As Rayne turned away, Eno caught his hand, holding him in place. “I can handle the list. What about your throwing knives and daggers?”
Rayne’s expression softened, a beautiful smile spreading across his lips as though Eno had whispered some tender endearment. No, Eno had simply thought about his man’s safety. “My throwing knives need to be completely replaced. I lost them all in Mrtyu. A new dagger to replace a lost one would also be nice.”
“Do you want to pick something out?”
The advisor shook his head, still smiling. “I trust you to know my tastes.”
And yes, maybe that made Eno’s heart flip over in his chest. It was ridiculous, but he loved having Rayne’s complete trust. He did know the exact weight and balance Rayne preferred in his throwing knives. He also might have selected a new dagger for Rayne to replace one that had been lost on the road.
“And your bo staff and spear point?” Eno inquired, tamping down the little hearts that were attempting to float around his head.
Rayne reached under his jacket and pulled out the contracted staff. With a flick of a button, it expanded in heartbeat with silver spearpoint shooting from the top. He carefully handed it over to Eno. “I’ve thoroughly cleaned it, but I’ve had trouble getting the blade to the appropriate sharpness. Do you think it’s too late to get it improved?”
Eno brought the spearpoint close and rubbed his thumb along the edge. It was sharp, but not as sharp as it could be. “I’ll see to it personally.” His man would be as protected as he could be. If Eno couldn’t be the one wielding the sword that kept him safe, Rayne would have ample weapons to protect himself and his king.
To his shock, Rayne didn’t argue. He smiled at Eno and thanked him. He then turned to Adrian, his voice gentler than it had been but still firm. “Think over everything that you’ve learned today. If you are willing to fight with us, to protect the king on his mission to save Thia, we are happy to have you with us.”
Adrian snorted. “There’s nothing to think about. My entire life has been about protecting the crown, the Godstone, and Erya. This mission might be crazy and beyond fighting the Empire, but it doesn’t change the oath I gave when I became a Royal Guard. I’ll be standing outside the king’s door first thing tomorrow morning to escort him to the ship, and then I’ll be the first one off the ship when we reach the Isle of Stone.”
Eno grinned broadly at the man. He’d made a good choice when he’d put Adrian at the top of the list for people to join their party.
The king’s advisor nodded. “Will you be dining with family tonight?”
Adrian was quick to shake his head. “I’ll send a message that I’m being assigned out of Stormbreak for a while. I’d rather my mom not know any more than that.” He paused and winced. “If I show up unexpectedly for dinner, she’s going to guess something’s up and drag the truth out of me.”
Rayne chuckled. “I understand what it’s like to have difficult family.”
Eno might have mentally cringed at Rayne’s mention of his own family. His parents were more than a handful, but he did find Rayne’s younger sister to be completely enchanting. He wished they could have spoken with her longer. Eno suspected she had Rayne wrapped around her finger.
“If you have no plans, we would like it if you could join us for dinner tonight. It will be the king, Eno, and myself in my private apartments in the West Tower. Informal. Seven o’clock.”
Eno arched a brow in question at Rayne when he mentioned that Caelan was going to willingly enter the Towers. Prior to the destruction of the tower that held the Godstone, Caelan had seen the place where his mother had died and refused to return to either of the two remaining towers. He had moved into the Armory when they returned from Zastrad and stayed there.
Rayne gave a single nod. The advisor had apparently worked his magic and convinced the king it was time to face this.
“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude,” Adrian hedged.
“The journey ahead of us is long, and we don’t know what we will face on the Isle of Stone. We need to grow comfortable with each other. Worries about intrusion won’t have a place soon.”
Adrian nodded. “Got it. I’ll see you at seven.”
THREE
Adrian Westergren
Adrian glanced down at the bottle of wine he held in his hands and swallowed a groan. He felt like an idiot. He’d opted for a newer pair of jeans and a collared shirt because it strode the line between casual and dressy. The bottle of wine he’d grabbed before heading over to the Towers because his mother had beat it into his head that a civilized person didn’t show up to someone’s house for a dinner or party without a gift.