No. That wasn't true. They belonged. The problem was, they didn't remember where. Or why.
****
Tyler had prayed away his urge to vomit for the moment. Peggy kept hold of his hand as though she didn't realize what the gesture meant in his world. He tried really hard not to let it mean more than it ever should but was failing big time. The way she stroked the skin on the top of his hand, lightly and methodically tracing the veins, had him completely useless.
If he could just pretend he wasn't as affected as he was, maybe he could fake being normal. Unfortunately, that meant paying attention and participating in the conversation. Nothing had ever been so difficult. She smelled amazing. She looked even more amazing and for some crazy reason he didn't want to think long about, she liked him.
"Maybe we should shoot higher little brother." Maxwell's words sounded charged with energy and Peggy squeezed his hand. Maybe it was more charged than Tyler realized.
"Explain." Francis angled his head at the screen as though contemplating another angle.
Maxwell sat forward. "I mean why not get both of them."
"Both of who?" Francis turned to him, officially puzzled.
"The boy and the bad ass girl." Maxwell sat back again.
"Don't be foolish." Robert glared at Maxwell, then Francis. "This isn't the time or scenario to frolic."
"It's not frolicking!" Maxwell, in the midst of trying out a new leg-crossing configuration, wagged his foot on his knee. "If taking him will shake their core, getting her would decimate them."
Francis glanced back at the screen. "These are humans, that means they're—"
"In need of salvation," Maxwell finished. "Especially her."
"Yes, but she will likely need years to break through." Francis stared at her image on the screen.
"Or days." Robert kept his voice gentle. Sensing Victory?
"Or minutes." Maxwell grinned. "Given the right scenario."
Francis faced his brother fully now and gestured toward him. "You got a grand scheme? I'm all ears."
"Grand scheme?" Maxwell chuckled and sat back with his arm on the back of the couch again. "I bet if she met her match, it would certainly get her attention."
"Go on." Francis put a bare foot on the coffee table and Tyler noticed his toenails looked painted red. No doubt they were actual ruby.
Maxwell grinned. "Well, we challenge them to fight."
Chapter Twenty-Two
Robert rolled his eyes at his sister's petulant whine. Really. Must he be required to endure her this way? "Fine, anything to eliminate that screechy voice you've taken to using." He thought of his Father's human form, and made himself similar.
Peggy giggled.
"What?" Robert looked down at himself, making sure all his parts had changed.
"Don't you have your own look?" she asked.
"What do you mean? This is my own look."
"You look like Lyght's twin only smaller."
"And what is wrong with looking moderately fantastic?"
"Nothing." Francis grinned and winked. "If you don't mind all the women touching you."
"Touching?" Good God. Unacceptable. "What do you propose? Different hair color?"
"Hold on!" Peggy raised a finger, only to disappear. She reappeared in two seconds and rushed to Robert with an open magazine. "How about him?" She shoved the page under his nose, tapping a specific image with a pale pink nail. "He's dashing but not so brilliant?"
Robert stared at the fellow, not impressed. "He looks pathetic."
"Well, hiding your strength will help you blend in." Peggy angled a pleading look at him.
Blending was good. "And less touched?"
"Definitely," Peggy insisted.
Robert sighed, eager to become good at being inconspicuous. He branded the image of the gent on the page into his mind. At hearing Peggy's gleeful clapping and laughter, he guessed he'd succeeded. "Better?"
"Much, much!" She hugged him.
"I thought it would cause less touching." Robert worked her arms off of him.
"Right! Sorry." She jerked back and hurried to Tyler's side and tormented him with the touching thing, bringing his hand to her lips and giggling while watching her very own human fashion show. Poor little guy.
Peggy shook her head. "Okay, if we're going to succeed in pulling this off, you all need to study human male mannerisms. So." She turned to the big screen contraption on the wall and started pushing buttons on the handheld device that controlled it. When she reached a series of male images, she froze the screen. "I want you all to take fifteen minutes to study the groove of the current culture. Ready? Go."