Yale
Zayden and I watch Xavier follow Silence upstairs. Things need to be said, and he’s a hell of a lot braver than I am. It’s clear why Silence freaked out, but maybe she’ll admit something I’ve hoped was true for a while.
That she loves us. All of us.
“You okay?” I ask Zayden.
He nods, a small smile on his lips. “It feels right.” It does. Like we’re finally finding our place. It isn’t long before we hear shouting, and he laughs. “I better make sure this confession of love doesn’t turn into a murder scene.”
Barely a few seconds pass before the lights go out.
I stand, blinking as my eyes adjust. “Zay—”
Heat rushes across my skin, and noise assaults me from all sides.
The world tips, and I sink into darkness, quiet, and—
I blink. Pain throbs through my shoulder and leg, and dust curls in the air.
I’m on my back, breathing in something dry and heavy, my eardrums ringing.
The night sky stretches above me, a darkened sea of stars blurred by white smoke.
Snow touches my face, cool against the sweat, the flakes curling and twisting.
Slowly, sounds return. Crumbling stone. An alarm blaring.
Groaning, I turn onto my side. Blood spills out of my nose and over my lips, and I push myself up. The couch and coffee table are covered in debris, and half of the building is gone.
And men are moving across the grounds.
I force myself to my feet and stumble over to the TV stand, opening the cabinet and pressing the pad of my thumb to the side panel. It slides open, and I grab the gun and extra ammo, loading the weapon and flicking off the safety just as the first man reaches the property.
I raise the gun, palm cradling the butt, and fire. He’s armored, but my bullet tears straight through his face, and I shift my aim to the second man. This bullet grazes him, and he fires as I duck behind what’s left of the couch.
The scream of automatic weapons fills the air, bullets slamming into walls, plaster spitting across me. I wipe the blood from my nose, glancing over at the foyer. It looks like the stairs are gone.
Where’s Zayden? Did he make it to the bedroom? Is he …
No. No, he’s not dead. He can’t be.
Boots crunching over fallen stone bring me back to the moment. I move to a knee, aiming and firing, taking down three more men. I stand, firing again, reloading as I take steps back toward the foyer.
The front door, which is remarkably still standing, bursts open.
I stride over to the intruder and throw my elbow into his face, holding my muzzle to his forehead and firing.
Blood and brains spritz across the door and my face, and I remove the strap of his automatic weapon, throwing it over my shoulder.
Through the open door, the grounds are swarmed. Half-crouched men make quick moves toward the house, and I swear, wiping the sweat from my eyes and going to the electrical panel by the door. I open it, typing it in a code. It usually requires two fingerprints, but I override it.
The perimeter of the lawn explodes. Like a wave of dirt rising and falling, underground devices detonate one by one. Men scream. Bodies are flung.
Pressure thuds into my temple as someone throws their fist into it. I hit the wall, vision blurring.
Fuck.
I can shoot. I can blow shit up.
Fighting is not my strong suit.
Luckily, I don’t have to.
A grumble. Nails skidding across the marble floor.
Bullet leaps onto the man, sinking his teeth into his arm. He shouts, rearing back, but Bullet holds on, jerking his head from side to side, giving me enough time to shoot Ryker’s man through the forehead.
“Good boy, Bullet.” He lands on his feet and wiggles excitedly. His fur is coated in dust, but he seems unharmed. “Where’s Silence?” He tilts his head. “Q, find Q.”
He turns and bounds toward the remains of the stairs, whining and wagging his tail, but there’s no way we can get to the next floor this way.
He huffs, then runs toward the back of the house, and I follow.
More bullets spray and I duck, keeping my focus on Bullet as he skids through the house toward the back stairs.
They’re collapsed, stones blocking our way. I might be able to move them if I had time, but footsteps fill the house.
I can’t get to her.
I can’t get to any of them.