Paxton intended to do the same, whether she liked it or not. She was in danger, more than she knew, and he’d give his life to protect her.
She sneezed.
He jerked.
She sneezed again and then winced before placing a hand over her ear. “Don’t give me that look. It’s just a little earache.”
“An infection?” he asked.
She nodded. “Yes. I’m taking human antibiotics. Can you believe it?”
“No,” he said honestly. Immortals didn’t get sick. Hope was the only female alive with vampire blood in her, and combined with her demon, shifter, witch, and who knows what else ancestry, she should be stronger than anybody else. Instead, she seemed to be susceptible to human illnesses. It was unthinkable. “What do the doctors say?”
Hope shrugged. “Same as usual. They don’t understand it. I’m an anomaly, remember?”
“If you say you’re a freak again, I’m going to lose my temper,” he warned her.
She grinned. “So what? Last time we sparred, I kicked your butt.”
Yeah, and he’d let her. While he continued to get taller and stronger, she’d stopped growing a while ago. He’d soon be a foot taller and probably a hundred pounds heavier than Hope, at least once he started putting on muscle. “I remember,” he said instead.
She yawned widely and covered her mouth with her hand. “Sorry. My mom gave me an antihistamine, and it makes me tired.”
He patted her hand. “You should sleep. You don’t think you’re gonna start seeing ghosts everywhere, do you?”
She hummed thoughtfully. “No. I think I saw that one because she really wanted Karma’s attention. It was probably a one-off.”
“Good.” He had enough to do keeping her safe from corporeal enemies.
She rubbed her ear.
He nudged her in the shoulder until she lay down and snuggled under the covers. “Go to sleep so you can get better. I’ll watch for a while and make sure the ghost doesn’t come back.” Without waiting for her answer, he pushed off the bed and sat beneath the window, listening for footsteps from the patrolling soldiers by the lake. He’d memorized their schedules, but the demon nation was well known for changing routines quickly to make things difficult for the enemy.
He wasn’t the enemy, although some would disagree if they knew he was trying to circumvent their security.
Footsteps sounded outside. Yep. Right on time. He crossed his arms and rested his head back against the wall, closing his eyes. His legs were stretched out and crossed at the ankles, but he could be up and across the room in a second if Hope needed help.
Her breathing evened out, and he slowly relaxed. The room was as much home to him as his own, but it felt weird to be there without their third friend, Libby. Libs was a cougar shifter, and her people had left the Realm after learning about the Seven and that the Realm was allied with them.
The alliance was a mistake and a big one. The shifters were correct to oppose it.
He drifted into a light sleep, still at the ready in case something happened.
The sand beneath his toes was a mellow pink that felt warm. He looked around the beach, where waves rolled peacefully in. He was dressed in cutoff jeans, a black tank top, and nothing else. What the heck?
“Paxton?” Hope said from behind him.
He turned to see her sitting on a boulder, swinging one leg. The sun highlighted her pretty hair, and she wore jean shorts that showed off her tight legs, a white tank top that curved very nicely over her chest, and the ring he’d given her. “What’s going on?” He wanted to be irritated, but instead, he felt nice and mellow.
Her shoulders lifted in a shrug. “We’re in a dream world. I didn’t know I could bring you in.” Her gaze dropped to his clothing, and she laughed.
He looked down, too. “Jean shorts? Seriously? Give me something else.”
She blinked and then black swim trunks covered him. “Better?”
“Yeah.” He heard movement from the direction of the water and turned, putting himself in the path of whatever was coming.
Libby waded angrily out of the ocean, her sandy-blond hair plastered to her head and her tawny eyes furious. “I’m a cat, damn it. I hate the water.” She stared down at the pink sand. “Wait a minute.” Then she paused, and joy crossed her feline face. “Pax!” She jumped for him.
He caught her, hugging her tight. “Libby. I’ve missed you.” Oh, they video-conferenced every week, but it had been nearly three years since they’d been in the same space. Libby had grown even curvier now that she’d turned sixteen.
“You, too.” She hugged him back, and when he released her, she made a beeline for Hope, who’d hopped off the rock. They hugged. Still having an arm around Hope, Libby turned them to face Paxton. “So this is a dream world. Very cool.” Then she frowned. “Why did I get dropped into the ocean?”
Hope winced. “Sorry about that. When I saw Paxton here, I wondered if I could bring you, too. I guess my aim was off.”
Pax tried not to laugh, but he couldn’t help it. “I like this world.” The trees behind Hope were aqua-colored, the sand pink, the sky a light blue, and the sun a brighter orange than usual. And both girls were wearing short shorts and tank tops, so this was pretty much a dream come true for him. For any guy who liked girls, which he did. A lot.
He looked around, and to the right, an outcropping of rocks led up to where a green book lay open on a tree trunk. “Hey. That’s your book. Want me to get it?”
Hope looked and then shook her head. “You can’t. The second you get close, it moves. I don’t think it’s time for me to read the book yet.”
The thing had been around since Hope was born, and she always said it was her book. Because of some big ritual that was supposed to happen in the future with the Seven, Ulric, and the three female Keys. Pax wasn’t going to let it happen, though—Hope would not be sacrificed like that. Could he get back into the dream world without her, he wondered, now that he’d been granted access? If he could, he would try to read the book. He was sure it held the truth about what was going to happen.
“So. What now?” Pax asked. “I guess we could swim.”
Libby cut him a look. “Cat. Water. No.”
He laughed, happier than he’d been in a long time. This was their place and their friendship—like it used to be.
Until two figures walked out from between the aqua trees and jumped down the overhang to the beach. Pax’s body rioted, and he subtly settled his stance. “Drake. What a surprise.”
“No kidding.” Drake had grown tall like most Kurjans. He was just a little older than Paxton, but he’d always be taller. He smiled at Hope. “Apparently your powers have increased.”