Archer stayed still as Romilly carried him through the different halls until they reached two wide-open doors that revealed a dining room. At the table sat four people. He recognized Mira, who had introduced herself as Romilly’s mother. The other three were similar enough in looks to Romilly that he figured they were his brothers and father — though “father” could have been a stretch. Just like Mira, he didn’t appear to be much older than Romilly.
What kind of face creams did these people use?
And did they know they could make millions selling it to others?
Romilly eased Archer down into one of the two empty chairs at the table and pushed it forward until Archer was situatedclose enough to his plate. Then he gently rubbed his hand over Archer’s head. “Are you good, little one?” he asked.
Archer nodded, not knowing what to say as the other people in the room observed them. Romilly smiled and sat down beside him. As if waiting for some cue, everyone around the room moved forward, filling glasses with water and wine and bringing out food to serve on their plates. Archer watched it all with a fascinated expression. He couldn’t get over this. It was amazing.
Once the food and drinks were placed, the people around the room disappeared. All but one. They stood like a sentinel at the door, clearly waiting for whatever task was needed.
“Eat, little one,” Romilly said.
It was then Archer noticed everyone else had already begun to dig in while he was focused on the person at the door. He picked up his fork and knife as if to cut his food. Then he realized his arm was of no use. Frowning at the plate, he almost asked for help. But then Romilly was reaching over, taking his plate and cutting his food into bite-sized pieces.
“My apologies, little one. I should have had this done already for you.”
Archer shook his head. “It’s no problem. You’re helping me now. Thank you.”
A snicker came from across the table and Archer turned his head to see which of the brothers it could be. One of them was massive in size — not as big as Romilly, but he looked softer, less muscular and more marginally fluffy. The other was shorter and muscular too, but in the way someone athletic could look. Both had eyes the same hue as Romilly’s. The bigger one’s hair was cropped short while the other’s was curly and wild.
Romilly put the plate back in front of Archer and then pointed at the two men. “These are my brothers. Hadrian,” he said, pointing to the larger one, “and Eden.”
The one named Eden saluted him with two fingers.
“Nice to meet you both,” Archer said.
“You too,” Hadrian replied, as he ripped apart a roll.
Archer giggled, noticing how eagerly the man ate. He could appreciate that. He enjoyed food as well, and he had missed having regular meals. His travels had meant saving money and eating whatever was available. Being here with this family was providing him with more than he’d had in a long time.
“You’re cute,” Eden said, leaning forward with his elbow on the table and his chin resting in his palm. “How old are you anyway?”
Archer blushed, feeling as if he was under interrogation even though it was a simple question. “I’m twenty-two. How old are you?”
Eden opened his mouth as if to answer, but a throat clearing from the end of the table stopped him.
“I would like to be introduced as well, but since my son has forgotten me, I’ll introduce myself. My name is Silas, and I’m Romilly’s father,” the man said to Archer.
“It’s nice to meet you, sir,” Archer said, sitting up a bit straighter.
Silas grinned, shaking his head. “No need to be formal here. And if you were being formal with anyone, it would need to be Romilly. He is the leader.”
Archer turned to look at the man beside him. He raised his brows when Romilly looked back at him as though those words weren’t odd, like it made perfect sense that his father would defer to his son for leadership and guidance. Romilly simply shrugged as he brought a piece of food to his mouth.
Mira, bless her heart, decided to jump into the conversation. “Tell us a bit about yourself, Archer. We would love to know more. I understand you’ve been traveling and came across San Noctis?”
Archer nodded, chewing quickly so he could respond. “Yes, ma’am. I traveled here from my home because I needed a fresh start.”
“Oh, a fresh start, you say. And did you pick San Noctis, or did you just happen to find us?”
Archer looked to Romilly, who had already heard some of this, to see if the other man wanted to join in and answer for him. When Romilly gave a small tilt of his head as if to saycontinue on, Archer faced Mira again and told his story. He shared about his journey and how he’d wanted another chance at life, about how San Noctis felt like it was summoning him in a way, even if it sounded a bit odd, and how the wolf had attacked him, which led him to being there.
By the time he’d wrapped up his story, most of dinner had been eaten, and he realized he had taken over the conversation. “I’m so sorry. I didn’t let anyone else talk,” he rushed out.
Romilly’s hand came down over his, stilling the nervous shaking there. “There is no need to apologize, little one. Everyone here is captivated by you. We want to hear your story.”
“But you’ve already heard it,” Archer said in a hushed whisper.
