The Rede Breaker

Chapter 31: Heart-to-Heart at Shadowfield

I'm only aware that Archer is taking me back to Shadowfield halfway back.

The elderly man, Nigel, meets us at the door. The silver-haired man shows us to the sitting room and excuses himself, reminding Master Archer that he is only a call away when needed.

Archer strides over to a bar on the far side of the room and pours himself a drink. He offers me a drink but I decline. I have a feeling that I will need my wits about me. I take a minute to look around the room again.

I find the table full of photographs again.

The picture of Archer and his brothers stands out this time. Wiping away the dirt and grim of the man in the realm, I can see clearly David is staring at me from the picture. The eyes, the necklace, and the unkempt hair triggers my memory. I have to tell Archer what I saw.

Archer swallows the whiskey in one gulp. "The Tereso brothers." he says.

Archer's voice is deeper now. His eyes idle on the picture and he points to it. "It was one of our good moments. As you can imagine we're all very different people. Rus was always the free spirit of the group. It made him the black sheep among us."

"Explains a lot."

"He never wanted anything to do with the coven or the family business. He just 'wants to be free' or some nonsense."

"Sounds like the dream to me."

"And David wasn't a paragon of good, but he was a nice kid. Terrible as a teenager. Gave my parents grief at every turn. He leaned more into his dark nature than the rest of us."

"What about the last brother?"

Archer laughs. "Well, he's the anchor. He keeps the peace and makes sure the world keeps spinning so the other two can live whatever lives they would like."

"The dutiful big brother trying to fit all the pieces together? I think in another life you'd get along with Eric."

"Maybe. There's still time."

"I have to tell you something. About David."

"You sure you want to unpack my baggage? We could do other things. More fun things."

Archer hugs me, desperately nuzzling into my neck. His lips kiss my neck as he applies pressure to my waist. I want to give in. It takes an extreme amount of focus to pry his hands from me.

"Listen, this is serious."

Archer leans on the bar, listening as I detail my trip to Anarch's realm. His demeanor is calm and studious until I start discussing David. The moment I mention the eyes, necklace and hair, his attention is piqued.

"What are you saying?" He asks.

"I think you know."

"My brother is alive?! How long have you known."

"I wasn't sure."

"But now you are?"

"Your brother did a ritual. There was no body found, right? It's like a spell took him. What if it took him to Anarch's realm?" I ask. "What if he's still alive and we can get him back."

"We've got to go. Tonight."

"No, I'm nowhere near ready."

"But--"

"No! Promise me you won't do anything stupid." I say.

Archer meanders on the promise. I sense he is trying to find a way out of it.

"Archer, I don't want to lose you. Or anyone else. I need you to promise me that you'll trust me."

"I do trust you but I should be there."

"I can't promise that. It's too dangerous."

"I'm going. One way or another. If you want me to agree not to go after him on my own, you have to allow me to come."

"I know a spell that can get me there. If you can find a way to open a portal, I'll agree. We can go together."

"He's alive."

Archer's eyes are watering and he turns away from me. I can't stand to see him cry. When he starts to sob, I cannot help but embrace him. He turns to me and I can't help but kiss him.

My worry that I am taking advantage of his vulnerable state is washed away when he wraps his arms around my waist and carries me to the sofa. I get lost in his kiss as his hands, once again, wander my body.

Something about him feels like home.

The feeling of comfort with Archer laying on my chest is unreal.

Archer finds the same comfort in me. The only time he's left me is to get a blanket.

As intense as our lovemaking is, it's also gentle and respectful. It leads to us cuddling by the fire. I worry that lingering in the living room will bring undue attention if someone walks in but he assures me the others are out now.

I pry into where the others are and Archer admonishes me. He reminds me that coven business is secret and I respect that. I have my suspicions about their coven activities but I keep them to myself for fear of the wrong kind of tongue lashing.

"Do you think he'll be angry?"

The fire flickers as I kiss his forehead. I want to answer his question earnestly but I don't think he'll take what I saw very kindly. If he could have seen his brother, there would be no stopping him from doing something crazy.

I can't let him hurt himself.

"I think he'll be happy to see you." I say.

"Did he say anything?"

"We were too busy fighting for our lives to have a conversation."

Archer is quiet for a long time, staring into the fire. He kisses my chest and then my neck. "You saved him."

"I beat up a demon. It was for survival. I mean, I would have saved him, but I didn't just do it for him. I didn't know who he was."

"But you were there to help all of them."

He's right. I ventured to Anarch's realm to find a way to save everyone there. Whatever my reasons, I want to save all of them. My past mistakes aside, I can be a better person. It starts with Anarch.

Archer snuggles tighter to me. "You should get some sleep."

"Yeah, tomorrow is going to be a bear."

"Parker?"

"Yes?"

"I care about you. More than I've cared about a lot of people in life. I just want you to know that this all means something to me." Archer says. "When this is over--"

"One step at a time, okay?"

As happy as I am with Archer, I am afraid of what comes next. Saying "I love you" and actually falling in love is terrifying. I've said it before and it cost a coven their life. I don't think I could survive another massacre at my feet.

I know I couldn't.