City of Blood (Godstone Saga 6)

There was the dull scrabble of more feet and then hands gently touching his shoulders and arms. Without tearing his gaze from his friend, Caelan could feel Rayne, Eno, and Adrian closing in around him as if trying to form a protective cocoon.

“Look at that,” Nyx teased. “Still a newborn god, and he’s already got worshipers.”

“I told you he’d do fine,” Caris crowed. There was a soft snap of her fan being flicked open. “It won’t be long before his first temple is constructed in Brightspire.”

Nyx snorted. “But what is he the god of? Temper tantrums?”

Caelan clenched his teeth and grabbed Drayce’s arm, preparing to push the dragon behind him as he launched his body at the Dead God.

All the hands holding him tightened, and Rayne dropped his head so that his lips were near his other ear.

“Caelan, enough,” Rayne ordered sharply. “There’s nothing to be gained by fighting with a bully. That’s all he is. You’re the King of Erya.”

“Am I?” His voice wobbled and he relaxed, no longer attempting to climb to his feet. “I don’t know who or what I am anymore.”

Drayce placed a warm hand against Caelan’s cheek and turned his face so that he had to stare into Drayce’s eyes. “You are and always will be Caelan Talos. You are my Cael. Nothing any god does will ever change that. Okay?”

Something inside of his chest finally snapped into place, and the howling void closed. He didn’t know how Drayce had done it, but he suddenly felt whole. As if the dragon had located his soul and attached it to his body again. “Okay,” he whispered, offering up his own tiny smile.

“And you’re also my fiancé. Just because you died and came back a god, that doesn’t get you out of marrying me.”

The smile morphed into a lopsided grin. Caelan had a lot of questions about whether he could even still be King of Erya, let alone marry anyone, now that he was supposedly a god, but the only thing he wanted was to see Drayce truly happy, to no longer see fear in his eyes. “I die and your first worry is whether I’m trying to get out of our marriage?”

“Do you have any idea how hard it is to land a sexy king in this world? It’s not like you’re growing on trees.”

Eno huffed out a shaky laugh, and Caelan swore he heard both Rayne and Adrian moan as if they were in pain.

“I think I’m going to be sick,” Nyx muttered.

“Hush,” Caris ordered with a giggle. “They’re cute.”

Rayne’s hand left Caelan’s shoulder, and Caelan looked up to see his advisor stand. He bowed deeply to the gods. “Please forgive me, but I humbly request that you stop needling Caelan. There is nothing to be gained by this, and I believe we have bigger concerns in regard to the God of Wisdom and the Goddess of the Hunt.”

Nyx’s eyes narrowed on Rayne, and the muscles in his jaw twitched as if he were grinding his teeth together.

“Try anything, and I swear I will spend all of my remaining existence trying to destroy you. There will be nothing left of me for Zyros and Lore,” Caelan snarled, his muscles tense. He was ready to throw his body between Rayne and the Dead God.

“He’s right, Nyx.” A new voice wove through the cave, bringing with it the soft scent of petrichor and flowers. It should have been warm and reassuring—but then, Tula always sent a chill down his spine.

Caelan glanced up to find the Goddess of Life standing a short distance away near the stream, her long body wrapped in green robes. Just behind her shoulder was the squat, round figure of Kaes, a pleased grin on his wrinkled face.

“Cael,” Drayce whispered loudly. “Are they really here? I mean, since the Light Stone is broken, they’re all free, right?”

Part of Caelan wanted to snicker. Why was Drayce whispering? Did he actually think the gods couldn’t hear him?

And part of him was threatening to break into hysterical giggles. The godstones were broken. Not only the Light Stone. Tula had been clear that they were all needed to keep Zyros locked in her prison. When Lore broke out of his crystal, the restraining spell shattered, and all six gods were now free to roam Thia. No more existing as shadowy fragments in his mind.

“Yeah, they’re here,” Caelan mumbled as he shoved to his feet. Four on one were shitty odds, but Caelan would give everything he had to protect his family from this insane quartet.

“Easy there, kid,” Kaes soothed. “We didn’t come here to pick a fight with you.”

Caelan extended his right hand to his side, calling his sword to him, while moving Drayce a step behind him with his left. “Sorry if I’m a tad distrustful. I’m getting the uncomfortable impression that this was all planned from the start. You know, the bonding, making me into a god and killing me thing. It makes me wonder what other things you’ve got planned that could potentially hurt my family.”