Page 11

Archer

I watched terror grip Sierra, her body twisting as she experienced Callum's pain through their connection.

Her silver hair splayed across the dark sheets, damp with sweat as the bond between her and the newly crowned Dark Fae king overwhelmed her senses.

Rowen held her shoulders, his obsidian eyes reflecting a rare display of concern.

"We need to get to him." The words left my mouth before I'd fully processed them.

Sierra's body suddenly went slack, the eerie green glow fading from her eyes as she slumped against the pillows. We both froze, watching as her chest rose and fell in shallow breaths.

"She's unconscious," I murmured, pressing two fingers to her neck. Her pulse raced beneath my touch, far too rapid for comfort. "The connection was too intense."

Rowen cursed, running a hand through his hair. "This is exactly why Callum can't be part of this. The bond is dangerous—it's affecting her too strongly."

"It's affecting her because it's incomplete," I countered, moving to the other side of the bed to face him directly. "You know how this works, Rowen. A partial bond is more dangerous than a complete one."

"The council?—"

"Fuck the council," I snapped, my patience evaporating.

I stood, my daggers materializing in my hands as I began to pace.

I twirled them between my fingers—a nervous habit I'd never been able to break.

"Since when does the Lord of the Underworld bow to a bunch of bloated aristocrats who haven't left their mansions in centuries? "

Rowen's eyes flashed with anger. "Watch yourself, assassin."

"I've served you for three hundred years, Rowen," I said, continuing to spin my daggers. "I've killed for you. I've bled for you. But I won't stand by while you let politics get in the way of what's right."

"Politics?" Rowen snarled, rising to his full height. His horns lengthened as shadows clustered around him. "If I cross into the Fae realm uninvited, it could be seen as an act of war. Kings don't visit other realms without formal invitation and extensive diplomatic preparation."

"This isn't a state visit," I replied, refusing to back down. "This is about her." I nodded toward Sierra's unconscious form. "And about what's happening in the Fae realm. You felt it too—something dark is rising. It took advantage of the death of your mother, and the wounding of Maxiun."

Rowen's jaw tightened. "All the more reason for me to stay here and secure my own realm."

"All the more reason for us to stand together," I argued. I took a deep breath, carefully choosing my next words. "Besides, we're not just kings and subjects anymore. We're part of the same bonded circle now. That changes the rules."

Rowen stilled, his gaze thoughtful. "Explain."

I slid my daggers back into their sheaths and approached him, lowering my voice.

"The ancient laws predate even the divisions between our realms. A bonded circle exists outside normal diplomatic protocols.

You wouldn't be visiting as the Lord of the Underworld. You'd be visiting as Callum's bonded."

"We haven't completed the bond," Rowen pointed out.

"But the connection exists. We all felt it through Sierra just now." I gestured toward her still form. "And these are extraordinary circumstances. Callum didn't just take the throne—he ascended during a crisis after his father died. A father you also had a relationship with."

Rowen's tail lashed, but less aggressively now. He was considering it.

I pressed my advantage. "Besides, it's time, Rowen. It's time for you and your brother to reconcile."

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "That's none of your concern."

"It is when it affects all of us." I met his gaze steadily. "You both lost the same mother. You can grieve together. You should honor her memory together."

"Don't speak of my mother," he growled, though I heard pain beneath the anger.

"She would have wanted her sons united," I said quietly. "You know that."

"She's the one that parted us after my father died.

" Rowen turned away, his shoulders tense.

For a long moment, he stared into the shadows gathering in the corners of the room.

When he spoke again, his voice was rougher.

"Even if I agreed, Callum can't leave the Fae realm so soon after ascending.

The magic that crowned him will bind him to the land for at least a moon cycle. "

"Then we go to him," I said simply. "All three of us."

Rowen laughed harshly. "And leave my realm undefended while the council plots behind my back? I don't think so."

"Appoint a regent. Designate one of your loyal lords to oversee things for a few days."

"A few days," Rowen scoffed. "You think this will be resolved in a few days?"

A soft moan from the bed interrupted us. Sierra was stirring, her eyelids fluttering. I moved to her side immediately, taking her hand in mine.

"Sierra? Can you hear me?"

She blinked slowly, her silver eyes focusing on my face. "Archer?" Her voice was hoarse. "What happened?"

"You connected with Callum through the bond," I explained, brushing damp strands of hair from her face. "It was intense."

Sierra tried to sit up, wincing. "He's hurting. And scared, though he'd never admit it." Her gaze shifted to Rowen. "We need to go to him."

Rowen sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "Not you too."

"I felt it," Sierra insisted, her voice stronger now. "Something dark is there, something that feels... wrong. Cold. Like it's draining the life from everything it touches."

A chill ran down my spine at her words. I'd heard whispers of such a power in the darkest corners of the shadow realm. If it was what I suspected...

"Rowen," I said, my voice deadly serious, "who knows what the fuck this rising darkness is. But if it's as ominous as it feels, then it will consume all the realms."

Rowen's eyes met mine, and I knew we were thinking the same thing. The ancient texts spoke of a power that predated even the separation of the realms, a hungry darkness that devoured magic itself.

"Even if that's true," he said carefully, "how does us rushing to the Fae realm help? We'd just be putting all our eggs in one basket."

"Because Sierra's power is the key," I replied, glancing down at her. "But it isn't fully awakened yet."

Understanding dawned in Rowen's eyes. "And it won't be until..."

"Until she completes the bond with all three of her mates," I finished. "Until her heat is satisfied."

Sierra's cheeks flushed, but she nodded. "I can feel it building again, stronger this time. Like a storm gathering under my skin."

Rowen ran a hand over his face. "I'd hoped we'd have more time before the next wave hit."

"We don't," I said bluntly. "And when it comes, she'll need all three of us. You know what happens to fated mates who try to endure their heat with an incomplete bond."

Rowen's expression darkened. We both knew the stories—madness, physical agony, sometimes even death. The primal heat of a powerful being like Sierra would be catastrophic if not properly channeled and sated.

"She needs to be knotted by all three of her mates," I said, ignoring Sierra's sharp intake of breath at my crude but accurate description. "Not one. Not two. All of us."

Silence fell over the room. Sierra's hand tightened around mine, her pulse quickening. I could feel her temperature rising already, the early stirrings of her heat responding to our discussion of the bond.

"Callum can't come to us," I continued softly. "Not now. The magic of his realm has claimed him. So we must go to him."

Sierra sat up straighter, her silver hair falling around her shoulders like a curtain. "Please, Rowen. I don't understand everything that's happening to me, but I know we need to be together. All four of us."

Rowen's obsidian eyes softened as he looked at her. Even with his immense power, he wasn't immune to her appeal, to the pull of the bond forming between them. Between all of us.

"Three days," he finally said, his voice firm. "We go for three days. If we haven't resolved the immediate threat by then, I must return to secure the Underworld."

Relief washed through me. "Thank you."

Rowen's gaze sharpened. "Don't thank me yet. If this turns into the diplomatic disaster I'm expecting, you'll be the one explaining to the council why I ignored their vote."

"Gladly," I replied with a thin smile. "I've always enjoyed making Lord Asmodeus squirm."

Sierra pushed back the sheets and moved to stand, but her legs buckled. I caught her before she could fall, lifting her easily into my arms. Her skin was hot to the touch, warmer than it should be.

"Her heat is accelerating," I murmured to Rowen, concern creeping into my voice. "The connection with Callum triggered something."

Rowen's nostrils flared as he caught her scent. "We need to move quickly then."

"How do we get to the Fae realm?" Sierra asked, her arms looped around my neck. "I've never traveled between worlds before. Except with you between here and the human realm."

"There are gates," Rowen explained, already moving toward the doorway. "Permanent passages between the realms, heavily guarded and regulated."

I shook my head. "Too slow. And too public. Every guard and official would see the Lord of the Underworld crossing into Fae territory. Without an invitation as our Lord so graciously pointed out several times."

Rowen paused and gritted his teeth. His dark eyes flashed red in annoyance. "What do you suggest then?"

I shifted Sierra in my arms, feeling the subtle tremble running through her body. "I can use the shadow paths. They connect all the realms, bypassing the official gates."

"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.