Chapter 67: The Red String Between Mates

A deep frown appeared on Summer’s face because she hadn’t heard Archer coming at all before he suddenly spoke.

That was honestly kind of creepy.

"You’re already out of prison?" Summer asked as she placed the framed picture back on the shelf. "That was fast."

Before Archer could respond, Summer continued, "How did you know I’m here?" She narrowed her eyes, looking at him suspiciously. "Did you put a tracking device on me?"

Archer looked surprised by the sudden question. She didn’t just look annoyed anymore, but she actually looked angry.

To be honest, Summer had always been sensitive when it came to tracking devices.

Back in her old world, the scientists had placed so many tracking devices inside her body that she had never truly had any freedom. She could never go anywhere without them knowing exactly where she was.

That was also why she had believed they wanted her dead when she got trapped inside the rift without her ability. The fact that no one came looking for her made it clear that they had wanted to get rid of her without telling her anything.

"No, I didn’t put a tracking device on you," Archer quickly said. Then he paused. "I mean, yes, I can tell where you are, but it’s biological. I can’t remove it."

He pulled his collar down slightly, revealing the flower-shaped mark Summer had left on him before. "You can track my location too, if you want."

"Oh..." The tension in Summer’s body slowly disappeared when she finally understood what he meant. "I see."

Unlike the scientists who had placed tracking devices inside her body, Archer could sense her location through their mate bond.

According to legend, the universe had given mates this ability so they could always find each other, even if oceans or mountains stood between them.

A moment later, Summer pressed her lips into a thin line and lowered her head slightly, suddenly feeling a little embarrassed for accusing him of something he hadn’t even done.

"How does it work?" Summer asked after a moment. "If I want to know where you are, how do I do it? Can I check it through my terminal?"

Archer shook his head. "We don’t need any technology for that."

He stepped closer to her and gently moved his fingers downward, signaling for her to close her eyes.

"You just need to think about your mate."

Summer let out a small sigh. "But I already know you’re standing right in front of me. I guess I can’t really test it right now."

Archer gave a low chuckle. "Then why don’t you try finding Ilya instead?"

Summer already knew where Ilya was too, but since he wasn’t standing right in front of her, maybe it would still work.

"I can try," she said.

"Once you start thinking about him, do it the same way you would if you were trying to enter his mental sea," Archer explained softly. "Let your mind reach out to his."

Summer still wasn’t completely sure what she was supposed to do, but just like Archer said, she simply tried to imagine herself entering Ilya’s mental sea.

Little by little, a red string appeared inside her mind.

It was connected to her, stretching straight toward Ilya in the kitchen. For a moment, Summer even felt as if a small part of her soul had traveled all the way to him because she could see Ilya standing there, busy preparing food.

"I did it!" Summer exclaimed happily, but because of that, her connection to Ilya was immediately cut off. "Damn it!"

"It’s fine," Archer reassured her. "Seeing your mate for even a few seconds is already enough. Your heart will tell you which way to go."

The more Summer thought about it, the more useful the ability seemed. It would be especially helpful when they were too far apart and simply wanted to check on each other.

"But doesn’t that mean you can also use it to spy on me?" Summer asked, narrowing her eyes at him.

Instead of denying it, Archer turned his head to the side and murmured, "I won’t do it again."

So he really had spied on her!

Summer let out a long sigh when she realized that.

"Well, it’s not like I won’t use it to spy on you too in the future," Summer said at last. "Just don’t overdo it."

Archer was about to say something, but before he could, Ilya walked over after hearing another voice coming from Summer’s direction.

"When did you get out of prison?" Ilya asked.

Archer answered casually, "Just a few minutes ago."

For a moment, neither of them said anything. They simply stood there with a noticeable distance between them.

Maybe their last argument had made things awkward.

"I brought you mango cake," Archer said at last.

He held out a bakery box toward Ilya. There was barely any expression on his face, but Ilya knew this was his way of apologizing for saying something harsh to him earlier.

"Thanks," Ilya replied as he took the box from him. "I just made dinner. You should stay."

Archer opened his mouth to answer, but then stopped for a second as if changing his mind. "I should probably go home. It’s been a long day, and I—"

"Just stay," Ilya cut him off. "It’s not like you have any food at your place anyway."

"Yeah," Summer suddenly added. "We bought a lot of food earlier. There’s more than enough for the three of us."

The moment Summer invited him, Archer answered without hesitation. "Okay."

Ilya’s eye twitched slightly. His brother clearly had a new favorite person now, and he was doing a terrible job of hiding it.

But it wasn’t like Ilya was any better.

He had barely cooked lately, yet somehow he had suddenly started doing it again because of Summer.

At this point, both brothers were simping way too hard.

"Go take a shower first," Ilya told Archer.

His eyes moved over him from head to toe, and he quickly realized that Archer was probably still wearing the same clothes from yesterday.

"You can borrow my clothes," he added.