“Love you too, Minnie,” he said with a smile before taking my side. “The council is ready, Aldus.”
“Five more minutes,” he said, clapping out a beat as Quill followed the steps he’d instructed. He looked so much better than he had that first day in the garden. The color had returned. There was a spring in his step even. When he laughed, I could hear Archer in it, that same warm richness that filled a room. “Son. She needs a prince for this next part.”
Archer stepped forward with no hesitation, wrapping an arm around his waist as he bowed low. “My lady, may I?”
Quill scrunched her face. “You see another prince around here?”
I didn’t miss the way his shoulders carried the weight of that title. We’d been avoiding the subject, of course, but it sat in the room with us all the same. The king had never once pushed him. He’d never given him any indication he would force anything on him.
Watching Archer struggle beneath the weight of that word made something in my chest ache. Maybe my own silent battle. I knew he was the Guardian, but I wasn’t sure what that made me? The damsel? Certainly not the reluctant hero. Minnie had her own guesses, but as everyone dug into figuring out the reason for this bond, one thing was abundantly clear, this was new. Uncharted territory. And likely not at all what Aeris had planned in that moment.
Before Archer became overwhelmed by the title, I stepped forward with an exaggerated curtsy to the old king. “Perhaps his majesty would honor me with a dance? Show these children how it’s properly done?”
The king’s eyes lit up. “My dear, I thought you’d never ask.” He took my hand, spinning me into position as he called out the steps. “One, two, three, see how it flows? The trick is in the timing.”
“I’ve danced a few times in my day, Your Majesty.”
“Of course you have. Now,” Aldus said, only loud enough for me to hear, “shall we rescue my son from his thoughts?”
Before I could answer, he spun me directly into Archer’s arms while he took Quill’s. The surprise on Archer’s face melted into a grateful smile as he caught me, falling into step without missing a beat.
I felt Thorne’s eyes on us as we moved across the floor, that familiar intensity in his gaze. But he stayed where he was, hands in his pockets, though I could see the slight tension in his jaw. The fact that he didn’t intervene, didn’t try to take control of the moment, said more than any words could have.
“You’re thinking too loud,” Archer murmured as we turned.
“Says the man drowning in princely duties he hasn’t even accepted yet.”
“Careful there, Fingers.”
I smiled. “Someone has to look out for you.”
“Speaking of looking out,” he nodded toward Thorne, “your god is doing remarkably well at staying put.”
“He’s learning.”
The music drew to a close, and Aldus clapped in delight. “Magnificent! Though perhaps we should save some dancing for after the council meeting.” He turned to Quill, who’d been watching us with rapt attention. “My dear, would you be so kindas to find Minerva? I believe she mentioned something about tea and cakes in the conservatory.”
Quill’s eyes lit up. “Can I bring Boo?”
“Of course,” Aldus chuckled. “Though perhaps warn the staff this time? He gave poor Agnes quite a fright last week when he stole the chicken from the table.”
As Quill bounced out of the room, Thorne finally moved from his spot to stand beside me. “The council is waiting,” he said softly.
I caught the slight edge in his voice, not jealousy exactly, but something more complex. “Such a good boy.” I said, patting his chest before taking Archer’s arm.
He snatched my arm and this time Archer stiffened, but said nothing. Thorne leaned down, his voice wrapping around my ear as he whispered, “For now, Paesha darling, but even I have my limits.”
I smiled sweetly. “Oh I know, I’ve been trampling all over them since we met.”
39
Thorne
If we’re going to keep doing these perimeter checks,” Tuck said, kicking a stone as we rounded the corner of the Syndicate house, “the least you could do is bring snacks.”
“For fuck’s sake. Stop whining. I offered you an apple.”
“An apple isn’t a snack. It’s what you eat when you’re pretending to be healthy.” He pulled his axe from his belt and flipped it in his hand with practiced ease as we walked. “No one’s coming because Alastor hasn’t let it slip yet that Paesha isn’t bound to him. And Minerva’s clearly choosing this side of the line, even if she’s not speaking directly to you. I think she likes the kid.”
