Total pages in book: 121
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 112416 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 562(@200wpm)___ 450(@250wpm)___ 375(@300wpm)
Shey scrubbed a hand across his face and took a breath, getting ahold of his emotions. “He went back, finished his schooling, and ended up becoming the advisor to a young Prince Caelan, the only child of Queen Amara Talos.”
“So he was fast-tracked in a big way.”
Shey grunted. “He and Caelan make an excellent team. I don’t know Caelan all that well, but in our early meetings, he struck me as being impulsive and rash while still being thoughtful and considerate. His advisor reins in some of that impulsiveness, while Caelan keeps Rayne from getting too bogged down in having all the information and overthinking things. Last year, when news hit that Queen Amara and Caelan were killed, I was sure Rayne had died too. He was never apart from the prince. I was devastated. It made me face all these feelings I’d packed away because I’d told myself they were impossible. Yet, the next thing I knew, I was meeting with Rayne. Caelan, Rayne, and two bodyguards had left Stormbreak prior to the attack.”
“You thought you had your second chance,” Tyche whispered, the words a gentle caress.
He nodded because his throat had tightened with the memory, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak. The relief he’d felt at seeing Rayne after being sure he’d died had been overwhelming. He could still remember the feel of Rayne in his arms that first time, and wanting to never release him again.
“As soon as I saw him, I was already rearranging our lives. I thought I could convince him to move to Caspagir. Yes, he had power as the prince’s advisor, but I was willing to make him my husband and consort. He would sit next to me on the dais. I’d share the power with him like no other monarch had before. We’d build a bright future for Caspagir together.”
“But he wasn’t willing to abandon his prince.”
“No, he wasn’t, but it was more than that. He’d moved on. Found someone that he thought he could build a life with. At least, it appeared to be the early stages of trying to figure that out. His heart didn’t love me like it had at one time. I’d missed my chance.”
Shey forced his body to straighten from its slump and drew in a deep, noisy breath. Saying all those words out loud removed some of the old weight from his chest. He felt lighter. There was no point in wallowing in old pain. Rayne had moved on. He needed to do the same.
“Rayne and Caelan’s bodyguard, Eno, fell in love. It was the perfect match. They both worked to serve and protect the king. Rayne is brilliant and wise. Eno is protective and a natural caretaker. Rayne needs someone who can look out for him, because he really is shit at taking care of himself. They got married a couple of months ago. I was supposed to go to the wedding. I should have gone…as his oldest friend…”
“Instead, you decided to throw your life away in Damardor.” Tyche stood up and smacked Shey in the middle of his forehead. “You should have gone to the wedding. It would have helped you to get past all this.”
Shey rubbed the spot Tyche smacked and glared at the man who still towered over him. “If I had attended the wedding, who would have gotten your ass out of that facility?”
Tyche huffed but didn’t retreat. “Minor details. I would have figured it out.”
“Uh-huh.”
“Whatever. You’ve got to learn something from this. I don’t know what. Something. Humans always need to learn something. Also, you need to apologize to your friend for missing his important day. You’ll probably need to apologize with a good gift. Start thinking on that.”
A laugh welled up inside Shey when it shouldn’t have. Talking about Rayne had dredged up a lot of painful emotions he’d been able to forget about while just trying to survive. All the fear Scarella had stirred up while he was trapped must have knocked through his protective walls. It had to be the reason he’d dreamed about Rayne so often.
“Fine. I will. But you asked about Rayne. He’s someone I dated once, but now we’re friends. He’s the advisor and dauphin to the king of Erya. Now, what about you?”
“Me?” Tyche backpedaled as his voice turned to a near screech. He hit the other bed with the back of his legs and tumbled onto his ass. “What about me?”
“You got the dirty details on my one great love. What about you?”
“Me?” he repeated, still squeaking. “Like love? As in dating? Romance?”
Shey chuckled. “Yes. All that. Don’t gods feel love and date? Don’t you have romance?”
Tyche’s eyes were so wide they looked like they were going to roll out of their sockets. He shoved his hands into his hair, messing it up further. “Love and romance? Sure, I guess. Caris and Nyx are rumored to have a great, fiery romance that’s destroyed entire nations. Lore loved Zyros, and that was a mess.”