Born At Midnight

by C. C. Hunter

Chapter Seventeen

  Derek came through the door just as Kylie rushed in to find him. "Hey, I was coming to look for you. " He held up a tiny strip of paper. "I got your name. " He smiled.

  His smile came off so warm, that if Kylie wasn't so furious, and disgusted, she could have gotten lost in it.

  "Yeah, I know. I heard. " She squinted at him in disapproval.

  He studied her and then cautiously added, "I thought we'd take a walk. I found a great spot when I went hiking yesterday. "

  "Look, I'm flattered but you can't do this, Derek," she snapped.

  "Do what?" A frown replaced his smile.

  "I know what you did to get my name. And I can't let you do that. "

  "It's nothing. " He started walking away from the door, and then looked back at her when she didn't fol ow. "You coming?"

  "It's blood," she seethed, and closed the two steps separating them and grabbed him by the forearm. "Come on, I'm gonna make this right. " She gave him a tug, but he didn't budge. That's when she noticed how solid his arm felt under her hand. He leaned in. "It's done, Kylie. Let's just go spend our hour together, okay?" His scent-a combination of spicy men's soap and Derek-wafted over her.

  "You've already . . . done it?" Her gaze shot to his neck.

  "No, but the deal's done. "

  "I'l undo it," she said, trying to ignore his scent and how much she liked it . . . and how much she liked him. Realizing she stil held his arms, she let go. Touching him caused her to recal how she used to touch Trey. How much she liked Trey, missed Trey. Derek's frown tightened. "You can't undo it. So just come on. Please. "

  She stood there staring at him. "At least let me try. "

  He closed his eyes for a second, and then he lowered his head closer and whispered, "Please trust me on this, Kylie. There is nothing you can do to change it. "

  Something about his voice seemed to reach deep inside her and scramble her thoughts. Or perhaps it was how his breath whispered against her jaw line, the soft, sweet tickle right below her ear that made it impossible to think.

  Impossible to tel him no.

  "Okay. " But even as she cratered to his wishes, she told herself she had to be careful. Derek, for whatever reasons, had some kind of power over her and that could be dangerous.

  His green eyes focused right on her baby blue ones and he smiled again. "Let's go. "

  He held out his hand. She almost took it, but managed to refrain at the last second.

  "I'l fol ow. " She stuck her hands in her pockets.

  Disappointment weakened his smile, but he nodded and started walking. And she did what she told him she'd do. She fol owed. They didn't talk for the first five minutes as they started up a trail. Then he turned off the trail and led her up through a thick patch of trees and bushes. Between yesterday with Del a and now this, it would be a miracle if she didn't come down with poison oak. Or worse, chiggers. Just when she was about to say something, she heard the soft sound of running water, as if they were about to come across a smal stream.

  "It's right here. " He glanced back at her, his eyes carrying a smile even when his lips didn't. She fol owed him for a few more feet and then stopped and stared at the stream and the humongous boulder, about the size of a twin-size bed, perched on the edge overlooking the trickling water. The morning sun streamed through the trees, making everything seem so green, so lush. So alive.

  Kylie inhaled the air, which smel ed just like everything looked-fresh, verdant, and wet. In the distance she could hear what she thought was a waterfal -Shadow Fal s. It had to be. The sound of cascading water fil ed the silence and somehow seemed to cal out to her.

  "Is there a waterfal around here?" she asked.

  "Yeah, but it's prettier here. " Derek hopped up on the rock. "Come on. " Once settled, he held out his hand to help her up. She moved in but before she took his hand, the question popped out. "Why did you do it?"

  He looked down at her. "Do what?"

  "You know what," she accused.

  "Are we stil stuck on that?" He shook his head. "It's not a big deal, Kylie. Now come up and sit down. This place is even more amazing when you look at it from this angle. "

  She took his hand and with hardly any effort he pul ed her up. Letting go as soon as she had her footing, she found her spot, careful not to sit too close.

  Not that it helped al that much.

  Feeling his gaze on her, she looked out at the stream and tried to refocus. "Wow," she muttered. "You're right. It's prettier from up here. " And it was. The extra height offered a better view of the flowing water. The streams of light sneaking from the trees hit the water and made it twinkle. From this angle, the whole place seemed to be bathed in a mixture of shadows and light, and it reminded her of something she might have seen in fairytale book. Almost . . . magical.

  "Why?" she asked again without looking at him.

  "I was curious about you. I've been curious ever since I saw you standing by your mom before you got on the bus. You were so sad and. . . "

  She remembered Miranda saying that some fairies could read your thoughts and before he could continue, she spoke up. "Can you read my mind?" Turning to him, she felt her face heat at some of the more embarrassing thoughts she'd had about him.

  "No. " He smiled and in this light, his green eyes with golden flecks literal y sparkled. "Why are you blushing? What have you been thinking about me?" He leaned a tad closer until his forehead rested against hers. Her heart did a flip and her next breath tasted sweeter. Realizing she was staring, she remembered what he'd asked.

  She didn't answer his question, just asked another one. "Then how did you know I was so sad?"

  He hesitated and his smile faded. "I can't read thoughts, but I can read some basic emotions. "

  She looked at him and sensed he was tel ing her the truth.

  "For some reason I cause a mixture of emotions in you. Some positive, some not so positive, but I'm not sure why. "

  He was being honest, and Kylie felt she owed him the same in return. "You . . . you remind me of someone I know. "

  He picked a twig off of a tree and studied it. "A good someone, or a bad someone?"

  "Both. He's my ex-boyfriend. "

  "I see. " He waited for a minute and then asked, "What happened between you two?"

  "He broke up with me. "

  "Why?" he asked.

  She'd offered him some of the truth, but not about this. "You'd have to ask him. " It was a lame answer and she knew it the moment the words spil ed.

  "But he's not here and you are. " He took the twig and brushed the leaves across her cheek. Then he fol owed the path with his finger. He was coming on to her and she didn't exactly know how to stop it.

  In truth, she didn't know if she wanted to stop it. Unlike what had been going on lately, these feeling were not so foreign to her. Not that she needed to get caught up in something else right now.

  She looked away and tried to clear her head. "What's it like being fairy . . . Fae?"

  "Half," he said.

  She glanced back at him and remembered thinking that, just like her, he didn't sound too thril ed by the idea of being a supernatural. She also realized this might be her opportunity to learn something about the whole fairy species. After al , according to Holiday, Kylie could be part fairy.

  "So what's it like being half fairy?"

  "It could be worse, I guess. " He stared at the twig.

  "Who did you inherit it from?"

  He cut his eyes to her again. "For someone who doesn't like to answer any questions, you ask a lot. "

  He had a point.

  "Okay, I'l tel you about me, but then you tel me about you? Deal?"

  He arched an eyebrow and actual y seemed to consider it. "Okay. " He leaned back on his arms an
d studied her. The position made his chest seem extra wide. She found herself comparing him again to Trey. And sorry, Trey, she thought, but Derek won the best body award. Then again, it wasn't just his body. She studied his face. His features were . . . more masculine. More chiseled. Chasing that thought out of her head before she started emitting emotion he might read, she started talking. "I don't know what I am. I think I'm just human but-"

  "You're not human," he said, and looked at her in that odd way everyone did here.

  She rol ed her eyes. "Yeah, I know I don't have a normal brain reading, or whatever it is that you guys read. But I found out that normal humans can give off this same reading if they're a little off, like halfway crazy. And sometimes I'm pretty sure I'm crazy. Or," she admitted with less enthusiasm,

  "the other option is that I could have a brain tumor. And I've had lots of headaches lately, too. "

  His expression said he was horrified by the idea. "Have you been checked?"

  "No. " And until she saw the concern in his eyes, she hadn't al owed herself to honestly be worried about it. But God, what if she real y did have a brain tumor? What if . . .

  His brow pinched as if confused. "But . . . what about seeing ghosts?"

  "How did you know. . . ?" She recal ed asking him if he saw ghosts. "Some humans can see ghosts. Even Holiday said so. "

  He tilted his head in a very disbelieving way. "So you real y believe you're just human?"

  His question brought a swel of emotion to her chest. "Yeah. " She paused and then added, "Okay, the truth is, I don't know what I believe. "

  And without warning, tears fil ed her eyes.

  "Oh, damn. Don't do that. " He reached over and brushed a tear from her lashes. His touch was so warm, so comforting, she almost reached for his hand and held it to her face.

  Instead, she moved his hand back and wiped her own eyes. "I'm just so confused. I mean, these last few months have been hel . My boyfriend breaks up with me, my grandmother dies, my parents are getting a divorce, and then I start seeing this dead soldier guy. Now I'm being told that I'm not human and. . . "

  He pul ed her against him and she didn't fight it. She rested her head on the nice spot between his shoulder and chest and just breathed in his scent. Amazingly comfortable, she closed her eyes. Somehow just being like this made the knot of emotion crowding out her heart go away.

  "I'm sorry. " She pul ed away. "I know guys hate it when girls do this. "

  "Do they?"

  "Trey did," she answered.

  "I'm not Trey. " Then Derek added, "Actual y, it wasn't so bad. " He smiled and touched her check. "Besides, your nose is kind of cute when it turns red like that. "

  She swatted his hand and grinned. She wasn't sure, but it felt like the first real smile she'd had in weeks. "Okay, now it's your turn. Tel me about you. "

  The playfulness vanished from his eyes. Leaning back a little, he pressed his palms against the rock to hold himself up. And sitting there, his muscles in his arms flexed, his eyes al serious, he looked good. Real y good.

  "But you are so much more interesting," he said, his voice low as if he could read her emotions and knew the reaction she was having to his presence.

  "You promised. Besides, I told you everything. "

  His tilted his head forward and looked up at her through his dark lashes. "You haven't told me everything. " His voice held the slightest hint of an accusing tone. "As a matter of fact, there's the thing I'm the most curious about. "

  "What thing? What else is there?" she asked, and tried not to get caught up in enjoying the view again.

  "What's up between you and-"

  "I'm not talking about Trey and me. That's . . . too personal. "

  "Okay, but I wasn't going to say Trey. I meant what's going on between you and the werewolf?"