Penley cocked his head.“Is that what’s going on, then?Do you wish you could be his mage?”
That was a heavy question.“No.If I was a mage, I don’t think he’d want anything to do with me.”
Penley’s expression turned more serious.“I think you’re right about that.You’re safe to him because you can’t hurt him the way Carlyle did.”
“I can’t do much of anything, but I’m glad he feels safe when he’s with me.”
“I think it’s more than that,” Ansley said.“He’s safe with the dragons, too, but he hasn’t grown close to any of them the way he’s grown close to you.I wasn’t sure what was happening initially because it looked like you both kept your distance from each other, but not anymore.”
As far as Graham knew, the mages weren’t aware of Emory’s adventure with the storm.He suspected that Emory wanted to keep things that way.He was tempted to rat him out because what he’d done had been dangerous, but he’d keep an eye on the dragon.Hopefully, that would be enough to keep him safe.“I think that living in a castle full of couples and being two of the few who don’t have anyone in our lives, it makes sense that we’ve grown closer.”
“I agree,” Ansley said.“But don’t you want more?”
Graham bit his lower lip.Of course he wanted more.How could he not when Emory was so nice and sweet?“I don’t know if I canhavemore,” he murmured.
“You can have anything you want,” Penley reassured him, leaning forward to pat his knee.“Because from the way Emory looks at you, I’m pretty sure he wants the same thing.”
“Is it a good idea, though?You know the past we share.You know what happened with Carlyle.I don’t want him to do something he’s going to regret.”
“And you think that he’d regret being with you?”
“Maybe.I don’t have much to offer.I don’t have a home or a family.I don’t even have a car.”And he was neverborrowinganyone’s car again.He’d taken a massive risk, borrowing Meyer’s.He was surprised that Tyne hadn’t come after him for that yet.
“You really think that Emory cares about any of that?”Keylon asked.“Because I’m pretty sure he doesn’t.”
No, he didn’t.He wanted Graham anyway.He wanted him to the point where he’d asked him to stay.“I’m glad I didn’t leave,” Graham murmured.“He asked me to stay, and I’m happy I did, even though I have no idea what’s going on between us.”
He looked up to find the mages staring at him.He wasn’t sure why until Penley narrowed his eyes.“What do you mean, you’re glad you didn’t leave?”
Shit.Graham hadn’t meant to betray himself like that.“You’re not going to forget about this, are you?”
“Damn right I’m not.We’ve already told you that you’re welcome to stay in the castle for however long you want.This is your home, too.It might not feel like it yet, but it is, and we want you to treat it as such.We don’t want you to think about leaving if that’s not what you actually want.”
“It’s not.”How could Graham want to leave when the castle was the only place he could call home?When the mages and the dragons were the only people he could call family?
Penley nodded.“Then you’re not going anywhere.”
He was right.Graham wasn’t going anywhere, not anymore.
* * * *
EMORY WASN’T EXPECTINGanyone to visit him, but he wasn’t surprised when someone knocked on his door.The mages and the dragons had been trying hard to include him in things, and apparently, that meant visiting him randomly to ask questions or just to spend time with him.It was a stark difference from how he’d spent the past few decades, but he was enjoying it.It made him feel like he belonged and like he had people to count on, which wasn’t something he’d had in a long time.
He opened the door, expecting Penley or Ansley, or maybe even one of the dragons.Instead, Graham stood there, and he was smiling in a way Emory wasn’t sure he’d ever seen.
“I just watched some TV show with Ansley, Penley, and Keylon,” Graham declared.
Emory stepped aside to let him in.“What were you watching?”
Emory was almost bouncy, which wasn’t like him.“Honestly, I have no idea.I just know it was a TV show.They wanted to watch it, and I happened to already be there.”
“I see.”Emory did.He’d come to realize that the mages didn’t really care what they were doing to include him as long as he was there with them.A week ago, he’d watched a hockey game with Ansley, who’d spent the entire time complaining about the fact that the way they were dressed meant he couldn’t admire them.Emory doubted the man had ever watched a game of hockey before.He’d just wanted to spend time with Emory, which was something Emory was still not entirely used to.
He definitely wasn’t used to Graham visiting his bedroom.Right now, the man was pacing back and forth, a growing smile on his face.
“And they told me that I could stay here for as long as I wanted.They said this was my home.”
“If they said it, they meant it,” Emory said.