As soon as the sound of the heavy wooden front door closing echoed in the empty, still smoky dining hall, Kylie decided to confess and get it over with.
"I know, it's my fault. I apologize. I thought I was helping."
Burnett, arms still crossed over his chest, stared down at her. "What's your fault?"
"This," she said, suddenly wishing she hadn't been so gung ho to take the blame. Then again, accepting responsibility was right.
Burnett stared down at her as the seconds passed, which only intensified Kylie's growing need to fill the silence. "Okay, look," she said. "I'm the one who told Perry to cut in on Miranda and Clark."
He nodded. "Yeah, I heard that. I was in the office."
Kylie frowned, wondering if he'd also eavesdropped on her conversation with Lucas.
He dropped his arms to his sides, making him appear less intimidating. "But that doesn't make it your fault."
"So you didn't have me hang back to read me the riot act about starting this mess?"
"No." He reached down and snatched two chairs upright and motioned for her to sit down.
"Am I in trouble for something else?" she asked as she sat down.
He flipped the chair around and straddled it. "No. I just wanted to talk to you." His palms curled around the back of the chair. "Is your hand okay?"
She held out her palm for him to see. "Yeah."
He looked down at her hand, then up at her face again. "Holiday called and was worried about you."
"Why?"
He seemed to struggle to find the right words. "I told her what you'd asked about the bird."
"What did she say?" Kylie leaned in a bit, ready to get at least one answer to her long list of questions.
"She said you shouldn't be worried. If you did bring the bird back to life, it would only cost a very, very small piece of your soul."
"But I did give some of it away?"
"Possibly," Burnett said.
Kylie hesitated to ask, but she needed to know, so she just did it. "Did she say anything about the bird stalking me?"
"Stalking you?"
"Yeah, it was flying around me today, but I wasn't so sure it wasn't just some fluke. But then it came to my window earlier today and tapped on it."
Burnett's eyes widened a little in surprise, and then his inscrutable expression slammed down again. "Are you sure it's the same bird?"
"No, but it's too much of a coincidence not to be, don't you think?"
"Perhaps," he said. "Did you feel any kind of threat from the bird? Like you did with the eagle and the deer?"
"No, nothing. It was all peaceful and serene."
"Good." He stared down at his hands as if he had something else to say and it wasn't going to be easy. "Look, about the FRU library..."
"What about it?" she asked, immediately feeling nervous.
"I don't want you to think I was lying earlier. I wasn't. However, considering that I work for the FRU, I'm only allowed to say so much."
"So you did lie to me?" she asked.
"No." He tightened his lips as if frustrated. "I told you as much as I could. The truth is that there are some books there I'm not allowed to see."
She felt suddenly cold, the kind of a chill that came from being afraid of where their conversation was headed. Of being afraid to discover the truth about herself.
"There are books about ... others like me, aren't there?" she asked. "Others who don't know what they are."
He hesitated again and laced his fingers together in a tight ball. "I don't even know what all is there, but if they were there, I doubt very seriously that I could obtain permission to allow you to read them."
"Why?"
"The FRU considers ninety percent of what they have collected as classified."
Frustration built in her chest. "What's the big secret? I mean, the key to understanding what I am could be in that library. And you're locking me out-it's so frustrating. It's like you're deliberately trying to keep me in the dark about my powers, my identity."
"You're not being kept in the dark, and the key to understanding what you are is much more likely to be elsewhere-here in the outside world-than in that library. There's a lot of classified information at stake, but there's nothing we're trying to hide from you."
"It sure as hell feels that way," she said. "Tell me the truth, please. Do you know what I am?"
"No," he said again, and her instincts told her he wasn't lying. "Look," he said. "The only reason I brought this up is that I don't want you to stop trusting me. I'm as perplexed by you as ... well, as you are."
Kylie slumped in her chair, resigned to the fact that he wouldn't, and maybe even couldn't, give her anything more. "Fine."
He nodded and then looked around the dining hall. "You think we might convince everyone not to tell Holiday about this disaster?"
Kylie looked up at the singed wood, which had been marked by the dragon's breath and Clark's fireballs. "It might be difficult."
He looked around and frowned. "I guess so. But damn, I wanted to prove to her that I could run the show without screwing up."
"You didn't screw up," Kylie said. "All's well that ends well. No one's hurt."
He let out a deep gulp of air. "I got myself turned into a kangaroo."
Kylie couldn't help but snicker. Then Burnett laughed. Kylie couldn't swear by it, but she thought it was the first time she'd ever heard him do that. "Holiday is going to enjoy that one, isn't she?"
Kylie continued to grin. "Oh, yeah. Can I be the one to tell her?"
"Afraid not." Then he flashed her what she could have sworn was a smile. "If it involves making her laugh, I'll keep that pleasure for myself."
She studied him for a few moments, again feeling his devotion to Holiday. Thinking of devotion and Burnett, she decided to ask another question that had been pulling at her mind. "You and Perry have a history, right?"
He paused for a second and then said, "Sort of. Why?"
"The way you two relate to each other."
He nodded but didn't offer any details.
"It was through the foster program, right?" she asked. "Were you like a caseworker or something there at one time?"
Burnett's expression stayed stoic. "He told you about the foster program?"
"Yeah."
Burnett nodded. "Yes. We crossed paths through the program."
He didn't seem eager to share anything else about his past, so Kylie decided to drop it, or at least drop part of it. "Perry's not going to get in too much trouble for this, is he?" She frowned. "I mean, I was the one that sort of caused it. He was leaving and I stopped him."
Burnett arched a brow. "Truth be told, he behaved extremely well ... considering." He looked around again. "You wouldn't believe the kind of messes I've had to clean up because of him."
Kylie imagined Burnett coming to the aid of a younger Perry-a Perry who had no one because his parents abandoned him. Her doubts about Burnett and trusting him practically vanished. Without thinking, she said, "You know, you aren't near as badass as you pretend to be."
Burnett frowned as if he didn't like being considered anything but bad. "I wouldn't bet on it," he said. "Just ask Holiday." He stood up. "Come on, I'll walk you to your cabin. I need to go deal with Clark before it gets any later."
"You don't need to walk me. I think I can manage."
"Nope. You're still under shadow guard."
As they walked out of the dining hall, Kylie welcomed the night air without the scent of smoke. The memory of her dance with Lucas tickled her mind, but she pushed it back, not wanting to think about that with present company. Especially when she half feared that Burnett might have been privy to their entire conversation.
They started down the path to her cabin. A few night creatures rustled the underbrush along their way. Burnett cut his gaze from one side to the other, always aware, always on guard.
"You haven't experienced any more threats, have you?" he asked.
"No."
"It always amazes me what just having a shadow with you can prevent."
Kylie looked up at him through the darkness. "Do you think that's the only reason it hasn't happened again? That someone, more than likely Mario or his grandson, is still waiting to get me alone?" She considered telling him about the dream but didn't see how it would help.
"I think we can't be too careful."
Kylie felt a familiar chill slide past her, slowly, and she knew they had company. She gazed around to see if the spirit had materialized yet, but she saw nothing.
But the sense of grief that seemed to seep into her pores told her it was Jane Doe. Kylie's mind shot back to the spirit and the loss of her child. A need to help the spirit tightened her chest. If Holiday were here, she'd talk to her about it. But she didn't think Burnett would be helpful where ghosts were concerned. Especially when it involved a pregnant ghost.
"Who's shadowing me in the morning?" she asked.
"I believe it's Della," Burnett said, and looked around almost as if he felt the ghostly presence.
"Would you mind if we go to the cemetery in Fallen tomorrow?"
Burnett stopped walking. "Why would you want to go there?"
Kylie rubbed her arms to try to chase away the chill. "It has to do with my latest ghost."
"Which is a good reason not to go," he said.
Kylie frowned at the thought that she and Holiday were the only ones who weren't antighost. "The spirit can't remember who she is, and because the first time she appeared to me was when my mom and I were driving past the cemetery, I think she might be buried there. I asked Holiday about going and she said it would be okay as long as I had someone with me and if you guys knew where I was."
His expression didn't change, but something about the way he held his shoulders told her he'd given in. "Let me check with Holiday. If she says it's okay, I'll ... I'll go with you."
"You shouldn't have to go. I'm sure Della and I would-"
"No." From his tone she knew he wouldn't budge. "Until we know the threat against you is over, you won't leave the camp without me." His stern gaze punctuated his words, and then he continued, "I'm serious about this, Kylie. I don't want to scare you, but if this is Mario or Red, they won't give up. They're waiting for a time that you are at your most vulnerable to attack again. And next time you may not be so lucky."
Kylie, with a cloud of the spirit's cold following her, walked into the cabin a few minutes later. Della and Miranda were sitting at the kitchen table, chatting.
Miranda popped up. "Did you see Perry? Was he not totally off-the-chart awesome? He even fought for me when he was in human form."
"Yeah, I saw that," Kylie said, hanging back a bit, not wanting to ruin the moment by having them sense the spirit. Kylie looked at Della, whose eyes still glowed with anger.
"Is Burnett sending Clark packing?" Della asked. "Because if he doesn't, I'm gonna have to teach that warlock a lesson he'll never forget."
Kylie recalled Della taking a hit with the fireball, and she knew that for a vamp that was probably embarrassing-especially when Kylie had somehow managed to catch one and toss it aside. "I know Burnett is going to see him now, but I don't know what he plans on doing about it."
"He burned Miranda's new skirt!" Della held up the skirt, which had been scorched.
Miranda waved a hand. "I told you it's not a big deal."
"It is a big deal," Della retorted. "If Kylie hadn't been there, he could have hurt you."
"What about you?" Kylie asked, looking at Della. "Did you get burned by the fireball?"
"A bit, but I've already healed." Della's gaze went to Kylie's hand. "You must heal fast, too."
"Yeah." Kylie decided not to tell them that she'd never been burned by Clark's fireball. Or at least she hadn't gotten the sensation that she'd been burned. She recalled Lucas's remark You really are a protector. And again, she wondered why he'd sounded almost unhappy about the possibility.
The spirit's cold drew closer, and Kylie ran her hand over her forearms where goose bumps chased goose bumps over her bare skin. She leaned back against the edge of the sofa.
"How pissed is Burnett at me for turning him into a kangaroo?" Miranda asked.
Kylie grinned. "I think he's over it."
"I'd still avoid him for a few days if I were you," Della suggested. "I mean, did you see how mad he was when you turned him back?" She grinned. "Though not as mad as I'd have been. I swear, if it'd been me, I'd have hopped all over your ass, right after I'd kangaroo-punched Clark out. But damn, it was funny seeing Burnett hopping mad."
"I didn't mean to do it," Miranda said. "I wasn't even going for a kangaroo."
"What were you going for?" Kylie asked.
"A cockatoo. I guess I said it wrong." She pursed her lips as if thinking. "But hey, at least I figured out how to turn him back. I should get some credit for that."
"Credit?" Della snickered. "If you hadn't been able to change him back, I have a feeling you'd be kangaroo food right about now."
Miranda sighed.
Kylie decided to change the subject and looked at Della. "So what happened with the pact?"
Della frowned. "Let's just say it didn't work out as well for us. But forget about us. How did things go with Lucas? I saw you two went outside for a while."
Kylie bit down on her lip, unsure how much she wanted to share. "It went good."
"How good?" asked Miranda, never one to appreciate privacy. The little witch even rubbed her hands together in giddy anticipation.
"Really good," Kylie answered, remembering how it had felt to dance with Lucas-to kiss him as if they had all night. The memory chased away some of the ghostly chill prickling her bare arms. Kylie glanced around again to make sure Jane Doe hadn't manifested.
"Good as in first base? Second base?" Miranda's hazel eyes got big. "Or are we talking third?"
"We just kissed." Remembering their accusation that she was up for sainthood, Kylie added, "And slow danced in the moonlight. It was very romantic."
"Romantic or sexy?" Della asked. "There's a difference, you know."
Kylie frowned. "No, there's not."
"Oh yes, there is," Della smarted off. "Romantic is ... 'Oh, he's so sweet,' and sexy is ... 'He's so hot, my panties might just catch fire.' So which was it? Romantic or sexy?"
"Panties catch fire?" Kylie rolled her eyes.
"It's just an expression, but you know what I mean," Della insisted. "So which was it? Romantic?" She held out one hand. "Or sexy?" She held out the other.
Kylie considered the question and then admitted the truth. "It was both."
Miranda squealed. "Was it as hot as the kiss at the creek he gave you?"
Kylie remembered being at the creek with Lucas over a month ago. She'd fallen on top of him and they had kissed. Kissed deeply while the cold, crisp water ran over them and Lucas's hot body pressed against hers. And she decided Della might have a point about the difference between sexy and romantic. The kiss at the creek had been sexy. Tonight had been ... well, more romantic, but still sexy.
"You know, you guys have to start having your own romantic escapades. I'm tired of being the only one sharing this stuff."
"We're working on it," Miranda said, and shrugged. "So? Give us more details. Was tonight as hot as the famous creek kiss?"
Socks waddled out of her bedroom and came and bumped his pointed nose against her ankle. "Not quite as hot," Kylie said, reaching down to pick him up. She pulled the little skunk close and nuzzled his nose. "But almost."
Remembering just how "almost as hot" tonight had been, Kylie looked at her two best friends and wondered if they might know the answer to the question she planned on asking Lucas later. "How much do you guys know about werewolves and their powers?"
"I know they're not nearly as powerful as vampires," Della piped up.
"I'm not talking physical strength. Other kinds of power."
"What other kinds of power?" asked Della.
Kylie tried to figure out how to put it. "The power to persuade a girl to do things?"
"Things? What kind of things?" Della glanced at Miranda, whose eyes grew round. "Do you mean...?" They both turned back to Kylie.
"Okay, spill it," Della said. "Just what the hell happened out in the moonlight?"
"Yeah," Miranda added. "And don't leave out a single juicy detail."