Drake grasped her arm and tugged her closer to the rock wall. “Let’s sit.”
She sat with her back to the rock and her legs extended, watching the churning water spread out to the far distance. Drake sat next to her, and for the first time in a long time, she felt right. Was he gonna hold her hand? Should she grab his? What if he didn’t want to hold hands?
He took her hand in his, and her stomach got all squishy. “How are Pax and Libby?” They’d all met once, and all had gotten in trouble because of it, too.
“They’re both good.” Pax wouldn’t want Hope telling Drake about Pax’s dad, mainly because Pax didn’t like Drake. At all. Hope held very still so Drake wouldn’t let go of her hand. His was big and warm, and really nice. “Do you think it’s bad that I’m a prophet?” She’d never forget the look in Pax’s dad’s face when he called her names. He’d hated her. Really hated her.
“No. Why?” Drake asked.
“Some people don’t like it. They think I’m a freak,” she whispered. Was she? She could do a lot of things others couldn’t, and fate talked to her.
“You’re not a freak.” Drake stiffened. “Who said that to you?”
The anger in his voice made her feel all warm. “It doesn’t matter. I just wanted to know what you thought.” How many people out there hated her just because of a marking she’d been born with?
“I think you’re special, and that’s a good thing.” He didn’t look at her. “Hope? Our lives aren’t gonna be easy, and we’ve known that for a long time. We’re gonna have to make hard decisions that other people might not like.”
Yeah, like ending the war between their peoples. Like finally finding peace. Some people didn’t want peace. “But we’re still friends, right?”
“Always,” Drake said, tightening his hold on her hand.
Her mom and dad had met in dream worlds, and they’d ended up saving everybody. Now it was her and Drake’s turn to make things even better. Or it would be when they were grown up. “Promise me we’ll always be on the same side,” she whispered.
He sighed. “I’m not sure we’ll always be on the same side, but we’ll end up on the right path. I’ll make sure of it.”
A scraping sounded over by the cave, and they both turned to see a figure come out.
Hope jerked her hand away from Drake’s, her face burning. “Uncle Sam?” Her dad’s younger brother looked around as if he didn’t see them. He shook his head, his dark hair flying, his eyes blazing green. Then he disappeared. Her mouth dropped open.
“That was weird,” Drake said, nudging her in the arm. “Let’s wake up now.”
She sat upright in bed, her heart beating hard against her ribcage. What had her uncle Sam been doing there? In a freaking dream world? He wasn’t anywhere near Realm headquarters, but she’d have to contact him the next day. He always took her calls.
Sucking in air, she looked around her bedroom to see Libby on her side, facing away, sleeping soundly. But Pax wasn’t in his sleeping bag. Instead, he was sitting on her window seat, his arm around his legs, looking out at the snow.
“Pax?” she whispered, slipping from the bed. “Are you okay?”
Pax turned, his eyes blazing in the darkness. “You went back to a dream world.”
She stiffened but kept approaching him. “Yeah. How did you know? Did I talk in my sleep?”
He shook his head, and his long hair flew. “No. I’ve always known when you go in. There’s a change in energy or something in the room. In my head.” He sounded disappointed but not angry. As if he was too tired to be angry. “When did you start traveling in your sleep again?”
She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Tonight. It’s the first time in a couple years.”
“Great.” He rested his head back on the wall and closed his eyes.
Her hand shook, but she reached out to touch his arm. “Don’t be mad at me.”
“Did you see the Kurjan?” Pax muttered.
“Drake. You know his name.” She shook her head. Why did Pax have to be so stubborn all the time? “Yeah, I saw him and he said to tell you hi.”
“Bullshit,” Pax said.
Hope jumped. Paxton never swore. Like never. “Paxton Phoenix. We’re all gonna be friends someday, and you know it.”
“The Kurjans don’t want to be friends, and you know it,” he returned. “They hate us, Hope. That