which didn't help make Keylon happier.

"Can you two stop?" Winter asked.

Both Samuel and Keylon glared at him. Bennett would have laughed if he hadn't been afraid they'd turn their attention to him next.

"I can't believe I've been looking for you for decades, and when I finally find you, you have another mage," Keylon complained.

"He doesn't have another mage," Samuel said. "We're just friends. He never asked me to be his mage, and I don't need a shield."

Bennett wasn't sure that was true. Carlyle was focused on these mages for now, but what about the future? What would happen if, God forbid, he won the fight? Would he go for other mages next? It was the most logical plan, but Bennett didn't think Samuel knew about Carlyle. Winter certainly wouldn't have told him, since he couldn't remember the guy.

Jarvis pinched the bridge of his nose. He was losing his patience, which Bennett understood. He was tempted to leave Samuel and Keylon in the courtyard to fight it out. They were exhausting.

"A long time ago, everyone in this courtyard fought a powerful mage. He'd been using his magic to get power and hurt people, and we had to stop him. We did, but we paid a heavy price. He'd already cast a spell on our dragons. We managed to trap him in a gemstone, but he took our dragons from us and erased their memories. He knew that without our shields, we'd be weaker. He was probably plotting to come back, and he succeeded. It's more important than ever that both Keylon and Dallin find their shields, which is why we were casting that seeking spell. It's how we found the other shields, and you were next on the list, Winter."

"This is a lot," Winter said.

Bennett was worried. He and Meyer had taken the news fairly well, but there was no way to know how Winter and Kent would take it. Not everyone was happy to be reunited with their dragon. Maybe Winter would want nothing to do with any of this. Keylon was going to be in a lot of pain if Winter rejected him, especially with Samuel in the picture.

"We know," Jarvis said in a soothing tone. "You don't have to say or do anything right now. Why don't you come in? We can sit down, have something to eat or drink, and I'll answer all your questions."

"As long as these two stop fighting," Tyne grumbled. "They give me a headache."

"Isn't that the excuse you always use?" Meyer muttered.

Bennett had enough of two people fighting. He didn't need Tyne and Meyer added to the pile, so he growled softly. Tyne looked ready to strangle Meyer, but Meyer grimaced and patted Bennett's side.

"Sorry about that."

"Everyone needs to relax. Winter, I know you have many questions, and I promise I'll answer every single one if I can. You might not remember us, but we're your family, and as far as we're concerned, you're finally home after decades of searching for you. I don't expect you and Samuel to move in, although it would be for the best considering Carlyle is after us. That's why we need to talk."

From Winter's expression, Bennett wasn't sure that a chat would be enough. Still, there was no other way to go about this. It would be best for Winter to get all his questions out of the way. Once he did, he'd be able to focus on what all it meant and what the future would bring.

Bennett should know. He'd gone through this not long ago.

Samuel was close to Winter, but he had no idea what it was like not to remember the past and not to know that someone was out there looking for you. Winter had probably thought he was alone all this time, and he was about to find out that hadn't been so. His entire world would be flipped upside down, and no one could stop it from happening.