“You could have fooled me,” he replied, arching a perfectly groomed brow.
“There’s no need to leave on my account.” Tobias’ curious gaze flicked between me and Archer. “She’s not going to be a secret for much longer. We’ve been waiting for this since you said the pool held her secrets. People are already asking questions, and here I am, getting a private audience.”
My mind had been too preoccupied to worry about the rest of Elysia and if they knew about my existence. The fact that I wasn’t a secret unsettled me. Dionne advised me to keep my head down and to avoid drawing attention to myself. I thought that was the easiest request, considering Archer never suggested venturing outside the house, and I never asked.
My fingers wrapped around Archer’s elbow. “What does he mean about the pool? How do people know about me?”
Hunter wouldn’t have told anyone. I’d disgraced the perfection of his Elysia. Nothing more than a pest that needed to be exterminated.
“I’m not going to tell you again,” he barked, looking down at me.
It was the sternest he had been with me. A reminder that there were no friendships in the heavens. Whatever alliances I thought I had were steeped in an agenda that suited each individual.
My grasp slipped from his arm, and I stalked past the pair with my chin held up. Resenting the dismissal, I walked upstairs. There was no use in me hiding away to try and listen. Archer would sense me there and further embarrass me. I might have been young compared to the majority of Gods that roamed Elysia, but I didn’t appreciate being treated like a child.
The anger bubbled wildly in my chest. Emotions were something I felt in control of but since awakening in the pool, everything coursed through me so brutally that I no longer understood how to suppress them properly.
A few faint wisps materialised in the surrounding space. If they didn’t horrify me, I would be fascinated by them, but all I wanted to do was step out of my skin and get away from all the unanswered questions.
I needed answers. It was what I strived for. I was sick of letting everyone else dictate what I did while I was in Elysia. The only way to gain a better understanding was to take advantage of the situation I found myself in.
With Archer occupied, I could venture through the house and see if there was anything useful that could help me figure out what he was planning. Tobias’ talk of introductions had left me suspicious that Archer had ideas he was yet to share.
The first place to start was Archer’s domain. I stood at the door, hand wrapped around the handle and took in a deep breath. Before I could talk myself out of it, I pushed down and let myself into his bedroom.
The space was nothing like I imagined. I assumed Archer’s signature deep forest green would cover every surface, in the same way Gray’s house was decorated in black, but instead the room was a beautiful blush pink that made it appear larger than it was. It was feminine and soft—qualities I didn’t associate with my host. My gaze bounced from the walls to the bed and surfaces. The pink remained a mystery to me. In the days I’d lived with Archer, I hadn’t come across another being who inhabited the house.
Hesitantly, my fingers trailed along the surface of the dresser as I noted colourful ornate perfume bottles and delicate jewellery draped on stands. Evidence that Archer shared his life with someone, but no answer as to who. The entire house lacked a single photograph or any distinctive identifier. Perhaps he kept a mistress and the visits had waned under my appearance. I wasn’t exactly house trained by the standards of the Gods.
“You have your own secrets,” I muttered to myself as I padded through the room.
From the moment I’d met him, I was acutely aware that there were plenty of truths that Archer hid. Keeping secrets was his territory, a game he played and was champion at. Archer knew how to extract things from others while keeping everything about himself under lock and key.
It would have been stupid of me to trust him implicitly. The hospitality he extended came at a cost, and I wasn’t sure what the price was yet. All I knew was that I needed to keep my gift a secret because Dionne and the others were sure Archer would use it.
A large metal planter graced the windowsill, and I approached it, drawn in by the pale pink flowers that sprouted from the sickly bush that was rooted in the dirt. An unfamiliar ripple passed through me, making me shudder.Ignoring it, I reached out and brushed the petals as my brow furrowed.
“I wouldn’t do that again, Quentin.” Archer’s soft voice sounded directly behind me, as smooth as velvet.
I jumped, spinning around and knocking the planter. Pain shot through the back of my hand for a few moments and the room was illuminated in gold. Any strong emotion pulled my aura to the surface, unleashing it from the restraints I placed it under. Archer’s unexpected appearance set my heart racing, and with each beat, my aura flickered around us.
Anger warped his features as he hissed, his aura shooting out from his body and catching the plant before it hit the floor.
“Careful!” he barked, delicately setting it back on the windowsill. “What are you doing in here? I don’t remember extending an invite.”
“Took a wrong turn,” I lied as he brought his face close to mine.
I’d only encountered the charming side of Archer, but the sudden aggressive facade reminded me that even the most charming Gods were still deities that regarded themselves above all other beings.
“This is not the time to play cute,” he crooned. “What were you doing in here?”
“Trying to understand you better.”
“Then ask questions like a normal person.” I wanted to laugh at the sentiment. “You don’t invade someone’s personal space.”
“Like you did? Filling my house with tulips whenever you got the chance.”
“That’s hardly the same.”
