He looked at me and shook his head. “My apologies. Ignore me.”
He kissed my forehead, and I settled down on his chest and let the beat of his heart lull me to sleep.
In my dreams, I was back in Elysia, and it was deathly silent. Not even a breeze fluttered through the park, and it made me anxious to move. It’d been some time since my mind had taken me here.
“Archer?” I called cautiously.
“Right here, Scott.”
He appeared in front of me, dark hair tousled and green eyes bright. Excitement buzzed from his frame and amplified my nerves.
“Why are you here?” I asked. “Why am I here?”
“I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’ve been busy,” I explained. “I’m visiting my brother.”
“Too busy to spend time with me?”
Archer walked towards me and offered an arm. Hesitantly, I took it and we walked.
“Too busy for anyone, really,” I commented.
It was a blatant lie. I’d given all my time to Gray.
“You’re selfish with your time.”
When I glanced up, Archer was watching me carefully.
“I think everyone should be selfish with their time,” I replied. “It’s a valuable commodity.”
“Then I’m honoured you’re giving me some of yours.”
“Don’t flatter yourself, Archer. You’re the one invading my dreams. You’re stealing my time.”
He brought a hand to his chest. “You continue to wound me every time we meet.”
I rolled my eyes. “You need thicker skin.”
We weren’t walking our usual route. We were walking towards the reflecting pool and panic twisted my insides. This was a dream. This was all a dream, and even if the pool wanted me, Archer was a God. I gripped his arm a little harder.
He raised an eyebrow and looked at me. “You seem spooked.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head. “I just don’t understand why we’re here.”
“It’s an important place for Gods. None of us would be who we are without it.”
The water sat still and quiet and serene. I knew this was a dream because there weren’t any whispers drawing me towards it.
“I wonder…” Archer mused. “What would happen if you were to step into it?”
My heart sank. Why would he say that? Archer wasn’t there that night. I hadn’t told anyone about what happened. It couldn’t be a coincidence that he’d bring up such a random thought.
“I guess we’ll never know.” He sighed.
What was he doing? The way he spoke was as if he was playing a game.
Archer turned his body to face me, and his bright green eyes bore down on me. It was as if he was searching for something. He moved so that he held my upper arms and I faced him properly.
