“Go ahead, Rayne. Sit on the bed and we’ll hash this out,” Caelan directed as he climbed to his feet. His face was flushed, and his hair was standing up in every direction. He dropped into his chair while Drayce slowly got to his feet. His hair was also a mess and his face was bright red, but there was a grin on his lips as though he’d somehow won that fight. Doubtful, unless his goal had been to get Caelan to attack him.
Now there was an interesting thought.
Rayne shoved it aside and focused on what they’d been discussing. “I understand Eno’s point of view on—”
“No,” Eno snapped. “Bed first.”
Sighing loudly, Rayne walked to the other side of the bed and propped the pillows up against the large wood-carved headboard. He sat down, making sure to keep more than a foot of space between him and Eno. And yet it still felt too intimate. Maybe if he’d been wearing his suit, but no, he was in jeans and a T-shirt. He hadn’t even bothered to put his socks and shoes back on. He was barefoot and in bed with Eno.
And the icing on the cake was that his prince and the prince’s court jester were seated at the foot of the bed, watching them as though they were supposed to put on some titillating performance. This all felt like some kind of cruel nightmare.
But then, Eno’s hand slid across the sheets and wrapped around his wrist. His thumb brushed across the inside, caressing his fluttering pulse, and suddenly everything felt okay. The growing panic started to subside, and he could breathe. Caelan didn’t know about them or likely suspect. Eno was wearing a goofy grin. They probably notched it up to being drunk.
Even if Caelan found out about them, it wasn’t the end of the world. Their secret was to simply protect him from worry.
So naturally, his next step was to say the five words he’d sworn he would never say again.
“I think Drayce is right.”
The young man jumped to his feet and thrust his fists into the air in celebration while Eno pulled his hand away, a look of betrayal on his face. That sliced deeper than Rayne wanted to contemplate. It felt as if his heart were bleeding, but he kept his expression impassive.
“While it is urgent to get Caelan bonded to the Goddess of Life, I think it’s unlikely that the Empire is going to have a viable candidate soon. Particularly since I feel that the Emperor or his new companion are the true first choices for the job. Neither person is here in Stormbreak and couldn’t possibly reach here for a few more weeks at best,” Rayne argued, trying to cling to logic while Eno continued to glare at the far wall.
“So, we work on getting the army behind us to take back Green Gate,” Caelan said. “They’ve still got to have plenty to harvest that will help take some of the pressure of the city’s starving.”
“What about the chancellor? Do you think she’s been in contact with the army?” Drayce asked.
“I think we need to hit them both,” Rayne replied.
Caelan nodded. “We split into two teams. Rayne and I will try to locate the chancellor and any ministers we can find up in Uni Gardens.”
“That leaves me and grumpy to track down Tomas and see what we can do about Green Gate,” Drayce finished, waving a hand at Eno.
“We can set out early tomorrow morning.” Caelan pushed to his feet and Drayce followed, crossing to the door.
Rayne started to slide to the edge of the bed with the intention of getting to his feet, but Eno rolled toward him with surprising speed, wrapping his arms around Rayne’s waist and keeping him pinned to the bed.
“Stay. Be my pillow,” Eno said, his voice muffled as he pressed his face into Rayne’s chest.
Rayne held his arms in the air and looked at Caelan with wide eyes. Was Eno outing them as a couple right there? Had he lost his mind? What the hell was he supposed to do?
Caelan chuckled. “Stay with him. Keep an eye on him and get some rest.”
His heart hammered like a thing gone mad in his chest. Did Caelan really not think anything of Eno hanging on him? “But I was going to make dinner,” Rayne argued, though he wasn’t quite sure why. The words just popped out of his mouth. His brain was still caught up on Eno’s grab for him and Caelan’s nonchalance.
Drayce dropped an arm across Caelan’s shoulders. “We can handle it.”
Rayne narrowed his gaze on the two men, or specifically, Drayce hanging on Caelan. Maybe the king didn’t think anything of it because this was normal for him. Which left him with a new dilemma. “You two? Cook?”
Caelan smirked at Rayne. “It’s rice. I think we can figure out how to boil water.”