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Grasping the bullet, I poured my energy into shifting its trajectory back toward the shooter, giving it a little shove so it would continue back at him when I started time again.
Somehow, I managed to ignore the shriek of my instincts as I ripped myself away from Grace and out of the room. She’d never forgive me if I didn’t do the same for every other person in the house that I’d just done for her.
I cleared every other room, changing the trajectory of every bullet that had been fired except for Valor’s. Hers was already inches from the forehead of one of the shooters, and I couldn’t think of a better place for it.
Cassandra was in the third bedroom, gathering one of the kids into her arms. Lyric was with her, grabbing a baby out of its crib. And Aviana? Just because I couldn’t see her didn’t mean she wasn’t here.
No doubt Hawke would be on her the second I released time.
There were three Sons in total, sent to execute a total of nine children.
Children.
And Grace’s foster mother? She was in the final bedroom, standing just as bravely as Grace, guarding a few of her charges. I couldn’t grab the gunman without losing time, so I shoved the dresser between them, then stripped off my own Kevlar and braced it in an open drawer to protect her from any shots that could be fired before we could get back in here.
Certain that I’d found every shooter and every kid in peril, I went back to the bedroom Grace was in, stood directly in front of her and released time only long enough for the bullet to hit the shooter in the throat, then froze it again, wrapping it around Grace and I.
She blinked up at me in shock. “Ajax!”
“I’m torn between kissing the hell out of you and shaking some sense into you!” I snapped, pulling her into my arms and lifting her against my chest.
“I just—” she started, winding her arms around my neck.
“No!” I held her tight. “I’m not evenremotelyready to hear it yet.”
“The kids…” She glanced their way.
“It will be less than a second for them,” I promised her. “But if I don’t get you out of this house right now, I’m not sure I can be responsible for my actions.” That was putting it lightly. The storm brewing within me was the kind that could topple cities and rearrange mountains.
She nodded, and I whisked her out of the house, charging down the stairs and out the door to where my brothers were all mid-lunge toward the house, with the exception of Alek, who was focused inwardly, no doubt sending the visuals and location of the house so others could wend.
The summer air was thick, clogging my throat—or maybe that was fear lodged like a boulder in my windpipe. I set Grace on her feet but kept my arm around her small waist to hold her steady as I released time for the length of a heartbeat, then threw it out around my brothers.
“Stop!” I shouted, and gods help Hawke, he bounced at the edge of the shield, knocking him back on his ass. At least he hadn’t broken the barrier. The hunters looked back at me in expectation, but the assassins were shocked.
Guess they still weren't used to this kind of advantage in battle.
I gave them the layout of the house and the position of every child, adult, and shooter. Then I looked at Hawke. “Sorry, but I think Avianna is invisible. I didn’t see her.”
“Go fucking figure.” He glared toward the house. “I swear she thinks invisibility makes her bulletproof. It doesn’t.”
There was a grunt of agreement from Alek.
We devised a strategy that was better than every male throwing themselves headfirst into battle, and then I sat Grace on a bench outside the house.
“Stay. There.”
She tilted that damn chin at me. “And if I don't?”
“I came withinsecondsof losing you in there,” I growled, leaning down and bracing my hands on the wooden back on each side of her, caging her in. “There isnotelling what I might do to you.”
She narrowed her beautiful eyes at me. “You wouldn’t hurt or…” She blinked. “Ground. Limit. Bars. Fuck!”
“Punish?” I supplied.
Her lips pursed, but she nodded.
“Can we get going already?” Hawke shouted.
