Chapter 19
Archer
Archer knew from the moment Romilly stepped into Eden's playroom that something was wrong.
His mate—which was still an odd thought for him to have—stood stiffly, his face a mask of his emotions. He wasn't frowning per se, but he definitely wasn't smiling the way he normally did when he saw Archer.
For a moment, Archer wondered what he'd done wrong.
Had he upset Romilly in some way?
Had he actually become too needy, like he feared, and Romilly was going to send him away now?
His entire body broke out in a sweat. He was seconds away from hives forming across his skin from the worry that tore through him when Romilly strode across the room and lifted him into his arms.
"It is okay, little one. I am not upset with you. I am sorry."
Archer sank against his mate. He cuddled closer, gripping tightly to Romilly's shirt. Hopefully the big man didn't have any plans that he needed to be presentable for later, because Archer was probably messing up his perfectly put-together outfit.
Romilly chuckled softly, as if he understood what Archer was thinking. Eden and Hadrian, who had been watching the entire time, walked over to the pair.
"Something's up," Eden said, voice serious.
Archer scrunched his nose. Eden being serious was weird.
Hadrian didn't seem as surprised. The look he gave Romilly said that he knew some of what Romilly was upset about. Eden looked between his two brothers and threw his hands up.
"Oh, good grief. What have I been left out of now? First Dad takes Hadrian with him and leaves me behind, and now suddenly everyone knows the secret."
Archer raised one hand up. "Actually, I don't know the secret either, so we don't know together?" His voice kicked up at the end, as if to try to make it seem like a good thing.
Eden grinned at him, poking a finger into his side. "Yes, Brother Boo, you are indeed team not-know-anything. As much as I like being paired with you, I also like to know what the hell is going on in this family." Eden turned his attention to Romilly with those words.
Romilly adjusted Archer in his arms, bringing his boy to his hip. Archer laid his head down on Romilly's shoulder. He was tempted to bring his thumb to his mouth. He had never been much for sucking on anything, but the idea was enticing.
Being held by his mate and being in the Little room brought urges that Archer never realized he had—ideas and hopes that he couldn't have dreamed of.
More than anything, he couldn't believe someone else would be fine with him feeling that way. Romilly seemed to enjoy him being Little. He waited until Archer's body sank deeper into his side before he spoke.
“Father and Hadrian went to do some reconnaissance. That is why you were unaware, Eden.” Romilly held up a hand as Eden opened his mouth to speak. “Now is not the time to throw a fit about it. It is important that they went, because Father just shared the news with me.”
Hadrian spoke up then, interrupting his brother. "Trust me, Eden, you did not want to be involved in this. It wasn’t anything I really wished to learn. And honestly, you're too sweet to be surrounded by such darkness.”
Eden scowled. "You're sweet too. Just, like, fluffy sweet. Is that a thing?"
Hadrian smirked and shook his head, then motioned for Romilly to keep going.
Romilly picked up where he left off. “The point is, besides all of that, Father and Hadrian discovered the wolf that attacked my mate was a marked wolf.”
The way Eden gasped let Archer know this was something bad. Before he could ask the question of why it was bad, Romilly continued.
“Little one, a marked wolf is a wolf that has been specifically created to hunt someone down and end them. They are essentially assassins, in what the human world would call it.”
Archer stiffened. "Someone wanted to hurt me?" he asked.
Romilly stroked a hand down his mate's back. "Unfortunately, it seems so. Little one, I am still not sure as to the why, but we do know the who. The Fae orchestrated everything with the help of Nicholas Harbour.”
Eden cursed loudly. It was very colorful, and Archer raised his head, wide-eyed, to look at his friend. Eden stopped, feet planted, his hands bunched into fists, like he was ready to go to war with someone right that minute.
"Whoa," Archer said softly.
Eden must have heard him through he anger, because he froze. He stopped and looked at his friend. His body softened, though there was still some tension there.
"Sorry, I just can't fucking stand that guy. He's such an asshole."
Archer giggled, tucking himself back at Romilly's side. His Daddy was laughing as well, which shook Archer a bit. He didn't mind, though. The closeness was what he treasured most.
"Yes, brother. We all hate Nicholas," Romilly said. "And now, with this new development, we finally have what we need to remove him from the Council and strip him of his power."
Eden went from angry to happy in a heartbeat. He danced on the spot, spinning in a circle like he'd just won some big prize. Hadrian laughed, all light and carefree. It cut through the sour mood of the room, bringing all of the dragons back to a somewhat balanced state.
"As I said, it finally gives us cause to strip him of his power.
The meeting that was meant to be held in two days is being formed immediately.
I came here to get my mate so that I could take him with me.
He should bear witness to this moment. You two should come as well…
Hadrian especially, since he helped gather the information.
And Eden, you are part of the royal family; showing your support would be good. "
The two men were nodding before he even finished his explanation.
"The only one to track down is Soren," Romilly added.
A knock on the door frame had them all turning.
"No need to find me, brother. I am here. Father sent word of what was going on, and I came right over to where I knew you would be."
Archer smiled big at the sight of Soren. He felt closer to them after their talk. Eden and Hadrian were fun to be Little with, but Soren acted more like a guardian angel. It felt strange to think that, because of the whole supernatural world reveal stuff. What if guardian angels were a real thing?
Archer would have to ask about that later, when they weren't currently battling evil people on the royal council of a dragon horde. Archer shook his head, marveling at how much his life had changed in such a short period of time.
Romilly continued to stroke his back. He likely thought his mate was upset about what was happening. He had no clue that instead Archer was at peace. He had a family, people who loved him and protected him. They wanted to defend his honor before they even knew who he was.
The idea of a fated mate was appealing because it meant someone wanted him no matter what he was like.
No matter how needy he was, Romilly would be there.
It also meant he would have this family for as long as he lived, and, given that Soren had said it would be a while, he had years and years to undo the damage of his past. All those old hurts would be faint memories.
"I am glad to see you," Romilly told Soren. "We should all go ahead and move toward the Council chambers. I am sure Father is already there. He told me he would be gathering everyone right away once he left the archives.”
Eden frowned. "What were you doing in there with all that old stuff?"
Romilly turned and began walking. They left the Little room and moved down the hallways of the castle as a group. Archer knew they had to look formidable. Even with him curled around his Daddy, looking all pliant and soft, the four large dragon shifters were scary.
Not to him, of course, but to anyone else.
As they walked, they spoke. "I was looking for proof that dragons had mated with humans in the past. I knew it had happened, and I figured the old scrolls would be the best place to find something."
"I am guessing you did find what you were after," Soren noted.
"Yes, I did," Romilly said.
Archer desperately wanted to ask more about the scrolls. He didn't have to, though, because his mate was willing to share the information with his siblings and Archer.
“There were two instances in the past of dragons mating with humans. Both were catalogued extensively, with information ranging all the way from how they met to how they continued their family lines.”
"The humans were able to conceive?" Hadrian asked, seemingly shocked. This had to be new information for him as well.
Archer thought about what it would be like to carry a child.
He'd never considered it, because he was a human male without the biology to do so.
Though there were surgeries and advancements in technology now, he hadn't looked into it, because he was too busy living a life where he felt like a burden.
Bringing a child along wasn't ideal. And while adoption was a thing in the human world, he hadn't considered that either, because he'd thought he'd need a partner first if he was ever going to have a family.
Romilly pulled Archer closer to his side, as if he could feel the emotions his mate was going through.
Maybe he could. Archer had sensed Romilly's tension before his mate had even spoken.
He had chalked it up to reading body language, but maybe there was some magic to it after all.
Kind of like how the tug in his stomach had led him to Soren.