He took a step back to better study her. “Just now? Or have you never had them?”
She felt exposed. Vulnerable. “I don’t think so.”
He studied her for several long moments. “When you mate, you’ll gain the cells, then. Where are you living these days?”
“I’m back in Idaho,” she admitted, her heart opening. He didn’t care that she was deficient. Good. It was common knowledge that the Realm headquarters were in northern Idaho, so she wasn’t giving anything away. She also knew where he was. “How is Canada?”
“Cold,” he said. “We’re training hard outside. I have to tell you, it’s freaking frigid.”
She smiled and kicked a rock. It had been a rough year, not seeing him. They’d known each other since birth, and she’d always thought they would have something to do with fixing the world. But sometimes she felt so tired, she wasn’t sure. “I guess you’re leading the Kurjan nation?” She’d wondered about that.
“I guess I am,” he said. “I’m a little young, but I’mdoing my best.”
“And Ulric?” she asked. Hopefully Drake had taken care of the monster, but something toldher he hadn’t.
Drake looked up at the sun, closing his eyes. “Ulric is still knocking on my door,” he muttered. “He’s in charge of the Cyst, and many of my people listen to him. We waited so long for him to return to this plane, and he survived circumstances that would’ve killed any other being. That has earned him both respect and incredible power.”
“That’s understandable.” She looked up at the sun, able to stare directly at it. Ulric led the Cyst, who were both the spiritual leaders and the most deadly assassins in Drake’s world. While Kurjans were pale with dark hair that had red tips, the Cyst were pale with a shocking white strip of hair down their heads. “Do you need us to helpyou fight him?”
His lips twitched. “No. I don’t need the Realm’s assistance, but thanks.”
“Sure,” she said, feeling silly. But she did have quite the fighting force on her side. “Drake, we have reports that enhanced women are still being kidnapped around the globe. Is that true? Is it you?” She already knew it was the Kurjans, but she couldn’t figure out his part in the kidnappings,if he had one.
“No, it’s not me,” he said, taking his hand out of his pocket and ruffling his hair. His fingers were long, probably longer than Pax’s, but Pax’s hands were wider.
It was odd, or maybe it wasn’t, that she kept comparing them. She had done so her whole life. Right now, she was extremely angry at Paxton, and she wasn’t too happy with Drake. “Who is taking the enhanced females? It has to beUlric, right?”
“I believe so,” Drake said. “I’mworking on it.”
She felt for him. “Why? What’s his grand plan?”
“I don’t know.” A breeze picked up and wafted shiny blue leaves across the river. He laughed. “Those are pretty. Everything elselooks so real.”
“I thought I’d add some whimsy.” She had a feeling that Drake didn’t have much whimsy in his life, and she’d always wished she could lighten his load. She didn’t think it had been easy for him, being the only son of the Kurjan leader and then having to step into his father’s shoes when he was so young. She had once thought that the three of them, four including Libby, would save the world. She’d been naïve. Right now, she didn’t think Drake and Paxton could coexist in the same world. Paxton probably wanted Drake as dead as Drake wanted Pax.
“Stop worrying so much,” Drake said, his grin widening again. “I think it’s time we met in person, don’t you?”
Heat wandered through her along with curiosity. “We have met in person once.”
“I remember,” Drake said. “That was the first time I ever thought there might be peace between us, when your soldiers captured me and then let me go.”
“You were just akid,” she said.
He snorted. “We were both kids. Remember how much trouble we got into?”
Yeah, she’d been grounded forever, if she remembered right.
“I don’t have a lot of time to mess around,” Drake said. “You and I are fated, and it’s about time we met. Don’t you think?”
She looked up at him, letting the weight of his words sink in. “How do you know we’re fated?”
He brushed her hair back from her shoulder. “Come on, Hope. It’s always been you and me. If we’re ever going to have peace between our people, and if we’re ever going to actually take Ulric down, which is something I now want to do as well, then we have to do it together.” His gaze flicked to the rocks where the green book sat open. “Don’t you agree?”
She thought about it. She thought about Paxton’s betrayal, and she felt the weight of destiny pressing in. Could she trust Drake? Her mind told her to trust Drake rather than Paxton. Yet her heart was telling her something else.“I don’t know.”
Drake leaned down and kissed her, his lips soft. It was a nice kiss. “You’re meant to be a queen. You have to understand your placein the world.”
She didn’t care about being a queen. She believed her role was to broker peace. “Yes, I do.”
