At first Kylie didn't see anything, then her gaze shifted lower to the ground and locked on to a pair of eyes-eyes that glowed golden in the night's obscurity. They weren't vampire eyes. Nope, they weren't Della's golden hue that expressed her anger. These weren't even human. Canine?
No.
Wolf.
She nearly tripped taking a step back, as her heart screamed run. But the one word that whispered though her head next stopped her from attempting escape. Lucas?
Her chest clutched tighter but no longer from fear. Something akin to longing warmed her heart. Then the warm, gooey feeling slipped right into the feeling of betrayal. The hot-looking werewolf had kissed her senseless, made her want him, and then run off with Fredericka.
Kylie's gaze shot up to the cloud-covered moon. Even through the gray mist, she could tell it wasn't full. That didn't happen until next week, when the werewolves at the camp were planning their own ceremonial event.
Which meant the wolf staring at her couldn't be Lucas. Which meant it was a real wolf. A real wild-animal kind of wolf. Which meant she should be trying to get the hell away before it decided to attack.
Her gaze shot back to the wild animal, and while her mind created images of the creature snarling, ready to pounce, what she saw wasn't anywhere near as frightening. The gold eyes held hers. The cloud shrouding the moonlight must have shifted, and Kylie was able to make out the medium-size wolf in detail. Its coat looked thick and coarse, and it held a mix of colors from gray to red. She wouldn't call it beautiful, not exactly, but it sure as heck didn't appear threatening.
Lowering its snout, it slowly moved forward. Even though the thing still didn't look hostile, Kylie took a step back. As if sensing her fear, it crouched lower to the ground in a submissive position.
"What are you-someone's pet wolf?" Another thought hit. A real wolf couldn't have made the supersonic blast of air. But a real shape-shifter could.
She slammed both her hands on her hips and gave the beast a hard cold look. "Damn it, Perry, is that you?"
Perry, the powerful shape-shifter of the camp, loved to play jokes. But Kylie had had it up to her eyeballs with his tricks. Enough was enough. "Game's over or I'm going for your ears." Kylie waited for the diamond-like sparkles to fill the air around the wolf as it changed back into human form. "Now!"
No sparkles.
The creature, down on all fours, inched forward.
"No," Kylie insisted, accepting that this was truly a wolf. "You stay there." She held out her hand and the animal seemed to listen.
"Nothing personal, but I'm more of a cat person." Her voice rang loud and brought her awareness again to the lack of night noises.
No crickets. No birds. Not even the wind dared to blow. She looked up at the tops of the trees, which held so still they looked photographed. Even the Texas vegetation appeared frozen with fear.
She fought the sense of danger stirring in her chest and looked back at the wolf, more certain than ever that the danger didn't stem from the creature's presence. No, whatever was here was much more evil than a wild animal. Chills tap-danced up her spine, sending all her barelythere hair on the back of her neck standing at attention.
The wolf lunged up on all fours, sniffed the air, and snarled. It took a step away, then turned back around. Its golden eyes met hers almost as if to warn her of danger.
Not that she needed to be further warned. Her heart skipped a beat. The brush of cold wind passed again, only closer this time, and it left a foul odor that carried the stench of death. The wolf's snarl grew more intense.
"Kylie?" Her name echoed from the distance, the sound leaking from the thicket of trees. She brought her head around and the whisk of air shot past her again. Only this time, Kylie got the feeling that it kept going.
Whoever, whatever it was, wanted her alone. She folded her arms over her middle and tried not to shiver from the thought.
The wolf made a soft whine and she turned her head and made eye contact again. It moved its head slightly, as though giving her a farewell greeting, then it turned and, causing only a slight rustle of vegetation, it disappeared.
"Kylie." Her name came again, carried with a slight whisk of wind. This time she recognized Derek's voice.
"I'm here," Kylie yelled, and, not wanting to be alone a second longer, she took off running.
She ran toward the sound of Derek's voice. Her heart pounded as she dodged trees and jumped over patches of thorns. She kept running. As if she could escape the fear she'd just felt, as if she could run away from her problems. Oh, yes, she so wanted to leave her problems behind. With each thump her foot made against the hard earth, she felt her fear slip farther away, but the problems not so much. They hung on, but exertion of energy still felt good. Good until she smacked right into something, or rather ... someone.
Derek.
His muscled body let out a gush of air and he hit the ground with a thud. Kylie, thrown off balance, toppled down on top of him. His clean, spicy scent filled her nose at the same time his arms wrapped protectively around her.
"You sent the wolf," she muttered, still short of breath, as she just now recalled his ability to communicate with animals.
"What wolf?" His gaze shifted left then right. "Are you okay?" He rolled her over onto the ground. One of his legs still rested on top of hers and his left arm lay across her middle, while his palm fit right into the curve of her waist. Warmth and comfort pulsated from his touch. He pushed the curtain of hair from her face with his other hand. His gaze, filled with concern, met hers and she fought the lump of emotion crawling up her throat.
"Kylie, talk to me." His tone echoed the same caring she saw in his eyes, and that warm feeling she always got when he touched her spread inside her chest.
"Damn it, are you okay?"
She blinked up at him and she meant to say yes, but the truth came out. "No. I'm not okay."
"What happened?" His arm tightened around her waist.
All her problems came raining down on her like pitchforks and one made a direct hit to her heart. "I drank blood."
"We all drank blood. It was part of the ceremony," he said, and she got the feeling he was trying hard to say the right thing.
"But I enjoyed drinking it," she answered.
"I know," he admitted. "Your emotions were skipping all over the place when you drank it-passion, euphoria, joy."
She raised her head off the ground an inch. "What does that mean? Seriously, what does that mean?"
"Maybe you just like it," he answered with a cautious tone.
"Or maybe I'm vampire?" she countered, then she dropped her head on the ground and closed her eyes.
He didn't say anything for a minute, and then spoke up. "You saw a wolf? You said something about a wolf?"
"Yeah," she answered. "He was acting strange, almost friendly."
"He's not here anymore," Derek said as if his gift allowed him to check the nearby woods for animals. "It was probably just a stray dog."
"He looked like a wolf."
"Then he was probably a hybrid."
"Probably," she admitted, realizing she might be overreacting.
Neither spoke for a few minutes. Closing her eyes, she savored the feel of Derek's body next to hers and slowly relaxed. When she opened her eyes, the stars above sparkled with a fairy-tale radiance. The tall grass around them danced in the wind. Derek was doing it again, making the world around her appear utopian, too perfect. Even the air became fragranced with the spicy scent of plants, hinted with the floral aroma of wildflowers. She closed her eyes again, afraid to let herself be completely pulled into the world he created.
"Do you think you're a vampire?" he asked.
His question brought back some reality. She looked at him. "I don't know. I'm so friggin' confused."
He ran his hand over her cheek. "Does it really matter what you are, Kylie? It sure as hell doesn't matter to me."
"Of course it matters." She propped herself up on one elbow. "You don't understand because you know what you are. You've always known what you are. Everything about what I perceived about myself, who I am, what I am, who my father is, it's all been ripped away. All I'm left with is a bunch of questions. Nothing is like I thought."
Tears filled her eyes. "And-"
Derek's mouth met hers. Her eyes fluttered closed. The sweetness of the kiss sent all her emotional havoc out of her mental window. She let herself enjoy the moment. Let herself be pulled into the sensations of just feeling and not thinking. And, oh goodness, it felt good.
When he drew back she wasn't ready for it to end. She opened her eyes. No longer under the sweet sensations of his kiss, she wasn't sure how she felt about him shutting her up. She sat up. "Why did you do that?"
"Do what?" he asked.
"Kiss me when I was trying to talk."
A smile formed in his eyes. "You don't like me to use my gift to calm you down, so I thought I'd use my charm instead."
"If it is just your charm, and not your gift, how do you make everything so much like a fantasy world?"
He shook his head, and his brown hair brushed against his brow. "I told you, I'm not doing that."
She cocked her head to the side and sent him an accusing look.
"If I am doing it, I'm not doing it on purpose. I swear. Being with you makes me happy and maybe being happy ups my charm." His smile was contagious and any emotions taking up residence in her chest similar to anger or distrust vanished.
She thumped his shoulder with her palm. "You think you're that charming, huh?"
His smile widened. "I think you like my kisses." His gaze lowered to her mouth where she could still taste the moisture of his kiss.
"Really?" she teased. "You're that sure of yourself?"
"I'm sure that you're not feeling upset anymore. And that's what matters, isn't it?" He passed a finger over her lips. "Because I really hate seeing you upset."
Her heart squeezed and she wondered if that was a confession that he was indeed manipulating her emotions. Then again, was it wrong to want to make someone happy, to chase away their fears? Oh heck, what was she waiting for? What kept her from saying yes to everything Derek wanted? Yes to agreeing to go out with him. Yes to ... to more kisses and to wherever those kisses led. She leaned in closer, wanting to taste his kiss again.
"See," he said playfully, and arched his eyebrows. "Admit it." He moved in. His mouth came so close to hers that she could practically feel it moving when he spoke.
"Admit what?" She put a little tease in her own voice, hoping she drove him as crazy as he drove her.
"Admit that you like my kisses. And then say yes to going out with me."
She cut her eyes up at him and grinned. "I'll admit I like your kisses, but do you like mine?"
"More than anything." He closed the tiniest bit of distance between them. "Go out with me." He kissed her again. Softly at first and then deeper. She felt his tongue slip inside her mouth. She felt herself gently being lowered back to the ground. Felt his hand slip up under her shirt and touch her bare skin at her waist. He'd touched her like that before but she got the feeling he wouldn't take that touch higher; he wouldn't push the intimacy any further until he had her approval.
And just knowing that made her want to approve. Knowing it was her choice and he would respect whatever she chose meant so much. But was it enough to take that leap?
She reached for his hand, seriously considering moving it higher, giving him permission to ...
"You two need to go back to the camp." The deep voice penetrated Kylie's sensual haze.
Both Kylie and Derek jerked apart. Burnett, the temporary camp leader and a member of the Fallen Research Unit, a supernatural unit of the FBI, stood over them. Kylie's face grew hot with embarrassment at her and Derek being caught making out in the grass.
Derek didn't seem to be bothered. He shot to his feet and looked around. "What is it?"
Kylie stood up. Only then did Kylie recall Burnett's dark tone and notice that his eyes glowed red. A sign that he was on the defensive. Obviously danger lurked close by.
"What's happened?" Derek asked.
"Someone else was here earlier," Burnett said.
"Who?" Kylie managed to ask.
"I don't know. But they're vampire and not one of us. Now get back to the camp."
"Maybe I should come with you?" Derek offered.
"And leave her alone?" Burnett asked firmly, his frown deepening. Derek cut his gaze back to Kylie and then back to Burnett. "You're right. I'll make sure she gets back safe. Do you want me to come back?"
"No," Burnett insisted. "I'll be fine. Just keep an eye on the camp. Let everyone know to be on the lookout. Stay together."
And leave her alone? Burnett's question kept playing in Kylie's head and with each repetition, she felt more annoyed. She wanted to insist she could take care of herself. God knew Della would be having conniption fits at being treated like she needed to be protected. Then Kylie recalled how frightened she'd felt before she'd started to run, before she'd found Derek. Obviously, Kylie wasn't Della.
Did that mean she wasn't vampire? Or did it mean she was just a vampire lacking anything that resembled courage? Did yellow-bellied vampires even exist?
Burnett continued, "Don't let Holiday leave either. Tie her down if you have to. Got it?"
"Got it." Derek reached for Kylie's elbow and started walking.
Kylie didn't budge. "I felt it earlier," she blurted out. "It moved past me several times. Almost as if teasing or testing me." She recalled how it kept flying past, making its presence known without letting her see it. "That's odd. Vampires don't normally tease. Or test," Burnett said. "They see prey and attack to kill. Now go back to the camp."
Chills ran up and down her legs. Derek sensed her fear because he reached for her hand and offered her palm a warm emotion-quieting squeeze. Her fear lessened.
"Come on. Let's get back." Derek took her by the elbow. The sound of his voice helped her brain connect to her limbs, and she started moving.
They walked at a fast pace and without talking. The sounds of an occasional owl and crickets sang out into the darkness. Not that she minded their music. Music was good. Music meant intruders weren't near. "Why didn't you tell me a vampire came at you?" Derek asked, frustration adding a new layer of intensity to his voice.
"I ... at first I thought it was Della and then..." Then she had thought it was Chan, but she couldn't tell Derek about Chan. She'd promised Della.
"Then I heard you calling. And I started running and I wasn't so afraid anymore." She looked at the frown etched on his face. "I told you about the wolf."
"I think the vampire was a bigger deal."
"Yeah and I would have ... told you, but you started kissing me."
"So that makes it my fault?" His tone came out harsher than before. "Sort of," she said, not liking it that he was annoyed with her when only a few minutes ago they'd been kissing. She started walking faster. They continued moving in tense silence for another five minutes. With each step, she realized how silly their argument was. "I probably should have told you right away. I wasn't thinking." She stared away from him, afraid he wouldn't accept her offer for a truce.
She heard him inhale. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have been grumpy." He reached for her hand again. His palm felt good against hers. "It just scares me thinking that ... that you could have been hurt." He sounded older. His voice deepened and his need to protect gave his tone a new quality. In spite of still feeling a bit annoyed at his thinking that she couldn't protect herself, she liked the new quality. It made her feel safer.
Yes, with Derek she felt safe, but it didn't stop her from looking at the trees and praying the wind didn't stop blowing, that the night didn't go silent again.