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I just wanted him home. I wanted Wane in my arms where I could keep him safe.
But he wouldn't be able to stand being touched. It was bad enough before, any touch traumatising enough before. But after a hundred years of torture? Touching him might not just trigger him, but cause deep, physical pain. As much as I wanted to hold him, I couldn't.
Concern surrounded my soul, and I swore softly. Wane could feel everything I felt.
I'm fine,I reassured him, my soul ebbing against his in a slow caress.Are you okay?
He didn't reply, didn't know what I'd asked. Pain twisted through my chest but I shut it out, not wanting him to feel it.
We're coming for you, Wane. We'll get you out of there. I swear.
I could have sworn the flutter of his emotion in my chest answered,I know.
18
In my dream I was wrapped up in shadows, my head on Wane's chest, and his low, raspy voice in my ear telling me all the plans he had for our future. We'd rebuild our home, put everything back the way it should be, but this time we'd employ security to patrol the woods so no one could sneak up on us. And Kai would scare the shit out of every guard so they didn't dare eventhinkabout betraying us. We'd be safe, and live happily ever after.
"If anyone tries to hunt us again," he murmured, knuckles stroking down my bare back as I drifted to sleep in the dream, "I'll black out the sun so no one can see anything ever again."
"I love you," I breathed, my eyelids heavy.
"I love you so much," he replied, a kiss feathering over my temple. "Loving you kept me alive. You saved me so many times."
"I'll always save you," I promised, losing my fight with sleep.
But when I fell asleep in my dream, I was yanked awake in the Labyrinth, and a gasp tore up my throat as my eyes flashed open on—a silver-blue ocean.What the fuck?
"What happened?" Emlyn yelled, his voice rough with panic and louder than usual. "Where's Haley?"
"I've got her," Wynvail called. An arm hooked around my waist, tugging me up so my shoulders floated above the water. I gasped down air, my head reeling. "Water just poured in out of nowhere."
"I couldn't even wake you before it was filling up," Harvey rasped, coughing up water as he swam, cutting through the water towards us with powerful strokes. "I'm sorry."
"Not your fault," I said, scanning the maze and kicking my legs to stop myself sinking into the rising water. Wynvail’s arm helped. Bastard.
There was a chamber open straight ahead, but that was rapidly filling with water, too. And—shapes bobbed in the depths, one black and sleek, another a bright seafoam green.
"Guys, we have company," I warned, swimming as much as I could when Wynvail held me tighter than a clingy octopus.1
"Let me go, dickwad," I growled at Wynvail.
He just snorted and held on tighter, threatening to crack a rib. I stretched my fingers down to my knife, but the water flung us suddenly sideways and my fingertips barely skimmed the hilt before I could get a grip.2
"Hippocampi!" Harvey screamed, his voice suddenly shrill and fear in the whites of his eyes as he powered through the water to me and Wynvail.
"Fuck," Kai hissed, swimming in place ahead of us, dark red hair plastered to his cheeks. "Em, know any weaknesses?"
"Very few," Emlyn replied, water splashing my neck as he closed in on my right, his eyes narrowed on where Wynvail held me. "They're slower on land, but…"
But we were in a maze rapidly filling up with water, and no way would Cronus be kind enough to open the doors so we could find our way to dry land. The psychopath had filled the Labyrinth with water and unleashed hippocampi in the first place.
I only knew about the creatures because Em read so many books. Hippocampi were like overgrown seahorses, with the head and front legs of a horse and a giant, curling fish tail. From what I remembered, they had killer teeth, could swim at alarming speeds, and drove the chariot of Poseidon. Thegod.
And now two of them wanted to attack us.3I wasn't feeling great about our chances against horses favoured bythe god of the ocean.
"We'll have to swim, and hope a passage opens," Emlyn shouted. "Kai!"
"On it," Kai yelled, rocking the water with a surge of his magic. The wave sent Wynvail and I swerving away from Em and Harvey, and my stomach lurched at the sudden movement. Ugh, I really did not want to be sick right now.
