Chapter 99: We Were Everything

Kane’s breath caught as fragments surfaced—flashes of pine forests, the scent of ancient fires, a voice calling through flames.

"The dreams," he whispered.

"I’ve been having dreams about running through a forest. Someone was chasing me, and then..." His amber eyes widened.

"Fire. Crimson flames protecting me."

Cyrus went very still.

"You remember."

"Only pieces and fragments." Kane leaned forward, urgency creeping into his voice.

"There was a grove with stone markers. We were both different—you wore armor, and I looked older. Our reflections talked to each other."

"The sacred grove beneath the Northern Peaks," Cyrus murmured. "That’s where we first made our pact."

Kane’s hand moved unconsciously to his chest, where their transformed seal still pulsed with warmth.

"What kind of pact?"

Cyrus’s jaw tightened, ancient pain flickering across his features.

"A soul bond. Not the karmic debt that tied us recently—something deeper. You were dying, hunted by those who wanted to use your power. I offered my protection, my strength, in exchange for..."

"For what?"

"Your companionship." Cyrus’s voice dropped to barely above a whisper.

Kane stared at him, pieces clicking into place like the zodiac disc at the temple.

"The labyrinth showed us memories, didn’t it? Not just fears—actual memories."

"Yes."

"And the ritual at St. Aveline’s. Father Thomas said the chalice could transform bonds." Kane’s pulse quickened.

"It didn’t create something new between us. It restored what we already had."

Cyrus nodded slowly.

"Your memories were buried when you were reborn into this life. I’ve been searching for you for centuries, never knowing if you’d retained any part of who you were."

Kane’s expression shifted from wonder to something sharper, more pointed.

The pieces of their ancient connection might be falling into place, but newer wounds still stung.

"If that’s true then why were you such a complete jerk when I first woke up in your penthouse?"

Cyrus winced as if Kane had struck him.

"You dismissed me like I was nothing. Told me to take my stuff from the entry table and leave." Kane’s voice gained heat with each word.

"You acted like saving me was an inconvenience. Like I was some random Bureau agent who’d stumbled into your business."

"Kane—"

"No, seriously. You had me at gunpoint within minutes of me waking up. If you knew who I was, if you’d been looking for me, why treat me like a threat?"

Cyrus’s hands clenched at his sides, his usual composure cracking.

"Because I couldn’t be sure," he said quietly.

"Couldn’t be sure of what?"

"That you were really you. That this wasn’t some elaborate trap." Cyrus’s golden eyes met Kane’s amber ones.

"I’ve been disappointed before."

"Others?" Kane’s voice sharpened. "You mean Elias?"

"Not just Elias." Cyrus turned toward the window, his reflection ghostlike in the glass.

"There have been... pretenders. Spirits who learned enough about our past to mimic you convincingly. Some were treasure hunters seeking my hoard. Others worked for enemies who wanted to exploit our bond."

Kane felt a chill run down his spine.

"How many?"

"Three, over the centuries. Each one knew details only you should have known. Each one felt real enough that I..." Cyrus’s jaw tightened. "I allowed myself to hope."

"But you knew I was really me. Eventually." Kane studied Cyrus’s profile. "How?"

Cyrus was quiet for a long moment, his breath fogging the glass.

"I was denying my feelings, convinced you were another fake," Cyrus said softly.

"But somewhere between your terrible jokes and stubborn determination, I fell in love with you all over again." He touched the spot unconsciously.

"I just knew."

Kane absorbed this, understanding dawning in his expression.

The dismissiveness, the cold treatment—it hadn’t been cruelty. It had been self-preservation from someone who’d been burned before.

Kane’s anger softened into something more complex—hurt mixed with understanding.

"You could have told me sooner."

"When?" Cyrus turned back from the window.

"When you were investigating me for trafficking? When you thought I was your enemy? When you made it clear you wanted nothing more than to fulfill your debt and leave?"

Kane opened his mouth to argue, then closed it. Cyrus had a point.

"I wanted to tell you on the cruise ship," Cyrus continued.

"After you were injured, when you let me heal you. But then Bob Holloway appeared, and you seemed so eager to trust him over me."

"I was doing my job."

"I know." Cyrus’s voice held no accusation now, only resignation.

"That’s what made it harder. You were being the person you’ve always been—loyal, determined, willing to sacrifice yourself for what you believe is right. But you weren’t being mine."

The possessive note in Cyrus’s voice made Kane’s pulse quicken. Not the suffocating control he’d feared, but something deeper and raw.

"And now?" Kane asked quietly.

Cyrus stepped closer, his red-gold eyes intense.

"Now I’m hoping you’ll choose to be."

Kane reached out, his fingers brushing Cyrus’s cheek.

"I may not remember everything, but I know this feels right. Like coming home."

Cyrus’s breath hitched at Kane’s touch, the simple gesture sending warmth through his chest.

For centuries, he’d imagined this moment—Kane’s fingers against his skin, that amber gaze soft with recognition rather than suspicion.

Just then, his phone buzzed against the desk, the sharp sound cutting through the tender moment.

Cyrus glanced at the screen, seeing Isabelle’s name, but Kane’s thumb traced along his cheekbone, making coherent thought difficult.

"Samples retrieved. Rina stable. Returning to Veyr Corp in twenty minutes."

The words registered slowly. Samples. Rina. The synthetic binding agent investigation they’d been pulled away from by confessions and ancient memories.

Cyrus set the phone down without responding, his attention returning to Kane’s face.

"Where were we?" he murmured, leaning closer.

Kane’s lips curved into a small smile.

"You were about to tell me more about our past. About what we were to each other."

The space between them shrank to inches. Cyrus could see the gold flecks in Kane’s amber eyes, could feel the warmth radiating from his skin.

"We were everything," Cyrus whispered.