Archer tutted behind us, his footsteps growing closer. “You just can’t help yourself, can you? All the chaos you cause.”
“Archer, I am warning you—"
He raised his voice so Quentin could hear him clearly. “Do you want to know something about the God you love?”
Quentin looked up at me, curiosity colouring her features. She was always after answers. Always wanting to know more. He appealed to that and even if Archer didn’t spill the secrets now, she would never let this go.
“Quen, listen to me,” I pleaded, but got no further.
With my back to Archer, I hadn’t seen the wisps of his aura that shot around me and grabbed her. It dragged her away from me and she yelped before coming to a stop against his body.
“You’re really pissing me off,” she told Archer, balling her fist and smacking his chest. Gold fluttered around her frame, ready to fight for her.
If I struck him, I struck Quentin, and I wasn’t willing to do that. Archer had an advantage here.
“You love him?” Archer scoffed. “You know nothing about him.”
“I know what I need to know.”
Gold flared wider, filling the space to join my black, but it barely had a chance to exist because his next words made it falter until it flickered into nothingness again.
“Do you know he murdered my wife?”
Quentin grew rigid in his arms.
“Archer—" I began, but he continued.
“Killed her without a second thought, and do you want to know why?”
She hadn’t relaxed at all and I knew the next words would shatter everything that had built between us over the last few months.
Archer’s gaze flicked to me, and he smiled. “Because she was a demigoddess.”
“Quentin, please listen to me,” I said, desperate to salvage what we had.
“Are you going to deny it, Grayson?”
“Quen…”
“Let me show you.”
“No!”
My aura wound towards him, trying to pry him away from her. He cupped her face in both of his hands and let the memory unfurl around us.
* * *
“Grayson,”Archer said, tears coursing down his face. “I’m begging you. I’m begging.” He dropped to his knees before me. “Please don’t do this.”
I turned to look at him. “It’s the law.”
“Even you know that’s bullshit. You’re tarring them all with the same brush. They aren’t all like that. They aren’t all causing problems. Elara has never, would never—"
“We can’t take that risk.”
“Keep her alive,” Archer said, rising to his feet again. “I’ll be held accountable for any mistakes she might make. You can have us both if she ever betrays us. Please!”
“That’s not how this is done.”
