Romilly nodded. “Yes, she does. She has known for thirty years and has never once spoken of it. She makes exceptional food and she is extremely discreet, which makes her one of the most valuable people in this castle."
Archer smiled at that. "I feel like that's the most diplomatic thing you've ever said."
"I amoccasionallydiplomatic."
"Occasionally," Archer agreed, and it was so dry that Romilly laughed.
The look his mate gave him at that sent flames through his entire body. Romilly’s dragon made that noise again, this time loud enough for the little human to hear.
“Umm. What was that?”
“That is my dragon. He is very pleased at you teasing us. He likes you very much.” Romilly pulled the scales back into himself, turning his skin back to his normal state.
Archer pouted at his arms, almost like he wished to play more with the dragon part of him. Romilly would have allowed it if his dragon weren’t so on edge.
“I like him too. At least what I’ve seen so far. One day I’d like to meet all of him.”
Romilly stood then, his body too energized to continue kneeling. Archer rose too, his arms lifting, waiting for the other man to pick him up.
There was no power great enough to keep Romilly from doing as requested. Lifting his mate this time around came with more emotion. His little one had touched his scales and liked them. He’d heard the truth, most of it anyway, with an open mind.
There was more to tell. One more truth left to give, and that one was the largest. He would give it tomorrow, or the day after, when Archer had had time to let today settle.
Hopefully his little human took being fated mates with the same ease.
CHAPTER 13
Archer
One would think finding out dragons existed for the first time would lead to a sense of restlessness. A person uncovering everything they thought to be true in the world as false didn't equate to a happy-go-lucky afternoon.
Yet in Archer's case it did. Romilly had carried him back to the castle, doing everything like normal. There was no shift in their dynamic, no questioning of what the two of them meant together. It was as if the secrets only really made a few changes.
Namely that there were scales involved and possibly flying. Archer hadn't ventured into that much information yet. He needed to settle with what he had been told so far. The rest would come in due time.
Romilly had tried to convince Archer to go spend time with Eden after their chat. He said he had work to do, which was probably true. It still bothered Archer to think of leaving Romilly. He wanted to be close to the other man. He wanted to be in his orbit.
The news had him curious. He ached to understand what dragon life was like. The horde and the people that lived there.
What did they think of their king and the royal family?
What did they do for fun?
Romilly had mentioned other creatures as well. Vampires, shifters, Fae, and a whole host of things that truly blew Archer's mind.
Part of him wished he had someone to share the news with. He didn't want to tell any of Romilly's secrets necessarily, but it kind of sucked that he had to have the revelations all on his own.
He took as much of it in stride as he could, keeping close to Romilly after convincing him it was the best choice. People came in and out of Romilly's office that day. Their gazes always caught on Archer, and rather than be angry with him for sticking around and nosing into their business, everyone had smiles.
It was a bit odd if Archer truly thought about it, because why were these people accepting him so easily? Were the humans they encountered nice or something? Did they not think him capable of being a danger to them?
Of course he wouldn't. Causing any kind of trouble wasn't in his nature. Archer was a softy.
The rest of that day was spent with his mind taking in everything around him as much as possible. Romilly kept checking on him, making sure he was fed and cared for. He produced another coloring book and crayons. This time it looked as if it were different than the one before, like this might have been given to dragon children to play with, because there were pieces of information about the horde in it.
Archer read the story happily, noting what he could to memory, but a part of him was sinking. It was drowning in the space that his mind took on anytime he got to be with Romilly or when he was in Eden's room.
The end of the day came quicker than he would have liked. He had more questions. He wanted to observe Romilly more, but one yawn from him had Romilly yanking him up and carryinghim out of the office. They ate dinner with the family, but then it was straight to bed.
