She blushed. She actually blushed. “I guess so.” Tilting her head, she looked at the trembling kid standing beside Drake. “Um, hello. Who are you?”
The kid looked at all of them and then stood perfectly still. He was a Kurjan with shoulder-length black hair, not an ounce of red in it. His eyes were an odd shade of blue and his stance uncertain.
Drake looked to his side. “This is my cousin, Vero.”
Pax’s throat heated the way it did when he wanted to punch something. “You’re bringing in flocks of Kurjans now?” he snapped.
Hope looked curiously at the kid. “This is a new one on me. I just sent out the call to Drake.”
Drake nodded. “Vero and I were hanging out at my place and fell asleep watching a movie on the sofa. Apparently your call includes anybody in the vicinity. That could be dangerous. You’re going to have to be a lot more careful with calling out now that you’ve gotten so strong.”
“What is it about turning sixteen that gives us more power?” Libby asked, subtly pivoting and putting herself within striking range.
Pax did the same. Apparently, Libs had been training. He liked that. Between the two of them, they could handle both Drake and this new kid. Oh, Hope could fight, too, but she’d been sick. And as far as he knew, she still hadn’t gained the extra strength most immortals had.
Drake’s eyes were a mix of green and purple that looked cool. “So. Five of us. I wonder what this means?”
Hope stepped closer, and Libby tensed. “I think it means this is up to us. All of it. We can create peace where our parents couldn’t. Don’t you see? This is a good thing.”
They weren’t the Power Rangers. The Kurjans were the enemy, and while Pax liked how kind Hope was, she just didn’t get it. Peace couldn’t be found with people who wanted war. The Kurjans had been beaten in the last war, and they would not, could not, let that defeat stand. Plus, Ulric was coming back, and he wanted to destroy all enhanced females. Including Hope’s mom. “Hope. Take a step back,” he ordered.
Libby nodded.
Vero looked back and forth. “I like the idea of peace.” Then he stared at the pink sand. “This is so weird.”
“What about you, Drake?” Paxton asked softly. “You want peace?”
The Kurjan turned his full attention on Paxton, his gaze curious and his expression oddly calm. “Peace has different meanings to each of us, I think. The road to get there will vary, and you and I both know we won’t be on the same one. We can’t be.”
Hope frowned. “Of course you can be.”
Pax smiled, showing Drake his teeth. “No. He’s right. We understand each other.”
Hope’s brow furrowed. She just didn’t get it. That was okay.
Drake matched his smile. “Yes, hybrid. We definitely understand each other.”
So Drake knew Pax was a vampire-demon hybrid. Good. It wasn’t fair to beat the hell out of a guy if he didn’t know exactly who you were. This was perfect. Any doubts Pax had had about his uncle and his group wanting to destroy the Seven before they could screw up Hope’s life just disappeared. His uncle was a purist when it came to messing with the laws of the universe, as were his friends. They thought the Seven were too dangerous to be allowed to continue to the final ritual that might destroy the fabric of the entire universe. The showdown was coming soon, and Pax was determined to save Hope from the Seven, because she was what mattered. There was way too much at stake here. Even if she ended up hating him, he had to protect her.
Drake returned his attention to Hope. “Do the Seven have Ulric? Is he back in our world?”
Hope tilted her head. “I have no idea.”
So, the bastard was looking for information. Who’d created this situation? Drake or Hope? Paxton shoved away the uneasy feeling in his gut.
Vero coughed. “Why do you all hate Ulric so much? The Realm is wrong. He doesn’t want to hurt anybody. He’s our religious leader, and we want him back.”
“No,” Pax growled. Even if the kid believed his words, he was wrong. Ulric was evil, and Pax’s group would handle him without the Seven’s help. They were almost as bad as Ulric.
“Pax?” Hope asked, looking over her shoulder. Man, she had good instincts.
He softened just slightly, taking in her sparkling blue eyes. “There can’t be peace, Hope. Sorry.” Then he clapped his hands, loudly.
Jerking awake, he hit his head on the wall of her bedroom.
She sat up, her hair wild, her eyes angry. “There can, too, be peace.”
He stood, more determined than ever. It was time to report back to his uncle about Drake. “’Night, Hope. See you tomorrow.” Then he bounded out the window, once again avoiding the cameras.
Chapter Sixteen
Karma paced the guest bedroom of Benjamin’s lovely home by the river. The colors of the walls and bedding were calm and peaceful, so she doubted Mercy had decorated the room. Perhaps Haven had, but that still didn’t feel right. Karma hadn’t met the other two females yet, but they should be arriving soon. Would they like her?
Not that it mattered. She wasn’t going to stay long enough to get to know them, even if they did want to make friends.
She’d changed into a silky tank top and shorts set provided by Mercy. It was green and decadent, and since nobody could see her, she decided to be comfortable right now. Oh, she couldn’t look down at herself because Terre would see her form through the implant, but the material still felt delicious against her skin.
Benjamin had offered to mate her. Back in her youth, the goal of girls her age had been to secure as good of a husband as possible in order to provide for and protect their children. These days, women could live their own lives.
In any era, Benjamin would still be appealing. He was strong and kind, and he could kiss like the heroes she’d read about in bootlegged romance novels. Plus, she liked him.
Though something was off with him and had been since the morning when she’d let him touch her. Had that been a mistake? It certainly hadn’t felt like a mistake. Perhaps once she’d gone back to the Kurjans and rescued her girls, she could find him again. She’d probably have to kill Terre to escape.
Did she have that in her?
To protect her girls, she did. Any mother would protect her children, and she felt a burning determination deep in her breast. In her heart. For now, she needed sleep. The Kurjans were only going to give her a couple more days to collect information, and then they’d come for her.
She slipped into the bed, her body heavy. When they infiltrated the location, they’d try to harm Benjamin and his friends. It’d be a fight, and people would get hurt or worse.