"You must get your rest, little one," he'd said while tucking Archer into his big fluffy bed. "I will see you in the morning." Romilly placed a kiss on Archer's forehead. The tingles it left behind had Archer reaching up to press his fingers against the space after Romilly left.
Was that part of the dragon stuff? Did it come with some kind of sensation? And why had he felt so comfortable coming to San Noctis? Romilly said he knew. Said he would explain it.
Archer understood that the other man was giving him time to settle. He'd said as much. That didn't mean that Archer couldn't ponder over it. Romilly hadn't confirmed that he had some kind of latent ability, so he nixed that idea.
The only other thoughts that came to his mind were that maybe he was connected to the area, like it was good for his health or something, but even that was a weak idea.
No, it had to bemore.
It had to be somethingpowerful.
Archer sank into sleep with a heavy heart. He wouldn't force Romilly to give him answers. The other man had said he wanted time, but Archer could admit that he needed some kind of hint. Some kind of lead on what was going on.
When Archer awoke the next morning he stretched big, letting his body unfold from where he'd wrapped himself up tight. He grinned, noticing how bright the light in the room was. He blinked a few times, checking the clock.
Oh, it was later than he thought.
Before he could climb out, a knock came at the door and then it was pushed open. Hadrian's head popped in first, followed quickly by Eden's.
"Hey," Archer greeted, smiling as he rubbed his eyes. "What are you doing here?"
Hadrian strode into the room with Eden hot on his heels. "We came to check on you. You weren't at breakfast and our bone-headed brother said that you were resting."
Eden piped up next. "Yeah," he said. "He came and peeked in here and you were all Snoozeville, but we wanted to see you and see if you wanted to play today. He told us that he told you, and we think it would be really cool to show you some stuff."
Archer wanted to say yes. He really wanted to say yes. At the same time he understood that he would be too inclined to pester them for answers. He might even demand to know what secret Romilly was still keeping.
As if they could read his mind, Hadrian and Eden faced him. "There are things you still can't know," they said.
Eden put his hands on his hips as Hadrian squeezed the back of his neck. "Yeah, we aren't supposed to tell you some stuff, so please don't ask. I really am not a fan of having to lie," Hadrian admitted, looking sheepish.
Eden snorted. "Yeah, don't pressure the big guy. He's got enough going on as it is. Me, on the other hand, you could totally pressure, but I'm not gonna cave. I’m good at keeping secrets."
Archer threw the blanket back so he could get dressed for the day. "Let me put something on, I guess, then you can show me whatever it is you're excited about."
Eden clapped happily as Hadrian's eyes lit up. The pair really were something so different from Romilly and even Soren. It was as if their parents had two different sets of kids.
Archer grinned to himself thinking about it. He would have killed for a family like this growing up, and at one point he thought he might be able to have a happily ever after in a future where he gained such. But after the betrayal from Robert and getting injured, he wasn't in a rush to dive into a relationship.
Liar, his mind told him.
Because really the truth was he did think highly of one person. If Romilly expressed any interest in him, Archer would be off like a shot. There would be no holding him back from the big guy. His dragon scales were gorgeous. The blue tone in them gave Archer a sense of peace. He didn't think anything would ever bring him to that point again. And yet here Romilly was, doing just that.
"Whatever you're thinking of, you should stop," Eden called out. "We can smell you."
Archer froze. "You can smell me?" he asked.
"Yeah, smell you. As in, I know you were thinking something naughty just a second ago."
Archer blushed, ducking into his closet to get dressed. Okay then. Since scent was clearly a thing in this dragon world. He vaguely remembered Romilly mentioning something about it, but he'd been so fascinated by the scales it went right over his head. He would have to be more careful.
The second he had clothes on enough to cover him, Archer was taken from the room and into the winding halls of the castle. He didn't question anything the pair who'd kidnapped him said. They chatted amongst themselves happily, and Archer understood that he was being invited to be a part of their space. It was more than enough for him to simply get to enjoy it.
When they reached the room they were apparently going to spend part of their day in, Archer's entire body lit up with a harmonious glow. "Holy crap!" he mumbled as he stepped out from between his friends and into the wide-open garden area.
It wasn't like the one Romilly had taken him to. That had been outside with the breeze blowing around them and a touch of wonder. This was an indoor garden, yet you really couldn't see where anything ended. Large greenery surrounded them, making a nearly jungle-like effect. There were lanes cleared out with paths for walking and various plants of all different species.Some looked familiar, though Archer couldn't name them, and others were so outlandish he was shocked.
Eden and Hadrian whispered behind him. The words were so softly spoken he couldn't make anything out, which was fine. He kept his gaze on the plants, and when one in particular called to him he eased forward. As if he were getting ready to pet a nervous animal, he extended his hand slowly.
