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And then afterward…
Even his brain tried to cringe away from old memories of disasters. The traitorous thing would replay every moment, every stammer and idiotic comment so he could relive his humiliation all over again.
If it weren’t for Drayce’s outgoing nature, Caelan probably wouldn’t have any friends at all.
And sadly enough, he was fine with having only a few close friends. Dating, kissing, finding that someone who smiled at him as if he were the only person in the entire universe was not even in the top fifty of his to-do list. It likely wouldn’t be for quite a while.
For now, he was content to hang out with his friends and to live vicariously through them. His life had enough drama and headache in it without adding in the pressures of dating.
“Oh shit,” Eno’s deep voice rumbled.
Caelan glanced over at his companion to find that he was staring at Drayce. Caelan hadn’t even noticed that his focus had drifted. An angry man had walked up to Drayce and roughly grabbed his shoulder, shoving him away from the blond and her friend while waving his other hand in the air. Drayce’s sweet face instantly crumpled with rage and indignation. Shit, was this the woman’s boyfriend? He hadn’t been there since they’d arrived at the bar.
And, of course, he had to be the same height as the blond and at least fifty pounds of muscle heavier than Drayce. The only man who appeared more built in the place was already sitting next to Caelan.
“You better get him,” Caelan said wearily. While Drayce had a knack for talking to strangers and making new friends, his mouth was also capable of getting him into loads of trouble.
Eno looked at Caelan as if he’d lost his mind. “And leave you here alone?”
Caelan rolled his eyes. He wasn’t helpless or witless. “I won’t move. Go grab him before he gets in too deep.”
“It’s too late for that already,” a sharp, dry voice that had Caelan wincing declared. They both gazed up to find Rayne Laurent standing just behind Eno’s shoulder, a frown pulling at the corners of his mouth as he stared across the bar at Drayce. He turned his attention to them, his jade-green eyes pausing on Eno for only a second; then he focused entirely on Caelan. “I have him. You fetch Drayce and bring him home again. Cael has a meeting.”
Eno didn’t hesitate. He shoved to his feet, muttering a quick “Got it” as he marched across the bar toward Drayce.
There was no point in arguing. While Eno stood out a little bit, Rayne was like a spotlight being pointed at their table. The tall man was in his early thirties, making him a bit old for this particular bar, but it was mostly his impeccable bespoke suit and regal bearing. The only person potentially more recognizable in the bar was Caelan, and at least he’d opted for a T-shirt, jeans, and a ball cap pulled low on his face.
With the appearance of Rayne, it was literally a matter of seconds until people started putting two and two together. His night was shot, and they needed to get out of there. Caelan could grumble and bitch about the ruined evening, but what was the point? It wasn’t the first time they’d sneaked away only to have Rayne fetch them for some unexpected duty or another. This was his life, what he’d been born into, and there was no escaping it. He’d learned at a very young age that his time was not his own.
Giving one last tug to the bill of his hat to pull it lower, Caelan rose and led the way out with Rayne following close behind. Luckily, Eno and Drayce were making enough of a spectacle in the center of the bar that no one noticed his escape.
When they were a distance away from the bar and on a quiet section of the sidewalk, Caelan dared to lift his face and shove his hat back. “I don’t have a meeting. I checked my schedule before leaving, and it was free.”
“The queen would like to have a word with you,” Rayne countered quietly, and Caelan’s stomach sank.
His mother wasn’t requesting a word with him.
No, it was the queen. Which meant this was official state business. Which probably meant there was some problem stirred up by the New Rosanthe Empire that needed to be dealt with as quickly as possible.
Not that he ever spoke with his mother. He had only vague memories of her being this warm, loving person who’d held him tight in her arms and told him fairy tales to lull him to sleep at night.
It was almost as if the woman he remembered as his mother had passed away when he’d been seven or eight, and the person who took her place was cold and reserved. A leader of the people of Erya, a protector of all of Thia. They might look the same, but the queen didn’t give a damn about his wants or needs. It was only about his duty to the kingdom.
