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“You’re awake!” Eno exclaimed.
Caelan turned his head and smirked at Drayce. “This seems to be a recurring theme.”
It was so good to have his smartass friend back and grinning at him. “It’s hard to believe, but you were kind of missed.”
“Drayce, get out of the bed. Give him some room,” Eno grumped.
“No, he’s fine,” Caelan said immediately. His hand came out from under the blankets and clamped on Drayce’s wrist with surprising force. Those calloused fingers were warm on his skin, sending a wonderful flush through his body. Oh, he wasn’t moving one inch. Screw Eno.
“I’m calling for the queen’s physician,” Rayne announced. He started for the phone next to Caelan’s bedside, but Caelan waved him off.
“I’m fine, I swear.”
“You’re not fine. You passed out at the Godstone, and we couldn’t wake you.”
Caelan tried to push himself into a sitting position, but ended up flopping back again. He held out his hand toward his advisor. “Rayne, seriously, I feel fine. Great even. Just…sleepy. Like I’ve been sleeping for days, and my brain isn’t completely awake yet.”
“You slept for a full day,” Eno informed him and gave a shrug. “But you seem okay now.”
Rayne relented and moved to stand at the foot of the bed next to Eno. His scowl had eased and he now only looked worried. “Can you tell us what happened? What’s the last thing you remember?”
Caelan sat up and Drayce immediately grabbed another pillow and placed it behind Caelan’s back so he could recline against them. Yeah, he might agree with Caelan that he was fine, but he’d scared them all enough that he was more than happy to coddle his friend for a while longer. The prince’s brow furrowed in thought before unexpectedly lightening into a strange giggle.
“A giant wave hit, and I fell out of the boat.”
Drayce’s heart lurched in his chest, and he very nearly pulled Caelan into his arms to keep him safe. As it was, he had to tighten his hands into fists to keep from reaching for his friend. “What?”
“I spoke to Kaes, God of Storms. He appeared as an old man in a worn fishing hat. We spoke out in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. We were fishing.”
“Only you would go fishing with the God of Storms.” Eno chuckled.
Rayne looked like he was going to pass out. He took a couple of stumbling steps over to the chair Drayce had been sitting in and dropped into it as if his legs could no longer hold him. “You could have drowned.”
“I think that was the point,” Caelan replied.
His advisor shuddered. “You’re not helping.” Drayce had to agree. He was still happy to have a few stern words with the old god about putting his friend’s life in danger.
“Did he give you his powers?” Drayce prodded. He certainly hoped so. That had been the entire point of this meeting. He hated to think that Caelan had nearly died and didn’t come out with the prize in the end.
“I…I don’t know.” He stared down at his empty hands in his lap, frowning. “I think so. Now that I’m more awake, I feel…more. Like there’s more of me.”
Drayce pulled away enough that he could skim his eyes across Caelan’s bare chest and arms. When they’d gotten him to the palace, Rayne had shooed them all away as he stripped Caelan out of his wet clothes and into a pair of soft pajama pants.
“You appear the same to me.”
His friend gave him a playful shove while crossing one arm over his chest. “Don’t ogle me. I’m not a piece of meat.”
Drayce could feel the flush burning his cheeks and the tips of his ears. It didn’t help when Eno’s low chuckle filled the room.
“Give the new powers a try,” Eno urged.
“Absolutely not!” Rayne snapped, drawing all their eyes to him. “He received a gift from the God of Storms. I’d rather not have to explain to Queen Noemi why one of the guest chambers—and possibly more—was destroyed by an indoor thunderstorm.”
“Spoilsport,” Drayce said, flopping down on the corner of the pillow Caelan was reclining on. They were sitting close enough that their shoulders and arms kept rubbing. That was just fine with Drayce. He had no interest in being far enough away from Caelan that he couldn’t feel him, couldn’t smell him every time he inhaled.
“He’s probably right. I want to try them out, but inside the castle is probably not the best place.”
“I’ll check with Prince Shey to see if we can borrow a vehicle. We can drive outside the city and find an open place in which to try out your new powers.”
“Shit! Shey!” Caelan had started to relax against the pillows but had bolted upright suddenly, his expression twisting with fear. “Is he all right?”
“Yes, he’s fine. He didn’t lose consciousness like you. He’s the one who found you,” Eno replied.
