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"I imagine you are," Callum called from the stove, glancing over his shoulder with a grin that transformed his usually serious face. "You've been burning calories at an alarming rate."

I felt heat rise to my cheeks again, remembering flashes of the past three days, riding Callum while Rowen watched, taking Archer in my mouth while Callum fucked me from behind, all three of them surrounding me, filling me, claiming me in every way possible.

"I don't remember much," I confessed, though the lie was obvious from my blush.

"Liar," Archer murmured against my ear, his breath warm on my skin. "You remember exactly how good we made you feel."

Before I could formulate a response, Callum approached with a plate piled high with pancakes, bacon, and eggs. My stomach growled again at the sight, and I realized I was ravenous.

"Eat," Callum commanded, setting the plate before me. "You need to regain your strength."

I didn't need to be told twice. I dug in with enthusiasm, moaning around the first bite of pancake. "This is amazing," I mumbled through a mouthful of food.

Callum smiled, looking pleased with my reaction. "Slow down. There's plenty more."

As I ate, I became aware of a subtle shift in the dynamic between us. Something had changed during my heat, something fundamental in our bond. I couldn't put my finger on it exactly, but there was a new ease, a deeper connection that hadn't been there before.

The way Archer held me, his hand resting possessively on my thigh. The way Rowen watched me with those intense obsidian eyes. The way Callum smiled, softer and more open than I'd ever seen him. There was something different in all of it.

I paused with my fork halfway to my mouth, suddenly struck by the realization. "Something's different," I said, looking between them. "With us. With the bond."

Rowen nodded, his expression serious. "The claiming ritual during your primal celestial heat has strengthened our connection. We're more fully bonded now than before."

"I can feel you," Archer added, his hand tightening slightly on my thigh. "Not just physically, but here." He tapped his temple. "Your emotions, your thoughts—even more than before."

"I felt it too," I admitted. "Like I know what you're feeling without you saying anything." I turned to look at Callum. "You're worried about something."

Callum's eyebrows rose slightly. "Impressive. Yes, I am."

"What is it?" I asked, setting down my fork. "Is it the Shadow Beast?"

The three men exchanged glances, a silent communication passing between them.

"We believe your heat has temporarily weakened the barriers between realms," Rowen explained carefully. "The power you unleashed during the past three days... it was considerable."

"And the Shadow Beast feeds on such energy," Archer continued. "We need to move forward with our plan to forge Lightbringer soon, before it regains enough strength to come for you again."

I nodded, feeling a chill that had nothing to do with the temperature of the room. "Then that's what we'll do," I said with more confidence than I felt. "How soon can we start?"

"You need to rest first," Callum insisted, his pale green eyes intense. "Regain your strength. The forging ritual will require all of us at full power."

I wanted to argue, to insist we begin immediately, but the bone-deep exhaustion in my body told me he was right. I needed time to recover, to process the changes that had occurred during my heat.

"One day," I conceded, picking up my fork again. "I'll rest today, and tomorrow we forge Lightbringer."

The three of them nodded in agreement, and I returned to my breakfast, aware of their gazes on me, protective, possessive, and filled with something that looked suspiciously like love.

I knew that if I looked deep into my heart, I loved them without question. Although we hadn't said the words, other than Rowen, we knew what we all felt.

Whatever came next, whatever battles we faced, we would face them together. The bond between us had been tested in the crucible of my heat and emerged stronger than ever.

The Shadow Beast didn't stand a chance against what we had become.

54

Archer

The unease crawled under my skin like a living thing. I paced the length of our chambers, my daggers materializing and disappearing between my fingers with each turn. In thirty-six hours, we would descend to the deepest level of the Underworld, to the forge where Rowen's crown had been created, where his father had been born. There, we would attempt to transform Lightsbane into Lightbringer, our only hope against the Shadow Beast.