Davina found me in the Bayou the next morning.
She'd brought breakfast—beignets and coffee, the eternal currency of New Orleans mornings. We sat on the porch of the safehouse, watching mist rise from the water.
"You talked to Klaus last night," she said. "About Hope."
"Word travels fast."
"Hayley told me. She's... conflicted. About Klaus being involved. About the future everyone's planning for her daughter."
"Understandable."
"Is it?" Davina turned to face me. "You're planning for something, Paradox. Something bigger than the Quarter. Bigger than New Orleans. I can feel it."
I considered how much to tell her. She'd earned the truth—all of it.
"Hope is going to be powerful. More powerful than anyone in this reality understands. And when she grows, things from outside will notice. Things that don't follow the rules you're used to."
"Outside."
"Beyond this dimension. Beyond the multiverse I've traveled. Places I've never been." I looked at the crystal Oracle had given me, still warm in my pocket. "I've been preparing for this without knowing it. The evolution. The connections. The choice to stay."
Davina was quiet for a moment. Then: "You're going to train her."
"If she'll let me. If Hayley agrees. If Klaus doesn't get in the way."
"That's a lot of ifs."
"It is." I smiled. "But I've got time."
Davina laughed—that full, genuine sound I'd worked so hard to cultivate. "Thirteen thousand realities, and you're going to spend the next few decades babysitting?"
"Teaching. There's a difference."
"Is there?" She leaned against me, comfortable in a way she'd never been before. "I want to help. Whatever's coming, I want to be part of it."
"You already are." I put my arm around her. "You always have been."
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