Page 106 of Shades of Silver City

“Just relax and let me take the lead,” he says. “Will that help?”

His scent—natural, manly, with a subtle hint of smoke—fills my nose, and my insides begin to melt.

The air between us crackles, and suddenly, the back seat is much too small. We’re too close.

He pulls back slightly to scrutinize me, but he’s still leaning into my space.

The car jerks, and we jolt to the side as Godric swears under his breath. Archer’s arm flashes out, and he braces himself against my door so he won’t crush me with his muscular body.

“Sorry bout that!” Godric calls back with a chuckle.

There’s humor in his voice, but I’m too distracted to wonder if his swerving was intentional. I’m busy being caged in by Archer. Instead of releasing me, he remains there with his right arm reaching across me. His jaw clenches, and he gives me a concerned look, his golden eyes roaming my face.

“You okay?” he asks.

“Yes,” I whisper. My heart thumps rapidly.

We stay like that, staring at each other, for an extended minute.

My cheeks flush. Why is he not making any move to pull back? His eyes flick to my lips, then back up. Heat builds in my stomach, blossoming lower and lower. I freeze in anticipation of his next move.

“What’re you doing?” I finally mumble.

His brows rise. “Waiting for you to let go of me.”

It takes me a second to realize I have him in a death grip, my hands clutching onto his biceps.

“Sorry,” I mutter, releasing him.

Smiling softly, he settles back into his own space and adjusts his jacket. If my cheeks weren’t already blazing before, they’re flaming now.

When we pull up to the hall, my lungs squeeze. Massive spotlights illuminate the property. The angular building, made mostly of dark stone, stretches wide and tall. It has a steepled roof made of iron and sits atop a small hill. An abundance of stairs stretch from the street up to the entrance.

In the distance, beyond the hall, a section of the wall separating Silver City from the Wilds is visible.

My heart thumps in overdrive, and I lean closer to my window, desperate to get a better look. The wall has the same grim, dark coloring as Splendor Hall, almost blending into the shadows completely, and it stands at least a dozen stories high, running as far as the eye can see in each direction.

I never stray near the wall. I’ve always heard it’s where the majority of Scouts roam, on the lookout for fae enemies who might attempt to breach the barrier.

Shuddering, I tear my eyes away from it. “I didn’t realize we’d be so close to the wall,” I mutter.

Godric snorts, his eyes meeting mine in the mirror. “A reminder of what the hall is for—worshiping our wonderful Council and the High Chancellor himself, for protecting us from the treachery beyond.” Sarcasm drips from his words.

“I hate these events,” Archer mutters, rubbing his jaw as Godric drives us closer to the entrance, where all sorts of well-dressed, masked folks climb the stone stairs. “But now that the lab’s destroyed, we can see who’s really behind the endeavors at Mesmeric.”

We come to a complete stop at the curb. Godric puts the car in park.

“What?” I scrunch my nose. “Destroyed?”

Archer and Godric go silent, exchanging a look in the mirror. “It…burned down,” Archer says. Godric makes a noise in his throat, and Archer’s cheeks turn red. “I burned it down.”

My eyes just about pop out of my head. “You burned it down?”

“Not entirely. Just a portion.” He scratches the back of his neck nervously. “We have a plan. Tonight is a fundraising event for Mesmeric—or, it was supposed to be. Without a lab, there are no experiments. There is no dreamdust—so we theorize.”

“But they’ll just build a new lab,” I say, not following.

“Exactly,” Godric says.

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