When I finally reached the entrance to the salle, I had to stop and lean against the wall to steady myself.
The beautiful space where I’d started to find some real happiness in my life had been destroyed. The mirrors along one wall were shattered, reflecting fractured images of the chaos. Equipment was scattered everywhere, and across the far wall, indripping red paint, someone had scrawled ‘MONSTERS OUT’ in letters three feet tall.
“Archer?”
I spun on my heel to see Valen standing at the far end of the salle. He looked haggard, irritated, and worried most of all.
“Valen!” I sprinted across the room, throwing my arms around him before I thought twice. “You’re alright!”
He hugged me back quickly before stepping back. “I’m fine. But you shouldn’t be here.” He reached out, taking my hand. “You should go back to your dorm and stay there.”
“No,” I said, shaking my head and standing my ground. “I’m not leaving you. Not today. Not after… all this.”
Valen closed his eyes for a moment, letting out a deep sigh. But when he opened them again, I knew he wasn’t going to argue with me. Not with the evidence of the Purity Front lying shattered on the floor all around us.
“Fine,” he said softly. “Come on. Let’s get out of here.”
Chapter 22
Valen
The moment we were safely inside the cottage, I turned and grabbed Archer by the collar, pushing him against the wall.
“What do you think you’re doing?” I barked. “Sneaking into a crime scene like that? What if there were still Purity Front fucks hanging around? What if you had gotten hurt?”
“Me?” Archer snapped back. “What about you? I had no way to know if you were okay and you expect me to just stand outside and hope you’re not hurt? I’m not gonna just take Lila’s word for it. I… I had to know.”
“Lila told you and youstillbroke in?” I shook my head, feeling a surge of heat through my body. He was worried about me, concerned for my safety. When was the last time anyone gave a fuck about me like that? “What am I going to do with you, Archer? You can’t just go being reckless like that.”
“I’m not being reckless,” he replied, mostly like a petulant child. “But I couldn’t just stand there and do nothing either. I had to find you.”
“Why?” The question slipped from my mouth before I could stop myself. “Is it because of the feeding bond?”
“I… I don’t know. Maybe.” Archer reached up, grabbing handfuls of my shirt and pulled me closer. “This is starting to feel like more than just an exchange of energy, don’t you think? A feeding bond facilitates the exchange… but it doesn’t…” He swallowed hard. “It doesn’t explain why I’m falling in love with you.”
If my heart hadn’t already stopped three centuries ago, it would’ve stopped in that moment.
“You… You what?”
“You heard me,” Archer said immediately, his blue eyes steady despite the flush creeping up his neck. “I’m falling in love with you, Valen. Not because of some magical bond or feeding connection or whatever clinical term you want to use. Because of you. The way you look at me, the way you make me feel like I can be myself instead of what everyone expects me to be… I feel like youactuallysee me. More than anyone else ever has.”
I stared at him, my hands still gripping his collar, my mind reeling.Love. He’d saidlove. In three centuries of existence, I’d heard those words directed at me maybe a handful of times, and never from someone who actually meant them. Never from someone who knew what I was and said them anyway.
“Archer,” I started, but he cut me off.
“I know it’s crazy,” he rushed on, his hands tightening on my shirt. “I know we don’t know each other that well, and I know this whole situation is fucked up and complicated and probably impossible. But when I thought you might be hurt today, when I couldn’t find you...” His voice cracked slightly. “It felt like I couldn’t breathe. Like nothing else mattered except making sure you were safe. That’s not a feeling some stupid feeding bond can create.”
The raw honesty in his voice nearly broke me. Here was this young man, brave and beautiful and willing to risk everythingfor me, offering me something I’d never thought I’d have again. Something I’d never thought I deserved.
“You can’t love me,” I said, though the words felt like they were tearing something vital out of my chest. “You don’t know what that means, what it would cost you.”
“Don’t tell me what I can or can’t feel,” he shot back, that stubborn fire flashing in his eyes. “And don’t you dare try to make this decision for me. I’m not some naive kid who doesn’t understand the consequences.”
“Aren’t you?” I demanded, frustration and fear making my voice harsher than I intended. “You’re twenty-one years old, Archer. You have your whole life ahead of you. A family that expects you to marry well, to produce heirs, to carry on their legacy. What happens when they find out you’re in love with a vampire? What happens when?—”
“I don’t care what happens,” he interrupted fiercely. “I care about you. About this. About us.”
“I’m three hundred and sixteen years old, Archer,” I continued. “I’ve lived in the old world, travelled to the new world, and watched mankind jump from carriages to atomic bombs to smartphones. I’ve watched countless people make decisions they thought were good ones, only to be bowled over by the consequences.” I paused, staring into those beautiful blue eyes of his. “I’m not saying I don’t trust your feelings, but there are things you’re giving up that you don’t understand.”
