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That's what you get for eating people,I thought, and stabbed his eyes next.

Cronus let out a noise between a laugh and a snarl and knocked me back.

I dropped so fast my head spun, breath snatched from my lungs, but I threw my arms out and caught myself with both blades buried in his stomach. Hanging like this was hell on my biceps, but my wings beat, taking some of the weight.

I couldn’t get my dizzy head to form thoughts, but a tiny, vicious grin curled the edges of my mouth as I gutted Cronus from edge to edge. Blood poured down his stomach, inner light breaking through the slash in a myriad colours, but—he healed this wound too. Too fucking quickly.

Shit. Faster, Haley…

I drove the next blow into his hip, breathing rapidly, sweat dripping off my head and the world too cold around me. What happened to the spirits? Where was Poseidon? That fuckerowedme; he needed to back me up so I could kill Cronus and—

I screamed when a giant hand snapped around me and ripped me away from his body.

So this is it. This is when he devours me.

I'll have this meal tenderised,he remarked in his cruel, pain-inducing voice.

Wait, what? I struggled in his massive hand, but my arms were locked at my sides, my daggers useless and—I screamed until my voice gave out when he threw me so hard and far that the world blurred.

Wind tore at my hair, clothes, and wings as I shot across the city. Light streaked from my daggers. I only had enough time to turn them away from me so I didn't impale myself before I slammed into the ground so hard my head rattled. Pain erupted through my knee, and the world turned black for a stretch of eternity.

Am I dead?

I groaned, testing my body. Death really ought to be more floaty and painless than this.

Ugh. Fuck. I was still alive.

Growls and voices clamoured around me, and I could have sworn an enormous black wolf dog was hugging me, but I was too dizzy to turn my head and see if the dog was real.

The ground rumbled with an earthquake, but the dog pressed tighter to me, enclosing me in trembling warmth. My head swam and my whole body hurt, my knee especially brutal but—the scent registered.

I gritted my teeth, pulling myself back together, dragging a tiny scrap of strength from my bruised, broken body when I realised it wasHarveywrapped around me, not a wolf dog. Kai was here too, pressed close and livid with protectiveness.

My mates were here, and I might have been spiked with pain in every limb, but if they were here, everything was going to be okay.

I dropped into my bonds, desperate to feel Em and Wane and—

I was mad. Certifiable. I had to be.

My whole body started to shake, my chest cut through with so many emotions that I couldn’t contain them. Denial was strong. Disbelief was stronger. But hope drowned them both out.

A sob crushed my throat and tore past my lips, and one gave way to ten, to twenty.

"What the fuckisthat?" Kai hissed, his hand wrapping around my arm and pulling me to my feet.

I wavered, slumping into him as sobs broke apart my chest, but I forced myself steady through sheer will. We weren't safe yet. Far from it. And if Wane hadn’t moved, he was too fucking close to Cronus.

I wasn’t even thinking about the alternative. Not with the emotions howling through me and the way my soul buckled.

I shielded my eyes as I searched for my unconscious mate, moon-light white everywhere, washing out Olympus until I couldn't even see Cronus. Another sob smothered me.

"Touch her," a cold voice breathed, entirely lethal, "and you die."

I froze.

My breathing cut off.

Every atom in my body just … stilled.