AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Emlyn couldn't stifle his growl this time, and neither could he hide the pain in the sound. "We'll get him back," he repeated, like it was his lifeline.
I forced a nod.
But a hundred years was a long, long time. Endless if Wane was being hurt every single day. I felt him on the other end of the bond when he let me close. He didn't feel broken; he felt agonised and tired but blazing with wrath. Defiant. Stubbornly strong. But what if this part of his soul was the only thing left?
"What if we find him, and—and he's a shell?" I asked, so quietly.
Emlyn tucked me closer, and I let myself melt into him, ignoring the cold wind tugging at my hair and wings. "Whatever we find, it doesn't matter. He's ours, and we'll bring him home. He'll have you, and Harvey, and Kai and I will do everything we can."
"We can kill Wynvail so he never has to meet him," I added thoughtfully.
"You'd rather die than kill him," Emyn huffed, tugging on a feather. "He's your mate."
"Unfortunately."
"He's going to be useful in finding Wane. He's the only person we know who's had contact with Cronus. Fuck, that's bizarre to say out loud. Cronus is a myth, a story. I used to read stories about him—remember the book of legends I had? With the gold tree stamped on it."
"You were reading it the morning we—thatmorning." I swallowed, shutting out the loud flicker of flames, the heat of the fire, and the creeping feeling along my soul. "That book burned because of Wynvail."
"Hm," Emlyn agreed, dusting my forehead with another kiss. "Don't kill him until after he helps us find Wane."
"Fine," I muttered, hating that he was right, hating that only half of me wanted that asshole dead. I wouldn't even give voice to what the other half wanted to do, though it hadn't fully moved on from seeing him dive into the river, shirtless, to save my mates. Or seeing blood run down his skin. "Only serious injuries."
Emlyn laughed, but I knew his heart wasn't in it. "Halwen—"
I groaned. Whatever he was going to say, it could be good if he was calling me Halwen.
He caught my face in his hand, tilting my head back so he could scan my face. "How are you feeling? About Adhiti—Rhea?"
I swallowed and tried to glance away but he wouldn't let me. "How am I feeling about murdering my great grandmother?"
"You didn't murder her, Hales," Em murmured, stroking my cheek with his thumb. "She did most of the work; she just used your knife. It wasn't your fault."
"I was going to kill her," I admitted, the shame of it choking me. "I wanted to, when she trapped us in that cave with her. I thought she was going to hurt you, and when she made you kneel—"
"You're my mate; of course you'd want revenge on someone who hurt me," he said reasonably, holding eye contact. "It wasn't your fault."
I laughed, a little twisted.
"Halwen," he said for the second time, waiting for me to meet his patient stare. "It wasn't your fault. You didn't stab her, and you couldn't have stopped her. She was determined to die."
"I killed a titaness," I breathed, a tremble starting in my hands where I gripped Em close. "Oh, god, I killed a titaness. I'll be thrown in jail, and that's the best case scenario. Is there a titan prison? That's where I'll be left to rot. Or maybe they'll throw me in Tartarus."
"They willnot,"Emlyn growled, drawing my attention and interrupting my panic. "I won't letanyonetouch you. Human, demon, god, titan—I don't care what they are, if they even think about hurting you, they're dead."
My shoulders dropped and I settled back into his chest, his hand relocating to the back of my head and burying in the strands of my hair. Ugh, I needed a shower. I was still covered in river muck; I was pretty sure if I let it dry in my hair, I'd never get it out.
It shouldn't have mattered with my great grandmother dead at my own hand and Wane captive, but—it was the final straw, and suddenly I couldn't stand all the grime on me.
"I need to shower," I said, pulling away from Emlyn, manic energy filling my body. "I'm covered in all this—this—"
"Hales," Emlyn said, so gently.
"I'm fine," I snapped, slamming the door open and jogging down the stairs. "I just need to get clean. You!" I snarled, finding Wynvail with my mates at the bottom of the stairs on the second floor. "Where's your bathroom?"
He raised an eyebrow. "Excuse me?"
"Where's your fucking bathroom, asshole? I need a shower."
