Chapter 10
Romilly
Romilly wasn’t a fan of sharing his mate.
It didn't matter that it was his own family involved. The simple act of not being able to put eyes and hands on Archer disturbed him.
What if something happened when his mate was away?
Would the other person in the room be able to defend him as Romilly would?
Could they provide the safety and comfort Archer would need?
Doubtful, given that fated mate bonds changed the dynamics between couples.
Still, it was a bit ludicrous to believe his own family members, powerful dragons themselves, couldn't manage to keep an eye out for his little human.
The struggle to allow Archer to explore had led Romilly to becoming somewhat of a stalker of his own mate. Shea had given up any hope of him actually getting work done in the afternoons.
Mornings were typically fine because Archer would stick around and hang out.
But by midday and into early afternoon, Eden, or even Hadrian, would swing by and steal his little mate.
They would take him to Eden's playroom, the magical maze he had created for himself and Hadrian to play in.
It catered to their preferred regression styles.
It was also a wonderful place for Archer, a fact Romilly knew and appreciated.
Even so, when he knew they weren't in the playroom and were just out and about in the castle, Romilly would allow his dragon senses to lead him to his little human.
On this particular day he was standing tucked in an alcove, watching as Eden tried to convince his boy to play a prank on Hadrian.
The joke, while simple enough, would have been startling for Hadrian while he was in his regressed mode.
He didn't do it often and he was nowhere near as young as Eden or Archer.
Romilly needed to keep an eye on the trio since no one was big at the moment. Or so he told himself as an excuse to be near his boy.
As he watched, Archer and Eden giggled, tiptoeing toward where Hadrian was napping, shaving cream in hand along with confetti. Romilly would see to it that the boys would have to clean up their mess later once the humor of it all died down.
That would be punishment enough.
His heart ached at the idea of punishing his mate. He didn't like it one bit. But when being naughty, whether by proxy or on your own choice, one had to learn. His brat of a brother was going to be a challenge for whatever mate or mates came for him.
Fate had a big job ahead of her.
As Romilly watched, the pair eased into position to begin spraying Hadrian. He could tell the objective was to attack, then toss the confetti quickly while ducking out of sight.
Hadrian's lip twitched as Romilly evaluated the situation. Ah, it seemed his brother was in on things or at least awake enough to understand what was going on.
Romilly grinned, straightening as he watched it all unfold. In a matter of seconds, what he pictured came true. Archer squeezed the tube of shaving cream just as Eden lifted his hands and flung confetti.
It was an instant disaster, especially since the sound of the aerosol can gave Hadrian enough warning to bolt upright. Using a touch of his magic, he blew the shaving cream and confetti back at the two Littles, turning their own prank against them.
Archer screamed in shock as Eden groaned, mad that he didn't get to pull one over on his brother.
"Come on, Hadrian! That's not fair!" Eden called out as he stomped his foot.
Archer breathed heavily as if the shock was still tearing through him.
Romilly went to move forward and hold his boy, but the sound outside of the window drew his attention instead. It was the distinct horn that signaled an incoming flyer, and from the distant echo of flapping he knew exactly who it was.
So did Hadrian and Eden.
"Soren," they chimed together, looking toward the window.
Archer, for his part, was confused. He still panted while trying to catch his breath, but his gaze also went to the window. It was big enough to see out of, and if Romilly didn't step in, his boy was going to find out exactly what secret he'd been keeping.
Fear urged Romilly forward.
He snatched up Archer, lifting his boy onto his hip and tucking his head into his shoulder. "It is okay, little one. I have you now." Shame on these two bullies for taking advantage of you,” he tutted.
Both young men whipped their gaze forward. "We did no such thing!" Eden argued.
Hadrian, apparently taking in Romilly's look of urgency, instead said, "We didn't mean it."
Eden glanced between his two brothers, then turned back to the window as the sound of Soren's wings grew louder.
His mouth formed an "O”, and he rushed to stand beside Romilly.
"I'm sorry, Archer. I didn't think this would happen.
Let's go get cleaned up. I will help you get confetti out of your hair if you help me get it out of mine. "
Archer raised his head, then looked around the room at the three men. "Okay, I don't want to do this alone anyway."
Eden giggled, then motioned for Romilly to put his little one down. The second Archer's feet were on the floor, Eden tugged him from the room. He sent one glance back toward Romilly as if to let him know he had it covered.
The second they were gone, Hadrian let out a breath. "That was a close call. I didn't even think when I said Soren's name. I'm sorry, brother."
"It is fine," Romilly said, his voice bone-weary. "My little one will have to know soon, either way. I cannot keep living a lie, especially when the urge to claim him is so strong."
With one last nod to Hadrian, Romilly took off for the landing pad where his brother would be. The space was tucked between parts of the castle, creating a cocoon of safety for whenever a flyer arrived. It had been built during battle times and had withstood the years since.
As soon as he was in the open space, Soren dropped before him, their large dragon form creating an earthquake of movement. Romilly smiled at his sibling.
"Welcome home."
Soren transformed in a blink, their large magenta body shifting back into their lean human form.
Their long dark hair shimmered in the light of the sun.
A helper rushed out with clothing for them.
Soren thanked the person by name, which they were always good at, then got dressed.
From their silence, Romilly took it to mean the time away hadn't gone well.
Once they were fully dressed, they stepped forward and embraced Romilly in a hug. "It is good to see you too. I am glad to be back. I was gone far too long, it seems. From what I hear, things have been exciting here."
Romilly smiled, knowing they meant his mate. "Yes, it has been quite different. I am very happy to see you. Now, should we convene here or in the privacy of my office?"
"Your office," Soren said, "and we should probably get Father."
At that, Romilly's eyes widened, because involving Father meant this was something that went past Romilly's expertise, or perhaps involved long-past commitments his father had made.
Romilly opened the channel in his mind that connected him to his family. "Father, we would like you to meet us in the office. Soren has returned."
"I will be there momentarily," his father replied.
Together, the pair walked quietly through the halls, nodding to others and greeting people as they saw fit, until they reached the office. Inside, Silas was waiting for them.
"Father," Soren said, moving forward and embracing the other man much as they had done Romilly. There was a touch more warmth there, but Romilly took no offense. Soren was most like their dad in demeanor, and the pair were quite close.
"Now tell us what you have, child. I am to believe that my being requested here means there is more to what happened."
Soren stepped back, then moved to one of the empty chairs across from Romilly's desk. Their father filled the other and Romilly moved behind it.
As soon as they were seated, Soren began.
"I bring news back from the Fae. It is nothing bad, I would say, but complicated at least. Our alliance with them is weak.
They have new faction leadership on the horizon.
Conflicts within their ranks have led to diminishing numbers.
A vote is being held to see who will be crowned next as their leader, and at this time it means our alliance is pending renewal.
I am not sure if things will work in our favor afterward or not. "
Silas hummed. "I see. Do you have a reason to believe they would change so suddenly? Are the people they are voting on that different?"
Romilly wanted to know the answer as well. The way Soren spoke made it seem as if neither party would be interested in an alliance. He suspected that wasn't the case, though, which begged the question of exactly who was running.
Soren closed their eyes for a moment. When they opened again, gold wrapped around their irises as their dragon came forward. Romilly immediately knew the issue.
"It is the Sablemere and Everspur families."
At their announcement, Silas nodded solemnly. "Well, I could see how one of those would be an issue. What are the odds of Everspur winning at this point in time? Did you get a feel for what was to come?"
One of Soren's many gifts was the ability to sense others' feelings on matters.
They could tell when people were angry or sad, liked or not.
It was the same gift their mother had, though Soren's was nowhere near as strong.
It would grow with age, but for now they could pick up on large groups rather than individuals.
"I could sense that there was disquiet," Soren said. "I am not clear on who will win, but from speaking with people, I could tell that Everspur did have an advantage."
"Did you happen to speak with—" Romilly started, then stopped when Soren's gaze cut his way. It was sharp, their dragon itching to come out. Smoke seeped from their nose and ears as anger radiated from them.
"No," they said sternly. The single word carried heavy meaning.