Chosen at Nightfall (A Shadow Falls Novel) (42 page)

“Yeah, I am,” he said. They grew quiet. “I’ve been practicing what I’m going to say.”

She looked at him. “Say to who?”

“The elder I’m hoping to get the meeting with.”

She smiled. “That’s good.”

“I’m going to be accepted. Because if that’s what it takes to get you back, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

She swallowed. “No, you do it because that’s your quest.”

“That, too,” he said. He reached out and brushed a strand of hair from her cheek. “But lately, I think you’re my quest.”

He moved in and slipped his hands around her waist.

She put her hand on his chest, felt his were heat, felt the thumping of his heart.

He leaned down and kissed her. She knew she shouldn’t let it happen, but she wanted it, needed it. His taste and the wet slip of his tongue moving across her lips was heaven, but the kind of heaven one found in life and not in death.

And she wanted to choose life. Hoped it would be so.

She heard the humming coming from him instantly, and it would be so easy to let it lure her in.

He ended the kiss, smiled down at her, and exhaled. “I’d better go before I can’t leave.”

She watched him go and then looked up at the dark pink sky, and hoped with everything she had that she wasn’t taken from this world until she had experienced life. And she truly hoped that Lucas was part of that life.

*   *   *

That night, after listening to Della and Miranda bicker for the last two hours, Kylie darted out of the bathroom, wearing a towel, and headed to her bedroom. She barely got two steps when Della shot in front of her.

“No. Solve it yourself!” Kylie snapped, certain that was what Della wanted. “I’m tired of being the referee!”

Della paused, smiled in an evil little way, and then said, “Never mind.”

Skirting around Della, Kylie shut her bedroom door with just a touch of attitude. She tossed her towel on her dresser and turned to the bed where she’d left her PJs. Only it wasn’t just her PJs on the bed anymore.

Lucas, eyes wide, sat on the foot of her bed, about four feet from where she stood completely naked.

She squealed.

He laughed.

She dashed for the towel.

Once she had it around her, she glared from a still grinning Lucas to the door. “I’m killing Della!”

He laughed again. “I’m afraid I might have to protect her for this one.”

“I tried to tell you,” Della called out, laughing, and Miranda laughed with her.

Kylie’s fury faded to embarrassment, then when she saw the sexy way Lucas looked at her, her emotions changed into something else.

He stood up and started walking toward her. “You are so damn beautiful.”

She tightened her hold on the towel.

He stopped about a foot from her. “I just came to tell you that I got a call from my grandmother. The elder has agreed to meet with me.”

Kylie smiled. “That’s great.”

His gaze traveled up and down her towel-clad body. “I don’t suppose I could get another peek of what’s under that piece of cotton, could I?”

She cut her eyes at him.

“I don’t want to be too presumptuous, but you do know that sooner or later I’m probably going to get to see it all anyway.”

“I know,” she said, and she was actually looking forward to it. Just not with her two roommates listening in.

His smile widened. “Okay, so just a kiss good-bye.”

She nodded. He moved in. In less than two minutes he’d left. The kiss was hot, wet, and toe curling. He’d run his hand inside her towel and touched her bare back.

Fifteen minutes later, she was still only wearing the towel, staring up at the ceiling in a happy haze, when her phone rang.

She snatched it up, thinking it would be Lucas. “I don’t know why you left in such a hurry,” she teased. But she had known, he’d wanted her.

“Uh, I didn’t leave. This is Sara?”

“Oh. I thought you were…”

“You thought I was who? Or should I say which one.”

Kylie blushed and decided to just come clean. “I thought you were Lucas.”

There was silence for a second and then Sara asked, “Can I ask you something?”

What was it with Sara wanting her to lose her virginity? “Sure, ask away.” At least this time, Kylie could tell her that it would probably be happening soon.

“Do you consider you and Trey completely done with? Like … last year’s news? Or is there a chance you two might—”

“It’s so over.” Kylie gripped the phone tighter. “Look, if he’s trying to get you to talk to me, it’s not going to work.”

“No. It’s not … that. It’s … Where do you stand on friends dating another friend’s old boyfriend?”

Kylie stared at the ceiling and tried to wrap her head around this. “Wow. Uh. Well, I would tell this friend to be careful because Trey has a few flaws.”

Sara sighed. “I know, but … he’s sort of been there for me during the whole cancer thing, and you know … some people deserve a second chance. I got one. Maybe Trey deserves one.”

Kylie heard something in Sara’s voice she liked. She heard the old Sara. Kylie smiled. “You’re right. Everybody deserves a second chance. And when I think about it, until he got all sex crazed, he was a pretty good guy.”

“So you really wouldn’t object?” Sara asked, sounding unsure.

“No, I give you my blessing. I’ll sing at your wedding.”

“Please.” Sara chuckled. “I’m probably one of the few people who knows you can’t sing worth a damn. Remember in the sixth grade when our moms made us try out for the play? And you had to sing. You got out a couple of words and then you puked on the stage.”

They both laughed. And Kylie accepted that while she and Sara would probably never be as close as they once were, Sara was a part of her life that Kylie would forever cherish.

When the laughter stopped, Sara cleared her throat. “So, when are you going to come clean about healing me?”

Kylie tried to think how to say it. “You know what, Sara? If you want to believe I healed you, then believe it. But I wouldn’t tell a lot of people. They’ll think you’re crazy.”

*   *   *

Thursday night Kylie practiced with Lucinda. The last three days had passed without major chaos. Steve and Della were actually speaking. Kylie couldn’t swear on it, but she’d bet the vamp and Steve were seeing each other on the side.

Jenny was adapting, though she still had issues with everyone staring. While Hayden didn’t like it, she and Derek were hanging out a lot. Derek had even come to see Kylie and basically told her he had feelings for the chameleon.

At first, Kylie thought he was there to make sure Kylie didn’t want a second chance with him before he moved on, but then she realized what he’d really come for. He wanted relationship advice. She gave it to him, too. “Just be yourself, Derek. You’re a hell of a catch and she’s gonna love you.”

Holiday had gone to the doctor and found out she was farther along than she’d thought. For that reason, she decided to move the wedding up to this weekend. It wasn’t going to be a big event. Just Holiday’s immediate family, the students, and a few of Burnett’s FRU coworkers.

Della, Kylie, and Miranda all helped Holiday pick out her wedding dress from the Internet. They had laughed, stayed up way too late talking, munching on junk food, and trying to come up with names for Holiday’s baby. She really didn’t want to name it Burnett Bankhead James Jr., and nobody could blame her.

Kylie and Lucas met every morning before he took off to spend his time with the elder. The man had not only listened to Lucas, but had agreed to help him polish his case to the Council that he was supposed to present next week. So far, the old man kept Lucas busy every day debating and listening to all of Lucas’s arguments and helping him with his points he needed to make. Which was great, but other than those short practices, she hadn’t seen Lucas and she missed him something terribly.

What made it worse was that he hadn’t touched or kissed her since the night he’d seen her naked. She knew why. The closer it came to the full moon, the less willpower he had. She noticed the change in him, too, body and mind. His body had grown buffer, the muscles in his arms more pronounced. She sensed his lack of patience. Not that he once got abrupt with her; she just sensed it, how he held himself, how he walked and talked.

Their sparring matches had grown more intense. Not that those scared her anymore. Her nightly practices with the spirit prepared her. The red marks where the spirit’s sword touched her gown had lessened tremendously. The open wounds the spirit wore from Kylie’s sword had increased.

“I think I’m done,” Kylie said, looking away from the wound she’d just caused Lucinda.

You’re getting better.

“I’d practice more if I didn’t have to see you bleed.”

It needs to feel real,
Lucinda said.

“It already does,” Kylie answered. She watched Lucinda check her wounds. “Do you think I have what it takes to fight Mario, to win?”

With the death angels’ help, maybe. Without them, you don’t stand a chance.

“Gosh, you know how to boost someone’s confidence,” she said.

I’ve only seen one person able to take him. His own son.

Kylie remembered the story Derek had told about him disappearing. “Whatever happened to him?”

I don’t know. I hope he’s rotting in hell. But chances are he is still alive.
Her gaze met Kylie’s.
It’s always the good that die young.

“Then maybe I should run out and do something bad,” Kylie said, half teasing.

You couldn’t. Good is bred into you. Sort of the way my husband’s evilness was bred into him. Only because of you was my son saved.

“No, it’s because of him that I was saved.”

You see, that’s part of your goodness. You won’t even take credit.

Kylie pushed that thought away. “Was he behind your murder? Your husband?”

No, but he allowed it. And he allowed his father to take our son. To raise him to be evil. Crazy thing was, my husband hated his father, but envied everything he had.
She looked over her shoulder as if she heard something or someone. Then she disappeared.

Kylie went to her room and grabbed her nightshirt, then headed for the shower. Sweat ran from the back of her neck down her back. Even with the spirit’s cold, she always worked up a sweat.

Turing the water on to lukewarm, she dropped her clothes on the floor and stepped into the shower. Closing her eyes, the warm rush of water hit her skin and she waited for it to soothe the muscles she’d overworked during practice.

The sudden change of temperature had her eyes popping open. Her breath hitched. She stared at the shower wall. The cold sent goose bumps racing across her naked body. A thick steam billowed up around her.

She wasn’t alone. Someone was in the shower with her. And it was a different cold. One she hadn’t felt before.

Can’t avoid me this time, can you?
The voice, a voice she didn’t recognize, came behind her.

Chapter Forty

Kylie turned, hiding what she could of her most embarrassing parts with her hands. The steam was so thick she could barely make out the figure. But a vague outline of a body stood behind the curtain of vapor.

All the scary tunes of horror movies with deadly shower scenes played in her head, but more than afraid, she was furious. Didn’t ghosts have any sense of privacy?

“I’m in the shower!” Kylie demanded. “Couldn’t this wait?”

No, it can not
, the voice said.
He is about to find me and it is going to hurt him so badly. He does not need to be alone.

The properness of the voice tickled some memory. Kylie knew this person, but from where?

No longer caring about her nudity, Kylie waved a hand through the air, the steam smearing like condensation on a mirror. When she saw who stood in the shower with her, her heart clutched. Not from fear, but from grief. And not for the woman who stood before her, but for her grandson—Lucas.

He’s on his way to check on me now. Hurry. He can’t be alone.

Kylie jumped out of the shower and ran to get dressed. As she fought to put clothes on her shower-wet body, her heart ached for Lucas, of how he would feel finding his grandmother’s body. “Where do you live? Wait? Doesn’t Burnett know?”

The vampire? Is this the person you imply?

“Yes,” Kylie said, wishing that it didn’t take so damn long to speak in a proper tone.

She nodded.
Yes, he’s been there.

“Della!” Kylie called out the girl’s name.

There’s a letter in my desk drawer that he needs to read. Make sure he gets it.

Della came running into the room in a flash. “What?”

He was right, you know.

“Who was right?” Kylie asked the spirit, ignoring the panicking vampire standing in her Mickey Mouse pajamas.

You are part of his quest, and he yours. I see things clearer up here. You see, you have been a part of each other’s quests since you met all those years ago. You are the reason he will complete his life’s mission and he will be there to save you when you need help to complete yours. But go now. Go help him.

“Is this a vision?” Della asked, staring at Kylie with uncertainty.

“Let’s go!” Kylie shot out of the cabin. She was almost to Holiday’s before she realized she was flying and that she must have turned herself into a vampire.

“I hope we’re going to a pajama party,” Della said in her sassy voice.

“Gotta get Burnett,” Kylie answered as a few hot tears trickled down her cheek.

They landed with a thud on Holiday’s porch and hadn’t taken one step when Burnett yanked open the door while still zipping up his jeans. “What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Do you know where Lucas’s grandmother lives?”

He looked confused, his eyes still dazed with sleep. “Yes. Lucas called about ten minutes ago, he was going to check on her.”

“We need to get there.”

“Why?” Burnett asked.

“She’s dead,” Kylie blurted out as more tears filled her eyes. “He doesn’t need to be the one to find her.”