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“Darrius came here? What did he say?”

“He told us that your Aven-elf-fellow has been quiet lately so you’ve been busy trying to build an army,” Jack said, causing her stomach to dip—until she saw the wide grin on his face. “Alex, honey, that’s an admirable goal, but you’re only seventeen.”

“Yes, you should wait until you’re considered a legal adult in at least the European Union before drafting a contingent of militia to your cause,” Rachel said, somehow with a straight face. “You still have half a year left before you’re eighteen. Don’t you think you should wait until then?”

Alex loosed a sigh of relief as she took in her parents’ expressions and realised they hadn’t taken anything Darrius had told them seriously.

“I don’t know, Mum,” Alex said, playing along. “Six months is a long time, and you know I’m not so great when it comes to patience.”

Her parents chuckled good-naturedly, but then they sobered and Rachel said, “Darrius seems worried. And we figure if he’s worried, we should be worried.”

Alex stepped away from Kaiden and moved to hold her mother’s hands. “Darrius is worried for a lot of reasons right now. Avenhasbeen quiet lately, and we’re all a bit on edge—Darrius in particular, since he feels the burden of responsibility to protect us all.” She lowered her voice. “And, to be perfectly honest, that might not be possible.”

“I want you to tell us the truth,” Jack said, stepping closer. “Just how much danger are you in?”

As much as she wanted to fib, Alex couldn’t bring herself to lie to her father’s face. So she quietly answered, “A lot. But that’s true for all of us.”

He held her eyes as he said, “I take it there’s nothing we can do to convince you to stay here with us? Or return to Earth?”

Alex shook her head. “Remember, if Aven wants, he can just come through the Library and find me there, anyway. I need to be here doing what I can to stop him. And I need you to trust me enough to let me do that.”

“You’re our daughter,” Rachel said quietly. “We might get caught up in our work, but we still love you. We’d do anything to protect you. This situation with Aven, it doesn’t make me comfortable letting you go face it on your own.”

“I promise I’m being as careful as I can be,” Alex said. She looked back at Kaiden and softly added, “And I’m not on my own.”

The contemplative look Jack and Rachel cast between her and Kaiden was frustratingly presumptuous, but she knew it was in her best interests to use whatever means necessary to ease their concerns. If Kaiden’s, well,Kaiden-ness managed to help, then so be it.

“No, it appears you aren’t,” Jack said in a knowing voice.

With a squeeze of her fingers, Rachel released Alex’s hands but pulled her in for a hug. While doing so, she sneakily whispered in her ear, “Goodness, he’s attractive—it’s like he’s stepped right off the cover ofGQ! And the way he looks at you—”

“Mum!” Alex yanked backwards before her mother could say more.

Rachel was unrepentant and grinned impishly. “Don’t act like you don’t know what I’m talking about. You have eyes.”

Cheeks burning, Alex couldn’t bring herself to look at the quietly chuckling Kaiden, since from that comment alone, he didn’t need to be a genius to guess what Rachel had whispered in Alex’s ear.

“Was there anything else you both needed from me?” Alex curtly asked, while mentally adding,Other than embarrassing me further, of course?

“As long as you promise to continue being careful out there, I think we’re good,” Jack said. He motioned to her wrist and said, “Has that tattoo of yours come in handy yet?”

Alex froze at his question, and then immediately felt like hitting herself.

The tattoo.

She could have used it at any time over the weekend, especially when she was about to become dinner for the Jarnocks’ river beast. But using Drock’s Beacon had never crossed her mind.

In hindsight, Hunter had managed to save them in time, but still—if she’d remembered the option to call for help, there would have been a lot less anxiety on her part. And while Bear was now completely healed, if she’d used the Beacon, he never would have broken his leg in the first place.

“Not yet,” Alex answered her dad after a short pause. “But that’s good news, right? It means I haven’t been in a position to need it.”

That wasn’t entirely true—or at all true—but they didn’t need to know that.

“Do your best to make sure it stays that way,” Jack said, tweaking her nose like she was five years old.

Alex didn’t respond verbally, but she did nod, feeling more at ease with the deceit when it wasn’t spoken aloud.

“You two had better get going,” Rachel said.