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Thorne wanted Samuel to be able to see his family, even though Samuel had hinted at the fact that he and his mother had a conflicting relationship. He hadn’t told any of them about his relationship with Matthias and Thorne yet, and Thorne was glad he wouldn’t be there when Samuel did. He wanted to support Samuel, but he had no idea how to deal with those people. He’d never had to deal with dragons until the mages had found theirs again, but those dragons were fine. Thorne wasn’t dating their son.

It was probably too soon to tell anyone about the relationship, anyway. They would have to talk about that. They had to talk about a lot of things, but for now, Thorne was enjoying the relationship. It was a lot of laughter and talking about stupid things, from favorite colors to favorite movies. He wanted to get to know Matthias and Samuel, and it would be easier when Samuel’s family wasn’t here anymore, taking up all of Samuel’s time. It had become a little too much even for Samuel, who’d taken to hiding from them as often as he could.

“You look like you don’t know where to start,” a voice said from behind Thorne.

He turned and smiled at Penley. “It’s more than I’m used to.”

“Even with Samuel around?”

“Even with Samuel around,” Thorne confirmed. “It’s not hard to understand why he is the way he is. His entire family seems to be just like him.”

Penley surveyed the damage and laughed. “I see that. Here, I’m going to help you.”

“There’s no need for you to do that. That’s why we have a cleaning crew.”

“Well, if that’s why we have a cleaning crew, why are you about to clean yourself?”

Thorne didn’t have an answer to that. He didn’t do the actual cleaning of the rooms, but he did make sure they were tidy before the cleaning crew got here. It was their job to clean the place, not to neaten it up after a tornado had passed.

Penley shrugged and picked up a blanket that was thrown over the back of the couch. He folded it, but Thorne could feel him watching him. He knew that he was about to have to answer questions, and he knew precisely what those questions would be about.

He didn’t mind. He knew that people in the castle had noticed something was up with him, Matthias, and Samuel. He was okay with that. He had no intention of keeping the relationship a secret, especially not with Samuel’s family leaving. Announcing that the three of them were together might have been awkward with someone else’s parents there, but they weren’t there anymore.

“Are you going to make me beg for answers?” Penley teased. “Because I will do that. I can see that you’re in love, and I’m dying to know with whom.”

“Can’t you guess?” Thorne grabbed a pillow and fluffed it up as he faced Penley. Somehow, he didn’t think they would be getting a lot of work done.

Penley leaned his hip against the couch and crossed his arms over his chest. “You don’t make it easy. You’ve been spending enough time with both Matthias and Samuel, and I have no idea which one you fell for. I would normally say Matthias, considering the way you and Samuel have been at each other’s throats recently, but at the same time, the best love stories are enemies to lovers.”

Thorne snorted. “Samuel and I aren’t enemies.”

“Okay, then rivals to lovers. I’m pretty sure there was so much heat between you that it caused the clashing. If you managed to get over that, I’m pretty sure you and Samuel could make sparks.”

“Maybe,” Thorne agreed.

“On the other hand, there’s Matthias. He’s sweet, and I see how much he likes you. Of course, it’s also confusing because he’s also spending a lot of time with Samuel. Honestly, I don’t know what to think about any of this.” He paused and cocked his head as he watched Thorne. “The only thing I know for sure is that you’re happier, and I’m happy about that. You deserve that after the many years you’ve dedicated to us.”

“I get paid handsomely to dedicate my time to you and the others,” Thorne pointed out.

“Maybe so, but it doesn’t mean you should neglect your personal life, which you’ve been doing since you started working here. So? Which one is it? Honestly, whichever it is, good for you.”

Thorne hesitated. He didn’t think Penley or any of the other mages or dragons would judge him for being with two people. Samuel had said that it was quite common in dragon clans, but of course, this wasn’t a dragon clan. They were more like a family, and Thorne was a little scared. He didn’t think the mages would kick him out for dating two men, but they might have something to say about it, and he wasn’t sure how he would take it.

Still, he really wasn’t planning on hiding his relationship, and sooner rather than later, someone would realize what was happening. He might as well be honest now.

“It’s both of them,” he told Penley.

Penley blinked. “Really?” He squinted at Thorne as if trying to read him better. “I mean, it makes sense. I see what you have with Matthias, and Samuel, well, I guess there’s a lot of passion there. You couldn’t choose, hm?”

“Why should I when they both want to be with me?”

Penley laughed. “That’s a good answer. You shouldn’t choose if they don’t want you to.”

“You don’t think it’s weird?”

“Why would I? It’s been decades since I last lived with my clan, but this kind of relationship was normal there. No one cared, and I don’t.”

“That’s good to hear.” Even though Thorne had suspected it would go like that, he was still relieved. He wasn’t sure what he would’ve done if Penley and the others hadn’t been okay with it.