Chapter Four
MEYER COULDN’T STOP thinking about Tyne’s reaction as he flew.
He’d been angry, but there had been something else there that Meyer was still struggling to identify.
He could feel Tyne’s weight on his back.
Part of him was happy that they were finally in this position because he’d wanted to fly with his mage since he’d been told about the entire mess, but it wasn’t a happy moment.
They were going on a mission for Jarvis because they needed to kill Carlyle, and Meyer and Tyne still hadn’t talked things out.
Meyer had decided he’d give Tyne one last chance, but he wasn’t sure Tyne wanted that chance.
Meyer had hoped they were finally getting somewhere after Tyne had fretted so much over him when he’d been wounded.
Clearly, he’d been wrong.
They were right back where they started, and Meyer had no idea how to change that.
He wasn’t sure he could.
He could keep on apologizing for something he didn’t remember doing, but until Tyne gave him a chance, nothing would change between them.
Whatever they were about to do had made Tyne return to the harsh man he’d been before Carlyle had hurt Meyer, and Meyer wondered if he’d ever get the other Tyne back.
The walls around Tyne were back up, and Meyer had no idea how to break them down.
He hadn’t done anything to do so the first time around.
Maybe he needed to break his other leg.
But he couldn’t stop thinking about Tyne’s expression before they started the flight.
He’d been angry, but mostly, he’d looked nervous and even a little scared.
He’d told Meyer that they were headed to a clan to pick up ingredients, but he hadn’t mentioned why it made him react the way he had.
There was something there, but Meyer wouldn’t find out what that something was unless Tyne told him, and there was no chance that he would.
Obsessing over it wasn’t going to help.
It had been a long time since Meyer had allowed himself to fly the way he was today, and he wanted to take advantage of it.
He wanted to enjoy it, even though Tyne was sitting on his back like a dark cloud.
If Tyne wanted to tell Meyer what was going on, he would.
If he didn’t want to, well, Meyer supposed he’d find out soon enough. As soon as they got wherever they were going, he’d have his answers.
That kind of scared him.
If the clan they were visiting scared Tyne, there had to be a good reason.
Meyer wasn’t sure he wanted to find out, but unfortunately for him, he didn’t have a choice.
Jarvis had chosen him and Tyne to go, and even though Tyne clearly hated Meyer, it was Meyer’s job to protect him.
He had no idea what would happen between them once Carlyle was defeated, but he could take a good guess.
He’d probably never see Tyne again, and he’d be left the only dragon without his mage.
How would that work? He was sure there had to be a way for a deep bond between mage and shield to be broken, but he’d never asked any of the mages how it worked.
Even when he’d realized that Tyne hated him, he’d always hoped that they would work things out eventually.
He couldn’t imagine doing something so horrible that Tyne wouldn’t want to at least try, but maybe he’d been wrong.
Maybe he hadn’t been a good person when he’d been Peyton.
And maybe Tyne would never forgive him for whatever he’d done back then.
TYNE COULDN’T STOP thinking about the past.
He’d been running from his family and what had happened with Peyton for decades, but he couldn’t anymore.
He was going home—a home he hadn’t seen since Peyton had vanished.
Even worse, he was going home with Peyton.
Except Meyer wasn’t Peyton.
Tyne hadn’t told anyone back at the clan about what had happened recently.
They knew Peyton was gone, but they had no idea that he was back or that he’d lost his memories.
It was going to be a shock for everyone, and while Tyne didn’t care how they reacted or felt about this mess, he’d realized that he needed to warn Meyer.
It wouldn’t be fair not to tell him what had happened.
Tyne had resisted until now because he hadn’t had a reason to expose his heart and the pain he still felt, but Meyer was going to find out one way or another.
Someone at the clan was bound to say something, and Tyne wouldn’t be able to control what was happening.
If he told Meyer first, though, he could tell him everything.
After all, Tyne had been one of the three people involved. His old clan knew what had happened, but not everything. Tyne had left pretty soon after it had all happened, and he’d refused to come back.
Even though Tyne didn’t have a choice, he waited until the last possible moment to squeeze his knees around Meyer’s dragon body.
It got Meyer’s attention, and the dragon turned his big head toward Tyne, who gestured at him to land.
They hadn’t reached the clan yet, but Tyne could see the massive house where they lived already.
He didn’t have much time.
It took Meyer a moment to find a suitable place to land.
When he did, he jostled Tyne’s body.
Tyne barely paid attention to that.
He slid to the ground as soon as he could and started pacing.
Meyer quickly shifted.
He was silent for a moment, and Tyne waited for him to ask why they’d landed, but he was scared.
This was the moment he’d been trying to avoid.
Meyer had been begging him to tell him what he’d done as Peyton and why Tyne was so angry at him, but Tyne had wanted to keep his story to himself.
He didn’t need to expose his pain and resentment.
He didn’t have a choice.
“What’s going on?”
Meyer asked eventually. He was running out of patience, which was understandable. Unfortunately, understanding how he felt didn’t make anything easier for Tyne.
“I need to talk to you.”
Meyer frowned.
“About what? Did Jarvis text you?”
“About what happened between us. Well, between Peyton and I.”
Meyer snorted.
“Is this you finally admitting that I’m not Peyton?”
“It’s me telling you that we need to talk. Are you ready for it?”
“Tyne, I’ve been ready to know what the fuck happened since day one. Tell me.”
Tyne opened his mouth, but no words came out. He rubbed a hand over his face, telling himself that once this was done, he’d never have to talk about it again.
It was a lie, but maybe it would be enough to convince himself to say the words.
“Look, whatever it is, you know I’m sorry. I might not remember what I did as Peyton, but it’s clear it hurt you, and as Meyer, I never want you to be hurt,”
Meyer said gently.
“So I apologize in advance. I’m sorry you went through whatever you went through, but I’d like a chance to show you I’m not that man anymore.”
Tyne wasn’t sure he could ever allow Meyer close. Besides, if Peyton hadn’t loved him enough to stay, why would Meyer?
He was here because he had to be, but as soon as Carlyle was gone, he’d be free to leave. They all would be.
Knowing Tyne’s luck, everyone would decide to move to their own place, and he’d be left alone in the castle.
He couldn’t think of anything worse.
He swallowed. No matter how he felt, this needed to be done. He didn’t have a choice. He couldn’t keep this information to himself anymore.
“You see that house over there?” he asked.
“That’s not a house. That’s a freaking mansion.”
“Well, not everyone gets a castle, but it’s that big because of the many people who live there.”
Understanding dawned on Meyer’s face.
“We’re almost there.”
“We are. This is the place where Peyton and I lived before everything happened. It’s the place where our families still live.”
Meyer blinked.
“I have a family?”
“Not really. You were an only child, and both your parents passed away. I still have my parents and a handful of other family members.”
Tyne’s mouth tasted like ash. He didn’t want to think about his family. He didn’t want to think about any of this.
“You never talked about your parents before.”
“That’s because I haven’t talked to them since you disappeared.”
“Were they involved in what happened between you and Peyton?”
“In a way.”
Tyne sucked in a breath.
“Peyton and I were together. Mages and their dragons aren’t always in that kind of relationship, but a lot of the time, they are, and we were. We’ve known each other since we were children. You told me that you were going to be my shield when you were sixteen.”
Tyne watched Meyer swallow. He wanted to pull him into his arms, but he didn’t dare. That wasn’t the kind of relationship they shared.
“And I was,”
Meyer murmured.
“You were,”
Tyne confirmed.
“We actually got together before you officially became my shield. No one was surprised. For a long time, we were happy.”
“But then Peyton did something that hurt you,”
Meyer murmured.
“One of my cousins moved in with our clan.”
Tyne had known how hard this would be to talk about, but he was having to make a real effort to say the words.
“Peyton fell in love with her.
I had no idea what was happening.
Carlyle was becoming a problem, and I was working with other mages to try and control him before things got out of hand.
Maybe I neglected Peyton, and maybe he resented me for that.
I don’t know what happened, but one day, he told me about his relationship with Amber.
He said that once Carlyle had been defeated, he wanted me to break our bond so he could be with her. He was leaving me.”
He’d already left Tyne.
Even though they were still bonded as mage and shield, that was all that had been left of their relationship.
They’d barely spent any time together when they weren’t working.
No matter how many times Tyne tried to talk about what was happening in the hope that something would change, Peyton had stood firm.
He was in love with Amber and wanted to be with her.
After so many years and the bond they shared, it had shattered Tyne’s heart.
He’d thought that he and Peyton would be together forever like most of the dragon and mage couples he’d known.
He’d been wrong.
“So there.
You know what happened now,”
Tyne said.
“I didn’t tell anyone that you were back or that you lost your memories.
They’re going to be incredibly excited to see you.
I haven’t talked to my family since I left the clan, but I already know my mother will find a way to corner us and talk about all of this.
I wanted you to know before we flew in.”
And Tyne hoped it had been the right thing to do.
There was only one way for him to find out, unfortunately.
“We can go.”
MEYER WAS SHOCKED BY Tyne’s words, yet at the same time, he wasn’t.
He’d been thinking that Peyton breaking Tyne’s heart was a possibility, and he’d been right.
It was the only thing that made sense.
Peyton had left Tyne.
Meyer hadn’t been in this world for long, but the couples he’d seen at the castle were solid.
He couldn’t imagine Marlow not being with Jarvis or Bennett and Penley breaking up.
It made no sense.
He didn’t understand how Peyton had been able to leave Tyne, and that wasn’t the only betrayal in this mess.
He’d left him for his cousin.
Meyer was going to need some time to wrap his mind around all of this, but he was glad that Tyne had finally told him.
He would’ve been blindsided otherwise, and he didn’t do well with surprises.
“How did our clan react when they found out?”
he asked. He wanted to be ready for whatever was about to happen.
Tyne still wasn’t looking at him. Meyer wanted to beg him to, but he knew better.
“They were sorry for me, but they were happy for Amber. My mother said that you’d made your decision and that there was nothing she could do about it but accept it. She wasn’t wrong.”
“Maybe not, but she’s your mother. She should have supported you.”
Tyne shrugged.
“She wanted what was best for the clan.”
“And it was for you to have to live with your shield and your cousin being together?”
“You don’t know my mother.”
Meyer didn’t, and he couldn’t say he was looking forward to meeting her.
Every instinct he had was screaming at him to protect Tyne at all costs.
He couldn’t understand why Tyne’s mother hadn’t done the same.
Hell, he couldn’t understand how Peyton had managed to fall in love with someone else when he’d been with Tyne.
Meyer couldn’t say he was in love with Tyne.
He didn’t know him enough since Tyne had kept him at arm’s length since he’d arrived at the castle.
They’d been spending more time together lately, though, and even though Meyer was wary, he could admit that he liked Tyne.
His mage was stubborn and cared about the people he considered family so much that he was ready to sacrifice himself for them.
He was pushing for them to find Carlyle because he wanted everyone else to be able to have a peaceful life, but if Meyer had to guess, he hadn’t even considered what he’d do once Carlyle was gone.
Meyer hated the thought that Tyne had been hurt.
“Anyway, we need to go,”
Tyne declared.
“They’re waiting for us, and the sooner we get there, the sooner we can head home. I don’t know about you, but I’m looking forward to getting a nice shower after all the flying we’re doing.”
Tyne didn’t want to talk about what he’d just confessed.
Meyer wasn’t surprised, considering how closed off Tyne always was, but he wished they had more time.
He wanted to make promises that Tyne wasn’t ready to hear and that maybe Meyer wasn’t ready to say.
He shifted back.
He noticed Tyne blink, maybe surprised that Meyer wasn’t pushing harder to talk, but now wasn’t the time.
They weren’t safe here.
Even though Carlyle was wounded, he might find a way to get to them. Meyer couldn’t risk his mage’s life.
He waited until Tyne climbed onto his back, but before he could spread his wings, Tyne squeezed him with his knees.
Meyer waited, wondering what his mage wanted to say.
“As far as I know, Amber still lives with the clan,”
Tyne eventually said.
“As soon as she finds out that you’re back, she’ll want to see you. I don’t know what she’s done with her life since you vanished, but the two of you were in love.”
Meyer wasn’t sure he wanted to talk to this woman. It was true that people couldn’t help who they fell in love with, but both she and Peyton had hurt someone they were supposed to love. It was a betrayal that didn’t sit right with Meyer.
“She blamed me for what happened to you,”
Tyne continued.
“She wanted Peyton to stop being my shield right away and become hers, but she was never as powerful as I was.
The mages needed me.
The clan wanted Carlyle to be dealt with, so they told Amber that I’d break the bond as soon as it was done.
When I came back after you vanished, she screamed at me.
She said that I did it on purpose.”
Meyer huffed.
It was ridiculous.
Tyne would never have put himself through all of that willingly, but even if he had done it, he wouldn’t have done it to the others.
He wouldn’t have taken the dragons away from Jarvis and the others.
If Amber had truly believed that he would, it was a sign that she didn’t know her cousin.
“You know everything now,”
Tyne murmured.
“They’re going to swarm you when they see you. I apologize for that in advance.”
Meyer squared his shoulders and spread his wings.
He didn’t care that these people would want answers and to spend time with him.
Tyne was his mage, and no matter what Peyton had done or how he’d felt, Tyne had Meyer’s loyalty.
As far as Meyer was concerned, that would never change.