Whispers at Moonrise (8 page)

Steve finally cratered. “I think next Monday.”

“Were there any other teachers there?” Kylie looked at Della to answer.

“Yeah,” Della added. “A Hayden Yates. He’s half vampire, half fae. I think he’s going to teach science. He seems okay.”

“And?” Steve asked, his tone deeper, even if it was just above a whisper.

“And what?” Della asked.

He stiffened his shoulders. Which Kylie had to admit were pretty broad. The guy was cute. Why wasn’t Della at least being nice?

“Why do you like Mr. Yates?” Steve asked. “His sexy body, or do you pretend it’s his mind?”

Damn, Kylie thought. These two were as bad as Della and Miranda. Or Burnett and Holiday.

Della scowled at Steve and then looked at Kylie. “I’m out of here.”

Embarrassed, Kylie looked at Steve. “Thanks. Can you tell Lucas that I came by?”

“You could probably find him.” Steve stood up. “I think they were going down to the clearing by the stream.”

“Oh,” Kylie said, and took off after Della. Kylie’s chest pinched with jealousy as she remembered her and Lucas going to the stream. She was so fixated on trying not to feel the green emotion ping-ponging in her heart, she hadn’t realized they were heading the wrong way.

“Where are we going?” Kylie asked.

Della glared at her. “To the stream, idiot. And don’t for one minute pretend that you don’t want to know what he’s doing down there with that she-wolf. If he was my boyfriend, I’d go grab him by the scruff of his neck and teach that wolf a lesson he wouldn’t forget. He’d be whimpering like a pup before I let him go.”

*   *   *

Kylie continued to follow Della while holding an out-and-out debate in her head over the wisdom of continuing or turning around. If she went to the stream, would Lucas think she’d come because she was jealous? But if she didn’t go and Steve told him she’d dropped by and hadn’t come, would he think she’d gone home because she was jealous?

Okay, the only thing that came out of that mental debate was knowing that she didn’t want Lucas to think she was jealous.

Even though she was.

But did that mean she was wrong?

Or was Lucas wrong? Wrong for taking off in the dark to spend some time with Fredericka by the creek? Was he right now rolling on the grass with Fredericka, kissing her the way he’d kissed Kylie when he’d taken her to the creek?

Or was it as innocent as her getting caught behind the office with Derek?

Kylie looked up at the moon. The glow seemed extra bright and she felt that odd sting on her skin. Just like she felt on the full moon.

She inhaled deeply and told herself she was imagining things.

“Quit trying to talk yourself out of going,” Della said.

“How do you know that’s what I’m doing?”

“Because I can see it on your face. And because you couldn’t walk any slower if you were a turtle on crutches.”

“I just don’t want to come off like a psycho girlfriend.”

“If he’s making out with her—or worse, playing hide the salami—then he deserves you coming off like a psycho. Hell, I’ll join you and we’ll both go psycho on his ass.”

“I don’t think he’s doing that.” As if saying it helped her believe it.

“You didn’t want to think Derek did it, either.” Della sighed as if she regretted saying the words. “No disrespect to Ellie and all, but it was still wrong.”

Kylie’s chest tightened at the mention of Ellie’s name. “That was different.”

“How is it different?” Della asked. A low-hanging limb swung back and Kylie caught it with her arm with complete ease. “I think it adds up to the fact that all guys are scum. Maybe we weren’t even supposed to mate with them.”

“Derek and I weren’t together.”

“Maybe you hadn’t said you were together. But in your heart, you were together.”

Kylie remembered what Miranda had said about her talking about Derek more than she did Lucas. Suddenly she didn’t want to talk about her screwed-up love life. So why not talk about Della’s screwed-up love life? It seemed like the perfect diversion.

“You could have been nicer to Steve.”

Della swung around, attitude in her body posture. “I was nice.”

“No, you weren’t. You accused him of liking the new teacher’s tits.”

Della resumed walking. “You should have seen him ogling her, it was embarrassing.”

“It kind of sounds like you’re jealous, which says you like the guy,” Kylie pointed out.

Della started walking faster, her pace matching her mood. “I don’t like him. But I’ll admit he has a nice butt.”

“And you said you were going to try to be more approachable to his nice butt,” Kylie reminded her.

“I tried. It didn’t work out. I guess his butt isn’t that nice.”

Another branch came back, and the instant Kylie caught it in her palm, she remembered. She stopped and looked up through the trees at the sky. A few stars twinkled back as if laughing at her.

“Crap,” she muttered.

“What?” Della looked back over her shoulder.

Kylie glanced around. The moon’s glow cast a silver shine through the trees and shadows danced on ground.

“I just remembered.”

“Remembered what?”

“I’m not supposed to go into the woods.” Kylie inhaled the verdant scent of the trees and the moist earth. Then she internally searched for that feeling of being lured, beckoned as she had been earlier. It wasn’t there. So maybe all those feelings were just her overactive imagination. Oh, yeah, she wanted to believe that.

Nevertheless, she’d disobeyed Burnett’s orders. Maybe not on purpose, but she didn’t think he’d find that excuse acceptable. “We should go back.”

“But we’re almost there. And you’ve got me—a badass vampire—with you. Nothing’s going to happen. And don’t you want to know if Lucas and Fredericka are doing the hokey pokey?”

Kylie caught another branch coming back at her. “If Burnett finds out, he’s going to be pissed.”

“Then we won’t tell him. Trust me. It’s gonna be fine.”

Against her better judgment, Kylie continued taking steps with Della. The crickets did their thing and an occasional bird called out. In the background, Kylie could even hear the sounds of the wild animals in the park. Normally when the night sang, it meant all was well. It was in the quiet that things jumped out of the shadows. When evil seemed to appear.

Inhaling the night air, she continued moving, jumping over a few patches of thorny bushes and ducking under low branches.

“Crap,” Della hissed, and came to an abrupt stop.

“What is it?” Kylie asked, and that was when the forest went silent. Not dead like in ghost silent, but dead like in threatening.

“The next time I tell you to trust me, don’t.” Della looked back over her shoulder. Her eyes were bright green and her canines extended. “We’ve got company.”

Chapter Eight

“We should run.” Kylie’s voice was nothing more than a whisper. Her heart throbbing in her chest sounded louder.

“When things run, they get chased,” Della answered. “I’d rather do the chasing.”

“Smart girl,” a deep voice answered back. And just the sound of it sent chills down Kylie’s spine.

Three silent figures stepped out from the shadows. The only noise filtering through the thicket of trees was Della’s hiss. Kylie moved to stand next to Della in case they attacked. Her mind still played with the option of running. A good option. But first she had to convince Della.

The slight sound of twigs being snapped under footsteps sounded at their backs. They were surrounded.

Time to find a new option.

Even with only the half moon lighting the path, Kylie was able to check the patterns of the three men fronting them: werewolves. The edges of the patterns were dark, as if their intentions were not good natured. That could only mean one thing: rogues.

The bigger man in the middle stepped closer. Della hissed harder. Kylie felt her blood fizz with the need to protect the little vamp. As badass as Della considered herself, this was no fair match. Not that the rogues would care.

“I will kindly ask you to leave,” Kylie said, not sure where her bravado came from, but it was there, and she’d be damned if she wouldn’t use it. “You’re trespassing. This is Shadow Falls property.” She stood with her shoulders back, her chin up. Knowing they could smell fear, she tried not to let the seed of that emotion grow any bigger.

Kylie saw Della, poised to attack, and Kylie touched her elbow, hoping to convince the vamp to wait. Maybe they could talk their way out of this.

“Leave now, or I’ll rip your throat out first,” Della said to the man facing her.

That wasn’t the kind of talk Kylie had in mind.

“We did not come here to do harm,” the guy in the middle said to Kylie, and then he cut Della a smirk as if mocking her threat. “But if provoked, that could change.”

Della hissed louder.

“Then leave.” Kylie’s gaze moved over him. She got the feeling the one who spoke was the leader. He didn’t look old, but things like the gray at his temple and the fine lines around his dark blue eyes told her he was older than she’d first assumed. Caught by his eyes, her mind tried to place him. She felt him staring, doing the same with her, and then his eyes pinched as he read her pattern.

As sudden as a flicker of light, she knew who he was. She sensed he recognized her as well. That kernel of fear lingering in her gut grew. This man didn’t value life. He’d already proven that to Kylie once.

He took another step forward. Della tried to jump in front of him, but Kylie grabbed her.

“Let me handle this.” The sizzle in Kylie’s blood—the sizzle that came when her need to protect arose—grew stronger.

“I’m not here to spill blood,” he insisted.

“Then leave,” Kylie demanded.

“Yeah, tuck your tail between your legs and run,” Della bit out.

A threatening growl came from behind them. Della swung around, yanking away from Kylie’s hold, her eyes glowing brighter. Fear took another lap around Kylie’s heart. Not fear for herself, but for what was about to happen. Her blood now buzzed as it moved into her veins. She kept her focus on Della. If anyone put a hand on her, this would not end well.

“Calm down,” the leader spoke, and Kylie sensed he spoke to her as well as to his own men. “I just came to speak to my son.”

“Then speak to him.” A new voice rang out from the trees. “But you and your guards back away right this minute.” Lucas’s voice, deep and menacing, came from Kylie’s right. When she turned, she saw that his eyes glowed burnt orange. She watched him lift his head ever so slightly to pull air in through his nose.

She knew then she’d lost her battle trying to hide her fear. Lucas had smelled it as the others probably had. But she wondered if they picked up on the fact that she hadn’t feared the fight. She’d feared the emotional havoc it would’ve caused. Killing your boyfriend’s father couldn’t be good for a relationship.

“I said, back off,” Lucas ordered.

When the three men didn’t back up, Della spoke up again. “You heard him, you jackasses. Back off.”

Lucas suddenly stood on the other side of Kylie. His warm forearm brushed against her shoulder, leaving no doubt of his loyalty to her, even over his own father. The thought warmed her heart, even as it thudded with panic.

More werewolf campers stepped out from behind the trees. They didn’t appear aggressive, but just their presence spoke of their loyalty to Lucas.

“It appears I’m not the only one who brought his guards,” Mr. Parker said.

“If I need them, they’ll back me,” Lucas said.

A low growl came from one of the weres bracketing Lucas’s dad. Mr. Parker glanced over at him. “There will be no trouble tonight.”

While still leery, and with the tension so thick it made breathing difficult, Kylie heard the command in the man’s voice and sensed his men would not defy him. The surge of adrenaline storming in her veins lessened.

Will, another camper and one of Lucas’s friends, moved in closer. Somewhere in the back of Kylie’s brain, the realization hit. Lucas hadn’t been alone with Fredericka. A thread of guilt over doubting him rose in her chest.

As if thinking of the girl brought her here, Fredericka walked out of the line of trees and into the small clearing.

“Mr. Parker,” Fredericka said in a light tone, breaking the tight tension. “What a pleasure to see you again.” The she-wolf shot Kylie a slight smirk, as if wanting Kylie to know she was friends with Lucas’s dad.

“The same here,” the man replied with disinterest. He paid Fredericka no heed. He hadn’t stopped studying Kylie’s pattern. She felt the slightest bit worried that it was doing something strange.

“So the rumors don’t lie,” Mr. Parker said, sounding perplexed.

“What rumors?” Kylie asked.

“I can see why my son is intrigued by you. A shame that you are not one of us.”

Kylie’s chest tightened at the implication. As if her relationship with Lucas was doomed.

“Enough,” Lucas said. “I think—”

“You are one strange bird, Kylie Galen.” Mr. Parker tightened his brows as if to get a closer look at her pattern.

Kylie tilted her chin up a notch. Not a bird, Kylie thought. A chameleon. And an inexplicable sense of pride filled her chest. For the first time, Kylie accepted that while she knew nothing of what being a chameleon meant, there was value in the little knowledge she had.

Lucas turned to face Della. “Both of you go back to your cabin.” His gaze settled on Kylie. “I’ll see you later.”

Resentment at being told to leave stirred in Kylie’s gut, but logic intervened and she sensed his intention came from his need to protect her and not to control her. Then she realized that if she resented his authoritative tone … She glanced at Della.

“I’d rather help you send these guys off,” Della growled.

Kylie spoke up. “We should go.”

Della frowned, but her expression said she’d concede. “Fine. I didn’t want to hang out with these dogs anyway.” She snarled at the intruders.

One of Mr. Parker’s guards took a defensive step forward, and both Kylie and Lucas moved in a step. That one step left little doubt that neither of them would allow the guard to touch Della. Kylie didn’t miss the frown that Lucas sent Kylie, as if to say he didn’t want her taking the protective role. But that was what she was. A protector. A chameleon protector.