Blindly rushing out into the hallway, I barrel into a hard chest, earning a grunt as I fall backward. Bracing for impact, it takes a moment for me to realize it doesn’t come, so I pry my eyes open and find myself staring up into wide eyes.
My stomach knots as he smiles down at me, soft and gentle, and I manage to curl the corner of my mouth too.
“Fireball,” he mumbles.
“Silas.”
Slowly, he lifts me to my feet, planting his hands on my shoulders as he assesses me. “What has you leaving in such a hurry?” he asks, his eyebrows gathering slightly, and I shake my head, grasping the note in my hand even tighter.
I blink up at him, unsure how to answer.
A part of me wants to lean into him, use him as my pillar of support instead of Archer, but the other is too scared to add anyone else to the mix.
Torn, I shake my head, stuffing the note in my back pocket as I muster a better smile on my lips. “Nothing.”
“Are you sure?” His brows furrow deeper as he looks past me into my room, but I quickly reach for the handle and shut the door behind me.
“I’m fine. Sorry for running into you,” I breathe, and he grins.
“I’m glad you did. I’ve missed you the past few days, but I heard through the grapevine that your absence might have something to do with your magic coming to fruition.” He beams down at me, and I feel like I’m suffocating.
Does he know what I am?
I’m not ready for that.
But I do need to go through the usual procedures of acknowledging my magic within the system, I guess. Just like everyone else.
It makes my stomach twist, and nausea burns in my throat as he stares at me expectantly.
My lips part as my mind swirls, but before a single word leaves my mouth, another voice fills the air.
“Take your motherfucking hands off her, Silas, before I decide to slice them off instead.”
Archer.
Silas smirks as he spins around, his spine stiffening as he faces off with one of my hated mates, and I take the opportunity to reach for my door handle again.
“She isn’t yours, Archer, and I’ll do what I please. If it’s what Ivy desires, then my hands will be where she wants them.Anywhere, if you catch my drift,” he goads, and a flash of irritation heightens inside of me.
I already have too much on my plate to deal with their pissing contest, too. The burning from the note in my pocket is a perfect example.
Archer takes a step toward him, promise in his eyes that he’s ready to follow through on his threat, and before I can even convince myself otherwise, I interrupt.
“Archer, I need you.”
My veins turn to ice at the vulnerability in my voice, but the way both men spin to me immediately distracts them enough to stop whatever the hell this is.
“What’s wrong?”
They speak in sync, and I grimace.
I can’t find my tongue as I twist my door handle and take a step inside, keeping my eyes locked on Archer the whole time. He blinks at me, confusion dancing in his eyes as he searches for an immediate threat, but he’s not moving fast enough.
“I need you.” My words are barely more than a whisper as they float through the air, solidified by the slight tremble to my limbs.
Just like that, at three words, I have his entire attention.
8
