Page 100 of Tangled Hearts

Goddess, please let us survive this, or if we don’t, please let her survive, she deserves a life of peace.

My chest ached when the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I heard the boom and the blast broke the windows, throwing me up against the wall. Screams broke the daze I was in, pushing me into action.

“Heaven!” I yelled, running through smoke so thick it was hard to see anything.

No. No. No. This couldn’t be the end.

The smoke started to dissipate when I noticed it was too quiet. That’s when I noticed Samira and Oria, getting the kids up and pushing them toward the pack house quietly.

We need to get the kids into the bunker and Gray went to go see what happened.

Oria looked at me as she carried two small kids in her arms.

“We need to be quiet,” Samira said to a few kids who started crying. “Ryder please help get the kids to safety.”

“Of course.” Guilt hit me hard.

This was my fault, I should have warned Samira and Wyman.

I grabbed three kids in my arms, quickly putting them in the house where one of the older kids was directing them down to the basement. Once all the kids were safe, I grabbed Samira’s arms.

“I’m so sorry,” I said quickly. “We were running, and I should have said something. I thought we had time.”

She cupped my cheek. “I know you’ve never thought of me as your mother, but I would die defending you just like I would your brother and sister.”

I clenched my jaw to keep my emotions from spilling over. “I just?—”

“I know, but you need to go to Wyman and tell him what we are dealing with while I wrangle up the rest of the women and children who can’t fight.”

“Ok,” I said, pulling her in for a hug, kissing her on her forehead. “I don’t deserve you, but thank you.”

Another explosion happened in the distance and we both ran.

Gray. What are we dealing with? I said running to Oria.

Laima’s lackey is here. He has an army. It’s not good, Ryder. We need to get her out of here.

I can’t leave them, come back and take her. I saw Oria come out of the house we were staying in with her necklace. I brought this on my family, I can’t just leave them.

“Is she here?” Her eyes were big and the fear in them had me worried.

“No, but the man we met at the castle is,” I said, grabbing her hand. “We need to get you out of here, in case she’s coming here too.”

“Ryder, we can’t leave, they came because of me,” she said, pulling my hand back.

“I’m staying, Gray is going to take you away from here and hopefully when they don’t find you here, they will leave,” I said, not even believing my own words.

“Ryder, that isn’t going to work,” she pulled back harder. “She will capture and kill everyone here just for any information.”

“No, we?—”

I saw the man a second before I pulled Oria away, taking the brunt of his air magic. Oria kept me up as I shifted, but before I could do anything, Gray came in and snapped his head off.

“We need to go now,” he said, pulling Oria towards him.

“No, I’m not leaving.” She yanked her hand back.

“Sunshine, this isn’t the time?—”

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