Page 56

"He'll be back soon.” Callum gazed at me, his eerily pale green eyes tracking my movements. "Stop wearing a path in Rowen's expensive flooring."

I shot him a glare but couldn't muster a retort. My nerves were frayed, my mind constantly circling back to the Shadow Beast and the haunting darkness that had tried to claim me in my sleep. The memory of those cold tendrils snaking around my consciousness made me shudder.

The sudden shift in the air's pressure was my only warning before the massive double doors swung open. I spun around, heart leaping into my throat.

Archer stood in the doorway, his raven-dark hair windblown, his ice-blue eyes finding mine immediately. Relief flooded through me at the sight of him, but it was quickly tempered by the grave expression on his face.

"What happened?" I asked, taking an involuntary step toward him. "What did she say?"

Rowen turned from the window. "You were gone longer than expected."

Archer moved into the room, letting the doors close behind him. He slipped off his leather jacket, and I noticed something clutched in his hand. A book that seemed to shimmer strangely in the light, its binding shifting between gold and silver.

"My mother had a lot to say.” His voice was low and controlled. Too controlled. "And she gave me this."

He held up the book, and I felt a strange pull toward it, a tingling sensation that raised the fine hairs on my arms.

"What is that?" Callum asked, uncoiling from his chair with predatory grace. "It feels... wrong."

"It's a heavenly text," Archer explained, his eyes never leaving the book. "One of the few things she took with her when she fell."

Rowen approached, his expression cautious. As he neared the book, a hiss escaped his lips and he jerked back, as if burned. "That thing is pure angelic energy. It's poison to full demons."

Archer nodded grimly. "Which is why I need your help, Callum. My mother said the book contains knowledge about the Shadow Beast. What it is, where it came from, how to fight it. But I can't safely open it here without some kind of containment spell to shield its energy."

Callum's eyes narrowed thoughtfully. "A containment spell? For angelic energy?" He rubbed his jaw. "I've never attempted that before, but... it's possible. Give me a moment to think."

While Callum mulled over the problem, Archer's gaze finally found mine again. Something in his expression shifted, softened. He crossed the room to me in three long strides.

"Are you okay?" he asked quietly, his hand coming up to cup my cheek.

The simple touch sent warmth cascading through me. I leaned into his palm. "I'm fine. Just... scared."

His thumb stroked across my cheekbone. "I know. But we're going to figure this out."

"I think I might have a solution," Callum announced, interrupting our moment. He gestured to the center of the room. "Bring the book to the table. I'm going to create a sphere of shadow that should neutralize the angelic energy without dampening the information within."

We gathered around the massive oak table at the center of the room. Archer placed the book carefully in the middle, and I couldn't help but stare at it. Despite its otherworldly appearance, it looked ancient, the kind of artifact that should be in a museum behind bulletproof glass.

Callum closed his eyes, his hands hovering over the book. The temperature in the room dropped several degrees as darkness began to pool from his fingertips.

Not ordinary darkness.

This was something deeper, more substantial, like liquid night.

"What exactly is he doing?" I whispered to Archer.

"Shadow manipulation is Callum's specialty," Archer explained quietly. "He's creating a barrier that will absorb the angelic energy without destroying the book itself."

The shadows wove themselves into an intricate dome over the tome, pulsing with faint iridescence where they contacted the book's surface. Callum's brow furrowed in concentration, beads of sweat forming at his temples.

"It's fighting me," he muttered through clenched teeth. "The light doesn't want to be contained."

Rowen placed a steadying hand on Callum's shoulder. "Focus. You can do this."

After another minute of intense concentration, the shadows solidified into a transparent dome that encased the book completely. Callum exhaled heavily and stepped back, wiping sweat from his forehead.

"That should hold," he ground out, weariness causing lines to appear around his eyes and mouth. "You can open it now, Archer, but I wouldn't recommend touching it directly. Use these." He conjured a pair of thin shadow gloves that he handed to Archer.