There was also the matter of knowing one of their own was locked away in what were probably less-than-ideal conditions. While Rayne was ushering a grumbling Caelan to his own bedroom, he’d admonished Eno to take a shower, in hopes he would wash away some of the day’s stress.
Rayne slipped into the small bedroom they were sharing across from Caelan’s. Eno was already inside, naked from the waist up. His brown hair was damp, sending droplets down his back. It was longer than he usually wore it, and he still had the beard he’d grown in Zastrad, though it had been trimmed to closely hug his hard jaw. The combination made him appear more devilish rogue than king’s bodyguard. Rayne liked the new dark edge, but he didn’t much care for the constant shadow of worry in his normally warm brown eyes. They all had taken on that new look in the past several months, though.
“He’s asleep,” Rayne announced as he shut the door behind him.
“He’s not good, Rayne,” Eno growled. He was digging through the bag on the bed, hunting for a particular shirt. Two others were already pulled out, but he didn’t seem pleased with those options.
Rayne leaned against the small dresser behind Eno, taking in the tense draw of muscles in his back and the tightness in his forearms. The shower had not helped as much as Rayne would have hoped.
“The gods are taking a greater toll on him,” he murmured.
Eno’s fist drew up another shirt, and then he shoved it down before turning to face Rayne. “And we’re supposed to let him waltz up to yet another godstone and add to the weight he’s carrying?”
“I don’t like it either, but we’ve not been presented with a lot of options in regard to defeating a goddess and the ambitions of the New Rosanthe emperor.”
“Have we really searched for other options?” Eno demanded.
Every one of Rayne’s hackles rose at once. He sucked in a breath. It was as though Eno had kicked him in the chest. Did he believe that Rayne wasn’t seeking new ways to help and protect Caelan?
Rayne couldn’t even formulate a coherent thought in his own defense. Eno was already turning and kissing the life out of him. All hopes of thinking about anything were scattered to the wind under the force of those perfect lips and that wicked tongue tangling with his own. He relaxed, his hands sliding up to grip his shoulders.
Eno pulled away, but not so far that Rayne couldn’t feel the smile on his lips. “Recall that I said we. It isn’t your job alone to think of everything.”
Yes, he had a point there.
Eno retreated and Rayne could more clearly see the smug smile he’d felt a second ago. This man knew him too well at times, and that thought alone was enough to keep Rayne up at night.
“You’re so cute,” Eno murmured, which earned him a roll of Rayne’s eyes.
“Back to the point, please.”
Eno retreated a step, which was necessary if they were both going to use their brains. “My point is that when Kaes sent Caelan to Tula, I don’t think any of us believed that Caelan would be bonding with more than the two of them. But now he’s added a third, and we’ve still got to meet with the Goddess of Fire.”
“There’s no doubt that we’ll be off to Ilon and the God of Wisdom next.”
“Exactly!” Eno waved one hand in the air in emphasis. “Two wasn’t great. Three is damaging. What the fuck is going to happen with four? And five? That’s not happening. It’ll kill him.”
“But this is our only option for defeating Zyros.”
“Is it?”
Rayne tilted his head to the side, trying to push past the knee-jerk reaction that they couldn’t possibly know better than the gods. “It’s what the gods have led us to believe. You don’t trust them?”
“No.” There had been zero hesitation on Eno’s part for that answer. “They’ve made it clear that they’ve got their plans and ideas, and they don’t necessarily care who lives or dies in the process. Caelan is fighting them, New Rosanthe, and his own sense of right and wrong. What if there are other options that we haven’t considered because we’re going along with the gods because they’re gods?”
That was a good point.
“Like…what if Caelan wasn’t the only one who could bond with the gods?”
Eno’s eyes widened and he immediately shook his head. “No, you’re not bonding with the Goddess of Fire. It’s enough that you have a tie to the Goddess of Life.”
Rayne’s head skipped a beat and he smiled at his lover. There was something so endearing when the man got all overprotective. Sure, he’d not cared for it when Eno tried to leave him behind in Stormbreak, but it had become easier to see it as concern rather than commentary on any skills Rayne might lack.