“Isn’t he working with the Seven?” Drake asked, his fingers fast on the controller so that his bear leaped over a bunch of snapping turtles on the screen.
“Uh-huh,” Hope said. “The Seven are good guys. You don’t hafta worry about them.” She had her bear do a summersault over a wild river with hungry crocodiles.
“Nice,” Drake said.
Hope sat up straighter, her shoulders back. He thought she was good at the game. That was awesome. “Thanks. You’re super at this too.”
Drake shook his head. “Not as good as you. And you’re wrong about the Seven. They did some bad stuff years ago and put away the guy who’s kinda like a priest to us. To do that, they broke a lot of laws.”
“Nuh-uh,” Hope said, her face getting hot. “My uncle Garrett would never break a law.” He’d joined the Seven this year. “My uncle Logan might, but he wasn’t there years ago, so he couldn’t have broken laws.” Somebody was lying to Drake, and it was just too bad. She had to get him to see the truth.
The door opened, and Paxton walked in. He had a purple bruise on his right cheekbone.
Hope stood and rushed to him. “Pax? What happened?”
Paxton turned red. “I was training this morning with a couple of demons, and one got a good shot in.” Even his ears were bright.
Drake stood and walked more slowly, his gaze on the bruise. “Looks like you caught a couple of big knuckles.” He shook his head. “Those hurt. It’s happened to me.”
Paxton lifted his chin. “Why are you still here?”
Drake shrugged. “I don’t know. I got to talk to my dad yesterday, and he wants me to come home, but the demons are keeping me here. Didn’t know you guys kidnapped kids.”
Hope shook her head, panic hurting her throat. “They’re gonna let you go home soon.” She needed to talk to her daddy. He’d come in late last night after she’d already gone to bed. Drake had stayed in their guest room.
Her mama poked her head in. “Hey, kids. You guys hungry?”
Both Paxton and Drake shuffled their feet but looked at her mama funny. Kind of like with curiosity and wishes. They nodded.
She smiled, her blue eyes sparkling. “Well, come on. I have mac and cheese, sandwiches, chips, and noodles. And for dessert I have ice cream or cookies.”
Hope bit her lip. Neither boy had a mama anymore. She could share hers with them, and she usually did with Pax, but Drake was gonna have to leave soon. She wished he could get a mama, but immortals usually couldn’t re-mate. Maybe she should tell him about that virus in case the Kurjans didn’t know.
“Hope?” her mama asked.
Hope jumped. “Oh. Yeah. We’re all hungry. Pax got hurt training today.”
Janie moved to Pax and gently lifted his chin. “Ah, sweetheart. I didn’t know there was training earlier today.”
He leaned more toward her. “A bunch of shifters were working out, and I joined them.”
Hope frowned. “You said demons.”
He jerked. “It was both. The shifters were, ah, training, and a couple of demon kids joined in. It was a demon that caught me with my guard down.”
Hope’s mom tilted her head. “Are you hurt anywhere else?”
“I’ve told you to call me Janie,” she said, sliding an arm around his shoulders. She turned and motioned for Drake, who walked forward slowly and took her hand. “You too, sweetheart.”
Drake blushed and leaned into her side. “Okay. Janie.”
Paxton looked him over with no expression.
Hope watched. Maybe they could eat lunch, and Pax and Drake would finally become friends. She wanted to find a way to bring Pax into the dreamworld with them, but so far, she hadn’t figured out how.
“Come on, Hope,” her mama said. “Let’s eat and then we’ll figure out how to get Drake home to his daddy. We’ve waited long enough for your daddy to figure it out.”
Ah, good. When Hope’s mama took over, things got done. Her daddy was good at leading the nation. But her mama would help Drake see his daddy soon. “Okay, Mama.” She followed behind her mom and two of her best friends in the whole world.
Things were getting better.
Her daddy appeared from a doorway down the hallway. “Janie Belle?” He walked toward them, his big boots clonking on the tiles.
Her mama stopped. “Did you make the arrangements?” Her voice had that tone that said things had to get done.