“I am, now get down. I can’t do this for too long or something really bad will happen,” I strain out. “Is all of the basement caved in?”
“The east half may not be,” an older boy asserts, and then suddenly I hear an explosion rattling against the lockers I had planted against the front door.
“Araya!” Hale screams.
“I’m in here,” I shout back.
I move the desk out of the way as he and Brazen rush into the room - clawing and fighting their way past the suctioning force of the first one. I actually have to use some of my gift to keep them from being pulled out before they fully reach safety and return the desk to block the door.
“You came for us too?” the boy on my leg gushes while staring at the two men who probably want to choke me for running off without them.
“They came for her,” a girl tries to whisper.
“We came for both,” Brazen interjects, and he scoops a child up off the floor.
“I can’t hold this for much longer before all hell breaks loose. The east wing’s basement might not be collapsed, but it’ll take too long to get there with this many injured. Can you clear a path on this end?” I ask Hale.
“I just injected myself with the beast taming meds before I attempted this, so it shouldn’t be a problem.”
“Start getting them out, and I’ll hold it from here until I feel it’s safe to start moving.”
They both do as I ask, but the small boy clinging to me refuses to move. Hale starts to pull him off me, but the boy starts screaming as he holds on all the tighter.
“Go, I’ll carry him with me,” I strain out, and the walls begin rattling when the storm threatens to tear them to shreds.
“Hurry up,” Hale says, and then he scoops up three smaller children before running toward the back door of the closet leading into another hallway.
I hear the explosion that signals me, letting me know Hale has cleared a path. I scoop the boy up before barreling down the hall behind them, keeping the roof attached the best I can until I’m too far away to feel connected. It starts ripping off like the lid on a can being peeled back, and I dash into the opening before slamming a hunk of wood against it.
I sit the small boy down while Hale and Brazen shove poles against the wood to wedge it into place in order to relieve me from using my gift. I barely stopped in time, but the explosive devil inside hasn’t been provoked. Hale walks in front of us to another blocked off area, and he winks at me as the debris explodes and sizzles into nothing.
The structure remains intact, and his lips find mine as Brazen leads the way into the pitch black area below.
“You know what using my gift does to me,” Hale whispers into my ear.
“You know what it does to me when you use it too,” I seduce, and he grabs my ass for a second before Brazen finds an emergency generator to power on the lights.
“We can duck out down here until it subsides,” he murmurs softly while rocking a small girl in his arms to soothe her trembles.
Hale sits down on the ground, and two little ones join him in his lap. He smiles at the endearing action. The small boy that was attached to me rejoins me once more, and his head rests on my shoulder as he curls in my lap.
“Who are you?” an older child asks.
“They’re superheroes,” a young one giggles out.
Brazen chuckles lightly before responding, “We’re members of the United.”
“Are you a hybrid?” a little girl asks.
“I’m a full blood.”
They all shiver slightly, and I see his eyes wince upon seeing their terror-stricken reaction.
“And you came to help us?” she gasps in disbelief.
He frowns a little, and his eyes catch mine when he gets a glimpse of the fact the treatment of hybrid children hasn’t gotten better in all compounds. He always thought I was too sensitive, but now he sees it with his own eyes. Of course, I never shared with him the true horrors I endured growing up. He only knows the kid-friendly version.
“I did. Believe it or not, not all full bloods are bad guys.”
