“Paxton,” Santino said, hurrying for the bars, his faded blue eyes wide and worried. “Are you all right?”
“I’m fine, Uncle,” he said. “You’re getting out of here. Come on.” He tapped in the code on a keypad, and the door slid open. He reached for his uncle’s arm and pulled him out before securing the locks again.
“Why am I being let out?” Santino asked, his eyes wrinkling in confusion. “I told them everything I know, but still, I am one of the Defenders.”
Pax had always thought it was an incredibly stupid name. The Defenders, his ass. “You told both Zane and Dage everything you knew, and you didn’t do anything to Hope, Uncle.”
It had taken him a while to figure out that his uncle had been duped. His soul was pure, and when he’d found out what had been done to both Paxton and Hope, he’d been horrified. Since then, he’d seemed to shrink in size as if he couldn’t bear the weight and responsibility. Soon there’d be nothing left of the guy.
Paxton patted his shoulder. “We’re okay. None of this is your fault.”
“I’m to blame,” Santino exploded, his arms sweeping wide. “I got you into the Defenders. None of this would’ve happened if I hadn’t agreed to go along with them. We should have just gone and studied insects around the globe as I’d been doing before.” His eyes filled. “It was a good life, and I miss it. I could have given that to you.”
There was no question Paxton would never have that life now, so he didn’t tell his uncle the lie. His path had been set long ago, and even if it hadn’t, the training in the last few years had ensured he could only be a killer. Hopefully the Realm would put him to work in the unlikely event that he survived the next battle.
“I don’t regret a thing,” he lied to his uncle. “You gave me a home, and you gave me a dog, and I have skills that will help me to do what I need to do.” He cleared his throat. “The Defenders are working with the Kurjans. Did you know?”
“No. I’m not on the inside.” Santino sighed and looked down at his bare feet. They must have taken his shoes. “What do you have to do?”
Pax couldn’t find the right words to explain because he didn’t fully understand it himself. “If I knew, I’d tell you, but it’s no longer your concern.” It was the one thing he could do for the man who had saved him, who had given him a home when he truly didn’t have anybody who was just his. “You’re going back to your life of science. They need you to study the migration patterns of butterflies because they think the Kurjans might use them as a distribution system.”
Santino perked up. “Distribution system. For what?”
“I don’t know,” Paxton said. “I just had a meeting with Zane, and according to him, several Kurjans have been conducting trial runs in the Sahel desert, using painted lady butterflies to do their dirty work.”
“Ooh, the painted lady migrates the farthest of all the butterflies. She’s a beauty, too.”
Paxton couldn’t help but smile. “There are guards waiting to take you back to our home. I want you to go. Word of your innocence will be out by tomorrow, but for now, we don’t want to take any chances.”
Santino looked over his shoulder at the other two men in the cell. “What about them?”
“They’re not leaving yet,” Paxton said shortly. “Go home, feed the dog, and I’ll be there to see you soon. Stay out of the tunnels.”
“I never want to go back there as long as I live,” Santino said sadly. “In fact, we should move.”
“Fine by me,” Paxton said. “The Realm techs cleaned out the entire tunnel, which is now empty.” All the computers and everything else had been confiscated by Zane and his soldiers. Even so, there was no need to bring back bad memories.
Santino threw both arms around him, hugged him, and lifted him. Apparently the old guy had some strength left in him yet. “I am so sorry. Please tell Hope I’m heartbroken about everything.”
“Hope’s strong, and she’s fine. She’s already forgiven you,” Paxton said easily. He didn’t know if that was true or not, but he knew Hope well enough to believe that she’d forgive Santino the minute she saw him. That was just her nature. “Go. I’ll be home later.”
“All right, sounds good. I do need to investigate the painted lady butterfly,” Santino said, scurrying down the hallway.
“Make sure somebody gets him some boots,” Paxton called out to the guards. Then he turned back toward the other two in the cell. “Looks like you took a fist to the teeth, Henric,” he said cheerfully.
Henric glared at him. “This isn’t the end.”
“Oh, I believe it is,” Paxton said. “Right now, we’re rounding up the rest of your group.” As far as he knew, there were only twelve of them in this Defenders cell and most were currently on missions out of the country. But the Realm forces were good—they would find them all. Then they’d move on to the other cells.
Fralep looked at Henric out of one eye because the other was swollen shut. “I told you we should have beat him on a regular basis.”
“Santino wouldn’t let us,” Henric said. “We didn’t really have any leverage until we got that thing in his head.”
Pax let the killer they’d created show in his eyes. “That was Kurjan technology, as was the minuscule bomb you put in my woman’s head.”
“Your woman,” Henric snorted. “She’s not going to live long enough to be anybody’s woman, and even if she were, I think the Kurjans have dibs, don’t you?”
Fury clacked through Paxton on the heels of rage, but he let his expression go to pure boredom. “Which one of you has been working with the Kurjans?”
“It doesn’t matter,” Henric said. “They want the same thing we do. To stop the ritual.”
Paxton’s gut turned over. “You’re a traitor.”
“No, I’m not,” Henric said. “I did the right thing for our people, and while I might be temporarily indisposed, we have others, Paxton. So many. Some close to you.”
Paxton took the blow to the gut but didn’t move, didn’t even twitch. “Tell me more.”
“Oh, I think you know. There’s only one person in the world who would’ve agreed to blow off Hope Kayrs-Kyllwood’s head if I didn’t report in. Just one. Even the Kurjans want her alive.”
“My father,” Paxton said, something tearing inside him.
“He hated you with everything he had,” Fralep said, chuckling. “He saw a weakness in you that I never could figure out. You were a dumb kid, but you grew up to be a pretty decent fighter. Yet I’ve never seen such raw hatred. He’ll be coming for you.”
For the first time, Paxton let a smile tilt his lips. “I’m going for him first.” Then he opened the door to their cell, noting how they both stiffened. They were about to regret making sure his training was so good. “After you tell me everything you know.” He shut the door. “Who’s first?”
Chapter Fifteen