Page 17

"Em's mad at me," I choked out, a fresh wave of tears burning my eyes before they flooded down my face.

"Em'sscared,"Wane corrected gently, stroking my side with a shadow-wreathed hand. "We all are. You were justgone,and there was no trace of you."

"You thought Cronus took me," I realised, my shoulders sinking and shame curling through me. "I should have realised."

"Hales," Emlyn murmured, closer than before. Tali must have finally let him through. "I'm sorry for shouting."

Harvey made a rolling motion with his hand, and Em sighed, scrubbing his face because—those were tears trickling from the corners of his eyes. My stomach plummeted. I’d made Emlyn cry.

"I'm not angry at you, I don't want you to think I am. It's just so hard to have you out of my sight after the Labyrinth, let alone to find you gone. I'm sorry I made you cry."

"I'm sorry I madeyoucry," I choked out, my bottom lip wobbling when Wane pressed a kiss to the side of my neck.

"We'll leave you to talk," Asta said from behind the wall of protective muscle and magic."Won't we,Renna?"

"Not willingly," Renna muttered. "But fine."

"Thank you," I croaked. I'd been gifted a lot of amazing friends since I was reborn, like the universe was looking out for me.

"Tali," Asta warned. "Come on."

If they make you cry again, I'm eating their feet,Tali grumbled, nudging Harvey aside so she could lean up and lick my face in one wet, gross swipe of her sandpaper tongue.Men can survive without feet; I'm being generous.

"Ugh, Tali," I groaned, wiping her slobber off my face with a shaking hand.

She backed up, giving each of my mates a narrow-eyed glare. Except for Wane, possibly because he hadn't shouted at me. Or because the animal part of Tali could sense he was suffering right now.

I dared to meet my mates' eyes, expecting anger and disappointment but finding neither. Fear and frustration, but no anger. Em's blue eyes were still watery and pained.

"I didn't mean to scare you," I told him, my voice hoarse. "I just—" My bottom lip wobbled violently, and Em rushed forward. Harvey shuffled aside so Em could hug me, and I trembled in his arms.

"No more running off on your own," Kai said gently. "Even if your head's fucked up and you're breaking down, take one of us with you. Yeah?"

"Yeah," I agreed, my throat closing up. I shouldn't have come here on my own. Their heat bled into me, thawing my icy numbness. "I didn't want to wake you up. After everything we've been through, you need sleep."

"Fucksleep," Kai hissed, his forked tongue snapping out. "I'll sleep when I'm—safe and Cronus is dead."

"Nice save," Harvey whispered.

"Shut up," Kai muttered, making me smile.

"So you're—not mad at me?" I asked, holding Em closer.

"Shaken, but not angry," Emlyn replied, squeezing my side, never taking his eyes off me. Like he needed to reassure himself I was okay.

"Why did you sneak out, Sugarplum?" Harvey asked, his voice carefully soft.

I swallowed, flexing my hands, and panic hit so severely that I recoiled. "My dagger, I’ve lost it—no, please gods, it can’t be gone. I need it,I need it,I can’t—"

"Is this it?" Wane asked, leaving my side for a moment, and reappearing with his hand held out, my pewter knife secure in his bronze fingers.

My face crumpled, and I nodded, crying ugly tears. I clutched the dagger to my chest, my body shaking again.

"Oh," Kai breathed, understanding and sadness bleeding through his soul to mine. "The dagger Wynvail gave you."

I nodded, my bottom lip shuddering and my nose running, tears racing down my cheeks.

"That's why you came here," he murmured, carding gentle fingers through my long hair. "You needed to get it back."