Archer raised one hand up. "Actually, I don't know the secret either, so we don't know together?" His voice kicked up at the end, as if to try to make it seem like a good thing.
Eden grinned at him, poking a finger into his side. "Yes, Brother Boo, you are indeed team not-know-anything. As much as I like being paired with you, I also like to know what the hell is going on in this family." Eden turned his attention to Romilly with those words.
Romilly adjusted Archer in his arms, bringing his boy to his hip. Archer laid his head down on Romilly's shoulder. He was tempted to bring his thumb to his mouth. He had never been much for sucking on anything, but the idea was enticing.
Being held by his mate and being in the Little room brought urges that Archer never realized he had—ideas and hopes that he couldn't have dreamed of.
More than anything, he couldn't believe someone else would be fine with him feeling that way. Romilly seemed to enjoy him being Little. He waited until Archer's body sank deeper into his side before he spoke.
“Father and Hadrian went to do some reconnaissance. That is why you were unaware, Eden.” Romilly held up a hand as Eden opened his mouth to speak. “Now is not the time to throwa fit about it. It is important that they went, because Father just shared the news with me.”
Hadrian spoke up then, interrupting his brother. "Trust me, Eden, you didnotwant to be involved in this. It wasn’t anything I really wished to learn. And honestly, you're too sweet to be surrounded by such darkness.”
Eden scowled. "You're sweet too. Just, like, fluffy sweet. Is that a thing?"
Hadrian smirked and shook his head, then motioned for Romilly to keep going.
Romilly picked up where he left off. “The point is, besides all of that, Father and Hadrian discovered the wolf that attacked my mate was a marked wolf.”
The way Eden gasped let Archer know this was something bad. Before he could ask the question of why it was bad, Romilly continued.
“Little one, a marked wolf is a wolf that has been specifically created to hunt someone down and end them. They are essentially assassins, in what the human world would call it.”
Archer stiffened. "Someone wanted to hurt me?" he asked.
Romilly stroked a hand down his mate's back. "Unfortunately, it seems so. Little one, I am still not sure as to the why, but we do know the who. The Fae orchestrated everything with the help of Nicholas Harbour.”
Eden cursed loudly. It was very colorful, and Archer raised his head, wide-eyed, to look at his friend. Eden stopped, feet planted, his hands bunched into fists, like he was ready to go to war with someone right that minute.
"Whoa," Archer said softly.
Eden must have heard him through he anger, because he froze. He stopped and looked at his friend. His body softened, though there was still some tension there.
"Sorry, I just can't fucking stand that guy. He's such an asshole."
Archer giggled, tucking himself back at Romilly's side. His Daddy was laughing as well, which shook Archer a bit. He didn't mind, though. The closeness was what he treasured most.
"Yes, brother. We all hate Nicholas," Romilly said. "And now, with this new development, we finally have what we need to remove him from the Council and strip him of his power."
Eden went from angry to happy in a heartbeat. He danced on the spot, spinning in a circle like he'd just won some big prize. Hadrian laughed, all light and carefree. It cut through the sour mood of the room, bringing all of the dragons back to a somewhat balanced state.
"As I said, it finally gives us cause to strip him of his power. The meeting that was meant to be held in two days is being formed immediately. I came here to get my mate so that I could take him with me. He should bear witness to this moment. You two should come as well…Hadrian especially, since he helped gather the information. And Eden, you are part of the royal family; showing your support would be good."
The two men were nodding before he even finished his explanation.
"The only one to track down is Soren," Romilly added.
A knock on the door frame had them all turning.
"No need to find me, brother. I am here. Father sent word of what was going on, and I came right over to where I knew you would be."
Archer smiled big at the sight of Soren. He felt closer to them after their talk. Eden and Hadrian were fun to be Little with, but Soren acted more like a guardian angel. It felt strange to think that, because of the whole supernatural world reveal stuff.What if guardian angels were a real thing?
Archer would have to ask about that later, when they weren't currently battling evil people on the royal council of a dragon horde. Archer shook his head, marveling at how much his life had changed in such a short period of time.
Romilly continued to stroke his back. He likely thought his mate was upset about what was happening. He had no clue that instead Archer was at peace. He had a family, people who loved him and protected him. They wanted to defend his honor before they even knew who he was.
The idea of a fated mate was appealing because it meant someone wanted him no matter what he was like. No matter how needy he was, Romilly would be there. It also meant he would have this family for as long as he lived, and, given that Soren had said it would be a while, he had years and years to undo the damage of his past. All those old hurts would be faint memories.
