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I stared at her extended hand, torn between my desperate need to find answers and the undeniable pull she exerted on me. "Sierra, I need to finish this. If I can just figure out?—"

"You can't help me if you collapse," she interrupted with her fingers on my lips. Her expression softened, and then she cupped my face in her hands. "I need you strong, Archer. Not burned out from pushing yourself past your limits."

The gentleness in her touch undid me more effectively than any argument could have. I leaned into her palm, my eyes closing briefly as exhaustion washed over me in a wave.

"I can't lose you," I admitted, the words raw and vulnerable in a way I rarely allowed myself to be. "I can't just sit by while this thing tears you apart from the inside."

Sierra's eyes welled with tears, but she blinked them back. "You're not going to lose me. But right now, I need my mate to come to bed." She held out her hand again. "Please."

The plea in her voice was my undoing. I looked at the scattered books and notes, knowing I should continue, knowing there might be crucial information waiting to be discovered. But Sierra was here, now, asking for me.

I slipped my dagger into its sheath and placed my hand in hers, allowing her to pull me to my feet. The room swayed alarmingly as I stood, and I had to brace myself against the table.

Sierra slid under my arm, her small body providing surprising support as she turned me toward the door. "See? This is exactly why I came looking for you. You're dead on your feet."

I allowed her to guide me from the library, my arm draped heavily across her shoulders. "The texts?—"

"Will still be there tomorrow," she finished for me. "After you've slept and eaten something." Her arm tightened around my waist. "I need you at your best, Archer. We all do."

The sincerity in her voice penetrated the fog of my exhaustion. She was right. I couldn't help anyone in this state. And yet, the fear of wasting precious time gnawed at me.

"Ten days isn't very long," I murmured, my feet moving automatically as we traversed the corridor toward our chambers.

"It's long enough," she replied with a confidence I wished I could share. "Especially if you're not driving yourself into the ground."

As we approached our bedroom door, I could sense Rowen and Callum inside. The knowledge that the rest of our strange, perfect family waited for us eased something tight in my chest. They were here. Sierra was here, solid and warm against my side.

For now, maybe that was enough.

45

Sierra

Something primal had taken hold of me.

I couldn't explain it. It was this overwhelming urge that had seized me shortly after waking. My fingers itched with the need to gather, to build, tocreate. The sensation had grown stronger throughout the morning until I couldn't ignore it any longer.

That's how I'd ended up here, in the center of our massive bed, surrounded by every soft thing I could find in our chambers.

"Sierra, love, what exactly are you doing?" Rowen asked, his deep voice tinged with amusement.

I didn't look up, too focused on arranging a particularly plush throw blanket into the curved wall I was building around the perimeter of the bed. "I need more pillows," I muttered, ignoring his question entirely.

The mattress dipped as Callum sat on the edge, watching me with those eerie pale green eyes. "Is this a human thing?" he asked, genuine curiosity in his voice.

"No," I answered distractedly, tugging at the corner of a duvet that wasn't lying quite right. "I don't know what it is. Ijust..." I gestured helplessly at the half-formed structure around me. "I need to do this."

Understanding dawned on Callum's face. "Ah, it's an omega thing. You're nesting," he said, a slow smile spreading across his features. "I've heard about this."

Rowen nodded in agreement. "I've heard about it too, never seen it before. It's fairly rare in supernaturals."

"Nesting?" I asked, half listening to their conversation as I continued trying to get this one blanket just where I wanted it.

"It's an instinct," Callum explained, his voice taking on that scholarly tone he used when sharing something from his vast repository of knowledge. "Some creatures prepare a safe, comfortable space before giving birth or during mating seasons. It seems Sierra's primal instincts are kicking in."

I paused in my arranging, blinking at them. "That's... actually exactly what this feels like." I looked down at my hands, which hadn't stopped moving the entire time, smoothing and patting the blankets. "It's like something else is driving me. I just know I need to make this perfect."

Rowen's eyes softened with understanding. "Her heat is getting closer. Seven days until her birthday."