“What’s going on here?”a voice Tyne recognized all too well asked.
He turned to see his mother striding down the hallway.This was the second thing he’d been hoping to avoid, so of course she was here.Could Tyne’s day go any worse?
“Peyton is back,” Amber announced, reaching for Meyer’s hand.
Meyer moved away and bumped into Tyne’s chest.Tyne didn’t think twice about cupping a hand around Meyer’s hip and holding him close.Even though they weren’t together, Meyer didn’t want anything to do with Amber, and Tyne wasn’t going to force him to interact with her.Hell, he’d protect Meyer from her if he had to.
Tyne squared his shoulders and faced his mother.“Peyton isn’t back.As I was telling Amber, he’s lost his memories and doesn’t remember any of us or this place.His name is Meyer now, so please, call him that.”
Tyne didn’t expect his mother to hug him.She’d never been the warm and loving type, and they hadn’t spoken in decades.
She stared at him for a moment.She didn’t ask why he was there because she knew.Jarvis had to have talked to her personally to get the authorization to send someone to pick up their ingredients.
“It seems like you have many things to tell me,” she eventually said.
“I have nothing to tell you.We’re here to pick up ingredients, and as soon as we have them, we’ll be on our way.”
“You’ll stay the night.I already cleared that up with your clan leader.I called him as soon as I got confirmation that you arrived.”
Tyne wasn’t angry at Jarvis.They didn’t know how many allies they would need to fight Carlyle, and making an enemy out of Tyne’s birth clan wouldn’t be a good idea.
Tynewasangry at his mother, though.She wouldn’t take no for an answer, and she knew that Tyne would give in.The clan was powerful enough to give him and the other mages trouble if she decided to make Tyne pay.
“I’m sure that you know we’re in the middle of a fight,” Tyne tried anyway.
“I do, but staying one night won’t hurt.I’ll see you at dinner.Amber, with me.”
Amber looked like she wanted to argue, but she had to obey Tyne’s mother.Everyone did.
She wasn’t the clan leader for nothing.
Chapter Six
––––––––
TYNE DIDN’T HAVE TOask to know that Meyer had dozens of questions.He would have them, too, if he was in Meyer’s place.Fortunately for him—or maybe unfortunately because he wished he didn’t remember any of this—he had his memories.He remembered the hallway in which he and Peyton had been caught making out when they were fifteen.He remembered the garden bench where Peyton had first told him that he loved him.
He swallowed as he finally reached the ingredients room.Meyer was behind him, thankfully silent, but Tyne couldn’t ignore his presence.He wasn’t sure he wanted to.He didn’t want to talk to his mother, and he wanted to talk to Amber even less, but part of him was glad that he wouldn’t be facing them alone.If Meyer had still been Peyton, he would’ve been on their side, but he wasn’t.The only person within the clan that he knew was Tyne, which meant that he wouldn’t stray far from him.Tyne wouldn’t lose him a second time.
Or at least, he hoped he wouldn’t.
The person in charge of the ingredients wasn’t someone Tyne remembered.The woman already knew why Tyne was there, and like he’d expected, she had a packet ready for him.She handed it over, and Tyne briefly wondered if he and Meyer could make a run for it.He was tempted to try, but his mother knew him too well, even after all these years.He’d just taken the packet when someone cleared her throat.
“Hello, Tyne,” one of Tyne’s childhood friends said.Anna’s gaze slid to Meyer, but she didn’t say anything to him.She had to know that he didn’t have Peyton’s memories.
Either that or she still hadn’t forgiven Peyton for what he’d done.
Tyne hadn’t been completely alone when Peyton left him.He’d had some support, but the people here had to follow his mother’s lead.No matter how much they wanted to stand up for Tyne, they never had a choice.
“Anna,” Tyne said.
“Your mother sent me so I could show you to your bedrooms for tonight.”
Tyne almost told her it wouldn’t be necessary, but it was.He couldn’t escape his mother.“We’ll follow you.”
Had Tyne’s mother sent one of his friends so he’d be more comfortable, or was this a coincidence?Maybe Anna had volunteered.Tyne had no doubt that the entire clan knew that Meyer was back by now.They had to be curious, especially after what had happened with Mark.There was also the distinct possibility that Amber was yapping at whoever would listen to her that Tyne had kept her shield from her or something like that.There was a reason Tyne hadn’t returned after Peyton had vanished.He hadn’t wanted anything to do with this.
He still didn’t.
