Page 28 of Storm In The Sky

“It does sound good, but Keylon’s been freaking out since then. After we kissed, he left the office and told me that he didn’t believe I don’t have feelings for you. He thinks I’m confused or something. No matter how many times I tried talking to him, he won’t listen to me. I don’t know how to get through to him. Idon’t know how to convince him that I don’t have that kind of feelings for you and that I wanthim.”

Samuel hummed. He looked out at the lake, and Winter wondered what he was thinking.

“Will you be moving here permanently, then?” Samuel eventually asked.

That wasn’t what Winter had expected. “Maybe? I don’t know. Right now, it looks like Keylon doesn’t want anything to do with me, so it’s probably not a good idea for me to move.”

“I think it is, actually. You moving here would show him you’re serious about him and being his shield.”

Winter hadn’t thought about that. “I don’t want to leave you behind.”

Samuel rolled his eyes. “Who said you would? I’m here, aren’t I? I’ve been living in the castle as long as you have, and I’m not going anywhere. Jarvis said I could move in permanently if I wanted to. I think he’s worried about the fight because I don’t have a dragon, but he knows I can be useful. He told me that if I’m okay with it, he wants me to protect the castle and ensure nothing happens to the people who work and live there. It’s not what I had in mind, but I’ll protect them with my life.”

That would keep Samuel out of the fight, which was a good thing. Winter was relieved that Jarvis had thought of that. He was also surprised that he’d managed to convince Samuel to say yes. Samuel was stubborn, and he wanted to help.

“You need to talk to Keylon,” Samuel said. “You need to make him see that you’re serious. He needs time, but also to understand that you might have fucked up before, but it doesn’t mean you’re going to continue doing so. Tell him you’re not going anywhere. Tell him he can have as much time as he wants. Show him you care. After all, the bond between you is there, and you’ve already promised to protect him. You don’t have to be together for you to.”

That much was true. Winter would protect Keylon, whatever was happening between them. He didn’t like seeing Keylon hide away from him, though. He wanted them to be more comfortable together.

Clearly, that wasn’t something that would happen anytime soon.

Chapter Ten

Breakfast was never peaceful, but Keylon was used to it. It was the start of his day, and he liked taking his time, drinking tea and reading as he listened to the others around him. Now that Marlow and his son had moved into the castle, breakfast was even more lively, and part of Keylon loved it. It felt like they were a family again, which was something he’d yearned for during all the years they’d been without their dragons.

Winter hadn’t been present when Keylon entered the dining room, and Keylon knew he needed to hurry. Winter would arrive soon, and when he did, he might try to talk to Keylon. Keylon still wasn’t ready for that, which was why he was planning to be as far away from the dining room as possible by the time Winter arrived. He still needed to grab food and eat, which meant he had to stop reading.

He sighed and turned a page of his book. He wasn’t done with this chapter yet, dammit.

The sound of a plate being placed in front of him made him look down. Someone had cut up a banana and placed it in a bowl with a bunch of granola and Greek yogurt. That was what Keylon always had at breakfast, and he looked up to thank whichever of his brothers had gotten it together for him.

His smile froze when he saw Winter look down at him.

Keylon opened his mouth and started looking around for a quick way to leave the room, but Winter didn’t give him the chance to run. He smiled at him, gently squeezed his shoulder, and turned around to leave.

Keylon stared. He’d expected Winter to want to talk, but instead, he’d gone back to the buffet to grab a plate. There was an empty seat next to Keylon, and Keylon waited, knowing Winter would sit there if he didn’t leave. What would happen then?

He’d probably demand answers, and Keylon didn’t have any for him. He couldn’t do anything about the way he panicked every time he thought about him and Winter being together. He wanted it desperately, but he was also terrified. Those two feelings were tearing him apart, and he didn’t know what to do about it or how to fix it.

He couldn’t do this now. He started to rise from his chair, but a hand pushed him back down. He turned to his other side to glare at Tyne.

Tyne was focused on his plate, shoveling down eggs and bacon as if they’d vanish if he wasn’t fast enough. “You have to talk to him,” Tyne said, his gaze still on his plate.

“That’s ironic, coming from you,” Keylon whispered. “You look ready to punch Meyer every time he looks your way.”

Tyne tensed. Keylon regretted bringing Meyer up, but if Tyne was going to stick his nose into Keylon’s relationship with his dragon, that meant Keylon could do the same, right?

“You don’t know anything about my relationship with Meyer,” Tyne whispered back.

“I don’t because you won’t talk to anyone. If you think I’m making a mistake, you have to see that you’re making one, too.”

“You have no idea what you’re talking about.”

“Then tell me. Allow me or anyone else in this castle to help you.” Keylon hesitated. It was the first time Tyne seemed even slightly open to talk about this. It wouldn’t last long, but Keylon would take the opportunity to say a few things. “Whatever happened between you and Peyton, it’s in the past, and Meyer isn’t Peyton. He’s not the man who hurt you, and it’s not fair for you to treat him like he is. He’s going to leave if you continue doing so, and I don’t think you truly want that.”

Tyne snorted and got to his feet. “You don’t know what I want.”

Keylon resisted the urge to throw his book at Tyne’s head. “Don’t be an asshole,” he snapped. “I know it’s hard, because deep inside you’re a dick, but Meyer doesn’t deserve this. Whatever he did before he was Meyer, he’s a different person now, and you can’t hold it against him. You have to give him a chance to fix things. You’re breaking his heart.”

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