Awake at Dawn (31 page)

But I’m not confused about what I feel about you. I care about you. A lot.

When I’m with you, I feel safe and when you kiss me I feel everything.

Everything looks so beautiful and … and I don’t even care if you’re doing it anymore. I just want that feeling, okay? I want to go out with you.”

“If you’d really wanted that, you’d have said something earlier.” 257/375

“I did want to, I was … just confused. Like you said.”

“Because of Lucas?”

“No.” She offered him the answer she’d offered herself. “Because I’m still trying to figure out what I am.”

“But I told you that what you are isn’t important.”

“It is to me,” she said. But deep down, deeper than she wanted to look, she knew what he said was true. Not knowing what she was, was only part of the reason she hadn’t agreed to go out with him earlier. The other part was Lucas.

But that didn’t change how she felt about Derek, she insisted to herself. It was just like Holiday’s aunt Stella. She might feel an attraction for Lucas, but she wouldn’t act on it. She tried again to take his hand, but he wouldn’t let her.

“You have to decide, Kylie, because I can’t stand living in this limbo. I have too much limbo in my life with my father and I just can’t deal with it anymore.”

“I’ve already decided,” she said. “It’s you. I was going to tell you yesterday and then … everything happened.” He stepped closer and her heart sighed with relief. She leaned in for a kiss. She wanted him to kiss her so badly; she wanted to make him see how much she cared about him.

He touched her cheek. “Until you’re sure about what you feel about him, then you can’t trust how you feel about me.”

“That’s not true.” She tried to kiss him, but he put a finger over her lips, stopping her.

“No. No more. Until you’ve made up your mind, we’re just friends.

Just friends.” Pain and hurt echoed in his voice and took a flying leap, landing right in her heart.

She didn’t want to just be his friend. She wanted more. “Please don’t do this, Derek. I never meant—”

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He put his finger over her lips again. “I know you didn’t mean to hurt me, Kylie. But it does hurt. I feel … everything. That’s what makes this so hard.” He took a step back. “I’d better go.” Pain welled up inside her. Tears filled her eyes. She was going to lose him. She knew it as well as she knew her own name.

He got to her bedroom door and turned back. “As your friend, I’m telling you this. Fredericka is back. She wants to hurt you. And I don’t think she’ll stop with just telling me about the letters. Be careful. Especially until after tonight. Weres are hyper-aggressive before they turn.” Kylie felt her own aggression boil up inside her and she swiped at the tears sliding down her face. Until he mentioned it, she hadn’t stopped to guess how he knew about the letters Lucas had sent her. And now that she knew, she didn’t like it one iota. Fredericka had told Derek about the letters.

And in doing so, she hadn’t just hurt Kylie, she’d also hurt Derek.

Kylie closed her hand into a fist. “Don’t worry,” she said. “I’m not as helpless as I used to be.”

“Helpless, no,” he said. “But she’s got meanness on you hands down.

You don’t want to tangle with her.”

* * *

An hour later, heart still breaking, Kylie checked her e-mail and found her mother had finally sent her the scan of Daniel’s obituary. Maybe her emotions were already primed and ready to go because of her already sucky day, but when she read about her father’s death, Kylie dropped her head on the desk and wept. She wept for Derek and she wept for Daniel.

She recalled the dream/vision she’d had about his death. He’d been leaving a war-torn village and had returned to save a woman from some insurgents. He had not only given his life for his country, he had given it to save a stranger.

“I love you, Daniel.” She wished he would drop in for a visit.

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She noted his parents’ names and that they lived in some place called Gladlock, Texas. A search on the Internet showed it was a small city about seventy-five miles outside of Dallas. With her heart still hurting, she did a search for a phone number for Kent B. Brighten. The computer hadn’t completed the search when the door to the cabin swung open.

Kylie glanced up, expecting to see Miranda or Della. But nope. Fredericka had come a’calling. And she’d bypassed the proper etiquette of knocking before entering, too.

Chapter Twenty-five

“Well, if it isn’t the ghost girl.” Fredericka’s smartass tone hit Kylie the wrong way.

“She’s got meanness on you hands down. You don’t want to tangle
with her.”
Derek’s words rang in Kylie’s head.

Okay, so Derek was right. She didn’t want to tangle with Fredericka, but Kylie wasn’t sure she had an option now considering the werewolf stood less than six feet away. Kylie had no way out. Too late to run and hide under the bed.

Kylie stood, staring at the girl’s dark eyes and hoping the she-wolf wouldn’t see Kylie’s streak of insecurity.

Yesterday with Selynn, Kylie hadn’t felt fear. Nope. She’d been acting on instinct to protect her mother. Now the only one needing protection was Kylie herself; the kick-ass instinct had a taken mini-vacation.

“Gosh, I didn’t hear you knock.” Kylie tried to imitate Fredericka’s curt tone and defensive posture, hoping to bluff her way through this.

The glimmer of a smile danced over Fredericka’s lips as if Kylie’s bluff had fallen short.

“I thought it best if we got this little talk over with.” Fredericka glanced around the cabin as if taking in the furnishings. Not that it was much to look at or different from the other cabins. The overstuffed brown sofa was paired with an overstuffed gold chair that almost matched.

Kylie’s mom had brought her a few throw pillows that added splashes of color to the room. The end tables had utilitarian lamps with plain white shades, and Miranda had added a few crystals around the room.

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Behind Fredericka, Kylie saw Socks freeze in a panic at seeing a stranger in the cabin, and the skunk unfroze long enough to bury himself under a red and gold sofa pillow.

Kylie didn’t blame him, either.

“What talk is that?” she asked. “The one where I explain it’s rude to walk into someone’s home without knocking?” Her snarky comment might set Fredericka off, but Kylie sensed this was a test, and to show fear felt more dangerous than provoking the she-wolf.

Fredericka released a low growl, and her eyes brightened. When her uninvited guest’s gaze shifted up and down Kylie’s stance, it took everything Kylie had not to crawl under the pillow with Socks.

Fredericka’s brows twitched. Kylie, never prouder of her new talent, twitched back. The she-wolf’s pattern looked much like those of the other weres she’d noted at the river yesterday, but the darkened edges appeared ominous. Did that mean anything? Kylie really needed to sign up for Brain Pattern Reading 101.

“I hear you might be one of my own kind.” Fredericka’s eyes tightened.

The idea of sharing a bloodline with this bully made Kylie feel sick.

Her gaze went back to the trembling pillow on the sofa. She recalled what Holiday had said about her not being were because felines had an abhor-rence of werewolves. Kylie hoped Holiday was right about that. Even drinking blood for the rest of her life felt like a better option than bring a were.

Kylie held her defensive stance. “I wouldn’t believe everything you hear.”

“And if I were you, I wouldn’t forget that if you do turn, we’ll likely meet. And on full moons the emotions are always generally out of control, resulting in high casualty rates.”

“Then I’m sure you will be watching your back,” Kylie said, really bluffing now.

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Fredericka’s brows pinched. “Especially when a female feels another is making advances toward her mate.”

“So, you still having a hard time holding on to your man?” Kylie fought back her fear.

The gold in Fredericka’s eyes grew brighter. “What’s that smell?” Fredericka held her nose up in the air.

Kylie didn’t dare glance at the pillow hiding Socks. “Wouldn’t know, but if it’s offensive, the door is right behind you.”

“It smells sort of like … I don’t know, lion, maybe?” Fredericka’s left eyebrow arched.

Kylie didn’t blink. “I knew you did it.”

“Did what?” Fredericka’s smile turned into more of a smirk. Then she shifted back a couple of steps and dropped down on the sofa with an ex-aggerated plop, as if she planned on hanging around a while.

The sound of the sofa giving up air was quickly followed by a half-hiss and half-meow. The pillow fell away and a black and white tail sprang up into the air. Fredericka turned just in time to take the full spray directly in the face.

Twenty feet away, the stench had Kylie covering her nose, but she couldn’t stop smiling.

The she-wolf screamed and dove at the animal. While Socks had gotten in touch with his skunk side, he obviously hadn’t forgotten his feline roots. He flew off the sofa in full frightened-cat mode. His ascent into midair sent the lamp on the end table crashing to the floor.

Wiping her eyes with her palms and howling, Fredericka shot off the sofa after Socks. Socks, now perched on top of the overstuffed chair, reacted accordingly and flew in midair, bouncing off the walls as he ran for his life.

The thought of what the she-wolf would do to her kitten had Kylie giving chase. Wooden chairs cracked against the floor, the microwave flew across the room, the computer desk nearly fell over, and a few dishes left 263/375

on the counter shattered beside the chairs. Everything spun in circles with one kitten-turned-skunk, one she-wolf, and one unidentifiable supernatural chasing each other around the living room/kitchen, each with their own agenda.

Socks to live.

Fredericka to kill.

Kylie to protect.

Unfortunately, Socks was no match for the angry she-wolf, and in seconds Fredericka had Socks cornered by the refrigerator. A loud roar filled the cabin. A wash of adrenaline shot through Kylie as Fredericka dove for the poor animal.

Just before Fredericka latched her paws on to Socks, Kylie latched on to the girl’s forearms. Picking her up in the air, she hauled the struggling Fredericka over to the front door and tossed her out.

She landed about eight feet from the porch with a loud thud. Her eyes, now a bright gold, stared up in horror at Kylie. The she-wolf rose off the ground on all fours, her knees bent, shifting back and forth, as if revving up to pounce again.

Kylie didn’t flinch.

She breathed in.

She breathed out.

She welcomed another round.

“You bitch!” Fredericka growled, and tossed her head back.

“You hurt my cat and you’ll see how big of a bitch I can be!” Kylie voice sounded as animal-like as the she-wolf’s. Then, suddenly frightened, not of Fredericka, but at what Kylie would do if the girl came at her again, she stepped back and slammed the front door. The whole cabin shook from the impact. And right then a cold presence filled the room.

Company.

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Great. The cabin smelled of skunk, she had a majorly pissed-off she-wolf outside, and
now
the spirit wanted to drop by.

* * *

Five minutes later, Kylie still stood with her back to the refrigerator, breathing through her mouth so she wouldn’t gag at the pungent odor, and trying to calm herself and a very scared skunk-kitten. Socks, seconds after Kylie had come inside, had climbed up her leg, cuddled into her arms, and buried its little pointed nose in her armpit. Kylie wondered if the nose in the armpit wasn’t so much his need to escape the smell as it was to hide.

The ghost paced the tiny living room as though she was trying to think. Kylie watched the spirit walk in circles before realizing the ghost’s wardrobe.

“Why are you wearing a hospital gown?” Kylie asked, but the spirit didn’t answer. And when the ghost faded, relief flowed over Kylie. She closed her eyes and tried to recall the calm she’d gathered at the falls about the whole “Someone you love is dying” situation.

Then the door to the cabin swung open. Thinking it could be Fredericka again, Kylie tensed and then un-tensed when she saw Holiday and Miranda.

“Are you okay?” Holiday asked.

Kylie nodded and Socks, hearing more commotion, snuggled tighter into Kylie’s armpit. Miranda and Holiday both covered their noses and their wide-eyed gazes moved around the ransacked cabin.

“What happened?” Holiday asked.

Fredericka happened,
Kylie almost answered, but then bit back the words. She’d never been much of a tattler and didn’t want to start now.

“Socks got startled.” It wasn’t altogether a lie.

Holiday, her hand still plastered over her nose, squinted at Kylie. “I know Fredericka was here.” Her voice came out muffled behind her palm.

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“She told you?” Kylie asked.

“Didn’t have to,” Miranda piped in. “We smelled her when she walked past the office.”

“What happened?” Holiday repeated her question from behind her fingers.

Miranda took a step closer. “She was spitting mad,” Miranda broke in again, humor in her voice. “Seriously spitting. Did Socks get her in the face?” The witch laughed and wrinkled her nose at the smell again and waved her hands around the air as if to perform a bit of magic.

Kylie’s next intake of air didn’t include the skunk stench. “Thanks,” she said to Miranda, surprised that her roommate had removed the smell without any goofs.

“Welcome,” Miranda said with a sense of pride. “Odor removal is a piece of cake. Learned in the potty-training stage.” Holiday dropped her hand. “Miranda, can I have a minute alone with Kylie?”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “Why is it that everyone is always sending me away?” She stomped off into her bedroom, but flashed Kylie a smile before shutting the door.

Holiday met Kylie’s gaze. “Now, what happened?”
Fredericka just stopped by to remind me that she tried to kill me once
by putting a lion in my room and once might not be enough for her.

When Kylie didn’t answer, Holiday studied Kylie suspiciously. “My job here is to show everyone that we can all get along without incident.” She sighed. “I agreed to her coming back because … I know she doesn’t have anywhere else to go. I’m afraid she’d be pulled into a gang, but if she’s starting trouble, Kylie, I’ll show her the gate.” Kylie knew Holiday meant what she said and she appreciated her loyalty to no end. While the temptation to tell the truth bubbled up inside Kylie, her own sense of loyalty bit down. She knew how important it was 266/375