Awake at Dawn (24 page)

has to get clearance from a couple other people and if they say it’s okay,
I’ll be back. Hopefully, I’ll be able to explain more then.

Okay, I hope to see you soon, but until then … dream of me.

Your admirer and friend forever,

Lucas

Kylie dropped the letter and just stared at those three words.

Dream of me.

Exactly what did he mean by “dream of me”?

Did it mean anything? It had to, didn’t it? Kylie folded the letter and stuffed it back in her drawer. Her emotions ran all over the place. Then she realized a second place she could look for answers. The place she always went for answers. Holiday.

Kylie looked at the red glowing numbers on her clock. Still too early. It wasn’t quite … five.

But what happened to the regular cold that always came at dawn?

She looked at the window and saw the vaguest sign of sunrise. For some reason, her mind moved away from ghosts and to the two girls who’d died yesterday. They would never see another sunrise. Never experience another day. Or have another dream. She clutched two handfuls of blanket and fought back the emotion.

She’d just gotten her breathing back to normal when the cold crept in-to her bedroom like a bad omen.

“Okay,” Kylie said, searching for patience that she seemed in short supply of lately. “How about let’s have a talk? What can you tell me that I don’t know? Give me something. You gotta give me something so I can help whoever it is that needs help.”

“You can save her.”
The ghost’s words filled the frigid air and her spirit appeared. Her long dark hair flowed over her shoulders. She didn’t appear as thin or sick this time. And there was something about her, 198/375

something that looked vaguely familiar. Kylie wondered if that meant anything.

“You can save her. You don’t know you can, but you have the ability,”
the ghost said.

“How am I going to save her?” Kylie asked, hoping this might lead her to understand the identity of the person. She needed something, damn it—something to help her figure this out. “Who do I need to save?”

“She’s scared. She needs you.”

“Who?” Kylie gritted her teeth. “Just tell me who, and I promise I’ll do everything I can to save her. Can you understand that I can’t save anyone until I know…” The ghost vanished.

“Damn it!” Kylie dropped back on the bed. She breathed in and out and tried not to think about her frustration with the ghost. Tried not to think about the frustration with Lucas and the so-called dream. Tried not to think about the girls who’d lost their lives yesterday.

With so many limitations on what she could think about, she found one she could. Today was parents day.

That sent a whole new wave of frustration over her. Her mother wouldn’t be here. Her dad … her stepdad … was off bumping uglies with a girl practically Kylie’s own age, and Kylie would probably be the only one whose parents didn’t show up.

Didn’t that make her feel special?

“Daniel?” she said her father’s name aloud. “Could you maybe drop in a minute?”
For moral support. Maybe answer a few questions about
your parents?
“Please.” No answer came. She counted to ten. Said a prayer. And waited another minute before she lost her patience.

She pounded her fists on the mattress. It felt like a juvenile and stupid thing to do, but in her mood, it also felt good. So good, she continued to do it for a few more minutes.

Socks let out a frightened cry and Kylie felt him take a flying leap off the bed. She might have felt sorry for him if she wasn’t in such a piss-199/375

poor mood. And that’s when she remembered what the whole mood swings problem could possibly mean. She, Kylie Galen, might be morphing into a wolf in two days. Could life get any more friggin’, fraggin’

messed up?

After Kylie had given her mattress a good beating, she got dressed, apologized to Socks for acting silly, and left her cabin in search of Holiday.

The mornings were getting hotter and muggier. Welcome to July in Texas, Kylie thought as she made her way to the office to ask questions.

The frustration buzzing in Kylie’s gut encouraged her to run, but as eager as she was to find answers about the dreams, she was equally uneager to ask the questions. Holiday, with her emotion meter, would probably read what kind of dreams Kylie was talking about.

However, her need for answers obviously weighed in more than her need to avoid embarrassment, because she kept walking.

The moment Kylie stepped onto the office cabin porch, she heard angry voices coming from inside. She stopped by the white rockers where she and Derek had eaten pizza last night and listened. Not to eavesdrop, but to make sure Holiday was okay.

“What the hell is wrong with my money?”
a male voice boomed, and Kylie immediately recognized it as Burnett.

“Nothing is wrong with it,”
Holiday answered.
“I didn’t say I wasn’t
going to accept it. I said give me a few weeks to decide.”

“A few weeks to try to find another investor, you mean. Tell me that
isn’t what you’re doing.”

“Fine,”
Holiday answered back.
“That’s what I’m doing, but—”

“Do you hate me and vampires so much that you’d risk having Shadows Falls shut down?”

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Kylie flinched when she realized she had shifted from concern for Holiday to … eavesdropping. Not wanting to infringe on Holiday’s privacy any more than she already had, Kylie stepped off the porch and moved a good fifteen feet out of hearing range.

“I’m not going to let Shadow Falls close down!”
Holiday’s voice still reached Kylie’s ears. Wincing, Kylie turned and moved another twenty feet back.

“But you won’t deny hating me, will you?”
Burnett snapped.

“Hate is pretty powerful word,”
Holiday said.

Kylie looked at the office in the distance, frowned, and moved another ten feet back.

“Damn it,”
Burnett said, his voice, loud and clear, still reaching Kylie’s ears. It was as if … as if he stood right next to her.

“Not good,” Kylie muttered, realizing she shouldn’t still be able to hear Burnett and Holiday. They were inside. She was outside. And a good—she measured her distance—a good fifty feet from the office.

Oh crappers! Things must be changing … again. Kylie grabbed her boobs to make sure they hadn’t grown another cup size. Thankfully, they felt the same.

“I just want to help,”
Burnett continued, and so did Kylie. She continued to move back. Back. Back. Back far enough so the conversation wouldn’t reach her ears.

“Then help me by trying to understand,”
Holiday countered.

“What the hell am I’m supposed to understand? That you’ll do anything to get rid of me? That’s why you’re doing it, isn’t it?”

“I don’t…”
Holiday’s voice wavered.

“Because you’re afraid if you take my money you’ll have to put up
with me. Are you so attracted to me that it’s that difficult to be around
me? Hell, let’s just have sex and get it out of your system. Maybe then
you can stand being with me!”

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“You are so arrogant,”
Holiday snapped.
“Having sex with you is the
last thing I want.”

“Ahh, finally. Now, I know you’re lying,”
he said.
“You are attracted
to me.”

“La, la, la, la.” Kylie started singing and covered her ears. She didn’t want to hear this. Nope. Not even a little bit. She turned away and started back to the trail that led to her cabin.

Seconds later, she heard a door slam shut. Felt a whish of air. She blinked and when her eyes opened Burnett stood there raking a hand through his hair. “That woman is the most difficult, the most stubborn redhead I’ve ever had the displeasure of meeting.” He shot off, leaving only a blurry streak in his wake.

“And you’re falling in love with her,” Kylie whispered. She didn’t know how she knew it, but she did. And somehow she realized she’d sensed it back at the falls, too. The genuine emotion she’d heard in Burnett’s voice and seen in his eyes had been what encouraged Kylie to tell him the truth about Holiday’s past. Not that it nullified the fact that it wasn’t her place to tell. Still …

Kylie looked back at the office and remembered her questions about her dream, remembered her newly discovered hearing abilities, too. Was this a werewolf talent? She recalled asking Lucas if he could hear her heart beating and he’d told her that weres’ hearing wasn’t really set to do that, but to hear enemies approaching. What kind of hearing ability had Kylie just experienced? Was it werewolf or vampire?

Turning her head to the side, she listened to see what else she could hear. Nothing. Sure, she heard the normal noises, but nothing seemed too loud or out of the ordinary. Della had said she could hear the animals at the wildlife park. Kylie couldn’t hear that. So why had she been able to hear Holiday and Burnett’s fight? What did this mean?

Staring up at the sky soaked with pale early morning colors, she tried to accept all the things about herself that were changing. Problem was, to 203/375

completely understand, she needed to know what the hell she was! With a chest full of emotion, she started walking back to the office, praying Holiday might have the answers.

* * *

“In my office,” Holiday answered.

When Kylie stopped at the door, Holiday swept her palms over her cheeks. She was crying. Or she had been.

Her eyes were still washed with wet sadness, and her face looked red.

Angst and sorrow filled Kylie’s chest. “Are you okay?”

“It’s nothing.” Holiday waved a hand in the air. “Burnett and I just had … words.”

“I know,” Kylie said, deciding the best approach was to come clean. “I heard.”

A frown appeared on Holiday’s lips and Kylie wasn’t sure if it was because she thought Kylie had been intruding or if the expression stemmed from her lingering frustration with Burnett.

“I didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Kylie said quickly. “When I stepped up on the porch and heard arguing, I wanted to see if you were okay, but then I moved off the porch, but I could still … hear. So I moved farther.

And I could still hear.” A little of her panic crept in Kylie’s voice.

Holiday’s frown deepened. “Were we that loud?”

“No. And that’s what’s so freaky. I shouldn’t have been able to hear you. I kept getting farther back and I…” Holiday’s eyes widened. “And you could still hear us? Are you sure we weren’t just loud?”

“Positive,” Kylie said. “I was at the beginning of the trail.”

“Wow,” Holiday said.

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“Yeah, wow!” Kylie dropped down into a chair. Her gaze shifted to the bills strewn out over the desk. Holiday’s emotion and frustration still filled the room. Kylie looked at Holiday. “Are we really in financial trouble?”

Holiday eyed the stacks of bills. “A little bit. But it’ll work out in the wash.”

“Are you going to take Burnett’s money?” Holiday’s eyes tightened in worry. “I will before I let Shadow Falls suffer. But this issue isn’t important right now. You’re important. Are you okay with … this?” She studied Kylie. “I mean your sensitive hearing.”

“Do I have a choice?” Kylie batted back a bad mood. “If I say I’m not okay with it, will it just stop?”

Holiday shot her a sympathetic smile. “I can only guess how hard this must be on you. I mean, I grew up knowing certain things would happen and expecting there to be some surprises, but I’m sure for you, it’s really a shock. These last few weeks have been a real eye-opener for you, haven’t they?”

“Just a little bit,” Kylie said sarcastically, and pushed her palms into her eye sockets. When she looked up, Holiday studied her. “I just want to know what I am. If I knew that, then … I think I could deal with it. I’m so tired of thinking I’m this, and thinking I’m that.” She gripped her hands together. “I’ve been … so moody lately. A real bitch. I grew a cup size, half a shoe size, and added an inch to my height overnight, and now I’m hearing things I shouldn’t be hearing. Do you think this means I’m werewolf?” Holiday chewed on her bottom lip as if considering. “Sensitive hearing is one of the gifts of being werewolf, but it’s also part of being vampire—though I’m told they each have different types of hearing.” Kylie hung on Holiday’s every word, hoping she would tell her something Kylie didn’t know. But some of it she already knew.

“Like I told you,” Holiday continued, “when you mix human with supernaturals, or different species mix, sometimes the offspring are born 205/375

with different abilities, but they always inherit the DNA and the main gifts from the dominant parent. And they fit into one pattern of a species.

I’m sure your pattern will emerge soon. With all the changes happening to you so quickly, it’s bound to become apparent any time.” Kylie struggled to understand. “But you also said if I was werewolf or vampire you thought I’d already have experienced some of the basic transitions.”

“I did say that,” Holiday admitted. “But I also said I’ve never seen a case like yours.”

“I’m just a freak.”

“No. You are unique.”

“I don’t want to be unique.” Kylie sighed. “Do fairies ever have sensitive hearing?” She looked at Holiday.

A smile whispered across Holiday’s lips. “Not commonly.” She continued to study Kylie as if reading her disappointment. “You want to be fairy?”

“Yeah. I mean, if I have a choice, I’d go with that or a witch. Something that doesn’t … you know … change me or my body temperature.” Kylie thought of Della and how she’d feel if she knew Kylie felt this way.

“Am I terrible for wanting that?” Kylie asked. “I love Della and I don’t want to hurt her feelings, but I just … I’d rather be witch or fairy. I mean, most of the gifts they get are not so complicated, not so hard to live with.” Holiday chuckled. “Are you forgetting about the ghosts? That’s mainly seen in fairies or elves. And believe me, most supernaturals would die before wanting to deal with spirits.”