I concentrated on the road ahead of us rather than Ollie in the seat beside me, his tense stance a world away from his happy slouch on our drive there. If we hadn’t found his cuff…
But we had. And I’d make sure never to give in to impulse again.
OLLIE
When we got back to the Court, Archer seemed to know that all I wanted was to curl up somewhere private and guard my treasure. He let us into the house in silence and watched me trudge up the stairs. The shock of what had happened had hit somewhere deep inside, and I needed to sleep for a month. And not to think about my brothers, who would be so smug at having been proved right about my choices yet again. I’d been unbelievably stupid ever to take part of my treasure away from my hoard.
I stripped off and got into bed, cupping my left hand around the cuff on my wrist and wishing fiercely that the rest of my treasure was here. I needed the comfort of its presence and to know it was still mine.
A knock on the door caused me to turn over in bed. “Yeah?”
Archer stepped softly into the room. “I know it’s not the same, but I brought these if you want them.”
He was holding the silver candlesticks from the dining room, and my eyes filled with tears. Taking them from him, I tucked them under the covers with me. “Thank you,” I said, but he was already gone.
Theydidhelp. They weren’t my treasure, but silver was the most soothing and fulfilling thing in the entire world. Comforted by their presence, I fell asleep.
Chapter Eighteen
OLLIE
I woke late the following morning to a gloomy day of low, grey clouds and rain. The complete opposite of my mood. Now my shock was gone and the memory of trauma fading, all I could think was that Archer had kissed me and how wonderful he’d been, bringing me the candlesticks. And he’d kissed me.
At last, I knew hewantedme. There was no way I was going to let this go. I just had to find a way to dismantle that stupid, misguided sense of honour he had about not sleeping with me because he was a family head.
I decided I’d grown hardy enough not to need a fleece. Instead, I wore one of my new crop tops and took extra care over my hair before going down for breakfast.
All to no avail. The kitchen was empty, a mug and plate by the sink suggesting that either Archer or Tim had already breakfasted. Damn. I couldn’t go and interrupt Archer when he was working, not after he’d given me so much of his afternoon yesterday. I slipped back upstairs to change into something more practical—and warmer—and went to help Tim in the kitchen garden.
As lunchtime neared, I headed back to the house early, before Mia had a chance to take Archer his lunch. I was determined to thank him for last night. I’d returned the candlesticks reluctantly to their home before breakfast, promising them a polish very soon.
To my crushing disappointment, as I neared Archer’s workshop with his lunch, I saw a big van parked in the stable yard and Archer talking to someone.
He nodded at me as he asked me to leave the plate by the workshop door, but he was deep in discussion about the minimal clearance needed to accommodate a six-foot wingspan.
Just a nod, not even a smile. He was evidently thinking of something else, but he was back to how he’d been at the beginning, closed off and stern. Was it about that kiss? He’d said it should never have happened.
Sod that. I’d tasted Archer now, and I couldn’t go another day of my life without tasting him again. Everything about him had been overwhelming, in the best way possible. His large, warm body had been plastered against me, his tongue had been deep in my mouth, his hand on my arse pressing me even closer to his hard cock, and it was the middle of the day and I was about to walk into the house where Archer’s siblings were and I was getting a boner. What was I, fifteen years old?
I turned on my heel to walk in the gardens until I’d calmed down. I’d need to get him on his own again so we could talk about last night. Or, much better, skip any talking and go straight back to the bit where his cock was pressing eagerly against me and his tongue was fucking my mouth.
Those thoughts werenothelping me calm down. Maybe I should jump in the moat and hope the cold water did the trick.
ARCHER
I’d been dreading seeing Ollie again. I wasn’t sure which would be worse—for him still to be fragile from last night, or for him to be back to his usual happy, hopeful self, expecting something from me that I couldn’t give. No, Ididknow. The last thing I wanted was for Ollie ever to be desperate and hurting again.
I didn’t know how to take those hopeful eyes looking at me when I had to cut this off. Last night, I’d given in. I couldn’tremember the last time I’dplayed.Not since I was a dragonet, I thought. Puberty had brought a realisation of how hard Dad had been hitting the family finances and how much he was sleeping around, though I wasn’t sure if Mum had ever known about either of those things.
But last night, with Ollie, had been carefree andfun.It had also been charged with a tension that led me to kiss him. My dragon had been urging me, telling me he wasours, andI hadn’t been able to resist.
When Bhavanjot arrived later than he’d said, I could have wept with gratitude. I made transporting the eagle more of an issue than it needed to be, but I knew Ollie would be along any minute, with the excuse of bringing me lunch.
Ollie was, I saw with relief, back to his usual self, though disappointment blossomed on his face when he saw I was busy. God, had I ever been that easy to read? He wore his heart on his sleeve. And that was part of what made him Ollie, because his heart was open and joyful. When he met my family, I’d seen the way everyone responded to him. It was almost impossible not to smile when he was around.
That was another reason why I couldn’t let this thing between us go any further. I wouldn’t be responsible for dimming that happiness, and if he spent too long around me, that would happen. I had to be constantly vigilant, ensuring my family’s safety, and that carried a cost. One that ground joy out of life, and I’d never subject Ollie to that.
OLLIE
