Chapter Two
SOME DAYS, DALLIN FELT like a ghost.
He drifted through the castle, avoiding everyone while unable not to listen to their conversations.
He wasn’t spying on anyone, and he didn’t think any of his brothers would mind if he decided to join them, but he couldn’t.
He’d been in the library when Jarvis and Marlow had decided to choose that room to make out in privacy.
Dallin was happy for them, but he didn’t want to listen to the person he considered an older brother making out with his partner.
It also hurt to think that once, he and Sol had that, too.
Well, Sol hadn’t been Sol back then, and Dallin didn’t know if they would ever share that kind of relationship again, but back then, Dallin had been happy.
Dallin didn’t begrudge Jarvis his happiness.
Hell, he wanted him and everyone else to be happy, and it seemed that they were.
It would be better if Carlyle weren’t looming over all of them, but knowing that he was back and would likely attack them didn’t mean that their lives had stopped.
They still spent most of their days working and their evenings together, eating dinner, watching movies, and being a family.
And once the movie was over, they all went to bed with their dragons, and Dallin stayed alone.
Well, he wasn’t the only one who went to bed on his own.
He doubted that Tyne had allowed Meyer anywhere near his bedroom, let alone his bed.
Dallin walked down the hallway and wondered if he should just go back to his bedroom.
He couldn’t hide in the library like he often did, and he wasn’t in the mood to spend time with his brothers, so what did that leave him? He could go outside in one of the courtyards, but someone was bound to notice him.
The living room was usually occupied, so that was out, too, as was the kitchen because it was Jillian’s domain.
There were plenty of rooms for Dallin to choose, thankfully, so he allowed himself to drift around the upper floors of the castle.
He’d thought he’d find peace here.
He should have known better.
A door slammed, making him jump. He reacted on instinct, hiding behind the corner, his heart racing as he pressed his back against the wall. They weren’t under attack—the alarms would be blaring if that was the case—but someone was fighting, and Dallin wanted nothing to do with that.
“You need to leave me alone,”
Tyne snapped.
Dallin didn’t have to look to know who Tyne was talking to. He’d have known it was Meyer even if he hadn’t recognized the man’s voice.
“Not until you tell me what I did to you,”
Meyer said.
“It’s none of your business.”
“How is it not? It’s clear that I did something to you in the past, and I can’t fix it if you don’t tell me what it is.”
“You can’t fix it because there’s nothing to fix.”
Dallin frowned. He hadn’t known Tyne that well before they’d agreed to fight Carlyle together, but even then, he’d been able to see there was something between him and Meyer. Things had been tense and unlike they should be between a mage and his shield, but Dallin hadn’t dared ask what was happening back then. He had since, several times, but Tyne always pushed him away, like he pushed away everyone else.
Including his shield.
“You’re so fucking infuriating,”
Meyer snapped.
“How can you say there’s nothing to fix when it’s obvious there is? How can I be a good shield to you when I don’t know what’s going on and when it’s clear you don’t trust me?”
“I’m never going to trust you, so stop trying to convince me to. Leave me alone.”
Dallin squeaked when Tyne suddenly turned the corner. Tyne froze and stared at Dallin, and Dallin could only stare back. For a moment, both of them were silent. Dallin could hear Meyer walk away, thankfully in the other direction. He’d rather not have to deal with both these infuriating men.
“Dallin,”
Tyne drawled.
“Were you spying on me?”
“I was walking down the hallway. I didn’t mean to spy on you, but I felt it would be more awkward to walk in on whatever you and Meyer had going on.”
Tyne’s expression shuttered.
“We had nothing going on.”
“I’m pretty sure that’s a lie.”
“Mind your own business, okay? What happened between us has nothing to do with you.”
Dallin didn’t usually yell at people. In fact, he prided himself on being calm and keeping his cool even in complicated and heated situations. Today, though, he snapped.
“The fuck this has nothing to do with me,”
he yelled at Tyne.
Tyne’s eyes widened, and he took a step back as if he expected Dallin to attack, which was ridiculous. He would never hurt anyone, let alone one of his brothers. He did have enough of this mess, though.
Dallin was on a roll, and he couldn’t stop. He wasn’t sure he wanted to.
“You’re one of the lucky ones. You got your shield back. Your dragon is here at the castle, and he’s doing everything he can to fix whatever he broke when he was a different man. I wish I could’ve had that opportunity. I wish Sol was here. He’s not. He’s with Carlyle, and I have no idea what’s going on. I don’t know what Carlyle’s doing to him, but there’s a good chance he’s hurting him, and I might never see him again. Why the fuck would you waste the opportunity to be with Meyer? Why would you waste a second chance when I don’t have one?”
“He was going to leave me.”
It took Dallin a moment to understand what Tyne was saying. “What?”
“Meyer. He was going to leave me. That’s why I’m so angry at him. It’s why I don’t want to spend time with him. The spell against Carlyle was supposed to be the last big spell we worked together. He was going to leave after that.”
Dallin sucked in a breath. That was the last thing he’d expected, especially with the way Meyer was trying to get Tyne to talk to him. He wasn’t the same man he’d been back then, though. He wasn’t Peyton.
Tyne turned before Dallin could say anything. Dallin didn’t try to stop him. He didn’t think he would succeed even if he did. He didn’t know if Tyne had intended to tell him that, but the secret was out now, and Dallin had no idea what to do with it. He didn’t know what to tell Tyne to make everything better because there was nothing that could make that happen.
Tyne’s shield had been leaving him. Of course he was angry. Of course he was pushing Meyer way.
But Meyer wasn’t Peyton. He was a different man, and he had no idea what he’d done back then. He deserved to, and he deserved to be given another chance.
Dallin wasn’t sure Tyne would give him one.
SOL WATCHED CARLYLE storm away.
It was becoming routine, and while Sol was glad that Carlyle wasn’t hurting him, he couldn’t help but wonder if that was just because he hadn’t yet reached the end of his patience.
Carlyle was frustrated and angry.
He was trying to do something to Sol, but it wasn’t working.
How long would it take for him to decide it was Sol’s fault? What would he do when he did?
Sol glanced around the cell.
What Carlyle thought of him was clear, and he didn’t have a lot of hope that would change anytime soon.
He was an instrument, something to use, and if Carlyle couldn’t use him, he would discard him without thinking twice about it, which was something Sol was trying to avoid.
This time, it didn’t take that long for Graham to appear.
He didn’t have a tray, but it was early for Sol’s meal.
No, Graham was here to clean up the mess Carlyle had left behind, like always.
“Hey, Graham,”
Sol said in what he hoped was a friendly tone. He couldn’t tell anymore. He’d been alone for too long.
Graham ignored him, which wasn’t a surprise. He quickly went to work, picking up the mess and reaching for a broom. He’d have to mop, too. There had been liquids in whatever Carlyle had thrown to the ground.
“He’s getting angrier,”
Sol murmured.
“I’m kind of scared. I’m pretty sure he’s going to hurt me eventually.”
Graham stopped moving. He glanced at Sol and bit his lower lip. Sol prayed he was finally getting somewhere.
He pressed closer to the bars.
“Please. I know you don’t want me to die. I don’t know what Carlyle has on you, but I promise I can help you escape. You need to let me go first, though.”
When Graham hesitated, Sol knew he had him. He needed to give him an incentive so he’d let him go. He needed to convince Graham that this was the right thing to do.
“What the fuck is going on here?”
Simon snapped as he walked in.
Sol sighed. He’d been so close, dammit.
“Nothing,”
Graham murmured, staring at the floor.
Sol was pretty sure they were brothers because they looked like each other, but it was clear that Graham was scared of Simon. He’d never seen Simon hurting Graham, but he didn’t need to see it to be sure that if he hadn’t yet, he would. Both he and Carlyle were getting antsier as the days passed.
“You’re not done cleaning up yet?”
Simon asked.
“Almost.”
“I’ll finish here. Go back upstairs. Carlyle wants a snack.”
Graham didn’t argue. He scurried away, glancing back one last time. Sol felt sorry for him. Technically, Graham was one of the bad guys, but it looked like he’d been forced into this and hadn’t actually chosen to be part of it. Sol wished he could help him, but from where he was, there was little he could do for anyone, including Graham.
“Leave my brother alone,”
Simon said.
Sol arched a brow.
“I feel I should be the one to tell you that. You’re hurting him.”
“I would never hurt Graham.”
“It’s clear that you are, even if you don’t want to admit it. Graham doesn’t want to be here. He doesn’t want to be doing whatever Carlyle’s forcing him to do.”
“He’ll change his mind. It’s our family legacy.”
Sol had no idea what that meant, but he doubted that Simon would tell him if he asked. He wouldn’t be able to convince Simon to let him go, so he pressed his lips together and watched as Simon halfheartedly cleaned up the mess Carlyle had left behind.
Simon didn’t say goodbye. He didn’t glance back at Sol. He turned and left, and once his footsteps had vanished, silence remained Sol’s only companion.
What the fuck was he going to do?