"I didn't lie." As soon as those words were out Kylie recalled she'd indeed lied when Holiday asked if there was something else wrong. Damn, she should have remembered that Burnett could hear her heart racing if she lied.
She continued walking. He glanced down with one brow arched in disbelief. "Try again."
Kylie frowned. "It's a ghost issue. I'm just trying to figure it out myself." No way in hell could she tell Burnett about the ghost looking like Holiday. Burnett would freak. Then again, maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he wasn't so afraid of ghosts as he pretended to be.
"What is it that you're hiding from her about the falls?" she asked.
His arched brow lowered. "I'm not hiding anything."
"You can go into the falls when the others can't."
"It baffles me as well," he said. "Though I don't exactly feel comfortable there."
"You didn't feel called to go there?"
He hesitated. "Maybe a little." They walked in silence for the next four or five steps.
"Why didn't you tell Holiday?" Kylie asked.
He cut her a sly look. "Maybe I'm trying to figure it out for myself." He used the same words she'd used on him.
"Okay." She rolled her eyes.
In a few minutes, he spoke again. "I thought you could talk to Holiday about the ghost issues."
"I can. But I'd like to handle it on my own if I can." It was the truth, so she didn't worry about what he'd hear beneath her words.
He nodded. As they neared the cabin, Kylie remembered she'd wanted to visit with Lucas. "Can Lucas take over shadowing me for a while this evening? I need to speak to him about something."
Burnett seemed to consider it. For a second, it appeared as if he might refuse. "Okay, but don't go into the woods."
His answer had her wondering. "Is the alarm working?"
"Yes, but in certain weather conditions, someone might be able to get into the forest without being picked up."
She nodded.
"Have you seen anyone?" he asked.
"No."
He stopped. "Are you sure?"
"I'm sure," she said. "Sometimes I just ... the woods scare me a little."
"Then listen to your fears and avoid them."
"That's my plan." Kylie looked at the line of trees and the dark shadows beyond them. She didn't feel anything. Maybe what she'd felt earlier was just her overactive imagination.
Kylie spotted her cabin nestled in the trees. The lights were on and a golden hue spilled out the windows. She saw Della's shadow pass in front of the window and remembered ...
"What did you have a meeting about with Della earlier?"
"Just FRU business." He sounded purposely vague.
"Is something wrong?" she asked.
He shook his head. "No."
"Are you having her do something for the FRU?"
"It's possible. Why?"
Kylie frowned. "Considering the FRU is causing me such a headache, I'm not thrilled about you getting my friends involved with them."
He stopped, dropped his hand into his jeans pockets, and shook his head as if in frustration. "The FRU is an organization meant to help the supernatural people, just like the police help humans. There have been dirty cops and even groups of cops that have done bad things, but we don't stop trusting the force as a whole."
"I might if they killed my grandmother," she said honestly.
His expression tightened. "I don't agree with everything the FRU does, but without the FRU, the world would be in chaos. The races would all be against each other, killing and maiming each other. The human race would be viewed as a food source."
Kylie shivered at his description.
"If you can't trust the FRU, at least trust me on this," he said. "The good the FRU does far outweighs the bad."
"I'll try to see it like that." But she didn't promise anything. She couldn't.
"You could have just called him," Della said, moving down the dark path toward Lucas's cabin about an hour after Kylie had returned. Kylie got the feeling that Della was a little annoyed that Kylie wanted to spend the evening with Lucas instead of hanging out with her. Especially when Miranda had run off with Perry. But Kylie's guilt over walking away from Lucas earlier made seeing him feel imperative.
"I kind of wanted to be the one to take the initiative." Kylie noticed the moon, a bright silvery white, a little over half full, hanging overhead. It was a pretty night. The temperature had dropped to the low eighties, making it almost comfortable.
"Why? What did you do wrong?"
"I got mad and walked off earlier."
"Was that why he was so sappy-eyed when he came by while you were asleep?" she asked.
"I guess." Kylie gave the line of trees a good long stare and felt nothing, which felt really good. Then she looked back at Della. "What did Burnett want to talk to you about today?"
"Nothing really."
Kylie looked at her. "You know, when you're friends with someone for a while, you don't have to hear their heartbeat to know they're lying."
Della made a face. "Yeah, but I thought that would be more polite than telling you to bug off."
Kylie frowned. "Are you going to do something for the FRU?"
"How did you know?"
"They already had Lucas and Derek do stuff. It just seemed logical. Not that I like it." She remembered Burnett saying the FRU wasn't all bad, and tried to give herself an attitude adjustment, but she couldn't completely let herself trust them.
"I think it would be kind of cool to work for them," Della said. "It would give me a reason to kick some asses every now and then."
"Do you trust them?" Kylie asked.
"I trust Burnett," Della said, and studied Kylie. "Don't you?"
"Of course I do." She hadn't told Miranda or Della about Burnett moving her grandmother's body. It just seemed like something that she shouldn't tell anyone. "They went to my mom to see about testing me."
"Oh, shit, I remember Miranda saying that your mom was here, but I forgot about it. What did your mom say? God, did they tell her you were supernatural? I'll bet it totally freaked her out."
"No, they told her they were worried because I had headaches and passed out and they advised her to have me tested. Holiday explained it was just the night terrors and advised against it."
"Oh, hell. What did Burnett say?"
"He's not for me getting tested either."
"Good," Della said. "I mean, I wouldn't want anyone probing around my head. Not after hearing what happened to your grandma." Della stopped and looked at Kylie. "Do you not want me to work for them because of this?"
Kylie got the feeling that Della would really give up her chance to work for the FRU because of Kylie's opinion-even when it was clear that Della was excited about the possibility. Her appreciation for Della's devotion swelled in her chest.
"No," Kylie said. "But ... I do want you to be careful."
"I'll be careful." Della rubbed her hands together. "I'm glad you figured it out. I've been dying to tell someone. It'll be so cool."
They got to Lucas's cabin. The lights were on. Kylie knocked on the door while Della hung back by the porch steps. Steve, the shape-shifter who had a crush on Della, came to the door. With everything happening, Kylie had forgotten he roomed with Lucas. And so had Della, Kylie realized, when she heard the vamp draw in a quick breath.
"Hey," Steve said.
"Is Lucas here?" Kylie asked.
His gaze shifted behind Kylie and his expression changed. Kylie knew he'd spotted Della. "Uh ... yeah. I mean, no. He left a few minutes ago with Fredericka."
"Oh." Kylie tried not to let it show that the news bothered her as she turned to leave.
Steve called after her, "He'll probably be back shortly."
She turned back. "Do you mind if we wait for a while?"
"No." His eyes lit up as he looked at Della. "Come in if you want."
Della cleared her throat in a sound that said hell no.
"Can we just sit out on the porch?" Kylie asked. "It's a nice night."
"Yeah." He stepped out. His brown hair hung across his brow. Even in the dark, Kylie could make out that his eyes were dark brown, and they were filled with interest as they cut toward Della.
When Kylie turned around, Della didn't look too happy, but she sauntered forward. "We shouldn't wait long." She plopped down on the steps.
"Just a bit." Kylie lowered herself beside the unhappy Della. Steve sat down on the side of the porch. No one said a word.
"I heard some of the new teachers were at dinner tonight." Kylie tossed out the conversation starter, hoping not to slip into angst over Lucas traipsing through the woods with Fredericka.
"Yeah," Steve said. "The English teacher, Ava Kane, seems nice. She's half-witch and half-shape-shifter."
"Why don't you just admit that you like her because she has big tits?" Della said.
Even in the dark, Kylie could see Steve's face redden. "I ... won't deny she's pretty, but that's not what I meant."
Kylie shifted her foot and kicked Della.
"Ouch!" Della glared at Kylie. "Why did you do that?"
"When are classes supposed to start?" Kylie asked, and no one answered-Steve probably because he was afraid to get in trouble again and Della because she was too busy rubbing her kicked ankle.
Steve finally cratered. "I think next Monday."
"Were there any other teachers there?" Kylie looked at Della to answer.
"Yeah," Della added. "A Hayden Yates. He's half vampire, half fae. I think he's going to teach science. He seems okay."
"And?" Steve asked, his tone deeper, even if it was just above a whisper.
"And what?" Della asked.
He stiffened his shoulders. Which Kylie had to admit were pretty broad. The guy was cute. Why wasn't Della at least being nice?
"Why do you like Mr. Yates?" Steve asked. "His sexy body, or do you pretend it's his mind?"
Damn, Kylie thought. These two were as bad as Della and Miranda. Or Burnett and Holiday.
Della scowled at Steve and then looked at Kylie. "I'm out of here."
Embarrassed, Kylie looked at Steve. "Thanks. Can you tell Lucas that I came by?"
"You could probably find him." Steve stood up. "I think they were going down to the clearing by the stream."
"Oh," Kylie said, and took off after Della. Kylie's chest pinched with jealousy as she remembered her and Lucas going to the stream. She was so fixated on trying not to feel the green emotion ping-ponging in her heart, she hadn't realized they were heading the wrong way.
"Where are we going?" Kylie asked.
Della glared at her. "To the stream, idiot. And don't for one minute pretend that you don't want to know what he's doing down there with that she-wolf. If he was my boyfriend, I'd go grab him by the scruff of his neck and teach that wolf a lesson he wouldn't forget. He'd be whimpering like a pup before I let him go."
Kylie continued to follow Della while holding an out-and-out debate in her head over the wisdom of continuing or turning around. If she went to the stream, would Lucas think she'd come because she was jealous? But if she didn't go and Steve told him she'd dropped by and hadn't come, would he think she'd gone home because she was jealous?
Okay, the only thing that came out of that mental debate was knowing that she didn't want Lucas to think she was jealous.
Even though she was.
But did that mean she was wrong?
Or was Lucas wrong? Wrong for taking off in the dark to spend some time with Fredericka by the creek? Was he right now rolling on the grass with Fredericka, kissing her the way he'd kissed Kylie when he'd taken her to the creek?
Or was it as innocent as her getting caught behind the office with Derek?
Kylie looked up at the moon. The glow seemed extra bright and she felt that odd sting on her skin. Just like she felt on the full moon.
She inhaled deeply and told herself she was imagining things.
"Quit trying to talk yourself out of going," Della said.
"How do you know that's what I'm doing?"
"Because I can see it on your face. And because you couldn't walk any slower if you were a turtle on crutches."
"I just don't want to come off like a psycho girlfriend."
"If he's making out with her-or worse, playing hide the salami-then he deserves you coming off like a psycho. Hell, I'll join you and we'll both go psycho on his ass."
"I don't think he's doing that." As if saying it helped her believe it.
"You didn't want to think Derek did it, either." Della sighed as if she regretted saying the words. "No disrespect to Ellie and all, but it was still wrong."
Kylie's chest tightened at the mention of Ellie's name. "That was different."
"How is it different?" Della asked. A low-hanging limb swung back and Kylie caught it with her arm with complete ease. "I think it adds up to the fact that all guys are scum. Maybe we weren't even supposed to mate with them."
"Derek and I weren't together."
"Maybe you hadn't said you were together. But in your heart, you were together."
Kylie remembered what Miranda had said about her talking about Derek more than she did Lucas. Suddenly she didn't want to talk about her screwed-up love life. So why not talk about Della's screwed-up love life? It seemed like the perfect diversion.
"You could have been nicer to Steve."
Della swung around, attitude in her body posture. "I was nice."
"No, you weren't. You accused him of liking the new teacher's tits."
Della resumed walking. "You should have seen him ogling her, it was embarrassing."
"It kind of sounds like you're jealous, which says you like the guy," Kylie pointed out.
Della started walking faster, her pace matching her mood. "I don't like him. But I'll admit he has a nice butt."
"And you said you were going to try to be more approachable to his nice butt," Kylie reminded her.
"I tried. It didn't work out. I guess his butt isn't that nice."
Another branch came back, and the instant Kylie caught it in her palm, she remembered. She stopped and looked up through the trees at the sky. A few stars twinkled back as if laughing at her.
"Crap," she muttered.
"What?" Della looked back over her shoulder.
Kylie glanced around. The moon's glow cast a silver shine through the trees and shadows danced on ground.
"I just remembered."
"Remembered what?"
"I'm not supposed to go into the woods." Kylie inhaled the verdant scent of the trees and the moist earth. Then she internally searched for that feeling of being lured, beckoned as she had been earlier. It wasn't there. So maybe all those feelings were just her overactive imagination. Oh, yeah, she wanted to believe that.
Nevertheless, she'd disobeyed Burnett's orders. Maybe not on purpose, but she didn't think he'd find that excuse acceptable. "We should go back."
"But we're almost there. And you've got me-a badass vampire-with you. Nothing's going to happen. And don't you want to know if Lucas and Fredericka are doing the hokey pokey?"
Kylie caught another branch coming back at her. "If Burnett finds out, he's going to be pissed."
"Then we won't tell him. Trust me. It's gonna be fine."
Against her better judgment, Kylie continued taking steps with Della. The crickets did their thing and an occasional bird called out. In the background, Kylie could even hear the sounds of the wild animals in the park. Normally when the night sang, it meant all was well. It was in the quiet that things jumped out of the shadows. When evil seemed to appear.
Inhaling the night air, she continued moving, jumping over a few patches of thorny bushes and ducking under low branches.
"Crap," Della hissed, and came to an abrupt stop.
"What is it?" Kylie asked, and that was when the forest went silent. Not dead like in ghost silent, but dead like in threatening.
"The next time I tell you to trust me, don't." Della looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes were bright green and her canines extended. "We've got company."