Chapter 34

That night, I have a flurry of wet dreams. All of them start and end with Archer. In various positions and various ways. Only problem is, he never touches me. The dream always ends before then. Each time I wake up, drenched in sweat with a pool of desire aching into my sleep shorts.

The fourth time it happens, I turn over and stifle a scream into my pillow. It’s about then that Mia decides she wants to wake up and start asking to be released from her crib. It’s safe to say I got no sleep the night before.

I shuffle into the kitchen and sit the ever-so bubbly Mia in her high chair. I give her applesauce (that I’ve taste tested before) and slump into the chair next to her. My eyes are slightly closing when Beau bangs into the kitchen. The metal doors slam against the wall and wake me up as well as terrify the kitchen staff.

Beau raises an eyebrow at me. “You look like shit.”

“Thanks,” I deadpan. Mainly out of exhaustion.

Beau kisses the top of Mia’s head then b-lines for the snack fridge. “Babygirl keep you up late?” he calls over his shoulder.

“Yeah,” I say because it’s better than saying no. I was having violently horny dreams of your evil twin brother. I sigh and rest my cheek back in my palm. “You’re up early.”

“Training,” Beau bites into an apple. The crisp crunch makes me skin prickle. He talks around the hunks of it in his mouth. “Archie doesn’t train after nine in the morning until his night session. Trainings are about two hours.” He waves his hands. “Badda bing badda boom.”

I sit up straight. “Archer’s up?”

“He’s always up this early,” Beau takes another bite of an apple. “Surprised you haven’t noticed.”

I blink because I have no words to say. I haven’t had enough sleep to deal with Archer this morning. I also have no energy to process that Archer usually is walking around the pyramid at the same time as me yet we’ve never run into one another. I shift in my seat. Beau raises his eyebrows at me again.

“You need me to take Mia so you can get a nap or somethin’?” He says. “I mean it. You look like a crypt keeper.”

“I’m okay,” I say with a shake of my head. Besides class, which I shouldn’t skip, I’m worried that going back to bed will give me more dreamers of Archer. Him sticking his fingers in my mouth or wrapping his hands at the base of my skull or running his hands all over my body and –

Because the Gods hadn’t cursed me enough, Archer marches into the kitchen. He looks as perfect as ever. The image of Mia strapped to his chest yesterday hits me. I’m immediately swallowing the excess spit in my mouth and ducking my face towards the table.

“You good?” he snaps at Beau. I don’t look up at them but I hear Beau garble something back. There’s a slight pause then I hear Archer talking to Beau again.

“What’s up with her?”

“Dunno. Maybe it’s her period.”

“It’s not my period,” I hiss, snapping my head up. “You shouldn’t blame every bad mood a woman has on her period. It’s incredibly misogynistic and, quite frankly, ignorant.”

Beau simply smiles at me. He cocks his head. “There’s our Nanny.”

I grumble some form of a curse word under my breath. The twins act like they don’t hear it. Mia squeals in her seat and claps her hands. Archer comes over and presses a kiss on her head just like Beau. It’s the most twin-like thing I’ve ever seen them do. Archer looks up and meets my eyes.

“I was thinking,” he says. I swallow thickly. Gods knows what this is going to be. Archer stands up straight and holds my eyes. “I want Mia at my rugby match.”

“Oh,” I say. I try and stifle my sigh of relief. “The next home game is Tuesday.”

Archer shakes his head. “No,” he says. “I want her at the game Saturday.”

“That’s an away game,” I protest.

The idea of being on an unfamiliar campus with unfamiliar people makes me skin crawl. Furthermore, it isn’t just me. It’s me and Mia. I don’t know what kind of enemies the Hayes has made in other territories. I don’t have a wolf to protect me, nor will I have the brothers. It’s a recipie for disaster.

“How will I even get there?” I squeak.

Beau chuckles and I glare at him. Archer rolls his eyes, seemingly at the two of us and looks back at me. He juts his chin towards Mia.

“The car will take you two,” he says.

Well, now I feel dumb. Dumb and poor.

“Oh,” I simply say.

Archer says nothing else. He gives me a curt nod and then looks me over once. I swear I see his eyes lingering on my lips but it may be sleepless delusions. Finally, he turns and walks towards the door. Beau wiggles his fingers at me before following after.

The metal doors shut again and I’m left with a toddler covered in food. She puts one applesauce hand on my face. I let it slide off into the collar of my shirt as I stare off after the twins. My stomach is in disarray.

The next day in class, I bring it up to Debbie. She, of course, makes a huge deal of it.

“Chloe,” she gasps as she lowers one vial of our chemistry set into the other. The second vile lights up the perfect shade of blue. Figures, she’s done most of this lab. She sets it down and looks at me, plainly.

“This is the biggest match of the year,” She continues. “Against Openbridge. Anyone who’s anyone will be there. For Archer to say he wants you there with Mia is like him staking his claim on you. He’s so into you.”

I wrinkle my nose. “Or maybe he just wants Mia there,” I snort and try and pour the next vial into the blue one. “I never understood rivalries anyways. Like school killed the other school’s mom or something.”

Debbie hums in a way that makes me second guess myself. I jerk my head towards her, eyes wide. She laughs at me then takes the vials out of my hands and merges them.

“I’m kidding, of course,” she says. “No one killed anyone. It’s just something fun to get people excited for the games. Didn’t you ever have silly things you did for fun?”

I pause to think about it. My life in the slums consisted mostly of just trying to survive. People were brutal there and it was either killed or be killed. Sure, Navis and I trained, but that was for a purpose. Nothing I ever did was without purpose. I wonder if I’ve ever actually done anything for fun.

I don’t tell Debbie any of this though. Instead, I mumble something in agreement and look back at the chemistry happening in front of us. It seems I’m much more different from most of the Moonriver student than just designer clothing.

That night, we have nanny class again. I cannot stop thinking about what Debbie said. Does Archer really want me? Is he really trying to stake a claim on me? The whole thing is baffling. So much so that I get lost in my thoughts. Steven snaps his fingers in front of my eyes twice.

I shake my head and look at him. Worry is evident in his eyes. I smile to try and soothe them.

“Sorry,” I say. “Was thinking about the homework I have for bio.”

Steven laughs. “I knew you were lost in space. What’s the topic?”

“Cell cycle,” I pull out of my ass.

Steven hums. “I’m pretty good at biology,” he says. “If you – uh – need help or something.”

I smile brightly at him. “I’ll let you know.”

We both turn back towards Mia and the twins. They’re trying to teach her how to hold a rugby ball but she is not getting it at all. Beau throws up his hands in exhaustion.

“She clearly did not inherit my athletic ability,” he drawls.

“What athletic ability?” Archer goads. “I guarantee you won’t even score once at the game Saturday.”

Beau makes a noise. “I guarantee you I will,” he says. “Those damn Openbridge kids light a fire inside me, Archie. I’m gonna pommel them.”

“As long as we win,” Archer leans back and crosses his arms over his chest. “I don’t care who you pommel.”

The twins continue to bicker. Neil nudges me with his elbow. I turn towards him. He juts his heads towards the twins and Mia.

“Archer said you’re going to the game?” I nod. Neil nods in return. “Good. It’ll make the car ride more fun.”

“You’re coming?” I ask.

Neil jabs a thumb at Steven. “Yeah the two of us always go to their away games,” he says. “We thought it’d be fun to have you and Mia join us this time.”

“Oh,” I say, not masking the sadness in my voice. I look back at Archer.

Maybe he doesn’t have feelings for me after all.