Nothing in all the world sounded better.
He nodded. “Let’s go home.”
So, shortly before sunset, after the dragons had rested and filled their stomachs, they were in the air. Caelan rode Drayce, settled comfortably between wings of fire. Adrian rode Haru with surprising ease. And Rayne was held tightly in Eno’s arms while on Mika’s back. The rest of the dragons agreed to remain behind with the troops to offer protection against the beasts of the Ordas, escorting all the troops to Erya land.
When the glittering skyline of Stormbreak Point became visible for the first time, the sky was a deep velvety black. Thousands of lights sparkled and flashed, welcoming them home at last. Rayne’s fingers dug deeper into Eno’s arms and he sucked in a harsh breath. When they’d left Ilon for the Ordas, he’d made his peace with this life. He’d been content to die fighting for his country, his people, his king, and his family. He’d made peace with never seeing home again.
But here he was. Home.
So much was different now, and it would have to be faced head on. Thia knew of the dragons. There was no tucking that secret away. And he had no doubt in his mind that Caelan fully planned to let the world know he was marrying a dragon.
The godstones were no more, and five gods now ran free. Possibly even more. Rayne suspected a few others might have gone into hiding, fearful of facing the mad Goddess of the Hunt and losing their lives.
The world he’d known would never be the same from this day forward, but he welcomed every challenge before him with a new thrill of excitement and a breath of hope in his heart.
“You know he’s going to make you king one day,” Eno teased, his lips brushing against the shell of his ear.
Rayne smiled and leaned into his lover. Everything felt a little more possible because of this man’s love. “Just so long as you make me yours first,” Rayne replied.
Eno’s right arm tightened across his chest. “I never would have survived this without you, and I’m not talking about all the times you healed me with magic. When things were bleak, when we were trapped or lost, all the times Cael was struggling with who he was becoming, you were always right there, saving us.”
“And I never would have been able to do any of that without you believing in me every step of the way.”
“I will never stop.”
“We will never stop,” Rayne corrected on a laugh. “Whether we serve the king or a god or if we are merely husbands, we will never stop believing in us.”
Epilogue
CAELAN TALOS
Six Months Later…
The pain was exquisite.
Caelan closed his eyes and let the sensations wash through him. There was nothing better in all the world.
“How about this?” Drayce growled. His lover dug his fingers into Caelan’s hips and lifted him a touch higher as he slammed into him.
Stars exploded behind Caelan’s eyes, and he forgot how to breathe. Fuck breathing. He was content to never breathe again as long as Drayce promised to never stop moving. His toes curled and he tried to thrust upward, but Drayce had stolen away his ability to move. All he could do was tightly grip the bedsheets in his fists and hand himself over to his lover.
“You’re so amazing,” Drayce panted above him.
Caelan blinked against the early morning sunlight peeking through the curtains and gilding Drayce’s messy golden hair. His pale skin shone like flawless alabaster with a slight sheen of sweat while his eyes were glittering emerald gems. No one had ever looked so perfect to him.
“I love—”
Pounding on the bedroom door stopped his words and left Caelan growling. This was not the first intrusion of the morning. That one had woken him more than thirty minutes ago from a deep, dreamless slumber to find his body tightly wrapped in the arms of his lover while Rayne said something through the door about the queen of Caspagir.
Caelan might have promised to get out of bed, but then Drayce had woken and they’d found a new reason to linger where they were.
“If you pound on that door one more time, I’m breaking your arm!” Caelan shouted.
“Queen Noemi needs to meet with you. It’s urgent,” Rayne replied tersely.
“You said—fuck,” Caelan groaned as Drayce thrust even harder, making Caelan’s eyes roll back into his head. What had he been saying? Oh, that’s right. “You said no meetings today. Go get ready for your wedding!”
“It is quite urgent, Cael!”
Caelan clenched his teeth and gazed up at Drayce, who threw him a questioning look. “Don’t you dare stop,” he threatened.
A wicked grin spread across Drayce’s lips. “Almost there. I’ll have him showered and in his office in thirty minutes!” Drayce called to Rayne.
Caelan thought he heard his advisor mutter something, but his attention was on Drayce. “Almost there? You sure about that?”