Drayce sighed into the silence. “We should probably head back to the Omari compound. Nori has a big farewell dinner planned and you can’t be late.”
“Just a few more minutes,” Caelan said a little too quickly.
His lover cackled. “You’re afraid he’s going to convince you to stay another day, aren’t you?”
Okay, maybe he was a little afraid of that. They’d already extended their stay twice under the very weak excuse of helping Nori get Clan Takahashi resettled as a much smaller clan within the dragon world while the Omari officially claimed power over the island. Rayne had also spearheaded some early talks about opening relations between Erya and the dragons.
Drayce was keeping his distance from the Takahashi, not that Caelan blamed him. Haru had told him what they’d found. Drayce had suffered too much, lost too much during his time as a Takahashi. It would be years before Drayce could face his sister again. For now, his best friend was content to immerse himself in his new clan and spend hours wrapped around Caelan.
And when all those excuses to keep them here were eliminated, Nori would clutch his hip or back, groaning slightly. The old dragon had recovered completely from his injury, thanks to Tula’s healing gift. Nori was a sneaky man, but Caelan couldn’t fault him. He was in no hurry to leave either, but it was time.
Forcing a smile that he didn’t entirely feel, Caelan looked over at his lover and lifted his eyebrows. “How old are you?”
Drayce laughed, but it sounded a little nervous. “What? What are you talking about? You know how old I am. We’re the same age. Twenty-three.”
Placing his hand in the center of Drayce’s chest, he gave him a hard shove, pushing him onto his back in the sand. “Funny. You’re a dragon and I know you live way longer than humans. A twenty-three-year-old is a baby in dragon terms.” He kept his hand on Drayce’s chest, holding him to the sand while he hovered over him. “How old are you, really?”
“Come on! You’re being silly.”
“No, I’m not. I want to know.”
“What’s it matter? I’m twenty-three in human years. That’s what’s important.”
Caelan glared at him for a second and bent lower. Just before his lips touched Drayce’s, he stopped. “Seriously, how old are you?”
Drayce groaned loudly and wrapped Caelan in his arms, rolling with him. A bark of surprised laughter escaped Caelan and some of his earlier worries slipped away. They stopped rolling when Drayce had flipped their positions and Caelan was now staring up at him.
“Do you swear you won’t make a big deal out of it?” Drayce growled.
“I promise.”
“And you won’t tell anyone else? Not even Eno or Rayne.”
Caelan squeezed a hand between them and drew an X over his heart. “Promise,” he managed to say without giggling.
Drayce leaned close, putting his lips right next to Caelan’s ear. “One hundred and sixty-three,” he whispered.
“Holy fuck!” Caelan gasped.
His oldest best friend lifted and glared at him in warning. “But I really am twenty-three in human years.”
“That’s just crazy.” Caelan shook his head, trying to let the number soak into his brain. Drayce had already lived well over a century before he arrived in Erya. “Wait! How old is Haru?”
Drayce immediately shrugged. “No clue.”
Caelan groaned at him. “Do you think he’s older or younger than you?”
Stretching out in the sand next to him on his side, Drayce sighed and draped an arm across Caelan’s waist. “Oh, definitely older.”
“Like how old? In human years? As old as Rayne and Eno?”
“Older than Rayne and Eno easily.”
Caelan lifted his head and looked at Drayce. “Seriously? He doesn’t seem like it.”
Drayce lifted his head too and bumped his nose against Caelan’s. “That’s because Omari Haru is fucking crazy. Do not let him come to Stormbreak. I’m serious. He’s a lunatic.”
Laughing, Caelan dropped his head down on the arm Drayce had extended out so Caelan could use it as a pillow. “I don’t get the impression that Haru listens to anyone if he can help it.”
“Probably not, but Thia is safer if he stays on the Isle of Stone.”