Page 65

"You fools!" it shrieked, lashing out with renewed fury. Tendrils of darkness shot toward us from all directions.

I pulled Sierra close with my free arm, continuing to wield Lightsbane with the other. The sword moved almost of its own accord now, slicing through each tendril before it could reach us. Where the blade cut, the darkness didn't reform.

"We need to find its center," Sierra whispered against my ear. "Every being has a core. Even this ancient thing."

I nodded, scanning the writhing mass of shadows before us. There. A deeper darkness, a stillness amidst the chaotic movement. "Hold tight," I murmured, then launched us forward, using my Fae strength to propel us toward the creature's heart.

The Shadow Beast sensed our intent, its form contracting defensively. "You cannot destroy us," it insisted, its voice no longer confident but shrill with fear. "We are eternal! We are the darkness that transcends realms!"

"Then consider us the dawn," I replied, driving Lightsbane directly into that central darkness.

Light and shadow exploded outward from the point of impact. The Shadow Beast's scream became deafening, the sound vibrating through my very bones. It was able to pull away just enough that we didn’t fully pierce its heart.

But we were able to wound it.

"This isn't the end," it howled as its form collapsed inward. "We will return and take what is rightfully ours!"

A concussive blast threw us backward as the beast retreated.

I wrapped myself around Sierra, taking the brunt of the impact as we tumbled through nothingness. For a terrifying moment, I thought we might fall forever through this void, butthen solid ground materialized beneath us, and warmth replaced the bone-deep cold.

We landed hard on a familiar floor. Rowen's bedroom. Archer and Rowen jolted awake beside us, confusion and alarm on their faces.

"What happened?" Rowen demanded, reaching for Sierra. "You both disappeared. One moment you were here, the next gone."

Archer's hands moved over us, checking for injuries. "You're freezing," he murmured, pulling us both close.

Sierra shivered against me, her eyes no longer glowing but still wide with residual fear and power. "The Shadow Beast," she explained, her voice hoarse. "It pulled us into its realm."

"We fought it," I added, Lightsbane still clutched in my hand, though the blade had returned to its normal appearance. "Sierra found a way to combine our powers. Light and shadow together."

"You destroyed it?" Archer asked, hope and disbelief mingling in his voice. But there was something else there. A glimmer in his eye as his gaze lingered on Lightsbane.

Sierra shook her head, her lips pursed. "We banished it, I think. It said it would return."

I let Lightsbane dissolve back into shadow. There was a feeling deep within my gut that told me the sword was part of the puzzle and we'd be needing it desperately. Especially with how Archer was looking at it. "We wounded it. It will take time to recover, but I feel like it’ll be back."

Rowen pulled Sierra against his chest, his eyes meeting mine over her head. For once, there was no challenge in his gaze. Only a shared concern and something that might have been respect.

"How did you get back?" he asked.

I looked at Sierra, who was nestled between Archer and Rowen now, their warmth chasing away the chill of the shadowrealm. "I don't know," I admitted. "When we struck it, there was an explosion, and then... we were here. Fuck, I wasn’t able to fully pierce its heart. If I’d been able to, I might have destroyed it.”

"The bond," Archer suggested, one hand reaching out to grasp mine. "When you disappeared, we could still feel you. Distant, but there. Maybe that connection pulled you back."

The thought was both comforting and terrifying. That our lives were now so intertwined that not even separate realms could truly divide us. I'd spent centuries maintaining my independence, and now I was bound to these three in ways I was only beginning to understand.

Sierra's hand found mine again, squeezing gently. "We need to prepare." Her voice was stronger now. "It will come back, and next time it will be ready for us."

"Next time, we'll face it together," Rowen declared, his arm tightening around Sierra. "All four of us."

I nodded, looking at each of them in turn: my brother, our angel-demon, and the remarkable witch who had somehow brought us together. For the first time in my long life, I didn't feel alone in facing whatever darkness lay ahead.

"Together," I agreed, and felt the bond between us pulse in response, stronger than before.

27

Archer