City of Blood (Godstone Saga 6)

But as much as Rayne tried to cling to this second and stretch it into forever, he was already losing his grip. A broken sob of ecstasy so sharp it was edged with pain leaped from his lips, and he came. Eno swallowed everything he had while Rayne repeated his name over and over again.

The moment he finished, Eno released him and pawed at his own pants, freeing his cock. Rayne’s brain kicked on as he watched his lover stroke himself. He shoved upright and batted Eno’s hand aside so he could take him in his mouth.

Above his head, Eno swore a colorful streak before he was also shouting and coming.

Moments later, they were wrapped in each other, breathing heavy and hearts pounding. That…that was unexpected. Less than an hour earlier, he’d been seated on the clinic floor, wondering how he was going to get the energy to even make it to his temporary quarters. Now he was clean, relaxed, and sated within an inch of his life.

“Don’t ever leave me,” Rayne mumbled against Eno’s chest.

Eno huffed out a weak laugh, his chest moving, but there was little sound. “Do I want to know what is going on in that brain of yours?”

“I think I’ve lost the ability to function on my own without you. If you were to leave me, I would probably sit down and just stay there until I finally expired.”

Eno hummed, the sound warm and tender. His lover shifted, but Rayne was too tired to even open his eyes to find out what he was doing. Seconds later, a light blanket was dragged up over him, covering them both.

“Then it’s a good thing I don’t intend to ever let you go,” Eno whispered.

As more blood flowed up to his brain, getting thoughts stirring, Rayne sighed. “Cael. I can’t remember the last time I spoke to Cael today. I need to see him.”

Eno’s lips brushed his forehead in a sweet kiss, while both arms tightened, holding him so damn close. “Cael is fine. It can wait.”

“But—”

“Rayne, you’re exhausted. You’re not any good to him like this. Sleep. Drayce is keeping a close watch on him. You can talk tomorrow.”

He wanted to make a snarky comment about how Drayce didn’t help to settle his worries, but he was already sliding backward into the darkness. The battle against sleep was lost. Eno was right. A few hours would sharpen his mind, and then he could help Caelan figure out how to save the world.

FOURTEEN

Adrian Westergren

He got it now.

All those times Drayce had tried to explain to him that Haru was insane. Adrian totally understood what he was talking about.

And now he was trying to figure out how to strangle this dragon without getting himself killed in the process.

They’d spent four days in Stormbreak together, Adrian nearly constantly arguing with Haru that they could not go out and explore the city. The dragon had little to no interest in meetings with General Morgan or Queen Noemi of Caspagir. Prince Shey Thrudesh-Vo was already speeding toward the Erya capital with some of his army and supplies. Adrian had no idea if he’d heard yet that an emissary from the Isle of Stone had arrived.

Haru wanted to explore, and Adrian did understand his restlessness. When they’d arrived on the Isle of Stone, he’d wanted to see everything he could. Being assigned to accompany Mio a few times had been a dream. He’d been able to study the Valley while she ran errands.

But Adrian was their only tie to the king, and they could not risk his life under any circumstances. He was under near-constant guard even within the Towers. Haru just didn’t get it.

No, that was wrong.

He understood that Adrian needed to be protected. He couldn’t understand why Soto and Morgan thought Haru couldn’t keep him safe.

As if being mentally frustrated wasn’t enough, Adrian was growing physically frustrated as well.

Haru refused to sleep in his own quarters. General Morgan had been thoughtful enough to offer Haru an apartment within the same Tower as himself and the king. Naturally, there had been questions about Haru’s claim that he was the king’s cousin. Haru had brushed them off and said it wasn’t his place to talk about private family matters. Adrian wasn’t proud of his own dodge—claiming that the king had asked him not to speak on it—but confirmed that Haru was in fact related to Caelan Talos. The rest had to be left to the king to deal with.

As a member of the royal family, Haru belonged in the same tower as Caelan. He deserved exquisite chambers and his own servants. He was given suits and casual clothes that fit him perfectly.

But the damn dragon made just one demand—to sleep in the same rooms as Adrian.

Thankfully, he didn’t push the issue more than that. Adrian had offered to give Haru his bed while he slept on the couch, but he refused, claiming that the couch was more than comfortable enough for him.