Chapter 116

** Paige’s POV ** By late afternoon, the tension of the meeting and knowing we have a traitor fades into a slight niggling at the back of my mind. We take Jaxon down to the pond for a while. The water ripples softly with the slightest breeze. Jax crouches at the edge, poking at the mud with a stick while he tells me in great detail how he’s going to build a frog hotel. “Look! There’s frogspawn!” he cries, pointing. “They look like little jelly bubbles! There are loads of them!” I lean down beside him, smiling as the light catches the water. “You’re right. That means they’ll turn into tadpoles soon.” He frowns, serious as ever. “But where are their mummy and daddy?” “I’m sure they’re around, bud,” Ryder says, coming to crouch beside us. Jaxon stands, placing his hands on his hips and scanning the pond. “Maybe they’re out on patrol, keeping the eggs safe from baddies.” I laugh, ruffling his hair. “I bet you’re right.” For half an hour, we sit there. Jaxon chats away about every discovery