Page 73 of Never Quite Gone

Marcus's expression was grim as he began the spell to wake Will. “Not long enough. The pattern is accelerating. Everything's coming to a head, and this time...” He paused, ancient power shimmering around his hands one final time. “This time, Will might be strong enough to break more than just your curse.”

“What do you mean?”

“Think about it.” Marcus's voice dropped lower, though Willshowed no signs of stirring yet. “If his soul really does remember what came before – if he's accessing knowledge from before the temples, before the binding that created this pattern... He could unravel everything. Not just the curse that keeps you and Eli finding each other, but the very foundations of power that maintain balance between life and death.”

The sun began to rise over Manhattan, painting my office in shades of gold and promise. But all I could see was Will's face twisted with desperate rage, his hands reaching for power he didn't understand.

Will stirred slightly, Marcus's awakening spell beginning to take effect. Soon he would open his eyes, innocent of the night's violence, unaware of the terrible knowledge building in his soul.

“What do we do?” I asked, though I feared I knew the answer.

“We watch. We wait. We try to protect him from himself.” Marcus's hand hovered over Will's forehead one last time. “But most importantly – we prepare for what happens when the barriers finally fail. When all that ancient knowledge breaks free.”

“And Eli?”

“Keep him close, but be careful.” Marcus said. “The stronger your connection grows, the more Will's soul will fight to remember. To reclaim power it lost before recorded history began.”

The sun rose fully, morning light transforming my office back into its usual corporate self. Will's eyelids flickered as Marcus's spell completed its work. Soon he would wake, return to being my brilliant, ambitious younger brother who built his own success alongside mine.

But I would remember. Would see the ancient soul beneath modern polish, the desperate reach for power that had shaped our pattern since before the first temples rose.

“Alex?” Will's voice was drowsy, confused. “Did I fall asleep during the merger review?”

“You've been working too hard,” I said, the lie tasting like protection. “Let me call you a car home.”

He sat up slowly, rubbing his neck. “Weird dreams,” he muttered. “Something about temples and scrolls...”

Marcus and I exchanged glances over his head. “Work stress,” Marcus said smoothly. “You should take tomorrow off.”

Will nodded, gathering himself with his usual efficiency. But as he headed for the door, something made him pause. “Alex?”

“Yes?”

“Do you ever feel like...” He hesitated, struggling with words that shouldn't mean anything. “Like you're remembering things that haven't happened yet? Or happened so long ago they couldn't be real?”

My heart ached at the lost note in his voice. “Get some rest, brother. Everything will make more sense after sleep.”

He smiled, the expression pure Will – my brother, my supporter, my friend in this life. “You're probably right. Goodnight, Alex. Marcus.”

We watched him go, waited until the elevator doors closed behind him. Only then did Marcus speak.

“The greatest threat to your love story has never been Vale's curse,” he said quietly. “It's always been Will. His soul remembering what it lost, what it never should have known in the first place.”

The sun painted Manhattan in shades of possibility, but all I could see was my brother's face twisted with ancient knowledge, his hands reaching for power that could destroy everything.

“Watch over him,” I said, though I didn't need to. Marcus had been doing exactly that for longer than either of us could remember.

“Always.”

I touched my throat where the letter opener had drawn blood, thinking of Eli's kiss and Will's rage and the pattern that bound us all together.

CHAPTER 23

The Truth

Vale's brownstone caught me off guard. I'd expected something sleek and modern, cold as his hospital office. Instead, warmth radiated from every corner – ancient artifacts sharing space with medical texts, worn leather chairs that invited contemplation, walls lined with books in languages I shouldn't recognize but somehow did.

“Please, sit.” Vale gestured to the chairs with unexpected grace. His usual sharp edges seemed softer here, worn smooth like river stones. “Alex will be joining us shortly.”

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