Breath of Life (Godstone Saga 2)

A low sigh slipped from Rayne, and he dropped his head against the headboard with a soft thunk. He waved one hand at the pair, sending them off. Caelan politely closed the door, shutting out Drayce’s snickering.

A couple of seconds later, Eno lifted his head, a wicked grin on his lips. His eyes were far too lucid to be—

“You’re not intoxicated!” Rayne gasped.

“Nope.” Eno grinned and pushed himself up with a wince to kiss Rayne, but Rayne moved out of his reach.

“It was an act.”

Eno’s fingers twisted in the front of Rayne’s shirt and pulled him closer. “Of course. How else was I going to get you in the bed with me with those two still in the room?”

“You’re a—” Rayne had something appropriately scathing to say in response to the ruse and worry, but it was all forgotten under the exquisite touch of Eno’s mouth to his own. He relaxed, handing himself over to Eno completely. No matter what, Eno owned him. He had no defense against his touch, his hunger.

With only the tiniest nudge, Rayne was opening his mouth, allowing Eno to kiss him deeper, to taste the hidden parts of his soul where he longed for things he didn’t dare put words to. Rayne kissed him, reveling in the relief that Eno was safe. He needed this moment to cherish this man before it was all falling down around him.

Rayne leaned into him, craving more, but a soft grunt had Rayne jerking away.

“I’m fine,” Eno murmured to stave off any argument. His fist closed over Rayne’s shoulder, trying to pull him close again, but Rayne braced a hand on the headboard, fighting him.

“You’re not. You need to heal. I shouldn’t have—”

“You should be kissing me every chance you get,” Eno argued. Normally, Rayne agreed with him on this point, but not when he was recovering from a bullet wound, even with the help of a goddess.

“Do you plan on dying tomorrow?” Rayne countered tersely.

Eno flinched, his expression clouding over. “Of course not.”

Rayne leaned forward, gently brushed his lips against Eno’s temple, and leaned to whisper in his ear. “Then we can wait.”

“I don’t want to wait anymore. It already feels like I’ve been waiting a lifetime for you.” Eno’s fingers relaxed their hold and started to move along Rayne’s chest to rest lightly over his heart. “Every second feels like a knife carving off slivers of my soul. What if when we’re finally free, there’s nothing left of me?”

A lump grew in Rayne’s throat, and he had to swallow twice to even bring up the words from his heart. He forced a smile on his lips when he really wanted to weep for both of them. “Didn’t you know?”

“What?” Eno asked roughly.

Rayne carefully adjusted his lover so that he was lying back on the pillows in a comfortable position that didn’t put stress on his injury. “That I’m walking behind you, picking up each sliver you drop. I’m holding them safe in my own soul, waiting for our time.”

Eno’s smile seemed more at peace as he settled on the pillows and closed his eyes. Rayne lay on the pillows beside him, his fingers threading through Eno’s hair over and over again in a soothing caress. Some part of his brain was arguing that he should check on Caelan and Drayce to make sure they weren’t in danger of burning down the house, but he brushed it aside for once. He was exactly where he wanted to be right now, and he deserved this small moment.

“Have you spoken to your family yet?” Eno inquired out of the blue. His voice was soft as if he were nearly asleep, but Rayne knew better.

“Not yet.”

Eno’s eyes flashed open and he twisted his head to look up at him. “Why not? I know you’re worried about them.”

“What can I do for them if there is trouble?” He didn’t mean to sound callous, but it was a brutal truth. If anyone in the world understood Rayne’s predicament, it would be his father.

“But—”

“No, Eno, think about it. What can I honestly do that would not take me away from my first duty to Caelan? What can I do for them that I shouldn’t be doing for all the people of Stormbreak?”

Eno scowled straight ahead, and Rayne returned to playing with his dark-brown hair. It was surprisingly soft and fine, but he had so much of it. Rayne was sure he could spend an entire evening doing nothing more than this and be completely happy.

“I know it sounds cold, and I don’t always like myself because I’m able to make these decisions, but by helping Caelan bond with the Godstone and getting rid of the Empire, I’m helping my family. Yes, I worry if I’m going to be too late. I go to sleep at night worrying about my family nearly as often as I fall asleep worrying about all the ways that you or Cael could be killed tomorrow.”