“I’ll help.”
Two words, and I didn't think the air could grow any more tense.
I spy Silas hovering a few steps behind me.
Archer instinctively reaches for my wrist, curling his fingers around me.
Gone are the times when I would want to goad a reaction out of Archer. Instead, I decide to keep my mouth shut. I can't tell why he's defending me among these people, but he's doing it for a reason. It feels slightly unfair to push him over the edge, though I can’t decide whether he really deserves it.
“I think the fuck not,” Archer grunts in response, and my stomach knots.
“Archer,” I breathe, unsure of what I’m trying to accomplish as my gaze lingers on the dried blood on his cheek.
“She's my mate, and I fucking said no,” he hisses, ignoring my warning as his face reddens to a shade I've never seen before.
The cord in his neck stands out, tight and tense as he glowers at everyone else in the room.
Silas lifts his hands in silent surrender. “I’m just trying to help, man. I don't know?—”
“Fuck what you're trying to do. Go,” Archer sneers, and Silas cocks his head to the side.
“Doesshewant that?” he asks, nodding in my direction, and anger instantly rises to the surface.
I can't tell if he's trying to cause a scene here, but I've already been through one. Two is two too many. Besides, the only one allowed to get under Archer’s skin is me.
Standing tall, I level Silas with a pointed stare. “Thanks for the offer, Silas, but I’m okay. I'll speak to you later.”
He lingers for a moment before nodding, turning slowly on his heels, and heading for the exit.
“No, you won’t,” Archer whispers. I know exactly what he’s referring to, but I don't bother to offer him a reply.
“How about I help?”
For the love of all that is peace in this world, do not make me explode from this madness.
Inhaling slowly, I try to calm the simmering frustration inside of me as I turn to face Dorian.
I'm on the verge of passing out. This guy's been nothing but nice to me, and Archer’s one breath away from exploding.
Yet, to my surprise, his hand drops from my wrist as he moves toward my friend, clapping him on the back. “Good looking out, man. I'm trusting her in your hands,” he states, glaring at Professor Carbon for a beat before he turns his full attention to Francesca.
He folds his arms over his chest as he burns his gaze into the side of her face until she huffs, leaving without another word. Only then does he turn to me. “Behave, Ivy.”
Before I can even consider a response to remind him how well behaved I’ve actually been, he’s gone.
Thankfully, everyone leaves with him too, until there are three.
Carbon, Dorian, and me.
Shuffling awkwardly from foot to foot, unaware and unsure of what it is I'm supposed to be doing, I startle a little when Carbon claps her hands again.
“Excellent. I have a meeting to attend. I trust you in Dorian's hands. His ability to connect with the might of the flames and the heat in his own magic is tremendous. It'll bode well for you to listen,” she says before sauntering out of the cave.
And now there are two.
Planting my hands on my hips to stop my shoulders from slumping, I take a deep breath, awkwardness twisting inside of me as I blink at the guy a few steps away. The last time I saw him was the night of the sleepover, where I became distracted by Teddy, and fuck knows exactly where that led to.
My thighs clench at the memory, but despite that, a lot has happened since I last spoke to him, and even though we haven’t been very close, awkwardness niggles inside of me.
