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Matthias was on his feet within seconds, grinning. It made Samuel happy to see it. The two of them had been moping around, and that was fine, but Matthias was right. They needed lives beyond their best friends, and everyone here had been friends for decades. They were the outsiders, and while everyone had been welcoming, maybe they could forge their own friendship.

In a way, they already were. Samuel could see it wouldn’t be long. They were already growing closer, and it made him happy. One could never have enough friends, and he was ready for one more.

He got to his feet, too, briefly considered picking up their things instead of leaving them on the bench, then decided against it. “Let’s go flying.”

* * * *

MATTHIAS’S HAIR WAS still windblown by the time he and Samuel reached the dining room. Almost everyone else was already there, sitting at the table and talking. Matthias slid into his seat next to Parker, but he looked up and smiled at Samuel just as Samuel sat down in his seat.

“Where’ve you been?” Parker asked, turning toward Matthias.

Matthias shrugged. “Out.”

“Out doing what? I came looking for you, but I couldn’t find you.”

“Yeah, because I was out. What did you need?”

“Nothing. Just that you’ve been quiet lately.”

Matthias glanced at Samuel again. Had he been quiet? He didn’t think so. He and Parker had been spending less time together, but when they did, it was like always. “I’ve just been thinking.”

“Yeah? Thinking about what?”

Matthias opened his mouth to answer, but Ansley called out Parker’s name, and Parker turned toward him after giving Matthias an apologetic smile. Matthias wasn’t even annoyed. Ansley made Parker happy, and more importantly, he’d known him before. Even though Parker sometimes said that who he’d been before he lost his memories didn’t matter, Matthias couldn’t imagine what it was like not to remember so much of his life. What happened to the dragons and mages wasn’t fair, but luckily, they’d gotten through it. Ansley had been good for Parker. He was more relaxed than he’d ever been before, and Matthias loved that for him.

Even though it made him a little grumpy and lonely. Matthias wanted that kind of relationship, too. He would never have it with a dragon or a mage—he was only human, and that was fine with him. But he did want a relationship, and he wasn’t sure how he would get one by staying here at the castle. It wasn’t like it was full of single guys. As far as he could tell, there were only two of them.

Matthias glanced at Samuel again. Was Samuel his type? Matthias liked him well enough, but they’d only just started getting closer. He liked him, and Samuel made him feel less lonely, but he couldn’t tell if that was all there was to it. Maybe not, maybe so.

Either way, having Samuel in his life helped.

But it wouldn’t be enough forever. Matthias didn’t have a lot to worry about. He lived in luxury and didn’t have to work. He would never have to be afraid that he wouldn’t have enough money to feed himself or pay rent. Parker had assured him of that, and he wasn’t the only one. With the mages willing to use their magic on him so he could stay young like everyone else, he wouldn’t have to fear for anything.

Except maybe loneliness.

Samuel might be a fix for now, but that didn’t mean it would last forever. Maybe Matthias needed to start thinking about that, or maybe he should see what would happen next. He supposed that for now, spending time with Samuel was enough. He wasn’t sure it would always be enough, but that wasn’t a problem he needed to solve now. He’d leave it for the future-Matthias, even though he knew he would probably be pissed at himself for that.

He didn’t want to make himself sad, though. He hadn’t lost anyone. Parker was still there, still his best friend. In fact, he’d gained a lot of people, and while he wasn’t close to them the way he was to Parker, they were in his life to stay, and for much longer than he could have expected.

He needed to make an effort to get closer to everyone, not just Parker and Samuel. That wouldn’t solve his problem of not having anyone he might want a relationship with, but he had time. He was lonely, but that loneliness wasn’t going to kill him, especially if he made more friends. He was sure that eventually, he would find his place at the castle and amongst the dragons and the mages, and everything else would come, too.

And if it didn’t, well, no one had forbidden him to go out there and find what he was looking for. He didn’t have to leave the castle permanently to do that. He just had to give himself a chance. Maybe go on a vacation, or even just explore the small town close to the castle. For now, though, he was happy being here, spending as much time as he could with Parker, and flying with Samuel.

Really.

Chapter Four

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SAMUEL WAS READING outside, sunbathing like a cat—or as it was, like a dragon. He enjoyed it in both of his forms, but it was easier to hold his book with fingers than with claws. He was humming as he read, distracted because he could hear Jason playing close by. The boy was old enough not to need adult supervision all the time, but Samuel couldn’t help it. He’d grown up playing babysitter to his siblings and all the babies and children in the clan, so he was used to keeping an ear open, just in case.

That was why he heard the footsteps coming toward him right away. He turned, wondering what the kid wanted. He didn’t look hurt, which was a relief.

“My ball is stuck in a tree,” Jason said. “Can you help me?”

“I’m surprised you’re not already climbing the tree.”

Jason looked around, then leaned closer as if he had a secret. “The last time I did that, Dad wasn’t happy. He told me to get an adult the next time it happened.”