Chosen at Nightfall (A Shadow Falls Novel) (34 page)

“No. It went away.”

Her mom leaned in. “You sure?”

“Positive.” Kylie dropped in a chair and prayed this wasn’t a premonition of how this meeting would go.

*   *   *

Forty-five minutes later, Kylie, John, and her mom still sat at the table chatting. Well, Kylie did very little chatting, while her mom and John never stopped. They talked about her mom’s new job that she’d be taking in two weeks and they talked about England.

“Oh, I brought you something.” Her mom pulled a bag from her purse. “I know how you like T-shirts,” she said.

Kylie couldn’t help but think,
My mom went to England and all I got was a T-shirt,
but she smiled and pulled it out of the bag and then chuckled when she read the script across the front:
My mom went to England and all I got was this T-shirt.

“Perfect,” Kylie said, and loved that it was pink.

“I also got you this.” Her mom pulled out a small white box.

The charm bracelet caught the light and sparkled, almost magically, when Kylie opened the box. Her heart skipped a beat when she saw the charms. A sword that looked very much like a crusader sword, a cross that looked too damn close to the one on the sword, and a Joan of Arc emblem.

“I bought it at one of the castles and it didn’t have a wide selection of charms, but … for some odd reason I felt compelled to pick those out. I hope you don’t think they’re stupid.”

Define “some” reason, Kylie wanted to ask, but she didn’t. “No. I like them. Thank you.” A certain familiar chill fell on her like a light rain.

Daniel was there? Had her dad led her mom to buy these charms? She glanced around hoping to see him, but he didn’t materialize.

Soon, Kylie. Soon.
The words echoed in her head, fear filled her heart.

I miss you,
Kylie said in her mind.
I don’t know if I’m ready to die, but I do miss you.

Footsteps echoed in the room, and Kylie noticed the other parents leaving.

Her mom looked around. “These visits fly by. I should run to the girls’ room before we leave.” Her mom popped up and hurried off.

Kylie was about to stand to follow her mom when John rested his hand on hers. The feel of his palm sent a shiver down her spine. It wasn’t cold or hot. Just emotionally wrong. She pulled her hand away.

“I was hoping to get a chance to speak to you,” he said.

And I was hoping you wouldn’t.
She glanced toward the restroom. “I think I’ll—”

“Is there a reason you don’t like me, Kylie?”

She looked at him. Decisions, decisions. Was she going to be diplomatic, or honest?

Who was it that said honesty was the best policy?
She couldn’t remember, but she decided they were brilliant.

Chapter Thirty-two

“Let’s see,” Kylie said, not skipping a beat. “Let’s begin with the fact that you started a fight in front of my whole school with my stepdad.”

John squared his shoulders, almost defensively. “He’s the one who hit me.”

“After you insulted me and charged at him. And you also stuck your tongue down my mama’s throat in front of all the students and their parents. Would you like me to continue? I think I could come up with more really quick.”

Anger filled his eyes, but he seemed to rein it in. “You don’t hold back, do you?”

She sent him her swallowed-a-mosquito smile. “That
was
holding back.”

“You are such a joy to speak with,” he said. “However, the problem is that your mom really likes me and I her. I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that it would be helpful if we could get along.”

Kylie leaned in. “I don’t think I’m going out on a limb to say that you haven’t known my mom long enough to be saying this to me.”

Kylie could swear his eyes brightened. A nonhuman kind of bright. She tightened her brows to check his pattern.

What was this man?

His human pattern appeared clearly. Not that he couldn’t still be a chameleon, but …

Anger filled his gray eyes. “This could end up
hurting
your mom.” His words came out so cold, so … threatening that Kylie’s protective instinct buzzed.

“What do you mean?” She curled her hands into fists.

He glanced away as if to calm himself. When he looked back his eyes were normal. “Just that problems between us would hurt your mom.”

She stared him right in the eyes. And God help her, but she sensed he was lying, that his words
had
been a threat. She tried to calm the buzzing in her veins down, but it continued. Over John’s shoulder she saw her mom step out of the restroom.

She leaned across the table and whispered to John, “If anyone dares hurt my mom, they will die regretting it.”

Right then, Kylie knew two things: she did have the ability to become a holy warrior. Because if John laid one finger on her mom, she could, and would, kill him with no regrets. And secondly, she simply couldn’t die, not right now. Not if it meant leaving her mom with this asshole.

“Is everything okay?” Her mom stepped up to the table, obviously picking up on the tension.

Kylie waited to see how John decided to play this.

“It’s fine,” John said. “We were just talking.” He stood up. “I guess it’s time to go.” They started walking, but the fear for her mom built higher with each step. Kylie couldn’t let her mom leave with this man—not without a warning.

She reached for her mom’s arm. “There’s someone I want you to meet.”

John turned.

“Can you give us a minute?” Kylie sent John a look that dared him to intervene.

He hesitated but then said, “I’ll wait by the car.”

Kylie watched him walk out, wishing he’d keep walking right out of her mother’s life.

Her mom looked around. “Who do you want me to meet?”

“Mom, I know you’re not going to like what I have to say, but John scares me. I’m worried about your safety.”

“Scares you?” her mom asked. “I don’t understand. What has he done?”

“I don’t trust him. He gives me the creeps. And I’m a good judge of character.”

Hurt flashed in her mom’s eyes. “So am I, young lady. Sorry you don’t like him, but I do.”

The hurt in her mom’s eyes vibrated in Kylie’s chest. “I just want you to be careful and not let this thing move too fast.”

Her mom scowled. “This is because you want me and your dad to get back together.”

“First,” Kylie said, now feeling annoyed, “Tom’s my stepdad. Second, yes, I did want you to get back together, but this isn’t about that.”

“It has to be, young lady, because John is the sweetest man I know.” She leaned in and kissed Kylie’s cheek. “Now, please accept the fact that your stepdad and I are not getting back together.” She left. Kylie stayed, fearing what she might say to John if she had to face him again at the car.

“Are you okay?” The masculine voice came near her ear.

Kylie’s first thought was that it was Derek. He always knew when she was in emotional trauma. But she quickly recognized the deep, sexy voice. The voice of the person whom for the last week she’d tried to beat to smithereens with a wooden sword.

She turned around. “Yes.” Then her pent-up anger crowded her chest and she knew what would help. “Do you want to go practice?”

“Now?” Lucas asked.

“I need to burn off some aggression.”

“On me?” He half smiled.

“Not … Do you want to practice or not?” she snapped, in no mood for humor. Face it, someone had sent her a sword to learn to fight—and if they expected her to fight, then they obviously meant for her to stay alive. And she planned to stay alive to protect her mom from creeps like John.

Yup, staying alive sounded like a good idea.

“Sure.” His blue eyes filled with concern. “Let me tell Burnett.” His gaze didn’t move from her face. “What happened?”

“I don’t want to talk,” she said. “I want to fight.”

*   *   *

Thirty minutes later, Kylie had already broken one sword without Lucas having said anything about loving her, how beautiful she was, or about them making out in the grass.

He made her go through some stretching exercises, insisting he could see the tension rolling off of her. It wasn’t rolling off of her, it was rolling around inside of her. Fear for her mom’s safety chopped away at her sanity, fear for Lucas and what would happen to him if the pack completely turned against him ate at her peace of mind.

“You still don’t want to talk?” he asked as their swords banged against each other.

Yes, but I just don’t know what to say.
“No,” she lied, changing her stance and managing to get her sword past his, and then tapped the tip against his chest.

“You are getting good.” He stared down at the sword pointing at his heart.

She pulled back to let him get his footing. In a few seconds, they were back to sparring when she felt the cold wash over her.

Too good. The student is besting the teacher. You need a new teacher.

Kylie glanced at the ghost standing there with her sword.
Who else can teach me?

Me, of course. But no pansy stuff fighting with wooden swords. You must learn to fight with a real weapon.

Kylie’s heart raced, remembering her main fear.
Am I going to die?

The ghost sighed.
That is up to you.

How sad was it that she preferred to take the word of a murdering spirit than that of her father? But the fact remained that she wanted to live.

“You ready?” Lucas asked.

Kylie faced him. “One second.” She looked back to the spirit.
Do you know my father?

Her question left her lips at the same time the spirit vanished.

Facing Lucas again, Kylie held up her sword and the sparring resumed.

“Do I need to teach him a lesson?” Lucas asked as his sword clashed again hers.

“Who?” she asked.

“Your mom’s boyfriend.” Lucas blocked her sword.

“No, I need to stop him,” she said. If she didn’t die first.

Then she felt a fire burn in her belly. She wasn’t going to die. She was going to fight and win. And Lucas had to do the same, she realized.

“You’re getting gutsy,” Lucas said, but suddenly she lost her focus and his sword got around her and tapped her shoulder.

Kylie looked at the sword’s point. “That wasn’t a death blow. You can’t count that as a win.”

“No, but you’d be bleeding so badly that you wouldn’t last much longer.”

“Fine. Count it.” She stepped back and prepared to start again.

This time she was more careful, blocking him blow for blow. Sweat poured down her brow. Her muscles ached, her heart ached. She opened her mouth to say something about his new moves. But something completely different came out.

“You should have told me about Monique,” she said, not realizing what she meant to say. The sound of wood being slammed together filled the air like thunder. “If I had known…” What would she have done? Was there any chance in hell that she would have said it was okay? Probably not, but perhaps she wouldn’t have felt so betrayed. Maybe she wouldn’t have lumped him together with all the other betrayals of her past.

“You wouldn’t have accepted it,” he finished for her. It was the truth. He started those fancy foot moves around her again. “And you would have been right not to accept it. It was a bad judgment call on my part.”

“Bad for us, yes. But maybe it was the right call for you,” she said. “You have too much to lose, Lucas.”

“I have you to lose!” Their swords slammed together; the loud noise crackled in the air.

They backed away from each other. “I told you that we’re over. Find Monique, tell her you’ll marry her.”

“I am not marrying her. I never planned to.”

“Then go back to your original plan, say you’ll do it, get on the Council, and then back out.”

“No. It was a bad plan then and it would be a bad plan now.”

She breathed in and caught the air in her lungs. “Everyone blames me for ruining your dreams,” she said.
And someday you will, too—if I live.
And that was what hurt the most right now. Not dying. But the fact that forgiving him seemed easy compared to accepting that he would one day resent her. Resent the choice he’d made.

He lifted his sword to start sparring again. She went along with it because just looking at him hurt too much.

He started talking as he moved. “Anyone who blames you is a fool. I was the one who chose not to sign the betrothal agreement. Not you.” The swords hit again.

“Your sister believes it. Even your grandmother believes it. I saw it in her eyes today when she started to come over to talk to me.”

“My sister is stupid. I love my grandmother,” he said, and the sound of his sword slicing through air sent a chill down Kylie’s back. “But that doesn’t make her right. She follows a lot of the beliefs of the elders.”

“Your pack is turning away from you. I saw that.” Her throat tightened again. “You can’t lose them, Lucas. You’ve told me a thousand times how important they are to you.”

“But you are more important to me,” he said. “I can’t lose you.”

“You’ve already lost me!” she seethed, and blocked his sword again. She couldn’t let him do this. She couldn’t let him sacrifice everything he had wanted. She couldn’t watch him grow to hate her someday.

He pulled back. She expected him to come to the left, but he came to the right, and she failed to block him. He placed his sword right over her heart.

This one was a death blow.

“No.” He purposely tapped his sword to her chest. “Your heart belongs to me. Don’t ever forget that.”

She stumbled back, anger vibrating through her. Anger, not so much at him, but at knowing how much he could lose. She slung the sword down and turned around and stared at the water, her throat knotting, her vision becoming blurry.

He came up behind her—not touching her, as if he knew she wouldn’t allow it.

Instead, he stood so close his words brushed against her cheek and sent shivers of regret down her spine. “I became blinded by what I thought I needed to do. I was wrong. I was stupid. But not for one minute did I ever stop loving you. And that’s why I deserve to be forgiven.”