Romilly dismissed Nicholas by turning back to his work. Shea escorted the other man out and shut the door behind him.
She spun around. "What do you?—"
Romilly held up a finger to his lips, reminding her that Nicholas's hearing was strong enough to make it through the door. If they said anything, the man would probably use it against them when they met with the Council.
Once Romilly sensed Nicholas had moved on, he motioned for her to speak.
"What are you doing? Giving them the option to do this in two days’ time? What plan do you have?"
Romilly sat back in his chair, his hands linked together on his stomach. "I do not necessarily have a plan, but I do have some ideas. Things that will alleviate this problem once and for all, possibly even get Nicholas removed if we can."
Shea's eyes lit up, a smirk forming on her face. It was the happiest he'd seen her all day, happiest he'd seen her in ages. "Ooh, tell me what you're doing."
Romilly shook his head and stood. "I am going to take my notes from Soren with me as I go look at the scrolls in the archives. Our historical records should have something to help with this seemingly unprecedented moment."
Shea tilted her head. "You think that there's been a human mating in the past, don't you? Something that they documented in case anyone ever came across it?"
Romilly rapped his fingers on the desk. "You got it in one, friend."
She left the room, letting Romilly know she would keep an eye on Archer for him and direct the young man where to go should he be looking for his mate. Romilly doubted that wouldhappen considering his boy was with Eden and Hadrian in the playroom.
In the archives, Romilly took a deep breath. It smelled of old paper and dragons long past. Of flame and of sorrow. But also joy. He took it all in appreciatively, thankful for his ancestors and Fate. Then he closed his eyes and allowed his senses to lead him.
"Where would you be?" he asked himself.
The magic in the castle was always helpful. It could guide someone if they had pure intentions. It believed in being an aid, not a hindrance. So when Romilly asked, he could hear the rustle of paper. When he opened his eyes, he saw a stack moving, and when he went to it, a scroll wedged itself in between two others and wiggled as if to get his attention.
He smiled and said,"Thank you,"to the room at large. Taking the scroll over to the long table positioned in the middle of the room, he laid it out. Sure enough, there were recordings of at least two human and dragon matings. In both cases, the human mate's lifespan extended significantly, one going so far as to live a full century.
It was a relief for Romilly to know that his mate wouldn't leave him early. He had been worrying about this when he didn’t have to.
Sitting in the room, he allowed himself to absorb this news. His dragon bounced around happily in his mind, the damn thing eager to go and tell their mate.
After a few moments, he pulled out the papers he had brought with Soren's wrap-up of the Fae meeting. It described what they believed to have happened, how Soren had seen it from their point of view and what they suggested as the next steps.
Romilly tucked the pages away, then rolled up the scroll and placed it behind the others. He didn't want anyone else to comein and find it just yet. If he needed to use it for proof, he had to know exactly where it was.
As he tucked away the scroll, he could hear footsteps. He turned to find his father striding into the room.
"Hello, my son," Silas said.
"Father," Romilly replied. "You have been out and about with Hadrian, yes?"
Romilly already knew the answer to this. He had seen Hadrian earlier when he came to retrieve Archer with Eden at his side. His brother had been tight-lipped about what Silas and him had been doing, but Romilly knew his father would share details. Hadrian probably just didn't want to step out of line, given his father was the point of contact and the more powerful dragon.
Romilly faced his father head-on, because he knew in an instant whatever was about to be shared was going to upset him.
"I come bearing news," Silas started. "The wolf that attacked Archer, the one with the white on its tail, has been discovered. It is not a feral wolf. It is a marked wolf."
Romilly froze at that news. Marked wolves were a thing of legend, something that had long since died off, even before he was born. "But that would mean—" Romilly said, stopping himself before he could utter the words.
"Yes," his father replied. "It means that someone created the wolf with a specific task. This is dark Fae magic. Intentional magic." Silas emphasized the words.
Romilly's mind went haywire. If someone was being intentional with their dark magic and they attacked Archer, that meant someone was after his mate. Someone was looking to hurt him, even before Romilly had found him. His father could read his expression and nodded solemnly.
"Yes, there is trouble with this discovery, son. We will not allow that to happen. Archer is to remain in the castle under our protection."
Romilly's dragon rose to the surface, wanting to play the role of guardian. His eyes glowed and scales appeared on his arm quickly. He could feel a shift brewing, but then his father's hand was on the back of his neck, gripping him tightly, grounding him into reality.
