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Pain ran like tiny tremors through his bones, but Caelan held his ground. He gathered the ball of energy that sparked and snapped in his chest and blasted it at Nyx. The Dead God flew through the air yet again, crashing into the wall. Those dark eyes sparked and his smile returned along with a low, creepy laugh.
“Enough!” Caelan shouted. “My time is not out. I’m still here and I will do your dirty work, but you will stay away from my family. You’ll not touch their time.”
Nyx waved one hand through the air and extravagantly bowed to him. “As you wish, Your Majesty. But don’t forget: Tick. Tock.”
Caelan balled his hand into a fist, his arm still stinging from the impact of the staff. “I know. If I am left with no other choice, I’ll use the dragon time that I stole, but not yet. There has to be another way.”
“Oh, there is.” Nyx chuckled low as he walked toward Caelan. “But you’re not ready yet.” The Dead God glanced up, eyes narrowed and the evil smirk in place. He rushed Caelan, but he was ready. He opened his right hand again and his sword broke free of the marble to streak through the air. The second the hilt touched his palm he was lifting the sword, the edge of the blade stopping just as it touched Nyx’s throat.
“But you’re getting there,” the God of Time purred. “So close. I can’t wait to see you when you’re ready. You’re going to be so much better than the last time we tried this.”
Caelan wanted to ask what the fuck he meant by that last statement, but the world was already falling away. Darkness consumed him.
TWENTY-THREE
Rayne Laurent
Rayne’s legs gave out, and he found himself sitting in a chair. He blinked and looked around to find they were all in the living room of the loft. Caelan was stretched out on the couch while Eno, Drayce, and Adrian were spread about the open space. Davi had left the loft shortly after their rooftop meeting to talk with Vitor and Nina about their next plans. He could only guess the man hadn’t returned yet.
As soon as his eyes locked on Caelan, Rayne shoved out of the chair and landed on his knees next to the sofa. He placed one hand on Caelan’s chest and another on his forehead. Tula’s healing gift flowed out of him and into the man, but it was utterly unnecessary.
Caelan’s heartbeat was normal. His breathing was normal. He couldn’t find a single thing wrong with him. The king was merely sleeping very deeply.
“Rayne?” Eno demanded as Rayne lifted his hands from his dearest friend.
“He’s fine.”
“You’re sure? Everything is fine?” Drayce’s questions were fired at him as sharp as knives. Rayne glanced up to find Drayce standing at the end of the couch near Caelan’s feet, his body poised like he was preparing to launch himself at Caelan.
“I’m sure. He’s fine. He’s sleeping.” Rayne paused and rubbed his own eyes, his brain still struggling to comprehend everything. “After what we saw, I have a feeling he needs it.”
“Do you want me to move him to a bedroom?” Eno offered.
“Yes, please. We need to talk, and I’d rather not disturb him.” Rayne pushed to his feet and moved away from the couch so his lover could scoop Caelan’s smaller form up. Drayce began to follow him, but Rayne stopped him. “Drayce…stay, please. We need to talk.”
Drayce glared at him, everything in his expression showing so very clearly how much he hated this idea. Rayne understood his need to go with Caelan and watch over him, but if Drayce accompanied Eno, there would be no getting Drayce out of the bedroom until Caelan was awake again.
“If you’re about to give me shit about our engagement, you can just cram it. I don’t want to hear it,” Drayce growled.
“We have a lot to talk about, and that is only one of the items on the list.”
When Drayce continued to glare at him, Rayne huffed. He took three quick steps to close the distance between them and yanked Drayce into a fierce hug, squeezing a surprised yelp out of him.
“The fact that you think I wouldn’t be absolutely thrilled for you and Cael is insulting,” Rayne grumbled in Drayce’s ear. “I want you both to be happy.”
Drayce gripped him tightly, fingers digging into his back. “Thanks. I thought you’d want Cael to marry someone, you know, who wasn’t likely to start a war because of something he said.”
A heavy sigh tumbled from deep in Rayne’s chest and he released Drayce, moving his hands up to his shoulders. “You focus on making him happy. I’ll worry about stopping any wars you may inadvertently start.”
Drayce blinked wet eyes at him, his smile bright and crooked. “I like this deal.”
“So, what the god said was true? You’re engaged to the king?” Adrian inquired.
Rayne returned to the chair he’d been sitting in while Drayce accepted a congratulatory hug from Adrian and some friendly ribbing. Yes, maybe he was concerned about Drayce taking on the role of Consort. He’d need a serious crash course in royal politics.
Drayce had to have more than a little experience in politics, though, considering who his father was and what he’d already survived with the dragons. Maybe he only needed a bit of polish.
But what he’d said to Drayce was completely true. The one thing he wanted for Caelan was to be happy. It seemed that the main problem they faced was how long that happiness was going to last. A lifetime was looking to be less and less likely.
