But something else was happening that had Caelan pausing. As he pushed more energy into Drayce, the more connected they became. It was like he was becoming more aware of his presence, his very essence. While he could feel his friend in front of him, their legs brushing lightly against each other, his arm on Drayce’s slender stomach, his brain was arguing that his friend was actually much larger. He couldn’t really describe it.
His eyes were closed, and it was as though some part of his brain was arguing that Drayce was enormous, bigger than the entire room. Was this Drayce’s soul? Or some deeper hidden potential to his friend that he didn’t know about?
“Cael?”
He didn’t know if Drayce had felt him stiffen or if something had happened with the magic, but Caelan shoved the strange and confusing impression away. This was Drayce. He knew his friend completely.
“Yeah. Sorry. You okay?”
“Mmhm, all good.”
Caelan focused on the energy again, sending it to curl around Drayce’s stomach, allowing it to sink in.
Drayce moaned. “Oh gods, yes.”
Caelan tried like hell not to react to that almost erotic cry of relief and pleasure. So maybe he’d harbored a few dirty fantasies about his friend, and that sound was even better than what he’d heard in his mind. He’d never imagined that he’d hear it while using his powers to heal Drayce.
“Better?” Caelan asked. He prayed Drayce didn’t hear the new huskiness in his voice.
“Oh, yeah. This is wonderful.” He finished with a yawn that brought a smile to Caelan’s lips.
“Get some sleep.”
Drayce’s fingers tightened around his wrist and then relaxed. “You’ll stay? Keep doing this for a little while?”
“I’ll stay here as long as you need me. Rest. I’m not going anywhere.”
Drayce exhaled and Caelan could feel his heart slowing under his fingers as he drifted off into a deep sleep. No, he wasn’t leaving Drayce. If he had to, he’d drain the Goddess of Life of her power to bring his Drayce some peace. Even if all they ever had was friendship, Caelan would do whatever he could to keep Drayce safe.
6
Eno Bevyn
Eno could only shake his head as he quietly shut the door to Drayce’s room. Both Caelan and Drayce were snoring softly, Caelan’s hand pressed against Drayce’s chest. It wasn’t the first time he’d seen them sleeping in the same bed. The two men had been inseparable for years and had fallen asleep together while in the middle of playing video games, the TV still blaring as they snored.
What was interesting was the pale green glow that wrapped around both Caelan and Drayce. The prince was using his power to try to heal Drayce so he could get through this sea voyage. That wasn’t going to be a long-term solution, but if it could buy Drayce some relief for a short period, he’d take it.
He’d give them another couple of hours, and then he’d wake Caelan, checking to make sure that he hadn’t taxed his gift too much. It would do them no good to arrive in port with both Drayce and Caelan out of commission.
But two hours of peace and quiet gave him some interesting ideas.
A smile toying with his lips, Eno stopped off in the galley to make a tray consisting of a sandwich, salad, and a small slice of chocolate cake. Something warm would be best, but he knew Rayne. Even if it was delicious, it would be next to impossible to get him to actually eat it while it was hot.
The man preferred to work himself until he passed out. Simple pleasures like food and sleep were secondary to all his other goals.
His offering in hand, Eno walked down to the cabin that Rayne occupied. It was a rather nice one, though the bed was too small for both of them to share, to his intense displeasure. But there was a comfortable couch and a large desk that occupied the bulk of the room, where Rayne had spent all of his time since they boarded the ship. The excellent Wi-Fi connection had Rayne working through all the notes he had stored away and reaching out to anyone who might provide him with information.
They had no idea what he’d actually find in the end. None of them felt comfortable walking into Stormbreak without some awareness of what the situation looked like first. But was the unknown scarier than the truth?
Eno shook off the thought and carefully entered the cabin after a quick knock with his foot.
Rayne’s head snapped up and his brows furrowed as his eyes locked on the tray of food. The man’s hair was thoroughly disheveled from running his fingers through it, and his face was an unhealthy, sallow color. Rayne did not suffer from seasickness in the least and could do with a little time away from his computer and on the deck.