“Probably for the best, considering how dangerous it is when they join in on our fun,” Rayne murmured. He placed his free hand against Caelan’s forehead and sent in a gentle wave of healing energy. Muscles were tight all throughout his friend and he steadily worked to loosen them, freeing up blood flow and wiping away tension.
“You’re getting good at that,” Caelan murmured. He already sounded more relaxed and less pained.
“Another service I am happy to provide to Your Majesty.”
Caelan made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat and lifted his head out of Rayne’s touch. “You don’t have to keep proving your worth to me. I already know how badly I need you at my side.”
Rayne licked his lips and slowly placed his hand to Caelan’s forehead again. “Maybe I need to prove it to myself after…everything.”
Caelan wrapped his hand around Rayne’s wrist, his warmth seeping through his shirt. “You are more than your brain. Drayce is more than a dragon-shaped shield. And Eno…”
“We’d all be dead without Eno,” Rayne murmured.
Caelan smiled. “True. If we are to save Thia, I can only do it with you, Drayce, and Eno.” He paused and chuckled. “And maybe even Adrian. Sneaky bastard that he is.”
“Did I hear my name being used in vain?” Adrian suddenly asked. Rayne looked up to see the blood-splattered man striding across the courtyard toward them. “Haru and the Omari have finished up the last of the dragons. They’ll be along shortly.”
As Caelan straightened, flashing Rayne a relieved and grateful smile, Eno and Drayce joined their gathering. Caelan directed them to do a quick sweep of the buildings to make sure no more Takahashi guards were hiding in the shadows. The dragons joined in the sweep for a minute while Rayne remained at Caelan’s side.
“The goddess?” he inquired in a low voice.
“Close. Very close,” Caelan answered.
“That’s a relief. I’m taking this as a positive sign after what we experienced on Mount Langbo.”
A low grunt left the king and he nodded. “I’m hoping we don’t have any kind of repeat of Mount Langbo if it can be helped. At the very least, Drayce shouldn’t have any more surprises for us.”
A shudder ran through Rayne as the memory of Drayce throwing off Eno, massive claws sprouting from nothing to rake across Eno’s chest. He didn’t blame Drayce. He’d been mindlessly distraught. They all thought they’d lost Caelan. But the blood had poured out of Eno so fast. His mind had been drowning in pain from Caelan’s death and then he’d been on the cusp of losing his lover. No, Rayne never wanted to repeat that moment for as long as he lived.
The memory was chased away by the sound of multiple feet crunching across the yard. Eno, Haru, and all the others quickly reassembled in the open space. No one else had been found hiding in the buildings. The Hayashi compound was officially theirs.
“This doesn’t feel right,” Haru grumbled, glaring at the body of one of the Takahashi fighters. “There couldn’t have been more than a dozen dragons guarding this place. If it was so important to Takahashi Masaru, wouldn’t he have emptied his clan to defend it?”
Rayne pressed his hand to his stomach against the growing queasiness there. “Unless he knew he couldn’t possibly keep Caelan from getting to the godstone. However, with Caelan and the power of the gods away from Clan Omari, it is a perfect opportunity for the Takahashi to attack the Omari again. The clan leader wouldn’t be expecting it.”
“No!” Haru took a step toward the east, looking as if his wings were going to burst from his back, ready to jump into the air. But he stopped himself, turning tortured eyes to Caelan.
The king balled his hands into fists at his sides, lines digging deep into his face.
“What do you want to do, Your Majesty?” Adrian asked. “We return and support the Omari, or do we stay and get the goddess?”
“I don’t know if I can leave,” Caelan said in a rough voice. “Tula is pulling at me. They’re all shouting. I…I need to bond with Caris.”
“We stay,” Haru announced. “It’s what Clan Leader Omari Nori declared. We stay with you while you complete the missions from the gods.” As he spoke, his shoulders became impossibly rigid, and Rayne’s heart ached for him. There was no doubt Haru longed to return to help defend his family, but he was duty bound to Caelan.
“Go! You and the dragons leave!” Caelan shouted. There was almost a hint of relief in his voice now that he wasn’t trying to fight the will of three gods.
“No!” Haru gave a single, stubborn shake of his head. “We’re supposed to protect you. Besides, how else will you get back?”
“One of you, stay to carry Caelan for the fight. He’ll be able to do the most damage out of the five of us. The rest go return now. Someone can pick us up when it’s safe,” Eno barked out.