Behind him the men unfroze and began to shout orders. Kendrick knelt on the stone floor and began to shake.
"Kendrick?" Aiden came up behind him.
"Clear the building!" Kendrick screamed. He looked down at his empty hands. His magic was raging out of control with his emotions. Black electricity crackled all around him. He wouldn't be able to contain it, everyone was in danger.
Aiden didn't ask, he began barking orders, and the sounds of the unit warriors grew fainter and fainter.
Under his knees, the earth began to move, upset that it had been awakened so forcefully.
"Mother! Father! Kendrick!" He beat his hands on the floor.
All these thousands of years, they had been trapped, forced into use by the very evil that took their lives.
Above him the ceiling began to collapse, large heavy stones fell dangerously close, yet he didn't care.
Kendrick.
He ignored the soft voice of his mate. He refused to let her see him like this.
Athair.
No! Not his godsdaughter, too.
Is this thing working, Ryuu?
Kendrick smiled through his tears. Even Meryn was trying to reach him.
Kendrick my love, it's time to come home. You've done what you can for the day, now it's time to rest. Come home to me. You promised.
"Anne, my sweet Anne. Steadfast and true. Patient and loving. Gods, my parents would have loved you."
Athair, we're all worried about you. Whatever you're facing, you don't have to face it alone. We're a family remember?
"I let my family die, Amelia. I don't deserve another one."
Kendrick, brother, I won't let you die like this. You're a member of Alpha now; that means you fight. Aiden, Gavriel, Darian, and Colton are in the hallway waiting for you. They believe in your strength, as do I.
Kendrick gasped and looked around. "Keelan?" He saw a stone falling and dodged it just in time. He staggered to his feet. He had never let Keelan down before; he wasn't going to start now.
Get your ass moving! I don't want Aiden getting squashed like a pancake!
Kendrick laughed at Meryn's chiding and ran for the door. He caught the doorframe with one hand and flung himself into the hallway. There, waiting for him, was his unit.
"About fucking time! It's getting dicey out here!" Colton yelled.
"My apologies," Kendrick flipped him off and ran past him.
"Hey!" Colton yelled.
The men laughed and ran between the falling ceiling pieces.
Kendrick felt the earth shift again and knew the building was about to go.
"Run for the door, don't stop! It's coming down!" he yelled.
They ran zigzag down the narrow passages until they reached the large receiving room by the door. They heard cracking and the sounds of explosions behind them. They dove for the exit and rolled down the Council Manor steps. Behind them, the five thousand-year-old building came tumbling down.
Kendrick stared up at the sky and noticed how very blue it was. Colton's dirty face appeared grinning over him, then Aiden's, Gavriel's, and finally Darian's. Kendrick held up his hands, and they hoisted him up.
Sascha came up behind them. "Guys, we don't have to pay for this... right?"
Kendrick laughed, because he was either going to laugh or cry. Knowing that his mother, father, and brother were out there, trapped, had opened old wounds, but unlike the time when he'd first sustained them, he now had family around to help get him through.
Aiden was still chuckling when he ordered the men to return to the Alpha estate. Kendrick wasn't certain, but he was pretty sure he heard Elder McKenzie say, "fuck this" before he also left. They walked to the parking garage and got into the SUVs. Like Kendrick, the only thing the Alpha Unit wanted was to get home to their mates.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Anne kissed Kendrick's forehead and eased out of bed. She quietly got dressed and left their shared room. All of the men had been exhausted when they returned from the Council Manor the evening before. Though not even the men had known at the time what had happened with Kendrick. They had stayed behind because he was a part of their unit, and they didn't leave men behind.
When a battered Kendrick walked through the door, he had shocked everyone by dropping to his knees and burying his face against her belly. Everyone left them alone, and when he was ready, Kendrick stood, took her by the hand, and joined everyone in the family room.
His voice remained calm as he told them what had transpired after Rowan cast the paralysis spell on the men. He explained about Rowan's betrayal and the startling revelations about his parents. It was no wonder Anne had felt his pain even though they had been miles apart.
She had turned to Amelia and Ryuu for guidance on the best way to reach Kendrick and talk him through his grief to get him moving. She didn't want to think about what would have happened to all five men if he had delayed a second longer.
Anne went downstairs looking for Meryn. She owed her a couple hours of watching Doctor Who this afternoon, since Meryn had watched anime with her. She walked into the office and stopped short. Meryn was in the process of trying to lift her legs and was using her hands to fold them together in front of her. Seconds later, Anne had to cover her mouth to keep from laughing out loud, the tiny woman had tipped backward and ended up on her back cussing.
"Motherfucker!"
"Meryn, give up; it's just not for you," Elizabeth murmured, her eyes locked on her laptop.
"Bullshit! I'm doing this 'Zen' thing if it fucking kills me."