Months became years. The pain didn't fade—if anything, it grew sharper. Every night, Kieran felt the absence of their bond like a missing limb. Every night, the curse reminded him of what he'd lost.
Marcus tried to help. "The reincarnation cycle continues," he said gently. "Adrian's soul will return. Maybe in twenty years, maybe thirty. You'll find him again."
"And watch him grow up not knowing me? Watch him live a whole life as a stranger?" Kieran laughed bitterly. "I had him as mine. We were bonded. We were forever. How do I go back to watching from the shadows?"
"The same way you did for a thousand years before."
"I can't." Kieran stared at his hands—hands that had held Adrian, touched him, loved him. "I can't do this again. I can't wait decades for him to be reborn, only to find him and potentially lose him again. I can't."
"What are you saying?"
"I'm saying I'm tired, Marcus. I've lived for over a thousand years. I've waited, and lost, and waited again. And for three weeks, I had everything I ever wanted. And now..." He closed his eyes. "Now I have nothing. Just an eternity of emptiness stretching ahead of me."
Marcus's expression turned alarmed. "Kieran, you're not thinking of—"
"Ending it? Why not? I'm immortal, but I'm not indestructible. There are ways."
"Because Adrian's soul will return! If you end your existence now, when he's reborn, he'll be alone. He'll be vulnerable. All the protection you've provided across lifetimes will be gone."
The thought of Adrian reborn, unprotected, was the only thing that stayed Kieran's hand.
"Then what do I do?" Kieran's voice broke. "How do I survive this?"
"The same way you've survived everything else. One night at a time."