“You’re right. Fine,” Rayne agreed sharply. He turned to leave, but Eno caught his elbow, stopping him sharply.
“Since you brought it up, there is one person you haven’t discussed,” Eno said slowly.
“I beg your pardon?”
“You. I’m more than qualified. Drayce has been through training. Caelan has been through even more training than Drayce. But what about you, advisor? Are you prepared to protect our prince?”
Rayne’s cheeks immediately darkened and his eyes widened, making him a beautiful sight to behold. The gods knew few saw it. Rayne was a master of hiding his emotions, but for some glorious reason Eno couldn’t understand, he had the power to push the man’s buttons, and Eno loved every second of it.
Jerking out of Eno’s grasp, Rayne took a step toward him, getting so close their chests nearly touched. There was just the faintest hint of his cologne in the air, and Eno wanted to bury his nose in the man’s neck in search of more.
“I will have you know that I have spent more than a hundred hours in training in the event that I am called upon to physically defend Caelan. I am prepared to give my life to protect our prince.”
Eno smiled at the man who was nearly trembling. “I know. I saw you.”
Rayne stepped back, seeming as if Eno had knocked him off-balance. “What?”
“I saw you training with Tomas. Shiny with sweat in the summer sun. I never thought anyone could get you out of your suit.”
The advisor’s eyes quickly darted away from Eno, his tongue slipping out to lick his bottom lip, looking so very unsure. It was as if Rayne had no idea how sexy he really was. He might be a little on the thin side, but every inch of him was hard, lean muscle. It had been by pure accident that he’d caught sight of Rayne since the advisor had been careful to schedule the training sessions during a time when Caelan was busy but unlikely to need Rayne.
But once Eno had seen him, he’d never been able to get the image out of his head. Rayne had been fighting in the sun with one of the palace’s top guards. The black tank top had been molded to his chest with sweat while the sun danced off taut muscles. While his form hadn’t been perfect, Rayne’s speed was impressive. He was lithe and graceful, even in a fight. Briefly, Eno had thought Rayne would have been better off becoming a dancer, but then he would have missed out on perfect moments just like this one.
“I might not have progressed as far as Drayce, but I know how to protect him.” Rayne lifted his chin, regaining some of his earlier confidence. Eno wanted to call bullshit on Rayne’s extremely modest assessment. Of course, Rayne might be worried about taking his skills into the real world versus the training field. “I won’t be slowing you up.”
“I was never worried about that,” Eno replied, and it was the truth. Rayne would never let himself put Caelan in danger. He’d give up his own life to keep the prince safe.
“Oh. Well, then, good.” Rayne ran a quick hand over his tie, smoothing it in place even though it hadn’t moved an inch during their conversation. “I should finish preparations. Thank you for your time.”
Eno chuckled. He couldn’t help it. There was little formality between him and Rayne. They’d commiserated more than a few times over drinks about Caelan’s and Drayce’s antics. But when the advisor was thoroughly out of sorts, he fell back on rigid protocol to steady himself.
“I’ll see you in a couple of hours,” Eno called after him. Gods, he adored that man, lived for every second they had alone together, even if it was only a brief conversation about Caelan’s safety. Every moment with Rayne was precious to him.
He watched Rayne’s stiff retreating figure as he headed away from the Godstone and to his own errands. When he could no longer see the man, he turned his attention to the glittering green stone just a short distance away. His smile fell from his lips and was replaced with a sigh. If he could beg one more boon from the gods—besides getting Caelan home safe and sound—Eno would ask that Rayne returned home safe and sound as well.
But there was no way in hell Eno was leaving that in the hands of the gods. He was getting both men back to Erya in one piece.
5
Caelan Talos
The train rumbled and clacked down the tracks. The gentle swaying of the car should have been soothing, but Caelan’s mind was too busy for sleep. Getting out of Stormbreak had gone off without a hitch. The export train for Caspagir had been loaded up and an extra car had been inserted into the center of the line, disguised to match the rest of the shipping cars. As a result, it meant they had only one small window to gaze out at their surroundings.