Chapter Nine

They were almost there. They were only missing one shield, and Ansley had promised he'd be ready to cast the spell by tomorrow. He'd wanted to do it sooner, but one glare from Parker had changed his mind.

Everyone was anxious and on edge, including Ansley, but Parker was right. It wouldn't help anyone if Ansley collapsed from exhaustion or because he'd used too much magic. Luckily, he'd had a few more days to rest since he hadn't had to cast the spell a second time to find Winter, so it shouldn't take as much out of him as it usually did.

Penley looked around the dining room. Everyone was here, eating and talking. Seeing the room so full after it had been mostly empty for so long was odd. Before, it had only been six mages and the humans who lived at the castle, but now, every seat was taken. They might not have Kent back yet, but they had Parker, Marlow, Bennett, Meyer, and Winter. There was also Matthias and, of course, Samuel. Jason was sitting next to his father, talking a mile a minute.

This was family. It was home.

Not everyone would come along when Ansley cast the seeking spell. Samuel had been pissed when he'd been told to stay back. He and Winter might not be mage and shield, but they were close, and from what Penley had gathered, they'd spent most of the past decade together. It had to be odd for Samuel to let Winter go on his own, but he had to.

Winter wasn't his shield. He was Keylon's, and that was who he needed to focus on.

Things were tense between them, so Keylon wouldn't be going to the rescue. Everyone had wanted to go, but it wasn't possible, so Jarvis had made a choice. Penley hadn't been surprised that he hadn't made the cut, and he was fine with that. He'd helped Jarvis fight Carlyle when they'd first found Marlow, and he didn't have fond memories of that time. There was always a chance they'd find Carlyle waiting for them on the other side of the portal, and while Penley would have to face him again eventually, he wasn't looking forward to it.

Penley wasn't going, but Bennett was, and that worried Penley. Bennett wouldn't have to focus on protecting him, but that didn't mean he wouldn't be in danger. Penley wanted to go to protect his dragon, but it would be best for everyone if he stayed back, so he would. He'd watch his friends and family go through the portal and pray that they'd come back in one piece and without having to deal with Carlyle.

Penley wondered what would happen once they had Kent back. Their family would be complete again, which was what they'd been trying to make happen for so long, but it would also mean they could focus on the next step.

Getting rid of Carlyle permanently.

Penley disliked the thought of killing anyone, even Carlyle, but he could admit it was necessary. If they didn't kill him, he'd come back again, yearning for revenge. There would be no changing his mind. They'd tried in the past, but even Jarvis hadn't been able to convince him to stop what he was doing. Carlyle had plans and didn't care who got hurt as he tried to make them a reality.

A strong arm landed on Penley's shoulders. Before, he would have squeaked and scampered away, but now, he leaned into Bennett's warmth.

"Everything okay?" Bennett asked as he pressed a kiss to the top of Penley's head. "You look pensive."

"I think everyone is. This is it."

Bennett nodded. "We're getting the final dragon back."

Neither of them wanted to wonder what might have happened to Kent. Penley certainly didn't want to consider the possibility that Carlyle had reached him before they could. Bennett and the others would find Kent and bring him back, and that was that.

And in the meantime, he had something to focus on.

His gaze found Emory. He was sitting next to Winter, quietly talking to him. They'd started getting close, which was good to see. Emory had told Winter the truth about who he'd been to Carlyle right away, but Winter hadn't taken it badly. It was a relief. Emory had been hurt by Carlyle more than enough. He didn't need his brother to reject him, too.

"What's on your mind?" Bennett asked.

"I want to give Emory his dragon back," Penley blurted out. "I don't know if I can, and I should probably talk to the others about it, but everyone has been so busy. It feels like I might not be able to do it on my own, but I want to, you know? My magic isn't as useful as Ansley's, but it's still my magic, and I know I can do this. I just need more time."

Bennett blinked at Penley, who wondered if it had been too much. His shield clearly hadn't expected the barrage of words, and now wasn't the best moment to do this. Bennett needed to focus on what he'd find beyond the portal, not on Penley's blathering.

"You already told me you were trying to help Emory," Bennett said slowly.

Penley nodded. "Yes, but I haven't been able to find a lot. There are mentions of earth magic being used to heal, but none of the books I found explain how to do it. Why didn't they write it down?"

"Maybe it's not something you can write down. Maybe it's something you have to feel."

Penley frowned. "What do you mean?"

"It's like me and my dragon. I feel him all the time. We're two separate entities, but at the same time, we are one. He knows I've yearned for a family for a long time, and he's glad I finally found it. He has brothers now, too. The other dragons are there for him and for me. You and the magic are separate, but you also belong with each other. Maybe you need to try to work with it instead of using it."

The relationship between Bennett and his dragon did sound a bit like Penley and his magic, but not quite. This felt more like a brotherly bond, but Penley didn't feel like his magic was a sibling. It was part of him, but it was also part of the earth. It was all around him but also inside of him.

"You should spend more time with the dragons," he offered.

Bennett clearly wanted to. Penley didn't want to hold him back. Bennett deserved to spend time with the other dragons. He might not have been alone the entire time since he'd found Meyer, but it didn't mean he shouldn't take advantage of the fact that they were all reunited under one roof now.

Bennett grinned. "We're planning to go flying after lunch. We need exercise to burn off nervous energy."

"That's good." Hopefully, it would be enough to distract them for a bit.

The hardest part of this mess was still in front of them, and it would still be there once they had Kent. They'd have to deal with Carlyle, which wasn't something Penley was looking forward to.

But he was very much looking forward to the future he and Bennett would share once this was over, which meant that the sooner it happened, the happier Penley would be.

* * * *

Bennett knew Penley cared about him. He could see it every time Penley looked at him, and it made him feel all fuzzy inside.

They'd been taking things slow, and not just because of the circumstances. Their lives were a mess, and their focus needed to be on Carlyle, but it was impossible to only think of him every hour of every day. Besides, they needed something to fight for, and Bennett knew what his something was.

He would fight Carlyle for Penley. He didn't want revenge, although he was pissed that Carlyle had taken so much from him and the other dragons. He wanted Penley to relax and live his life without fearing that he and his family would be attacked. That wouldn't happen as long as Carlyle was alive.

So they would get rid of him. Bennett wasn't usually bloodthirsty, but he'd make an exception for Carlyle. The man deserved everything bad coming at him. Bennett didn't even care why he'd done all of this. He doubted he'd understand Carlyle's reasons, anyway.

Carlyle hadn't merely stolen the dragons and taken their memories. He'd also hurt Emory, the one man he should have cherished. Carlyle and Emory had been a couple, just like Jarvis and Marlow. Instead of the love Bennett could see every time Jarvis and Marlow looked at each other, Carlyle had only inflicted pain. He'd taken Emory's dragon, and no one knew if Emory would ever get it back.

Emory was convinced he wouldn't, but Bennett had faith in Penley. If there was one person who could figure this out, it was him. He cared about Emory and wanted him to be happy, and he wouldn't let anything stop him.

Bennett was falling in love with him.

He didn't have to wonder why. Penley wasn't just adorable and incredibly sexy. He was caring and always ready to help, even when things appeared doomed. He was worried about Carlyle, but while the others looked at the situation widely, Penley focused on the details, like giving Emory his dragon back and erasing the pain Carlyle had caused. It might not mean much in the long term, but fixing Emory might also mean they'd have one more dragon in the fight against Carlyle. Emory wanted revenge, which probably wasn't great, but he deserved it. He deserved to confront the man who'd hurt him so badly, and whatever he decided to do when that happened was none of Bennett's business.

"I'll be fine," he murmured as he leaned closer to Penley.

He could feel how tense Penley was. He didn't blame him. He wouldn't be coming along tomorrow, and Bennett could imagine how hard it would be for those staying behind. They wouldn't have a way to know what was happening on the other side of the portal. They'd have to wait for everyone to come back.

It was the safest way to do this. Taking everyone along would leave the castle unprotected and give Carlyle more targets. By leaving some of the mages behind, the dragons would be able to focus on rescuing Kent and defending him from Carlyle if Carlyle popped up while they were there.

Bennett wouldn't put it past him. At this point, he expected Carlyle to ruin every second of his life, so it wouldn't be a surprise to have him appear during the rescue. If he did, Bennett and the other dragons would take care of him. Who knew? They might even be able to defeat him since he wasn't at his strongest yet and didn't have a shield.

Bennett's gaze moved over the people sitting around the table. He couldn't remember a time when he'd had so many people in his life. It was odd to be surrounded by a small crowd of people he considered family, especially because he couldn't remember them. He knew their shared history, but there were no memories of it in his mind, and there never would be. The only thing he could do was create more of them.

Eventually, lunch was over. Bennett bounced on his feet, too excited to stay still. Meyer rolled his eyes at his behavior, but Bennett didn't care.

He was about to fly.

"I'll see you later," he told Penley as he leaned down to kiss him.

There was a trace of red on Penley's cheeks, but he leaned against Bennett's chest and kissed him back. He was getting comfortable in their relationship, and Bennett loved it.

"Have fun," Penley said. "I'll be in my office if you need anything."

Bennett smacked a kiss on Penley's cheek. "I'll be fine."

He bounced toward Marlow, who was waiting for the dragons. Jason was acting the same way as Bennett, which caused Bennett to slow down.

He was excited but didn't want to behave like a kid.

Marlow chuckled, probably realizing what Bennett had. "It's okay to be excited. I was, too, when Jarvis told me about the many protections around the castle and the area. All the life I remember, I had to be careful when I shifted, but here, we don't have to."

"I don't think I've ever shifted without being careful about who might see me," Bennett told him. "It's exciting."

"When are we flying?" Jason said with a whine.

Marlow squeezed his shoulder. "We're going now. Is everyone ready?"

The little group nodded almost at once. Bennett could see how excited they were. Everyone had the same experiences about being careful when shifting. They'd lived in cities where anyone could have seen them and freaked out. Bennett had tried moving to the country a few times over the years, but even there, he'd had to be careful.

Not anymore.

They followed Marlow out of the dining room and through the castle. They were headed to the highest tower, which wasn't a surprise. They could shift in the courtyards, too, but the tower would be the best spot to do it since they were going to fly.

As soon as they reached the top of the tower and stepped outside, Bennett stretched, inhaling the clean air. He noticed Jason taking off his sweater and remembered that Marlow had told him that his son still had trouble using his shifting magic on his clothes. He had to strip down if he didn't want to tear off his clothes every time he shifted. No one said anything about it, not even Winter. Bennett looked away, not wanting to embarrass Jason.

"Ready?" Meyer asked, bumping his shoulder against Bennett's.

Bennett grinned at him. "Race you?"

Meyer didn't answer in words. Instead, he shifted, and Bennett had to quickly step away so he wouldn't get slapped in the face by a wing.

"Not fair!" he yelled as Meyer pushed into the air.

He quickly shifted, too, eager to join his friend. It wasn't the first time they'd flown together, so it was familiar. They circled each other for a moment, stretching their wings and enjoying the feeling of being in the air.

Bennett looked down. Winter had joined them, and the startling white color of his skin made Bennett blink. He'd never seen a white dragon, but then he'd only ever seen himself and Meyer until they moved to the castle.

He looked around. He was surrounded by other dragons, including Jason, who was flying in circles around them. Things were still awkward, but they all knew they belonged. They were a family, and eventually, they'd feel like one.