Chapter Thirteen

Winter was happy to obey Jillian and Thorne’s orders. There was nothing he wanted more than to collapse in bed, but he’d need a shower first. He was sweaty and dirty, and he didn’t want to wake up in this state.

He wasn’t even sure he’d have the energy to eat before falling asleep. Running around the burning forest had taken a lot out of him, and he hadn’t even been hurt. He’d noticed a few of the mages had burns on their arms and hands, but it didn’t look like it was too bad, so hopefully all of them would manage to get some rest.

He just hoped that Carlyle wouldn’t take advantage of the time they needed to rest to attack the castle. It might be why he’d burned the forest. What if Carlyle had been planning to attack while the mages and their dragons were asleep? It was something to consider, but Winter wasn’t sure he could put enough thought into it. He was so tired he couldn’t think straight. Besides, Thorne had promised he’d wake them up if anything happened.

Jarvis looked like he wanted to argue, but Marlow hooked an arm around his shoulders and pulled him toward the stairs. His son clung to him as if he expected Marlow to disappear, but Marlow didn’t say anything. The three of them disappeared up the stairs.

“Go,” Jillian gently said. “Get a shower and change into comfortable clothes. Your food will be in your rooms when you’re done. We’ll leave a tray on your dresser, all right?”

Winter didn’t really care where she left the food as long as he had easy access to it. He nodded and trudged toward the stairs, but he stopped before getting far. He turned toward Samuel to check in on him before they went their separate ways and saw him talking to Meyer. That made him wonder what was happening between them. Tyne looked like he wanted to drag Samuel away from Meyer, but Winter would have been surprised if he did. After everything Tyne had said and done, there was no way he’d show Meyer he had any interest in him.

Winter didn’t think anyone would try to hurt Samuel, not even Tyne, but he made a mental note to talk to Samuel once all of them were rested. If something was happening between him and Meyer, Samuel needed to be careful.

Winter wouldn’t tell him to stay away, though. He wanted Samuel to be happy, and if he was happy with Meyer, that was fine with Winter. Things between Tyne and Meyer weren’t like things had been between Winter and Keylon. For some reason, Tyne seemed to hate Meyer. Meyer had been trying to talk to him, but Winter didn’t think he’d succeeded. Maybe it was time for him to accept the obvious.

Winter suspected that the main reason Tyne hadn’t broken their bond was that they were fighting Carlyle. He could be wrong. Tyne kept to himself. He barely even spoke to the mages, let alone the dragons he didn’t know. As far as Winter knew, no one knew what had happened between him and Meyer that had made him so angry, but things couldn’t continue like this. If Tyne didn’t want Meyer, he needed to let him go. It would hurt, but at least both of them could find someone else.

And maybe for Meyer, that someone else would be Samuel.

Or maybe not. It was none of Winter’s business, but he wanted to make sure his best friend wouldn’t be hurt. He couldn’t remember a life without Samuel, and he had no intention of finding out what it was like.

Winter turned to look for Keylon, who was talking to Dallin. Dallin was nodding, and when Winter looked down, he noticed he was holding the small box in which he’d put the ceramic dragon. Part of Winter wanted to ask how Dallin would deal with it, but another part wanted nothing to do with the thing. It could have killed them all.

They really needed to do something about Carlyle. The problem was that they had no idea where he was, even though they’d been following Simon and his brother. Until they found a way to get to Carlyle, they had to wait for him to come out, and Winter doubted that would happen until Carlyle was sure he could beat them in a fight. The thought made him uneasy, but there was nothing he could do.

“I’ll see all of you tomorrow,” Winter said, keeping his attention on Keylon.

Keylon looked up and smiled at him. Winter still felt unsteady with him, but the smile reassured him. He wasn’t quite sure where the two of them stood, but he’d already decided he’d let Keylon take the first step. At the moment, Keylon had better things to do than worry about Winter and his feelings.

Winter made his way upstairs. He could hear voices behind him, so he knew he wasn’t the only one, but he didn’t stop. He didn’t have it in him to talk to anyone right now.

Every time he walked past a window, he could see the still-smoking forest. Penley had said that he’d work with the forest so it would regrow faster, but it was still heartbreaking to see the destruction Carlyle had left behind.

They still had no idea why he’d done it, but Winter wouldn’t put it past Carlyle to have found a way to sneak into the castle. Was he hiding somewhere? Winter wanted to know more about the castle’s protection. He knew there were spells, but he didn’t have any details. He doubted he would understand much even if Keylon explained what spells he’d used, but at least he’d know more. He despised feeling powerless.

Once he was in his room, he went straight to the bathroom. He left his clothes in a pile on the floor to deal with tomorrow. He wasn’t sure that washing them would be enough to get the smell of smoke out, but he hadn’t brought a lot of clothes with him when he’d moved into the castle, so he might have to return home to grab more stuff.

He’d have to do that eventually, anyway. Since this was Keylon’s home, it would be Winter’s, too. Winter wasn’t willing to compromise on that. He’d almost lost Keylon because he’d been an idiot. He wasn’t going to do it again, which meant moving into the castle and being close to his mage. It would take a while to get used to everything changing so quickly, but this was where Winter was supposed to be.

He took his time in the shower, getting as clean as possible. He felt better once he was done, and he thought about getting into bed without eating. He’d be starving when he woke up, though, so maybe he’d check what Jillian had left for him and decide.

His bedroom door was closed when he stepped back into it, but there was a tray with a pile of sandwiches on his dresser, as promised. He smiled and went to poke at them, deciding he’d eat a few before getting into bed, but a knock on his door interrupted him.

He frowned, wondering who was there. The best way to find out was to open the door, so he did and froze.

“Sorry to bother you,” Keylon said.

He’d showered, too, and was wearing a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. His feet were bare, and he kept looking from left to right as if he expected someone to see him there. Winter didn’t think he’d be ashamed to be found at Winter’s door, but it looked like Keylon was here for a reason, and maybe he didn’t want his family to know just yet.

“You’re not bothering me,” Winter said as he stepped to the side. “Come in.”

Keylon looked nervous as he obeyed. Winter closed the door behind him, wincing when Keylon jumped a little. “I can keep the door open if you’re more comfortable,” he offered.

Keylon shook his head. “No, closed is fine. It’s probably better, actually. I’d rather not do this with an audience.”

Winter’s stomach dropped. Usually, that kind of conversation never went well. Why did Keylon need privacy? Maybe he didn’t want his family to see Winter break down when he rejected him. Winter wasn’t sure how he’d react if Keylon told him he didn’t want him in his life, after all. It sounded like it was what he was about to say, though, and Winter held his breath.

Keylon faced him. For a moment, they stared at each other. Winter’s heart broke a little at the thought that he’d never have this again if Keylon kicked him out of his life. He deserved it. He’d had a chance with Keylon, and he’d wasted it by being an idiot. He wouldn’t blame Keylon if he decided he wasn’t ready to give him a second chance. No one would.

“You can tell me whatever’s on your mind,” he whispered. He didn’t want Keylon to second-guess himself.

He was doing this for himself, and that was what he should focus on. Winter could take care of his own broken heart.

Instead of telling Winter he didn’t want him, Keylon stepped closer. Winter didn’t know what to expect, but his heart raced as Keylon stopped in front of him. He leaned forward, and Winter knew what he was doing. He was stunned, but he yearned for another kiss, so he didn’t hesitate to press closer. When Keylon kissed him, Winter knew he’d been wrong.

Keylon wasn’t here to tell him he’d changed his mind about them being together. He was here because, just like Winter, he had enough of keeping his distance. He wanted more, and Winter was on board with that.

* * * *

Keylon prayed he wasn’t making a mistake. Winter had already broken his heart once. He didn’t think he would survive if he did it again.

But Keylon had to take a chance. It didn’t matter how scary it was. His future depended on it, and even though he was terrified, he wanted to hope. Things had gotten so much better recently. Winter had let go of the idea of becoming Samuel’s shield. He’d told Keylon that he didn’t want their bond to be broken. That had to mean he was in this for the long term, right? It had to mean they had a future together.

When Keylon leaned back, Winter blinked at him. He licked his lips, and Keylon had to resist the urge to kiss him again. He wanted to, but he suspected it would be better if they talked first. They didn’t have to hash everything out, but Winter deserved to know what was going on in Keylon’s brain.

“I’m tired of keeping my distance from you,” Keylon admitted. “I’ve been telling myself I need to be careful and that you would hurt me if I wasn’t, but I don’t care anymore.”

Winter shook his head. “You should care. You should take good care of your heart.”

“You think I’m not if I hand it to you?”

Winter stared.

It was a lot to ask of him, especially considering how terrified he’d been about all of this. Keylon had to remind himself that Winter had no memories of them every time they spent time together. He couldn’t act familiar with Winter. He certainly couldn’t act like he would have with Alvin. Winter might look like Alvin, but he was an entirely different person.

And Keylon liked him just as much.

He couldn’t say it was love yet, not the kind of love he’d felt for Alvin, but it might turn into that if he and Winter gave each other a chance. It felt like a lot to ask for, but was it?

Winter wanted to be Keylon’s dragon. He wanted to protect him in the fight against Carlyle, and hopefully, he’d stick around once it was over. Was it really that foolish to hope there could be more than a protective bond between them?

“I can’t promise that I won’t hurt you again,” Winter murmured.

“I don’t need you to promise that. I know you’ll hurt me. We’ll hurt each other, but that’s normal. It’s what every couple does.”

“Is that what you want? To be with me?”

Maybe Keylon was rushing. Maybe Winter was right that he should shield his heart better and be more careful, but he was so tired. He wanted this to go right, and he couldn’t imagine being with anyone else. He was sure it had to do with Alvin and Winter looking like him—being him in a way—but it didn’t matter. Keylon liked Winter as much as he’d liked Alvin initially, and he wanted to see if things could work between them. He wanted them to at least try .

He nodded. He had no idea what was going to happen or how Winter would react, but he’d done it. He might as well get to the end and see what happened.

What happened was that Winter smiled. It was a small smile initially, and Keylon wondered what it meant. When Winter leaned forward and pressed her lips together again, he thought he knew.

His heart raced as he buried his fingers in Winter’s messy hair. Their tongues touched, and while it would have been easy for Keylon to imagine he was kissing Alvin, he really wasn’t.

Winter was more hesitant than Alvin had ever been. He touched Keylon as if he were fragile and he was afraid to break him. Keylon wanted to tell him he didn’t have to be so careful, but part of him wondered if he might break. His heart certainly had. It was a miracle that, somehow, Keylon could still use it to love Winter.

He was more resilient than he’d ever expected himself to be. He didn’t know what it meant, but he would find out.

With Winter.

When Winter pulled Keylon toward the bed, Keylon allowed him to. He was still terrified that this was the wrong thing to do, and part of him wanted to run, but the part of him that wanted to give them a chance was stronger. They didn’t have to declare forever love for each other. Being together like this would be more than enough.

For now.

They fell onto the mattress. They bounced a little, and for some reason, Keylon giggled. He hated himself for the sound right away, but Winter smiled at him, and Keylon felt better.

“I like that sound,” Winter murmured as he rolled Keylon onto his back and kissed his neck. “It’s one of the things I hated about before. I saw you smile with your friends and heard you laugh when you were with them, but you never smiled when you were with me. I knew it was because I hurt you, but I had no idea how to fix it.”

Keylon pressed a hand against Winter’s chest, right above his heart. “I think we both needed to accept that things would be different to finally start fixing things. Now that we have, it’s a step in the right direction. You can hear me laugh as often as you want.”

Winter hesitated. “What if I want to hear that sound every day for the rest of my life?”

It was a lot. Keylon had always thought he and Alvin would be together forever, but he’d lost Alvin. He wanted to say yes to Winter, but part of him was petrified at the thought, so instead, he grabbed Winter’s shoulders and pulled him closer. They kissed again, and while Keylon knew that eventually, he’d have to answer Winter’s question, it didn’t have to be now.

Thankfully, Winter didn’t say anything about that or about the fact that Keylon had very clearly avoided answering him. He seemed to understand that Keylon needed time, and he probably did, too. As long as they spent that time together, learning to be with each other, they’d be okay.

At least until Carlyle tried killing them.

That wasn’t something Keylon wanted to think about now. He didn’t know how much time he had with Winter, but he wanted to make the most out of every minute of every day. He’d missed Alvin, and he still did, but he’d also missed the intimacy of being with someone. He’d missed sharing a bed, waking up to find someone buried under the blankets with him. He’d missed being touched in a way that wasn’t merely friendly.

Being with Winter felt a bit like a betrayal, but at the same time, it didn’t. Winter wasn’t Alvin, but he also was. It was confusing and something Keylon would have to learn to deal with, but he suspected that as he got to know Winter better, he’d see him less as Alvin and more as his own person. He’d already grieved Alvin, and now, it was time to let him go. Alvin was never coming back, but that didn’t mean Keylon couldn’t be happy.

When Winter’s hands drifted down Keylon’s body to touch his stomach, Keylon shivered. It was too much and not enough at the same time, but he allowed Winter to pull up his t-shirt and drag it off his body entirely. Winter was only wearing a pair of soft pants since he’d been coming out of the shower when Keylon had knocked on his door, and Keylon took full advantage of that. He skimmed his hands up and down Winter’s sides and his back, enjoying the feeling of soft skin and toned flesh.

He was painfully hard in his pajama pants, but he didn’t know what to do about it. It felt like a lot to ask Winter to touch him since they’d only just gotten together, but Keylon wasn’t sure he’d be comfortable staying like this for much longer. Besides, Winter could feel how hard he was, just like he could feel that Winter was, too. Things were still hesitant and new between them, but that didn’t mean they weren’t ready for this step.

Keylon didn’t fully trust Winter yet, so he’d be careful opening his heart and his body to him, but he still wanted more than this. The thought of getting naked made him feel too vulnerable, though, so he wrapped his legs around Winter’s waist, keeping his pajama pants on even though he knew he was going to get them dirty. He’d go back to his room and change if he couldn’t stand the thought of sleeping in dirty pajama pants. He didn’t even know if Winter would ask him to spend the night here, anyway.

Luckily, Winter didn’t seem to mind that they were still half-dressed. He didn’t say anything about it, and he didn’t push for Keylon to take off his pants. He didn’t even ask if he could take his off. He rolled his hips, rubbing their groins together, and while it wasn’t enough, it was heaven.

Keylon moaned and arched his back, pressing their bodies harder together. In the past, they’d perfected being together. They’d known what the other liked and disliked, but this was an entirely new relationship. There would be time for Winter and Keylon to learn how to be together, or at least, Keylon hoped so.

He would make sure they had time. He wouldn’t allow Carlyle to take this from him. He’d just gotten his dragon back, and he’d fight to the death to keep him.

He cried out when Winter lightly bit the lobe of his ear. Winter chuckled and thrust against Keylon again, causing both of them to moan. Keylon wanted to be naked, but at the same time, the friction of his clothes on his dick was wonderfully maddening.

Just being with Winter was enough. It had been a long time since anyone had touched Keylon. In fact, Keylon hadn’t been with anyone since Alvin. Being in this position, half naked with a man he’d wanted since the first time he’d met him, a man he was starting to get to know and trust, was all Keylon needed.

They moved together until Keylon couldn’t stand it anymore. He buried his face against Winter’s neck as he came, telling himself it wouldn’t be nice to bite Winter. He was still tempted, especially when Winter didn’t hesitate to bite him as he came, too.

They were both panting, but Keylon still had enough energy to slap Winter on the back. “That’s going to leave a mark.”

Winter pushed up on his elbows and grinned down at Keylon. “That was the point.”

“Was it? Why would you want to leave a mark on me?”

Winter’s expression softened, and he leaned down to kiss Keylon. “So that the others can see you’re mine.”

Keylon had to look away. The words were enough to make emotion swell in his chest, and he wasn’t sure how to deal with that. “They already know I’m yours,” he whispered.

“No. They know you’re Alvin’s, but I’m not him.”

This time, it was Keylon who kissed Winter. “I know. I don’t need you to be Alvin. I’ve made my peace with having lost him a long time ago. I just want a chance to get to know you as you are now.”

“You have it.” Winter hesitated. “Stay the night? I can give you a clean pair of sweatpants or something. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay, though. If you’re not comfortable, you can go back to your rooms.”

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” Keylon told him.

For a while there, he hadn’t thought they could have this again. Their lives had been like a storm. They’d been shaken and scared, trying to hide from their feelings and what they’d shared before. It was finally calming down, and the future looked as bright as the sky after a storm.