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Camden scoffed, dropping himself loudly into the nearest chair. “By all means,Professor.”

Archer gave him a pointed look, and waited for Julian to be seated. “Hey, are you hungry?” he asked.

Julian shook his head. “Not right now. I’ll eat after a nap andthen head to the gym. Sorry about cutting you off earlier, I…”

Archer held out his hand to stop him. “Don’t worry, I get it. Besides, if any of us deserve to be a little selfish right now, it’s you.”

I raised my bottle to him, perhaps with a bit too much snark, and took a long swig. Cam shot me a dirty look and growled.

Shit, I was already going against Marlowe’s last request. I averted my gaze and put the bottle on the table.

Archer cleared his throat and began. “As I was trying to tell you all earlier, I’ve discovered a giant lie about the Great War—we weren’t against the vampyrs.”

We all sat up a little straighter, and Julian’s head tilted slightly in confusion.

“The vampyrs were fightingwithus.”

Cam scoffed. “Those bloodsuckers were on our side? I call bullshit.”

Archer took out the journal he’d shown us last night, opening to a page and reading out loud. “Francis and I took advantage of our leave to spend a spell in Sedona itself. Elizabeth, my darling omega, eagerly awaited my return with the rest of the pack, so I was there simply to drink and unwind. Yet poor Francis had gone without blood for over a week. I lent him my assistance in securing the company of a charming young lady, diverting her companion so that the two might find a private room for the evening. It was imperative for him to be at full strength should the fae breach the veil once more.”

“Hold on, you’re saying we were fightingfae?” I asked. “Fae. Like, little magic creatures with wings? And you’re basing this off some random journal you found at a college library? Versus how much written and oral evidence we have to the contrary?”

“Marlowe’s brother said we were a type of fae.”

I turned towards Julian, and his cheeks reddened a bit from speaking up, but he slowly continued. “I mean… it kind of makes sense. Why do shifters and vamps even exist in this world? How can we do shit like transform into wolves or fly if not because of magic?” He paused, looking around the table. “Right?”

Archer nodded and then looked at me. “Elias, I told you about the results of the Luminis I found in your and Marlowe’s blood. It contains compounds not of this Earth. There’s no scientific explanation for it.”

I picked up my beer again, inspecting the label as I thought. I could see the pieces laid out in front of me, but the whole picture Archer was describing was just too fantastical to believe.

Thankfully Nolan, the piece of shit, was on my side.

“Look, it’s a really compelling story, but what about the ‘whys’—why we joined together to fight the fae, why the fae were attacking us in the first place, and why both of our communities decided to lie about it. I mean, how is that even possible? The last shifters who fought in the Great War died maybe twenty years ago or so. You’re telling me not one of them ever let it slip on their deathbeds that the narrative had been false this whole time?”

I pointed towards him with my beer. “All excellent points.” I took another swig and then put down the bottle. “Come on, Archer, you’re supposed to be the smart one, here.”

He growled. “Then why is the same prophecy we found on Marlowe’s photograph referenced in here?” Archer turned to the page and showed me, pointing to a passage aggressively. “This male goes on at length about how the fae had been raiding shifter communities looking for boy-girl twins, about how the vampyrs joined us because the fae were also trying to eradicate them, purely out of hate for their kind.”

Cam chuckled. “Well, can’t really blame them, there.”

Archer slammed his hand down in frustration. He rarely got that angry, and it was almost funny to watch our calm professor get so worked up. At least it was a diversion from how shitty I was feeling. “This is serious!When,” he emphasized, looking at Julian, “…we win the Rite, we need to be ready to face the next challenge. So while Julian is busy, the rest of us should be preparing ourselves for…”

“Tinker Bell!” I yelled, laughing while Archer bared his teeth. Cam’s mouth quirked up for a moment, but everyone else remained uncomfortably silent.

Whatever.

“And what about her scent, hm? You agreed back in Chicago that her scent is especially powerful. I saw a human man fall under her spell—have you ever heard of that happening before?”

I swallowed glumly, remembering what Marlowe had told me a few days ago about so many males picking up on her scent, as though she were their match.

Camden rubbed the bridge of his nose, grunting in frustration. “Look, Archer, if you want to pursue this, go ahead. I don’t know what the hell to think of it, but right now, I can only concentrate on the Rite and making sure Julian is ready. Besides, we should probably wait for Marlowe, anyway. I’m sure she wants to be a part of this discussion.”

“She already believes me,” he replied flatly. “We discussed it during our time together.”

“Oh Moon,” I laughed. Yeah, I was being shitty, but I was in pain and I wanted to drag everyone down with me. “I love you, Archer, but that’s the nerdiest shit I’ve ever heard of in my life. Can you imagine, being knotted to the most beautiful, smoking hot omega in existence, and you’re talking about historical research breakthroughs?”

Archer rolled his eyes, like he was about to chastise me for being so crude. “I’m sorry, but some of us don’t like to spend our time with Marlowe hitting her so hard it leaves bruises.”