Rayne nodded. “I’ll come up with a way to buy us a little more breathing room and a potential way up Mount Langbo.”
Drayce shattered the heavy silence first by clapping his hands together and shoving out of his chair. “Welp, if all of that political nonsense is settled, I’m gonna take a shower.” He tossed the cloak back to Caelan, who caught it in one tight fist. “I’m sweaty and disgusting from that run through the city.”
“Let me help you,” Caelan offered in a low, hard voice.
His best friend’s expression briefly lit up and Caelan could practically see the snarky comment balanced on the tip of his tongue, but Drayce swallowed it and his smile wilted when he took in Caelan’s clenched jaw and dark look.
Yes, it was time to have a few words about exactly the kind of insane risks Drayce was taking with his life.
NINETEEN
Drayce Ladon
The hotel suite was eerily quiet as Drayce crossed the main living space into the bedroom he’d been sharing with Caelan since they’d arrived in Temit. No one spoke, but he could feel eyes on him as well as the heat of Caelan’s glare. The king was following him like an angry wraith.
While part of him liked the idea of having some time alone with Caelan behind a closed door, the more cowardly part wanted to grab Rayne and use the normally logical man as a human shield. Caelan was pretty good at controlling his temper when Rayne was there to frown at him.
“Cael—” He started but didn’t get any further.
The bedroom door was slammed shut behind Caelan and strong fingers wrapped around Drayce’s wrist, jerking him backward and off-balance. His shoulders collided with the wood hard enough to rattle his teeth in his head.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Caelan snarled. Drayce blinked and found Caelan standing no more than an inch away. Those beautiful pale-blue eyes seemed to spark with a deep inner energy that could have been from Tula and Kaes, or it could have simply been Caelan’s rage. Heat radiated from his body, seeping through Drayce’s clothes. The scent of ozone and verdant greenery filled the air about him, masking Caelan’s own personal smell. It was like the gods were permeating every little bit of his friend, threatening to erase him, and Drayce hated it.
Except Caelan’s eyes were the same. There might be something more to them, but the pain and worry were purely Caelan.
“I was thinking that most poisons don’t hurt me. Plus, Rayne was right there. If by some slim chance the poison did make me sick, Rayne would have patched me up.”
Caelan clenched his teeth and shook his head. “That doesn’t make any sense. What do you mean most poisons don’t hurt you?”
Drayce winced as he bit down on his tongue. Never in his life had keeping his secret been so hard. He wanted to open his mouth and allow everything to spill out. He wanted to tell Caelan all the things he’d been hiding for so many years, but he couldn’t. He wasn’t allowed, under the threat of death. Even that couldn’t be shared with his friend.
“It’s the truth,” he choked out, trying so hard to maintain his carefree, nonchalant tone.
“Drayce,” Caelan growled.
“I’m not lying. I’m fine. Everything is fine. I knew what I was doing. I’m not hurt.”
Caelan stepped back, releasing Drayce’s wrist only to grab at his shirt and jerk it up. Drayce gulped softly, freezing as Caelan’s hand slid across his waist. The familiar warmth of the healing power from the Goddess of Life started to push through his skin and curl in his stomach, but it was the feel of Caelan touching his bare skin that stopped all brain function and sent the blood rushing to his groin.
Since reaching Zastrad, they’d barely had any time to themselves. Just a few brief, stolen kisses and shared looks across the campfire. At night, they shared a yurt with three other people, leaving Drayce free to snuggle close to Caelan for not only warmth but to keep his king safe as they slept.
In Temit, they managed to get their own bedroom, but that first night, they’d been happy to simply drop into a soft mattress after finally getting clean. It was hard to feel romantic when everything ached from being stuck in the saddle for days on end.
But at long last, they were alone and Caelan was touching him. Maybe it wasn’t for romantic reasons. It didn’t matter. He needed more of this, and Caelan needed to stop worrying that he was going to suddenly keel over dead from poison. The deed was done. Drayce had known what he was doing the entire time, even if it might not have seemed like it.
Wrapping one arm around Caelan’s waist, Drayce pulled him in tight enough that their hips bumped. At the same time, he covered Caelan’s hand with his own and slid it up his chest. Caelan gasped and Drayce released a gasp as well when a couple of rough fingertips brushed across a nipple.