You could touch his mind. Heal the wounds that fester there, Tula offered.
What she meant was for Caelan to blur the worst of the memories that fermented in Drayce’s mind over what happened. The loss of his wings, the betrayal of his father, the renouncing of his clan. It was a temptation, because it meant easing Drayce’s pain, but it wasn’t fair to him. If Drayce asked him to do it, he would, but never without his permission.
Just heal his body, Caelan replied.
And what about revenge? Are we really not going to take action against them? Kaes whined.
Nyx must have been feeling bored, because the Dead God slid into the conversation. That pompous ass did deny the will of three gods. That’s got to earn him something.
Caelan rolled his eyes and struggled to swallow his groan. Masaru didn’t deny the will of three gods. He picked a fight with a human king. You three don’t give a damn about what happens to Drayce.
The Goddess of Life pushed to the foreground of his mind, her touch sliding like silk across his mind. Some of his own lingering pains eased in her presence and he felt stronger. We care about you. We care about your happiness. If this little dragon makes you happy, we can only fight to keep him safe too.
I care about all of my family. Drayce, Eno, Rayne. Even Adrian. He paused and the hint of a smile played across his lips. And now there are Nori and Haru. My life comes second in the face of keeping them safe. I want them protected.
But they are only safe if you defeat Safa and her goddess, Tula pointed out.
And that Masaru is keeping you from what you need to defeat them both, Kaes grumbled.
Namely, the Goddess of Fire.
No rush there, of course. We could spend more time with this new family you discovered. Let the dragon heal, Nyx unexpectedly countered, sounding too eager to put off meeting with Caris.
You know, it would be wise to tell me what the problem is between you and the Goddess of Fire. It might save us both a lot of fucking pain, Caelan ground out in his mind to the God of Time.
Silence.
Yeah, that was what he’d expected. The gods and goddesses loved their secrets, which was a real pain in his ass since he was the one who paid the price for their lack of communication.
Before he could poke further at the Dead God, the door to the infirmary room opened. Caelan looked up to see his grandfather enter and slide the door shut again. The old dragon crossed to him and carefully threaded his fingers through his filthy hair, pushing it from his forehead.
“How are you doing?” Nori asked in a rough whisper. The man appeared as though he’d aged a decade in the last several hours.
“I’m better,” Caelan replied. His body still ached as if he’d been kicked in the chest and his head throbbed, but it had eased to a dull pain.
“And Souta? How’s he doing? Would you like me to call in our healer?”
“Drayce,” Caelan corrected coldly. “His name is Drayce. Unless he says otherwise, there is no more Souta. Not after—” Caelan’s voice broke. He couldn’t continue, but the memories were still there in sickening clarity flashing through his mind.
Nori dropped his hand to his side and sighed softly. He crossed to the bed Caelan had left with the twisted blankets and sat heavily on the edge. “I understand if you hate dragons, if you can’t stand to be around us after what was done to your friend.”
Caelan’s shoulders slumped, regret filling his chest. His grandfather had already done so much for them, risked his life and his clan. “I’m sorry for snapping. This wasn’t your fault, and I don’t hate dragons. I hate what was done. There are things about your culture that I hate, but I don’t hate you or Haru or my father.” Caelan lifted Drayce’s hand to his lips and closed his eyes, trying to gather his strength to continue. “Drayce…Drayce isn’t just my friend. He’s mine. He’s my lover, my heart, my everything.” He opened his eyes to stare unflinchingly at his grandfather. “I know you’ve accepted me despite being a half-breed because I’m blood, but you have to accept Drayce as well. There is no Caelan without Drayce. Not anymore.”
Nori reached across, and the tips of his fingers grazed Caelan’s shirt. “How could I not when he loves you so much? He sacrificed everything to keep you safe and to remain at your side. Most dragons are never given a choice between death and becoming a Phantom, but all the ones I’ve ever known would have chosen death. Your Drayce is the bravest dragon I have ever known. You are both Omari as far as I’m concerned.”