“Sit tight.” Archie swallowed. His mouth tasted sour. “Keep an eye out for us coming back. We don’t know for sure how many of them are left.”
“Then maybe I should come?”
“And do what?” Archie leaned his elbow on the dashboard. “Do you have a weapon? Any idea what you’re dealing with?”
“I can still help.” Malachi was fighting a losing battle, and they both knew it. That was the problem—Malachi still thought bravery was enough.
“They killed your brother.” Archie’s voice was sharp, cutting. He regretted it but couldn’t take it back. “And almost killed you. Not once. But twice.” His throat tightened. Every time he closed his eyes he could see Malachi floating in the river, unmoving. He blinked hard, forcing the image away. “At what point are you going to realise this could get us all killed?”
Malachi lifted his hands in surrender. “Okay.” He turned the key, the engine rumbling back to life.
“It’s for the best.” Ina stretched her arms and rolled her shoulders like she was warming up for training. “There’ll be other chances for you to be involved.”
“We’ll see about that.” Archie shot her a look as he opened the car door. She was already thinking past tonight—no doubt planning to teach and train Malachi herself. He couldn’t go there. Not yet. What hadn’t sunk in—for any of them—was that after tonight, nothing would ever be normal again. “Let’s go.”
Ina headed down the dirt track without hesitation. Archie lingered, one hand still on the roof of the car, not ready to leave. He bent back inside.
The interior light caught Malachi’s face—so young and unprepared. For a split second, Archie saw Rhys there instead, all sharp grin and confidence, and his chest seized hard enough to steal his breath.
“Stay here.” His voice was low and firm.His hand closed around the door frame, knuckles whitening. “Keep the doors locked and the engine running.”
Malachi nodded, but Archie didn’t move.
He leaned closer, close enough to smell the familiar soap on Malachi’s hoodie. He’d already lost one son. The idea of him leaving another sitting alone in the dark, waiting, made something inside him feel thin and breakable.
“Promise me.” His hand banged the roof of the car, making both of them jump.
Malachi met his eyes. “I’ll stay in the bloody car.” A small smile tugged at his mouth, an attempt easing the tension and reassuring Archie. That was supposed to be Archie’s job.
“If you come down here, I swear to god Malachi?—”
“I know, I know.” Malachi cut in quickly, forcing a laugh. “You’ll shoot me yourself.” The joke died as soon as it landed. Malachi’s smile faded and his eyes darkened. “Be careful.”
“I always am.” Archie forced a wink, shifting the crossbow up onto his shoulder like it was just another night, just another job. The movement was practiced, but the lie hung there between them.
He straightened, stepping back before his resolve cracked completely. He shut the door a little harder than necessary, the sound echoing like a warning shot. And turned away before Malachi saw the fear he failed to hide.
“Dad?”
Archie stopped, breath catching, then reached back and pulled the door open again. The interior light flared softly, washing Malachi’s face in pale gold.
“Yes?”
“If they hadn’t killed Rhys, would we be here? Do you really have to kill them?”
Archie closed his eyes. Just for a second. His jaw locked, teeth grinding hard enough to ache. Long enough for Rhys’ grin to flash behind his lids, for the remembered weight of him to press down on his chest until his lungs burned. He braced one hand against the door, grounding himself. Malachi always picked his moments—or maybe Archie had simply never been good at choosing his own.
He stared past Malachi, into the dark, buying himself a second. This wasn’t about revenge, not any longer. Even if part of him still wanted it to be. It was more than that. It was for Latharna. To protect its people. Malachi would understand that in time. He needed that to be true.
“Yes.” Archie opened his eyes. The dark beyond the car swallowed his gaze, safer than meeting Malachi’s eyes. “It’s our job to protect the people of Latharna.”
“So, this isn’t just about revenge?”
Archie shook his head once, sharp and decisive. “We take no pleasure in it. The Selkie are native to Latharna, but they’re dangerous now. We protect the island and its people.” Archie looked at Malachi, making sure his words were heard and understood. “That’s what Wolfendens have done for generations.”
Malachi didn’t look convinced. Archie saw it in the way his weight shifted. “Why didn’t you help them?”
“Help who?” Archie frowned, a crease forming between his brows.
