Chapter 10 #2
“He’s having a hard time getting used to life without his wings, but Marik has been by his side.
From what I’ve found after doing some asking around, his essence will return when the Caido who Stripped him dies or deigns to restore them.
Which means Silva isn’t dead. The Guard can’t find anything about him, so we may never know who he is or why he did it. ”
“I’m sorry.” She tamped down her sympathy for his situation.
He held her gaze for a moment. “Can we talk?”
“Sure. When? Now?” Could she sound more eager?
“If you can break away. I’ve got my car at the curb.”
She leaned across the counter, spotting the silver beauty out front. “How’d you manage to get that perfect spot? Never mind, I think I know.” She turned to Catalina. “I’m taking a break.”
“I bet you are,” Catalina intoned, staring at Archer.
Lyra snapped her fingers in front of Catalina’s eyes, and she broke out of the spell. She waved Lyra on with wagging fingers. “Go, leave for the day. You’ve been here since four this morning.” She gave her a wink.
Lyra whipped off her apron and tossed it into her office, grabbed her purse, and headed out. Archer held the passenger door open for her, closing it before getting in on his side.
The employees were all at the window watching. Oh, brother.
Archer seemed content as he wove through midday traffic. So, what, he’d moved on? Accepted their predicament? He didn’t look like a man who’d been suffering without her and was about to profess his…well, not love, not this soon. But his devotion maybe.
“You know, it’s considered a tease to say you want to talk and then not talk,” Lyra said when she couldn’t stand the silence anymore.
He looked genuinely contrite. “Sorry. I don’t want to talk in the car. I thought we’d go somewhere quiet for a drink.”
“Someplace where they serve absinthe in that complicated way?”
He gave her a heart-stopping smile. “Exactly. I thought it would be the best place. You can’t beat the view.”
Then he settled back into an annoying silence that let her think too much.
“How is the baby?” he asked after a few more minutes. “See…talking.”
Damn, she was so in love with him. “Oh, she’s great. Huff named her Sarina. He is completely smitten, and I get to be a doting sort-of aunt.”
Now he was smiling. Had she said something funny? Dumb?
“Just enjoying your enthusiasm,” he said, as though he’d read her mind. Maybe he’d picked up her feelings.
“It doesn’t hurt?”
He shrugged. “Not much.”
A few minutes later, he pulled into the Raphael’s parking garage and into his designated spot. He took out his phone and texted someone, then slipped it back into his pocket. He looked at her, which made her stomach go all to jelly. “Shall we?”
Oh my, yes. “Sure.”
He ushered her toward the elevator. Walking through the garage gave her shivers, remembering those wraiths. She couldn’t help but look around, just to make sure. But all of the expensive cars sat in their spots with nary a shadow crawling around them.
* * *
Archer’s condo seemed different. It still had cool undertones and clean lines, but there were touches of color here and there.
Touches of…yellow. A huge canvas of it hung on one wall, nothing but a square of yellow.
Yellow pillows on the white leather wraparound couch.
A yellow vase filled with daisies on the counter.
She searched his face, but he gave nothing away.
“You really want an absinthe?” he asked as he pulled down two glasses. “I seem to recall your reaction to the last one I made you. I don’t want you to think that I’m trying to get rid of you.”
She gave him a soft sigh. “They’ve grown on me. Like you grew on me.”
He came around the bar to stand in front of her. “I wanted to see if you still felt the same. About me.”
“Yes, damn it. Of course, I’m sure you can feel it. We knew each other for, what, twelve hours? Sure, we went through a lot together, but still, to think about you every minute, to ache—”
Archer kissed her. She was lost, except for that tiny voice that echoed in her head: What does this mean? Because she could never be with him knowing it caused him pain.
He finished the kiss and stepped back. “Me, too.”
Hope and trepidation twined in her stomach, making him wince. “Archer…”
The doorbell chimed. No, not now!
He didn’t look the least bit annoyed that someone was interrupting their moment. In fact, he didn’t seem surprised to see Kye standing there. He invited her in.
She was dressed in normal clothing, jeans and a black shirt, no spikes or jacket. “Hi, Archer, Lyra.” She gave them both a nod, her beautiful face very serious. “Are you ready to do this?”
“Do what?”
Archer stepped closer. “I didn’t get to that part yet.” He took Lyra’s hand, twining their fingers as he had when they’d gone up the stairs to Silva’s. “I want to do the Cobra with you.”
Lyra’s heart jumped. “But it’s not stable. You could be overwhelmed. You will be overwhelmed.”
“I can handle it. If you can.”
Kye looked at Lyra. “There won’t be any risk for you.”
“I’m not worried about me.” Lyra turned to Archer. “Look what happened to Jeremy.”
“That was different,” Kye said, her expression shadowing at the mention of him. “What messed him up was the memories returning. How bad it will be for Archer, we won’t know.”
Seeing Lyra’s tense expression, he brushed her hair back from her face in a tender gesture. “Don’t worry about me. You can be my guardian Dragon.”
Kye said, “The only side effect for you, Lyra, might be that what you feel for him, the bond between you, will be forged in steel so strong that you may never be able to walk away from him.”
Archer looked serious. “In other words, you may be stuck with me.”
“And he will, in effect, be stuck with you. Bonded the same way. The Cobra inures Archer against your feelings. He’ll still feel them but they won’t be painful. It will allow him to feel desire for you as well as your desire for him.”
Lyra arched one eyebrow. “Only me?”
Kye grinned. “Let’s just say that you’ll never have to worry about him cheating.”
“That won’t be an issue anyway,” he said, rubbing the back of Lyra’s neck.
“And to be clear,” Lyra said. “Cheating wouldn’t have even entered my mind.”
Kye met Lyra’s gaze. “It’s a big decision. You don’t have to decide now—”
“Yes.” Lyra leaned into his touch. “I want to do it. How does this work?”
“First, I stand between you.” Kye took each of their hands, becoming a link between them.
“Lyra, you must give me some of your Dragon power. It’s like an Essex.
Archer, you, too, must offer your power to me.
I combine them, then send the mixed essence back to each of you.
Like a blood transfusion. You’ll have some of his essence, Lyra, and he’ll have some of yours.
That’s what enables him to tolerate your emotions.
And you…you’ll likely feel a bond so powerful, no other man will be enough for you. ”
Lyra shrugged. “That’s already the case. Until I met Archer, I never felt anything real.”
She glanced at him, smiled, then looked back at Kye. “Can it ever be broken? I mean, I don’t think we’ll ever want to break it, but could…well, could someone else break it? Just to be horrible?”
Kye nodded. “There might be a Crescent so jealous that they’d try, but no, no one can break the bond. Not even you. The only way it breaks is if one of you should die. You’ll…survive.”
Lyra frowned. “Why did you say it like that?”
“It’s not been tested, but I imagine that once you are so bound together, the surviving person will be shattered, empty…
in a way much deeper than normal grief. It will be up to you to pull yourself together and find joy in whatever way you can.
In new ways. But I’m not sure you’ll ever want to fall in love again. ”
Lyra and Archer traded a glance.
He said, “Another risk I’m willing to take.”
“Me, too.”
“Okay then. If you’re absolutely, one-hundred-percent because-you-can’t-go-back sure.”
“We are,” they both said in unison.
Kye took them both in with a grin. “Let’s do this. Relax, close your eyes. You’ll feel pressure as your power leaves. You must release it without fear.”
Lyra closed her eyes. Her Dragon tingled with trepidation.
Do this for me, please. She felt part of her essence pull away, leaving behind a void in her soul.
Kye’s hand heated in her own, and she tightened her grip.
Something punched her in the stomach, a force of heat and electricity and—her eyes welled up—Archer.
She felt his beautiful energy intertwined with hers the way their hands had been just minutes ago.
Felt what he felt for her, too, such affection and, dare she think, love?
She checked on him, his hand still linked with Kye’s, his body arched in pain.
He slowly sank to his knees, and Kye released her hold on him.
Lyra ran to him, putting her arms around his shoulders.
They were rock-hard with tension, shivering with the tremors that moved through him like electrical currents.
“This is normal, right?” Lyra asked.
“Yes.” Kye put a hand on Lyra’s back. “Stay with him. He’ll be okay.”
Lyra leaned back enough to look at his face. Tears streamed down his cheeks. Gods, every feeling he’d repressed all coming out at once.
“It’s all right, Archer,” she whispered, sending him her affection and gratitude for what he was going through to be with her. It overwhelmed her, the bond now forged between them. He was inside her now.