Romilly shook his head. “I will be fine. You need to eat first to regain your strength. The food will be there when you’re done, and I can have mine then. Plus, it means I get to spend more time with you.”
Those cheeks, which had started to fade, brightened again as Archer opened his mouth. Romilly fed him spoonful after spoonful, stopping only to allow him something to drink before continuing on. The music around them created a soft atmosphere. There was no need to talk, no need to exchange words. When Archer finished his bowl, Romilly offered some of his own, but Archer patted his stomach and told him no.
That gave Romilly time to feed himself as he thought about the next steps with his mate. He needed to help the boy adjust to this lifestyle. He needed to present his home in a way that would entice him to stay. Then again, Romilly knew he had nowhereelse to go — that he’d been wandering — which meant his home truly was the best place for his boy to be.
Archer watched him while also being distracted by the outside world. Romilly was thankful no one was lying about in dragon form. He had decided to keep that tidbit to himself for a while longer. He didn’t want to overwhelm his mate. It had to have been so much of a change for him already.
A knock at the door made Romilly scowl. When it opened, his mother stuck her head in and smiled. “Oh good, you’re already here. I’ve been looking for you. Come, come.” The last words were directed at whoever was behind her as she waved them in. When Romilly saw it was the healer, he sat up a bit straighter and pushed his food aside. He needed to be fully present for the next part.
The healer smiled gently, nodding to Romilly without saying a word as he walked over to Archer. “I would like to check your injuries, sir,” he said, his voice soft.
Archer smiled. “Please go ahead. If you’re the one they called a healer who helped me, I must say thank you. I feel much better than I remember feeling at first.”
The healer smiled wider, happy at the praise. Then he went about removing the bandages on Archer’s arms and legs, reviewing the work he’d done. He hummed as he went, but Romilly couldn’t figure out what the sounds were for. It wasn’t until everything was rewrapped that the healer stood tall and faced him.
“The young man is doing well. His leg will need the two additional days, as I originally said. The wound on his arm is actually a bit deeper than I thought, so it’s probably best that he not use it as well.” He looked over at Archer before continuing. “I can add another round of healing if you’d like, now that I’ve rested.”
Romilly nodded. “That should be later. Before bed, so he can sleep easy.”
The young Fae understood Romilly’s insinuation: they would perform the healing as Archer was falling asleep so he wouldn’t be fully aware of what was happening. It was the best possible scenario. They could say he had simply slept for a long time, which was what would make him feel renewed, rather than mention magic.
The Fae and his mother left, taking the food tray with them. Romilly faced the window Archer had been staring out of. He tried to look at the lands as someone would if they were new to the area. It amazed him how beautiful it could seem. How things that had been mundane to him for so long would be magical to someone else, especially a human. San Noctis was a gorgeous town. It was home. And he hoped he could convince his human that it was his home, too.
CHAPTER 5
Archer
Archer couldn’t believe what was going on around him.
Not only was he in the most comfortable bed he’d ever slept in, and not only was he being given the most care and attention of his life, but he was also happy. The word felt strange to him, even as he thought it to himself. It had been a long time since he’d been truly happy. Partially because he felt like he was burdensome, and partially because the good memories he had were tainted by his friend’s rude, abrupt change. What had once been joyous memories were now a dark cloud hanging over him because he wasn’t as close to his friend as he thought.
Archer pushed the thoughts away as he laid on his back in the bed, wondering what would come next. Romilly had come to see him at lunchtime, and they spent quite a bit of time together, eating and enjoying each other’s company.
Romilly had asked a few questions, nothing too invasive, and Archer had answered. He was still afraid to ask his own questions — like why they were in a castle and why everyone referred to Romilly with such a high regard. It couldn’t just be that he’d“taken over”as he’d first explained.
Even his mother seemed to speak of him like he was the second coming or something. Archer worried that if he questioned things, he would be forced to leave. He really didn’t want to leave.
Sure, this might not be his forever home. They would tire of him. They would want their space back. But Archer would stay for as long as he could. It had become obvious to him that Romilly didn’t mind all that much. When the healer had said he needed more rest, Romilly was insistent that that be the case and had his mother let everyone know.
When a young woman came to the door and told him he was due at his next meeting, Archer thought Romilly was going to growl. There was a rumbling sound, and then a flash of gold in the other man’s eyes again. Archer knew it had to be the meds he was on. That was the only explanation as to why he was seeing all of this, why his mind was playing tricks on him. People didn’t have gold eyes, and they didn’t have eyes that flashed. They did grumble sometimes, though, so that much was solid.
The night had started to fall, so the view through the window was transforming. As lights covered the countryside where homes were, it was beautiful. Even the glow of the moon, which he remembered as being bright as he laid on the forest floor, wasn’t as scary as it had been.
While deep in his thoughts, a knock came at his door. He didn’t get the chance to call for the person to come in before the door opened and Romilly stepped through.
“Hello, little one,” he said brightly. “I’m sorry it took me so long to return. I’m here to take you to dinner.”
“You’re going to take me to dinner?” Archer said, using his good arm to push himself up.
“Of course. Do you need to use the restroom before we go?”
Archer blushed but nodded. It had been strange before. Each time that Romilly lifted him and carried him into the bathroom,it felt too personal, too close. But there wasn’t much of a choice otherwise. It was either Romilly or someone else. To be honest, he didn’t want anyone else to do this part.
Romilly went through the same routine of coming over to lift Archer up and taking him to the bathroom. Once he felt Archer was standing on his good leg, he stepped away so Archer could handle his business in peace. When he was ready, Archer called out for Romilly, and the man was at his side in an instant, helping him to the sink to wash his hands and then lifting him up in his arms again.
Except this time, instead of going back to bed, Romilly took him toward the bedroom door. Out in the hall, Archer observed his surroundings more carefully. He noted all of the fancy artwork and designs. It truly was a castle,a palace. Like it was home to royals or something.
He didn’t remember seeing anything like this on his way in. So how far had he traveled? And where was he? Who were these people? The questions flittered through his mind. He didn’t want to ask, though. Didn’t feel the need to when things were going right.
