Cyrus did not shy away from meeting his father’s stare. He saw the brief flash of shock on his carved features. He hadn’t expected it.
"I abdicate the crown, Father."
Everything stilled.
Vesperin drew in a sharp breath, but he didn’t let himself look at her. This was between him and his father. Later, he’d beg on his knees for her forgiveness for keeping this from her—the fact that he knew he was being hunted by Sibeth bounty hunters.
Cyrus continued, "I will issue the formal declaration, and the Embassy will receive my seal. The galaxy will know your heir has relinquished his claim. I will ensure every news outlet on Earth and beyond will know that their beloved Prince Cyrus is no longer theirs. I am no one’s." He thought of Vesperin, but didn’t dare say that in front of his father. "You have no hold on me any longer, Father. I do not need nor want your crown. If you kill me or send more of your bounty hunters after me, they will know it was you."
"What about your coin?" his father sneered. "The royal vaults will be closed to you. Sibeth will be closed to you. I will ban you from our airspace. You will never be allowed to return home—Soul memory runs deep. Whatever life you are on, I will ensure the Soul called Cyrus Soltren is born to nothing. You will havenothingif you abdicate."
"I have something far more valuable than prestige." Cyrus held it in his hand.
His Soulbond—the one who had stolen his heart centuries ago, then ripped it back out of his chest, still beating, whenhe’d watched her die. Now it was back, and each thump he vowed to savor. She’d returned his heart months ago when she’d walked into the club he owned—the club he named in memory of how she haunted him.Forget You Not.Because Cyrus could never forget Vesperin, not when he starved himself of pleasure, refusing to touch another, and not when he lay awake at night, wondering if it would have been easier to end it all and let his Soul find hers in the next life.
"What could you possibly have that is worth more than this—your home?" The King stretched out his arms, indicating the space around him. Cyrus saw the background of the hologram—the sleek, curved high-rises and neon-lit skies.
"I have love. And I have a home. It is not a place."
His father snarled, eyes landing on Vesperin again. "You will come crawling back one day, and when you do, I will make you rue the day you turned it all away for some Earthen whore."
Rage filled Cyrus, breaking his control. "Don’t fucking bet on it."
He let Vesperin’s hand go, storming forward to slam his palm down on the panel in the table’s center, praying he’d hit the right button. The hologram flickered, the feed cutting out.
In the aftermath, it was silent.
The reality of what he’d just done hadn’t quite hit him yet; though, he knew it would eventually. When it did, he would fall into Vesperin’s arms and forget with the ripe cherry taste of her lust on his tongue.
Asura stepped forward, Volik following. They both took to their knees, head bowed. The Sibeth flag rippled from the soft breeze of their sudden movements.
"You do not have to bow for me. I’m no longer a prince," Cyrus said. It all felt surreal. Yet… he’d do it again, over and over if it meant he could be with Vesperin.
They stayed kneeling for a moment longer, as if to show their respect, then slowly rose.
"You will always be a…" Volik’s eyes flicked to Vesperin. Cyrus tensed, not knowing what the incubus would say. "A trusted friend. And my true choice of prince. Your siblings don’t have the spirit you do."
Cyrus huffed a laugh. "No, but they have public opinion. I’ve always been the untamable prince. Not any longer."
"We’ll keep an eye out for bounty postings. If we see your name, we’ll let you know," Volik shared.
Asura inclined her head. "I’d warn you to get off the streets before it hits the news. I doubt King Soltren will take further steps. He thinks you’re still playing, but this time"—her eyes fell to Vesperin, and Cyrus felt her stiffen at the scrutiny—"I see that you’re not."
As the two bounty hunters left the room, Cyrus realized he may never see them again. The door shut behind them before he could express his gratitude. This night could have ended a lot differently if they’d chosen to stay loyal to his father.
In the dimness of the room, he finally turned to Vesperin, wrapping an arm around her shoulders as he tugged her into his chest. She made a soft sound. He just needed to feel her, feel that she was safe. They were okay. Together.
"Vesperin," Cyrus sighed into the top of her hair, the sound of her name holding a thousand unspoken things.
Eventually, she pulled away first as she tipped her head back and stared up at him. "You didn’t tell him," she started, "that he’d met me before. Does it make you sad that life will go on, and he’ll never know that I was the girl he once killed?" She said it slowly, and he wondered if it was hard for her to admit to it—that she’d beenkilledbefore. Did she remember fully? Or was it still just snippets of fuzzy memories…
"That’s life. We don’t always get what we want. I’m okay with never knowing. If it means you’re safe."
"Did you mean it?" Vesperin whispered. "That I’m your home?"
Cyrus rubbed the pad of his thumb over her bottom lip. "Of course I did. My home is you—and your Soulbonds, too, I guess. They’re okay," he teased lightly.
Her eyes were glistening with unshed tears. "You’re my home, Cyrus. I love you."
