Page 31 of Glass

“I’ll say whatever keeps us safe,” I rasp.

I look at the kids, all of them watching our every move. They need reassurance that I’m hard-pressed to offer until I feel truly safe.

“Nothing is going to hurt you,” I tell them, a vicious slant to my voice. I can’t promise everything is okay, but I can promise that I’ll move earth to keep them safe. No one is getting to them as long as I’m alive.

Shelby seems to relax, and the others follow suit. Even Lane’s grasp around my neck loosens slightly. Felix appears beside me and meets my eyes with a calm expression as he untangles Lane from me, putting him on his feet between Jacob and Hannah.

The sirens sound right outside the house now. We’re out of time.

The house blurs into a flurry of activity as we usher the kids into a sparsely decorated bedroom off the kitchen in the back of the house. Felix tells Corey to lock the door behind him as he pulls it closed, and the two of us turn in time to see Rose closing the dishwasher. My lips purse with a question that’s cut off by the sound of loud banging on the door.

“Sheriff’s Office,” a muffled voice announces through the door.

“Is it safe, Sheriff?” Rose calls out in a warm voice.

“Yes, ma’am.”

Rose presses a button on the dishwasher and the soft sound of running water kicks on. She winks at me. “Sorry about your gun,” she whispers so low that I would miss it if it weren’t for my shifter hearing.

I’ll find a way to buy Joss fifty new guns if I have to, so long as Rose actually manages to keep us safe. Felix grabs my hand and pulls me close as we follow Rose to the front door as if we’re trudging to the gallows. Every step I take away from the kids makes my teeth ache until they’re chattering from equal parts fear and anger.

I’m furious we’ve been put in this position, and I want to knowwhy.