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"That's even worse," Rowen argued. "Those paths are outright forbidden to outsiders. If we're caught?—"

"We won't be," I interrupted. "I've been traveling them for centuries. I know how to move unseen."

Rowen's tail twitched with agitation. "Why am I not surprised that my brother's shadow paths are as familiar to you as my own halls?"

I shrugged, careful not to jostle Sierra. "I go where I'm needed."

"And yet your loyalty has never been in question," Rowen mused, more to himself than to me. "Very well. We use the shadow paths. But we go directly to Callum's private chambers. No witnesses."

"Of course." I nodded, relieved he hadn't asked about my occasional missions to the Fae realm. Some secrets were better left buried.

Sierra stirred in my arms, her silver eyes finding mine. "Will it hurt? Traveling through shadows?"

I smiled down at her. "No. For you, it will feel like stepping through a cool mist. Stay close to me, and you'll be fine."

"How soon can we leave?" Rowen asked, his practical nature reasserting itself.

"I need to gather some supplies," I replied. "Weapons mainly. And Sierra should dress." I glanced down at her state of undress, still wrapped in nothing but a sheet. "The Fae court is more formal than yours. Even if we go straight to Callum, we need to appear as if we belong."

Rowen nodded. "One hour. Then we go."

As he strode from the room to make his own preparations, Sierra leaned her head against my shoulder. "Thank you," she whispered, her breath warm against my neck.

"For what?"

"For pushing for this. For understanding that we need to be together." Her fingers traced the line of my jaw. "I can feel him, Archer. Callum. It's like... like there's an empty space inside me that's shaped exactly like him."

I set her gently on her feet, keeping an arm around her waist to steady her. "I understand better than you know. The bond affects us all, Sierra. It calls to us, pulls us together."

Her gaze was searching. "Even you and Rowen? And Callum? You feel it too, not just with me?"

I hesitated, then nodded. "Four souls intertwined, and it's not just three men sharing one woman. It's... complicated."

Her lips curved in a small smile, but he was thankful she didn't scoff at the implication of a polyamorous relationship. "That seems to be the theme here."

I laughed softly, bending to press a kiss to her forehead. "Indeed it does. Now, let's find you some clothes suitable for meeting a Fae king."

As I helped Sierra prepare for our journey, I couldn't shake the foreboding that had settled in my gut. The shadow was rising, Callum was in danger, and Sierra's powers were awakening faster than any of us had anticipated. We were rushing headlong into the very heart of a storm.

And yet, for the first time in my long existence, I felt something close to hope. The four of us would stand together against whatever darkness threatened the realms.

Whether we would survive it... that remained to be seen.

11

Sierra

The heat beneath my skin pulsed like a second heartbeat. My body felt foreign.

Too warm. Too sensitive. My nerves were singing with each accidental brush of his fingers against my bare skin. The thin sheet was my only covering, and even that felt abrasive against my hypersensitive flesh.

"Here," Archer said, setting me down on the edge of his bed. "I have clothes that will suit you better for the Fae realm."

He moved to a massive wardrobe carved from some midnight-black wood, his daggers catching the light as he reached inside. I couldn't help but watch the play of muscles across his back, the way his dark hair fell forward as he bent to retrieve something from a lower drawer.

My mouth went dry. Gods, what was happening to me? Every movement, every subtle shift of his body registered like a physical touch. The bond. The heat. Whatever this was, it was growing stronger by the minute.

"Try these," he said, turning with a bundle of fabric in his arms. If he noticed my flushed cheeks or dilated pupils, he didn't comment.