a brand new X-Box and a bunch of games piled next to it.
Santino winced. “Those came this morning, and I set them up for you. I should’ve asked. Do you game?”
Pax’s heart leaped. “Yeah. I love to play.”
“Oh, good. Me too. I have the new Mars Four, Galaxy Battle over there and thought we could play.” He pointed to the stack.
Pax blinked. “That doesn’t release for three more months.”
Santino grinned. “I have a buddy who has a buddy, you know? Got an early copy.”
Oh, man, this was too good to be true. A desk sat over by the window with a new laptop on it. Pax didn’t deserve any of this. He frowned.
Santino stilled. “Oh. The walls. Yeah, sorry. They’re blank, but I didn’t know what you liked. You know. Movie posters, pictures of lakes, pics of girls? Not sure. You can put anything you want on the walls. I started an account for your allowance, and I was thinking, what? Maybe five hundred a week?”
Pax made a garbled sound.
Santino’s lip twisted. “Too much? Not enough? Dude, I’m new at this.” He scratched his head. “I can talk about butterflies all day. But allowances?”
“Way too much,” Pax whispered. He got to put things on the wall? Whatever he wanted?
“Okay. Then two hundred. If you have extra, maybe you could play the stock market or something. But you’re in charge of your dog, and you gotta buy him food. I read that responsibility is good for kids.” He smiled. “I loved your mom, as you know. She was sweet and took good care of me and didn’t mind that I get lost in my head sometimes. I’m starving. Let’s eat pizza.”
“Okay.” Pax followed him, stumbling a little. What was happening? Did his uncle really want him here? Not just like out of duty? The guy seemed a little lonely.
He sat at the table in the comfortable kitchen, accepting the huge piece of pizza Santino dropped on his plate.
“I travel a lot for work and leave on Tuesday for a week. Going to Africa, and you should come with me. You ever been there?” Santino shoved a large bite in his mouth.
Pax shook his head. He bit his lip, looking down at the panting puppy.
Santino followed his gaze. “Oh, he can come. You never leave family behind, right?”
Even the dog could come? Pax breathed out, feeling as if bubbles of excitement were popping inside him. He took a bite of the pizza, and it was the best he’d ever had. “This is good.”
“I’m glad,” Santino sighed, wolfing down another piece. “We’ll settle in here, and I think you should see that shrink. The pretty blonde?”
“The prophet Lily?” Pax chewed thoughtfully. “Sure.” If that made his uncle happy, he’d do it.
“Good. It’ll help to talk about everything you’ve gone through.” His uncle shrugged. “Probably.”
Pax grinned, looking at the hand-painted picture of a butterfly on the counter. “What do you do?”
“I’m a researcher. I research different animal environments and ecosystems.” Santino’s eye sobered. “I also have a mission. We’re family, Pax, so I don’t ever want to lie to you, especially since it has to do with your friend. The pretty girl.”
Pax dropped his pizza on the plate. “Hope?”
“Yeah. I know you’ve heard the scuttlebutt about the Seven lately with the shifters taking off and all.” Santino chewed thoughtfully. “The Seven are horribly mistaken, possibly evil, and have to be stopped. If they’re not, Hope is going to pay the price. She’s a prophet and must be protected. No matter what.”
Pax took his pizza again and chewed slowly. It was weird being trusted with the serious stuff. “Hope is all that matters,” he agreed.
Santino grinned. “It’s about the girl, huh?”
Pax’s face heated. “I’ve always known it’s about her.” He sighed. “It’s gonna be bloody and painful.” Every once in a while, rarely, fate gave him a glimpse. “Is this Seven the real enemy?”
“One of many, and when we stop them, it’s gonna be ugly,” Santino said. “You have to choose your own path, and you don’t have to choose mine. But I wanted you to know the truth.”
“My path is protecting her, and always has been,” Pax said. “No matter the cost.”
Santino lifted his soda. “To the girl.”
Pax lifted his, clinking them together. “To Hope.” Finally, his mission, his destiny, was clear.
He was home.
Chapter 33
Another storm blanketed the world with snow outside, so Grace waited inside the main lodge as Adare finished loading the helicopter Benny had landed on the road.