Puzzlement filled his gaze.
She frowned. "I don't know exactly what it means."
"That doesn't make sense." He released her. "There's no such thing. Just because some ghost said-"
"It wasn't just 'some ghost.' It was my father."
"And your father is a ghost." Whether he meant it to or not, it sounded like an insult.
His words and his attitude stung. She pulled her hand from his warm chest. All the emotional havoc from earlier whirled inside her.
"I know he's a ghost," Kylie said. "And I wish he wasn't dead. I wish I knew what he meant. I wish that you could accept me for what I am. But I can't change the fact that my dad died before I was born. I can't help that I don't understand what he meant. For that matter, I don't understand a tenth of what's happening in my life right now. And I have a feeling you will never be able to accept me for what I am."
"That's not true." His expression hardened with denial.
"Yes, it is." She turned and limped away.
She heard him ask her not to go. She ignored his plea. Then, stopping, she reached down to remove her shoes. As she straightened, her gaze caught on the row of trees-on how their leaves stirred even when no wind blew. She felt again the unexplainable sense that she was being lured to enter. As tempting as it was, she walked away. Walked away from the forest. Walked away from Lucas.
And both somehow felt wrong.
Chapter Three
Kylie's bare feet moved quickly against the earth as she ran. She heard the blend of voices coming from the dining hall where everyone had congregated after Ellie's funeral. Ellie, who'd died at the hands of Mario.
Another wave of guilt washed over Kylie. She ran faster. She didn't want to join the crowd. She wanted ... needed ... to be alone.
She'd almost made it to her cabin when she felt a whoosh of air fly past her. A vampire whoosh. Maybe a vampire on the hunt.
Kylie pushed herself to run faster and mentally prepared herself to fight. Not that she stood a chance of winning a battle with a vampire. Whatever super strength she had only served her when she was helping others.
A protector, the other supernaturals called her. But how could they call her that when she hadn't protected Ellie? Even Kylie's healing abilities had failed. How unjust was it that she could save a bird, pull it back from death, and yet couldn't save a friend? She would have paid the price. It wouldn't have mattered how much of her soul she'd had to give to save Ellie.
She felt it again-that flash of air as something swooped past. This time she saw a curtain of straight black hair billow in the wind. Definitely a vampire.
But not one on the hunt.
Della appeared beside her, running at the same breakneck pace. But being vampire, she moved with ease, as if she were taking a leisurely jog.
"What's wrong?" Della's dark hair, hinting at her Asian bloodline, flew behind her like a flag.
"You are what's wrong." Kylie came to a jerky stop. "I hate it when you fly by me like that and I can't tell it's you. I feel threatened. I feel like ... prey."
"Well, damn," Della said in her everyday bad-attitude voice. "Excuse me for being concerned. I heard you running like hell and thought someone was chasing you."
"Sorry. No one is chasing me." Kylie's gaze shot back to the woods. They're just taunting me to step into the woods and face them. But who was it, and for what reason? Earlier she'd assumed it was Mario, but could she have been wrong about that?
"What happened?" Della asked.
Kylie pulled her eyes away from the woods. "Nothing."
Della tilted her head to the side, as if listening to Kylie's heart, listening for signs of deception. Della rolled her eyes. "Liar. Liar. Pants on fire."
Kylie groaned. "Fine. I'm lying. And if I were wearing pants, they'd combust and burn my ass."
"Wow. You are in such a lovely mood. What took a bite out of your attitude?"
"You did." Kylie flinched at the sound of her sharp tone.
Della grinned as if enjoying Kylie's anger. Kylie started walking.
"Who's supposed to be shadowing you?" Della asked.
"I don't know." Kylie's gaze shot to the woods and the sensation hit stronger than ever. She took off running down the path, pushing herself harder. She didn't stop until she got to her cabin. Her stomach cramped from running. She dropped down on the edge of their porch.
"So what happened?" Della, not even breathing hard, plopped down beside Kylie.
Something in the woods is calling my name. That sounded crazy. Kylie couldn't say it. She looked at Della. Her roommate's slightly slanted black eyes appeared genuinely concerned, and that made Kylie feel like a bitch.
"Sorry. I'm in a bad mood."
"Which is so rare," Della said. "I kind of like it."
Kylie rolled her eyes and pushed back her reservations. "Have you ever heard of chameleons?"
"Yeah," Della said.
"You have? What do you know about them?"
"They're lizards that change colors. According to Chan, they don't taste too bad. In Hawaii, the local vampires sell their blood. It's supposed to be as good as O negative."
"No." Kylie pulled her knees up and hugged them.
"No, what?"
"I mean ... chameleons as a type of supernatural?"
"A lizard supernatural?" Della laughed.
Kylie jumped up.
"Hey." Della popped up beside her. "What's wrong with you?"
Kylie yanked open the cabin door and looked back at Della. "Everything is wrong."
"Is this about Ellie?" Della's voice hinted at an emotion that the vamp kept hidden.
Kylie's heart gripped tighter. "Yes, it's about Ellie. It's about me being a lizard. It's everything."
"You're a lizard?" The seriousness faded from Della's eyes, and she grinned.
Kylie stormed through the door, then swung around. "Yeah, you're a vampire, and I'm a lizard, so just friggin' get used to it."
Della's smirk faded. "Have you been smoking something? Seriously, I think you're a werewolf. This new snarky attitude is a dead giveaway."
"And vampires aren't snarky?" Kylie rolled her eyes.
"No, we're pissy. Snarky and pissy are two totally different things." Della moved inside. The vamp's attempt at humor was to help, not hurt.
But Kylie wasn't in the mood. "I'm not a werewolf." Tears stung her eyes. "If I were, then Lucas would be happy and all would be right in the world."
Della's mouth dropped open. "You're serious. Who told you that you were a lizard?"