"No." Cyrus's voice turned to steel, crimson eyes blazing in the darkness. "I won't allow it."
The egg's presence shifted, uncertain but trusting.
There is something else. An old darkness beneath the mountain. It pulses with hunger.
Cyrus stiffened, jaw clenching as he recognized what the egg sensed—the creature he'd sealed centuries ago, the secret he'd buried beneath volcanic rock and draconic wards.
"That doesn't concern you," Cyrus said flatly. "The seal holds. It always has."
But it knows we're here. It feels... angry.
"Let it be angry." Cyrus's fingers tightened on the shell, protective and possessive. "Nothing touches either of you."
The crimson light pulsed once more before the cavern dissolved.
Cyrus found himself back in the bedroom, moonlight streaming through gauze curtains.
Kane stirred slightly, mumbling something incomprehensible before burrowing deeper into Cyrus's side.
Cyrus looked down at the egg, then at the fox sleeping peacefully against him.
