Chapter 29 #2
Archer moved closer to my side, and I felt the warmth of his presence like a balm against the chaos of the day. “Are you saying you might be willing to listen?” he asked his father, hope creeping into his voice despite everything.
“I’m saying,” he replied slowly, “that watching you two fight together just now... it was clear that whatever this is between you, it’s more than just manipulation or a feeding bond.
” He swallowed hard. “And I’m willing to…
listen. However, I cannot speak for your mother. She is extremely disappointed.”
“That’s good enough for me,” Archer said. “We can have a conversation.”
“Good,” he nodded. “Now, I need to get back to the house and double the wards. The Purity Front knows where I stand now and if they’re reorganizing, the house needs to be protected.”
He didn’t smile or say goodbye. He just turned on his heel, marched across the fencing salle and disappeared through the double doors on the far end.
I stood there in the destroyed fencing salle, watching the doors swing shut behind him, and felt like my entire world had been turned upside down.
Again. In the span of one day, I’d gone from waking up in Archer’s arms to facing career destruction to fighting for my life to... whatever new limbo this was.
“Did that really just happen?” Archer asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
“Yeah. Your father just saved my life,” I said, still trying to process it myself. “The same man who called me a monster this morning.”
“The same man who threatened to have you arrested,” Archer added, running a shaky hand through his hair. “I don’t understand him at all.”
I looked around the ruined salle, taking in the shattered mirrors, the scorch marks on the walls, the equipment scattered everywhere. This place had been my sanctuary, the first place where Archer and I had really connected. Now it looked like a war zone.
“We should find the others,” I said finally. “Make sure everyone’s okay.”
Archer nodded, but he didn’t move. Instead, he stepped closer to me, his hand reaching up to touch the cut on my cheek that was already healing thanks to my vampiric nature.
“When I saw that blade coming toward you,” he said softly, “I thought I was going to lose you before we even had a chance to figure this out.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I replied, catching his hand and pressing it against my face. “Though I have to admit, seeing you summon that fire elemental was...” I paused, searching for the right word. “Incredibly arousing.”
“I was surprised I could even control it. We haven’t gotten that far in class yet.” He laughed despite everything, the sound bright and surprised in the wreckage around us. “And only you would find battle magic arousing.”
“Only you would risk everything to come back and fight beside me,” I countered, pulling him closer. “What did you do, Archer? How did you get away from your parents?”
His expression grew serious. “We told them the truth. About everything. About how we feel about them, about their prejudices, about the way they’ve treated us our entire lives.” He swallowed hard. “We walked away from it all. The money, the family name, everything.”
The weight of what he’d sacrificed hit me so hard it took my breath away. “Archer, no. You can’t have—your entire future—”
“My future is with you,” he said firmly, his blue eyes blazing with the same intensity I’d seen when he was commanding that fire elemental. “Whatever that looks like, wherever that takes us. I’d rather have nothing with you than everything without you.”
I stared at him, this brave, beautiful, impossible man who’d just given up a fortune to be with me. “You have no idea what you’ve done,” I whispered. “The world is hard for people like us. Without family connections, without money—”
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” he interrupted. “Just like you said we would.”
Before I could respond, the doors burst open and Lila came rushing in, followed closely by Amelia. Both of them looked frantic until their eyes found us standing unharmed in the center of the chaos.
“Thank fuck you’re both alive,” Lila breathed, and I was surprised to hear genuine relief in her voice. For someone who usually kept her emotions locked down tight, she looked genuinely shaken.
“We’re fine,” I assured her. “Though I think we have some things to discuss.”
Amelia was staring around the destroyed and burnt room with wide eyes. “What the hell happened in here? We heard the fighting but—”
“I summoned a fire elemental,” Archer said sheepishly. “They almost overpowered us too. But we had help.”
“Help?” Lila raised an eyebrow.
“My father,” Archer said, and I watched both women’s jaws drop. “He showed up just in time to save Valen’s life.”
“Father did that?” Amelia sputtered. “The same father who dragged us home in magical chains this morning?”
“The very same,” I confirmed, still hardly believing it myself. “Apparently he suspected the Purity Front was going to attack again, so he came to the rescue.”
Lila went very still at those words, and I remembered what she’d told me earlier about her real purpose at the academy. “Lila? Did you know about this?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. But how did he know?”
“All the parties we’ve been going to,” Archer said, glancing at Amelia. “He’s been listening to what they say. Apparently there’s some Purity Front supporters in their social circle. But they know the truth now.”
“The Elder Council will want to know names,” Lila said.
“The Elder Council?” Archer asked. “Are they still coming?”
“They’re already here,” Lila said grimly. “Three of them arrived about five minutes ago. They’re meeting with Dean Thornfield right now.”
My stomach dropped. The Elder Council. The governing body of the paranormal community, with the power to decide my fate with a simple vote. And they were here, now, just when everything between Archer and I had been exposed.
“We need to go,” I said, starting toward the door. “If they’re already here—”
“Valen.” Lila’s voice stopped me cold. “There’s something else you need to know.”
The tone of her voice made my blood freeze. “What?”
“One of the Council members was killed suddenly when they arrived. They were ambushed.”
“Who?” I asked, my stomach clenching. “Which one?”
“The Fae man. Councilor Ashwick.”
I didn’t know him well, but my heart sank anyway. That meant a spot was open in an already split Elder Council. And depending on who they chose to replace her, it could tip the scales in favor of the Purity Front and their goals.
“And they’ve already chosen a replacement,” Lila continued. “Apparently Councilor Vael and Councilor Ashwick had already chosen a successor in case one of them was killed.”
She turned back toward the double doors on the far end of the fencing salle just as a man with fiery red hair, long ears, and a mischievous grin stepped inside.
Behind him, a dark-haired man remained close, his calculating gaze sweeping over the room.
The pair of them didn’t look a day over twenty-four.
“That’s the new councilor,” Lila nodded. “Wilderain Briar Hall of the Seelie Court.”