Page 42 of Storm In The Sky

“No. They know you’re Alvin’s, but I’m not him.”

This time, it was Keylon who kissed Winter. “I know. I don’t need you to be Alvin. I’ve made my peace with having lost him a long time ago. I just want a chance to get to know you as you are now.”

“You have it.” Winter hesitated. “Stay the night? I can give you a clean pair of sweatpants or something. I don’t want you to feel like you have to stay, though. If you’re not comfortable, you can go back to your rooms.”

“There’s nowhere I’d rather be,” Keylon told him.

For a while there, he hadn’t thought they could have this again. Their lives had been like a storm. They’d been shaken and scared, trying to hide from their feelings and what they’d shared before. It was finally calming down, and the future looked as bright as the sky after a storm.

Epilogue

Keylon was nervous. It had been a long time since he’d felt so anxious. He’d told himself there was no need, but this was Winter’sfamily.

Not his real family, although in a way, they were more real than the clan Alvin had been born in. Those people didn’t exist for Winter, and while Keylon knew that eventually they’d have to deal with Winter’s old clan, neither of them was ready to do that now. Keylon hoped it could wait until Carlyle was dealt with. It had been years since Alvin’s family had called him to ask about him, so he didn’t think they’d reach out anytime soon. It was a problem he’d deal with if and when he had to. Right now, he had another problem to focus on.

Winter’s acquired family.

He’d told Keylon he was very close to Samuel’s family, which meant Keylon needed to make a good first impression. Not only that, but he hoped that being accepted by Samuel and Winter’s clan would lead to the mages and their dragons finding more allies. They’d taken care of Carlyle on their own the first time around, but it hadn’t been enough. They should’ve had more protection. If someone beyond their dragons had been there after Carlyle had been trapped in the gemstone, they could have grabbed the gemstone, and they wouldn’t be in this mess now.

There was nothing they could do about the past. They could only learn from it, and from what Keylon had learned, it wouldn’t hurt to have more people on their side.

“Everything will be all right,” Dallin said gently.

Keylon took a sip of his tea. At the moment, he was obsessed with a blend of black tea and cocoa with a splash of coconut milk. “I’d like to think so, but I don’t know these people.”

“You’re Winter’s mage. They’ll welcome you just because of that, but I’m sure they’ll like you, too. You’re a nice person.”

Keylon snorted. “You have to say that because you’re my brother.”

That word seemed to startle Dallin, but he beamed at Keylon. Keylon was glad he could give Dallin some happiness. Ansley was still casting his tracking spell to try to locate Sol every so often, but so far, without result.

He did have results when he tried tracking Simon, though. From what they’d been able to find, he was traveling around the country visiting abandoned houses and cottages. They had no idea where he went when he returned to Carlyle, but Keylon was sure that eventually they would manage to track him. In the meantime, they could only guess what he was doing and try to catch him, but he’d gotten smarter, or rather, Carlyle had. Ansley was still able to track Simon, but Carlyle had equipped him with more spells, and every time they caught up to him, he managed to leave before they could grab him.

It was worrying. If Jarvis was right and Simon was collecting objects that had belonged to Carlyle, there was a good chance these objects were filled with magic. Dallin had neutralized the fire spell that had been in the ceramic dragon figurine they’d found in the forest, but he was still working on the cat. He’d said it was a pity to have to free the magic that was stored inside of it, but none of them wanted to use it. There was no way to know who it had belonged to before Carlyle stored it in the ceramic cat. It might have been his, but it might also have been the magic he’d stolen from Emory, and none of the mages here wanted anything to do with that. Dallin had decided he’d continue poking at the figurine and wait for Emory to return and could decide what he wanted them to do with it.

They were once again powerless. They couldn’t do anything about Simon, and they couldn’t find Carlyle. They couldn’t reach Sol. It was incredibly frustrating, and while Keylon would welcome the distraction of meeting Samuel and Winter’s clan,he also knew that, eventually, they would have to deal with Carlyle’s mess, and he wasn’t looking forward to that.

Winter appeared at the kitchen door. He beamed when he saw Keylon, and Keylon’s heart skipped a beat.

He couldn’t believe he had Winter in his life again. They were still learning how to be with each other, and it was nothing like being with Alvin, but Keylon didn’t mind. He’d lost Alvin, and he’d made his peace with that. Now, he and Winter were together, and Keylon couldn’t remember the last time he’d been so happy—probably before the dragons were taken from them.

“There you are,” Winter said as he walked into the kitchen and reached for Keylon. He leaned down to wrap an arm around Keylon’s chest from behind and kissed his temple. He gave him a quick squeeze before leaning away, making Keylon smile.

He noticed Dallin watching them, and his smile faltered. Dallin shook his head, and Keylon knew without words what he was telling him. He wanted Keylon to be happy and not to worry about being with Winter in front of him. His heart had to be broken, yet he didn’t resent the other mages, and he wasn’t bitter.

“Is it time to go?” Keylon asked as he turned lightly in his seat to look back at Winter.

Winter took advantage of Keylon’s new position to kiss him on the lips. “Yeah. Samuel and Jarvis are waiting for us in the courtyard. Jarvis has been talking about opening a more permanent portal to the clan, but I think he’s a bit wary because of Carlyle.”

“I hope Samuel wasn’t offended.”

“Jarvis didn’t say that was why he was hesitant, but I can guess, and I don’t blame him. He doesn’t know the clan, so as far as he’s concerned, they might be allied with Carlyle. Beyond that, Carlyle could raze the clan to the ground and use the portalto get into the castle. I think it’s a good idea not to open a permanent one, at least not until we’re done with him.”

Keylon was grateful. He didn’t want his newfound family to break down. He wasn’t quite sure where he and Samuel stood yet, but they were both important to Winter, which meant they’d be in each other’s lives for a long time. They needed to learn to be friends, and it would’ve been hard if Jarvis had accused Samuel’s clan of being allied with Carlyle.

“I’ll see you two later,” Dallin said as he waved them off.

Keylon wanted to stay with him and comfort him, but there was little he could do. Until they found Sol, Dallin would be in pain.

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