It wasn’t his words but the look of stark terror on Drayce’s face that woke him from the trance of blinding fury. Drayce was scared, and that was wrong. He never wanted to scare his best friend.

As if he were unclenching a fist, Caelan released the power that had carried him into the sky and floated back down to the man who was holding his heart to his own. Before his toes even touched the ground, he was tightly wrapped in Drayce’s arms. His friend’s entire body was shaking, but his arms were insanely strong as they held him.

“That’s not you. That’s not you,” Drayce repeated over and over again, his voice rough and hoarse from shouting. “I’ve got you now. That’s not you.”

Fear rippled through Caelan, and he closed his eyes as he rested his head on Drayce’s shoulder. What had happened? Everything was a confused mess in his head. When he tried to sort it out, images of death and violence flashed up and his mind would run.

What did he become when he set Kaes free?

Caelan hugged Drayce and swallowed hard against the lump that grew in his throat. “Don’t let me go,” he choked out.

“Never. I’ll never let them have you.”

26

Eno Bevyn

Eno trailed Rayne by only two steps. The man’s longer legs and lean mass made him incredibly fast, but Eno was keeping up. Croft was still in their sights. The chancellor was skirting the fighting as much as possible. She’d escaped to the tree line of the park surrounding a section of the Royal Towers and looked as if she were running for the side service entrance that led into Uni Gardens.

Caelan was right; they couldn’t let her escape. They stood in a good position to rid Stormbreak of the Empire today, but Croft would undoubtedly start new trouble the second Caelan left the city. He needed to be focused on the Dead God, not worried about potential strife in Erya.

Croft darted out of the gate amidst the fighting with Rayne closing the distance. An Empire soldier turned toward Rayne as he approached. The advisor snapped his staff out with barely more than a flick of his wrist, slamming the end into the man’s temple. He collapsed instantly, but it was too late for Rayne to react to the other soldier already swinging his sword at his midsection.

Eno dove, knocking Rayne out of the way while bringing his own sword up to block. Metal clanged against metal, sending vibrations up his arm, but Rayne was safe. Eno hit the ground and rolled back to his feet. He cut the soldier down with two slashes and spun to check on his companion.

The grumpy advisor was picking himself up. His expression was unsure, cautious eyes lifting to Eno’s face before darting away again.

“I had it,” Rayne mumbled.

Maybe he really did have it under control. Eno had been unwilling to take that chance.

“I will always protect you. Even if you never say another word to me, I will protect you, Rayne.” He meant it with every fiber of his being. There was a part of him that lived in terror of the day that he might have to choose between protecting Caelan and protecting Rayne. His heart might never recover from it.

Rayne froze, staring at him, lips parted and trembling. He looked as if he had a million things to say, but nothing was coming out. Those beautiful jade eyes behind dirty glasses held him so tight. Only a second or two passed, but it felt like Eno hung there for a decade, happy to wait for even the smallest hint of Rayne’s feelings.

In the end, the king’s advisor choked out a rough, “Croft” before turning away. Yes, they were in the middle of a chase, a mission for the king.

But Rayne had stared at him, still felt something for him other than the fury and hate that had burned in his eyes the previous day.

Rayne wove through the crowd and Eno followed, trying to shove all the tangled emotions threatening to choke him into the pit of his stomach. Croft was trapped by some fighters and had to backtrack, putting her closer to them.

She glanced over her shoulder, revealing a bruised face and smeared makeup. Her green pants suit was torn and splattered with blood. Fear and determination dug lines in her face as she darted down the street. There had to be no doubt in her mind what fate waited for her. Caelan might have saved her life from the Empire, but she had to answer for her attempt to seize power, imprisoning the king, and even ordering the army to stay out of Stormbreak while its people were starving. No, she had an ugly reckoning coming.

She ran, but she was no match for Rayne. The advisor caught her after only a few blocks. The bo staff flashed out again, smacking her on the back of the head. The woman fell hard, and Eno winced as he slowed up. She’d landed on her face. If she didn’t break her nose, she was going to at least have a nasty bruise.

Tags: Jocelynn Drake Godstone Saga Fantasy
Source: readsnovelonline.net