Whispers at Moonrise (9 page)

Della scowled at both of them, as if to say she didn’t need their protection.

“Go. Please,” Lucas said.

Kylie motioned for Della to follow her.

As they walked away, Kylie couldn’t resist looking back. She saw Lucas, his posture defensive as if his father brought out the worst in him. Her thoughts went to both her own father and her stepfather. Neither of them put her on the defensive. Yeah, her stepfather had made some bad mistakes, and Kylie might still be working on forgiving him, but deep down she knew he loved her. And with her real father, Daniel, well, he cared so deeply he hadn’t even let his death separate them.

Kylie sensed Lucas had never felt any affection from his father. Her heart hurt for him, and her blood heated with the need to defend him.

But defend him against what? What was it that had brought Mr. Parker to camp? Something told her it wasn’t just to give Lucas a hug. Was something wrong with Lucas’s grandmother? His half sister?

A shame that you are not one of us
. His words echoed in her head and heart. Could he be here about her? Protesting the fact that Lucas was … intrigued with her?

“Burnett’s going to be so pissed about this,” Della huffed, her hurried pace matching her angry tone.

Kylie nipped at her lip with worry, before expressing her thoughts. “Which is why you aren’t going to tell him.”

Della looked at Kylie. The vamp’s eyes were still bright with fury. “They are rogues.”

“But he’s Lucas’s father.” And the thought of Lucas having to deal with Burnett after already having to deal with his father seemed unfair.

“It’s against regulations.”

“Just like it was for Chan to show up,” Kylie reminded her. “And like Chan, Mr. Parker didn’t hurt anyone. He just wanted to talk to his son.”

Della let out a breath of frustration. “You know, I really hate it when you do that.”

“Do what?” Kylie dodged a vine swinging back.

“Use logic and rub my nose in the fact that you’re right.”

“I didn’t rub your nose in it.”

“Maybe not. But I still don’t like it.”

They walked a few minutes without speaking. “Thanks for not telling,” Kylie said, knowing that was what Della meant.

They moved through the dense vegetation with only the night’s song whispering through the trees. Finally, Kylie spoke up. “Lucas wasn’t alone with Fredericka.”

“Yeah, I figured that one out, too,” Della said. “But…”

“But what?”

“I don’t know. I mean, I kind of feel as if I sort of encouraged you to go with Lucas and maybe I was wrong.”

“Wrong?” Kylie grabbed Della by the arm. “Do you mean wrong to push me, or wrong for me to go after Lucas?”

Della frowned. “Both.”

“Why would you say that?” Kylie asked, hurt that Della would make such a statement—especially when her heart was already so confused.

“It’s not that I don’t like Lucas, I do. But he’s werewolf and you’re obviously not. I admit I thought you were before. But tonight when we were surrounded by weres, I could just tell that you weren’t like them. And after what his grandmother said and now after what his dad said, I think his family and his pack are going to stand in your way.”

“He told me he doesn’t care what they say.” And she believed it. She did.

Sadness filled Della’s eyes and Kylie felt the emotion resonate within herself.

Della exhaled. “That’s what Lee said, too. And look what happened with us.”

*   *   *

It’s not the same thing.

While Kylie waited on her porch for Lucas to show up, she contemplated what Della had said and thought about her day from hell.

She’d spoken to her mom, who needed reassurance that Kylie was okay. She’d spoken to Holiday, who needed the same thing. Then her phone chirped again. Derek, this time, wanting the same thing.

“Hey, I just wanted to check in,” he said.

It was funny, really, how well she knew him. She knew what he felt without his ever having to say it and so she knew why he’d called. He’d obviously sensed some of her earlier emotions. “I’m fine.”

“If you need to talk or anything, I’m here.” He sounded so wistful, she felt her heart grow tighter.

“I know,” she answered. “And I appreciate it.”

“Did you ever figure out the whole ghost issue?”

“Not yet,” Kylie admitted, her tone echoing some of the frustration she felt.

“Did you talk to Holiday about it?” he asked, sounding genuinely concerned.

“A little,” she said. “But I wasn’t … I only skimmed the surface.”

“Oh, shit!”

“What?”

“That’s who it is, isn’t it? That’s whose face the ghost has stolen. It’s Holiday.”

Kylie closed her eyes. “Yes, but please don’t say anything. I’m trying to figure it out before I take it to Holiday.”

“Is she in danger? Does this mean … anything?”

“In a roundabout way, I asked Holiday, and she said it was unlikely. But…”

“But what?”

“It’s just scary,” Kylie admitted. “Seeing her as a ghost when she’s not dead.”

“Hell yeah, it’s scary. And you shouldn’t have to figure it out all by yourself. I’m here for you. I don’t know how to help solve this, but whatever it takes, I’ll do it.”

“Thanks.” She leaned back against the cabin wall, and right then she was hit by a wash of cold. Dead cold.

“And I don’t expect anything in return,” he said. “I accept we’re just friends.”

“Thank you.” The spirit, identical to Holiday, stood over her, looking down with a frown on her face. “I should go.”

“Something wrong?” he asked, and she couldn’t help but wonder if he could feel her now.

“Just … got company.”

“Lucas?” His tone expressed exactly how he felt about the werewolf.

“No. The ghost.”

“Oh. So, I’ll let you go. But Kylie…”

“Yeah?” She stood because she didn’t like having the spirit staring down at her.

“I’m here if you need me.” He sounded so genuine.

“I know,” she said, feeling the words vibrate in her chest. She hung up and met the woman’s green gaze.

“I think you should pick him,”
the spirit said.

“Say what?”

“Between him and the werewolf. I like him. He’s fae.”

Kylie bit back the frustration. “I think I’d better decide that.”

“Just a little advice,”
the spirit said.

Kylie studied her. “Did you discover anything?”

“Not really, but I remember some stuff.”

“What kind of stuff?”

“Scary stuff.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

The spirit studied Kylie with the same kind of concerned look Holiday always did.

“I don’t think you need to hear it. You’re … young.”

Kylie rolled her eyes. “You came here for me to help you. I can’t help if you don’t tell me things.”

She blinked.
“I don’t know if that’s true.”

“What’s not true?”

“That I came to you to help me.”
She stood silent for a long moment.
“I think I came to you to help someone else.”

“Who?”

“I don’t know exactly. But I sense it.”

“What do you sense?”

“That danger is right around the corner.”
Her eyes filled with worry.

“Can I stop it from happening?”

She tilted her head to one side and considered the question.
“I think so. I think that’s why I came. So you could stop it.”

Kylie’s heart filled with hope. Surely, if it wasn’t possible to help, the spirit would have known. So even if this was Holiday, maybe Kylie could save her. Maybe the person the spirit was supposed to save was herself and she just didn’t realize it. “Have you figured out your name yet?”

She shook her head.
“I just keep getting the same thing. I think it’s Hannah.”

“Please tell me what you know. It might be important.”

She shook her head.
“I’m not ready to talk about it. And it’s not a whole lot. Just … flashes of stuff.”

“Why aren’t you ready to talk about it?”

The spirit turned and stared at the woods as if she’d heard something.

Kylie followed her gaze. She didn’t see anyone, but oddly, the feeling she’d felt earlier had returned. Someone was out there. Calling for her.

Who are you? What do you want?
She asked the question in her mind.

“They want to talk to you,”
the ghost said.

“Who?” Kylie asked. “And you said ‘they,’ so how do you know there’s more than one?”

“I just somehow know there’s more than one. But if I don’t know my own name, how could I know theirs?”

“Have you seen them? Do you know what they want with me?”

She shook her head.
“I just sense them. Calling you.”

“Do they mean to harm me?” she asked.

“I … can’t say for sure. But they don’t feel evil.”

“They don’t really feel evil to me, either.” Or maybe she just wanted to believe it. She moved down the steps. She’d almost reached the woods when someone caught her arm—someone warm, someone alive.

Chapter Nine

Kylie swung around, her heart bouncing off her stomach all the way up to her throat.

“Where are you going?” Lucas asked.

“Nowhere.” She swallowed the panic. “I was waiting on you and thought I heard something.” It wasn’t completely a lie; she’d heard it with her heart.

He pulled her against him. “That’s when you go inside the cabin, not into the woods. Even normals know that from watching those phony horror shows.”

She rolled her eyes. “I would’ve gone inside if I thought it was evil.”

“But sometimes you don’t know.” He slid his hand down to her waist.

She agreed with him on that point and probably needed to remember it, too.

Yet remembering anything became harder with him this close. So close she felt him breathe. The soft touch of his palm warmed her skin beneath her clothes. The tenderness and heat created a trail of tingling sensation.

He dipped his head down and gazed into her eyes. “Do you have any idea how I would feel if something happened to you?”

“Probably the same as I’d feel if something happened to you,” she said. “What did your father want?”

He frowned. “It’s Clara, my half sister. She ran off again. She told him she was coming here, but he suspected she went back to her boyfriend.”

“I’m sorry. What are you going to do?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “I’ve already gone after her twice. She said she wanted to come here. But maybe she lied. If I bring her here against her will, what’s going to stop her from running off?”

“Is the boyfriend that bad?”

He grimaced. “He’s rogue and heavily into a gang.”

“And that automatically makes him bad?” She’d learned that not all supernaturals were registered, and to some people that alone made them rogue, but not all unregistered supernaturals were bad, either. Della didn’t consider Chan evil. And Kylie chose to believe her grandfather and great-aunt weren’t bad. “Are all gangs bad?”

Her question seemed to give him pause. “Not necessarily, but even the gangs that aren’t completely unethical are generally into something illegal.”

“Drugs?” Kylie asked.

“And other stuff.”

Kylie remembered how badly she’d felt for Lucas when she’d seen him looking so defensive facing his own father. She remembered he’d stood up for her against his own family. Her heart hurt for Lucas. “If your half sister is anything like her half brother, she’ll do the right thing.” She stepped up on her tiptoes and pressed her lips to his.

It was late. It was dark. But the moment seemed so right. What was meant as a quick kiss lingered and became more. Much more. He deepened the kiss and she leaned into him. She felt his body come closer to hers, hard in all the places she was soft.

She heard the purring sound that a were made when he was close to a potential mate. She became almost hypnotized—lured by the sound, tempted and enticed by all that could follow.

He tasted so good, felt so good. She wanted more. She wanted to feel more. To taste more. To experience more.

Then the magic ended when he pulled away. He brushed his hand over her cheek and while his blue eyes held the heat of passion, she could tell his mind was chewing on something else. “I’m sorry that my dad scared you.”

She fought the desire to tell him to just start kissing her again. “It’s okay,” she said, and tried not to sound disappointed.

“No, it’s not.” He caught her hand and moved to the porch.

“He stated right away that he wasn’t there to cause harm,” she said, wanting to soothe Lucas. Wanting to make this easier.

“And you should never believe him,” he said.

A whisper of fear settled in her chest. They lowered themselves down on the porch so they could lean against the cabin.

He brushed his thumb over her lips. “I don’t want my father anywhere around you.”

She looked into Lucas’s serious gaze. “He hurt you?” The need to protect him made her blood run faster.

“Not me. I’m his son. But he considers anyone else fair game.”

“If he’s that bad, why do you go there? Why have anything to do with him?”

“For Clara, mostly. But then … I need him right now.”

“Why?”

“His approval will go a long way to help me get into the were council.”

The council he couldn’t get on if he married her. The thought shot a wave of apprehension through her and she remembered what Della had said about things not working out between them because of his family and his pack. She pushed that thought out of the way and tried to understand. “But if that’s who they look to for approval, then why would you want to be on that council?”

He closed his eyes for a second as if explaining was difficult. “If I make it on the council, then I can change things.”

Kylie recalled his grandmother telling her that he wanted to change how the world viewed children raised by rogues.

“But until then, I have to convince him that I see things his way.”

“What things?”

He shook his head slowly. “Things I don’t think you even need to know.”