“That’s because my ideas are the most logical and reasonable.”
With a chuckle, Eno stood and moved to the top of the bed, where he helped to lift Rayne’s wet shirt over his head. The wet jeans were another matter. They were sticking to his legs and fighting every attempt to remove them without causing more pain to his knee. In the end, Rayne had to stand up and lean heavily on Eno while the bodyguard dragged them off.
Only when he was completely naked and his wet clothes in a pile on the floor was Rayne allowed back into the bed. Eno pulled the covers up around him while leaving his right leg exposed. While there was no visible injury, his knee was swollen. Not a good sign at all. Caelan had to be able to fix this. How was he going to continue with them and not slow them down? He’d have to remain behind or risk Caelan’s life, and that was just not acceptable.
“Everything else on you looks okay. Do you swear to me that you have no other injuries?” Eno asked.
“I promise,” Rayne agreed easily. Eno only scowled at him. Leaning up from his mound of pillows, Rayne caught Eno’s hand in both of his and squeezed as he met his dark gaze. “I swear to you, the only injury I have is my knee. It hurts like hell and I am praying to Tula that Caelan can at least ease some of the pain.”
Eno dropped down on the edge of the bed and squeezed his fingers. “He will. He fixed far worse on me. He’ll have you up and running with us in no time, I know it.”
There was a knock on the door and Rayne hated himself for jerking his hand free of Eno’s. Everything in him screamed to hold on to him and never let go. At least, Eno held on to his smile and tossed him a reassuring look.
“Come in!” Eno called.
The door opened and Zeph entered with a basket on her hip filled with what appeared to be Caelan’s clothes. His prince followed wearing…wow, bright-pink sweat pants and a slightly snug T-shirt with the logo for his sister’s private school. Well, Zeph, Caelan, and Drayce were all about the same height, though his sister had significantly less mass than them. Drayce followed a second later wrapped in a sunny yellow robe. Yellow was not Drayce’s color. But he was still smiling as he added his clothes to the basket.
“Sorry, big buy, but there is nothing in this house that would fit you,” Zeph announced. She stopped and cocked her head to the side. “Well, I guess you could wrap up in a bedsheet like a toga.”
“His name is Eno Bevyn,” Rayne snapped. “He is the prince’s personal bodyguard.”
“Oh…so you’re Eno.” She scrunched up her nose as she surveyed him. “I thought you’d be taller…and grumpier.”
Eno’s head snapped around to pin Rayne, who could only groan and drop his head into the pillows. “You talked about me?”
“Only to say that you liked to drive me insane at every turn,” Rayne moaned. “Thank you, Zeph, for teaching me to regret telling you anything ever.”
His sister set the basket down and crossed the room to sit on the edge of the bed, bumping their shoulders together. She grabbed his hand and threaded their fingers together, and Rayne was instantly reminded of all the times she’d crawled into his bed whenever he was briefly home from school. She would demand stories of all the places he’d been and the people he’d met, but he’d never let one word slip about Shey.
Eno slipped out of the room, likely to get out of his own wet clothes, while Caelan sat on the mattress near his knee. Drayce paced to the window and peeked out between the curtains, likely checking to make sure no one was watching the house.
“I’m sorry I wasn’t there for your graduation,” Rayne apologized softly.
Zeph laughed lightly. “It’s no big deal. I didn’t want to be there. You know how they are. Everything has to be a spectacle.” She laid her head against his Rayne’s and sighed. “Why couldn’t the Empire have started this mess after I left for school in Caspagir?”
“Zeph!” Rayne snapped.
“Shit!” She straightened, her cheeks turning bright red. “Your Majesty, I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean—”
Caelan’s chuckle cut off her words. He didn’t look up from where he was gently pressing his fingers into Rayne’s knee. Pain radiated out, but he clenched his teeth to hold in a cry of pain.
“It’s okay,” Caelan replied easily. “I completely understand the need to get out of the house and away from an overbearing parent.” His prince drew in a deep breath. As he released it, warm energy rippled through his knee, brushing off pain like grains of sand. Each warm pulse left him feeling more relaxed. “I don’t think your knee is that bad. This shouldn’t take more than a couple of minutes.”