Chapter Ten

Breakfast was never peaceful, but Keylon was used to it. It was the start of his day, and he liked taking his time, drinking tea and reading as he listened to the others around him. Now that Marlow and his son had moved into the castle, breakfast was even more lively, and part of Keylon loved it. It felt like they were a family again, which was something he’d yearned for during all the years they’d been without their dragons.

Winter hadn’t been present when Keylon entered the dining room, and Keylon knew he needed to hurry. Winter would arrive soon, and when he did, he might try to talk to Keylon. Keylon still wasn’t ready for that, which was why he was planning to be as far away from the dining room as possible by the time Winter arrived. He still needed to grab food and eat, which meant he had to stop reading.

He sighed and turned a page of his book. He wasn’t done with this chapter yet, dammit.

The sound of a plate being placed in front of him made him look down. Someone had cut up a banana and placed it in a bowl with a bunch of granola and Greek yogurt. That was what Keylon always had at breakfast, and he looked up to thank whichever of his brothers had gotten it together for him.

His smile froze when he saw Winter look down at him.

Keylon opened his mouth and started looking around for a quick way to leave the room, but Winter didn’t give him the chance to run. He smiled at him, gently squeezed his shoulder, and turned around to leave.

Keylon stared. He’d expected Winter to want to talk, but instead, he’d gone back to the buffet to grab a plate. There was an empty seat next to Keylon, and Keylon waited, knowing Winter would sit there if he didn’t leave. What would happen then?

He’d probably demand answers, and Keylon didn’t have any for him. He couldn’t do anything about the way he panicked every time he thought about him and Winter being together. He wanted it desperately, but he was also terrified. Those two feelings were tearing him apart, and he didn’t know what to do about it or how to fix it.

He couldn’t do this now. He started to rise from his chair, but a hand pushed him back down. He turned to his other side to glare at Tyne.

Tyne was focused on his plate, shoveling down eggs and bacon as if they’d vanish if he wasn’t fast enough. “You have to talk to him,” Tyne said, his gaze still on his plate.

“That’s ironic, coming from you,” Keylon whispered. “You look ready to punch Meyer every time he looks your way.”

Tyne tensed. Keylon regretted bringing Meyer up, but if Tyne was going to stick his nose into Keylon’s relationship with his dragon, that meant Keylon could do the same, right?

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Meyer,” Tyne whispered back.

“I don’t because you won’t talk to anyone. If you think I’m making a mistake, you have to see that you’re making one, too.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then tell me. Allow me or anyone else in this castle to help you.” Keylon hesitated. It was the first time Tyne seemed even slightly open to talk about this. It wouldn’t last long, but Keylon would take the opportunity to say a few things. “Whatever happened between you and Peyton, it’s in the past, and Meyer isn’t Peyton. He’s not the man who hurt you, and it’s not fair for you to treat him like he is. He’s going to leave if you continue doing so, and I don’t think you truly want that.”

Tyne snorted and got to his feet. “You don’t know what I want.”

Keylon resisted the urge to throw his book at Tyne’s head. “Don’t be an asshole,” he snapped. “I know it’s hard, because deep inside you’re a dick, but Meyer doesn’t deserve this. Whatever he did before he was Meyer, he’s a different person now, and you can’t hold it against him. You have to give him a chance to fix things. You’re breaking his heart.”

“That’s only fair, since he broke mine,” Tyne spat out before turning and leaving.

Keylon was startled when Winter dropped into the empty seat on his other side. He tensed, expecting him to want to talk, but when he turned, Winter just smiled at him and started eating.

Keylon was confused. What was happening this morning? Why was everyone being so weird?

“You should eat,” Winter said gently.

Keylon looked down at his bowl. He should eat. He was surprised to see that Winter had been watching him enough to know what he ate for breakfast. He was also touched. It meant Winter had been paying attention to him.

The two of them were silent as they started eating their breakfast, but Keylon’s mind was going a mile a minute. He wasn’t sure what Winter was doing, but he wasn’t pushing, which was what Keylon needed. No matter how much he wanted to be with Winter, he needed time to convince himself and his heart they were safe with him. He wouldn’t break Keylon’s heart again.

That was what Winter was trying to say, right? He was showing Keylon that he wanted to take care of him and that he would do so even if they weren’t together. It wasn’t something Keylon would have expected of him before, so maybe there was some truth to what Winter had told him in his office.

Maybe Winter really didn’t want Samuel. Maybe he did want Keylon.

There was a chance Keylon’s heart wouldn’t be broken again, after all. He’d told Tyne to give Meyer a chance, but he hadn’t been giving Winter one. It was time to stop hiding in fear and believe he still had a chance at happiness and love.

* * * *

Keylon was still sitting next to Winter, which felt like a small victory. Normally, Keylon would have left the room as soon as he saw Winter. He wouldn’t have allowed Winter to bring him food or to sit next to him as they ate.

They were both silent, which wasn’t what Winter had in mind, but it was better than nothing. It was definitely better than Keylon running away, so Winter decided to take it as a win. Samuel had suggested he and Keylon talk, but Winter needed to take things slowly so he wouldn’t spook Keylon.

He couldn’t blame Keylon for wanting to protect himself. He’d gone through a roller coaster of emotions lately, and most of it had been because of Winter. The situation was easier for Winter, and he couldn’t fully understand what Keylon was going through or how to fix things.

But he was willing to try.

He glanced sideways, curious to see what Keylon was doing. He’d picked up his book and was stuffing Greek yogurt into his mouth as he read. Winter wasn’t a reader, so he didn’t really care what Keylon was reading, but he thought it might be a nice start to a conversation.

“So, what are you reading?” he asked.

Keylon blinked up at him. “What?”

“Your book. What is it?”

Keylon’s eyebrows rose on his forehead. “You’re interested in what I’m reading?”

“Yeah. Shouldn’t I be? I can go back to keeping my mouth shut if it makes you more comfortable.” Winter didn’t want to do that, but he wasn’t lying. He wanted Keylon to be comfortable, and if that meant staying silent right now, he’d do it.

Keylon stared at him for a moment. Winter fully expected him to say that yes, he should stay quiet, or maybe for Keylon to leave, but instead, he stuffed his napkin into his book and closed it before setting it on the table.

“It’s a bunch of essays on protective spells.”

“Is that your specialty?” Winter had spent enough time with mages that he knew a lot of things about them, probably more than the other dragons here. They couldn’t remember anything and had been isolated in the human world, but he hadn’t.

Keylon gave him a pleased smile. “It is. I shouldn’t be surprised that you know specialties, especially since you’ve been living with Samuel’s clan for decades. Does he have one?”

“He’s been working a lot of things, but I don’t think he has any specific inclination at the moment.”

Keylon nodded. “It can take a long time to find your specialty, and Samuel’s young. I’m sure he’ll find his place.”

Winter was curious and wanted to ask about the other mages, but another part of him wanted to focus on Keylon. He was finally talking to him. It felt like a step forward, and Winter had to be careful not to take two steps back now.

“I know that mages have specialties because they’re more magically inclined to some kinds of spells rather than others, but how did you end up with protective spells?” he asked.

Keylon’s eyes lit up as he started talking. He didn’t hesitate like he would’ve as recently as yesterday.

Something had shifted between them, and while Winter wasn’t sure what that something was, he was happy. He’d never seen Keylon so animated. Even when he was with his friends, Keylon always appeared a bit subdued, maybe because of the situation they were in. Right now, though, he was focused on magic and explaining things to Winter. It was as if a weight had lifted off his shoulders.

Seeing him like that made Winter want to kiss him. Instead, he speared a piece of bacon with his fork and put it into his mouth. Keylon was forgetting to eat, he was so excited to talk about magic, so Winter elbowed him lightly and tilted his chin toward his food. Keylon blinked. His cheeks flushed, and he grabbed his spoon.

“Sorry about that. I can get pretty animated when I start talking about magic.”

“I noticed. I liked hearing you talk about it. It’s clear it’s something you’re passionate about.”

“It’s a part of me.”

Keylon said it as if it was obvious, but having lived with mages, Winter knew it wasn’t. Some mages were more inclined toward magic, while others had great difficulties using it, to the point that some preferred living like humans.

That wasn’t the case for any of the mages who lived here, but it made sense. They’d banded together to defeat Carlyle, which meant that all of them were incredibly strong. Keylon was right when he said that younger mages often didn’t have specialties, but Winter suspected that everyone in this room did. Keylon had protective spells, while Jarvis opened portals as if it were as easy as breathing. Ansley had perfected a seeking spell that had led him and the other mages to the dragons. Winter wasn’t sure about Penley, but he’d seen him giving magic back to a dragon who hadn’t been able to shift in decades.

All of these men were impressive, and Winter had to believe it meant they would be able to defeat Carlyle a second time—and for good.

And Winter would be there to help them. He wouldn’t have it any other way, especially now that he wanted to see where things went between him and Keylon. They hadn’t kissed again, but that was all right. Winter would wait for as long as it took for Keylon to be comfortable with him.

He’d been watching him since the kiss, and he could easily see himself fall in love with Keylon. He understood why Alvin had fallen for him. How could he not have?

Keylon was passionate. He was fascinating, especially when he started talking about things he loved. The fact that he was beautiful didn’t have anything to do with his personality, but Winter liked that, too.

Keylon was his type, which might be why Keylon and Alvin had ended up together. From what Winter had seen over the years, mages and shields weren’t always in relationships, but their bond was much stronger when they were. It came from the feelings they had for each other. Defending someone they loved might make the dragons more reckless, but it also gave them a reason to ensure their mages wouldn’t get hurt. Who better to protect a mage than the dragon who was in love with them?

Winter wasn’t ready to let go of Keylon once they were done eating. Most of the other people in the dining room had come and gone, leaving them nearly alone. Meyer was still there, sitting by the window, staring at the sky. Winter’s heart broke for him. Meyer wanted to know what had happened with Tyne, but Tyne looked ready to kill him every time he saw him. It was even worse than what had happened between Winter and Keylon. It felt like their situation might be desperate, but Winter hoped Meyer would find peace.

“I should probably go,” Keylon said as he got to his feet.

Winter scrambled to follow him. “I was going to go fly this morning. Would you like to come with me?” he offered.

Keylon sucked in a breath and stared.

Winter expected the answer to be no, but he had to try. He wanted Keylon to understand that he hadn’t been lying when he’d said he was all in. It would take time, but Winter expected the two of them to be together the way they had before. He couldn’t remember any of that, but it was what he wanted to give Keylon.

“Are you sure?” Keylon asked.

“I am. I’ll understand if it gives you bad memories or if you don’t trust me, but I’d like to do that with you.”

“Of course I trust you.”

Winter wanted to say that Keylon didn’t trust him with his heart, but he didn’t. This was yet another step forward. He loved that they were taking so many today.

He led the way out of the dining room. They crossed paths with Thorne, a human who was in charge of the castle. He blinked at them, looking surprised, maybe because they’d still been in the dining room when everyone else had scattered around the castle. Another of the humans was behind him, but Winter couldn’t place him. The human blushed, quickly looking from Winter and Keylon to Thorne.

Keylon’s smile was easy, and it made Winter a bit jealous. He wanted Keylon to smile at him like that, and he told himself that, eventually, he’d have that.

“We missed you at breakfast, Matthias,” Keylon said.

Matthias’s cheeks went even redder. “Sorry. I had breakfast with Thorne.”

For some reason, Keylon appeared delighted. “Really.”

“Don’t you have anything better to do?” Thorne said gruffly, but he was smiling.

“We’re going for a fly,” Keylon said. “We’ll see you later.”

Winter was confused as to what had happened, but there was a new bounce in Keylon’s steps as he led the way toward one of the towers.

“What was that about?” Winter asked.

“Matthias is Parker’s best friend, while Thorne has worked for us for twenty years. We all think he should have found love a long time ago because he deserves it, but he’s always very busy, and nothing we can say has ever changed his mind about leaving us to find someone. It looks like the easiest way to get him to fall in love was to bring love to him.”

Winter wasn’t sure that was what he’d seen between Matthias and Thorne, but who was he to say anything about it? Besides, it had to be odd for them to be humans in a castle full of mages and dragons. If they found that being together helped, why shouldn’t they be?

Winter got more nervous the closer he and Keylon got to the tower. He was sweating and slightly panting by the time they reached the top of the tower, so much so that Keylon looked worried.

“Are you sure you’re up for this?” he asked. The wind was playing with his hair, swiping it in front of his face. He kept pushing it away as he stared at Winter.

Winter wanted to do it for him. Instead, he nodded. “I’m fine.”

Before Keylon could convince him to change his mind, Winter shifted.

His body grew. He opened his wings, glad that the castle had been modified to accommodate dragons. There was plenty of space for him here, both in his human form and in his dragon one.

He shook out his wings and folded them back closer to his body. He leaned down his big head so that he and Keylon could look each other in the eyes.

There was a strange expression on Keylon’s face that made Winter’s heart race. When Keylon reached for Winter’s snout, Winter closed his eyes and allowed him to scratch it. Usually, Samuel was the only one who did this. Winter trusted Samuel’s family, but this was an intimate gesture that he’d only ever allowed to the one man he fully trusted.

Well, two now.

* * * *

Keylon hesitated once Winter was in his dragon form. He and Alvin had done this hundreds of times, but the same couldn’t be said about him and Winter. Keylon might recognize Winter’s dragon physically, but they weren’t the same, and he needed to be careful.

When he reached for Winter’s snout, Winter pressed against him. His eyes closed to slits, and he made a deep rumble in his throat. Keylon recognized the sound, and it made him smile widely.

In some ways, dragons were like big cats. They liked sleeping in patches of sunlight, curling up together, playing with odd things, and getting scratches. Keylon had always found it amusing, but he hadn’t dared mention it to Alvin. His dragon had been way too serious.

Winter was different. Keylon couldn’t say which one he liked the most, and he didn’t want to think about them like that. Who he liked most didn’t matter, and it never would. The only thing that did was that Winter was here right now, not Alvin.

Keylon cleared his throat. “It’s been a while since I’ve done this,” he said. “I think I remember everything, but feel free to tell me if I do something wrong or something that makes you uncomfortable.”

Winter rumbled again, then bumped his head against Keylon’s side. Keylon stumbled back and glared, but he could see the humor in Winter’s gaze.

He hadn’t expected this when he’d woken up this morning, but he liked it. He liked that Winter seemed lighter and was ready to play around. He liked that Winter had offered to go fly, especially when Keylon had been avoiding him so much these past few days. He’d expected Winter to give up, but instead, he’d shown him he cared.

He’d noticed what Keylon had for breakfast and had gotten it for him. He’d asked about Keylon’s book and his magic. It wasn’t love yet, but it would be so easy for Keylon to give in.

Part of him wanted to, but part of him was still cautious. When Winter bumped into Keylon again, Keylon decided to stop wasting time.

He’d left his book on the small table inside the door at the top of the tower, along with his phone and a few other things he’d had in his pockets. That meant he wouldn’t have to worry about them falling once he was on Winter’s back. Keylon already had enough things to worry about—like not making a fool of himself.

When Winter pressed his stomach against the stone floor of the tower, Keylon walked around him. He didn’t have to think about what he was doing. The movements were ingrained in him, even though he hadn’t done them for decades. He quickly climbed onto Winter’s back and settled between two of the thick ridges on Winter’s spine. It felt like coming home.

Keylon gently patted Winter’s flank to tell him he was ready. He held on to the ridge in front of him as Winter spread his wings and rushed toward the edge of the tower.

For a moment, Keylon was terrified. The empty sky rushed toward them, and when Winter jumped, something in Keylon told him he wasn’t going to survive this. The ground quickly came toward them, and Keylon closed his eyes.

Everything changed in seconds. Winter caught the wind, and with his wings open, they stabilized. His body straightened, and Keylon opened his eyes.

Winter glided in the air over the castle. He made lazy circles, as if he was giving Keylon time to get used to flying.

Keylon squeezed his knees, telling Winter he was all right. The only dragon he’d ever ridden was Alvin. He’d been serious about protecting Keylon, and that showed in the way he flew. He didn’t play around, especially not when Keylon was on his back.

Winter was very different. After giving Keylon some time, he rushed toward the lake. For a moment, Keylon was sure they would break the surface of the water, but Winter tilted sideways and only dipped the tip of his wing. Water sprayed everywhere, and Keylon had to hold on for dear life, but it made him laugh.

Winter did it a second time, then settled into a position in which Keylon didn’t feel he was about to fly off. Winter’s feet still touched the water, though, creating waves around them.

Keylon clung to the ridge so he wouldn’t fly off and take a dip. Thankfully, it wasn’t cold yet, but it still wouldn’t be comfortable to fly with wet clothes.

Being here with Winter was incredible. Even though Winter had been Alvin once, he’d always struck Keylon as younger than Alvin. Keylon didn’t mind. He didn’t want Winter to be like Alvin, because he wasn’t him. He was his own person, and Keylon liked it that way.

He’d grieved Alvin for years. He’d always miss him, but Alvin wouldn’t have wanted Keylon to hold a torch for him for the rest of his life. He would have wanted Keylon to move on, and in this case, he wasn’t really. It was a very odd situation, but Keylon was fine with it.

He yelped when Winter rose higher in the air, then dropped back quickly. Keylon hadn’t felt so light in a long time, and while he knew that a fight was coming and was terrified that he’d lose someone he cared about, for just a few hours, he could relax and allow himself not to think about Carlyle. He could focus on Winter and allow himself to hope that maybe things could work between them.