A couple of hours later, Zephyr returned with clean, dry clothes. As Rayne dressed, he discovered that his knee was in fact completely healed. At the request of his parents, they had dinner in the formal dining room complete with flickering candlelight and exquisitely crafted plates from Ilon. Even if the meal consisted of just chicken and potatoes, it was a nice switch from rice. The conversation remained civil if a bit stiff and stilted.
Stanton attempted to join them when they retired to the guest bedroom again to discuss plans for meeting up with General Morgan, but Rayne put his foot down. Even though his father was retired, he still had his contacts and his schemes. Rayne would not allow Caelan to get drawn into any of his father’s plots, and his father didn’t need to know what they were planning. It was safer for all of his family if they remained in their home and away from King’s Square.
They finally managed to reach Morgan on the phone they’d been given by the servant and arranged a new meeting spot with the General and Tomas for the next day. At least they’d be able to spend one night in a somewhat secure location. Tomorrow, they would make plans to get Caelan to the Godstone.
After wishing Zephyr good night, Rayne found himself drifting off to sleep in the middle of the bed. On one side of him was Eno with his arm tossed over Rayne’s stomach. On the other side of him, Caelan was snoring, lost to the world. Drayce had already drifted off in a chair, his feet propped up on the bed. Caelan might have had one arm wrapped around Drayce’s feet, but Rayne wasn’t sure. He might have dreamed that part.
He adored his sister. He loved his parents in a fashion as well. But over the years, these three men felt more like family to him than anyone ever could. They’d faced countless trials and come out stronger and closer each time. They’d traversed the Ordas, taken down a base, and had even faced a god together. Rayne would die for these men.
But he was hoping to save all of Thia first.
21
Caelan Talos
An unexpected smile played on Caelan’s lips as he stared at his three companions. It just felt right being together again—though he could have done without it being his home they were sneaking through. Being separated had never sat well with Caelan. It didn’t matter if it had made the most sense at the time.
Caelan leaned against the rough brick of a town house while Eno peered around the corner to see if anyone was watching the street. They were getting close to their meeting place with Tomas and General Johanna Morgan. They should be seeing signs of Erya lookouts very soon.
“Do you think Maris is going to show up at your parents’?” Drayce asked in a low voice.
“I don’t know, but I told Zephyr to watch for her,” Rayne murmured.
Caelan’s smile shifted into a smirk as he recalled how Zephyr had been waiting for them when they’d tried to sneak out early that morning. She’d hugged each of them tightly, admonishing them to be safe and to kick New Rosanthe ass.
“I can’t believe she’s your sister,” Drayce started again, a hint of devilment in his voice.
Caelan glanced over to see that Rayne had straightened, his arms over his chest and a scowl marring his face. “What the hell is that supposed to mean?”
Of course, that only egged Drayce on. “Just that she’s hot and fun and freaking hilarious. In short, nothing like you.”
“I would prefer it if you stopped thinking about my sister altogether,” Rayne grumbled.
Drayce laughed softly and shook his head. “Dude! She’s way too young for me.”
“Too young? She’s only five years your junior—”
“So, you’re saying that she’s not too young to date me. Really, man. You’re sending me way too many mixed signals, but I’d be happy to ask her out after this is all over. I—”
Caelan slapped a hand over Drayce’s wicked mouth and moved between him and Rayne so his advisor couldn’t strangle the life out of his bodyguard. Caelan had heard enough too. It didn’t matter that he knew Drayce was teasing Rayne to get a rise out of him. Of course, when he caught the look in Drayce’s eyes, Caelan realized that he’d been played as well. Bastard.
Oh, he wasn’t going to let that go.
“Absolutely not,” Rayne snarled.
“It’s not a bad idea, actually,” Caelan countered. “Think about it. He’s one of the personal bodyguards to the king. We’ll make it official later, but you know that means he’ll be given a lordship. It is a prestigious position and would enable you to see her more.”
Rayne’s eyes widened and his mouth hung open, but no sound came out for several seconds. It was as if his brain had locked up at Caelan’s words. Yeah, they were both being quite evil. He blinked and refocused. Yep, his brain was back online. “No. Prestige is not worth allowing her to date Drayce Ladon.”