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And I knew this was only the tip of the iceberg. Cronus had a hundred years to perfect his torture on Wane.
Harvey's whines landed like knives in my heart as Wane dropped to his knees and fell against his twin, hugging him so tight he ripped out strands of black fur. Something settled in Harvey, in both of them, as they hugged. The world could fall apart, but at least the twins were back together.
"He stole you," Wane sobbed into Harvey's fur. "He stole all of you from me."
Harvey rumbled a reassuring sound, rubbing his head against Wane's shoulder in a comforting stroke. I pulled myself back together while they shuddered and cried. I needed to be strong for my mates; their pain in my chest told me that. I stepped back into the tunnel, ignoring my shaky legs.
"You okay, honey?" Wynvail asked, his eyes on me as he hovered a few steps away, letting us have this moment as a family unit.
"Fine," I rasped, scrubbing my face dry even if my tears wouldn't slow.
Wynvail opened his mouth again, but whatever words he tried to speak never formed.
Wane jerked away from Harvey at the unfamiliar voice, and he shot to his feet with a deep, animal hiss. Emlyn darted forward when he wobbled, supporting him with the tiniest touches. The habit was hard to break when we'd spent so long being careful not to touch Wane.
"You,"Wane snarled at Wynvail, and I startled hard, my heart slamming against my ribs as I glanced between them.
If Wynvail had been involved in Wane's suffering, we weredone.Any shot he had of us not killing him was gone, and I'd murder the bastard myself.
But Wane's scarred upper lip peeled back and he spat, "Why are you here? You're an abomination."
Wynvail flinched.
I recoiled too, his soul cracking with so much shame and hatred that it cut through mine, the only thing I could feel in the mess of my chest.
"What did he do?" Kai demanded in a low hiss, instantly backing Wane up. The air rippled with his magic, snakes writhing.
Wane shook his dark head, pure hatred on his face. "It's not what he’s done; it's what heis.He shouldn't exist. He's Cronus's creation."
What?
My heart beat faster; I stared at Wynvail and waited for him to sneer and snarl, for his true self to show its face. But he just stood there and accepted it.
"He's my mate," I said tentatively, glancing from his statue-still expression to Wane’s bared teeth.
Wane shook his head, his hair so matted it barely shifted. "Barely. He was never meant to exist, itzaia. He was part of the bargain Locke and Cronus made. For me."
"For you?" Kai pressed, a snarl still in his voice. He edged closer to me—or to Wynvail. I didn’t trust him not to rip out Wynvail’s throat.
Wane’s throat bobbed. "Cronus bought me from Locke. He wants my magic, is obsessed with it. But they—Halwen needed a mate. I don't know why. A secret purpose."
I eyed Wynvail in surprise. He'd been created to be my mate? He wasn't naturally bound to my soul. This had beendoneto us?
I swallowed, tears still close, burning my eyes. "I don't understand."
"He was made," Wane explained, giving me a confused look at whatever he heard in my voice, "from my shadow and Harvey's sunlight. Cronus took parts of each and forged them into a new mate for you, in exchange for keeping me and for—for using my shadows."
"Why did he want the shadows?" Emlyn asked, edging between us and Wynvail. To protect us from the threat?
Wynvail shook his head. He didn't know.OrCronus had commanded him not to say.
"He's building something with them," Wane rasped, his gaze distant and haunted. I felt sick all over again. "But I fought him, I never stopped fighting. He only took them from me this week because—"
He cut off. Silence rang, painfully loud.
"Because I made you weak," I finished.
"I don't care," Wane hissed, silver eyes flashing as he took a step closer. "I don't care. You saved me. You're here. He can take all my shadows; I don't care."
