Chapter Nine
TYNE GLARED AT THE ingredients spread out on his desk. He shouldn’t be doing this. He should be out there, looking for Carlyle and kicking his ass for everything he’d put them through. Protecting the castle and the people who lived there was important but not as important as killing Carlyle.
Tyne rubbed his face. He knew he was getting frustrated and that he needed a break. Getting angry wouldn’t help anyone, least of all himself. He was never a nice person when he was frustrated and feeling powerless, and he didn’t want to take it out on the people around him. They didn’t deserve it.
Everyone was working overtime. They were building up the spells on the castle and the area around it. They were creating portable spells that anyone who had to leave the castle for whatever reason could take with them. They were planting traps around the lake in case Carlyle managed to get there again.
They were doing anything but confronting Carlyle because they couldn’t do that. They’d have to find Carlyle first.
They couldn’t.
Tyne pushed away from his desk. He knew Ansley was using his locating spells, and if he couldn’t find Carlyle, it meant no one could. Carlyle was hiding, licking his wounds and probably praying they’d heal soon.
Tyne almost wished they would. He’d take anything over having to wait for Carlyle to make his next move. He wanted to grab Emory and demand he find where Carlyle was. The location spells might not be working, but Emory had said he knew people who might have intel. He just needed to find one person who knew for sure.
He hadn’t so far.
Tyne left his office. He still had work to do, but he wouldn’t be able to focus, so he might as well put his frustration to work. He could train in the courtyard for a while, go back to his room to shower, maybe have a snack, and hopefully, return to the spells with a clear head. The last thing he needed was to make a mistake because he couldn’t stop obsessing and feeling like they were wasting time.
He pulled his shirt off as soon as he stepped into the courtyard. He dropped it onto the bench, then rolled his shoulders and cracked his knuckles. The wall in front of him held traces of the many times he’d trained here. There were scorch marks and holes poked into it. It wasn’t enough to take down the wall, but Tyne made a mental note to strengthen it again before he left. The stone could withstand a lot, but it wasn’t eternal.
He threw his magic at the wall. He imagined it was Carlyle, and he felt deeply satisfied when a new hole appeared in the stone.
He continued working on his offensive spells, trying to get sneakier as he pummeled the wall. Carlyle wasn’t a stone wall, unfortunately. He was smart and resourceful, and Tyne would need to be sneaky to beat him.
“Can I join you?”
Tyne was startled. He turned toward Meyer’s voice and just managed not to throw his last spell at his dragon, but it was a close thing.
“You scared me to death.”
Meyer raised his hands.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to.”
“I wouldn’t have meant to hurt you, but I would have. You need to be more careful.”
“I didn’t realize you were so focused.”
“Of course I’m focused.”
Meyer arched his eyebrow.
“So? Can I join you?”
Tyne hesitated. He wanted to say no, but he didn’t have a reason to, did he? Meyer wasn’t asking him to talk about the night they’d spent together. He wasn’t demanding to know what Tyne wanted from their relationship. He was asking to train with him, and the more they trained together, the easier it would be for Meyer to protect Tyne when they faced Carlyle.
They’d worked like a well-oiled machine when Meyer was Peyton, but those times were long gone. They couldn’t risk not understanding each other or making a mistake while they were fighting Carlyle.
“That’s all I want to do,”
Meyer said softly.
“Train. I promise.”
How was Tyne supposed to say no to that.
“Fine, but I’m not holding back just because I’m fighting you.”
“I never expected you to.”
He nodded and gave Meyer time to get ready. He couldn’t help sneaking glances at his dragon and wondering what was next for them. He wanted to ask, but he was also afraid to find out the answer.
It felt good to be close to Meyer again, though. For the first time since Meyer had arrived at the castle, Tyne didn’t feel the need to rush the other way. He wanted to be with Meyer, train with him, and talk to him, and of course, he wanted to share a bed with him.
Maybe it was time for them to talk. The fight with Carlyle would happen sooner rather than later, and Tyne was done wasting time. He could train as much as he wanted, but as long as they couldn’t find Carlyle, that was all he could do. Maybe he could focus on Meyer for a bit. Maybe it was time to see if what they shared was stronger than what Tyne had shared with Peyton.
Maybe it was time for Tyne to finally let go of his control and trust Meyer. He’d be risking his heart, but he suspected that staying away from Meyer would hurt him just as much.
MEYER WOULDN’T SAY he was a fighter. He might be a dragon shifter, but he’d been trying to hide who he was for years. He hadn’t wanted to attract attention, and he hadn’t known his life was in danger. If Carlyle had gotten his hands on him, Meyer would probably have regretted not knowing how to fight.
He didn’t have a clue what he was doing, yet he’d asked Tyne to train with him. He knew how seriously Tyne took his training, and he hoped that it would help them grow closer. Meyer would be in his dragon form when they faced Carlyle, but he and Tyne would still have to work as a unit.
He didn’t shift. Instead, he and Tyne circle each other. Meyer was waiting for his mage to make the first move, but he wasn’t surprised to see that Tyne was observing him. He might be impulsive sometimes, but Meyer was ready to bet that Tyne knew how to control himself when needed.
“This isn’t fighting,”
Tyne complained.
“Well, you’re the expert. I was waiting for you to show me how this works.”
Tyne didn’t look impressed.
“It’s a miracle you and Bennett made it in one piece.”
Meyer didn’t disagree. He and Bennett had no idea what they were doing when they first met. Hell, they’d had no idea what they were doing until they met the mages. They’d only known that they both turned into dragons.
“We were lucky,”
he admitted.
“Incredibly so. You don’t need to be lucky anymore, though. I’ll protect you.”
Meyer didn’t say that he was the one who was supposed to protect Tyne. He was, but Tyne was a fighter. He’d protected himself for decades, and he would continue doing so. Besides, Meyer didn’t mind having someone to protect him. He’d been lost for a long time, and it felt good to have someone who cared enough about him to do so. It especially felt good to know that Tyne would protect him after he’d avoided him for so long.
Meyer decided that one of them needed to move. It would probably be a better idea to wait for Tyne to do so, but they didn’t have all day. Meyer was sure that Tyne would need space eventually, and he would give it to him when he did.
He wasn’t giving up on them, but he knew that pushing Tyne wouldn’t work. He’d tried before, and it had pushed Tyne away. It was a small miracle that they’d found their way to each other, and Meyer was unwilling to risk that. Tyne would let him in when he was ready and not one second sooner, and nothing would change that.
Meyer threw himself forward. Tyne stepped out of the way, but not before he managed to gently punch Meyer’s ribs. He’d just told Meyer that he wouldn’t go easy on him, but he was.
Meyer was fine with that. He wasn’t actually here to fight. He was here to be closer to Tyne and to show him they could work together. They didn’t need to leave the courtyard black and blue for that to happen.
They continued moving, and it was clear that Tyne was the one with more experience. No matter what Meyer did to try and trip him up, he always avoided it and danced out of the way. There was a smile playing on his lips as if he found his fun, and maybe he did.
Meyer was having fun. They were spending time alone together, and even though anyone could see them from the windows, Meyer didn’t feel like it mattered. The only thing that did was that Tyne wasn’t telling him to leave. He wasn’t running away from him. Hopefully, he never would again, but if he tried, Meyer would run after him. He’d made his decision, and while he might not be the strongest or the best at fighting, he was stubborn enough not to let Tyne go now that he had him.
Meyer had never expected to win, so he wasn’t surprised when he ended up with his back against the wall. It was cold and hard, and he tried pushing away, but Tyne pushed back, keeping him where he was with his body. Meyer was surrounded by Tyne, and it was hard to resist the urge to reach for him. Instead, he tried getting out of Tyne’s hold.
He kicked forward, smiling when his foot hit Tyne’s leg. It wasn’t enough to hurt him, but it made him stumble, and Meyer was able to grab him and slam him against the wall. Tyne’s eyes were wide, and his cheeks were flushed. He clearly hadn’t expected Meyer to do that, and Meyer felt a moment of satisfaction before they were moving again.
His back hit the wall, pushing the air out of his lungs. He gasped, but he didn’t have the opportunity to breathe. Tyne’s lips were on his, and he surrendered instantly, digging his fingers into Tyne’s hair to keep him in position. If Tyne changed his mind, he’d have to fight Meyer in order to stop kissing him.
Their tongues tangled. Tyne groaned, and Meyer wondered how bad it would be if someone looked out the window. Would they even care?
As far as Meyer knew, no one but Bennett was aware of the fact that he and Tyne had been together. He didn’t know if Tyne had told anyone, but Bennett had surely told Penley. The man kept looking at Meyer with hearts in his eyes, so much so that Meyer would be worried if he didn’t know that Penley was happy with Bennett. No, Penley was emotional because he wanted Tyne and Meyer to be together, not because he wanted Meyer.
“We should stop,”
Tyne murmured against Meyer’s lips.
“You want to stop?”
Tyne didn’t hesitate. “Never.”
Meyer grabbed Tyne’s hips and dragged him close.
“Then let’s not.”
He could feel that Tyne was hard. He was, too, and while he wasn’t planning on doing anything about it, it was nice to know that he had this effect on Tyne. For so long, Meyer had thought he’d never have this. Now that he did have it, he wanted to enjoy it, even if it didn’t lead anywhere.
It might. They could go inside and find a closet. They could head to one of their bedrooms. Hell, they could even find a secluded place somewhere in the courtyard.
They wouldn’t. It wasn’t what this was about. This was them reconnecting, and Meyer couldn’t have been happier.
“I have him!”
someone yelled.
The voice hadn’t come from anywhere close, but it still made Meyer jump. He glanced up since some of the windows were open, but he couldn’t see anyone.
“Was that Emory?”
Tyne asked.
Meyer had been so focused on Tyne that it was a miracle he’d heard it.
“I don’t know. Do you think it was?”
“He said I have him. What does that mean?”
“I don’t know. Do you want to head inside and find out?”
Tyne hesitated, but it didn’t last long. They were staring at each other when they heard Emory yell again.
“I found Carlyle.”
Tyne turned faster than Meyer could think of anything to say. Meyer thought he was going to run inside and leave him there, but instead, to Meyer’s surprise, Tyne paused. He reached back with his hand, clearly expecting Meyer to take it.
Meyer did. He’d follow Tyne anywhere, and he suspected that Tyne finally knew that.