Taken at Dusk (43 page)

She ran a hand over her face. Her alarm hadn’t gone off. So why was she awake?

The cold suddenly fell on her like a blanket of ice. “Heidi?” She sat up so fast, her head spun. “Is that you? I have more questions to ask.”

No answer came. Kylie sat there, waiting. Through the haze of darkness, she saw a figure appear at the end of her bed. “Heidi?” she asked again.

Kylie turned on the lamp. The light filled the bedroom and illuminated the spirit, who stood with her back to the bed. It wasn’t Heidi. Kylie couldn’t even tell if this ghost was male or female. Somehow he/she looked … deader than the others. Sure, they were all dead, but for some reason even the matted hair looked deader than the hair of other spirits.

“Hello,” Kylie whispered.

The spirit turned around, and Kylie stopped breathing. Worms, maggots, and creepy insects crawled in and out of the eye sockets, eating away at what little flesh still clung to the face.

Screaming, Kylie slammed back against the headboard.

“Can you help me?”
A stream of worms cascaded from the spirit’s lips as she spoke, and they landed on Kylie’s blanket.

“I…” Kylie kicked the covers to stop the gooey-looking creatures from crawling toward her. “I might, but can you do something about your face? Now!”

Della bolted into the room. “You okay?”

Kylie glanced back at the foot of her bed. The ghost was gone. Relief washed over her. “I’m fine,” her voice squeaked out. Remembering the maggots—and not one hundred percent sure the ghost had taken them with her—Kylie leapt up, yanked the covers off the bed, and tossed them on the floor. She backed away from the pile of bedding.

“Yeah. You look just fine,” Della said sarcastically.

Kylie jumped from foot to foot and brushed off imaginary maggots that she felt crawling on her skin.

Della stood there in Mickey Mouse pajamas, staring at her as if she didn’t know whether to laugh or run.

Kylie stopped dancing and tried to breathe normally. “If I die, promise me I’ll be cremated.”

Della frowned. “Die?”

“Not that I’m planning to die anytime soon.” She gave her arm one more swipe. “But still.”

Della shook her head. “I don’t know why you pretend you’re okay.”

Kylie wrapped her arms around herself. “Me either.”

*   *   *

Kylie didn’t go back to sleep. She wasn’t sure if she’d ever sleep in that bed again. Instead, she dressed and waited for Della and Miranda to go to the sunrise service.

The service happened just as it had in the vision. Only the grief felt deeper, especially when Kylie saw Derek, tears in his eyes, holding Ellie’s hat.

Holiday kept looking over her shoulder. Kylie knew she was looking for Burnett. It wasn’t until Chris started talking that Burnett slid into the chair next to Holiday.

She saw the two of them look at each other. Kylie wasn’t sure what kind of look it was—other than sad. Sad seemed to be the mood of the day. Well, for everyone except the blue jay who kept flittering by, spouting out song as if wanting to impress her.

Only she wasn’t impressed.

When the ceremony ended, Lucas took her hand to walk her to the dining hall, where they planned to have a celebration of Ellie’s life. Everyone was going to tell Ellie stories.

But Burnett stopped her. “I need to talk to you and Holiday a minute.”

Lucas said he’d meet her in the dining hall. Then Holiday and Burnett and Kylie walked into the office.

“Is something wrong?” Kylie asked once Burnett closed the door.

He pulled an envelope from his suit jacket and handed it to Kylie.

“What is that?” Holiday asked. From her tone, she seemed to think it had to do with Kylie having tests.

“It’s the location of her grandmother’s body.”

“You had her buried in her own grave?” Kylie asked.

“Not exactly.” He paused. “Let’s just say that if the FRU try to force you to undergo any tests that you aren’t comfortable with, you can use this to … insist that you prefer not to participate.”

“So you think they’ll push for Kylie to be tested?” Holiday asked.

He frowned. “I’m under the impression they will, yes.”

“You told them about what happened?”

“I haven’t told them anything since you asked me not to.”

“So the FRU doesn’t know you removed the body?” Holiday asked.

“No.” His gaze met Kylie’s. “What they did to your grandmother was wrong. And while the agency has admitted to some wrongdoings with some of the testing that went down in the sixties, this is one skeleton they wouldn’t want brought forward.”

“Why did they do it?” Kylie asked.

He shrugged. “The information I could find was very vague. Supposedly, there were a small number of supernaturals who were genetically different from the rest.”

“So we still don’t know what I am?”

Burnett’s expression tightened. “I’m afraid not.”

“Except a genetic freak,” she muttered.

Holiday sat beside Kylie on the sofa and reached for her hand. “Don’t say—”

“I’m assuming it’s just the opposite,” Burnett broke in. “They wouldn’t be interested in something that wasn’t working correctly. Just the fact that you can appear human would be considered an advantage. That could be all there is to it, or it could be more.”

“What advantage is there to appearing human?” Kylie asked.

“A lot. Right now, supernaturals aren’t allowed to run for any political office.”

“That doesn’t seem fair,” Kylie said.

“It probably isn’t. But what they did to your grandmother wasn’t fair either. However, I do have some news.” His expression seemed to change, but to what Kylie wasn’t sure.

“I actually spoke with Malcolm Summers. Your real grandfather,” Burnett said. “And before you ask, we didn’t discuss any details. I was afraid if I started asking too many questions, I’d scare him off. I told him you wanted to meet him.”

“And?” Kylie gripped Holiday’s hand.
What if he said he didn’t want to meet me?

Chapter Thirty-eight

Burnett continued, “He said he was getting on the next flight available back to Texas. It may be Thursday before he arrives.”

Kylie got tears in her eyes. “It’s really going to happen, isn’t it? I’m finally going to get my answers.” She still felt fear, but less than before. She needed her answers. Deserved them.

“It looks like it,” Burnett said.

Kylie jumped up, stopping herself just before she wrapped her arms around him. “May I hug you?”

He grinned and grimaced at the same time. “Make it quick.”

She did. When she backed up, Holiday watched with tears in her eyes.

Burnett nodded at Holiday. “And this is for you.” He pulled out another envelope and handed it to her.

“What is it?” Holiday asked, sounding unsure.

“It’s a donation to help cover future costs for Shadow Falls … and my resignation.”

Holiday stiffened. “That’s what you want?” She sounded so hurt that Kylie’s heart gripped.

“It’s what you want,” he said.

“I didn’t ask you to resign.”

“The hell you didn’t!”

“Should I leave?” Kylie asked.

But no one was listening to her, and Burnett was blocking the door.

“Hello?” Kylie said, but they were too busy staring daggers at each other to pay attention to her.

“I said, if you couldn’t understand my not letting Kylie go in for tests by the FRU, then you’d best leave.”

“Because you don’t need me anymore now that you have other investors lined up, right?” Burnett sounded hurt.

“What investors?” Holiday asked.

“Don’t lie to me, Holiday! I saw the file. You have four possible investors waiting in the wings.”

“You went through my desk?”

“I wasn’t snooping! I had to pay the bills while you were away, remember?”

“Well, next time you go rummaging in my desk, you should read the dates on the paperwork!” She went to her desk, opened her drawer, and tossed the file at him.

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

“I didn’t find these people just now. I found them before you signed on.”

He stared at her in growing confusion. “You said the only reason you chose me was because you didn’t have anyone else.”

“I didn’t say that. You assumed it.”

Burnett stared at Holiday. “Are you saying you chose me over these other people?” He moved closer, leaving a slight opening to the office door.

“I’m gonna just slip out now.” Kylie took a step forward.

They ignored her. And Kylie hesitated for just a second.

“So you care about me,” Burnett grumbled. “Why the hell can’t you admit it, Holiday?”

“Hiring you was a business decision, Burnett.”

“Bullshit!” Burnett said. “Each one of them has more money than I do.”

“A business decision, not a financial one.”

“Is that why you kissed me?” he demanded.

“I did no such thing.
You
kissed me.”

“And you enjoyed it!”

“
I’m out of here.” Kylie eased around Burnett and walked out, but she carried with her a smile and a lot of hope. She was pretty sure Burnett wasn’t quitting now. And in two days, she would have answers from her grandfather Malcolm. God, she hoped it was true.

“Hey.” Derek met her on the porch.

“Hey,” she said, still smiling.

He stopped, obviously hearing Burnett and Holiday bickering in the office. “Is everything okay?”

Kylie chuckled. “They’re arguing. So it’s pretty much back to normal now.”

“Better than when they weren’t talking to each other.”

“My thoughts exactly,” Kylie said.

Derek studied her. “Can
we
talk?” He motioned to the two rocking chairs.

“Sure.”

She sat in the first chair. He took the other. For a second, she got the image of them here before. Of him moving in and kissing her while she reclined in the chair.

She pushed that image away. They weren’t kissing now. They were just talking. Two friends, talking.

He started to speak, but then his eyes widened. “You got good news?”

She grinned, knowing he’d read her mood. “My real grandfather is coming to see me in a few days.”

“Damn!” His eyes filled with contentment for her. “You’ll finally get your answers. Kylie Galen will know what she is. No more mystery.”

“I hope so.” An odd thought hit: What would her life be like when her quest changed? A wash of cold moved in behind her. She glanced back and just as quickly turned back around.

“I heard about your grandmother,” Derek said. “And the rogue vampire. He really sacrificed himself for you?”

“Yeah.” Her emotions took a nosedive. “All I saw in him was evil, Derek. But it wasn’t true.”

“It wasn’t just you,” he said. “That’s what I saw, too. So I get how that makes you feel.”

She sighed. That was the thing about Derek. He always understood her feelings.

“Thanks.” Someone walked past, and for a crazy second she thought it was Ellie. But of course, it wasn’t.

“I miss her, too,” Derek said, reading her again.

Kylie looked up toward the sky. “Sometimes, I just wish heaven wasn’t so far away.”

Things grew quiet. When she looked back, Derek was staring at her. Staring at her the way the old Derek used to stare. The gold flecks in his eyes brightened against his green irises. She felt the world go fairy tale around her, and she noticed things. Things like how his shoulders looked like a soft place to rest her head.

“You were right, you know.”

“Right about what?” she asked.

“Me pushing you away. It was the stupidest thing I’ve ever done. Then the mistake with Ellie, I … messed up, Kylie, and it hurt you. I’m sorry. So damn sorry.”

“That’s history,” she said, and another silence fell upon them.

“I talked to Holiday,” he whispered.

His soft-spoken words had Kylie realizing that Holiday and Burnett weren’t arguing anymore. Were they busy doing something else?

“Talked to Holiday about what?” she asked.

“About why I was feeling supercharged emotions around you.”

Kylie bit down on her lip. She didn’t need to know this now, did she?

Derek sensed her feelings. “I’m not expecting you to do anything. I just want you to know.”

“Know what?”

He hesitated. “Holiday said that sometimes, when a fae really cares about someone, their emotions can become blown out of proportion. Most times, the problem goes away after they accept their feelings. So that’s what I’m doing. Accepting it.”

She opened her mouth to speak but didn’t have a clue what to say.

He cupped his jeans-covered knees in his hands. They were jeans that fit him really well, too.

“I’m in love with you, Kylie.” He looked almost embarrassed by the admission. He jumped up, took one step away, then swung around and faced her again. “I don’t expect you to say it back, and I don’t think this will change your mind about anything. But you deserved to know. And I needed to tell you because … I’ve never felt this way before—for anyone.”

Kylie sat there, his words running around her head, feeling … Okay, what did she feel, exactly? First was confusion. Then came fear. Derek loved her. Her heart tightened.

She glanced up into his eyes and saw he was reading her emotions. Every one of them.

“I should leave now,” he said, but he leaned down and pressed the quickest of kisses on her cheek. It reminded her of how Perry had kissed Miranda that night in the parking lot. Romantic. Sweet.

She just watched him leave. Then she fell back in the rocker and tried to decipher the emotions swelling in her chest.

“How can everything feel so right and yet wrong at the same time?” she muttered.

“Life’s weird like that.”
The rocker beside her, the one Derek had just left, creaked slightly.

Kylie glanced over at the reclined spirit and frowned. “Things aren’t going to get any easier, are they.”

The spirit chose not to answer.

“Look,” Kylie said, and pulled her knees up in the chair. “I don’t have a lot of rules. But I told you, you’re gonna have to do something about that face.”

The ghost’s face magically started healing, becoming normal. Kylie gasped. It wasn’t seeing it happen that shocked her; it was the face. She recognized it.