“Not going to happen,” Liam called from thedriver’s seat.
Even Collin, the more mellow of the twins, turned around, his gaze fierce. “We are not giving him your heart.”
“I don’t think we’re supposed to give it to him.” Bile rose from her stomach and she swallowed it ruthlessly down. “I think we’re supposed to shove it down his throat.” She wondered if it would still be beating, if there was something special about her heart that would keep it beating. Maybe it would blow up in his stomach. “Fate really is a bitch,” she muttered. She couldn’t help it. She lifted her gaze to meet Paxton’s. He hadn’t said a word.
His jaw was set hard, and his eyes had morphed to the green of a laser, piercing and sharp. “That isn’t going to happen,” he said, his determination all the more obvious in the quietness of his hoarse voice. “Tell me you get me, Hope. Tell me that right now.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. Ulric was evil, and he would do more harm in the world than she could explain. It wasn’t just the enhanced females, and it wasn’t just his dedication to decimating the Realm. He was evil incarnate. He couldn’t be allowed to walk the earth with everybody she loved.
She had known her life would require sacrifice, but she had figured it would mean aligning herself with Drake, not actually dying. Not really. She had finally found love, and she had finally dedicated herself to Paxton. She’d had three wonderful hours with him, full of love and light, and a deeper understanding than most people would ever reach. It was probably more than most people ever found. She would have to take comfort in that.
“I don’t have a choice,” she said. “It’s the only way to stop him.”
Paxton leaned his head back and crossed his arms. He didn’t turn his head. “Liam?”
“Yeah, Pax?” Liam asked, banking a hard left.
“When you set down, all of us are exiting except for Hope. I want you to fly her at least five miles away from the battle zone.”
Hope jolted. “What?Wait a minute.”
“No,” Paxton said firmly. “You can direct your team from there.” His head remained back, but his gaze slashed to her, piercing and cold. “What exactly do you think happenedearlier today?”
They’d mated. She’d move on from this world happy. Fulfilled. “Paxton,” she started.
His chin rose, and the words stoppedin her throat.
“What you seem to have forgotten is that your heart is no longer yours to sacrifice. Your heart is mine, Hope. Don’t you ever fucking forget it.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Paxton finished tucking another knife into his boot. The Realm had copied the design of the Kurjan slicing blade, and he kept one in each boot. He didn’t like using them, even against the enemy, because deploying such a deadly weapon seemed unfair. However, the Kurjans were all armed with the deadly blade, so he didn’thave a choice.
He had guns strapped to his thighs and more knives secured in pockets throughout his cargo pants and his vest. “Where arewe?” he asked.
Hope typed rapidly on her laptop. “Vampires are coming from the east, demons from the west, the Seven from the north, and we’ll come in from the south. There are six teams, and we’re coordinating from this position. We want to hit the ground atthe same time.”
“What’s the go sign?” Paxton asked.
She kept her gaze on the computer screen. “There will be a missile strike from the Realm—the minute the missiles impact, we hit the ground using the explosions and the resulting confusion as cover.”
Paxton nodded. “Who’s on Ulric?”
“The Seven are on Ulric,” Hope said, reading the screen. “We’re to provide cover and engage and assist.” She looked up at the team. “This is the best fighting force the Realm has ever seen. We’re young, but we’re strong and fast.”
Pax eyed the soldiers. It was agood pep talk.
She continued. “The vampire teams are going to take on the Kurjan soldiers because there are more of them in this camp, while Zane’s demon teams will take on the Cyst. Our team is to provide cover for the Seven as they get to Ulric. That means taking on both Cyst and Kurjan soldiers.”
“Got it,” Libby said, stretching one armover her chest.
Hope extended her fingers, stretching them. “Once there’s an opening and most of the enemy soldiers are taken care of, we need to find the enhanced females. The kidnapped women will be easy to corral, whereas females who have been mates of the Cyst for years, possibly centuries, may put up a fight. You have to expect to be attacked from every angle.”
“We usually are,”Derrick noted.
“Good point,” Hope said.
Paxton sighed and looked at Vero. “You can sit this one out if you want.” He felt an allegiance to this new brother of his, and he couldn’t imagine the battle going on inside theyoung warrior.
