Chapter 12
Romilly
You can’t delay this any further, Romilly thought to himself. It’s time to tell him.
The thought was easier than the action. For Romilly suspected his mate might not be as easygoing about his true form as he had been everything else.
Staying in the castle until he healed didn’t match the level of understanding one would need to grasp humans weren’t the only species in existence. And to add to the knowledge, his little human mate would have to be told he’d been staying in a home full of fierce dragon shifters.
He could see the conversation taking a dangerous turn.
And more than anything, Romilly didn’t want to risk losing his mate. He’d only just found his heart.
From the moment he’d brought Archer into his home, he understood he was on borrowed time. He’d told himself there would be a correct moment, somewhere in the distance, that’s he’d have to share the news.
Romilly knew timing was as important to this as was his intent. If he delivered the news wrong, then it couldn’t be undone.
With each minute of each day that passed, he felt the walls of his secret closing in. Never had he been so nervous to speak with someone. Never had he doubted he had the skill to navigate a meeting.
Soren’s arrival pushed ahead his timelines. Not only had his brothers mentioned their sibling by name, but the magic in the castle was also at an all-time high after Soren’s tantrum in Romilly’s office.
Then again, tantrum wasn’t the correct term. Soren’s feelings were valid, as was the situation they faced with the Fae, though both centered in misunderstanding.
Regardless of the details, there was no denying his little mate would pick up on the changes around him. He’d been perceptive in many ways already. Romilly would be damned if he found out from anyone other than himself.
He was done waiting. If he wanted a future with Archer — and dear Fate, did he want that — then he needed to put on his big boy wings. They couldn’t build a forever on a foundation of lies.
Romilly found Archer shortly before breakfast in Eden’s playroom, his legs crossed as he held a big picture book in his lap. The way his heart soared would have brought alarm to the healers had they been nearby.
His dragon even preened at seeing their mate so relaxed in this space. Romilly vowed to help Archer create a special room of his own if he so wished for one.
But first, they had to talk.
“Little one,” Romilly called out from where he stood.
Archer’s head whipped up, eyes wide. The smile that came next only made Romilly all the more certain he needed to be truthful. He wanted to see that expression on his mate’s face for decades to come. Centuries if they were lucky enough.
“Come with me. I want to show you something.” Romilly extended his hand, urging his boy to come forward. Archer moved to him without hesitation, easily climbing into Romilly’s arms, his body used to being carried.
They left Eden’s room in an unhurried pace. While Romilly’s dragon paced restlessly inside him, the beast’s nerves on edge, his outward demeanor was controlled.
There was a place on the castle grounds most people didn't know about or had forgotten. It sat at the back of the property where the formal gardens gave way to the older part of the land. The trees there were enormous, understandable given they’d been standing for centuries.
Their roots so deep into the earth that they had become part of it in every way.
Between two of the oldest of them, someone had long ago placed a bench of dark wood that had weathered to silver, and the ground around it was soft with moss and flowers that only ever grew in this one spot.
Romilly had come here as a boy when the weight of what he was going to inherit sat too heavily on his child sized shoulders. He’d never brought anyone to his sacred space.
He eased Archer down on the bench before returning to a standing position. While he’d have loved to sit with his mate in his arms, there was far too much restless energy in his body to keep steady.
Archer looked all around him, curious eyes wide and eager. “This place is beautiful. What is it?”
“I’ve never gotten a straight answer as to its purpose. When I was younger, I used it as a quiet escape. No one ever comes this way.”
The carefree state of Archer’s body faded. His gaze went to Romilly and stayed there. Patient, open. Ready for whatever the other man would say.
Yet another reason this little human was his perfect match.
Every plan he had of what to say fled his mind. There was only Archer and him. Only the sounds of the wind floating through the trees around them.
"There are things I should have told you sooner," Romilly started.
"I want to explain why I did not, because I do not want you to think it was about distrust. It was about not wanting to overwhelm you.
You had been through something terrible and were healing.
I told myself I was giving you time to settle. I think I was also afraid."
In any other scenario, the way Archer’s brows rose would have brought a laugh from deep in his chest. This time it proved Romilly’s thoughts that his mate had no clue what to expect next.
And how would he?
Humans didn’t know of their kind except for in a few instances. Archer couldn’t have known.
"What were you afraid of?" Archer asked.
“Of telling you and watching you look at me differently. From the very beginning you looked at me with a trusting gaze. I have not always had that. People tend to fear me. Or they make assumptions based on my family.”
His mate went quiet for a long moment. “Is this something you must tell me? Or can we not talk about it? I don’t want you to be anxious.”
Romilly paced in front of Archer, his mind flying over all the ways he could explain the truth. He pondered briefly if he could agree to not talk about it and pretend all was well.
But when Archer found out, he’d be devastated.
The thought was enough to stop Romilly in his tracks. He went over to Archer, then kneeled before where his little human sat on the bench.
“I do need to tell you. No more delay.”
“Then tell me, please. I don’t think it will be as bad as you’re thinking.”
Only one way to find out.
"San Noctis is not an ordinary town," he began.
"The people who live here…not all of them, but many, are not human.
They are supernatural beings who have lived alongside humans for a very long time.
Most humans here know nothing of it. Some know everything.
The town itself is protected by old magic that keeps the balance. "
His mate didn’t scream or stand to run away. As Romilly watched him closely, a series of emotions flickered over his little human’s face.
Curiosity.
Apprehension.
Romilly continued his explanation since there was even more to reveal.
"We are dragon shifters. We being my family.
My mother, my father, my siblings. The horde, our community, is made up of dragons and has existed for a very long time.
I lead them. I am King. It is not a metaphor or a title in the decorative sense. It is… that is what I am."
Archer opened his mouth, then closed it. He blinked rapidly a few times before he muttered, "The eyes.”
“I’m sorry?” Romilly couldn’t believe those were the first words from his mate after all he’d said.
“Your eyes flash gold." Archer said, voice turning excited. "I've seen it. All of you. I kept telling myself it was the light, or I was tired, or maybe I was on medication that was doing something to my perception. Oh! Oh, wait…I wasn't on any medication, was I?”
Romilly reached out then, his hands landing on Archer’s knees. A touch meant to sooth. Meant to connect.
“What you saw was real. When the dragon is close to the surface, it shows in the eyes. If the shift progresses further, it appears in the hands and more of the face.”
“Shift? As in, as in you actually become a dragon?”
“Yes, little one.”
Archer’s eyes danced over his body. “A full dragon?”
“Yes, little one.” Romilly had to contain his smirk at the disbelief in his mate’s tone. “Wings. Scales. All of it. We also have increased senses compared to humans.”
“The night you found me you’d shifted. You flew there, didn’t you? There wasn’t a car or anything. And you carried me.”
“That is right. My dragon demanded I come to your aide. The shift was natural.”
His mate absorbed what he said with care. There was no hysteria to be found. Romilly couldn’t help but think Fate had truly given him his perfect match.
“Show me.” Archer’s demanding tone swept over Romilly.
He lifted his chin, eyes meeting the little human head on. “What did you say?”
Archer’s gaze was steady. “Show me. You don’t have to do a full shift. Just… something. I want to see what you’ve been keeping from me.”
Romilly considered denying the request. He thought it too soon. That maybe they should talk about it more to really give his human more time to accept the truth.
He could already tell delaying things wouldn’t do. Archer’s jaw was firm, his body coiled, as if ready to rush away at any moment. Somehow, Romilly knew a denial would be more likely to send him fleeing than the act itself.
Focusing on his dragon, he allowed himself to sink back as that part of him eased forward. Romilly pulled his hands away from Archer, turning his palms up to give a perfect view of what was to come.
The scales began at his wrists. His human-like skin faded away as the soft azure color appeared in overlapping rows up his forearms. Romilly kept his gaze on Archer while the transformation took place. He needed to know how his mate truly felt.
At first, Archer didn’t move. His eyes were wide, but nothing else about him gave way to show his emotions.
In a blink, the hesitation in his mate shifted. Archer expressed a look of unguarded, bright fascination.
“Wow,” the little human breathed out.
Leaning forward, Archer ran his fingers over the scales. Romilly held his breath, careful not to interrupt.