Chapter Eleven
THIS WAS THE FIRST meeting Sol would attend, and Dallin couldn’t help but wonder if he should. Surely, Sol should still be in bed, resting and healing from what Carlyle had done.
When he realized what he was thinking, he grimaced. He’d seen Pippa fusing over Sol, and while Sol had seemed okay with that, it would be different coming from Dallin. Sol and Pippa had been friends for years, and Sol loved her.
He didn’t love Dallin.
Dallin glanced at Sol. He was sitting at the table next to Penley, who was telling him something, gesturing so hard that he almost smacked Sol in the face. Sol laughed and gently grabbed Penley’s wrist, immobilizing his hand for a second before letting go. He looked at Bennett as he did so, almost as if he expected Bennett to be bothered by the fact that he’d touched his mage, but Bennett was smiling fondly at Penley.
Sol hadn’t found his footing yet, but he would. He was already making friends with the other dragons, and Penley seemed to have adopted him—which wasn’t surprising to anyone who knew Penley. Penley was warm and loved everyone. In return, everyone loved him. Dallin had often wished he could be more like him, but he was more quiet and hesitant. He didn’t want to bother Sol, so he hadn’t waved him over when Sol had walked into the dining room. Penley had, and Sol had ended up sitting next to him even though Dallin had wanted him to sit by him.
He was an idiot. He was behaving like a teenager with his first crush, and he needed to stop.
“Can we start?”
Tyne asked.
“I have things to do, and I don’t think this meeting is necessary.”
Jarvis was on the other side of the table, which was a good thing because he looked like he wanted to smack Tyne. Dallin couldn’t say he disagreed with that feeling. Tyne was still avoiding Meyer, and since Meyer was in the room right now, Tyne wanted out as soon as possible. Dallin needed to corner him and find a way to make him keep his promise. Maybe he’d tie him to a chair or lock him and Meyer in a closet.
“Welcome, Sol,”
Jarvis said warmly.
Everyone turned to Sol. Dallin couldn’t look away from his dragon. They hadn’t talked for long yesterday when he’d visited him, and they hadn’t had the opportunity to talk yet today, but Dallin hoped that would change after the meeting. He’d spent so much time away from his dragon that he felt the need to be close to him. He didn’t know if Sol felt the same, but from the way he kept glancing at him, maybe he did.
“Thank you,”
Sol told Jarvis.
“You already know everyone?”
“I’m pretty sure that every single person who lives here has knocked on my door to introduce themselves, so I think so.”
“We can go straight to the point, then. I think Tyne might explode if we don’t.”
Tyne scowled but didn’t say anything. He’d always been the kind of person who went straight to the point in every circumstance, and this meeting wasn’t any different. He’d be in and out as soon as he could and running away from Meyer.
Dallin really had to do something about that.
“What did he do to you?”
Parker asked.
Sol leaned back in his chair.
“He was trying to cast a spell.”
That was new information.
“What kind of spell?”
Dallin asked as he leaned forward.
“I don’t know. I didn’t even know that mages existed before he grabbed me from my apartment. I had no idea what was going on most of the time, but every time he tried casting that spell, he failed. He started taking it out on me by beating me, but luckily for me, Graham decided to help me before things could get too far.”
Dallin was once again glad that Graham had chosen to do the right thing. Sol wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for him.
“Would he know what that spell was?”
Sol frowned.
“Maybe. I didn’t get the feeling that Carlyle and Simon trusted him with important information, but he was there. He might have noticed something, or maybe he heard Carlyle talk about it. He told me that Carlyle was kind of obsessed with you guys and making you pay for what you did to him.”
Dallin looked at Jarvis. Sol couldn’t tell them anything, but maybe Graham could.
“We need to talk to him,”
Jarvis agreed.
“I’ll go get him.”
“We don’t need anything from him,”
Tyne argued.
“He works for Carlyle. Do you really think he’ll tell us anything?”
“Sol wouldn’t be here if it weren’t for Graham,”
Dallin pointed out.
“He has to be a spy or something. There’s no other explanation.”
“Or maybe he never wanted to work with Carlyle but couldn’t say no. I’m sure you remember how Carlyle is, even though it’s been decades. We had a hard time beating him, and we’re mages. We had to work together to trap him. What do you think one human with no magic could do against him? What should Graham have done? He did the only thing he could and obeyed Carlyle’s orders because if he didn’t, he probably would’ve died.”
Tyne looked shocked that Dallin was standing up to him.
“He hurt your dragon.”
“He didn’t. He helped Sol, and I’ll always be grateful to him for that. He was forced into something he couldn’t get out of, and you’d know that if you gave him a chance and talked to him.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you want to do the right thing? Look, I know I can’t force you to change your mind about Graham, and considering how stubborn you are, I’m not even going to try. He’s the only one who spent any length of time with Carlyle recently, though. He’s the only one who can answer our questions, and we need that. We need to find out what that spell was.”
It could be a location spell, but Carlyle already knew where the castle was, so it wouldn’t make sense. Had he been trying to cast a spell that would activate once Sol was here? Dallin could think of a few that could have a delayed effect, and none of them were good.
They were sure that Carlyle had failed to cast anything on Sol because they’d all examined Sol when he’d arrived at the castle. Officially, Jarvis had been the one to do it, but Dallin knew that they’d all wanted to be sure, including him. Sol was spell-free, which was a relief, but it didn’t tell them what Carlyle was up to.
He wouldn’t give up trying to get revenge on them. He was angry for the years he’d spent trapped in the gemstone—as anyone would be—and he’d make them pay. They had to find out how he was planning to do that.
“Fine,”
Tyne said with a huff.
“Get Graham. Don’t complain to me when he betrays us, though. I’ll be there to say I told you so.”
Dallin didn’t doubt he would because it would be a very Tyne thing to do. He was competitive and disliked losing, and he was always smug when he won. It was irritating, but especially so in this situation. This wasn’t a game. Their lives and the lives of the people they cared about were in danger. They needed to find out what Carlyle was planning before it happened so they could be prepared for whatever Carlyle threw at them. Hopefully, Graham would know.
SOL WAS RELIEVED THAT he wasn’t the only one standing up for Graham. He understood that Graham was an enemy of these people, but he truly believed that the poor man hadn’t had a choice. He also owed him his life, so if Graham needed someone to stand up for him and protect him, he would.
It looked like he wouldn’t be the only one. Dallin had gone against his brother, even though Tyne was kind of terrifying. Maybe Dallin was used to dealing with him. Sol was glad to stay away from Tyne, though. From the way Tyne glared, Sol was pretty sure that he was plotting his death. He really didn’t like that Sol was willing to help Graham.
“Parker, would you mind?”
Jarvis asked.
Parker was on his feet instantly. Bennett quickly followed, and Sol watched the two leave the room. He’d talked to them when they’d visited him in his room after he’d first arrived at the castle, but he didn’t remember them. He’d seen pictures, though. He knew that all of them had been like a family and that he’d been close to the other dragons. They didn’t feel close anymore, but he hoped that would change.
For most of the life he remembered, he’d been alone. He’d met Pippa years ago, but before then, he’d been too scared to open up to people. He hadn’t wanted people to know that he was a dragon shifter. He’d been sure that they would either hand him over to the authorities so he could be experimented on, or they would run away screaming and be terrified of him. Pippa had done neither of those things. She’d accepted him and welcomed him into her life, and he would never forget that.
He had a chance for more now. He’d talked to other dragon shifters, to men who’d lost their memories like he had. They were in the same situation, and that made Sol feel close to them even though he barely knew them.
“Everything okay?”
Dallin asked.
They weren’t sitting next to each other, but they were close. Everyone seemed to be focused on their own conversations, and no one glanced at them. Even Pippa was busy on her phone, typing something that was making her smile. Sol was tempted to ask what she was up to, but it was her business. She’d tell him if she wanted to.
Besides, Sol wanted to talk to Dallin. Things were a little weird between them, but Sol hoped that soon, they’d find their footing. Both their positions were hard—he didn’t remember Dallin at all while Dallin remembered him as someone else.
“You really believe Graham?” he asked.
Dallin blinked.
“I do. I went and talked to him the other day, and he told me what happened to him and how he ended up with Carlyle.”
“You did what?”
Tyne asked, getting everyone’s attention.
Dallin didn’t seem to care. He kept his focus on Sol as if he was the only person in the room with him.
“It was quite sad,”
he explained.
“I don’t know if he’s going to tell everything today, but I can say that I understand why Graham felt like he owed it to Carlyle and Simon to stay with them. More than that, it’s clear that he was forced to stay. As soon as he found a way out, he took it. Carlyle has never treated anyone well, and Simon, well, I don’t think he has a lot of respect for his brother.”
“Or maybe seeing someone being tortured from up-close was too much for him,”
Tyne grumbled.
“Or even more likely, he and Carlyle are still working together, and this is a trap. We don’t know that he’s not telling Carlyle every detail of what he’s seeing here.”
“How would he do that?”
Dallin asked, looking at his brother.
“He’s locked in a room. He has access to a TV, but he can’t use it to call Carlyle. How do you expect him to contact him? Graham isn’t a mage. He can’t use magic, and we made sure he couldn’t use technology, either. What’s left?”
“Carlyle could have found a way. You know how sneaky he always was.”
“I do, which is why Graham is locked up. I’m not saying we have to trust him with our secrets and our lives, but we should give him a chance. Without him, Sol wouldn’t be here.”
“That’s why you trust him. He saved your dragon, or he acted like he did. You’re never going to see him like the enemy because of that.”
“Maybe, maybe not. I think Graham deserves someone in his corner, though.”
“And that someone is going to be you?”
Dallin raised his chin. “It is.”
Sol desperately wanted to grab him and kiss him. It wasn’t only that Dallin was doing the right thing. He was so fucking sexy as he stood up to his brother, even though Tyne was bigger and clearly stronger. Dallin was doing this because he felt he was doing the right thing, and Sol couldn’t look away.
Thankfully, he was distracted when the dining room door opened again. Parker was the first one through, quickly followed by Graham and Bennett. Graham had been fairly relaxed as he entered, but his eyes widened, and he took a step back when he saw everyone gathered there. Bennett didn’t allow him to go anywhere. He gently pushed Graham forward, and Graham moved even though it was clear that he wished he could leave.
“Is this it?” he asked.
Sol frowned and glanced at Dallin, who appeared confused as he was. They weren’t the only ones from the expressions of the people sitting around the table.
“Is this what?”
Jarvis asked.
“Are you about to judge me guilty of betraying you? Is this my trial?”
Keylon snickered.
“We’re not in a court drama show on TV, and you’re not on trial. We just want to talk to you.”
Graham didn’t look convinced.
“Are you sure?”
“Yes, we’re sure.”
“Why don’t you sit down?”
Jarvis offered as he gestured at one of the empty chairs.
“We’d like to talk to you about how you ended up with Carlyle and what you know about him.”
Graham glanced at Dallin, who smiled at him and nodded. That seemed to help Graham relax, and he obeyed Jarvis, sitting on the edge of the chair as if ready to bolt. Considering the way Tyne was glaring at him, Sol couldn’t blame him.
“There’s nothing much to say,”
Graham explained.
“My brother found the gemstone and a journal. The short version of this is that our ancestor found the gemstone when he stumbled upon a bunch of unconscious men. He kept the stone and researched what happened. When he died, the gemstone went to his son, and it stayed in the family since then. From what my brother found out, every family member who had it dug into it. Someone found out about Carlyle, but they couldn’t free him.”
“Someone did,”
Ansley pointed out.
Graham nodded.
“My brother. I think that whatever spell you used to trap Carlyle in that stone, it was getting weaker. I’m pretty sure that Carlyle used that weakness to communicate with Simon and told my brother how to free him, but Simon didn’t involve me. I thought for sure he was going nuts initially. I didn’t believe him when he told me about all of this.”
“And once you knew that he wasn’t lying? Why did you stay?”
“Because I didn’t have anywhere else to go.”
Graham’s tone was matter of fact.
It hurt to hear. Sol understood what it was like to not have a home or a place to belong. He’d been in the same position until he got here. He still didn’t feel like he fully fit with the mages and the other dragons, but he knew that if he was given enough time, he would.
The same couldn’t be said for Graham. There was a good chance that even after this mess was over, he’d be alone. He’d lose both his brother and Carlyle, and what would he do then? Who would he belong with?
“Do you know what Carlyle was trying to do?”
Jarvis asked.
“Sol told us he was attempting to cast a spell on him.”
“He didn’t tell me, but I heard him talking to my brother.”
“Can you tell us?”
Sol leaned forward, curious. He wanted to know what Carlyle had been trying to do to him. He hoped he hadn’t been attempting to turn him into a toad or something, but that didn’t sound like Carlyle. He was more the blood and pain kind of guy.
Graham looked around the table. His gaze stopped on Dallin, and he swallowed. Whatever he was about to say, it wouldn’t be good.
A shiver ran down Sol’s back as Graham spoke.
“Carlyle was trying to bond with Sol.”
OF COURSE THAT WAS what Carlyle had been trying to do. Dallin should’ve expected it. He hadn’t thought about it because Carlyle already had a shield, but considering what Carlyle had done to Emory, it made sense.
Penley sucked in a breath at Graham’s words. He looked like he was about to cry, and he reached for Dallin, but Bennett caught his hand. Dallin shook his head and waved Penley’s concern away.
“I’m fine.”
“I’m not quite sure what’s happening here,”
Sol said slowly. His gaze bounced from Graham to Dallin.
“Carlyle was trying to bond with me?”
Graham nodded.
“He spent a lot of time in the gemstone, enough that he doesn’t have the control and power he had before. He knows that he needs that if he wants to beat the mages, so he needs more magic. He was planning on bonding with Sol and taking his. I don’t know how any of this works, but I heard a lot.”
Graham shrugged.
“I guess that Carlyle thought too little of me to think I would work against him. He never stopped talking, even when I was in the room.”
“That was what he did to Emory,”
Dallin said.
Graham frowned. “Emory?”
“He was Carlyle’s shield before our fight,”
Jarvis explained.
“He took his magic, and Emory was unable to shift into his dragon until recently. None of us were aware of this. We would have tried to help Emory if we had been.”
“So he was going to steal my magic?”
Sol asked.
Dallin was tempted to reach for him, but he wasn’t sure Sol would welcome the contact. Besides, Pippa was there, already taking Sol’s hand and squeezing it hard enough to turn her knuckles white. Sol glanced at her and smiled, and Dallin felt like he was on the outside looking in.
How he felt didn’t matter right now. The only thing that did was how Sol felt, and it was clear that he was both confused and horrified. He needed Pippa. She was his best friend, while Dallin wasn’t anything—not yet.
“The bond between a mage and their dragon is special,”
Jarvis explained.
“It’s not only a bond born of magic and emotions. It’s a bond of trust, and Carlyle broke that trust. He hurt Emory, and if it weren’t for Penley, Emory still wouldn’t be able to shift. Carlyle stole something precious from the person he should have cared the most about.”
“But it didn’t work,”
Sol said.
“Carlyle was unable to bond with me.”
“Because you’re already bonded to me,”
Dallin said in a trembling voice. He cleared his throat and tried not to think about what would have happened to Sol if they hadn’t been.
“That’s why he went after the dragons. He was trying to capture one of them so he could bond with him. If he’d grabbed Bennett, he would have managed to do it.”
Sol glanced at Bennett, who wrapped an arm around Penley’s shoulders and kissed his temple.
“Penley and I weren’t fully bonded back when I was Devon,”
he explained.
“We are now.”
“All of our dragons are bonded to us,”
Jarvis said.
“That means that Carlyle can’t bond to any of them anymore.”
Dallin glanced at Meyer, but Meyer didn’t notice because he was staring at Tyne. Hadn’t he known that the two of them were fully bonded? That they’d been a couple in his previous life? Clearly, he hadn’t, and Tyne didn’t look like he would give Meyer an explanation.
Sometimes, Dallin wanted to shake his brother and yell in his face that he needed to stop being an idiot. At this point, he was pretty sure that locking Meyer and Tyne in a room was the only thing left to do, but he was afraid to do that because Tyne would be pissed. It looked like he wouldn’t think twice about strangling Meyer first, then Dallin.
“He could still try to kidnap another dragon,”
Ansley pointed out.
“But it would be difficult. If he’s not as powerful as he was before, it might be impossible. We still should stop him before he tries, though. I don’t want anyone to get hurt, let alone an innocent dragon shifter.”
“He might go after Emory,”
Keylon offered.
“He has his dragon back, and he and Carlyle used to be together. Carlyle might use the feelings they had for each other.”
“I’m pretty sure that Emory would rather stomp him to death or eat him than have anything to do with him.”
“He might not have a choice.”
“We don’t even know if Carlyle broke the bond between them. Emory never talks about what happened back then. If that bond is still there and Carlyle finds out, he’ll use it. We need to protect Emory.”
“Our next step will be to contact him,”
Jarvis declared as he looked around the table.
“I’ll tell him what’s going on and what Carlyle’s trying to do. Maybe I’ll be able to convince him to come home. He’s not the only dragon shifter available, though. If Carlyle gets desperate enough, he might try to get his hands on another.”
“Which is why we need to attack,”
Tyne said.
“The sooner we get rid of Carlyle, the fewer people he’ll be able to hurt.”
“It’s too dangerous. We know where he is now. We can keep an eye on him while deciding how to best attack him. As long as Graham is willing to help us and we stay smart, we can win this without losing anyone.”
Dallin glanced at Graham. The man had relaxed, but he still looked like he was ready to run.
“I’ll do whatever you need me to do,”
he promised.
The meeting didn’t last much longer after that. Jarvis wanted to talk to Graham, but everyone else scattered. Dallin wasn’t sure what to do or where to go. He wanted to talk to Sol, but at the same time, he wasn’t sure it was a good idea. He didn’t know what Sol was ready for, and he didn’t want to make him uncomfortable.
Sol had to be overwhelmed by everything that had been revealed during the meeting. If he wanted to talk to Dallin, he would. In the meantime, Dallin would take advantage of the beautiful day outside and take a walk around the lake.
Usually, he did it when he needed privacy and the castle felt too crowded. Even when one of his brothers headed to the lake, too, the place was big enough for both of them not to have to talk to each other. Dallin wasn’t alone today, though. He heard footsteps behind him as he reached the shore. He sighed, unwilling to talk to anyone. Maybe if he was nice, whoever it was would leave him alone.
When he turned, he was surprised to see Sol standing there.
“I can go if you’d rather be alone,”
Sol said as he gestured at the castle.
Sol was the only person Dallin wanted to talk to now.
“It’s fine. I wanted to talk to you, but I wasn’t sure you wanted me to.”
Sol moved closer. From the tense way he held himself, it was clear that he was still somewhat in pain, but the bruises were fading, and he looked steadier on his feet. Dallin was glad that Sol wouldn’t have to deal with any permanent consequences after what Carlyle had done to him. He’d been lucky.
“What did you want to talk to me about?”
Sol asked.
“I just wanted to check in on you. Make sure you’re okay.”
Sol kicked a pebble toward the lake and pushed his hands into his pockets.
“Honestly? I’ve been better. It’s a lot to take in, and I haven’t had a lot of time.”
“No one is rushing you.”
“I’m pretty sure Carlyle is. I need to be at my best when he attacks. I’m surprised he hasn’t yet.”
“Well, it makes sense if he’s weaker than before and still trying to find a dragon. He doesn’t want to face us until he’s sure he’s strong enough.”
“Can he easily find another dragon?”
“There are several dragon clans in the country, but they tend to stick with each other. Carlyle probably knows about them, but considering how much time has passed, he wouldn’t be able to recognize most of the members. He certainly wouldn’t be able to find a dragon young enough to not already have a mage. We warned the clans after Carlyle was released so they know to be careful. They probably keep their most vulnerable members in to be safe.”
Dallin looked around.
“Carlyle is also probably still recuperating from the spell he cast to burn the forest.”
Sol sucked in a breath.
“It was him?”
Penley had been working with the forest and his magic, but it was slow going, especially with Carlyle still a danger. Signs of the fire were still visible in the burnt trees and vegetation. It broke Dallin’s heart every time he saw it.
The forest was his home as much as the castle. He hated that Carlyle had almost destroyed it.
“We think he tried to burn down the castle, but we managed to stop the fire before it could reach it.”
“I almost wish I’d been here to see that. I haven’t seen you do a lot of magic, and I’m curious. Plus, I could’ve helped.”
“We managed even without you.”
“But it would’ve been better with me.”
Dallin couldn’t deny that.
“Of course it would have been. You’re my dragon. Everything would be better if you were there.”
Sol stopped walking and turned to face Dallin. Dallin did the same, wondering what Sol was about to say. Part of him wanted to believe that Sol wanted to be back in his life the way he’d been before, but another part was cautioning him. Sol wasn’t Kent. They would never share what Dallin had shared with Kent. It wasn’t a bad thing, just different, but it might be too different.
“You really mean that, don’t you?”
Sol asked.
“I wouldn’t say it if I didn’t. I know you don’t remember what we had, but I can’t forget it. You’re not Kent, but our bond is still there, and I feel it. I feel you.”
Dallin wasn’t sure why he was surprised when Sol cupped his cheek and leaned over to kiss him. It felt familiar, like something they’d done hundreds of times. In a way, they had, but in a different way, it was their first kiss.
And he was going to enjoy it.
SOL HADN’T BEEN PLANNING on kissing Dallin, but it felt natural. Even though he didn’t have Kent’s memories, he could almost remember how Dallin fit into his arms and the taste of his lips. It was a fleeting moment, and then, the only thing he could focus on was Dallin.
He fit perfectly in Sol’s arms. Sol never wanted to let go, even though he would have to, eventually. It didn’t have to be now, and when Dallin pressed closer, Sol knew he’d found his place in the world.
He may not be Kent, but he was still Dallin’s shield. He was Dallin’s dragon, no matter how long they’d been separated.
The bond sang between them as they kissed, making itself known in a way it never had before. Dallin’s arms came around Sol’s neck as he opened up to him. Sol held him like he was something precious that he couldn’t risk losing. He was. It would be too easy for Sol to lose him to Carlyle.
He wouldn’t allow that to happen.
Dallin tasted like the soda he’d been drinking during the meeting. His lips were soft, and the tiny noises he made as Sol kissed him drove Sol nuts. He wanted to stretch Dallin out and stare at him for as long as he could. He wanted to feast on the knowledge that he wasn’t alone and that, in a way, he never had been.
But they stood in full view of the castle on the lake shore, which was just about the most uncomfortable place to do this. Kissing was fine, but anything else would be hell. There was no sand anywhere to be seen. The shore was rocky and full of pebbles.
“What was that for?”
Dallin asked when they both had to come up to breathe.
“You see me.”
Dallin blinked.
“I’m not sure what that means.”
“You know me as Kent, but you see me as Sol. You know I’m not him anymore, and you don’t treat me like you would him.”
“You don’t know that.”
“Not for sure, but you’ve never called me the wrong name. You don’t treat me as if you expect me to know you. You gave me time and space, even though I know it’s not what you wanted.”
“I’m still not sure what that has to do with any of this.”
“I know we’re already bonded, but what if I want more?”
Dallin frowned.
“I’m still not sure what you’re talking about.”
“Our bond is complete, yes? That only happens when the dragon and the mage are in love.”
“Mostly.”
Dallin’s cheeks were turning red. It was adorable, but Sol was trying to explain himself, so he needed to focus.
“We were in love before. I know I’m not Kent, but if you’re okay with it, I’d still like a chance.”
“You mean you want to be with me?”
There was a hint of hope in Dallin’s voice, as if he couldn’t quite believe what Sol was offering. Maybe he couldn’t. It was obvious that the past decades had been hard on him. From what Sol had been told, the mages had looked for the dragons relentlessly. They hadn’t let anything stop them, and they hadn’t looked for new shields. They’d held hope that their dragons would return, and they had.
“I want to see if you can fall in love with me as Sol the way you did with Kent. I know that this probably isn’t the best moment with Carlyle and everything, but I don’t want to wait.”
If something happened to either of them, Sol wanted to know what it was like to be with Dallin. They had no idea what Carlyle would do, but Sol could guess it wouldn’t be pleasant and that some of them would risk their lives.
He was Dallin’s shield. His job was to protect Dallin, and he’d do it, even though he had no idea how to. It was important to him, and he wanted Dallin to know that.
“I don’t care if it’s not the best moment,”
Dallin murmured.
“Together, we’re stronger.”
“So I can kiss you again?”
“You can kiss me as many times as you want, Sol. I’d want you to even if Carlyle weren’t in the picture.”
Sol leaned forward again. Carlyle was in the picture, but that didn’t mean that he and Dallin couldn’t find the start of their happiness. They’d have to work hard to get what they wanted, but Dallin was worth fighting for.
Sol didn’t know him well, even though he felt he did. He would never get back his memories, and he was fine with that. He was a different man, but so was Dallin. He’d spent decades without his dragon, and that had changed him. They would both need to learn who the other was now and how to be together.
But that would only happen if they were safe. That meant they needed to get rid of Carlyle.
Sol had no idea how they’d do that, but whatever happened, he’d be there. This was his home, too. It was his fight.
A fight for his new family and for Dallin.