10. Archer #2
Movement flutters around me as my mated brothers and twins, Baron and Sax, join us, but my gaze doesn’t falter as I watch her.
She rolls her shoulders back, her chin remaining high as she glides through the room.
There’s an air of elegance and confidence around her I’ve never seen before, but there’s something about it, something that almost feels like a mask for her to hide behind.
Before I can consider what it would look like to sneak a peek behind her facade, I turn away.
A grunt parts my lips as I jab at the device in my seat, swiping through the food options before I settle on a ribeye steak and baked potato.
“All good, Arch?” Sax asks, eyebrows gathered as he takes me in.
I manage a nod, but he doesn’t need anything more than that. He likes to be a much needed presence that doesn’t push, and I’m thankful for it.
“Baron, did you tell Sax that you almost killed our fated mate this morning?” Teddy asks, bringing the hot topic of the day back into the conversation as Sax sits up straight, clearly unaware of the near disaster.
I tune them out. Well, Sax and Teddy, mostly the latter, but not Baron, he remains silent with his arms folded across his chest, elbows planted firmly on the table. My gaze wanders, unintentionally seeking out the bane of my existence.
She sits among a group of girls, each gaping or fawning over her as she keeps a measured smile on her face. I can’t see her sprite, but I’m familiar with Ember and her dramatics. I’m sure she’s not too far away. Before I can convince myself to turn away, my view is obscured a moment later.
“Francesca,” I murmur, my gaze connecting with our fire leader, but the pinched expression on her face tells me she’s not happy.
“Remind me why you brought her here,” she grumbles, tilting her head at me as she curls her hands around the back of the chair beside me.
“I’m not sure what you are referring to,” I state, a lie that sits tangy on my tongue.
She rolls her eyes. “Don’t play games, Archer. I don’t need any extra dead weight to contend with right now,” she snaps, and my defenses rise.
Not for Ivy. Of course not that. But for my connection that she’s referring to.
“No fated mate of mine is dead weight,” Sax cuts in before I can speak, startling everyone at the table.
Francesca sucks air between her teeth as she smooths her hair back off her face. She’s fierce and intense, with an aura that has most people calling her the Ice Queen, which is hilarious for the leader of the Fire Protectors.
“If you say so, Sax. Make sure you keep it that way,” she bites before taking the seat next to Baron, avoiding the rest of us altogether.
Thankfully, our food arrives, saving me from having to speak to anyone, but it doesn’t rescue me from repeatedly glancing across the room. Not to check on her in a helpful way, but to make sure she doesn’t do something else completely ridiculous to embarrass us.
My device vibrates in my pocket, pulling me from my thoughts, and I grin at the sight of the caller coming through.
“You should only be using the academy-issued device provided. Not your own,” Francesca states, and I shut down my emotions, suppressing the eye roll that threatens as I rise to my feet, not bothering to even offer her a comment as I slip from the table and exit the dining hall before I answer the incoming call.
“Hey, Archie. You okay?”
My mother’s face fills the screen as she holds it an inch too close. Her smile is infectious.
“I’m good, Mom. Are you guys doing well?” I ask as a hand presses against my mom’s face, gently shoving her out of the way as another face fills the screen.
“Archie!”
“Arabella, don’t you have piano lessons today?” I ask, spying my younger sister’s cheesy grin.
She’s fifteen, sassy, but na?ve, living a life without truly understanding how the real world works, and I love her even more for it. Her comic book collection rivals my own, but I’m pretty sure she’s been sneaking them from my room while I’m here.
I hate being away from them.
“Dad had a meeting, so I couldn’t make it,” she explains, her eyes darkening a little, and I fight against the anger that takes root in my stomach as I glance at my mother’s face on the screen.
“I had an appointment,” she offers, and I wave her off. I’m not mad at her, I’m mad at him.
Always him.
Taking off toward the fire dorm, I redirect the conversation, intent on seeing them smile and hearing them laugh instead of focusing on my father’s absence and the negative effect it has on everyone.
Evening dusk shimmers in the air, and combined with my favorite people in the world, I feel like I’m floating, my chest lighter, even if only for a few minutes as I bask in their glow.
“What did you manage to get up to today then, Arabelly?”
“Don’t call me that,” she grumbles, but the pink hue to her cheeks confirms she likes it more than she will ever admit. “But I went for a trial session in the dance class at school.” She beams, and my mom’s grin matches just as bright.
“Yeah? Did you like it?” I ask, and she nods.
“Stop dancing around the elephant in the room and tell me all about her!” my sister sings, and I frown.
“Her?” I repeat, and she nods, leaning closer to the camera as she cups her mouth.
“Ivy.”
I don’t like her name on my sister’s tongue.
“How do you know about that?” I grunt, wiping a hand down my face as she giggles. My mother does a poor job at hiding her delight too.
“It’s all over the news,” my sister declares, and I grimace.
“You shouldn’t listen to everything you see on the news.” They should know that from living with our father, but I opt not to dampen the mood by reminding them of that.
As I draw closer to the flamed entry of the fire dorm, my mom scoffs. “And you shouldn’t confirm the truth before asking for our source.”
I give her a pointed look, but it falls flat as she cocks a brow at me.
“Is she nice?” Arabella asks, and I huff.
“She has a death wish, apparently,” I grumble, and my mom’s eyebrows pinch.
“Well, I hope you’re helping her avoid that,” she states, and my silence answers for me. “Archie,” she warns, and I sigh.
“It’s fine, Mom,” I insist, like I’m not twenty-three and living on campus. Somehow, she has the ability to turn me into a teenager in the blink of an eye.
“I did not raise you to leave a damsel in distress,” she clarifies, and I shake my head.
A damsel in distress? More like a damsel causing distress.
My mother knows fated mates aren’t always as wondrous as you’re made to believe, and I don’t believe in any of it. Love is just a four-letter word, and mates are just a way for The Fates to control us. I’m above that shit.
Heading inside, I turn straight for the staircase as a bell chimes from the other side of the line. “We’re heading out for food, so we’ll leave you to it, but make sure you take care of her, Archie. She’s been through enough.”
“She’s The Angel of Heaven’s Ridge, she’s just fine,” I retort, and my mother sighs, the lick of disappointment clear in the air.
“Titles don’t always mean everything, Archer, and you know that. Besides, you can’t tell me the four of you didn’t do a number on her two years ago,” she insists, making my stomach clench.
Maybe.
But I don’t care to find out.
“Enjoy your food. I love you guys,” I mumble, avoiding her point, and she thankfully lets it go as they holler their endearments in response before the line goes dead.
As I slip my device into my pocket, my gaze lands on Ivy’s door, but I swallow down whatever my mind is trying to convey, darting for my room and kicking the door shut behind me in one swift move.
The second the latch clicks, a red flame darts through the air.
Coal.
“Not now, I’m too tired,” I grumble as he plants himself on the edge of my pillow, completely ignoring me as he starts to speak.
“Your father has been trying to reach you. I ignored the first half a dozen times, but relented by the seventh, only for him to proceed to call eight more times.”
That’s what I get for ignoring him myself.
“Did he say what he was calling for?” I dare to ask, even though I’m already pretty sure it’s the same reason my mom called too.
“With regards to an Ivy Hayworth,” Coal clarifies, and I sigh, perching on the edge of my bed as I hide my face in my hands.
Regret claws at my chest.
Maybe Teddy should have left her to drown. Hugo said she was strong, but the reality is that if she can’t swim, she’s going to sink, and there is no fucking way I’m going down with her.