“Are you a fan of Hunter?”
Elva laughed under her breath. “You are trouble,” she muttered before answering my question, “No.”
“Why not remove him from his council seat?”
“If it were only that simple. Some of the elite adore him. Same with lower Elysians. If we remove him, we’d have to replace him, and right now, there isn’t a viable option. No one that we all respect and agree on. Instability here leads to instability on Earth. If we’re focused on fighting each other, then we aren’t focused on prayers. Most of the wars, famines, and epidemics can be traced back to problems in Elysia. There are a lot of factors to weigh up.”
“It’s a delicate balance.”
As we came up to Hunter’s estate, the door slammed shut and Archer rushed down the path. His hair was stuck up in odd angles as if he’d pulled at it and deep cuts split the skin along the left side of his face, weeping gold blood with green flecks. Larkin followed him out the door before stopping abruptly when she saw us.
Archer’s gaze landed on me and a sinister smile came to his face. “Enjoying family time? I’m surprised he let you off the leash.”
My face burnt with embarrassment as I remembered the state I was in when I left Archer’s home a few days ago.
“Take her back to Gray’s,” Larkin said to Elva before turning to Archer. “That’s enough from you. Are you a glutton for punishment? Hunter’s already dealt with you this evening.”
“Don’t act like you care.” Archer seethed. “See, Quentin. They’ll pull you into a web and make you do their bidding. Or is he trying to convince you he cares by giving you an ounce of freedom? Ask yourself if he’d have valued you if you were still completely mortal.”
“Archer!” Larkin snapped, shoving him roughly. “I suggest you go home before I get Hunter myself.”
His eyes narrowed before he swept into a low bow. “Whatever you say, Your Highness.”
As he straightened up, a swirl of green surrounded him before he disappeared from sight.
“Larkin,” Elva started.
But Larkin didn’t even spare us a glance before storming back up to the house.
“Are you okay?” Elva asked, turning her attention to me.
I nodded. “I didn’t expect to see him up here.”
“Archer’s a law unto himself.”
That was something I was well aware of.
“I think it’s best we cut this walk short and take you back to Gray’s. If Hunter’s in a bad mood, the last thing we need is for you to be walking around Elysia,” Elva commented. She cloaked us in her aura before we appeared in the entrance hall of Gray’s home.
“You’re back, Miss,” a woman said, striding up to me. I blinked a few times wondering who she was.
“Um, yes,” I replied.
“Is he ready for her, Poppy?” Elva asked.
“Everything’s in place,” she answered.
Elva looked at me, a grin plastered on her face. “I’ll leave you to it.”
“Wait.” I grabbed her hand. “What’s going on?”
“Don’t worry, Quentin. Just enjoy the evening.”
Twenty minutes later, I walked through Gray’s home towards the grounds. My jeans and t-shirt had been swapped for a golden dress that only he could have chosen. The satin material didn’t allow me to hide any flaw, and teamed with the cowl neck and the split that ran up to my hip, there was plenty of flesh on display.
Poppy, a minor Goddess with freckles splashed across her nose, had refused to tell me what was happening, and my breath grew shallow as we stepped outside. The chill in the air rose the hairs on my arms and my nipples grew tight under the silken fabric of the dress.
Grayson appeared almost instantly. His suit was tailored to perfection for his body, pitch black and moulded against his frame. I noticed the dark embroidery on the lapels and nestled in his hair was his crown. The sharp black points rose from his head and the dark gems glittered in the night.
