10. Archer
ARCHER
T he hairs on the back of my neck stand on end as I storm away from the disaster that is my fated mate. I feel her eyes on me, burning angrily against my skin as I put some much needed distance between us. But no matter how much the space grows, her words linger in my mind.
Your mere existence is infuriating.
I’ve heard far worse, but it’s good to know that I get under her skin just as much as she does mine. I knew this wasn’t a good idea, but it looks like it’s too late to change my mind. I’ve already tried.
The Fates won’t allow it.
I grimace at my new reality, irritation thick in my veins as I head toward the dining hall, opting for the longer route so I can clear my thoughts before I arrive. The last thing I need is to deal with the others right now. Not after that interaction.
Or the times prior to that.
She’s lived rent-free in my mind for the past twenty-four hours.
Fuck that.
She’s been there for the past two years.
I sink my teeth into my bottom lip as my nostrils flare. She’s beautiful, I’ll give her that, but that doesn’t matter or mean anything more than the words themselves.
She has sent me on a rollercoaster of emotions over the last twenty-four hours. I can’t even begin to acknowledge the past two years, being here with my brothers, no mate to ground us and hold our center. But I would jump right back into it if I could.
Seeing her enter the church yesterday, a flurry of white lace and blonde curls, cut me to the core. The motherfucker who was supposed to be waiting for her deserved to die for thinking he could take what’s mine, tarnish my name like that.
Never.
Her father is teetering at the top of my hit list too, but I have enough shit to deal with now that everything is changing.
I agreed to this bullshit, hoping she would fall into a different sodality, but of course, of the four to choose from, it was fire that The Fates blessed her with. Then, of all the rooms in the Fire Protector building, of course she had to be placed in the one next to mine.
After the carnage of a day, where I got to enjoy her sullying her white lace, I knew my enjoyment had reached its peak, and my downfall was pending.
I stand by everything I have ever said or done, and I will continue to do so no matter what the others may think is the better route to take.
Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to breathe through the frustration, just as my mother tells me, but it does nothing to calm my racing pulse.
Irritated, I stuff my hands in my pockets, my fingers still curled into fists as I recall her sass.
She hasn’t faltered once. There’s been no cowering, no fear, not even a scream of panic when she found her lifeless husband-to-be.
My chest stutters, surprise still flickering through me as I swallow it down, reminding myself of the facts that haven’t surprised me at all.
Like the way she floats everywhere, gliding like a feather dancing in the wind.
Fuck.
Two sharp inhales, one long exhale, and focus.
My mother’s voice is a fleeting hum in my ears, tearing me from my thoughts and dragging me into the present.
“Archer, man.”
I snap my attention to the left as a guy saunters toward me, awkwardly waving his hand with a smile stretched from ear to ear. My eyes narrow and his grin falters as he stumbles over his own feet, quickly changing course, putting distance between us.
Tugging my hands from my pockets, I continue past him, rolling my shoulders out as I try to alleviate the stress that forever leaves me tense. Maybe I need to stop avoiding the dining hall and use it as the distraction I need.
Reluctant, I trudge toward the building in question and instantly regret my decision the second a flash of pink hair hurries toward me.
“Archer!” she yelps, and I bite back a groan.
“I don’t have time right now, Tory,” I mutter, wiping a hand down my face as I try to move past her, but she grabs my arm, making me stiffen as I grind to a halt.
“Hey, are you okay?” she breathes, rubbing my arm in an attempt to console me, but instead, it makes my skin crawl.
I pinch the cuff of her sleeve, gently lifting it until she takes the hint and releases me with a heavy sigh.
She pushes her lips out with a pout as she folds her arms over her chest, swaying from side to side as she blinks up at me.
I should appreciate the glint in her eyes, the way she looks at me as if I’m the start and end of her world, but it does nothing for me.
Not even a little.
My father’s name makes people dote on me enough; I don’t care for it here.
“If you’re stressed, Archer, I can help make you… feel better,” she whispers, raking her teeth over her bottom lip seductively as I release my hold on her cuff, managing somewhat of a smile. That’s if stretching my lips in a thin line an extra inch counts.
“Thanks for the offer, Tory, but I’m good.
” I move to step around her, but she follows, attempting to reach for my arm once more, but I jerk it out of reach before she can make contact.
“Tory,” I warn, the tick in my jaw pulsing as I smash my molars together.
My lips part, but before I can breathe another word, someone else joins us, arm slung around my unwanted companion with an easy smile on his lips, illuminated by his natural ability to lift the mood just by simply existing.
Ass.
“Teddy,” Tory says with a giggle, leaning into his embrace as she pats his chest.
His smile falters.
He gives me a pointed look, confirming this is all for my benefit, before he turns to the girl in question, gripping her shoulders as he stares dead into her eyes.
“Tory, babe. You need to let this go. Archer let you put his dick in your mouth once… it was once, right?” he clarifies, looking at me, and even though I don’t respond, he assumes my confirmation.
“Once, Tory,” he confirms, returning his attention to her. “You know what that means, don’t you?”
She twists her lips, uncertainty flickering across her face as she shakes her head. “No.”
“You really are just a pretty face, aren’t you?” he muses, squeezing her shoulders as he sighs. “Once you’ve had Archer’s cock in your mouth, it means he never wants to see you again.”
His words hang in the air like a rain cloud, ready to explode in time with her emotions that are bubbling to the surface. A smothered sob parts her lips as she blinks between us.
“I—”
“Shh, Tory. Less is more, I promise. Now, run along before I say something mean.”
Like he hasn’t already.
She swipes at her cheek, offering one final lingering look before she runs away just as quickly as she appeared.
I exhale once she’s out of earshot as Teddy slaps a hand against my back.
“You can thank me later,” he mumbles as we fall into step, and I scoff.
“Have I ever fucking thanked you?” I fire back, and he snickers.
“I’m keeping a tally, my friend. You’re going to grovel one day,” he muses. “Oh, I should add to my score for this morning as well,” he states, and my eyebrows gather in confusion.
“This morning? You didn’t do anything for me this morning,” I verify, and he shakes his head.
“Buddy, I did something for all of us this morning when I stopped our dear little fated mate from drowning.”
I halt, eyes wide as I stare at him. He’s not lying, I can see it in the line forming between his eyebrows. Irritation vibrates through me, only this time, I’m not mad because of her; I’m mad at her.
“How the hell did she nearly drown?” I grunt, nostrils flaring as I clench my fists and force myself to keep moving.
He catches me up to speed, most of it going over my head, but I think I manage to grasp the important parts.
Baron.
His dragon.
Cliff.
Push.
Fall.
Sinking.
Teddy.
Savior.
March back to her dorm.
Nice ass. Very nice ass.
Fuck.
Not that part. That’s not important.
Regardless, her clumsiness goes beyond simply not paying attention to where she walks. It seems she can’t be trusted anywhere. As full as I thought our hands were, I didn’t think it would get even worse.
Teddy continues babbling about something… probably nothing and everything all at once. I don’t hear any of it as we enter the dining hall, my mind swirling with more new information as tension and chaos radiate around me.
It’s always manic in here, but today feels… more. And not because I’m discreetly searching for the huge pain in my ass as I take my seat.
As if my mind summons her, she waltzes through the doors with her sprite fluttering around her. It’s not just my attention she garners.
Fuck.
The whispers float through the air, targeting the angel that just stepped in. If she hears them, she doesn’t pay them any mind as she scans the room, deciding where to sit.
Despite my best efforts, I try to imagine the room through new eyes, through her eyes.
Circular tables fill the space, each big enough to seat eight.
They’re surrounded by velvet-padded chairs and contain a device for you to order your food and drinks.
There’s no significance to where people sit, no segregation based on sodality, nothing.
Everything is based on friendship, hierarchy, and popularity.
As The Angel of Heaven’s Ridge, she would imagine herself at the center, the most prominent spot, but that’s our table, and she’s not invited here.
I already heard about the mayhem she faced this morning before she almost drowned.
A run-in with the other Fire Protectors is good for no one, but that’s written her off from trying to blend in with them. For now, at least.
Now, her place in the system is faltering, and she no longer gets what she wants simply because her father deemed it so. It’s exciting to consider how this might play out, but even more enticing to sit back and watch it.