* * * *
MEYER COULDN’T BELIEVEthis place was where Tyne finally accepted him.He didn’t like that he’d had to come all the way here and that Tyne had needed to put himself through this mess, but it felt like they were finally getting somewhere, so he couldn’t regret it too much.
He could feel the weight of the moment pressing down on him, like the air before a storm.The last few weeks had been a blur—returning to a life he couldn’t remember and trying to piece together bits and pieces of what had happened from people who didn’t know everything.Tyne had been cold and distant and had refused to give Meyer the answers he was looking for.
But now, Meyer knew.
“What do you want, Meyer?”Tyne asked.
Meyer hesitated.He hadn’t planned this.He hadn’t known they were anywhere near it happening.He’d been relieved when Tyne had finally told him what Peyton had done, but considering how hurt Tyne still was over it, Meyer hadn’t expectedthisto happen.
Tyne’s hands trembled as he reached for Meyer’s face to cup his cheeks.Meyer’s chest ached at the thought that he’d hurt him.As Meyer, he’d never do something like that.He couldn’t understand how Peyton had managed to let go of Tyne the way he had, and he didn’t think he ever would, but he didn’t have to, did he? “I know I hurt you,” he murmured back, half afraid that if he spoke more loudly, Tyne would get startled and run.
Tyne shook his head.“Not you.”
“I know,” Meyer said quickly.He’d been trying to make Tyne see that, and he didn’t want them to slide back.“But I need you to know thatI’mhere, not Peyton.ThatI’mnot going anywhere.I don’t remember what happened between us, but I want to make things right.”
Tyne’s breath hitched, his eyes flickering with something Meyer couldn’t quite place.“You’re serious,” he said, his voice barely above a whisper.
“I’ve never been more serious about anything in my life.”He wanted Tyne to know that as long as he could make decisions, he’d always choose to be with him.
For a moment, Tyne stared at him, his expression unreadable.Meyer wondered if he’d made a mistake, but he hadn’t said anything he hadn’t told Tyne before.Then, taking Meyer by surprise, Tyne closed the distance between them to grip the front of Meyer’s shirt.“You’re an idiot,” he said, his voice shaking.
Meyer was about to ask why Tyne thought that, but he didn’t get the opportunity.Tyne’s lips were on his, fierce and desperate, his hands tangling in Meyer’s hair.Meyer froze, his mind reeling, before instinct took over.He kissed Tyne back, finding Tyne’s waist with both hands and pulling him closer.The kiss was raw and filled with all the pent-up emotions that had been building between them since Meyer had moved into the castle.
When they finally broke apart, both of them were breathless, but Meyer still wanted more.“I know what happened between us now,” Meyer said, his voice rough.“And I still want this.I wantyou.”
Tyne’s eyes searched his, his expression softening.“You don’t know what you’re asking for.”
Maybe Meyer didn’t.Maybe he was underestimating how complicated this would be.
He didn’t care.“Then show me,” he said.
For a moment, Tyne hesitated, his gaze flickering with uncertainty.Then, with a sharp intake of breath, he grabbed Meyer’s hand and pulled him toward the bed.
Meyer stumbled, his heart pounding as Tyne pushed him down onto the sheets.The room was spinning around him, but all he could focus on was the man above him.
Tyne’s hands trembled as he touched Meyer’s body, his touch tentative at first but growing more confident.Meyer’s breath hitched, his skin burning where Tyne’s fingers brushed against him.
“I’ve missed this,” Tyne whispered, his voice barely audible.“I’ve missedyou.”
Meyer’s chest tightened.He didn’t know what to say or how to respond.All he could do was reach up and tangle his fingers in Tyne’s hair to pull him down into another searing kiss.Their bodies pressed together, their movements frantic, desperate, as if they were trying to make up for lost time.
The heat between them was unbearable, their breaths coming in short, shallow gasps.Meyer’s hands roamed over Tyne’s back, his fingers digging into the fabric of his shirt, trying to pull him closer.It wasn’t enough.He needed more.He needed everything Tyne was willing to give him.
Tyne seemed to sense it.He fumbled with the buttons of Meyer’s shirt, his breath warm against Meyer’s skin as he kissed his way down his chest.Meyer’s heart pounded as he arched his body into Tyne’s touch.
“Tyne,” he gasped.
“I know,” Tyne whispered, his hands stilling for a moment.When he looked up, his eyes caught Meyer’s—they were dark, intense, and filled with a need that mirrored Meyer’s.He leaned in close, his lips brushing against Meyer’s ear.“Let me show you.”
That was when things changed.Meyer felt a surge of magic between them that hadn’t been there before.He’d never really thought about how the bond between them would feel, but maybe he should have.It was like a living thing that spread through him and pulled him even closer to Tyne.The bond felt alive, and it was demanding to be acknowledged.
The realization hit Meyer with a force that left him breathless.Of course the magic connecting them wanted to be acknowledged.It had been ignored for decades.Meyer had felt it sometimes, but it had been faint, and before meeting Tyne, it had been easy to ignore.He’d felt like he’d been missing something, but he’d thought it was his memories and everything he’d lost with them.
It hadn’t been.Thiswas what he’d been missing.Thiswas what he’d been searching for.
Tyne.
