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As I approached, Callum winked at me, then dotted Sierra's collarbone with whipped cream. "Archer, I think I missed a spot. Care to help?"

The invitation in his eyes was clear, the playfulness infectious despite my troubled thoughts. I bent down, pressing my lips to Sierra's skin, tasting sweetness and the salt of her flesh. Her breath caught as my tongue cleaned away the cream, her hand coming up to tangle in my hair.

"You're all terrible distractions," she murmured, but the color rising in her cheeks told a different story.

For a while, I lost myself in the moment. In the simple pleasure of four bodies moving in a cramped kitchen, in stolen kisses and playful touches. Pancake batter splashed ontocountertops, berries were eaten directly from the container, and Callum demonstrated an impressive ability to flip pancakes that had Sierra clapping like a child at a show.

But through it all, the knowledge of what I'd recognized, what I needed to tell them, sat heavy in my gut. I caught myself staring at Callum's hands, wondering if he knew what he truly possessed in Lightsbane. Wondering if he understood the price the prophecy demanded for using it against the Shadow Beast. Damn it, I needed to get back to studying that book.

One of dual blood must sacrifice what they hold most dear...

The words of the prophecy ran through my head, haunting me.

"Earth to Archer," Sierra's voice broke through my thoughts. She stood before me with her head tilted in concern. "You've been stirring that batter into submission for five minutes. It's definitely mixed."

I blinked down at the bowl in my hands, not remembering when I'd taken it from her. "Sorry," I muttered. "Distracted."

Her fingers brushed mine as she took the bowl. "Is it about what happened? In the shadow realm?"

"In a way," I admitted, keeping my voice low though I knew both Callum and Rowen had excellent hearing. They were arguing over proper pancake-to-syrup ratios at the stove, but I had no doubt they were monitoring our conversation.

Sierra's eyes, intelligent and far too perceptive, studied my face. "You recognized something," she said simply. Not a question.

I nodded, unable to lie to her. "After we eat," I promised, echoing what I'd told Rowen. "I'll explain everything then."

She held my gaze for a long moment, then leaned up to press a soft kiss to the corner of my mouth. "Okay," she agreed. "But no more stirring that batter like you're trying to drown it."

I managed a genuine laugh at that, some of the tension easing from my shoulders. "Yes, ma'am."

As we settled around the table with heaping plates of pancakes, fresh fruit, and enough syrup to send us all into sugar comas, I watched the three of them interact. Rowen, regal even in casual clothes, his tail occasionally brushing against Sierra's leg beneath the table. Callum, centuries old but bright with mischief as he stole berries from Sierra's plate. And Sierra herself, her silver hair twisted into a messy bun, looking both vulnerable and powerful in the morning light.

The burden of knowledge pressed down on me. Knowing what we faced. Knowing what the prophecy demanded. Knowing that to save our omega and our world, terrible sacrifices would be required. But watching them laugh together, seeing the bonds forming between all of us, I made a silent vow.

I would do what was right to save Sierra, to protect what we were building together. Whatever the cost.

28

Sierra

Isettled deeper into Callum's lap, my stomach pleasantly full from our pancake feast. His fingers traced lazy patterns up and down my arm, the gentle touch both comforting and electric. The kitchen was quiet now, dishes stacked neatly in the sink. Rowen had insisted we'd deal with them later.

Archer sat across from us, his posture rigid despite the casual setting. Those ice-blue eyes of his kept darting to Callum's side where Lightsbane rested against the wall, never far from its master. Something about that sword troubled him deeply.

"You're thinking too loud," Callum murmured against my hair, his lips brushing my temple.

I sighed, leaning into his touch. "Can you blame me?"

The memory of the Shadow Beast crept back into my consciousness. That bone-deep chill that had settled into my marrow when it spoke to me.You will be mine.I shivered involuntarily, the phantom cold returning despite the warmth of Callum's body.

"Hey," Callum tightened his hold, pressing a kiss to my forehead. "Things will be alright. We're together in this."

I wanted to believe him. God, how I wanted to. But the darkness I'd felt in that realm wasn't something that could be banished with optimism alone.

"How long do we have?" I asked, my voice smaller than I intended. "Before it returns? And what's the plan when it does?"

Rowen's obsidian eyes flicked to Archer, whose jaw had tightened at my questions. The tension in the room thickened.

"Archer." I met his gaze directly. "Whatever's in that book your mother gave you. That's the key to everything, isn't it?"