The next morning Kylie stepped out of her bedroom and was shocked to find Del a typing at the computer. Del a was never here in the mornings.
"You didn't have an early morning thing to attend?" Kylie asked.
"Not real y," Del a said. Her mood came off as somber. Actual y, al three of them had been pretty somber since yesterday. They hadn't even participated in their usual before-bedtime-chat at the kitchen table. No doubt, after parents day, they al had demons to deal with, and demondealing was usual y best done solo. Not that Kylie had been alone for a big part of the night. Soldier Dude had popped in and out al night. She hadn't seen him exactly, but she'd felt his cold presence. She only hoped that she caught on to the whole meditation thing soon so she could put a stop to this.
Del a's hands paused on the keyboard and she looked over at Kylie. "I'm sorry if my dad was rude to you. And thanks for coming and getting me like that."
"He wasn't real y rude to me." It was you he was rude to, Kylie almost said, but decided Del a probably already knew that about him and didn't need to be reminded.
"Yeah, wel , he's hard to take sometimes. But believe it or not, he means wel ."
"At least your dad showed up." Kylie remembered how she'd walked a thin line between lying and changing the subject last night to avoid tel ing her mom that her dad hadn't come. Her mom would have had a fit if Kylie had told her about his no-show. And her mom's fits weren't pretty. Stil , a part of Kylie almost wished she had.
After al , her dad had acted as though he'd never promised to be there.
"Do you want to check your e-mail?" Del a asked. "I think you got one from your dad."
Kylie's chest gripped. "No. I'l ... check it later. Or not. Right now she wasn't ready to hear any excuses. Kylie looked around. "Where's Miranda?"
"She's outside. She's hoping to catch a glimpse of Chris but she said she'd wait for us. You ready to go?"
Kylie nodded. "Sure."
Seconds later, she and Del a stepped out the door to find Miranda standing at the side of the cabin. Miranda glanced toward them. "Hey guys, there's a baby bird that looks like it fel from its nest. Oh crappers, I think its wing is broken, too. Poor thing."
Del a and Kylie hurried over to join her. Miranda, palms outstretched, had the smal bird held up to her face. One of the bird's wings was hanging at an odd angle.
"Can't you just zap it wel ?" Del a asked.
"I wish. But I'm afraid I would ... screw that up, too," Miranda said, her tone fil ed with a bit of self-loathing-no doubt a result of her visit with her mom.
Miranda looked at Kylie. "Do you think that girl ... the one who scanned you for a tumor ... might be able to heal it?"
"I don't know," Kylie said, and noticed how the bird's eye color had gone from black to blue. Then she noted how the bird stared at Miranda. Cal Kylie suspicious if you want, but she'd seen that gaga-look before on a certain shape-shifter's face. She glanced at Del a, who met her gaze and then rol ed her eyes.
Oh, yeah. It was definitely Perry.
"I think the humane thing to do is break its neck," Kylie said.
"Oh, definitely," Del a echoed.
Kylie edged closer. The bird turned his head to peer at her and actual y flinched. That's right, you little twerp, you'd better be afraid of me.
"You're so cruel." Miranda brought the bird to her breasts, then tucked her chin down to talk to it. "Don't you worry, Miranda's gonna take care of you," she cooed.
"Why don't you check its sex to see if it's a boy or girl?" Kylie couldn't help but snicker. Miranda's poor-thing expression twisted upside down as she final y caught on to what Kylie was saying. Miranda glared suspiciously at the bird. "Perry, is that you?"
The sparkles started popping al around Miranda's hands. Miranda jerked her palms from beneath the bird. Landing right on his butt was a redfaced Perry.
"I was just flying by. I didn't ... I didn't do anything wrong. I wasn't even looking in the windows." His gaze shot to Kylie. "And don't you touch my ears or my neck." He got up and ran off.
"I should turn him into the rat he real y is," Miranda said, apparently embarrassed she'd been fooled. Kylie completely understood Miranda's feelings, then she remembered seeing embarrassment on Perry's face, and she knew why, too. The last person he wanted to look bad in front of was the girl he had a crush on. "You know he likes you, don't you?"
Miranda's mouth dropped open. "No, he doesn't."
Del a snorted but didn't say anything.
"Yes, he does," Kylie said. "You should have seen him the other day when you ran off with Chris for the Meet Your Campmates Hour. He looked like a whipped puppy. And the whole time we were together, he kept asking questions about you."
Miranda stood there, her mouth agape. "If he likes me why hasn't he said something? We were even here together last year."
Kylie glanced at Del a. "You wanna help me out here?"
"Nah," she said with a grin. "I think you're doing okay on your own."
Kylie turned back to Miranda. "I wasn't here last year, but..."
"But what?" Miranda asked.
Kylie shrugged. "I don't think he knows how to tel you he likes you," she said.
"Oh, please. He's not shy."
"He's not shy being a class clown or the class smart-ass. But when you get him alone, he comes off pretty tongue-tied. Honestly, he wasn't half as annoying, either. I personal y think the downside of being able to change into anything is the fear that you don't know who you real y are."
Kylie stopped and considered her own words. "Gosh, I actual y sounded smart right then. Didn't I?"
They al laughed and started walking to breakfast. They were halfway there when Miranda swung around to face Kylie. "You real y think Perry likes me?"
Kylie chuckled. "Yes."
Del a raised her chin up and sniffed. "I smel loooove in the air."
"I'm not..." She paused and then said, "Did you smel it on him?"
"No," Del a admitted. "But that's because shape-shifters don't put out the same pheromones. I'm not attuned to what a horny bird smel s like."
They al giggled and then started walking again.
"He's cute, though, isn't he?" Miranda asked.
"In a way," Kylie said.
"Maybe a little," Del a offered, and then asked, "so, what are you going to do about him?" She placed her hand over her heart to add drama to the question.
Miranda shrugged. "Wait and see if he makes a move."
"Why wait? If you want him, go get him. Don't be a wuss."
"Right." Miranda flipped back her hair and put it up with the band she had on her wrist. "I don't see you putting the moves on any guy."
"That's because I'm not pining over anyone here."
"Liar," Kylie said.
"Please," Del a said. "Who do you think I got the hots for?"
"Steve, the tal shape-shifter with sandy-colored hair," Kylie said matter-of-factly. "You couldn't stop looking at his butt the other day."
Del a's mouth dropped open and she rol ed her eyes. "You are so wrong." She fanned herself with her hand. "But the boy is eye candy to the max."
They al chuckled. "What about you?" Miranda asked Kylie.
"I don't have time to pursue anything."
"You got the same amount of time we do," Miranda said.
"No, I don't." Kylie stopped walking. She hadn't told them about her two-week deal with Holiday, and for good reason. They weren't going to like it. "I ... Holiday agreed to talk to my mom about my going home after two weeks."
"Why?" both her friends asked at the same time.
"Because I don't belong here. I'm not one of you."
"Bul shit!" Del a said. "You just don't want to be one of us. You stil think we're freaks. I see it every time the word blood is mentioned."
Okay, she might have had a point about the blood.
Kylie stil shook her head. "It's not-"
"You can't go," Miranda said, interrupting her. "Who's going to stop Del a and me from kil ing each other?"
"Oh, screw it," Del a said, frowning, and looked at Miranda. "Let her go back to her safe little world where the only thing she worries about is if her daddy loves her. If she doesn't want to be friends with us, I certainly don't want to be friends with her. Hel , I didn't like the bitch anyway."
Del a shot off so fast Kylie didn't see her go. Miranda stood there staring. "She's just mad. She didn't mean that."
"I know." Kylie bit down on her lip, but Del a's words stil hurt.
Miranda twirled her ponytail. "I hate to say this, but I don't blame her. I'm mad at you, too." And then Miranda took off. Just great, Kylie thought. On top of everything else, she'd managed to piss off her two new best friends.
When Kylie got to the dining hal , Miranda and Del a were sitting at a different table from where they usual y sat. Kylie got the message loud and clear. They didn't want to be near her.
Fine.
Picking up her food tray, Kylie moved to her normal table, feeling a tad self-conscious about being alone. The door opened and Kylie looked up just as Derek walked in. His lips spread into a warm smile, one of his special smiles, that made her heart swel with appreciation. He started walking toward her, and relief fil ed her chest. She could real y use a friend right now.
She continued watching him, suddenly aware that his eyes and smile didn't seem fixed on her. Sure enough, he didn't stop at her table. Kylie counted to ten and tried to wipe the pain from her eyes before she turned to see where he'd gone. Peeking over her shoulder, she spied Derek cozying up with Mandy, his shoulder ful y against hers. Swinging back around, Kylie stared at her eggs and her emotions felt just as scrambled. She liked him, she didn't like him. What the hel was wrong with her?
Trying to decide whether attempting to eat was a mistake, Kylie heard Del a's I'm-pissed voice. Kylie looked up expecting to find Del a and Miranda going at it, but she was wrong. Del a had her nose in the face of another vampire chick. Then the girl pointed a finger in Del a's face and said something in a low voice that Kylie couldn't hear.
Kylie's first instinct was to march over there just in case Del a needed reinforcements. Del a had stood up for her against the she-wolf, but before Kylie got to her feet, Del a took off.
After managing to down at least a half piece of toast, Kylie went out front to find Del a. No Del a. Instead, some of the other campers were drawing names. She was so not in the mood to chat with someone for an hour, but neither was she in the mood to go back to the cabin where Soldier Dude might appear. Deep down, she sensed that her talking to him yesterday had somehow made him more determined than ever to make contact with her.
She spotted Miranda standing by herself and walked over, hoping she might have gotten over her anger. Unfortunately, Miranda cut her a cold look. Not giving up, Kylie leaned in and asked, "What was the problem between Del a and the other vampire?"
Miranda shrugged. "Don't know, she wouldn't tel me. It appears that when she's mad at you, she's also mad at me." Miranda's name echoed from the front and she took off without another word.
Kylie was watching Miranda walk away when she felt someone step beside her.
"You ready?" The deep male voice made her stomach drop.
Kylie glanced up into Lucas's blue eyes. "Ready for what?"
"I got your name." He held up a piece of paper.
And I got a headache. Or PMS. Or bad cramps. Just been diagnosed with the flu. She had to come up with something to get out of this. But with his blue eyes focused on her, the words didn't come out. She looked around the crowd to see if the she-wolf was sizing Kylie up for a casket. Fredericka wasn't around.
"I know a place we can go," he said. His hand came around her back to nudge her along.
She took a step, trying to get the words I can't to slip out, but they wouldn't come. And just like that she knew why. She wanted to know if he remembered her. Why it mattered, she didn't know. But it did.
"You seemed interested in the dinosaur tracks." He met her gaze. "I know where there are some more. Why don't we go see them?" He guided her down the path that led toward the cabins, and she fol owed.
It wasn't until he turned to go down one of the wood trails that Kylie sensed something was different. Then she knew what the difference was. She wasn't afraid of him. When had she stopped being afraid of Lucas Parker? Maybe she was just getting immune to fearing supernaturals as a whole.
Questioning the logic behind her lack of fear, she recal ed what she knew about him. He'd been raised by rogues. He'd kil ed her cat. Was it real y smart of her to trust him?
She searched her instincts for anything resembling fear, and nope, it wasn't there. What she did find was the memory of how tenderly he'd helped his grandmother into the dining hal . And then Kylie remembered how he'd protected her from the neighborhood bul ies.
"You do know that if your girlfriend sees us together she's going to be pissed, right?"
"What girlfriend?" he asked.
She rol ed her eyes at him. "The one who is usual y attached to your hip."
The muscle in his jaw tightened. "Fredericka is not my girlfriend."
"Oh, so she's just the girl you make out with behind the office, then," Kylie said before she could stop herself. His frown deepened. "I figured that's what you thought that day."
"So I was wrong?" Kylie purposely al owed the sarcasm to play in her voice. "Do I look stupid to you?"
He stopped walking and swung around so fast that Kylie bumped right into his chest. He caught her shoulders and set her back. The feel of his hands on the shoulder straps of her white tank top sent heat flashing through her chest. But it faded the moment she saw his angry expression.
"No, you don't look stupid," he said in almost a growl. "But you are making assumptions without al the facts, and that's not a sign of intel igence."
Kylie's mouth dropped open at his insult. "So what was she doing, showing you her new bra? Come on. She was buttoning up her blouse when I stumbled on you guys."
He frowned and pushed a hand over his face. "You're right. I'm sorry I said that." He moved his hand and opened his eyes. "I admit you had a right to jump to that conclusion, but you're stil wrong."
She offered him another eye rol .
"She wasn't showing me her bra; she was showing me her tattoo. On her shoulder. She got a wolf tattoo and wanted me to see it."
He started walking again and Kylie fol owed. "Wel , she obviously has a serious crush on you."
"I know." He sounded frustrated. "She and I ... we sort of hooked up last summer at the very end of camp."
"So she was your girlfriend." Kylie stopped moving and glanced at him.
He shook his head ever so slightly. "It wasn't even like that. We ... met up on a ful moon, and ... it shouldn't have happened. But it did."
Kylie had visions in her mind of two wolves playing leap frog, but not quite leaping, and she felt her face flush.
"We haven't even spoken since camp last year. But she shows up here acting as if we're together. I tried discouraging her."
Kylie pretended to be interested in a bird singing in a tree so she wouldn't have to look at Lucas. "She obviously doesn't discourage very easily, or you've done a bad job of discouraging her."
"Probably both. I've even talked to Holiday about it, because she's driving me crazy."
Kylie started walking again. It wasn't her place to ask, but ... "What did Holiday say?"
"That I'd probably have to be up front with her. But ... I don't know, I guess I don't want to hurt her."
That or you just like having a girl hanging all over you and unbuttoning her shirt to show off her ... tattoo. Kylie knew her last thought might be unfair, but it applied to most boys she knew. Heck, even her dad had warned her that teenage boys were general y after one thing. Not that she was exactly listening to any of his advice right now.
"If you're that worried about hurting her, maybe you do care about her," Kylie said.
"No," he said adamantly, and then added, "okay, I feel sorry for her. She's had a rough time of things at home, and people judge her too harshly for it."
Kylie, knowing Lucas's past, read more into his statement than he knew. Or did he know? Did he realize she remembered him and that she knew he'd lied to Holiday about having lived with his grandmother al his life?
It suddenly occurred to her that when he'd jerked her aside to ask about what the FRU had wanted with her, maybe he'd been afraid she was tattling on him. Was he stil afraid she'd tel ?
The slightest hesitation about being alone in the woods with him wiggled through her mind, and that's when she realized they were deeper in the woods than she'd ever gone before.
Deep enough that nobody, not even her campmates with super hearing, could hear her scream.
She brushed a strand of hair behind her ear. "Exactly how far away are these dinosaur tracks?"