Page 11 of Storm In The Sky

Samuel shook his head. “No. I don’t want a shield. I don’t need to be protected.”

“Samuel, please.”

Samuel turned and rushed away. Winter wanted to go after him, but he didn’t. He felt like if he moved, he’d lose pieces of his breaking heart all over the place.

* * * *

Keylon wasn’t sure how long he’d been out here. Initially, he’d only wanted some space and a few minutes to breathe, but after his conversation with Winter, he’d needed more. He couldn’t stand the thought of facing the other mages and having to tell them that he would break his bond with his dragon. He couldn’t stand the thought of having to look as Samuel and Winter spent time together. Winter was probably already telling Samuel that soon he’d be free of Keylon, and they could be together.

Keylon had no idea how Samuel would react to that, but it didn’t matter. None of that was his business. Whatwashis business was that he had to break his bond with Winter, and along with it, he’d lose his heart.

He hadn’t gone far after leaving the castle. He hadn’t been able to. He’d crossed the courtyard, found the nearest bench, and flopped onto it. He was still there, his face tilted toward the night sky, trying to decide what he wanted to do next. He couldn’t stay on the bench for the entire night, but maybe he could wait until the others retired to their rooms. That way, theywouldn’t ask him what had happened and why he hadn’t been at dinner.

The sound of a door opening and closing in the distance made him tense. He didn’t want to talk to anyone, but he also didn’t want to tell them to leave him alone. He’d need his brothers soon, even though he didn’t want them now.

Dallin appeared at the top of the stairs. He looked down into the courtyard, not saying anything when he saw Keylon. He came down the stairs and joined Keylon on the bench, and for a moment, they stayed silent. Keylon knew his friend could see the tears on his cheeks, but Dallin didn’t say anything.

Keylon wiped at his cheek. He was angry with himself because he’d known Winter would be happy at his suggestion of breaking the bond, but part of him had still hoped he’d say it wasn’t necessary. Keylon supposed he would hope that Winter would give them a chance until the very end.

“I’m going to break our bond,” he eventually said.

Dallin made a surprised sound. Keylon waited for his questions, but instead of asking anything, Dallin wrapped an arm around Keylon’s shoulders. With his free hand, he took out his phone, but Keylon didn’t peek to see what he was doing. Instead, he snuggled against Dallin’s side, needing the support but hating himself for that. He should be the one comforting Dallin, who still hadn’t found his dragon. Sol was in Carlyle’s hands, and they had no way to know what Carlyle was doing to him.

Keylon straightened. “There’s no need for you to comfort me. I’ll be fine.”

“You just told me you were going to break your bond with your shield. That doesn’t sound fine to me,” Dallin said in a gentle voice.

“I will be eventually. You don’t have to listen to me whining about this, though. I know your situation is much worse.”

“This isn’t a contest at who has it worse, Keylon. We can comfort each other like we did for so many decades. I still don’t have my dragon back, but you don’t have yours, either, so I think we’re in pretty much the same place. Let me comfort you. You comforted me after what happened to Sol, and I’ll always be grateful for that.”

The two of them had been spending more time together because they’d been the last two without their shields. All the other mages had found theirs, but not Dallin and Keylon.

Then Winter had appeared on the castle’s doorstep, and here they were.

“I don’t know what I’m going to do,” Keylon admitted. “I don’t really want to break our bond, but I don’t see a way out of it. He doesn’t want me.”

“Then the best thing you can do is to find someone else. I know it won’t be the same thing, but maybe it doesn’t have to be. Or maybe it will be the same thing if you give yourself a chance. I know you loved Alvin, but he’s gone. Winter isn’t him, and your new shield won’t be, either. Maybe you’ll fall in love with them anyway.”

The door through which Dallin had arrived slammed open, making both of them jump. Dallin rolled his eyes as he looked up. Keylon did the same, not surprised to see Penley and Ansley rushing down the stairs.

At least now he knew what Dallin had been doing on his phone earlier.

Penley and Ansley didn’t say anything. They didn’t ask questions. They squeezed onto the bench with Keylon and Dallin, comforting Keylon in a way no one else could have.

He took a deep breath. No matter what happened with his new shield, Keylon was going to need his brothers more than ever over the next few weeks. He would have to accept their gestures of comfort because if he didn’t, he’d break down. They weren’tWinter, and they certainly weren’t Alvin, but Alvin wasn’t in Keylon’s life anymore, and soon, neither would Winter. He did have the friendship of the men surrounding him, though, and hopefully, that friendship would be enough.

Chapter Five

Winter had always felt lost. It was a natural consequence of not having memories and not remembering a thing about who he was supposed to be. It had taken him a long time to get used to not knowing what had happened to him before he’d woken up alone in the forest in his dragon form, but he’d never liked it. When he’d found the mages, he’d thought he’d finally get answers and would be able to fill in the gaps, but instead, he’d gotten his heart broken, and he had no idea what to do next.

That was why he was in front of Jarvis’s office. He knocked on the door before he could rethink asking the mage to help him. He didn’t know what Jarvis would do since Winter didn’t think the man liked him much, but he needed out of the castle for a bit.

“Come in,” Jarvis called out.

Winter opened the door but didn’t walk into the office. What he needed would be quickly explained. “Hi. I wanted to ask you if you could please open a portal for me,” he told Jarvis, who was still behind his desk.

Jarvis frowned. “Where to?”

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