Liam finished repairing a cut to his skull, his skin stitching itself together. “Nice job with the Kurjan soldier, by the way.”
Hope splayed a hand across her sternum. “Thanks, but he broke all my ribs.”
“Yeah, but you killed him.” Collin joined his brother in grinning at her. “That was pretty freaking impressive. That guy was twice your size.”
Warmth filled her. She might not have super strength or speed, but she had taken out a Kurjan soldier. “He started it,” she said, her lips twitching to a smile.
Libby chuckled. “Well, you finished it.”
She was nowhere near the fighter that her friends were, but she had protected herself.
“I’m proud of you,” her dad said, nudging her with a shoulder.
“So am I,” Paxton whispered.
Now she was just going to get a big head. “You all did a good job on the field,” she said. “I was proud of all of you. How come we didn’t have intel on the attack a week ago?” she asked. Thank goodness Pax had gotten the information from Henric in time.
“I don’t know,” Zane said. “We’re going to have to check with Hunter and figure out why he didn’t know.”
Her cousin Hunter was undercover in the Kurjan nation, and he stayed close to Vero, who was Drake’s cousin. “I think he didn’t know because Drake didn’t orchestrate the attack,” Hope retorted. “He and Vero stay right on Drake’s heels. They have been at the main headquarters for several days. I feel they would’ve known if he’d ordered this attack.”
“They’ve only been back a couple of days,” Paxton corrected. “This campaign took weeks to plan.” He shifted his weight and his leg popped again. “Stop giving Drake the benefit of the doubt.”
Libby rolled her eyes. “Boys,” she mouthed. Hope couldn’t help but grin.
It was incredible, really. Hope’s body hurt. Her head was aching, and she was worried about everybody she knew, and yet Libby could always make her smile. She was the best of best friends. Her other best friend was obviously cranky and still in pain. He wouldn’t let her help, and frankly, she hadn’t developed the ability yet, although she’d been trying. So maybe she wasn’t so human. Maybe there was a chance for her after all.
She steeled her shoulders and looked at her father. “Dad, the Seven are now in our territory. We have all the ingredients to take down Ulric.” She held up a hand when he started to protest. “I’m not saying that we go kidnap the guy, even if we could. What I am saying is that it is time for the vampire and demon nations, the entire Realm actually, and the Seven to get on the same page. We need to work together and figure out what to do. If a peace treaty is the way to go, then that’s what we do. If war has to happen, then we agree first. The time for different factions is over.”
He looked at her, his green eyes somber. “I think you’re right.”
Libby perked up. “Hey, don’t forget the shifter nations. We made a promise that if we went after Ulric or did anything, you would let Jordan know.” Jordan was the leader of the feline nation, and Libby was loyal to him.
Zane nodded. “I’m aware. We should let the witch nation know as well.”
“Don’t forget the Fae people,” Derrick said, grinning. Fairies were known to be a bit explosive and unpredictable.
“Ah, damn it,” Zane muttered.
Streaks of pink and gold highlighted the sky as the helicopter landed. Hope blinked. It was later than she’d realized, or rather, earlier. Anyway, it was no longer dark.
The door opened, and she stepped out, nearly falling back when a bundle of energy rushed at her. She laughed and leaned down to pick up her younger brother, happy that she could do so without her arm killing her.
“Where have you been?” he asked.
She cuddled him close. “What do you mean where have I been? I was out doing tough girl stuff.”
He leaned back to look at her, both of his chubby little hands cupping her face. “You are a tough girl,” he said.
“Yes, I am.” She kissed the top of his head.
At two years old, Andrew Scott Kyllwood, also known as Drew, was pretty much the cutest thing on the planet. He had Zane’s black hair and Janie’s blue eyes, and already he could speak at a fifth-grade level. He was kind, and he was funny, and he was all his father’s son.
“Dad!” he yelled, partially turning in Hope’s arms.
Hope tossed the boy to Zane, who easily caught him and swung him in a circle. “How quickly they move on,” she said, looking over to see her mom lounging against the outside of the hangar. The crew would unload the craft before putting it to bed.
“Hey, Mom,” she said, walking up to give Janie a hug.
Janie wore a thick green sweater and light jeans, looking young and a mite tired. “Hi. Your brother was not willing to sleep in today,” she said, rubbing her head. She looked at Hope and then over at Pax. “Paxton, you’re too pale.”
Pain pinched the skin by his generous mouth, but he still appeared ready to fight, his body tense and prepared to uncoil. “I’m okay, Janie.” Pax strode toward them, looking graceful and deadly. He dropped a quick kiss on Janie’s head. “I just need to rest.” He continued walking away, tossing over his shoulder, “I’ll be back in a couple of hours to review the campaign. I just need to go heal a few things.”
Janie’s brow wrinkled, and her gaze sobered. “I’ve never seen him so pale. Is that drug still in his system?”
“As far as I know,” Hope said, giving her mom another hug. “I’m going to go walk with him.” Without waiting for an answer, she issued instructions to the rest of her team. “Let’s recoup and meet around noon. We can have lunch in the conference room and figure out our next steps.”
She should give them the day off, but she could smell war on the wind, so she followed Paxton, surprised when he didn’t slow down. “Pax, wait up.”
“How about we talk later, Hope?” Dogged determination settled hard on his face as he slogged through the snow.
“How about you tell me how bad you’re feeling?”
He looked down at her. “I feel crappy. I think it’s more than just getting a couple of bones broken and being stabbed a few times. It’s whatever’s in my blood. I’m going to go home, take a shower, heal my injuries, and then drop by Emma’s lab on the way to our meeting.”
“That’s a good plan,” Hope said. “Can I do anything to help?”
His grin was quick, but at least it was there. “Not unless you want to hop in the shower with me.”
If he had any idea how tempted she was, she’d probably end up in that shower before she knew it. Instead, she slapped his arm lightly. “Knock it off. We’re going to war, unless I can find a way to broker peace.” They had to forget what had happened earlier against the door.
He stopped in the middle of the snowy street. “I like that you’ve always wanted to find peace.” He slid his thumb along her jawline and tugged on her ear. “I wish I could be positive as well, but I don’t feel peace coming for us.”
Her skin was electrified, her entire body heating from that one little touch.
His watch dinged, and he glanced down. He straightened, stiffened, and somehow looked more distant than ever.