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He glanced up, eyes still distant, but his arms were already opening. "Always, Hales."
The others were so distracted they didn't even look up as I climbed onto his lap and curled up, my head on his shoulder and tears finally spilling over. Tears of relief and pain blended, and the moment my scent hit Emlyn's senses, he jerked, his arms locking tighter around me as he gasped.
"Haley!" he blurted, loud enough that everyone else looked over.
Harvey fell off the sofa, immediately scrambling across the rug. Wynvail jumped to his feet and vaulted the coffee table, landing in front of me—and was knocked aside by Wane as he grabbed my face, frantic silver eyes searching me, pleading, disbelieving.
"I'm here," I said, thick with emotion.
Wane's thumbs brushed the tears from my cheeks, a hard breath punching out of his chest.
"I thought you were dead," Verena exclaimed, stumbling over to us and staring at me.
"I was," I replied, stroking Wane's back, squeezing Wynvail's shoulder, and brushing messy brown hair from Harvey's face. I needed more hands, goddammit.
A loud, shuddering sob snapped my panicked stare to Kai. He'd dropped his face into his hands and now his whole body shook, brutal, wrenching sobs shaking him.
"Come here, my night," I choked out, my heart breaking as I watched him shake and cry. "Kai."
A ragged, broken breath shook him as he uncurled on the sofa. Harvey moved, making room for Kai in front of me, and my sobbing mate dropped into it without a word. I turned on Em's lap, making sure his arms didn't unwrap from my waist, and the moment I touched Kai's face, his face crumpled and he bowed his head over me, clinging to my legs.
"How?" Harvey rasped, never once taking his eyes off me.
"I don't know," I replied, all my energy drained. "I should be dead."
"The pearl," Emlyn said, pulling me so my back was flush to his chest. "It has to be."
Wynvail shook his head, his jaw clenched as he fought back a tidal wave of feeling—I sensed it through the bond, sensed all of them. Even my mate bonds were intact, and that was a fucking miracle. Did I have Erebus to thank for that? "It should have been instant."
"What pearl?" I asked, a fresh wave of tears racing down my cheeks when I blinked.
"A resurrection pearl," Wynvail rasped, leaning into me when I stroked his hair. It wasn't quite as coiffed and neat as usual, and this time I actually hated seeing him rumpled, knowing grief was the reason. "It's a long story."
"It doesn't matter how you're back," Wane said, brushing tears off my cheeks. "All that matters is you're home."
My steady stream of tears became a dam burst of sobs when he pressed a kiss to my forehead, throwing me back into so many memories.
"Come here, kid," Emlyn murmured. "It's family group hug time."
I glanced up, giving Verena the best smile I could manage when I was a crying, snotty mess, and fluttered my hand at her, marvelling at how I could actually move and breathe and cry. "Get over here."
"Are you alright?" she asked, approaching tentatively, nothing like the fierce girl we first met, swearing and scornful through the stone wall between our cells.
"Strangely okay," I agreed, and decided to leave out the fact I was an emotional wreck, I was spiritually screaming, and mentally I was a tumbledown mess of stress, panic, questions, and traumatic memories. "Looks like we escaped unscathed."
Harvey made a throaty sound, his expression dark with intensity when I met his stare. Yeah, we'd all have a proper conversation later. When the truth wouldn't scare the shit out of Verena. I knew she was a tough kid but telling her everything that had happened would give her nightmares. Especially my death.
"Do I even want to know what happened after I—left," I said hoarsely, choking back another wail that clawed up my throat when Wynvail laced his fingers with mine, pressing a kiss to every joint and knuckle.
"Cronus is the king of the gods now," Wane said, hatred and panic fighting for dominance in his expression. "He has complete power."
I sighed. Of course he was, and of course he did. "But he thinks I'm dead, so he'll leave us alone, right?"
Kai flinched hard. I reached for him, stroking my thumb along his pale cheek, my chest collapsing at the devastation in his eyes. I wrapped my soul around his in the bond, holding tight, promising this was real, I was back, he hadn't lost me.
"We hope," Harvey muttered, still staring at me, not budging from where he knelt in front of the armchair.
"Good." I nodded decisively and pretended my breath didn't hitch and tears didn't drip off my chin. "That's done then. Game over. Happily ever after."
