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Unfortunately for him, he would never get it. He was as human as they came. Was that kind of bond something Samuel would be willing to give up for him and Thorne, though? Or would he agree with his mother and maybe go back home?

But Thorne had said that Samuel seemed reluctant. He’d never mentioned wanting a mage. As scared as Matthias was, he probably shouldn’t be. Even if it was something Samuel wanted, he wasn’t going to leave with his family. He was at the castle to stay, if anything, for Winter.

But Matthias hoped that he would be staying for someone else soon, too.

“There you are,” Samuel said as he reached them. He grinned. “They’re a lot, aren’t they?”

“I understand you better now,” Thorne said with a nod. “There was no way for you to come out of a family like that any differently than you have.”

Samuel blinked. “That sounds like an insult.”

“It’s not. It’s just facts.”

“And you haven’t seen anything yet. Give them a few days, and they’ll behave like this is their home.” Samuel leaned closer to Matthias and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. He squeezed, and Matthias could only lean back against him.

“Having fun?” Samuel asked.

“I like that it feels like an impromptu party. I didn’t expect something like this from anyone’s family.”

“I think it’s just the sheer number of them,” Samuel said. “It feels like a party because there are so many of us.”

“And because you all sound happy.”

“We are. As much as they annoy me a lot of the time, they’re my family.” He looked sideways at Matthias and Thorne. “But I learned recently that family doesn’t have to be only one. I have a family here, too.”

And from the way he was looking at them, he was definitely including them in that.

Matthias wasn’t sure how that made him feel. He wanted to be Samuel’s family, but he didn’t want Samuel to see him like a brother. Just the thought made him want to cry.

But he didn’t think that was how Samuel saw him. They hadn’t talked yet, but he was sure there was something else there, something more. Maybe he was imagining it, and he would be humiliated when he brought it up, but he was willing to try. He was willing to see where this would take them. In fact, he was eager to find out, although having Samuel’s family here was putting a wrench in his plans. Talking to Thorne and Samuel would have to wait, but Matthias would survive.

To his surprise, Samuel didn’t immediately go back to his family. Instead, he hovered there with him and Thorne for a little bit, talking and pointing out who was who, telling them stories about his siblings and growing up. It was nice, but at the same time, it made Matthias wonder if Samuel ever regretted coming here. Of course, even if he did, it would be easy for him to go back home. It was obvious that his family would welcome him with open arms.

Matthias really hoped that he wasn’t thinking about that, though. He liked that he, Samuel, and Thorne felt like a unit. It was a little odd, but it gave him hope.

And he was going to cling to that hope until something showed him that he shouldn’t anymore.

* * * *

SAMUEL LOVED HIS FAMILY, but he was relieved when they started drifting off to their rooms. They wouldn’t be staying at the castle long, and he wanted to spend time with them, but he also wanted some time to breathe. He hadn’t expected them to visit, and he certainly hadn’t expected to have to fight with his mother about finding a mage, but he knew that would happen before she left.

He wanted some time alone now, or rather, some time without having to watch what he was saying. He wanted to stop watching his back to make sure that his mother wasn’t anywhere near him.

That was why when Matthias moved toward the door, possibly to leave, Samuel quickly went with him. He wasn’t surprised to find that by the time he’d reached Matthias, Thorne was already there.

“Are you going to bed?” he asked them.

“I have a lot of work tomorrow morning, so yes,” Thorne said with a nod.

“I don’t have work, but yes. I’m tired, and I thought that maybe you’d want more time with your family.” Matthias looked back into the living room. “Although with some of the dragons and the mages still here, maybe not.”

“I’ll spend time with my family tomorrow. What about walking you to your room?”

Matthias didn’t seem surprised by the offer, but he did seem a little hesitant. He glanced at Thorne, then back at Samuel before finally nodding. “All right.”

The three of them fell silent as they walked. Samuel hadn’t had a plan when he’d offered, and he wasn’t quite sure what to do now. He didn’t like the silence, though. It felt heavy, like the three of them were waiting for something, and he suspected he knew what that something was. Until now, none of them had had the courage to say it out loud. Knowing Matthias and Thorne, they probably wouldn’t. Thorne might think that whatever was going on between them wasn’t right because it wasn’t something most people would consider, and Matthias—well. He probably thought that neither Samuel nor Thorne wanted him, which couldn’t be further from the truth. They both wanted him, and Samuel hoped Matthias wanted the same. He didn’t want to end up in a relationship with only one of these men. He wanted both of them.

But he’d have to be the one who took that step. Neither Matthias nor Thorne would. It was a risk they wouldn’t want to take, and Samuel understood. He wasn’t sure he wanted to take that risk, either. The three of them had grown closer over the past few weeks, and he didn’t want to lose that. He remembered how prickly Thorne had been initially. He didn’t want to go back to that or to something worse. The best thing to avoid that would be to keep his thoughts to himself, but could he? More importantly, did he want to?