“When I saw that blade coming toward you,” he said softly, “I thought I was going to lose you before we even had a chance to figure this out.”
“You’re not getting rid of me that easily,” I replied, catching his hand and pressing it against my face. “Though I have to admit, seeing you summon that fire elemental was...” I paused, searching for the right word. “Incredibly arousing.”
“I was surprised I could even control it. We haven’t gotten that far in class yet.” He laughed despite everything, the sound bright and surprised in the wreckage around us. “And only you would find battle magic arousing.”
“Only you would risk everything to come back and fight beside me,” I countered, pulling him closer. “What did you do, Archer? How did you get away from your parents?”
His expression grew serious. “We told them the truth. About everything. About how we feel about them, about their prejudices, about the way they’ve treated us our entire lives.” He swallowed hard. “We walked away from it all. The money, the family name, everything.”
The weight of what he’d sacrificed hit me so hard it took my breath away. “Archer, no. You can’t have—your entire future?—”
“My future is with you,” he said firmly, his blue eyes blazing with the same intensity I’d seen when he was commanding that fire elemental. “Whatever that looks like, wherever that takes us. I’d rather have nothing with you than everything without you.”
I stared at him, this brave, beautiful, impossible man who’d just given up a fortune to be with me. “You have no idea what you’ve done,” I whispered. “The world is hard for people like us. Without family connections, without money?—”
“Then we’ll figure it out together,” he interrupted. “Just like you said we would.”
Before I could respond, the doors burst open and Lila came rushing in, followed closely by Amelia. Both of them lookedfrantic until their eyes found us standing unharmed in the center of the chaos.
“Thank fuck you’re both alive,” Lila breathed, and I was surprised to hear genuine relief in her voice. For someone who usually kept her emotions locked down tight, she looked genuinely shaken.
“We’re fine,” I assured her. “Though I think we have some things to discuss.”
Amelia was staring around the destroyed and burnt room with wide eyes. “What the hell happened in here? We heard the fighting but?—”
“I summoned a fire elemental,” Archer said sheepishly. “They almost overpowered us too. But we had help.”
“Help?” Lila raised an eyebrow.
“My father,” Archer said, and I watched both women’s jaws drop. “He showed up just in time to save Valen’s life.”
“Father did that?” Amelia sputtered. “The same father who dragged us home in magical chains this morning?”
“The very same,” I confirmed, still hardly believing it myself. “Apparently he suspected the Purity Front was going to attack again, so he came to the rescue.”
Lila went very still at those words, and I remembered what she’d told me earlier about her real purpose at the academy. “Lila? Did you know about this?”
She shook her head slowly. “No. But how did he know?”
“All the parties we’ve been going to,” Archer said, glancing at Amelia. “He’s been listening to what they say. Apparently there’s some Purity Front supporters in their social circle. But they know the truth now.”
“The Elder Council will want to know names,” Lila said.
“The Elder Council?” Archer asked. “Are they still coming?”
“They’re already here,” Lila said grimly. “Three of them arrived about five minutes ago. They’re meeting with Dean Thornfield right now.”
My stomach dropped. The Elder Council. The governing body of the paranormal community, with the power to decide my fate with a simple vote. And they were here, now, just when everything between Archer and I had been exposed.
“We need to go,” I said, starting toward the door. “If they’re already here?—”
“Valen.” Lila’s voice stopped me cold. “There’s something else you need to know.”
The tone of her voice made my blood freeze. “What?”
“One of the Council members was killed suddenly when they arrived. They were ambushed.”
“Who?” I asked, my stomach clenching. “Which one?”
