Page 45

Sierra

I felt utterly drained as Archer set me back on my feet, his eyes alight with a new spark of determination and - dare I say it - hope.

The revelation about Lightsbane and Lightbringer being connected had transformed his entire demeanor.

The tension that had been etched across his face for hours had melted away, replaced by a fierce, almost predatory excitement.

But despite the momentous breakthrough, something felt... off.

I pressed my hand against my lower abdomen, a dull, persistent ache making itself known. The initial elation I'd felt at our discovery was quickly being overshadowed by a heaviness I couldn't explain. My skin felt too tight, my nerves too raw.

"We should tell Rowen right away," Archer said, already gathering his notes. "And get a message to Callum?—"

"Can't we wait until morning?" I snapped, then immediately regretted my harsh tone. "I just... I'm sorry. I don't know why I said that."

Archer paused, his ice-blue eyes studying me with concern. "Are you alright?"

"Fine," I muttered, then sighed. "No, I'm not fine. I feel... weird. Like something bad is coming."

He set down his papers and approached me slowly, as if I were a wild animal that might bolt. "The shadow beast is gone for now, Sierra. And we have a plan."

"I know." I rubbed at my temples, where a headache was beginning to form. "I should be relieved. I am relieved. It's just..."

My voice trailed off as a particularly sharp pain lanced through my abdomen. I winced, wrapping my arms around myself.

"Maybe you should rest," Archer suggested, his hand warm on my shoulder. "You've been through a lot."

"I'm not an invalid," I bit out, then immediately covered my face with my hands. "God, I'm sorry. What is wrong with me tonight?"

Before Archer could respond, the door to his chambers swung open, and Callum appeared, his pale green eyes immediately finding mine. He moved with that effortless, predatory grace that still made my heart skip even after all we'd been through together.

"I felt your distress," he said simply, crossing the room in a few long strides. "What's happened?"

"We've had a breakthrough," Archer explained, excitement returning to his voice. "Sierra can read Angelic script—perfectly, with the correct accent and everything. And it turns out Lightsbane and Lightbringer are connected. I think I can transform one into the other using my Angelic blood."

Callum's expression remained impassive, but I could see the subtle widening of his eyes that indicated genuine surprise. "That's... significant news." His gaze shifted to me. "But you don't seem pleased."

"I am," I insisted, even as another cramp rippled through me. "I just feel... off."

Callum's nostrils flared slightly, and something like understanding dawned in his eyes. Without warning, he stepped closer and placed his palm flat against my lower abdomen. The touch was shockingly intimate, even though we'd shared far more than this. Heat flooded my cheeks.

"What are you—" I began, but he cut me off.

"You're cramping," he stated matter-of-factly. "Your scent has changed, too. Sweeter, but with an undertone of discomfort."

I stared at him, momentarily speechless. Now that he mentioned it, the dull ache I'd been feeling did resemble menstrual cramps. But I hadn't had a regular cycle since... well, since everything had started happening with Rowen and Callum and Archer.

"I... I haven't had a period in months," I admitted, confused.

Callum nodded as if this made perfect sense. "Your body has been under extraordinary stress. The attack from the shadow beast, the primal heat approaching, the constant danger—it's not surprising that your cycle would be disrupted and then return suddenly."

I blinked at him, stunned by his matter-of-fact assessment. "How do you know all this?"

A hint of amusement touched his lips. "Later. Right now, you need to lie down."

Before I could protest, Callum swept me up into his arms as if I weighed nothing. The sudden movement sent another wave of cramping through my abdomen, and I bit back a groan.

"I need to tell Rowen about Lightbringer," Archer said, hesitating by his desk.

"Go," Callum told him. "I'll take care of Sierra."

I wanted to argue that I didn't need taking care of, but the truth was, I felt awful.

My head was pounding, my mood was swinging wildly between irritability and the urge to cry, and the cramps were getting worse.

Instead of protesting, I let my head rest against Callum's shoulder as he carried me through the winding corridors of Rowen's domain.

When we reached our shared chambers, Callum laid me gently on the massive bed. The mattress felt impossibly soft beneath my aching body, and I couldn't help the small sigh that escaped me.

"I'll be right back," Callum murmured, brushing a strand of silver hair from my face. "Don't move."

As if I could. Every muscle in my body felt like it was simultaneously leaden and knotted with tension. I closed my eyes, focusing on my breathing as another cramp seized my lower abdomen.

True to his word, Callum returned moments later with an armful of supplies: a heating pad, a glass of water, and what looked like some sort of herbal tea.

The careful way he arranged everything on the bedside table reminded me that for all his dangerous, predatory exterior, there was a gentleness to him that few ever saw.

"Lift up," he instructed, and when I did, he slipped the heating pad beneath me, positioning it perfectly against my cramping muscles. The blessed heat seeped into my skin immediately, and I couldn't help the small moan of relief that escaped me.

"Better?" he asked, his voice unusually soft.

I nodded, suddenly too tired for words. All the excitement and fear and stress of the day—of the past weeks—seemed to crash down on me at once.

The door opened again, and Rowen swept in, followed by Archer. Rowen's obsidian eyes took in the scene at once, understanding dawning in their depths. Without a word, he crossed to the other side of the bed and sat down beside me, the mattress dipping under his weight.

"Archer told me about the Lightbringer," he said, his voice rumbling through me like distant thunder. "It seems we finally have an advantage."

I tried to smile, but another cramp twisted through me, and it came out as more of a grimace. Rowen's eyes narrowed, and he glanced at Callum, some silent communication passing between them.

"I'll be back," Rowen said, rising from the bed with fluid grace.

When he returned, he carried a tray laden with an assortment of snacks: chocolate, fruit, small sandwiches, and—most temptingly—a steaming mug of what smelled like hot chocolate. My mouth watered at the sight.

"Food will help," Rowen stated, setting the tray on the bed beside me. "Eat."

It wasn't a suggestion. I reached for the hot chocolate first, wrapping my fingers around the warm mug. The rich, sweet scent filled my nostrils, and the first sip was pure bliss. Chocolate had never tasted so good.

"How did you know?" I asked Callum as he adjusted the heating pad. "About... this. Before I even realized what was happening."

A rare, genuine laugh escaped him, the sound so unexpected it made both Rowen and Archer turn to look at him in surprise.

"I was raised with seven female cousins," Callum explained, his pale green eyes dancing with amusement. "And an aunt and mother who made damn sure I'd be prepared for a future mate. I've fetched more heating pads and chocolate in my youth than most men do in a lifetime."

The image of a younger Callum—still serious, still deadly, but running errands for a houseful of women—was so incongruous with the dangerous fae I knew that I couldn't help but laugh. The movement sent another cramp through me, but it was worth it.

"I don't think I've ever heard you talk about your family before," I said softly.

A shadow passed over his features, there and gone in an instant. "Another time, perhaps."

Rowen settled on one side of me, his large body radiating heat that rivaled the pad beneath me. On my other side, Callum stretched out, his lean frame somehow perfectly complementing Rowen's more massive one. I was cocooned between them, safe and warm.

Archer retrieved a remote from the bedside table and turned on the large TV that hung on the opposite wall. I hadn't even known there was a TV in here—we'd never had time for something as mundane as watching movies.

"What would you like to watch?" Archer asked, scrolling through options.

"Something mindless," I murmured, the hot chocolate and the heat and the comfort of being sandwiched between Callum and Rowen already making my eyelids heavy. "Something happy."

He settled on a romantic comedy I vaguely recognized, the kind with predictable plotlines and guaranteed happy endings. Exactly what I needed right now.

Archer joined us on the bed, settling at our feet, his back against one of the massive posts. The four of us, together, safe for the moment. I felt a purr of contentment rise in my throat as the heating pad worked its magic on my cramping muscles.

My eyes grew heavier as the movie progressed, the combination of physical comfort and emotional exhaustion pulling me toward sleep. For once, there were no nightmares waiting for me in the darkness. No shadow beasts, no premonitions of doom, no cryptic warnings.

As I drifted off, warm and protected between Callum and Rowen, with Archer's solid presence at our feet, I realized this was the first time in what felt like forever that I was slipping into a truly dreamless sleep.