he’d taken off all his weapons. “Yes.” He looked down at Paxton. “What happened to your eye?”
“Training,” Paxton said, pressing closer to Janie. “I’ll do better next time, Zane.”
Daddy ruffled Pax’s hair. “You’re doing fine. We’ll talk later.” He looked at Drake. “Hey, Drake. Have you ever teleported?”
Drake shook his head.
Daddy smiled. “It’s no big deal. I’ll just hold your arm, we’ll fly through a little tunnel, and then I’ll take you to see your dad. How does that sound?”
Her mama reared back. “You’re taking him?”
Daddy nodded. “Yes. Our requests have been satisfied.” He reached for Drake, who held out his arm. “I’ll be right back.” Then they zipped out of sight.
A moment later Daddy was back. He leaned over to kiss Mama on the nose. “It’s fine. We made arrangements earlier, and Dayne was waiting in a public place. Drake and I popped in behind a few trees, he ran to his dad, and I left before anybody could shoot me.” He looked toward Hope. “So. I guess we should talk about being grounded now for going into town without permission.”
Ah, man. That stank. She’d hoped her daddy would forget and would need to go back to work. There was lots going on with the Seven.
She knew because she’d had dreams that night about the Seven and her uncle Ivar. He was gonna get hurt again, and she hadn’t figured out a way to save him.
But she would.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The week flew by for Promise at demon headquarters. She spent her days conducting experiments with Faith and Emma while Grace recorded everything with her camera, wanting to participate but falling asleep with irritated groans whenever Promise tried to explain string theory to her. They’d quickly discovered the areas of the immortal brain that lit up when teleporting happened, and it was true—different areas were triggered for demons and fairies.
The search for the female demon-Fae hybrid had intensified, with both Realm and demon computer experts working around the clock to find her—if she had survived her childhood.
Promise’s nights were spent with Ivar Kjeidsen, learning that her body was made to enjoy as much as her brain was. The sense of urgency surrounding their scientific investigations only amplified her feelings overall.
It was also fascinating to see him try to heal himself. Since she’d been able to identify the area of the brain that controlled teleporting, she was able to use a scan to show Ivar exactly where to send the healing cells. He said he could feel a change in that area within a day of concentrating on it.
One night she was typing furiously in her laptop from the university, sitting on their bed, waiting for Ivar to return from training. Apparently the demon soldiers had new moves to share with him. She muttered to herself, really not liking where the math was heading. Ivar was going to like her results even less. Her stomach cramped, but she forced herself to keep diagramming and working the numbers.
Her laptop dinged, and she pressed a button, bringing Mark Brookes on-screen. “Mark. Hello,” she said, smiling, grateful for a break. “How are you?”
His thinning hair was swept back, and his eyes glowed with excitement. “Excellent. I’ve been working on my grant and have managed to incorporate your last two research papers with my current theories. I think my math could help you with your theoretical application for interdimensional travel. Maybe. Or it would be just fun to work together again.”
She kept her smile in place. Honestly, she’d give anything to be able to tell him about her actual travels, but that amounted to treason in the immortal world. Ivar had been exceptionally and irritatingly clear about that fact. More than once, actually. “That’s wonderful.” She ran back through her mind to remember the two papers. Right. String theory and dark matter had been the main subjects. “Most mathematicians don’t believe we could use gravity to bend time.”
“Meh.” He lifted a shoulder and angled closer to the camera. “So, what do you say? Want to come into the school and collaborate? Nobody said you had to work from home.”
“I’m not at home,” she said, pushing a wayward curl away from her face. “I’ve decided to travel some while I work.”
He frowned. “I know you. When you’re on a problem, you’re obsessed. You’re telling me you’re taking in sights while doing a little math on the side?”
She grinned. “Of course not. I just decided to rent a place in the mountains and work in quiet and solitude.