"Yes."
"Nolan!" he exclaimed with a laugh, and my cheeks flushed.
"I mean here. Your place. Zephyr needs the help, remember? And he can't afford tolosea supe."
"You're right. After lunch, we'll go see the headmaster, and tell him you're moving in. Even if he refuses to accept your help, once you're a resident, your magic will automatically be a part of the Sanctuary, and maybe that will make everything okay." Zamir sounded hopeful, and I hoped for his sake that it would work out. This was an amazing place, the kind of place I'd once dreamed of, and I wanted to help if I could.
Lunch was a lively affair, and while this wasn't the first time I'd been around so many supes at once, the atmosphere here was unlike anything I'd ever experienced. Everyone here was friendly and unique. I met supes I'd never come across in the wild before, and most of them had never met a dragon, so I got to talk to almost all of them.
It was fun, and I realized I would enjoy living here, and not just because of Zamir. I wanted to get to know these people better, to become friends with them.
We stayed in the Dining Room for a while, but slowly everyone had to get back to their various chores, and since I needed to head to work soon, I figured it was time for me to leave as well.
Zamir knocked on the office door on our way out, and Touya waved us in. "He's in there. I told him you'd be coming by, so go on in."
Zamir smiled, murmured a soft "Thanks," then tugged me toward the door beside Touya's desk. He knocked, and a warm, deep voice called, "Come in."
"Hey, Headmaster," Zamir said as he pushed the door open. "I wanted to introduce you to my mate, Nolan."
I froze as soon as my eyes met Zephyr's blue ones, as I recognized his magic. His face had changed, but his magic... itwas still the same bright, powerful thing I'd sensed all those centuries ago.
Back then, the magic had belonged to a teenager dressed in patched-up clothes, but now… now he was a man. A man dressed in expensive clothes and a royal purple cloak, with a metal prosthetic where he'd had a left forearm the last time I saw him. He looked older, with streaks of gray in his hair, and yet I could still see the teenager I'd met all those years ago.
"Jeff?" I murmured, my voice barely audible, as he shot to his feet, his hands curling into fists as he glared at me.
"You!"
Zamir
I stared, shocked by the anger in the headmaster's voice, the rage that poured out of him. I glanced between him and Nolan, who was staring at him as if he'd seen a ghost.
"Nolan?" I asked, my voice soft, unsure.
Nolan kept his gaze on the headmaster, but his hand squeezed mine. "Zamir, could you give us a minute, please?"
That was the last thing I wanted to do, but they were stuck in a stalemate of some kind, and it seemed they'd only break free once I left.
"Okay."
I stepped out of the room, and closed the door behind me, then leaned against it, reeling. The headmaster must've used a silencing ward, because I couldn't hear anything they were saying,ifthey were speaking at all.
"What's wrong? You're white as a sheet," Touya demanded as he shot to his feet and walked around the desk to take my handsin his. He led me to his chair, and I sank into it as I shook my head.
"I... I don't know. It looked like they knew each other, and whatever history they shared wasn't a good one."
"Fuck."
I nodded, agreeing wholeheartedly, and the two of us sat there, me in his chair, him on his desk, as we waited for the headmaster's office door to open.
Nolan had never mentioned he might know the headmaster, but then again, they'd both looked shocked. Neither of them—hell,none of ushad expected this.
How small was this world, that Nolan had known not only my mother, but also the man who was the closest thing I'd had to a loving father? The headmaster always kept a wall between himself and the residents of the Sanctuary, but hecaredabout us, and his actions showed us that time and again, even if he never said the words.
What had happened between Nolan and him for him to react with such anger?
It was twenty minutes before the door opened, and Nolan came out looking like he'd aged twenty years, which was strange for a human, and unthinkable for a dragon. What had the headmaster said to him?
"Nolan?" I asked, walking up to him, and he shook his head.
