She felt a fire burning in her chest, white and pure as the root of a Sparked flame. “No.” She answered Hania’s hoarse, plaintive question. She wanted to say more, to reassure them all, but her gaze moved over them. Their treatment had been depraved. Words would mean so little. Even Marissa, the youngest of them, watched the other girls with knowing, pained eyes. Perhaps she hadn’t been touched herself yet, but she knew.
A knock made them jump. After a polite pause, the door pushed open, revealing Alex. He searched the room, counting the girls. When he reached Lena, he stopped. Everything about him became still.
“Well,” he finally said, “that’s an effective look.”
Rose snorted her agreement.
“Are they ready for us?” Lena’s words were clipped. It was all she could do to remember that this man, this Spark, had not been to blame for what had been done to her girls. She had to remind herself he was one of the good guys, fighting for their safety.
He held onto the knob, twisting it. “I doubt it, but they are all in there waiting.”
She nodded. The girls picked themselves up off the floor where they’d settled. She moved through them, touching hands with each of them as she went. When she stood before Alex, she ignored his weighing, cautious look and told him, “Lead the way.”
They followed him out and through the warren of halls. Lena could feel the heaviness of male energy growing as they got close.
As they approached the filled hall, the buzz of voices augmented the energy. The energy rippled through the walls, pushing at them. Lena glanced over her shoulder at the now-alarmed faces of the girls and gave an angry push back at the male energy. The sound through the walls muted immediately. Her push had been felt.
Alex hesitated before opening the wide doors.
He opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, she reached out, grabbed the handle nearest her and pulled back. The muted sound became a total hush. She strode in ahead of Alex and lifted her chin.
Thomas stood toward the center of the open floor area, but forward. He’d been talking to a group of Guardians seated above him in the raised seating. His eyes widened as he took in her light.
She wished she hadn’t brought the girls. It was too much energy. Even as she focused her will and pushed back, she knew she couldn’t handle it. She didn’t know if she’d be overwhelmed or intoxicated, but her time in this space would have to be limited.
Lena looked back over her shoulder and held out a hand, motioning for the girls to stay back.
Rose nodded her agreement, and she reached out to Hania’s shoulder to reinforce the twins’ hold on the fragile girl. They filed back along the wall beside the doors.
Jackson appeared beside them. He’d been standing at the back of the big room, but he moved into a protective posture now so they wouldn’t have to stand alone.
Thomas walked across to meet her in the middle and greeted her with a solemn nod. She could see he, like Alex, was worried over what she was about to do. Still, they had honored her wishes and gathered everyone anyway.
Alex touched her on the arm, holding the contact. “Lena.” His face was serious and his voice low. “Thomas and I worked a very long time to build what you see. We don’t begrudge you the need to do this. Please don’t tear it all down when you do. Remember there are only two of us—four damn hands—holding it all together.”
“It’s a delicate job,” Thomas agreed softly, “and there’s only so much damage control we can do at a time.”
She shook her head at him. “No. There are six damn hands now. And honestly, I’m surprised the two of you didn’t spend the last couple of hours figuring that out for yourselves.”
The men exchanged a look. Thomas took a deep breath.
She wished they’d hurry. She felt battered. She stood straight and tall before them all. Mentally, she felt as if she leaned against a broad barrier of energy she had to make herself, her arms extended, palms pressed flat to keep it in place, back and legs braced. And she was slipping back.
The men parted, each moving to stand to either side.
She faced a thousand people alone. Thomas and Alex were still there with her, lending their support and, in effect, their agreement. But what she was about to do, she did alone. Could she?
Someone toward the back, high up above her, coughed. The sound echoed down to her. Her vision swam as she swept a look over them all. She blinked to clear them, and her eyes fell on a familiar face in the front. Guardian Wils.
He wasn’t looking at her, though. He had reserved his calculating interest for her girls. The avaricious gleam was unmistakable.