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That snapped everyone into motion. "Oh God," Layla gasped. "The children." She tried to stand but Gideon forced her back down.

"No." he orders in a forceful voice.

"The children are upstairs!"

"They're protected."

"I DON'T CARE!"

Another crack sounded somewhere outside which had me flinching violently. Was it another shot? A door? Return fire? I couldn't tell.

In seconds the mansion was alive with noise, boots thundered through corridors, men shouted commands, radios crackled. Someone yelled from outside and I hear glass as it crunched beneath knees and boots as the guards moved around us.

The room smelled wrong. Dust from shattered plaster. Cold outside air now pouring through broken glass and a strong smell of gunpowder and fear. I knew that smell now.

My arm started hurting even though the wound was nearly healed, the memory slammed into me, the airport, Viking pulling me down, the impact of the bullet, blood and his roar.

I couldn't breathe "Bryn." Luka is calling to me, his hand closed around my good arm. "Look at me."

I forced my eyes onto him. "We're moving."

"Where?"

"The interior safe room."

Layla struggled against Gideon that was holding her. "No. Aleksander. I need to get to him." Layla screams.

"Layla…" Gideon says in a calm voice.

"Get your hands off me! My baby is upstairs!" Her terror ripped through the room.

Runa was already trying to get around her guard. "So is mine."

Sorcha's face had gone completely white. "We aren't going downstairs without them."

The changelings exchanged looks, they had orders. Protect the mates, but these women were mothers and nothing, vampire or otherwise, was going to convince them to hide while their children remained somewhere else in the mansion.

"We will retrieve the children first," Luka states, “or we will never get them into safety.” Everything changed instantly, there was no argument or hesitation. Two guards moved ahead, another covered the rear. Nico stayed practically glued to me while Luka scanned every doorway, every window, every shadow.

We moved fast, my heart hammered against my ribs as we crossed the corridor. The mansion I had started thinking of as safe suddenly felt enormous. There were too many windows, too many doors, too many places someone could hide.

"Stay away from the windows," one of the guards barked. We hugged the interior wall. Outside, I could hear men shouting across the grounds.

"North perimeter clear!"

"Check the tree line!"

"Movement west!"

Then nothing, my stomach twisted as we reached the stairs. Layla was the first to sprint up them.

"Slow down," Ashen that is standing at the top of the stairs snapped.

"Did you get the children?" Layla asks in a strained voice.

“Rael is with them.” Ashen replies

Then somewhere upstairs a child cried. Layla's face transformed as we hear "Mama!" She ignored everything and ran. Her guard cursed and followed. Sorcha and Runa not far behind.