Chapter 202: Touch, Trust, And Tides of Rest

Cyrus’s fingers stilled in Kane’s hair, his expression becoming carefully neutral.

"I survived under... special circumstances," he said quietly. "But that’s a bedtime story for another day."

His thumb brushed against Kane’s temple with gentleness.

"What’s most important right now is that you get some rest. You’ve been through enough revelations for one evening."

Kane studied Cyrus’s face, noting the subtle tension around his eyes. There was definitely more to the story—layers of pain and secrets that Cyrus wasn’t ready to share.

The fox in Kane wanted to push, to demand answers about how one dragon could escape the destruction of an entire realm.

His investigative instincts screamed that this was crucial information, especially with Elias hunting fragments of divine power.

But the part of Kane that loved this guarded, wounded man recognized the walls going back up.

Cyrus had already shared more tonight than in all their previous conversations combined. Pushing now would only make him retreat further.

"Alright," Kane said softly, settling deeper into Cyrus’s embrace. "Another day."

His tails wrapped around them both as he closed his eyes, though his mind continued racing with questions about gods, crystals, and the last dragon’s impossible survival.

Hours later, Kane stood under the scalding spray of the shower, letting the water wash away the lingering tension from the day.

Steam clouded the glass doors as his mind churned through everything that had happened.

Why had Elias orchestrated such an elaborate game? The wolf could have simply stolen the Whispering Shard from the BSA without all the theatrics.

Instead, he’d manipulated events to bring Kane and Cyrus together, practically handed them clues about the other fragments, then kidnapped Kane to steal what he’d helped them find.

It made no sense.

Kane’s fingers traced the tile wall as he considered the possibilities. Maybe Elias hadn’t just wanted the shards—maybe he’d wanted to study Cyrus’s reactions and test his capabilities.

Or perhaps he’d needed Kane’s enhanced abilities to locate fragments that even he couldn’t find.

But there was something else nagging at Kane’s instincts. Elias had injected him with Screaming Shard essence, unlocking his true kyuubi form. That transformation couldn’t have been an accident or a side effect.

Elias had deliberately awakened Kane’s full power.

The question was why a wolf spirit would want to create a nine-tailed fox capable of rivaling dragon magic.

Unless Elias needed that power for something bigger than collecting fragments.

Kane’s mind raced with the possibilities, but he was still unable to see through Elias’s true plan.

One thing seemed certain—Elias definitely needed Cyrus for his plan. The wolf had gone to extraordinary lengths to provoke the dragon, to observe him in combat, to—

The bathroom door swung open without warning.

Kane yelped, spinning around as Cyrus walked in like he owned the place. Which, technically, he did.

"A little privacy?" Kane sputtered, water streaming down his face.

Cyrus raised an eyebrow, already unbuttoning his shirt with infuriating calm.

"You’ve been in here for forty minutes. I assumed you’d drowned." 𝘧𝓇ℯℴ𝓂

"I was thinking!"

"Naked? In my shower?" Cyrus’s lips quirked. "How productive."

Kane grabbed a washcloth and threw it at him. Cyrus caught it without blinking, his eyes tracking water droplets as they slid down Kane’s chest.

"Join me or get out," Kane muttered, turning back to the spray.

The sound of fabric hitting tile told him which option Cyrus had chosen.

Warm hands settled on Kane’s waist from behind.

"What were you thinking about so intently?" Cyrus murmured against his ear.

Kane leaned back against Cyrus’s chest, sighing as warm water cascaded over them both.

"I’ve been trying to figure out what Elias is really after. None of this makes sense."

"Mm." Cyrus reached for the body wash, squeezing some onto his palm. "There’s not much use in speculation at this point."

"But—"

"We know he’s collecting fragments. We know he has resources and backing." Cyrus’s hands glided across Kane’s shoulders, working the soap into a lather. "What we need to focus on is preparing to counter when he strikes again."

Kane wanted to argue, but the firm pressure of Cyrus’s fingers kneading the knots from his muscles made coherent thought difficult.

"You’re being surprisingly practical about this," Kane murmured.

"One of us has to be." Cyrus’s touch moved lower, washing down Kane’s spine with methodical thoroughness.

"You’ve spent all day chasing leads and piecing together puzzles. Sometimes the best strategy is patience."

Kane hated to admit it, but Cyrus was right. He’d been running himself ragged, chasing answers that only led to more questions.

Still, unease coiled in his gut like a living thing.

"I know," Kane said quietly. "I just... something feels off about all of this."

Cyrus turned him around, tilting Kane’s chin up with wet fingers.

"Your instincts have kept you alive this long. Don’t ignore them." His thumb brushed Kane’s lower lip. "But don’t let them consume you either."

They finished washing in comfortable silence, Cyrus’s hands steady and grounding as he rinsed shampoo from Kane’s hair.

Back in the bedroom, Kane toweled off while Cyrus pulled back the covers. The dragon egg pulsed softly on its stand, a gentle crimson heartbeat in the dim room.

Kane slid between the sheets, and Cyrus settled beside him, one arm draped across Kane’s waist.

"Tomorrow," Cyrus murmured into the darkness, "are you heading to the BSA, or would you prefer to follow me to Veyr Corp?"

Kane’s tails curled around Cyrus’s leg beneath the blankets.

"What do you think I should do?"

Cyrus’s fingers traced idle patterns along Kane’s spine.

"It’s up to what you think you need to do."

Kane considered his options. The BSA would expect him to follow up on the Project Chimera data and help Rina decrypt those locked files.

But something else tugged at his thoughts—the fragment Cyrus had locked.

"Bring me to Veyr Corp," Kane said finally. "I want to see where you’re keeping the Screaming Shard."

Cyrus’s hand stilled against his back.

"The vault is secure."

"So was the BSA’s evidence lockup." Kane’s tails tightened around Cyrus’s leg. "Please. Just show me."

Cyrus exhaled slowly, his breath warm against Kane’s forehead.

"Okay, anything you want." His arm pulled Kane closer.