Page 49

CY

T wo more goons stepped out of the shadows as Haruto hit me again.

“Hope this is leading somewhere fun.”

“Trust me,” Haruto said, stepping closer. “It will be—for me.”

“You always seemed like the selfish type.”

He gestured, and one of his men produced a length of steel cable, tying my arms more securely to the chair’s backrest. My muscles strained against the bonds, but they held fast.

“Comfortable?” Haruto asked, his tone mockingly polite.

“Oh, yeah,” I drawled. “Five-star accommodations. You sure know how to treat a guy.”

The punch landed before I could brace for it. My head snapped to the side, and a metallic taste bloomed in my mouth.

“You should’ve stayed gone, Cy,” Haruto said, pacing in front of me. “You had your chance to leave this life behind. But then you had to come back, poking your nose where it doesn’t belong.”

I spat blood onto the floor, fixing him with a grin that made my split lip throb. “What can I say? I missed you.”

Another punch—this one to my gut. Air rushed from my lungs, stars dancing in my vision.

“Stop it!” Eon’s voice cut through the haze, sharp and desperate.

Haruto turned to her, his expression colder than before. “Stay out of this, sweetheart. You’re not the one with a debt to settle.”

Eon’s hands curled into fists, her face tight with barely contained rage.

My gut twisted—not from the hit, but from the look in her eyes.

I shot her a warning glare. She needed to focus.

But part of me wanted her to keep looking at me like that.

Like I mattered. Like she was worried about me.

Like I was a man—not just some specter of violence and past mistakes.

I knew it was fear behind her eyes, but still, I couldn’t stop thinking about her hand on my shoulder. How it had felt like nothing I’d ever felt before, the way she’d calmed my implant. The look in her eye now made me feel the same way all over again.

I shifted in the chair, drawing Haruto’s attention back to me. “Don’t worry, doll. This one’s all bark and no bite.”

His smile returned, thin and dangerous. He lit his fist on fire and slammed it into my ribs. Pain exploded through my side, but I clenched my teeth and forced myself not to react, even as my skin sizzled.

I saw Eon’s hand rise to her neck, and I could feel it—the faintest pulse of her Flux. Was she actually going to pull this off?

Haruto noticed my attention shift and followed my gaze. “What’s she doing?”

“Probably crying,” I said quickly, forcing a grin. “You know how women are.”

His eyes narrowed, but I tilted my head back and gave him my most obnoxious smirk. “C’mon, Haruto. You’ve got me tied to a chair, and all you can think about is her? I’m offended.”

It worked—barely. He stalked closer, his focus snapping back to me. “You always loved to hear yourself talk.”

Another punch across my jaw, and a tooth cracked. I let the blood dribble out of my mouth.

“But I’ll break you, Cy. Just like I should’ve done years ago.”

“Go ahead,” I said, spitting blood in his face. “Let’s see who breaks first.”

He kicked me so hard in the chest I swore my heart stopped. The chair toppled back, my head smacking against the concrete. My mind hovered dangerously close to black when that familiar thrum hit—the one that made my blood boil.

Violet light flickered in the corner of my vision, and I saw her come alive.

The second that dampener broke, I felt it. The air all around us hummed, charged with energy as Eon stood, her eyes glowing with that unnatural violet light.

Haruto and his goons tried to rush her, each summoning flames—but it was too late.

The boom of the cell door blowing off its hinges rattled through my skull. The Kitsune bastards didn’t even have time to scream before it hit them, sending them sprawling. Dust and debris rained down. Lights flickered. The whole damn place shook like it was about to come apart.

And at the center of it all— her.

She moved toward me fast, dropping to her knees, fingers reaching for my neck. I knew what she was doing before she even touched the dampener, but my body still tensed at the feel of her skin against mine.

Then came the shock—just a flicker of her Flux, delicate and precise, worming its way into the chip’s circuitry. The tech whined as it fried under her will.

A sharp pop —and suddenly, I could breathe again.

The surge of power was like ice water in my veins, an instant recalibration. My senses sharpened. The weight pressing on my chest vanished. And it was all aligned with her.

I rolled my shoulder, exhaling slowly. Pain still pulsed through my ribs, but it didn’t matter anymore.

“Shit, doll,” I muttered, cracking my neck. “Remind me to stay on your good side.”

She scoffed. “You’re not on my good side, corpo.” But I caught the hint of a smile.

Footsteps pounded closer—more Kitsune coming to clean up the mess. I ran my tongue over my teeth, tasting blood. Electricity danced at my fingertips, my Flux waking up, itching to be used.

She tugged at the cables around my arms, frying the lock and setting me free. I stood, and our power pulsed in tandem—her by my side. It felt right, like a piece I hadn’t known I was missing had finally slotted into place.

Her fingers wove between mine, and even through the charge between us, I could feel her shaking. I dared to squeeze back. “Look at me. We’ve got these fuckers.”

She met my gaze—and her power surged. It was anger. Flux was always rooted in anger. But for the first time, it wasn’t aimed at me. It was for me.

She saw me—everything I was and had done—and she was furious for me.

She nodded, and we turned to face the hallway, ready for whatever was coming.

Two faces I knew emerged from the shadows.

Akira led Maddox, both with guns drawn.

Eon snapped her hand out of mine, and her signal died.

“How the fuck did you get in here?” I asked, letting my Flux fade too. I flexed my fingers, which now felt strangely empty.

“Nice to see you too, assholes.” Maddox deadpanned.