Page 132 of The Cursed Fae

The hallways were better suited to a chalet than a hospital, though I supposed that was part of the appeal. Archer’s room was on the top floor in a private wing. I wondered if my father’s chief contribution was financial. Walter Stolly was a very wealthy fae, and The Infinity Institute couldn’t have come cheap. The Keenes were well-off, but they had nowhere near the net worth of dear old dad.

The door opened as we approached. Even though Missy had said she was there, the sight of Tina Keene’s puffy, red face made me stop in my tracks. She froze when she saw me. We stared at one another, neither of us speaking. I had a lot to say to her. Some nice things. Some not so much. Outside of her brother’s hospital room seemed like the wrong place and time.

Besides, I’d come for him. The coil of excited energy inside me refused to let a conversation with Tina derail me now. I stepped past her into the suite and heard her mutter under her breath, “I should’ve known.”

At first, I thought she meant she should’ve known about Laz. Then I saw the figure in the bed. Archer was sitting up, blinking like the dim lighting hurt his eyes. My jaw dropped, a sob welling in my throat.

“Winter?” he asked, voice raw and scratchy.

I nodded, tears pouring down my face.

He held his arms out to me. “You came,” Archer whispered.

I rushed over and fell into his embrace. “You woke up.”

He squeezed me with surprising strength for a guy who hadn’t used his muscles in years. “Every lifetime, for you.”

Chapter forty-four

Epilogue

Archer

One month later…

He watched her through the glass doors as she arranged and then rearranged the flowers in the vase—twice. Then, Winter adjusted the two chairs at the table, moving them next to one another only to shake her head and put them back across from each other. She was nervous, and he found it adorable.

They both wanted the weekend to be special. It was Archer’s first full forty-eight hours away from the hospital since waking. Winter came nearly every day to visit him, and they spent a lot of time walking around the grounds talking, but this trip was their first chance to be alone.

The doctor had only grudgingly agreed to the getaway, and only after a phone call from one of the hospital’s biggest donors—Walter Stolly. Winter’s father had yet to show his face in his daughter’s life, but his influence was everywhere. Archer thought his most recent round of test results might also be why the doctor relented in the end.

Archer’s body still wasn’t retaining magic as it should, unless the transfusion came from Winter. Her magic stayed in his veins for much longer and provided the biggest boost of any donor. This didn’t surprise Archer. He had no proof, but he suspected her mere existence was the real reason he was still alive. That their bond had kept him tethered to life all these years.

Winter set two covered dishes on the table and then looked up, as if feeling his gaze following her every step. She wore a blue sarong with colorful flowers, which she’d wound around her neck to make a halter dress. They’d spent the day by the pool and the sun had tanned her skin. Her green eyes were round and hopeful.

“The food’s gonna get cold,” she called, then reconsidered. “Or maybe hot. The menu was confusing.”

Archer stepped outside into the warm, tropical breeze.

“What exactly is in siren salad, anyway?” she asked.

He shook his head, a smile curving one corner of his mouth upward. Archer liked that she rambled when she was excited or nervous or hungry.

“It’s not, like, Ariel’s tail, right?” Winter watched him walk toward her with slow, deliberate steps.

Archer shrugged.

She narrowed her eyes. “Did you trade your voice to a sea witch?”

Moonlight glinted off the sun-streaked highlights in her brown hair. Her eyes danced like emeralds. Just like her power, her beauty increased with each incarnation.

“Say something, Archer. You’re being weird.” She put her hands on her hips, concern clouding her expression.

“In every life,” he stopped in front of her, “I never feel whole until I find you.”

She sucked in a breath as he reached for her waist.

“You have a piece of my heart from the day I’m born.” He slid his hands up her sides, and she threaded hers behind his head. “My whole heart is yours now. I love you, Winter.”

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