“Pax?” she whispered, slipping from the bed. “Are you okay?”

Pax turned, his eyes blazing in the darkness. “You went back to a dream world.”

She stiffened but kept approaching him. “Yeah. How did you know? Did I talk in my sleep?”

He shook his head, and his long hair flew. “No. I’ve always known when you go in. There’s a change in energy or something in the room. In my head.” He sounded disappointed but not angry. As if he was too tired to be angry. “When did you start traveling in your sleep again?”

She licked her suddenly dry lips. “Tonight. It’s the first time in a couple years.”

“Great.” He rested his head back on the wall and closed his eyes.

Her hand shook, but she reached out to touch his arm. “Don’t be mad at me.”

“Did you see the Kurjan?” Pax muttered.

“Drake. You know his name.” She shook her head. Why did Pax have to be so stubborn all the time? “Yeah, I saw him and he said to tell you hi.”

“Bullshit,” Pax said.

Hope jumped. Paxton never swore. Like never. “Paxton Phoenix. We’re all gonna be friends someday, and you know it.”

“The Kurjans don’t want to be friends, and you know it,” he returned. “They hate us, Hope. That 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.”