“You need to leave, don’t you?” Eno said, clearly reading the growing anxiety on his face.
“Yes. If I miss this meeting, I might not get another shot at it.”
“Then go.”
Rayne shook his head. Eno was being surprisingly calm through all of this, which helped immensely, but he also knew Eno. The warrior had to be losing his mind on the inside. But he was always a protector first and right now, he was staying calm and collected to keep Rayne from panicking. And yeah, maybe that made him fall a little more for the man.
Rayne wanted to wrap his arms around Eno and comfort him, to be comforted, but things were still so new between them. He wasn’t sure where the lines were. Would he accept it? Would he laugh or brush Rayne off? Make things awkward?
New relationships were always so complicated and littered with missteps. People talked about loving the discovery phase, but Rayne preferred to just have a list of dos and don’ts handed to him so that he knew the best course of action without hurting the other person.
For now, he settled on just giving Eno a weak, reassuring smile.
His companion had spent all day making phone calls to anyone and everyone he knew within the Erya military with zero results. The best he’d managed was to reach a couple of soldiers who were outside the palace but living within the city.
They reported that the city proper close to the ministry and royal towers was completely cordoned off by the Empire as well as the main route to the harbor. The rest of the Empire’s army hadn’t been seen throughout other parts of the city. At a guess, it seemed as though the Empire hadn’t successfully moved the Godstone from the city yet, which gave them some small hope.
Eno had instructed his friends to tell any Erya military members they found to call him as soon as possible. He made no mention of Caelan, but it was still a dangerous ploy all the same. If anyone from New Rosanthe realized that Eno was alive and trying to contact the military, they might wonder if Caelan was alive as well.
“You need to leave,” Eno pressed. He walked over to Rayne and placed his hands on his shoulders, forcing him to meet his gaze. “It’s like you said, you have to make this meeting, or you won’t get another shot. Caelan is alive and safe. We need to get him in to speak with the queen. Will this meeting arrange that?”
“Yes. Yes, I think it will,” Rayne said, nodding.
“Is your phone charged?”
“Yes.”
“So is mine. You go to your meeting, and I will go find them.” Eno released Rayne and walked over to pull his phone off the charger. “I’ve been studying a map of the city. I’ve got a few ideas where they might have gone.”
“What the hell will I do if I lose all of you?” The words suddenly burst from his mouth, and he inwardly winced, wishing he could grab them back. He was supposed to be the pulled-together one, but the events in Stormbreak, all these new feelings with Eno, and now being in Sirelis were rattling him more than he cared to admit to himself. Having Caelan, Eno, and even Drayce with him gave him a sense of control and purpose.
One corner of Eno’s mouth lifted into a weak smile. “You won’t.”
“Eno.”
Eno walked over to him and pressed a kiss right behind his earlobe, sending a wonderful chill down his spine. “You’re not going to lose me or Caelan or Drayce. I’ll find them. You focus that magnificent mind on cracking Caspagir’s games and winning us an ally.”
“Of course.”
“And I’ll text you my location once every fifteen minutes. If something happens to me, you’ll be able to track my progress.” Of course, Rayne had tracked Caelan in the past with his phone, but it wasn’t working now. At least Eno was likely to have more sense and not turn his phone off.
He didn’t like the idea of something happening to Eno, but it was the best plan they had for now.
“Okay. Be careful.”
“I will.” Grabbing his leather jacket, Eno started for the door. The warrior had already secreted ample weapons on his person, but then, the man was a walking weapon whether he was armed or not.
“Eno,” Rayne called out suddenly.
“Yes?”
“When you find them, don’t kill them. I’m claiming that right.”
Eno grinned at him and winked. “We’ll see about that.” He disappeared out the door and Rayne’s heart gave a painful skip in his chest. He was alone. The plan was always for him to go to this meeting alone, but it felt different than he’d expected. Caelan and Drayce were missing. Eno had gone to find them. Was Eno going to disappear in Sirelis too?