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"Come back to me, or I'll hunt you down wherever you end up."
"Probably the shady part of Hell where the worst spirits go," I said, trying for lightness. The croak in my voice ruined it.
"I know the area," he replied, his jaw clenching. "I better not see you there. Ever."
I tried to smile. "Likewise."
He nodded once, sharp, and reached for my waist, drawing both my volcanic daggers. He placed them in my palms and lifted each hand, pressing a kiss to my knuckles. "Kill him."
"I will," I promised.
"And you," Kai snarled at Wane.
"I'll protect her with my life," Wane vowed, his long chestnut hair batted by the wind. Silver eyes blazed with seriousness—and readiness to do just that. The thought of him laying down his life for me made me physically ill.
"Not what I was going to say, fuckhead," Kai snapped, grabbing the back of Wane's head and wrenching him across the dome until their foreheads touched. "Be careful; stay safe. We can't lose you again. You're too important to lose. Got it."
Wane's eyes were wide, surprised. He nodded. He looked close to crying. "Got it."
"Fuckhead isn't even a word," Verena murmured, watching our goodbyes with a terrified look on her face. "I can fight," she blurted, like she'd been desperate to say it for long minutes.
"I bet you can," I agreed, rubbing my face free of tears, dust, and blood and giving her a hard look. "But not here and now. I'm the one prophesied to kill him, and I'm not letting you go up against a titan."
I held out my arms for Wane; he stepped into them without question, his back straight and head high. Ready to do whatever he had to, even if it meant baiting the titan who terrified him. His strength stole all my breath from me.
"Go to Lucifer's palace. We'll meet up there," I said, and before anyone could stop me, I tightened my arms around Wane and dropped off the edge of the dome, catching a swell of wind.
Flying toward Cronus like I had a death wish.
CHAPTER31
KAI
Icouldn't let her down. My rose was relying on me, and Harvey was, too. Where was the giant, furry bastard? He couldn't have vanished; the whole city had collapsed, there was a clear view all the way to the edge of the mountain. So where the fuck—
My knees buckled when Cronus laughed, his nightmarish voice cracking my skull apart with pain, and I staggered around with a ragged gasp when my mate's voice tore across the city.
"Focus," I breathed to myself, my whole body shaking with the urge to run to her. But I had a job to do, and my mate wouldn't be able to function if Harvey was in danger. The second I found him, we could both help her.
It felt like I ripped out a part of myself when I turned away from Haley, searching the collapsed city. There was only rubble all around me. Fuck, there was onlyrubbleandwhere was Harvey? What if I couldn't find him? What if he was—
"Don't even think it, asshole," I snarled at myself, my tongue flicking out and tasting ashes. Ugh.
I set off in a random direction, sending out small scouting corn snakes to scour the ground for any hint of Harvey.
With every minute that passed, I lost more hope, and grew more frantic until—
Bright golden light slashed through a collapsed wall to my left. I jerked towards it, my heart faltering when Cronus laughed again, his awful voice stabbing my skull until my whole head pounded and blood trickled from my ears. Great. My brain was melting to gore. That was the last thing I needed.
But that golden light—Iknewthat light. I’d seen it shatter whole villages. I knew it had once ruined an entire city. That was Harveil's power.
I didn’t dare glance back at Cronus. I threw myself around the side of a wrecked library and ran as hard and fast as I could, unerringly aiming for that bright slash of power. The light died out, but I kept running, pushing myself so hard that my breathing wheezed and a half dozen sore points throbbed on my body.
What the fuck was up with my elbow? Holyshitit hurt, and I couldn’t even remember what I’d done to it. My wrist and thigh, too.1
Dust kicked up around me, when I skidded, grabbing a fallen column so I didn't slam into the ground. Haley would still love me if my face was mashed, but I was a vain bastard and a broken nose was about all my vanity would accept. My rose deserved someone in possession of a full set of teeth.
"Harvey!" I yelled, racing down what was once a road but now had craters blasted out of it, and what survived was strewn with pale bricks and gilded debris. Another hole tore through the ground a few metres away, too close to comfort. The entire street shuddered under me.
