Chapter Eight
DALLIN DIDN’T KNOW what to do.
Sol had been at the castle for a few days, and the only thing Dallin wanted to do was spend every hour he was awake—and most of those in which he was asleep—with Sol.
Instead, he’d forced himself to stay away, but it was starting to weigh on him.
He’d been happy to spend most of his time in his office and in his room before they got Sol back, but now, he wanted to scream as he stared out the window of his bedroom.
Sol needed time.
He’d been told what was happening, and he needed space to wrap his mind around all of it, including the fact that he and Dallin were bonded.
They hadn’t had that conversation yet, and while Dallin wanted to, he was scared.
What if Sol decided he didn’t want him? It wasn’t a fear Dallin had ever felt until Tyne told him that Peyton had been planning to leave him.
Dallin had known things like that happened, but it was so rare that he’d never thought it could happen to him.
Now, that was all he could think about.
It was ridiculous.
Sol hadn’t given Dallin any hints that he wanted to leave.
Hell, he hadn’t given Dallin any hints at all.
Dallin hadn’t talked to him.
He desperately wanted to, if anything to reassure himself that Sol was all right. Jarvis had told him that Sol’s wounds weren’t bad and that he’d heal without complications, but Dallin still needed to see it with his own two eyes.
Part of him was afraid that if he stood in front of Sol, he’d blurt out everything, including the fact that they’d been in love.
Sol had to suspect that was the kind of relationship they’d shared, but he hadn’t reached out to Dallin, and Dallin hadn’t reached out to him.
When he’d told Sol that he didn’t expect anything from him, he hadn’t been lying.
He just wasn’t sure how to deal with any of this.
He got up from his armchair and pushed away the blanket he’d wrapped around his legs.
Staying here, staring at the lake, wouldn’t help.
If he wanted something to happen, he needed to make it happen.
He didn’t have a plan as he left his bedroom without stopping to put on shoes or slippers.
His socks would be fine.
He wasn’t planning on leaving the castle, anyway.
He wasn’t planning on doing anything but sit down and talk to Sol.
Dallin knew where Sol was staying.
Jarvis had made a point of telling him which guestroom Thorne had prepared for Sol, so even though Dallin hadn’t visited him yet, he knew where to go.
He headed there, trying to come up with the first thing he’d say, only to stop when he saw that the bedroom door was open.
For a moment, he was terrified that something had happened.
It wasn’t possible because the alarms would have blared, but Dallin wouldn’t put it past Carlyle to somehow find a way inside the castle.
Loud laughter made him jump.
If he moved slightly to the side, he’d be able to see in the bedroom.
It wasn’t his place, and he could tell that nothing bad was happening, but he was curious.
He’d never felt so much on the outside looking in.
His place was next to Sol, yet he was in the hallway, spying on him like an idiot.
He stepped to the side and peeked in.
He wasn’t sure why the door was open, but either Pippa and Sol hadn’t noticed, or they didn’t care.
They were sitting on Sol’s bed, pressed close together in a way that was familiar and painful to see.
Once, that had been Dallin’s spot.
Once, he’d been the one cuddled in bed with Sol. Sol hadn’t been Sol then, but Dallin’s heart didn’t care about that.
He took a step forward, then stopped.
He didn’t want to be a creep, even though he was kind of spying on them.
It wasn’t what he’d meant to do, and he needed to stop, but he couldn’t.
He wanted to know why they were laughing.
He wanted to know why Sol sounded so happy so he could replicate it and make him laugh, too.
He wanted to be the one to make Sol happy.
He wasn’t, and at the moment, he didn’t think he could.
No matter how much he wanted to be with Sol, it was better for Sol to spend time with people he already knew.
From what Dallin had seen, Pippa was a great friend to Sol, and Dallin wanted him to have that.
He stayed where he was for a moment and watched as Sol pushed away a strand of long hair from his face, then wrapped his arm around Pippa’s shoulders.
She came easily, as if it was something the two of them did often.
They had the kind of relationship Dallin had with the other mages, especially with Penley and Keylon.
Dallin was glad Sol had found Pippa.
He was glad that Sol hadn’t been on his own, fighting to get his memories back completely on his own.
No matter how much he wanted to talk to Sol, he’d promised he’d give him time.
When Sol was ready to talk to him and find out what they’d been to each other, he’d find Dallin.
In the meantime, Dallin would give him what he’d promised.
He turned away from the door.
He didn’t want to leave, but it was the best thing he could do for Sol.
And probably for himself, too.
SOL FELT LIKE HIS BODY was getting revenge for something he hadn’t done. It wasn’t like he’d wanted to be tortured by Carlyle, but he was feeling every blow he’d received. His body ached every time he moved, which was one of the reasons he’d barely left the plush bed he’d been given.
The other reason was that he didn’t have to leave it. He had nothing to go home to. Pippa was here, and after everything that had happened, Sol was happy to take time to heal. He knew he wouldn’t have long. Whatever Carlyle had been trying to do with him, he’d failed, but that wouldn’t stop him. Nothing had stopped him except Sol escaping, and if Sol had to guess, that wouldn’t last long. Carlyle didn’t seem like the type who sat back and waited for things to happen.
“I’m telling you, these people are weird,”
Pippa said.
“When they told me they were mages, I didn’t believe them.”
“I’m not surprised. It sounds hard to believe.”
“Which doesn’t really make sense if you think about it because I knew you were a dragon shifter.”
“Even I didn’t know mages existed, so I wouldn’t worry too much about that. I doubt Jarvis was offended because you didn’t know about mages.”
“I don’t think he was, but it was jarring. I never expected any of this. I certainly never expected you to get kidnapped.”
“Tell me about it. I was trapped in a cell for ages. I’m pretty sure Carlyle was trying to cast a spell on me.”
Pippa snuggled closer. For a long time, it had only been the two of them, and Sol was glad he hadn’t lost that. He was also glad that both he and Pippa had more people in their lives now. It felt good to know that if something were to happen to him, Pippa wouldn’t be alone. The mages had protected her when Sol couldn’t, and he’d always be grateful to them for that.
“I’m glad you’re okay,”
Pippa murmured.
Sol pressed a kiss on top of her head.
“I’m glad I’m okay, too. For a bit, I really thought Carlyle would kill me. I still don’t know what he was trying to do with that spell.”
“You’ll have to ask Jarvis or one of the other mages. I have no idea what they’re talking about when they mention magic. It’s fascinating, but I’m human, so I’m not going to do anything with the information, so honestly, I haven’t bothered to listen much.”
Sol snickered.
“You didn’t bother listening in college, either.”
“And look where that got me. I may not have graduated college, but it wouldn’t have mattered if I had anyway. My life’s a mess.”
Because of Sol. If the two of them hadn’t been friends, Pippa wouldn’t have been there when Carlyle had taken Sol. She was human, but Carlyle could use her to get to Sol. It was a miracle he hadn’t, but he might have if Jarvis and the others hadn’t brought her here. Sol would never forgive himself if she got hurt because of him. That meant that it was better for her to stay at the castle, which, of course, meant she’d lost her job and everything else that was familiar to her.
“Tell me about the mages,”
Sol said. He’d missed Pippa, and he wanted to talk for hours the way they had before he’d been taken.
She poked a finger against his ribs.
“You mean you want to know about Dallin.”
Sol sighed.
“I don’t know. Part of me does, but another part has no idea what to do with any of this. What does it even mean that I’m his shield? That we share a bond? What kind of bond?”
“Well, apart from Tyne and Meyer, all the mages who live in the castle are dating their shield.”
Sol could easily see that happen with Dallin. Dallin was a handsome man, but more than that, Sol liked the tidbits of information he’d gathered on him since he’d arrived at the castle. It hadn’t been easy because he hadn’t yet left his bedroom, but the mages visited him regularly, and they seemed eager to tell him about everything he’d forgotten.
“From what I gathered, only some of them were dating before the dragons disappeared,”
Pippa continued.
“And the ones who weren’t, are dating now. Jarvis said that the bonds between the mage and their dragons don’t have to be romantic, but that’s what it usually turns into eventually. It doesn’t mean you and Dallin have to be together.”
“I never said I wanted to be with him.”
Exhaustion was pulling at Sol. He’d been sleeping a lot since he’d arrived at the castle, but it still didn’t feel like enough, and it was frustrating. Sol knew it was because of everything his body had been through, but he felt the need to do something, maybe help protect the castle against Carlyle. He suspected he’d get his wish eventually, but so far, Carlyle hadn’t done anything.
It was suspicious.
“I saw the way you were watching him the day you arrived,”
Pippa said, pointing out.
Sol closed his eyes and leaned his head against the headboard.
“He’s good-looking.”
“He is, and apparently, the two of you were in love back when you were still Sol one-point-oh.”
Sol smiled.
“Nice way to say that.”
“It’s weird to think you were a completely different person before I even met you.”
“Tell me about it.”
Pippa continued chatting, but Sol was quickly losing his fight against sleep. His body needed more rest, and he should give it what it needed so he would be ready when Carlyle attacked.
Pippa would be protected at the castle. Sol could never have imagined that he’d find himself fighting a war against a powerful mage and his minion, but he was, and there was no way out of it. It helped to know that the one person he cared about in the world would be safe while he did that.
But Dallin would be at the center of the fight, and that worried Sol. He was Dallin’s shield, but he had no idea what that meant or what he was supposed to do. He should probably ask Dallin, or if he couldn’t find it in himself to talk to the guy, Jarvis.
Sol wanted to talk to Dallin, though. He wanted Dallin to visit him like the other mages had. He had questions that only Dallin could answer, and while he’d been relieved when Dallin had told him that he would give him space, he hadn’t expected it to be so much space. He wanted to talk to Dallin before Carlyle attacked.
He wasn’t sure that was possible, considering the way Dallin was obviously avoiding him.