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"Ah," Typhon said, a hundred voices speaking at once. "Yes. Like a chipolata. He will devour me, too. And everyone alive who has a god or titan ancestor."

"So he'll eat everyone and—then what?" I demanded, taking my anger out on the wrong person. The need for revenge burned in my chest. "Rulenothing?There'll be no one left."

"He'll repopulate the world with whatever remains of humanity and rebuild the golden age. It was a time of peace. If you obeyed him," Typhon added bitterly, rising from the chair and looking unsure, glancing between Wane and us. His dragons shuddered.

"We don't have a chance of winning, child of Ares," he told me. "So run, far and fast. There's nothing he won't do for power. All of this—everything bad that has happened—" He waved a black, gleaming dragon at the room, at Wane, at my mates. "Is because of him. He saw you, before you ever discovered your mates. He saw you, and them, and everything you would be."

Typhon's face darkened, sadness and anger mixing in his harsh features as his voice grew louder, more resonant, more dragon voices joining the chorus. "That's why he helped Locke reach the Damned Realm that day. I'm sorry," he said quickly when Wane staggered back a step.

Pain cut through my chest; I covered my mouth as horror bled through my soul and into theirs. My mates had only died because of me.

"Why?" Emlyn demanded in a deep snarl. He squeezed my hand harder.

Typhon backed away from us towards the wall, a black sheen covering his skin—tar. I knew the look on his face, knew that itching need to run. "Death amplified your power."

"Power," I spat, shaking all over. "Everything comes back topower."

Cronus helped Locke kill us. He held Wane captive for a century, and tortured him because he coveted his shadows. He tormented us, and sent us to die in the Labyrinth. He made Wynvail's existence a misery. All forpower.Because he wanted to take over the world again.

"I want him dead," I breathed, glancing up at Typhon—and finding him already melting through the wall in a puddle of tar.

"Bye, then," I sighed, reaching out to clasp Wane's hand when he stumbled over to me, squeezing tight. His soul was as much a mess as mine, shock tangled with hurt and panic, poisoned by hatred and rage.

"Haley's right," Wane said after a moment, sucking in a laboured breath, his shadows thickening. "We can't hide this time. We need to set a trap—and kill him before he kills us."

CHAPTER12

Something was very badly wrong with me, but I was blaming it on trauma. Case in point: I'd just been told Cronus wanted to devour me, and the only reason we died was so he could fatten up my power. But my bodyburnedwhen Wane and Emlyn began arguing, Wane pushing for offence, Em firmly defence. Eyes flashed with defiance and a spark of anger, and I swallowed, needing that intensity pinned on me. Fuck, they were so sexy when they were angry.

Wane threw up his hands when Em argued, and I shuddered, imagining them on my hips, holding me down while he filled me with shadows and cock, over and over until I screamed.

My need grew so badly that I whimpered and got to my feet, stopping their argument before it could get even more heated. My mouth went completely dry when they both turned to me, Emlyn's big chest heaving and Wane's shirt clinging to the fine lines of his body where it used to hug muscle. My mouth watered, and no amount of screaming at myself thatnow really isn’t the timewould make my body cool.

When Emlyn closed the distance and cupped my face, I gasped, the touchso fucking goodagainst my sensitive skin. Every part of me was sensitive, roaring with scalding sensation and pounding demand.

"Your eyes are dilated, Hales," he murmured, tucking a lock of hair behind my ear. "Fuck, you're burning up."

"I need you," I admitted, licking my dry bottom lip. "All of you. Please."

Wings and magic brushed against me from behind, Harvey’s and Kai’s touch a relief that made me quiver.

"Gently," Emlyn warned them, his blue eyes hardening. "Come here, beautiful girl. We'll give you what you need."

I couldn’t hold in a whimper, heat scorching through my skin and sinking deeper, making sweat prick my face. My need was so vicious that the usual pound of desire became painful. I choked back a pitiful moan.

When Em sat on the sofa and pulled me onto his lap, I couldn't even focus on the broken furniture and the devastation it gave me. All I felt was the ruthless, burning demand in my pussy. I couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. The second his cock was freed, I slammed down on it and exhaled hard in relief.

Yes,my soul breathed.Finally.

I knew logically it had only been a few hours since we'd had sex, but I rode them all, one by one, like I'd been apart from them for a thousand years.

It was only when the frenzy faded, and my temperature returned to normal, my pussy overflowing with cum, that the devastation I'd been outrunning caught up to me.

They’d completely trashed my living room while trying to protect me. All the pieces Wynvail picked out for me were ruined.

I pressed my face to Wane’s shoulder and pretended to sleep while I cried.

CHAPTER13