"We were everything," Cyrus whispered, then pulled back slightly, his expression growing more serious.
"But not lovers. Not in the way mortals understand it."
Kane's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"
"We were bonded, yes. But I was..." Cyrus struggled with the words, his fingers flexing at his sides.
"I was young then, in spirit if not in years. I understood duty, loyalty, and protection."
His voice dropped lower, more vulnerable.
"But I didn't understand the endless longing. The way your absence felt like a physical ache. The need not just to guard you, but to hold you, to claim you as mine in every possible way."
Kane's breath caught as understanding dawned.
"In this lifetime, you taught me what that longing meant. What it was to want someone not just as a companion or protected treasure, but as..."
"As a lover," Kane finished softly.
Cyrus nodded, stepping closer again.
"If you'll accept me—" his voice dropped to barely above a whisper, "—this would be our first."
