He grips my cheeks roughly, slamming my back into his chest. Turning my head to the side, Archer stares down at me.
I let out a sigh of relief, but it gets caught in my shallow breaths. Leaning against his strong chest, I focus on catching my breath before I open my eyes, taking in my surroundings.
Mine.
Not Petra’s.
It’s then I realize how close I am to the balcony railing. With a soft gasp, I step back, pushing further into his body.
He tightens his hold on me and turns my face back to him.
“Yeah,” he growls. “You nearly gave me a fucking heart attack when I was walking through the gates, and you’re leaning over that like you were go—like you…” he trails off, unable to say the words.
Like you were going to jump.
“I wasn’t, I promise,” I insist, but my mother’s bitter words roll through my head.
I’ve spent your entire life keeping you safe from that goddamn curse and from driving yourself off a cliff…
Nausea pools in my stomach and I lean forward, too quickly for Archer to be able to stop me. He snags my waist at the same moment my hands grab onto the railing and I puke over the side.
Chapter 41
Archer
Renata spends five minutes coughing up her guts while I try not to pass out from watching her fold herself over the barrier between her and a three story drop.
Again.
Once her stomach has settled, I pull her into my arms and carry her to her room.
Taking a deep breath, I run my hand down her head. Her arms tighten around my neck and she nuzzles her face further into my neck. With her legs wrapped around my waist, I use the hand under her bottom to adjust her as we walk through her door.
As soon as we do, there are five faces staring at us.
Rowyn jumps up first and runs toward us. With her hand on Renata’s back, she explains, “We all heard her scream when you were running past us.”
Clementine climbs off the bed, but is reluctant to come closer. “We didn’t want to overwhelm her, but maybe we should have followed…”
Her eyes are brimming with tears, and it’s the most scared I’ve seen the young witch.
Renata softly shakes her head, but I can barely feel it.
“No,” I tell Clementine on her behalf. “There isn’t a lot of room on that balcony, and she could’ve hurt herself if we scared her.” My voice threatens to crack at the thought of what could have happened. Swallowing past the fear, I say, “It was the right choice.”
She lets out a sigh of relief and leans into her sister’s hug.
“Are you okay?” Rowyn asks quietly.
After a moment, Renata slides out of my hold and stays close enough to put her weight on me. I wrap my arms around her. This is the most affection any of the women have seen between us. None of them seem surprised. They all look relieved, if not a little sad. With the exception of Sybil, who only shows happiness for me.
I need to tell her.
“I’m okay,” Renata says in a quiet voice. It’s nearly inaudible, but everyone relaxes slightly.
“Do you need anything?” Sybil asks from her spot on the edge of the bed.
Renata starts to shake her head when Rowyn jumps into action. Pulling the youngest witch’s hand, she calls over her shoulder, “We’ll bring tea.”
