Taken at Dusk (16 page)

Kylie had never seen so much love shown in a simple touch. For a crazy second, she wondered what it would feel like to carry a child inside her own belly.

When the spirit looked up, she had tears in her eyes.
“I think my baby died.”

The grief on the spirit’s face and in her voice brought a lump to Kylie’s throat. “I’m sorry.”

Then the spirit pulled her hands away from her belly, and both her palms were bloody. Kylie’s breath caught when she saw the spirit’s rounded abdomen was gone and the front of her dress was drenched in blood.
“No.”
The deep, painful sob of the spirit filled the tiny room and seemed to bounce around from wall to wall.

Kylie opened her mouth to say something, to ask the spirit if she could remember what happened, to offer more apologies and sympathy. But before she could say anything, the woman disappeared.

The spirit’s cold vanished but left a wave of icy sadness and grief so intense that it filled Kylie’s chest with pain. And it wasn’t just any pain. It was the grief of a mother losing a child. Kylie reached for her pillow and hugged it.

*   *   *

After a few minutes, Kylie pulled the pictures out of the envelope and flipped through them slowly. When she came to the one of her mom and Daniel in a group of other people, Kylie reached for her phone.

“Hi, sweetie.” Just hearing her mom’s voice brought back some of the empathy Kylie felt for the spirit.

“Hey, Mom.”

Odd, how not so long ago, Kylie felt certain her mom didn’t love her, didn’t even want her. Now, there wasn’t a doubt of her mom’s devotion to her. Deep down, Kylie wondered if this was a part of growing up. The part where teens stopped seeing their parents as instruments out to destroy their lives and started seeing them as people.

Not perfect, of course. Kylie knew her mom still had flaws—lots of them—but none of them involved her love for Kylie. And none of them prevented Kylie from loving her.

“I’m glad you called,” her mom said. “I’ve missed hearing your voice.”

“Me too,” Kylie managed to say without choking up, and she wished her mom were here to hug her. She wished she could tell her mom about the pictures, but then she’d have to explain about the Brightens, and she didn’t think that whole mess was explainable. Not yet, anyway.

“I was going to call you tonight if I didn’t hear from you,” her mom said.

“I’m sorry, I’ve been going a little crazy since I’ve been back.”

“I figured as much. Sara called and said she’d tried to call you and you hadn’t returned her call. She sounded so good. She told me it was like a miracle—her cancer up and disappeared.”

“I’m sure it was one of the treatments they did on her,” Kylie said, biting down on her bottom lip and wondering how she was going to handle the whole Sara issue. Kylie hadn’t returned Sara’s call because she’d wanted to ask Holiday first. Poor Holiday. When she did return, Kylie had a list of things they needed to discuss.

“I guess,” her mom said. “But I would like to believe in miracles.”

“Then you should believe,” Kylie said, now unsure what to say to her mom about it. Because more than ever, Kylie knew miracles did exist. The fact that she had been the one performing the miracle still had her feeling out of sorts.

“Are you okay?” her mom asked, as if picking up on Kylie’s mood.

“I’m fine.”

“No, you’re not,” her mom said. “I hear it in your voice. What’s wrong, baby?”

“Just … boy trouble,” she said.

“What kind of trouble?” her mom asked, the tension in her voice indicating that she worried Kylie’s problem concerned sex.

“It’s nothing.” Searching for a change of subject, Kylie tossed out, “How was work today?”

“It was strange,” her mom said. “I got a new client.”

“Why is that strange?” Kylie asked. Her mom worked in advertising and she was always getting new clients.

“
He’s
strange.”

“Strange in what way?” Kylie asked, glad the subject had taken a turn.

“He seemed more interested in me than … the campaign.” Her mom giggled.

Kylie frowned. “Define ‘interested.’”

“Oh, I don’t know. It’s just the way he acted,” her mom said, as if she were trying to make light of the subject. “We’re supposed to do lunch tomorrow and discuss his ideas for the special promotion on his new line of vitamins.”

“Is it a work lunch or a … date lunch?”

“Don’t be silly,” her mom said. “It’s work.”

“Are you sure?” Kylie asked. “I mean, if he seemed interested in you…”

“I think it’s work,” she said, no longer sounding so sure. “But … if it were a date lunch, how would you feel about it?”

Kylie took a deep breath. An image of her stepfather filled her head. She recalled him sitting on the edge of her bed only a few weeks ago, crying when he told Kylie he’d made a terrible mistake. She knew he wanted to reconcile with her mom, and while Kylie wasn’t sure he deserved a second chance after cheating on her, she couldn’t deny wanting at least one thing in her world to go back to the way it had been.

“You’re not answering,” her mom said.

Kylie swallowed a big lump of indecision and stared down at the image of her mom and Daniel. Was it fair of her to want her mom to forgive her stepfather just to bring a sense of normalcy back into Kylie’s life, especially when she sensed the man her mom really loved was dead? The question bounced around her head, and Kylie decided to be honest.

“That’s because I don’t know what to say. I guess part of me was thinking you and Dad might work things out. Don’t you love him anymore? Or did you ever really love him?”

It was her mom’s time to get quiet. “I loved him. I probably still love him,” she finally confessed. “But I’m not sure I can forgive him. Or trust him. And ever since we talked about Daniel, I just … I’m not sure that marrying Tom wasn’t a mistake. And if that’s true, then us getting back together would also be a mistake. But I shouldn’t be talking to you about this, Kylie.”

“Why not?”

“Because, my darling, you shouldn’t have to worry about this.”

“You’re my mom. I have a right to worry.” And Kylie realized she did worry about her mom being alone and being lonely. But did that mean she wanted her mom to start dating? To completely rule out getting back with the man Kylie had loved and considered her real dad all her life?

“No,” her mom said. “You’ve got that backwards. Moms have a right to worry about their kids, not the other way around.”

“Then we’ll just have to agree to disagree,” Kylie said.

“You are way too stubborn, you know that?”

“And I wonder where I got it from,” Kylie answered with a chuckle. Kylie’s mom’s phone beeped with an incoming call. “I’ll let you go,” Kylie said. “But Mom…”

“Yes?”

“Enjoy the lunch. Just be careful. And don’t go falling in love or anything. Oh, and no kissing on the first date. That was your rule, remember?”

Her mom chuckled. “I’m sure it’s just a business lunch. I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

When Kylie hung up she heard a tap at her window. She looked over, expecting Lucas, but instead the blue jay perched on her windowsill. It flapped its wings, hovered right outside her window for a second, and then flew away.

Great. Now she was being stalked by the blue jay she’d brought back to life. What did that mean?

*   *   *

The melancholy from the ghost and the mixed feelings about her mom—as well as the possibility that she’d given a piece of her soul to the blue jay—hadn’t completely faded an hour later when Miranda and Della stormed into her room.

“Get ready,” Della said.

“Ready for what?” Kylie asked, lying on the bed, still hugging her pillow and staring holes into the ceiling.

“Burnett agreed to let us have a party tonight,” Miranda said. “This is our chance to work on our pact. Steve will be there, so will Lucas and even Perry. We’re ordering pizza and playing music. Maybe even dancing. I think I’ll wear the new jeans I bought last weekend.”

“You didn’t tell us you got to go shopping,” Della said.

“Yeah, and I also got this brand-new jeans skirt.” Miranda looked at Della. “It would look fabulous on you. Why don’t you borrow it?”

“Really?” Della said. “You’d loan me your new skirt?”

“Of course. I like you most of the time,” Miranda said, and nudged her with her elbow.

Kylie’s lips were poised to say, “You two go without me,” but she spotted a hint of excitement in Della’s eyes. Kylie remembered that since the vamp was assigned as her shadow, if she didn’t go, Della didn’t go, either.

So Kylie stood up and went to her closet. “I say we get all dressed up and impress the socks off those guys.”

Thirty minutes later, the three of them, dressed to kill, walked into the dining hall. Miranda had loaned Della her new jeans skirt, and it looked really good on her, especially paired with the spaghetti-strap top with art deco black-and-red print with flared tiers of fabric hanging down the front. Miranda wore her new jeans with a low-cut pink lacy tank top that showcased her girls. When Kylie had packed to return to camp, she’d brought some more clothes. Her black knit dress wasn’t fancy, but it still fit well, especially with her recent growth spurt. The hem of the dress now came a tad higher, and the scooped bustline fit tighter. While she had been faking her enthusiasm in the beginning, somehow getting dressed up had her looking forward to the evening.

The music was already playing and boxes of pizza were stacked on one of the tables that had been pushed against the walls, making room for dancing. Most of the campers were already there, mingling and talking. The smell of pepperoni and zesty tomato sauce filled the air. Then Chris walked in from the kitchen carrying a large pitcher and a bunch of cups.

“Man, that smells good.” Della lifted her face into the air, and Kylie caught the wild berry scent of blood. And though she didn’t like admitting it, her mouth watered more from that aroma than from the pizza.

Not that she would indulge in it, or had indulged in it since she’d tasted blood at the vampire ceremony. If Kylie ended up being vampire, she’d deal with it. But until then, the idea of drinking blood, even when it tasted like ambrosia, was not her cup of tea.

Miranda must have pushed the door closed a little hard because it slammed shut and the crowd looked up. Kylie felt everyone’s eyes on her, or on her forehead, checking to see what her forever changing brain pattern was doing now.

But then she noticed one pair of blue eyes, and they weren’t looking at her forehead. They were looking at her.

She knew Lucas liked her dress. Or at least he liked her in it. And wasn’t that what she wanted?

The desire to do another visual sweep of the room to see if Derek was there hit strong. She fought it. Tonight was about Lucas. And from the way he stared at her, she had a feeling he wouldn’t mind.

Chapter Fourteen

Lucas didn’t smile. Well, not with his lips, anyway. His eyes, however, did smile, and their warmth washed over Kylie as he started moving her way. He took slow, even steps, as though he had all the time in the world, but what mattered was that he was coming. When she first saw all the weres clustered together, she worried he might not want to leave them. Somehow Kylie sensed he did it purposely to send a message to her and to his pack. And suddenly she was glad Miranda and Della had pressed her to come to the dance.

Lucas had gotten about halfway across the room when she felt another pair of eyes on her. Pulling her gaze away from Lucas, she spotted Fredericka. Refusing to let the were bully intimidate her or ruin her good mood, Kylie ignored her and refocused on Lucas. He looked good tonight, too. He wore jeans that fit just right and an aqua blue shirt spread across his chest. The color made his blue eyes appear bluer.

When he stopped beside her, his natural scent filled the air and she could feel her pulse flutter from his nearness. He didn’t tell her she looked beautiful; he didn’t even touch her. But his eyes did both.

“Hey,” he said.

She smiled. “Hey.”

His gaze moved to Della. “Burnett said I could take over shadowing.”

Della nodded.

“Want to get something to drink?” Lucas asked Kylie, and motioned toward the back where the sodas were waiting and the people weren’t. Lucas wasn’t much with crowds. Tonight, she felt the same way.

She nodded and turned to her two roommates. “I’ll see you.” Then she leaned in toward them. “Remember the pact.”

Miranda smiled and wiggled her eyebrows in excitement. Della, who Kylie knew struggled with the whole romance issue, frowned.

“Yeah, yeah,” Della said. “But I’m not making a fool out of myself.”

“Just be more approachable,” Kylie whispered, and then turned back to Lucas. They moved together across the room, and Kylie could feel people staring at them. She forced herself to ignore them.

Lucas moved in a step closer to her. “What’s going on with those two?” he asked, obviously having overheard Kylie’s conversation with Della and Miranda.

“Nothing really,” Kylie answered.

He grabbed them each a drink and then pushed two folding metal chairs against the wall. When she sat down, he edged his chair closer and sat beside her. His jeans-covered thigh pressed against her bare leg. She could feel his warmth through the cotton material, and it sent a fluttery feeling to her stomach.

He leaned in so his voice could be heard over the music. “I’m glad you came tonight.”

“Me too,” she said.

“You’re not mad at me anymore?” The back of his hand shifted against her forearm and she felt his fingers glide gently up past her elbow.

“I think I’m over it.” She smiled.

“Good.” His gaze swept over her. “You make my blood race,” he said, so low that she could hardly hear him.

She smiled. “Really?”

“Feel for yourself.” He took her hand and placed it on the back of his wrist. The flutter—more like a vibration, really—was so rapid that it almost felt electric. Her first instinct was to jerk away, but his steady, tender gaze kept her fingers against his warm skin. And after a second, it wasn’t actually scary.

“Is this a werewolf thing?” she asked.