can’t change, no matter how strong you think you are as a prophet.”
“My mom and dad—”
Paxton opened his eyes and held up a hand. “I know they met in dream worlds and saved the Earth and lived happily ever after and had you. That’s not what’s going to happen with Drake. You need to open your eyes and see what’s in front of you instead of what you think fate has in mind. There is no fate, there is no destiny, and there is no path that has already been set for you. For any of us.”
Wow. That was a lot of words from Paxton at one time.
He grabbed her hand, his own warm and calloused. Maybe even bigger than Drake’s. “Do you love him?”
She nearly swallowed her tongue. “No. I don’t love him. Geez, Paxton.” She’d never even kissed a guy before, although she was thirteen. On television kids kissed and fell in love at her age, but that seemed weird. If she did fall in love when she was really old, then it probably would be with Drake, the way it happened with her parents. But maybe they’d all just be friends and save the world.
Although, she had liked holding his hand. “You know that you and I are always going to be best friends, right?” No matter what, she and Pax would last.
He sighed, his bony shoulders dropping. “Yeah, I know. Best friends.”
If they all had to get mated, maybe Paxton and Libby could be together. A weird shiver went through Hope, hitting her in the stomach. She didn’t want Libby to have Pax. But she loved Libby—they were like sisters. Shouldn’t she want Libby and Paxton to be together?
He was watching her, still holding her hand. “What?”
“I don’t know,” she said, wishing things were as simple as they used to be.
Then, Paxton kept her hand and leaned forward. His mouth was on hers before she could take a breath, and she blinked, shutting her eyes. Curiosity kept her still, and when he moved his lips, she moved hers too. Tingles swept along her mouth and through her arms, even to her fingers.
Paxton leaned back, his eyes dark now.
Wow. She’d just kissed Paxton. Or he’d kissed her. “Um, I have to go back to sleep.” She let go of his hand and turned to go back to bed, settling in and watching as he moved off the window seat and slid back into his sleeping bag. It took a long time, but he finally started breathing smoothly, falling into sleep.
Libby rolled over, her eyes wide open. “Did Pax kiss you?” she whispered.
Hope nodded. “Pax kissed me and I held Drake’s hand in a dream world.”
Libby’s head jerked and her jaw kind of dropped. “You have two boyfriends?”
“No.” Hope pressed her hand against her mouth to keep from giggling. “I don’t have any. We’re all just friends.”
Libby snorted. “Girlfriend, you’ve had a big night.” Her accent copied a girl from television and sounded like she was from the South.
Hope giggled, unable to stop. It had been a weird night.
Libby smacked her arm. “Shhh. You’ll wake up Paxton.” She stopped smiling. “You’re gonna have to choose one of them. They already don’t like each other. This will only make it worse.”
Hope shook her head. “I’m not choosing either of them. We’re friends, and that’s all. You know I can’t date until I’m sixteen.” Her dad had been more than clear about that, and for the first time, she was actually glad. She didn’t have to make a choice.
Libby snuggled down, her face in the pillow. “Did you like kissing?”
Hope thought about it. “Yeah. It was nice.”
It really was.
Chapter 23
When Grace didn’t move fast enough, Adare reached over and plucked her from her chair. “Are you always going to be this difficult?”
“Probably.” She perched on his lap as if she wasn’t sure where to put her hands. A lovely flush slid from her neck up to the smooth skin of her face, turning her pink and making her green eyes shine. “Before we go through all of this, don’t you think we should discuss this suicide raid you insist on undertaking?”
It was a fair question, and a topic he’d like to get out of the way. “My job is dangerous and my path is bloody. That isn’t going to change.”
“I understand.” She let her body relax into his heat. “It’s just, why not take more of a force with you?”
“Strategically, two of us makes more sense. We’re not starting a