––––––––
EMORY WAS PANTING ANDsweating when Tyne cornered him in the gym.He eyed the door, but he knew there would be no escaping whatever this was.Tyne was blocking his exit, and he looked serious enough that it worried Emory.
Emory wasn’t afraid of Tyne.He just didn’t like him very much.He didn’t know the entire story, so maybe Tyne had a good reason for being such an asshole, but still.The way Emory had seen him treat his dragon irked him, especially when he’d lost his mage the way he had.
He slowed down the treadmill, then stopped it entirely when Tyne still didn’t move.He just stood there, watching Emory.
“This is kind of creepy,” Emory commented.
“I’m not doing anything creepy.I’m just waiting for you to be done.”
“And you can’t just say that instead of staring at me?”
Tyne rolled his eyes.“I want to talk to you,” he declared.
Emory grabbed the towel he’d left hanging on the treadmill handle and dried his face.“I’m listening.”
“Are you, or are you going to call me a weirdo?”
“Youarea weirdo, but let’s hear it.”Emory didn’t think it was anything bad, but it was hard to tell with someone like Tyne.Maybe the guy was about to tell Emory that he needed to leave the castle.Maybe he was about to tell him that he needed to move in permanently.Who knew?Certainly not Emory.
“I noticed that you’ve been spending more time with Graham recently,” Tyne said.
Emory might not have known what to expect, but he was still surprised.“I’m sorry?”
“You know, the guy who actively worked against us and for Carlyle?”
“I know who Graham is.There’s no need to be sarcastic.”
“I just think you need to be careful.”
“What about?”
“He’s not a good person.He wouldn’t have worked with Carlyle if he was.”
“You think he’s going to hurt me?”
“It’s a legitimate worry to have,” Tyne said, clearly bristling.
The last thing Emory wanted to do was to make Tyne angry.He was just trying to understand what Tyne was attempting to say, but it was hard.Emory couldn’t even rely on Tyne’s expression because the only expression the man seemed to be able to make when his mate wasn’t around was scowling.“I do agree it is,” he said slowly.“But Graham isn’t going to hurt me.”
“You can’t know that for sure.”
“There’s nothing I know for sure.Evenyoucould attempt to hurt me.”
“I promise you that I don’t care enough about you to want to hurt you,” Tyne said.
Emory pressed a hand against his heart.“How am I going to survive knowing that?”
Tyne’s scowl deepened.Emory was pretty sure the man was going to hit him if he continued being a smart ass.
He dropped his hand.“Look, I’m fine.I understand why you’re worried, and I’m not saying it’s because you care about me, but clearly, you care enough to let me live here, and I’m grateful for that.”
“Of course I care enough to let you live here.”Tyne hesitated.“I lost my dragon once.He told me that he was leaving me because he didn’t love me anymore right before the fight with Carlyle.It’s not the same, but I understand the feeling of betrayal and losing the person you care about the most.”
That certainly explained Tyne’s behavior, especially when it came to Meyer.Emory was glad the two had worked things out.Meyer wasn’t the same person he’d been before losing his memory, and he never would be again.Carlyle had made sure of that.Emory had always viewed that as a bad thing considering everything Carlyle had taken from these men, but in Tyne and Meyer’s case, maybe it hadn’t been.
“All I’m saying is, be careful,” Tyne continued.“Even though Graham looks innocent and harmless, he was on Carlyle’s side.Who knows what Carlyle convinced him to do when it comes to you?Carlyle might be gone, but one of his minions isn’t, and I wouldn’t want you to get hurt because you trust him.”