Chapter 91 91

Chapter 91 Part 2-Chapter 8
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Raines cracked one eye open from the couch and tracked my movement across the room. “Careful,” she said quietly, her voice rough with exhaustion. “That’s the kind of look people get when they’re about to break. Or do something stupid.”

I didn’t answer her. I was too busy dragging my fingertips across the surface of Cyne’s desk. The wood was cool beneath my skin, familiar in a way that twisted something deep in my chest. His handwriting still edged the corner of a notepad. His scent lingered faintly in the air, metallic and clean, winter-sharp.

I pressed my palm flat against the desk as if warmth lived under it, as if something might answer back. Nothing did.

“Dammit,” I whispered, the word slipping out before I could stop it.

Raines set forward, boots hitting the floor. “Talk to me,” she said, more firmly now.

I stayed where I was, fingers curling against the edge of the desk. “I don’t know what to say,” I admitted.

She crossed her arms. “Try anyway.”

“I keep thinking I should have known,” I said softly, my gaze fixed on the far wall. “When he disappeared. When he didn’t come back. When the trail went cold. Some part of me just kept insisting he was fine. Alive. Out there.”

Raines nodded once. “Because he was.”

“No,” I corrected quietly, shaking my head. “Because I felt him.”

She went still.

I lowered myself into Cyne’s chair, moving slowly, like the wrong motion might break something. It felt too big without him in it, like it didn’t welcome anyone else. I curled one knee up and hugged it close, staring at the empty hook where his coat should have been hanging.

“I didn’t question it,” I went on, my voice tightening. “Not once. Every time he pulled away. Every time he tried to put distance between us....I didn’t read it for what it was. I just assumed he was being Cyne.”

“He was being Cyne,” Raines said, rolling one shoulder. “A cryptic, broody immortal with a martyr complex. That part’s consistent.”

A shaky laugh escaped me. “Yeah. But he was trying to keep me out of this. Out of whatever they want me for, and instead, I keep walking deeper.”

Raines straightened. “That’s not your fault.”

I dropped my forehead to my knee, the words coming out muffled. “Isn’t it?”

Silence stretched. The old wall clock ticked, loud in the pause.

“He could have told me,” I said after a moment. “About the drawing. The woman. The lineage. Any of it.”

Raines hesitated, then said carefully, “Maybe he thought knowing would put you in more danger.”

“Or maybe he didn’t trust me,” I shot back, lifting my head.

“Bullshit,” she snapped instantly, pushing off the couch. “He trusted you more than anyone. Including himself.”

I looked at her, searching her face. “Then why didn’t he say anything?”

“Because Cyne isn’t built for partnership,” she replied, pacing once before stopping. “Or teamwork. Or talking like a normal person. He’s built for shadows and secrets. Probably guilt too. He wears that shit like a second coat.”

I swallowed hard, the truth of it settling uncomfortably.

“What if he didn’t think I could handle the truth?” I asked quietly.

“Then he’s an idiot,” Raines said flatly.

A long silence followed. I leaned back in his chair, letting it hold me even though it felt wrong. Necessary, but wrong.

My thoughts drifted, thick and slow like fog. He’s quiet. He’s never quiet. Not with me.

The absence scraped at something raw inside me, carving a fear I didn’t want to name.

Raines crossed the room and leaned against the desk, folding her arms. “You’re thinking something dangerous.”

I lifted my gaze to her. “I’m thinking something honest.”

She snorted. “Those are usually the same thing.”

“What if he didn’t cut the connection to protect me,” I said carefully. “What if he couldn’t hold it anymore?”

For a moment, Raines didn’t breathe. Then she crouched in front of me so we were eye level. “Look at me,” she said.

I did.

“Cyne Nightfall doesn’t break,” she said firmly. “He doesn’t bend unless he chooses to. He doesn’t fall unless he plans to land somewhere specific. So whatever happened to him, it wasn’t because he’s weak. Or lost. Or gone.”

A tear slipped free before I could stop it. I wiped it away quickly, annoyed with myself.

Raines stood and exhaled. “You care about him.”

I huffed a laugh. “Congratulations. You’ve solved the world’s least subtle mystery.”

“No,” she said gently. “I mean you care in the way that scares people.”

“It’s not romantic,” I insisted, pressing my palm to my chest.

“I didn’t say romantic,” she replied. “I said dangerous.”

I frowned. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“You and Cyne orbit each other,” she said, tapping the desk once. “Not normal orbit. More like gravitational pull. If one of you moves, the other reacts whether you want to or not.”

“I don’t know what to do with that,” I admitted.

“Well, welcome to the club,” she muttered. “I didn’t plan on taking leave to join your supernatural circus either.”

A weak smile tugged at my mouth.

Raines leaned in. “Do you want to find him because he’s the key to this case, or because he’s the key to you?”

My throat tightened. “Both.”

She nodded like she already knew.

“I just…” I searched for the words. “I don’t want him to come back and see me as another weakness. Someone he has to shield. Someone he has to lie to.”

Her expression softened. “Then stop worrying about how he sees you,” she said quietly. “Start focusing on how you see yourself.”

“And how’s that?” I asked.

“Like someone scared as hell,” she said, “but still standing. That’s enough.”

I closed my eyes. I wanted Cyne back furious and alive, lecturing me about danger while standing too close. I wanted answers. But what I needed was resolve.

Raines nudged my knee with her knuckle. “We’ll find him. And when we do, you can yell at him for keeping secrets. I’ll hold him down.”

I snorted. “He’d break your wrists.”

“Oh yeah,” she said dryly. “Very briefly. But worth it.”

The laughter eased something tight in my chest.

“I’m scared,” I admitted.

“I know,” she said. “So am I.”

I stood, the room feeling a little less hollow. “Okay,” I said. “Let’s figure out where the hell to start.”

Raines nodded. “We rebuild from the beginning. Old files. Old cases. Everything Cyne touched. Everything he avoided.”

I moved to the window and stared out at the city. I didn’t feel him. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t out there. It meant the next move was ours, and I was done being afraid of my own shadow.