“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

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.

The King strode down the hallway and stood next to her, sighing. “Did he have to land on my damn street? I have an entire airfield just down the road with, you know, landing areas and runways.”