by C. C. Hunter
Chapter Twenty-nine
Kylie swung around and touched her temple, thinking she might as wel start faking the headache right now. "Who?"
"Me," came a familiar male voice beside her.
Kylie turned around and faced Perry and then removed her finger. Perry was not worth faking it.
"Promise you won't touch my ears," he said, but in his eyes she saw his apology.
"Fine, but don't go turning yourself into anything. It freaks me out. "
"You're no fun," he answered, but Kylie noticed he stared mostly at Miranda.
"Yes," muttered Miranda, glancing back at Kylie. "Chris got my name. Wish me luck," she said, and then reached up and let her hair down.
"Good luck," Kylie said, and noticed the frown on Perry's face.
"So where do you want to go to talk?" Perry asked, his gaze latched on Miranda and Chris as they walked away. Kylie had never seen such a sad-eyed shape-shifter.
"I don't care where we. . . " The idea hit with the subtleness of a dump truck. It was wrong. Oh, so wrong, but she couldn't help herself. "I know just the place by a creek bed. "
* * *
The next day Kylie stood in the dining room at ten o'clock sharp, waiting on her dad. She had her spiel practiced, knew exactly how she was going to approach the subject of her moving in with him. And it was so much easier that she'd thought it would be. Last night, her mom had announced that she'd been given a promotion, but it would require some travel. Hence, it simply made sense that Kylie would stay with her dad. Not that she'd told her mom. Nope, that could wait until later.
Derek walked through the dining hal doors. When he spotted her, he came over. Kylie felt her face flush remembering how she'd taken Perry to the rock expecting to find Derek and Mandy there, doing God only knew what. But nope, Derek hadn't been there. So Kylie had simply walked past the big rock and taken Perry into the woods another half mile before they stopped to visit. Plain and simple, she hadn't wanted to taint the memories of where Derek and she had real y gotten to know each other. And while she'd felt loads better knowing he hadn't taken Mandy to their special place, Kylie wasn't stupid enough to think that it didn't mean he'd taken Mandy somewhere else to do . . . God only knew what. Nor was she stupid enough to blame him for it. How could she when Kylie herself had been the one who'd asked to be just friends? And yet . . .
"You're here early. " Derek offered her a friendly smile.
Kylie couldn't help but wonder what kind of a smile he'd offered Mandy when they'd been alone. Had he kissed her? Had he ever taken her to the rock? "Dad said he'd be here ten o'clock sharp. "
"So is your mom going to come later?" he asked.
"No," Kylie said. "Mom doesn't want to chance running into him. The world would end if they had to see each other. "
"Sorry about that. That has to be tough. " He said it with such concern that her heart dipped a bit. Al last night she'd watched him and Mandy laughing, sitting shoulder to shoulder. She ached to go back in time and stop herself from tel ing him she just wanted to be friends. Then again, considering she was probably going home soon, maybe it was best.
"Is your mom coming?" Kylie asked, liking that he'd trusted her enough to tel her his past. Had he told Mandy anything?
"Afraid so," he said. "She's a tad overprotective. Has been since. . . "
"Your dad left?" Kylie asked, and lowered her voice.
He nodded and right then, the front doors opened and in came several sets of parents, along with some more campers.
"There she is," Derek said. "I'd better go. "
"Good luck," Kylie said, and unable to stop herself she reached over and gave his hand a squeeze. Touching him felt right and . . . wrong. The tingles traveling up her arm were not those that should come from a friend. He stopped moving away and stared at her. His smile seemed extra warm. "You, too. "
Kylie watched him go and admitted that she was going to miss him. Heck, she was going to miss Miranda and Del a, too. She wouldn't miss their bickering, but she'd miss them.
Shaking herself out of the melancholy, she tried to find her dad in another group of parents as they flooded in. Kylie didn't see him, but she did see a set of parents that had to be Del a's. A Euro-American woman stood with an Asian American man, scanning the crowd. Knowing that Del a hadn't expected them for another hour and had stayed at the cabin, Kylie walked up to the couple.
"Hi, I'm Kylie. Are you Del a's mom and dad?"
"Yes, where is she?" the woman asked.
"She wasn't expecting y'al so early. If you like, I can get someone to run to the cabin. "
"Is she stil in bed?" the dad asked. "My God, I thought this camp was supposed to straighten her out. " He looked at his wife. "I'm going to ask for the results of the drug tests. If they don't have them, I'm taking her out of here and placing her in a better facility. "
Kylie tried not to react to the harshness of the man's tone. But on the inside, she gave thanks for her dad. So what if he hadn't shown up at the police station, and maybe he should have come to see her before she was packed off to camp, but without a doubt, Kylie felt certain he was loads better than Del a's grumpy dad.
"Oh, she's awake," Kylie said, knowing it was probably a lie, but wanting to protect Del a from his demeanor. Giving the room another check for her dad, she said, "I'l tel you what, I'l run and get her. "
She walked slowly to the door and took off in a dead run to get Del a up and dressed.
* * *
An hour later, Kylie sat at the back of the dining hal watching everyone else visit. She'd gotten Del a up and to the dining hal in record time. And on the way Kylie had stopped in the office to see Holiday and warn her about Del a's father wanting to see drug tests. Kylie gazed at Del a now, sitting and chatting with her sister, while her parents sat stiffly listening in. From the distance, the visit didn't appear to be going wel . Del a had been tied in knots about seeing them, and after hearing her father's temper, Kylie couldn't say she blamed her. Miranda's mom and dad showed up about twenty minutes after Del a's. Kylie had never seen Miranda appear so insecure as she did around her parents. She sat with her shoulders slumped over and not smiling. Miranda always smiled and her posture wasn't that of the browbeaten child, but that's how she appeared in their presence. Kylie wanted to march over and tel both Miranda's and Del a's parents how happy she was to have them as roommates, but for some reason, it seemed hokey.
Derek and his mom had gotten up to go take a walk. He'd actual y brought his mom over to meet her. Kylie had to bite back a laugh when his mom brushed a strand of his hair off his brow and Derek blushed. Guys never liked it when their moms made a fuss over them.
"Hey. " Holiday came over to where Kylie sat. "Your dad's not here yet?"
"Not yet. He probably misjudged how long it takes to get here. Mom always was the one who figured out the maps and such. And you know men, they'l drive for hours before they stop and ask for directions. "
Kylie knew she was close to babbling but she couldn't help it. Babbling was better than thinking about the possibility her dad simply wasn't going to come.
Holiday grinned. "Men. We can't live with them. And it's no fun living without them. "
"Do you have . . . someone?" Kylie asked, even though she didn't know if it was too personal of a question to ask her camp leader. "I don't see a ring or anything. "
Holiday shrugged. "Wel , sometimes no fun is better than putting up with them. "
"So you're divorced?" Kylie asked.
"No, we never made it to the altar. I had the ring, had the date, and even the wedding dress. An hour before the wedding, I realized I didn't have my fiance. "
"That must have sucked," Kylie said.
"Yeah, it did. "
"Did he ever tel you why?" Kylie asked.
"He
said he met someone more compatible. Another vampire. "
"Oh goodness, it's not Burnett, is it?"
Holiday's eyes widened. "No. Why would you think. . . "
"He likes you," Kylie blurted out. "Everything time you aren't looking, he's looking at you. "
"Please, that man's so arrogant, I'd never. . . "
"He's good-looking," Kylie said.
"I know, damn it. " Holiday sighed. "I hate him for it, too. "
They both laughed.
Holiday looked over at Del a and her family. "Thanks for giving me the heads-up. Her father is a real handful. "
"I know," Kylie said. "It made me realize how lucky I am. Wait til you meet my dad. He's not like that. "
"I'm looking forward to it," Holiday said.
Kylie knew Holiday was hoping she could take a look at her dad and pronounce him supernatural. Not that Kylie believed it. Her dad wasn't gifted. Wel , he was, but not that kind of gifted.
Kylie sighed and looked up at the door and wished he'd hurry up. She needed one of his hugs in the worst way. Her gaze shifted back to Del a and she wondered if her dad ever hugged her. "Do you think Del a should go live with other vampires?" Kylie asked Holiday.
Holiday sighed. "It's real y hard for a new vampire to coexist with normals. Especial y if they live with someone who is control ing. But Del a real y cares about her family, and leaving them is going to be tough, too. I'm afraid either path she chooses is going to be real y hard. "
"I hate that," Kylie said, her heart hurting for her friend.
Right then the doors opened. Kylie held her breath waiting to see if it was her dad. Instead, in came Lucas Parker with an older woman. Kylie watched how Lucas caringly held the woman's arm. "Who is that?" Kylie asked.
Holiday looked up. "Lucas's grandmother. "
Kylie hadn't considered the probability of running into Lucas's parents. The last thing she wanted was for them to recognize her-especial y since it was obvious that Lucas didn't. "His parents aren't coming, then?"
"Afraid not. His parents were kil ed right after he was born. His grandmother raised him. "
"Not right after he was born," Kylie said, not thinking before she spoke.
"Yeah, it's terrible. " Holiday said, misunderstanding Kylie's comment as heartfelt disbelief instead of an announcement of a fact. "I think the files state he was only a week or two old when it happened. "
"Oh. " Kylie looked away. Then she remembered what Miranda had said about kids born to rogues. Had Lucas lied about his parents because otherwise he'd have been judged? And was the saying true that if one was born rogue, they died rogue?
"Not again," Holiday said.
Kylie looked up and saw Burnett James walking into the room. He wore a huge frown on his face and she didn't have to be supernatural to know something was very wrong.
Holiday pul ed out her phone and dialed a number. She frowned and then dropped it in her pocket. "Why is it half the time when he shows up, Sky manages to be unavailable and I have to deal with him by myself?"
Kylie didn't think Holiday was expecting an answer so she just shrugged and didn't say anything.
"Excuse me," Holiday said. "Looks as if I have another battle to win. "
Seconds later, Kylie watched Holiday and Burnett walk out of the room together. Checking her watch, Kylie considered giving her dad a cal and making sure he hadn't had a flat tire or something. Of course, she knew her dad was completely capable of changing a tire, because he spent hours teaching Kylie how to do it.
My girl is never going to be stranded. Kylie smiled, remembering how they'd held a timed tire-changing contest. As the good memories played in her head, she decided she had to forgive him for his recent indiscretions. He'd been too good of a dad to hold a few slip-ups against him. She smiled again, knowing her father would total y agree that she should stay with him if her mom was going to be traveling. Nevertheless, Kylie wasn't smiling an hour later when he stil hadn't showed. With crazy thoughts like car accidents running though her head, she pul ed out her phone and dialed his number.
He answered on the third ring. "Hel o, Pumpkin," he said.
Her chest eased just hearing his voice. "Hi, Dad? How close are you?"
"How close am I to what?"
Kylie's throat tightened. She recal ed his words. I'll be there at ten o'clock sharp. "Didn't you remember?"
"Remember what?"
The knot in her throat started crowding her tonsils and her sinuses stung. "It's parents day at the camp. You said. . . " She bit down on her lip and prayed he'd laugh and tel her he was right around the corner.
Only he didn't.
"Damn. " She heard him inhale. "Honey, I can't come up there today. I'm up to my eyebrows in paperwork from the office. It's been a crazy week. "
"But you said. . . " Kylie jumped up and started walking through the dining room before she completely lost it and broke down in the middle of a room fil ed with parents.
"I said what?" he asked.
"I gotta go. " Kylie closed her phone and shot through the doors seeking a place to be alone. Only she wasn't alone. She felt the cold presence fol owing her al the way to the cabin. Anger and hurt fil ed her chest so ful , Kylie could hardly breathe. Hand on the doorknob, she paused. The cold seemed to press against her back, so she peered over her shoulder.
Not only was he there, but like her, he was crying. Only the tears rol ing down his face were the color of blood. Fear tried to find room in her chest, but her anger knocked it out of the way. "Go away!" she yel ed at the ghost. "Leave! Me! Alone!"
