Whispers at Moonrise (42 page)

“Uh-oh.” Kylie considered calling back and trying to explain, but what would she say?
I’m not his girlfriend, just someone who stole his phone after accusing him of being a serial killer.
That might complicate matters even worse. Best to let him handle it on his own.

“Sorry, Hayden,” Kylie muttered.

Before Kylie called the next number, the phone dinged with an incoming text. She debated over reading it, thinking it might be from his pissed-off girlfriend. Then she saw it wasn’t from that number. She might be invading his privacy, but after stealing his phone, what was one more sin?

It took a second to figure out the phone’s features to display the message.

But she was so damn glad she did.

Chapter Thirty-seven

The message wasn’t for Hayden. It was from him.

You’re answering my messages? Hayden

Kylie typed back.
Only because I hoped it was either you or my …
She paused. Should she let him know she assumed he was with her grandfather? She didn’t see any advantage to playing dumb.…
my grandfather.
She tapped her fingers on the phone waiting for a reply.

The phone dinged.
What did you tell the others?

She decided to be honest.
Only that you helped save Holiday’s life. You can come back.

She waited for him to respond. When he didn’t do it quickly, she wrote,
Sorry I suspected you.

He replied:
If you did the right thing and came to live where you belonged, I wouldn’t have to return.

Kylie considered her answer.

I belong at Shadow Falls.

She no sooner finished typing the words than her reflection in the dresser mirror caught her attention. She hadn’t stopped glowing yet. How long could she continue to believe she belonged here when everything pointed to the fact that she was different? Different even from all the other supernaturals.

Her chest swelled again at the thought of leaving. She rejected it. But what was going to happen in two weeks when her mom was expecting to pick her up for parents’ weekend? How would she explain the fact that she was freaking brighter than a fifty-watt bulb?

The phone pinged again.
It’s not safe for you to stay there.

Holiday and Burnett won’t let the FRU do anything.

It’s not just the FRU. You were right in what you told your grandfather. There’s an underground rogue gang after you.

Swallowing a knot in her throat, she texted,
Is my grandfather’s number in the phone?

It took a few minutes for him to get back. But he did.
Yes.

She typed in.
Thank you.
And hit send. Then remembering, she sent one more message.
Call your girlfriend. I might have upset her.

*   *   *

Her grandfather answered the next number she dialed. And he didn’t bother with formalities. Hayden had obviously told him to expect her call.

“I sent him because I was concerned for your safety,” her grandfather said, his voice just an octave lower than her father’s.

“I’m not upset,” Kylie said. “Although I wish someone would have told me.”

“You need to come with us, Kylie. It’s not safe. You were right about the underground rogue. I don’t trust the FRU not to harm you. How can I trust them to keep you safe from others?”

“Please,” Kylie said. “You don’t understand what you’re asking.” Tears filled her eyes. “I … This is home to me. Burnett’s not like the FRU you remember. And Holiday … she took me in. Both of them have protected me.” Her throat grew tight. “People have died here saving my life. These people you don’t trust are my family.” Her voice shook and she swiped the tears from her cheeks.

“
We
are your family.”

“I can’t leave,” Kylie said.

There was a long pause. “I will send Hayden back if you offer your word that you have not told the others.”

“I haven’t told anyone.” Silence fell again, then she blurted out, “I’m glowing. How do I stop it?”

“Glowing?” he asked, and paused as if in thought. “You have the gift of healing?”

“Yes,” she answered.

“I’m assuming you used it.”

“I … brought someone back to life.”

He didn’t speak for a few seconds. “Your gifts are indeed amazing.”

“But how do I stop it?” She hadn’t been fishing for compliments.

“You must release the energy you drew inside you to complete the healing.”

“How?” Kylie asked.

“Meditate.”

“I’m not good at meditation.” She bit down on her lip.

“Then you’d better learn. And fast.” He exhaled. “Kylie, if other gangs learn just how gifted you really are, you’ll be a commodity. They will either want you working for them, or they’ll want you dead. It won’t be just one gang coming after you.”

His warning rang in her ears.
Great. That’s all she needed.

“I will send Hayden back,” he went on, “but think carefully on this, my child. I deserve to get to know my only grandchild.”

*   *   *

Monday morning Kylie sat in the dining hall while everyone stared. She wasn’t glowing anymore. Her internal bulb had blown sometime during the night.

She’d stayed in her room all weekend and meditated, and slept. Obviously, bringing someone back to life took it out of you. Holiday and Burnett had dropped by with food, TLC, and news that all the bodies of the girls has been turned over to their families. Both Burnett and Holiday were now glowing, but it was a natural glow. They were in love.

That only made Kylie miss Lucas even more.

Derek had called twice just to say he was thinking about her. Lucas hadn’t. She didn’t even know if he was aware of what had happened. Still, his silence was hard to take.

Helen and Jonathon had dropped by. And Miranda, Perry, and Della had checked on her almost every hour. Even during the night, they’d crack open the door and peer at her. Of course, that could be because she looked really cool glowing in the dark. Hell, they could have sold tickets to the other campers for a dollar a peek. Not that they would. They were her friends.

Kylie stared down at her runny eggs and frowned as she felt all eyes in the dining hall on her.

Nope, right now, glowing wasn’t the problem. It was her pattern. She’d changed again. She was finally a werewolf and Lucas wasn’t around to enjoy it. And neither was Socks. Her cat hadn’t come out from under the bed all morning. He made his prejudices known. Just as clear as the other werewolves here at the camp. Not one of them had come to say hello, or go to hell.

“You hanging in there?” Della asked.

“Like a pro,” Kylie answered, and looked up to see Hayden Yates walk into the dining hall. Her heart did a little dance. He was back. Relief at knowing she wasn’t completely alone washed over her.

We are your family.
Her grandfather’s words sliced through her.

“You still can’t lie worth a damn,” Della said.

Kylie looked away from Hayden before anyone guessed they shared secrets.

Della was right. She’d lied. She wasn’t hanging in there like a pro. More like by a thread. She was confused, scared, and worried. She might have stopped glowing, but what was next? What freaky thing would she be calling her grandfather or running to Hayden to help her fix? And if she really belonged at Shadow Falls, why did Hayden’s presence bring her so much comfort?

*   *   *

“Let’s get this show on the road,” Chris, the Meet Your Campmate leader, announced after breakfast. Kylie stood outside beside Della. She fought the need to fan herself. Her sudden increase in her body temperature would take getting used to.

“And first on our list of names is none other than our brand-new were.” Chris’s gaze shot to Kylie.

Kylie’s breath caught. The first people announced were generally the ones someone had paid in blood for Chris to arrange. Swallowing, her gaze shot to Derek. But he stared at Chris in concern.

“Kylie, you get the pleasure of Fredericka’s company.”

Oh, great. The were had saved her life only to kill her later.

“I can follow you if you want,” Della whispered, her eyes bright.

Kylie shook her head, tired of always being under someone else’s protection. “No.”

Fredericka walked up. “You wanna walk to the lake?”

“Sure,” Kylie answered.
Why not? The lake would be a nice place to die.

“I’ll see you later.” Della’s tone came with all kinds of warnings for Fredericka.

As they started walking, neither Kylie nor Fredericka talked. Kylie listened, but amazingly, she barely heard their footsteps. The ability to move in silence must be part of being were. Her mind chewed on what Fredericka really wanted.

Or it did until her friendly blue jay showed up and did a song and dance right in front of them.

Fredericka frowned. Kylie shooed the bird away. “Go!”

As they continued on, Kylie did some thinking. She didn’t believe the she-wolf really wanted to kill her. Then again, hadn’t she already tried once? Putting a lion in Kylie’s bedroom several months back hadn’t been an act of kindness. But if the girl really planned on murder, would she have let the whole camp know they were together?

Then another thought suddenly hit. Was Fredericka pissed that Kylie hadn’t said thank you for saving her life?

She’d planned on doing it. She really had. But she’d spent all her energy on stopping herself from glowing this weekend. Nevertheless, she should have done it first thing this morning. Was it too late?

Better late than never.

“Burnett told me you saved my life,” Kylie said. “I should say thank you.”

Fredericka’s dark black hair swung loose around her shoulders. She was at least three inches taller than Kylie, and probably outweighed her by twenty pounds. Not that Kylie was seriously frightened anymore.

“I probably did it more for Holiday than you,” the were said.

Probably?
“I figured that,” Kylie said, “but thanks anyway.”

Fredericka nodded and remained quiet for the next few minutes. Kylie hated the tense silence. “Did you pay blood to get Chris to match us up?”

The were nodded. “Three pints. He said since he might get in trouble for pairing up enemies, I had to pay more.”

“That’s a lot of blood,” Kylie said, when she couldn’t think of anything else to say. Then the thought of blood had her remembering how she’d felt when she thought she’d killed Collin Warren. Fredericka had to feel the same, didn’t she? Kylie’s gratitude suddenly grew. “I’m sorry that … you had to … ki—Do it.”

“It was nothing.” She glanced at Kylie. “I’ve killed before.”

Kylie couldn’t swear on it, but something told her that if she’d been able to hear the girl’s heartbeat, it would have told a different story.

“It still can’t be easy,” Kylie said.

“I’m over it,” she snapped, but her tone said she wasn’t.

And I’m still sorry.

More silence hung in the air. Fredericka finally spoke again. “You were wrong to sic your skunk on me.”

“I didn’t sic him on you,” Kylie said, being honest. “You attacked him.”

“It still wasn’t nice,” she said, and growled.

“Neither was putting a lion in my room.” There, Kylie had thrown that bone out for them to chew on.

“I guess so.” Fredericka looked away, but not quick enough.

Kylie saw the truth. “You didn’t do it.” She shook her head. “Why did you lie and say you did?”

She didn’t answer for a long time. “I heard rumors that you thought I did it. I figured, why not let you believe it? I didn’t like you.”

“And now?” Kylie asked, still wondering why the were had paid three pints of blood to have an hour with her.

“Still don’t like you,” she said matter-of-factly. “But after I saw what you did for Holiday, I don’t hate you as much.”

“Well, there’s a compliment I’ll savor,” Kylie said, letting a little humor slip into her voice. Fredericka didn’t respond.

They arrived at the lake, and the girl stood there and looked out at the water. “I love Lucas,” she confessed.

Kylie inhaled and tried to figure out how to play her cards now. Honesty seemed the only way. “So do I.”

The were looked at Kylie, anguish filling the girl’s eyes. “I know. That’s why I wanted to talk to you. While I don’t like you, I like
her
even less. And at least I know he cares about you. Even before you showed up here, he’d mentioned you to me. I was jealous of you even then.”

Kylie shook her head, trying to play catch-up with Fredericka’s conversation. “I’m not following you.”

“I’m talking about Monique. I know he’s told you that he can get out of it. But I’m not sure he can. I don’t think you should let him do it.”

“I’m still not following you,” Kylie said, but she already had a feeling she didn’t like what Fredericka had to say.

Fredericka just stared. “Shit. He didn’t tell you? He said he did and you understood. That damn dog lied to me.”

Frustration welled up inside Kylie. “Lied about what?”

“Lucas’s betrothal ceremony is tonight.”

Fredericka’s words bounced around Kylie’s head. “His what? He’s … getting married?”

“Engaged, but with weres when you get betrothed, it’s written in stone. He thinks he can get out of it, but I don’t buy it. You don’t just change your mind. And she’s a complete bitch. If he goes through with this, he’ll be stuck with her for the rest of his life.”

“No!” Denial shot through Kylie and anger welled up inside her. “You’re lying. You just want to start trouble. You’ll do anything to break Lucas and me up.”

“You bitch.” Fredericka growled. “I’m trying to help and this is what I get? Yes, I’ve tried everything to break you up. It didn’t work. But I’m not lying.” She pulled an envelope from her pocket. A small envelope, like an invitation. “If you don’t believe me, go see for yourself.” She stepped away, and then turned back. “Just make sure you keep your were pattern on, or someone will rip your heart out before they ask questions.”

*   *   *

Kylie didn’t want to believe Fredericka. More than anything in the world, Kylie wanted this to be just another one of the were’s tricks to come between her and Lucas. Yet the girl was right about one thing: Kylie had to see it for herself.