Great. He wasn’t in any state to take on both Collin and Liam Kayrs, and he knew it. He’d trained with them as teens, before they thought he’d turned to science, when he’d actually been training all around the globe. He sensed them before they turned the corner and advanced, both halting near Hope, shockon their faces.
“Paxton.” Liam was the one who spoke first.
“Hi, guys,” Paxton said sardonically.
Both males took several steps forward, putting their bodies between him and Hope.
“You can’t think I’d hurt her,” he muttered.
They both stared at him, their expressions stone cold, looking more like their father, Conn, than ever. They were about Pax’s size in muscle and mass. He was quicker for some reason, and he would have to use that to his advantage. He didn’t want to hurt any of them. He was learning to infiltrate minds and cause pain like some of the older demons could, but he’d never harm any of his friends like that. It just wasn’t fair.
Collin studied him, his green eyes flat, hard, and cold. “You’rethe traitor?”
“Looks like it,” Paxton said. He was shocked and impressed that Hope had been able to catch him. It had taken her two years, and he’d worked hard to avoid her, even though he knew this showdown had to occur at some point. Fate was fate...and she was a bitch.
Liam barely twitched. “Why?” heasked shortly.
“You wouldn’t understand,” Paxton said. His leg was healed. He slowly pushed himself up, pressing a hand over the still-bleeding wound in his side. She’d nicked a rib, and it had splintered into his lung, where the healing cells were still hard at work. Hope hadn’t said a word, but he could feel her pain from his betrayal. It dug deep inside him, lodging deeper than any blade ever could. “I’m sorry,” he said.
“Don’t be sorry,” she snapped, trying to move up between her cousins. They instantly took a step toward each other, putting them shoulder to shoulder, with Hope completely hidden behind them. Her attempt to shove them out of the way almost amused Paxton, but the pain surrounding himwas too great.
Finally, she just edged to the side and looked around Collin’s broad back. “Why, Paxton? It’s a good question, and one you need to answer.”
“I can’t explain it to you. If I could, I would.” Pax calculated the best way to get beyond the twins.
“Fair enough.” Liam was the first to move toward him, yanking out a pair of zip ties.
Heat filled Paxton’s chest. “You think you can tie me?” He really didn’t want to physically hurt anybody.
Liam rolled his eyes. “You haven’t trained, Pax. We have. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”
So they still thought he was a nerdy scientist. Interesting. He’d assumed they could see the killer lurking inside him, but maybe people just saw what they wanted. “I’m stronger than I look,” he warned theyoung warrior.
In answer, Hope lifted her weapon and aimed it at his forehead. “I am happy to fry your brain for the next six months, Paxton Phoenix. Justsay the word.”
He read the hard determination in her gaze. The female wasn’t bluffing. She would actually shoot him and leave him to repair his brain over several months. Giving her a look, he turned and let Liam zip-tie his hands at his back. The pat-down was brief and revealed two knives and a gun as well as a flash drive. Liam spun him around and tossed the USB to Hope.
“You’ll never hack it,” Paxton said, challenging Hope, wanting to see more color in her face. She was starting to shiver in the cold, and he didn’t like that. Her anger would cause her to warm up a little. He was happy to provide her with a focus.
“That’s what you think,” Liam said, yanking him by the arm toward the side of the alley. “We’re going around back, and we’re going to avoid the market. I want to hurt you, Paxton,” he said, his voice low. “So please give me the chance to put a bullet between your ears. And you know what? This little knife you just gave me? We both know I could use it to takeoff your head.”
Paxton heard the truth in his ex-friend’s tone. “Even so,” he snorted, “you can’t take off my head. You all know the king will want to talk tome about this.”
Liam brightened. “You’re right. Dage hasn’t had a good kill in a while. I’m sure he’ll take you apart limb by limb, and then he’ll kill you.”
A small sound of distress came from Hope and shot through Paxton like another bullet. She most certainly didn’t mean to make the sound, and it was killing him that he was hurting her.
She made a quick call on her phone to arrange transport as they maneuvered through the alleys behind the quaint townhouses of Nuremberg. A light snow started to fall, and he glanced again at Hope. “Somebody find her a heavier jacket.”
Collin slowly turned his head and looked at Paxton, no real expression on his face, but awhat the fuck are you thinking?glint in his eye.
Paxton couldn’t explain even if he’d wanted to. The breeze picked up, and his instincts went on full alert. “You get that?” he asked.
“Shit,” Collin said.
“We have incoming,” Liam said to Hope. “Get behind me. Getbehind me now.”
She obeyed instantly. While Hope was the only female vampire alive, for some reason she hadn’t gained immortal strength yet. When she was injured, she stayed injured longer than she should. Her fighting skills were pretty good for a human. Against an immortal right now, she wouldn’t win. However, as Paxton could attest, she was ahell of a shot.
