“You know you’re banned from setting foot on Court grounds.” He cut across her, his dragon’s furious bass vibration sounding through his voice. “Get out.”
God only knew how she stood her ground in front of six feet plus of broad-shouldered, solid,ragingdragon. “Don’t you think it’s time we put all this—”
“If you think I’m going to forget what you did, you’re delusional. Out, before I wring your treacherous neck.”
She headed for the door, her face white and drawn with fear. I didn’t blame her—that hadn’t sounded like an idle threat.
I nodded awkwardly at her as she passed me, but my eyes were drawn to Archer. His back was to me, his shoulders rising and falling rapidly, his fists clenching spasmodically.
After an instant’s hesitation, I followed June to the front door, unsure if I was more intent on seeing her out of the house or giving Archer space. I wasn’t running away, exactly, but he looked so tense I was sure that, if anyone touched him, he’d explode.
June slid into her little silver sports car without another word to me. I watched as she turned it around before disappearing down the drive in a cloud of dust.
I stood at the open front door, unsure what to do. Archer still hadn’t come out of the library. He hadn’t needed to check she’d left—nodragon could have disobeyed his command. I didn’t know if I should go to him. For the first time since we’d been together, I wasn’t sure I’d be welcome. And deep down, my survival instinct warned me he was dangerous.
Finally realising I had to dosomething,I closed the front door quietly and padded in socked feet to the library. Archer must have heard me long before I reached the open doorway, because he had turned to face me.
I stopped dead at the look on his face. He reminded me of the Archer I’d first met, with stern lines carved into his face that made him look about ten years older, but a new grimness was in his expression. It scared me.
“How long have you been plotting with June and Chris?” His voice was so harsh, I flinched.
His words finally registered. “What? Plotting? She came for tea.”
“What made you think you could inviteher tomy house? Myterritory.” He snarled the word with his fearsome dragon blazing through his eyes.
My heart started thumping so fast I could scarcely breathe. “I didn’t. I—”
Before I could explain, he threw his head back and roared in fury, veins in his neck standing out as his dragon bled into his human voice.
My knees were shaking, but I couldn’t let him think this was something it wasn’t. “Archer, she just called round. I had no idea she was coming, honest. If I’d known she wasn’t allowed, I’d never have let her in, but I thought I should because she’s your family and if I’d sent her away, they’d have blamed you for my bad manners.” And because a small, misguided part of me had thought that I could start to act as a bridge between June and Chris and Archer, making right whatever the problem was between them.
His eyes narrowed on me before he strode over and stared down into my face. It was all I could do to stand there and return his gaze, but I had to. Hehadto believe me.
His hard gaze roamed over my face, and kept coming back to my eyes, as if he were trying to see deep inside me. I poured all of the love I felt for him into my gaze and willed him to believe me.
He sagged suddenly, as if a wire somewhere had been cut. Turning away from me, he groped for the back of a chair to support himself.
“Archer?” I still didn’t dare touch him. Before, I’d thought he would explode. Now, I thought he might break.
“Sorry,” he said, his voice dead and defeated. “I’m sorry, Ollie.”
“Er, that’s okay?” I wasn’t sure exactly what he was apologising for. “Ididmake her tea, and I was even going to give her the last chocolate tea cake, but that was because she’d driven all the way out here. It seemed too rude to send her away without tea, and I didn’t know she shouldn’t be here.” I left those lastwords hanging because what could cause the head of a family to ban one of his family from his home?
His shoulders hunched. I hadnoidea what was going on, but I couldn’t bear to see him in pain. Though a part of me still warned that touching him was dangerous, I placed my hand on his arm, a silent reminder that I was there. He turned his head away but remained rooted in place, so I stroked his arm in long, slow, repetitive movements, hoping it was helping.
With something that sounded remarkably like a sob, he turned to me and pulled me into his arms, burying his face against my shoulder. I held him close, stroking his back while he clung to me.
“It’s okay,” I said meaninglessly, wanting to provide comfort though I had no idea what was going on. “It’s okay.”
Chapter Twenty-nine
ARCHER
I’d just relived the worst day of my life, coming home to findherhere. Once again, she was stealing away someone I loved. Emotions I thought long buried surged back—terror, rage, and a betrayal so profound it felt as if my heart had stopped.
Ollie being with me had been too good to be true. I’d kept him satisfied for a while, but I couldn’t make him happy. I’d known that, and part of me had been expecting him to slip away from me. I’d just never thought it would be likethis.
And then Ollie had told me in his artless way that I’d been wrong, and that was worse still. I’d misjudged him and, in doing so, I’d betrayed him. Why would he want to be with me when I’d been so quick to think the worst of him? How could I ever hope to make him happy when I couldn’t even trust in what was between us?
