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Chapter Quote:
"Why should I apologize for the monster I've become? Nobody has ever apologized for making me this way."
~Ligahoo, Deadman's Cross
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Chapter 27

Julian

Two months later...

Kyrian was still being incredibly reckless. It was to the point where Ash was prohibiting him from going out certain nights if Daimon activity was supposed to be high. Of course that caused Kyrian to go stir-crazy which meant he was not fun to be around. Finally, I had an idea to get him out of the house. The university I worked at was hosting a fundraising gala to support a massive archaeological dig to search for the ruins of Thrace. Naturally I wanted to be a part of it so I was inviting all my friends and Grace's. But then again, I didn't have many friends...

My first stop was Kyrian. Taking into account how stir crazy he was getting, it didn't take much convincing to get him to come. My next stop was Selena Devereaux. She was Grace's best friend. It also meant that all the Devereaux sisters were going to be invited. I'd met all of them. I think Amanda and Tabitha were my favorite. The former was very relaxed while the latter was much more outgoing (and maybe slightly crazy but I liked her nonetheless).

I invited Nick through Kyrian since he insisted that his Squire come along. The tickets were expensive and I knew Nick would say no if someone else wasn't paying for them because despite his excellent salary, it was still a little pricey for him.

Then I hit my dilemma. I'd heard what had happened between Kyrian and Kiara through Nick. I figured since he was a middleman in the whole drama, he'd be a more reliable source, but then listening to his story it sounded pretty exaggerated, making me wonder how much of it was true. But I still cared for Kiara, and I wanted her to come, but I hadn't seen her since before her fight with my best friend. Grace thought I should invite her, that it could start the mend between her and Kyrian. Considering my wife's background in psychology, I decided to listen to her.

Two weeks before the event, I went to Kiara's house, or should I say mansion. The Grecian influence was evident between the architecture and the flora and fauna. She certainly had an eye for design. I rang her doorbell, nervously waiting for a response. Footsteps could be heard inside and a few seconds later, the door opened. Kiara was dressed in sweatpants and a tank top, her hair curled and tumbling around her shoulders.

"Julian," She said, looking taken aback by my presence. "What can I do for you?"

"I wanted to come see you," I blurted before I could stop myself. "Are you busy?"

"No. I'm just doing some research. Come on in." Kiara stepped aside, allowing me to enter. She led me to the kitchen where she had her computer up on the bar with papers and books taking up the remainder of the bar space.

"What on earth are you researching?" I inquired, peering at some of the documents she had lying out.

"Malachai stuff. Why did you want to see me?"

"You sound surprised," I observed.

She refused to look me in the eye as she picked stuff up around the kitchen when she replied, "I figured you heard what happened between me and Kyrian and considering how close you two are, figured you'd take his side in all this. I thought you hated me too..."

"I don't hate you and neither does he."

"You didn't hear him Julian. You didn't see the look on his face," she said quietly. "He called me insane."

"I mean the idea of him being your husband is pretty far-fetched," I admitted.

"So you agree with him?"

"I agree with him in the fact it's far-fetched, but not that you're insane."

"What do you mean?"

"I mean I don't think you would've said that to him unless you were sure of it. Maybe you're not one-hundred percent certain, but you believe you have enough evidence, and I know you."

"Are you saying you believe me?"

"I don't know. But I know you. Something happened to me a few months ago. I had a dream of my old life. I haven't had one of those since I married Grace, since I started a new family. That is, until I met you. That wasn't a coincidence. What's even stranger is in these dreams, you were with Kyrian, and that was before I even knew he was alive. Maybe it was because you reminded me of him, because the gods know how alike you two are. Maybe it was because meeting you had reminded me of my time with him. I brushed that dream aside until the night you blacked out. Before you started naming your kids in your sleep, I had had another dream of you, me, Kyrian, and my wife Penelope. In the dream, I had four kids. You had six."

"I had seven. Killian, Kellan, Kieran, Kalen, Karina, Kira, and Kara," she rattled off immediately.

"That's the thing. In the dream, you mentioned your seventh kid. Kiara, I'm saying I dreamed the exact amount of kids you had before you even started mentioning those names. Surely that's not a coincidence."

"You think we knew each other in our past life?"

"I think we did. I don't know how. Maybe the dream is accurate, maybe not, but I believe we were close friends. I want to continue staying that way which leads me to my second reason for coming. My university is holding a fundraising gala. They're trying to raise money to go find Thrace. It would be wonderful if you could attend. I've invited Kyrian already, but I beg you not to let that be a deterrent for coming."

"You having some belief in my visions means the world to me, Julian. You have no idea. You're my friend, and I wouldn't miss this gala for the world. May I bring a plus one?"

"Of course. Who did you have in mind?"
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Two weeks later...

"Mr. Hardy, how nice of you to come," I greeted. "And you Ms. Drew, it's always a pleasure."

The gala was in full swing. Almost everyone had come to the fundraiser with a handful of no-shows. Amanda was there but not her husband. He had to work or something so she'd gone with Tabitha. Kiara hadn't shown either which was worrying me. She hadn't told me who she was taking except that it was another Dark Hunter. I'd say it was Zarek but he'd left about a month ago from what I was told.

"How are you doing?" Grace inquired, looping her arm through mine. I kissed her on the head as a greeting.

"Good. Just waiting for a few people to show."

"You mean Kyrian?"

"And Kiara and her date."

"How long has it been since those two have seen each other?"

"Probably since their fight so... over two months."

"It's going to be quite the reunion," she remarked.

"Hopefully they don't make a scene. I'm not worried about Kiara, but I'm worried about Kyrian when he sees her with her date. He might think she's insane but he still loves her."

"How's he holding up? Has the recklessness calmed down?"

"A little, but not enough that Ash won't give up on the idea of sending Kiara after him."

"And you think after tonight that when he sees her with someone new, he'll get worse?"

"Precisely."

"Well there's only one way we're going to find out. Here comes your brother now."

Kyrian stepped into the room in a sharp looking suit. All the women- single or married- turned to watch him as he made his way over to me.

"Two thousand years later and you still steal the spotlight whenever you walk into a room," I commented.

"And you don't?" He countered with a grin.

"Not when you're around."

"Well maybe my donation will help heal any of the wounds I've opened up," he joked, giving me a wink.

"How much did you donate?" I queried.

"My lips are sealed. This is a fundraiser, not a competition. So who all here did you invite?"

"You, Nick who should be here soon, Acheron, Kiara-

"Kiara is coming?"

"Yes."

"Why did you invite her?"

"Because I wanted to meet her," Grace intervened. "I've heard a lot about her and I wanted to meet her."

I could tell Kyrian wanted to snap back at my wife but he refrained himself. Instead he said, "What time is she supposed to get here?"

"She was supposed to arrive around the same time as you since her date also can't step into the sun."

"Would that be her?" Grace nodded her head towards the door. Even I was stunned speechless by her appearance. She wore a white dress with one long sleeve while the other shoulder and arm was bare. There was a cutout on the side of the torso while a bedazzled belt wrapped all around her waist. Beside her was Zarek, in a sharp, well-fitted, black suit. My eyes went over to Kyrian. I thought I was in shock but by the look on my friend's face, I thought he might pass out.

Everyone turned to look at her as she walked into the room. Her eyes settled on me, causing a smile to light up her face. Upon reaching me, she said, "Julian, I don't know if you've officially met but this is Zarek of Moesia. He was my best friend and bodyguard back in the day. Zarek, this is Julian of Macedonia. We're not sure how we know each other from back then but we think we do."

"You said you believed her even when your best friend didn't. For that, I thank you," Zarek stated.

"You're very welcome. It's a pleasure to meet you. Kiara, Zarek, I'd like to introduce you to my wife Grace."

"I've heard so much about you. It's an honor to meet you," Kiara said sincerely.

"You're the princess," my wife joked. "It's an honor to meet you. And if it's true you were my husband's friend, then I thank you for taking care of him back then."

"I watch out for all those I care about."

"Hey Ky- wait, where'd Kyrian go?" I mused.

"He left before they got here," Grace explained.

"He doesn't want to be around me," Kiara informed shyly. "I'm assuming Julian told you of that argument..."

"He told me about it, yes, but surely he can at least be civil and say hi?"

"He's not fond of me," Zarek said, sounding slightly amused. "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to get Kiara and myself a drink."

"Have you spoken to Kyrian since we talked last?" I asked.

"I haven't spoken to him since the fight. There's nothing to be discussed. He made his point clear. Why?"

"I thought you two had talked. He looked pretty stunned to see you."

"He was probably stunned to see me because he hasn't seen me since that night."

Grace remarked, "For a guy who's supposed to hate you, he sure didn't look at you that way."

"I'm sure he's just shocked to see me," Kiara said casually.

"Here you go, mea regina," Zarek announced, handing over a glass of champagne.

"Thank you," she replied. "Julian, Grace, we're going to go mingle, but we'll come back around okay?"

The two of them disappeared into the crowd. Barely two seconds later, my friend appeared next to my side again. Kyrian said, "How is she?"

"She's okay. She's hanging in there I think."

"Good. Are she and Zarek together?"

"No, not that I know of. They didn't say anything. I believe they're just here as friends."

"How does she know Tabitha Devereaux's sister?"

I glanced over to see Kiara laughing and chatting amiably with Amanda, as if the two were old friends. "I'm not sure. They're obviously friendly. But we'll have to find out later. Dinner is about to start and so is the entertainment!" I exclaimed.

We headed to our tables, and as luck would have it, Kyrian was at mine. Zarek and Kiara were on the other side of the room but I knew my friend was listening in on their conversation the entire time judging by some of the expressions he made during the conversation at our own table even though the facial expressions he made did not suit the conversation topic.

"Kyrian, what are they talking about?" I questioned casually and quietly so that no one at the table would overhear us.

"Something about- wait, how did you know I was listening?"

"I can still read you like a book after all these years."

"They're talking about the most mundane things. Food, places they've travelled to, places they want to go, places they're going to go together."

"They seem friendly."

"Friendly is a mild way to put it."

"Why don't you go talk to her rather than continue making yourself and her miserable?"

"She's not miserable. Have you seen that smile on her face?"

"She is. She's just good at acting like she's not."

"And you would know this how? Can you read her like a book as well?"

"No, she told me bits and pieces, but it was enough to know she's just as upset as you are, more so I think about being called insane, but-"

"Because it's an insane idea!" he exclaimed quietly.

"Why is it so hard to consider though?"

"Because how could I have absolutely no memory of someone as incredible as her? How could I not remember someone I should've been in love? Someone I am in love with?"

"Because there's this thing called gods and this thing called a memory wall that everyone she knew was affected by."

Kyrian sighed in aggravation. He was about to say something when the lights flickered. He glanced up, as did everyone.

"Look out!" Someone screamed. The crystal chandelier that hung above our table suddenly snapped from its cord, causing it to come hurtling towards us. I grabbed Grace by the arm and yanked her away from the table with me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Kyrian grab one of the other guests as he dove away from the chandelier. More people screamed as the lights went completely out. Emergency lights illuminated the room, allowing me to assess the situation. Kyrian was standing up, his head turning every which way, searching for what was causing the mayhem.

"Julian, Grace, are you okay?" Kiara questioned, rushing over to me. "Are you hurt?"

"No, I think we're fine. Just shaken up," I replied, standing up. "What's going on? Any idea?"

"None, but it's not good whatever it is. Is everyone else okay?" She turned around to check on the other patrons that had been at my table. Upon seeing them all standing, we assumed all was well.

"Where's Kyrian?" Grace mused. "He was just over there a moment ago."

"Kyrian?" I called out.

"I'll go search for him. Zarek, stay here. Make sure nothing else happens," Kiara ordered. "I'll be back."

"Be careful," Zarek warned.

She nodded before heading off, going down the only hallway to the room. On a split second decision, I went after her. As capable as I knew she was, I still felt the need to be with her, to protect her.

"What are you doing?" she hissed when I reached her.

"Going after my friend. Besides, you could use some back up. You don't know what you're heading into."

"I appreciate the concern but I'm fine."

"Better safe than sorry."

"I'm immortal. You're not. I have a better chance of getting out of this alive."

"Argue all you want, I'm still coming. Besides, you don't want to be alone with Kyrian, do you?"

"No, not particularly..."

"Then that's what I'm for."

"I don't want you playing Switzerland though because he'll get mad at you for trying to stay neutral."

"He already knows I've been talking with you and that I invited you here. He didn't take it well that you brought Zarek. He was listening in on your conversation most of the night."

"How rude."

"Kiara, you two need to talk. Acheron isn't the only one worried about Kyrian's safety. I grew up with him. I've seen him fight by himself. But I've never seen him this reckless except when his wife was taken from him. To put it mildly, he was stupid."

"I see what you mean," Kiara noted. She was staring over the balcony at an impossible fight. Kyrian against fifteen Daimons and while they weren't spathii, they were still part of the elite force. Kyrian had most definitely gotten in some hits but he was taking more hits than he was giving.

"That blithering idiot," Kiara muttered as she pulled out her bow and arrow, hopping onto the balcony bannister.

"That stupid-" Kiara fired an arrow, killing a Daimon.

"Blithering-" She fired another arrow and killed another enemy.

"Idiot!" she fired a third, killing her third. By now the mysterious, murderous arrows garnered the attention of the Daimons and of Kyrian. They all looked up at her. With her chin held high and fury on her face, she flipped down to the ground. I could not understand how she had managed not only to land in heels, but also land without getting tangled up in her dress.

Remembering I wasn't an immortal like Kiara and Kyrian, I opted for the safer route of the stairs. I'd be useless if I broke any bones. Kiara had already demolished two more Daimons and Kyrian had taken advantage of their confusion and killed two as well. I attacked one from behind, stabbing it directly in the chest with the dagger I'd hidden in my pocket earlier.

Seven more to go.

I made his way over to Kyrian, going back to back with him.

"Just like old times," my friend said, a little mirth in his tone.

"Except these people are smarter than the ones we fought," I countered.

"Always did know how to kill a mood..."

"Oh you think this is a battle. Wait until Kiara tears into you." I kicked a Daimon in the stomach, sending him backwards into a sword that belonged to none other than Kiara.

"Why is she mad at me now?" Kyrian mumbled, swinging his sword down on a Daimon's head.

"Same reason I am: you're being reckless."

"It's not reckless if you know what you're doing."

"Let's just finish this so I can get back to Grace in one p- Ah!" I let out a strangled cry as a Daimon slashed my arm. I saw fury flash on Kyrian's face before my friend went on a rampage with Kiara against the remaining Daimons. For a brief moment, it seemed the two forgot about their differences as they were moving in perfect harmony with one another, watching each other's back and demolishing everything that got in their way. Within moments, the remaining Daimons had been taken care of.

Kiara hurriedly knelt next to me, inquiring, "Are you okay?"

"I'll live. You okay?"

She nodded, but then turned to Kyrian. "Are you mad?"

"Excuse me?" Kyrian replied.

"Are you mad?" she repeated. "Do you know how absolutely stupid that was of you?"

"I was handling it!" he argued.

"That was a bloody ambush and you walked right into it!"

"Why do you care?"

"Because you nearly got Julian killed. He wouldn't be injured had you waited for backup and had a plan before going into battle!"

"You didn't have to bring him along!"

"He wouldn't give me a choice. You're his best friend. Of course he's going to come and check on your wellbeing."

"Then why did you come after me? It's not like you want anything to do with me."

"Because we're still on the same side and no matter what's going on between us, I don't want to see you die. Besides, Ash wanted me to talk some sense into you because he said you were being reckless. I didn't believe him until I just now saw it with my own eyes."

"And you're telling me you've never done this before? Taking on this many Daimons?"

"First, I don't go in without a plan. Second, I've fought a single enemy that was worse than fifteen Daimons combined. Third, I don't go diving head first into trouble. I don't know what's gotten into you or why, but you need to cool it with the rash ideas and make sure you have back up."

"Okay you two, enough of going at each other's throats. We should get back to the others, see if they're okay," I intervened because I knew this argument would go on all night if I let it.

"Do you need help?" Kiara asked, her voice much gentler.

"No, I've had worse. Lead the way. We'll take up the rear." Kiara nodded and took the lead. Kyrian and I lagged behind but said nothing to each other, the former too deep in his own thoughts to care about anything else going.

Upon arriving back at the main ballroom, the chaos had subsided somewhat. Emergency personnel had arrived and were taking people to the hospital who needed it and giving the approval to go home to those who were okay.

"Kiara, are you okay?" Zarek came running up to her.

"I'm fine. Anything happen while I was gone?" she responded.

"No. Grace and I managed to get mostly everyone to calm down." The Roman's eyes settled on me and Kyrian. "What happened to you two?"

"That one walked straight into an ambush," Kiara explained, pointing a finger at Kyrian who appeared offended at the accusation even though he knew it was true. "And Julian got hit by a sword. We need to get him bandaged up. Where's Grace?"

"She's talking to the cops about what happened."

"I'll go help. Watch these two, especially Mr. Hunter. It appears Acheron was right. He is being reckless."

When Kiara was out of ear shot, Zarek asked, "Why is that expression on your face?"

"What are you talking about?" Kyrian countered.

"You looked like a puppy that got kicked."

"It's nothing."

"It's not nothing, it's something."

"Roman, you care about my wellbeing about as much as I care about yours, so stop the bullshit and stop asking me questions."

"I'm not asking you because I care about you. I'm asking because you looked out of it, Greek."

"It's none of your business."

"Are all Greeks as stupid as you?"

"Boys, that's enough," Kiara declared. "Zarek, leave him alone. He doesn't want to be bothered and he's not worth getting upset over. Let's get home. I have a lead that I want to follow up on and I'm supposed to get up early tomorrow to help Amanda."

"Fine..." Zarek agreed reluctantly.

"Julian, are you sure you'll be okay?" Kiara questioned.

"I'll be fine. I promise."

"Okay. Call me if you need anything and thank you so much for inviting us. We really appreciate it."

"Of course. We're still on for lunch next week?"

"Definitely. I'll see you soon." Giving me a hug, Kiara left the party. Zarek was right next to her. They were quietly discussing something as they left.

"So what was that expression?" I queried, looking over at my friend.

Kyrian sighed. "I don't know... something about the way she called me Mr. Hunter, it's like we've been through this before where we get comfortable with each other and then something changes so that she calls me by my formal name and I don't like it..."

"Maybe she was telling the truth, about you two knowing each other before you two became what you are."

"You're on that bandwagon now too?"

"I'm saying there's more evidence coming to light that's hard to ignore. Come on, let's get home."
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