Page 22 of Fractured Sky
Dallin closed the door and used magic to lock it again.He put the books down on the closest dresser, then turned to face Graham.“I know.You didn’t know me back then, but I suspect you still knew of my existence.”
“Carlyle talks about the bunch of you all the time.”A small smile twisted the corners of Graham’s lips.“Usually, it was to complain.”
Dallin wasn’t surprised.“He was always a complainer.”
“You knew him before?I mean, before he decided to take over the world or whatever he did that got him stuck in a gemstone.”
“I think we all somewhat knew him, although only Jarvis was close to him.”Carlyle had been his apprentice, and Jarvis was still kicking himself over that.It was ridiculous, but he blamed himself for how Carlyle had ended up.No matter how many times Dallin and the others told him that he had nothing to do with it, Jarvis never fully believed it.
Graham nodded as if he’d expected that answer.“Well, he thinks about you a lot.”
“That’s something I could’ve gone without knowing.”
Graham snickered.“Not that way, but yeah.I get it.”
Dallin glanced around the bedroom.“Do you have everything you need?”
“Are you kidding?After everything I went through with Carlyle, this is downright luxurious.I have a bathroom where I can shower whenever I want for as long as I want, clean towels and clothes, and I’m fed regularly.I even have a TV, and you brought books.There’s nothing more I could want.”
Dallin was pretty sure that was a lie, but who was he to point it out?If that was how Graham wanted to think about what was happening, Dallin wouldn’t be the one to stop him.“I’m glad you’re enjoying your time with us.”
“I wouldn’t say that I’m enjoying it, but I know that I’m safe here.I haven’t felt that way in a while.”
Probably not since Simon had released Carlyle from the gemstone.“Well, youaresafe here.I’ll make sure nothing happens to you, no matter what Carlyle does.”
“I don’t want you and your brothers to get hurt because of me.I’m not worth it.”
“I think only I get a say in what I find worth defending and protecting.You should ignore Tyne.He’s a dickhead, and it only gets worse when he doesn’t get what he wants.”
“I think he wants to protect his family.”
“And you protected my dragon.That doesn’t make us family, but it does make us friends.”
Graham blinked.“Really?”
“Really.It would have been easy for you to turn the other way, but instead, you did the right thing.You made sure that Sol could escape, and you kept him safe while the two of you traipsed through the forest.I can never thank you enough for everything you did.The least I can do is make sure nothing happens to you.I don’t care what my brother thinks.I’m on your side, Graham.”
Graham glanced down.“Thank you.”
Graham might technically be one of the bad guys, but he seemed like a decent person who’d been forced into a situation he didn’t know how to handle.Dallin wouldn’t say Graham was perfect, but he’d done the right thing, and that meant something.To Dallin, it meant the world because the right thing that Graham had done was freeing his dragon.
It was all Dallin cared about, and he was ready to fight Tyne if he continued being an asshole about this.
* * * *
SOL SIGHED IN RELIEFwhen Parker and Marlow left his bedroom.He loved that they’d visited, and he wanted to know more about being a dragon shifter and everything he could do, but he was exhausted.
He wasn’t only exhausted physically, although that didn’t help.Mentally, he needed a break.Between finding out that mages existed, that there were other dragon shifters around, and everything else, Sol needed to allow himself to think, and that wouldn’t happen if people kept knocking on his door and fussing over him.
At the same time, he was glad he had someone fussing over him.Before meeting Pippa, he’d been utterly alone.This felt like having a family he hadn’t expected, and it was good.
That was the main reason he didn’t ask people to leave him alone.Not only was he living in their home, but they were also taking care of him, feeding him, checking on his wounds, making sure he was okay, and all of that.It would be ungrateful of him to ask for time on his own.
Although, he was still tempted to do it.
But these people had protected Pippa when he hadn’t been able to.They hadn’t known her, and it would have been easy for them to leave her at the apartment, but they hadn’t.They’d told her about Carlyle and what he was doing, and they’d convinced her to move to the castle.They were supporting her and feeding and housing her.In a world where all of that was so expensive, Sol didn’t take it for granted.
He’d been wary before, but now, he knew that the mages and dragons weren’t the bad guys.The situation might be odd, but Sol felt like he was finally back where he belonged.At the same time, he had no idea what was going on around him.
