I slide off the table, ignoring the protest of my bruised ribs, and walk over to them. I drop to my knees in front of Asher, wrapping my bandaged arms around his small, trembling shoulders.
"You did good, baby," I whisper, kissing the top of his head. "You held the line."
Asher sniffles, wiping his nose with the back of his hand. "It was loud, Mama. The math in the detonator... it was so cold. It wanted to blow up the mountain."
"But you grounded it," Kade says, his physical voice a deep, warm rumble as he steps up beside us, wrapping his right arm around both of us. "You showed it the flaw. You showed it that love is stronger than perfection."
Asher leans into his father’s touch, a small, fragile smile touching his lips. "I didn't do it alone. Elara drew the blind spots. She showed me
