Page 4

Archer

I n all of my centuries of existence, I'd never met a creature as fascinating and as infuriating as Sierra Grant. I was bound to Rowen from birth, a present from my parents to the demon lord.

Present was too strong a word.

I was payment for my father's bargain years earlier.

My father was a lower demon, with barely enough power to go into the mortal realm.

My mother on the other hand…was a different entity entirely.

Way more powerful than my father deserved in a mate.

The angelic blood that flowed through her veins—blood that now tainted mine—made her a prize beyond his station.

A prize he'd schemed and lied to obtain.

Dear old Mum had no clue the bargain my dad made in order to fool her into mating with him. The first-born child—me—traded away like livestock before I even existed. Sometimes I wondered if she ever regretted it, if she ever looked for me after I was taken. I doubted it.

I shook my head, clearing my thoughts as we rematerialized in my private area of Rowen's dominion in Hell. The familiar scent of brimstone and incense filled my nostrils, a strange comfort after the chaos we'd left behind.

Sierra sputtered and cursed as I set her down on the edge of the bed and worked at her bindings.

Her silver hair fell across her face as she glared up at me, those fierce eyes promising retribution.

Examining the enchanted ties, I whispered a quick counter spell and pulled a dagger from its sheath beneath the leg of my pants.

The familiar weight of the blade against my palm centered me, as it always did.

"You just have daggers everywhere, don't you?" Sierra lifted a brow and eyed the silver metal in my hands as I easily sliced through her bindings. There was a hint of reluctant admiration in her voice that pleased me more than it should have.

"Pretty much," I replied with a smirk on my face, twirling the blade between my fingers before returning it to its sheath.

Gods knew how much we obsessed over this woman—this omega—over the past decade.

The way she moved, the way she challenged everything and everyone around her.

The raw power that simmered beneath her surface, still untapped.

And no, it wasn't just Rowen. I'd watched her grow from afar, feeling something shift inside me with each passing year.

She sighed and rubbed at her wrists for a moment before I pushed her hands away and drew my own fingers over her flesh. Was it an excuse to touch her? Of fucking course it was. I'd waited long enough.

Her skin was so soft. Smooth. Utter perfection, just like the rest of the spitfire sitting before me.

I took in the piercings in her lower lip and nose, the way they caught the dim light of my quarters.

Then her natural silver hair that hung perfectly straight to just below her breasts, unusual and alluring—much like the woman herself.

Fuck, she'd grown into her curves and had a body that I couldn't wait to sink my cock into. The thought alone made my ice-blue eyes darken with desire. A desire I'd been tamping down for far too long.

Rowen was going to blow his load when he finally got a good look at her in her entirety. The thought amused me—his obsession had been building for far longer than mine, and I knew exactly what effect Sierra would have on him.

"So are you going to tell me what the deal with Callum is and why you whisked me away while they faced off?" Her voice carried that edge I'd come to anticipate—part curiosity, part demand.

"Maybe." I continued to massage her wrists and fingers, working the blood back into her circulation while secretly reveling in the simple pleasure of touching her skin. Each swirl of my thumb against her pulse point sent electricity through my fingertips.

"Stop it," she whispered to herself, a flush creeping up her neck. Probably to get her wayward thoughts under control.

They were glorious thoughts. Positively dirty and making me hard just viewing all the possibilities she was imagining.

The benefits of being partially demonic—I could catch glimpses of fantasies when touching someone, and hers were deliciously explicit.

Me pinning her against the wall. My mouth on places that made her squirm just thinking about it.

I stopped my motions and simply held her hands between mine, enjoying how her nails were immaculate with a sleek black polish over them.

Small details I'd missed from a distance.

While I'd watched over her from afar, I had no idea she'd become such a beautiful creature.

The photographs and surveillance never captured the electricity that crackled around her, the way her scent—jasmine and honey, with a hint of something wild—filled a room.

And her powers were growing at an exponential rate. The cloaking spell I'd cast over her when we left had been doing its job. I could feel it humming around her like a second skin, invisible to most but practically tangible to me.

Although it wouldn't for long. Magic this powerful never stayed hidden.

Fuck, Rowen needed to get back here quickly so we could figure out our next plan of attack. I'd followed orders for centuries, but this situation was spiraling beyond our control.

Because from what I saw in Callum's mind before he effectively shut me out would be a challenge for us to overcome. The images had been fragmented but disturbing—armies mobilizing, ancient pacts being broken. Something darker than usual brewing in the realms.

But he wasn't coming to harm Rowen. Instead, he came to tell him devastating news.

"I want you to sleep, darling." I cupped her cheek, running the pad of my thumb over the apple of her cheekbone.

Too soft. Too tempting. Just too much. The contact sent another rush of her thoughts into my mind—confusion, attraction, and underneath it all, a fear she was fighting tooth and nail to suppress.

Confusion swirled in her bright blue eyes and her lips parted to argue with me. Sierra always wanted to argue. It was one of the first things I'd noticed about her years ago—she questioned everything, challenged everyone. Never taking anything at face value. A survivor's instinct.

I stopped her with a finger over her lips, feeling the cool metal of her piercings.

"No protests. Sleep." I pushed the compulsion deep into her mind, not gentle but necessary, and saw her fight it for a moment before her eyelids blinked heavily.

Even with my power washing over her, she resisted—stubborn to her core.

"Hate you," she slurred as she slumped forward onto my chest, her body finally surrendering to the spell.

"I know, darling girl." A slice of pain ran through my chest and I sucked in a harsh breath.

I wasn't accustomed to feeling pain of the emotional variety.

Physical? Fuck yes. I was stabbed, shot, punched, and fucked until I bled.

Pain was the currency of my existence, had been since the day I was handed over to Rowen. But I didn't let anyone touch my heart.

Until this little hellfire.

Fifteen years ago

“Archer!” Rowen snapped, getting my attention to shift away from the window that looked out onto the gardens of his estate.

Contrary to popular belief, Hell isn’t all fire and brimstone. In fact it’s just like another realm of earth. A sun. A moon. Trees, plants, water. All the normal earthly realm shit.

Just a bit…drier.

And lonely.

For years I’d been struggling with the unyielding monotony that my existence was. Hunt down bad guys. Kill those who betray Rowen. Serve as his bodyguard. Be his best friend. Allow him to fuck you seven ways to Sunday. Okay, that last one I didn't hate so much.

Lather. Rinse. Repeat.

For centuries.

Don’t get me wrong, I’d have willingly served by Rowen’s side, that’s how much I believed he was the right leader for our corner of Hell.

But even I got bored of killing sometimes.

“Are you fucking listening?”

I let out a heavy sigh and turned my full attention back to my lord and master. It was fun to tease him with the title.

And it usually got me bent over something, or shoved against the nearest wall with my ass spanked and fucked so I’d take it.

“As much as I know how you love to tease me, I need you to actually pay attention this time.” Rowen pinched the bridge of his nose and my brow furrowed. He never used this tone. One of frustration and utter impatience.

Rowen was always in it for the long haul. And if that meant waiting minutes, hours, or even days and years, he did it with no problems.

“What is it?” I asked seriously, rising to my feet and moving away from my window to the outside world.

“There’s been a shift…” he paused, searching for his words. “There’s a girl who’s coming into her powers and…”

He stopped speaking and the far away look in his eyes as he searched through time and space appeared. I was being impatient today as well, so instead of waiting for him to reply, I just peered into his mind.

The breath left my lungs as I saw the first vision of her.

An omega.

Not only an omega but one gifted with the power of the moon goddess. How long had it been since we’d seen a magic kissed Omega? A century?

“Just about,” Rowen answered my silent thought. Touché boss man.

“You’ve connected with her?” I already knew the answer so I wasn’t sure why I asked. Other than to make him say it out loud.

Rowen pinned me with an arched eyebrow stare. That was my answer.

“She’s different,” I commented as I explored his thoughts about her.

She had to be around thirteen years old. Born to a family of witches, she was abnormally gifted with the power to communicate with the dead.

In fact, they were drawn to her.

Even demons and other paranormal had been drawn to her as well. She was like a beacon in our otherwise dark and bleak world.

“That’s exactly what I thought too,” Rowen confessed and my eyes snapped open to take in the open honesty reflected through his expression.

“We have to protect her.” I surprised myself with the depth of my conviction. My voice was hoarse, my thoughts whirling at what this little girl may mean for our realm.

“You already know what I’m thinking.”

I nodded.

Because I knew as well as Rowen did that an omega who possessed magic was the only creature who could birth a demon lord. Or a lord of any other bloodline. Fae. Angel. It didn't matter what.

Something that all the unmated lords of Hell, and even lord of other realms— would be vying over.