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Caelan hated that he was grateful for it. If the citizens were off the streets, they were less likely to run into Safa. They were less likely to be slaughtered for no reason other than her own amusement.
He didn’t want to see the people of Ilon hurt like the citizens of Stormbreak Point had been. During his last brief visit home, he’d toured the areas that had been damaged in the fighting. In the past five months, all the rubble had been removed and those buildings that could be repaired were nearing completion. Unfortunately, there were too many that had to be completely demolished.
Like the center tower of the Royal Towers.
The massive vines he created still enveloped the Life Stone, blocking it from the view of all. The idea that no one could visit the Godstone and the goddess would have saddened his mother—but then, he never felt far from Tula. She was always right there in his mind.
I was always with your mother as well, Tula whispered.
Like this?
Not quite. We’re closer.
Caelan paused, a frown forming on his lips. Is our bond different?
Yes. It runs deeper. I’ve given more of myself to you in order to stop Zyros. There was a pause and when she spoke again, her voice was softer, more distant, as if she were walking away from him. We all have.
There was no chance to follow up on that comment. A loud screech tore through the night and Caelan turned to the door that led up to the building rooftop. After everything they’d been through recently, Eno and Vitor had decided it was best if they moved safe houses. They were now occupying a two-bedroom loft in a renovated warehouse in the Bazaar District.
While the furnishings were minimal and they were somewhat crowded into the space, Caelan couldn’t complain about the access to the roof. The building was tall enough to offer a fantastic view of the city. Rising up to the west in gold light was University Hill with its collection of libraries, museums, and of course, universities dedicated to a wide variety of studies. To the south, he could catch glimpses of the coolly dignified buildings of Parliament Plaza where Safa and the New Rosanthe soldiers had taken up residence.
Brightspire had a nice skyline, but it was not his own. He missed the twinkling skyline of Stormbreak. He missed it even more from the Royal Towers. The Armory was too close to the bay and wasn’t nearly as tall, offering a poor view.
Maybe Rayne was right. It was time to let go of all old wounds and return home.
Drayce was first through the door, and something tight in Caelan’s chest unclenched. Eno had texted from the road that they’d acquired Drayce and they were all unharmed, but something in him wouldn’t let go of the fear until he could see Drayce’s smiling face.
Not going to rescue his lover had been one of the hardest decisions he’d ever had to make, but he knew it was also one of his smartest. He couldn’t risk putting himself in the hands of New Rosanthe. He had to trust and believe in the skills of his people. And he’d needed to complete his meeting with the prime minister.
Drayce’s eyes scanned the rooftop for only a second before they located Caelan standing next to Rayne. His beautiful face, lit by a bare lamp hanging above the door, split into the most wonderful grin and he started toward him. Brisk steps gradually turned into a jog, closing the distance between them faster and faster until at last, those arms were wrapped around him again.
“Idiot,” Caelan whispered in a choked voice, his face pressed into Drayce’s warm, sweaty neck.
“I missed you too.” Drayce laughed, but the sound came out wobbly and choked.
Caelan closed his eyes and drew in a deep breath. He released it on a chuckle as he was wrapped in the heavy but familiar scent of burning wood, as if Drayce were a walking campfire.
“You shifted, didn’t you?”
Drayce pulled away enough so that he could look Caelan in the eye. “Eno said toaster!”
Caelan smiled and nodded. “I told him to.”
“See! So, I was allowed to shift. Besides, anyone who saw me like that is dead now. Nothing to worry about.”
“Except for the fact that he demolished the shrine to the God of Broken Toys,” Eno called out as he approached with Davi and Adrian.
Drayce snorted. “More like the God of Broken Shrines now.”
“Demolished?” Caelan gasped. He should have known that this wasn’t going to be some neat and tidy mission, but he’d not expected an entire temple to be destroyed.
His lover winced, fingers tightening on his arms. “It was a tiny place. Barely enough room for me to move around. No room to fight in. And then the fire kind of got out of control. And my tail got caught!” He motioned behind him as if he still had the injured tail in question.
Like an idiot, Caelan found himself looking where Drayce mentioned. “Is your tail still hurt? Is any of you hurt?” Even before Drayce could answer his questions, he started running his hands down Drayce’s chest and across his stomach.
A giggle bounced from Drayce’s lips, and he caught Caelan’s hands. “Nope. I’m fine. I swear. No harm done.”
Caelan lowered his hands to his sides and turned away from Drayce to face his other companions. “Is anyone hurt?”
