The message wasn't for Hayden. It was from him.
You're answering my messages? Hayden
Kylie typed back. Only because I hoped it was either you or my ... She paused. Should she let him know she assumed he was with her grandfather? She didn't see any advantage to playing dumb.... my grandfather. She tapped her fingers on the phone waiting for a reply.
The phone dinged. What did you tell the others?
She decided to be honest. Only that you helped save Holiday's life. You can come back.
She waited for him to respond. When he didn't do it quickly, she wrote, Sorry I suspected you.
He replied: If you did the right thing and came to live where you belonged, I wouldn't have to return.
Kylie considered her answer.
I belong at Shadow Falls.
She no sooner finished typing the words than her reflection in the dresser mirror caught her attention. She hadn't stopped glowing yet. How long could she continue to believe she belonged here when everything pointed to the fact that she was different? Different even from all the other supernaturals.
Her chest swelled again at the thought of leaving. She rejected it. But what was going to happen in two weeks when her mom was expecting to pick her up for parents' weekend? How would she explain the fact that she was freaking brighter than a fifty-watt bulb?
The phone pinged again. It's not safe for you to stay there.
Holiday and Burnett won't let the FRU do anything.
It's not just the FRU. You were right in what you told your grandfather. There's an underground rogue gang after you.
Swallowing a knot in her throat, she texted, Is my grandfather's number in the phone?
It took a few minutes for him to get back. But he did. Yes.
She typed in. Thank you. And hit send. Then remembering, she sent one more message. Call your girlfriend. I might have upset her.
Her grandfather answered the next number she dialed. And he didn't bother with formalities. Hayden had obviously told him to expect her call.
"I sent him because I was concerned for your safety," her grandfather said, his voice just an octave lower than her father's.
"I'm not upset," Kylie said. "Although I wish someone would have told me."
"You need to come with us, Kylie. It's not safe. You were right about the underground rogue. I don't trust the FRU not to harm you. How can I trust them to keep you safe from others?"
"Please," Kylie said. "You don't understand what you're asking." Tears filled her eyes. "I ... This is home to me. Burnett's not like the FRU you remember. And Holiday ... she took me in. Both of them have protected me." Her throat grew tight. "People have died here saving my life. These people you don't trust are my family." Her voice shook and she swiped the tears from her cheeks.
"We are your family."
"I can't leave," Kylie said.
There was a long pause. "I will send Hayden back if you offer your word that you have not told the others."
"I haven't told anyone." Silence fell again, then she blurted out, "I'm glowing. How do I stop it?"
"Glowing?" he asked, and paused as if in thought. "You have the gift of healing?"
"Yes," she answered.
"I'm assuming you used it."
"I ... brought someone back to life."
He didn't speak for a few seconds. "Your gifts are indeed amazing."
"But how do I stop it?" She hadn't been fishing for compliments.
"You must release the energy you drew inside you to complete the healing."
"How?" Kylie asked.
"Meditate."
"I'm not good at meditation." She bit down on her lip.
"Then you'd better learn. And fast." He exhaled. "Kylie, if other gangs learn just how gifted you really are, you'll be a commodity. They will either want you working for them, or they'll want you dead. It won't be just one gang coming after you."
His warning rang in her ears. Great. That's all she needed.
"I will send Hayden back," he went on, "but think carefully on this, my child. I deserve to get to know my only grandchild."
Monday morning Kylie sat in the dining hall while everyone stared. She wasn't glowing anymore. Her internal bulb had blown sometime during the night.
She'd stayed in her room all weekend and meditated, and slept. Obviously, bringing someone back to life took it out of you. Holiday and Burnett had dropped by with food, TLC, and news that all the bodies of the girls has been turned over to their families. Both Burnett and Holiday were now glowing, but it was a natural glow. They were in love.
That only made Kylie miss Lucas even more.
Derek had called twice just to say he was thinking about her. Lucas hadn't. She didn't even know if he was aware of what had happened. Still, his silence was hard to take.
Helen and Jonathon had dropped by. And Miranda, Perry, and Della had checked on her almost every hour. Even during the night, they'd crack open the door and peer at her. Of course, that could be because she looked really cool glowing in the dark. Hell, they could have sold tickets to the other campers for a dollar a peek. Not that they would. They were her friends.
Kylie stared down at her runny eggs and frowned as she felt all eyes in the dining hall on her.
Nope, right now, glowing wasn't the problem. It was her pattern. She'd changed again. She was finally a werewolf and Lucas wasn't around to enjoy it. And neither was Socks. Her cat hadn't come out from under the bed all morning. He made his prejudices known. Just as clear as the other werewolves here at the camp. Not one of them had come to say hello, or go to hell.
"You hanging in there?" Della asked.
"Like a pro," Kylie answered, and looked up to see Hayden Yates walk into the dining hall. Her heart did a little dance. He was back. Relief at knowing she wasn't completely alone washed over her.
We are your family. Her grandfather's words sliced through her.
"You still can't lie worth a damn," Della said.
Kylie looked away from Hayden before anyone guessed they shared secrets.
Della was right. She'd lied. She wasn't hanging in there like a pro. More like by a thread. She was confused, scared, and worried. She might have stopped glowing, but what was next? What freaky thing would she be calling her grandfather or running to Hayden to help her fix? And if she really belonged at Shadow Falls, why did Hayden's presence bring her so much comfort?
"Let's get this show on the road," Chris, the Meet Your Campmate leader, announced after breakfast. Kylie stood outside beside Della. She fought the need to fan herself. Her sudden increase in her body temperature would take getting used to.
"And first on our list of names is none other than our brand-new were." Chris's gaze shot to Kylie.
Kylie's breath caught. The first people announced were generally the ones someone had paid in blood for Chris to arrange. Swallowing, her gaze shot to Derek. But he stared at Chris in concern.
"Kylie, you get the pleasure of Fredericka's company."
Oh, great. The were had saved her life only to kill her later.
"I can follow you if you want," Della whispered, her eyes bright.
Kylie shook her head, tired of always being under someone else's protection. "No."
Fredericka walked up. "You wanna walk to the lake?"
"Sure," Kylie answered. Why not? The lake would be a nice place to die.
"I'll see you later." Della's tone came with all kinds of warnings for Fredericka.
As they started walking, neither Kylie nor Fredericka talked. Kylie listened, but amazingly, she barely heard their footsteps. The ability to move in silence must be part of being were. Her mind chewed on what Fredericka really wanted.
Or it did until her friendly blue jay showed up and did a song and dance right in front of them.
Fredericka frowned. Kylie shooed the bird away. "Go!"
As they continued on, Kylie did some thinking. She didn't believe the she-wolf really wanted to kill her. Then again, hadn't she already tried once? Putting a lion in Kylie's bedroom several months back hadn't been an act of kindness. But if the girl really planned on murder, would she have let the whole camp know they were together?
Then another thought suddenly hit. Was Fredericka pissed that Kylie hadn't said thank you for saving her life?
She'd planned on doing it. She really had. But she'd spent all her energy on stopping herself from glowing this weekend. Nevertheless, she should have done it first thing this morning. Was it too late?
Better late than never.
"Burnett told me you saved my life," Kylie said. "I should say thank you."
Fredericka's dark black hair swung loose around her shoulders. She was at least three inches taller than Kylie, and probably outweighed her by twenty pounds. Not that Kylie was seriously frightened anymore.
"I probably did it more for Holiday than you," the were said.
Probably? "I figured that," Kylie said, "but thanks anyway."
Fredericka nodded and remained quiet for the next few minutes. Kylie hated the tense silence. "Did you pay blood to get Chris to match us up?"
The were nodded. "Three pints. He said since he might get in trouble for pairing up enemies, I had to pay more."
"That's a lot of blood," Kylie said, when she couldn't think of anything else to say. Then the thought of blood had her remembering how she'd felt when she thought she'd killed Collin Warren. Fredericka had to feel the same, didn't she? Kylie's gratitude suddenly grew. "I'm sorry that ... you had to ... ki-Do it."
"It was nothing." She glanced at Kylie. "I've killed before."
Kylie couldn't swear on it, but something told her that if she'd been able to hear the girl's heartbeat, it would have told a different story.
"It still can't be easy," Kylie said.
"I'm over it," she snapped, but her tone said she wasn't.
And I'm still sorry.
More silence hung in the air. Fredericka finally spoke again. "You were wrong to sic your skunk on me."
"I didn't sic him on you," Kylie said, being honest. "You attacked him."
"It still wasn't nice," she said, and growled.
"Neither was putting a lion in my room." There, Kylie had thrown that bone out for them to chew on.
"I guess so." Fredericka looked away, but not quick enough.
Kylie saw the truth. "You didn't do it." She shook her head. "Why did you lie and say you did?"
She didn't answer for a long time. "I heard rumors that you thought I did it. I figured, why not let you believe it? I didn't like you."
"And now?" Kylie asked, still wondering why the were had paid three pints of blood to have an hour with her.
"Still don't like you," she said matter-of-factly. "But after I saw what you did for Holiday, I don't hate you as much."
"Well, there's a compliment I'll savor," Kylie said, letting a little humor slip into her voice. Fredericka didn't respond.
They arrived at the lake, and the girl stood there and looked out at the water. "I love Lucas," she confessed.
Kylie inhaled and tried to figure out how to play her cards now. Honesty seemed the only way. "So do I."
The were looked at Kylie, anguish filling the girl's eyes. "I know. That's why I wanted to talk to you. While I don't like you, I like her even less. And at least I know he cares about you. Even before you showed up here, he'd mentioned you to me. I was jealous of you even then."
Kylie shook her head, trying to play catch-up with Fredericka's conversation. "I'm not following you."
"I'm talking about Monique. I know he's told you that he can get out of it. But I'm not sure he can. I don't think you should let him do it."
"I'm still not following you," Kylie said, but she already had a feeling she didn't like what Fredericka had to say.
Fredericka just stared. "Shit. He didn't tell you? He said he did and you understood. That damn dog lied to me."
Frustration welled up inside Kylie. "Lied about what?"
"Lucas's betrothal ceremony is tonight."
Fredericka's words bounced around Kylie's head. "His what? He's ... getting married?"
"Engaged, but with weres when you get betrothed, it's written in stone. He thinks he can get out of it, but I don't buy it. You don't just change your mind. And she's a complete bitch. If he goes through with this, he'll be stuck with her for the rest of his life."
"No!" Denial shot through Kylie and anger welled up inside her. "You're lying. You just want to start trouble. You'll do anything to break Lucas and me up."
"You bitch." Fredericka growled. "I'm trying to help and this is what I get? Yes, I've tried everything to break you up. It didn't work. But I'm not lying." She pulled an envelope from her pocket. A small envelope, like an invitation. "If you don't believe me, go see for yourself." She stepped away, and then turned back. "Just make sure you keep your were pattern on, or someone will rip your heart out before they ask questions."
Kylie didn't want to believe Fredericka. More than anything in the world, Kylie wanted this to be just another one of the were's tricks to come between her and Lucas. Yet the girl was right about one thing: Kylie had to see it for herself.
The ceremony was taking place at another state park around five miles from there. As a were, Kylie could make that run fairly quickly. All day, she considered whether or not to tell Holiday and Burnett, but decided she'd rather ask for forgiveness than for permission. And speaking of forgiveness ... She swore if Fredericka was lying, she'd never forgive her, never trust her again.
But if she wasn't lying ... Kylie wasn't sure she'd ever forgive Lucas.
The ceremony was supposedly happening at midnight. Which made it easy to get away.
Kylie tiptoed out of her room. Della yanked open her bedroom door.
Easier to get away, but not easy.
"Where are you going?" Della snapped, her gaze moving up and down on Kylie. "And all dressed up?"
Kylie didn't know what one was supposed to wear to a betrothal, but her black dress and low black pumps would have to do.
"I need to go somewhere," Kylie said, stating the vague truth. She hadn't told Della or Miranda about this. At first, Kylie thought it was because it just hurt too much. Then she thought it was because they'd try to talk her out of going. Right now, she realized it was because she was worried they might say, "I told you so."
They hadn't been pro-Lucas lately.
Not that Kylie totally believed it yet. But she obviously believed it enough to sneak out of Shadow Falls to find out. But how could she not be suspicious? Lucas never told her anything. And damn, that hurt.
"You're meeting your grandfather?" Della asked, studying Kylie with suspicion.
"No," Kylie said.
Della frowned. "You've been acting weird since you walked off with Fredericka."
"I need to go," Kylie said.
"I'll come with you."
"No," Kylie pleaded. She needed to do this alone.
Della's chest puffed out. "Then tell me where you're going."
"You're not my shadow anymore," Kylie countered.
Della's scowled. "No, I'm your friend."
The honest emotion in Della's voice pulled at Kylie's heart. "Look, I'm going to try to meet up with Lucas." It was the truth-or a form of it.
"I thought you hadn't heard from him," Della said.
"Fredericka told me where he was."
Della made a face. "You trust her wolf ass?"
"Not really," Kylie said. "But I'm going anyway, and as your friend, I'm asking you not to stand in my way."
"I don't like it," Della said.
Kylie paused in thought, trying to find a way to get Della to understand. "I don't like that you're doing work for the FRU, but I respect your wishes."
Della frowned. "But I'm not doing it alone."
Yeah, Della was going with Steve, not that she was thrilled with it, but that wasn't the point. Convincing Della to let Kylie go was what mattered. Right or wrong, finding out the truth about Lucas once and for all felt crucial. She had admitted to loving him; now she needed to know if she'd given her heart away foolishly.
It took some time, but Della backed down.
And ten minutes later, when Kylie jumped over the fence leaving Shadow Falls property, she knew Burnett might come running. It was another chance she took. However, since she suspected that several of the weres might be attending the ceremony-if there really was a ceremony-she hoped Burnett would assume she was one of them. Then again, she was one of them, she reminded herself.
As Kylie ran, she felt an odd kind of power flow through her. Different than the strength that came with being vampire. The way her limbs moved seemed less human. The power of a wolf, she supposed.
Her chest tightened, remembering Lucas telling her how he wanted to run with her as a wolf. Please, please let Fredericka be wrong.
Trying not to break all her promises to Burnett, Kylie avoided the woods whenever possible. But as she drew near the park, she wasn't going to have any other option. As she moved in a lithe run, her gaze kept shifting to the moon. She felt it calling her, like water to a person left in the sun too long.
When she entered the line of trees, the darkness grew blacker. The moon was no longer visible through thick foliage. The night air was warm, almost too warm. She felt a sense of danger sting her skin.
Ignoring it, she kept running. She didn't stop. Not even when she realized she wasn't alone.