Awake at Dawn

Chapter Twenty-six

  Kylie felt as if seltzer ran through her veins. She watched Luis, now a complete wolf, run off into the woods. Then everyone there turned and stared at her.

  Watching.

  Waiting.

  She looked at Holiday. "I need to . . . be alone. " She walked away. She didn't run-didn't want to draw any more attention to herself than she already had-but she walked fast, afraid the sounds of terror would any minute begin to flow from her own throat.

  She made it to the woods before the urge to run overtook her. She moved at amazing speeds, dodging trees, jumping over stumps, and ducking under branches. How long she ran, she didn't know. But out of breath, out of energy, she finally collapsed in a heap of trembling muscles.

  Stilling gasping, she stared at her hands. She touched her face to make sure she hadn't started the change.

  Nothing. No change. She closed her eyes and tried to stop the feeling of her crawling skin. That's when she heard it.

  A low, very ominous growl.

  Opening her eyes, she saw the wolf lurching toward her. Mostly white with hints of gray and tan, its eyes glowed a bright golden. Its lips curled under and its sharp teeth were bared. This was no ordinary wolf. It was a werewolf.

  Kylie tried to stand, but her muscles trembled and refused the command.

  The wolf seemed to notice her weakness. Its posture became more aggressive. The coarse hair on its back stood up and when Kylie looked it in the eyes, she knew. Knew with certainty the wolf was Fredericka. The she-wolf's growl deepened and then she charged.

  Kylie found the strength to bounce to her feet, ready to run, when another wolf, even larger, crashed between two trees. Fredericka stopped.

  At first, Kylie thought she was about to be attacked by two beasts instead of one. But the second wolf, a dark gray in color with eyes that glowed a lighter gold, whipped around and growled at the oncoming wolf.

  Kylie heard the competing growls and saw the two converge upon each other. She heard the sound of teeth clicking, and then, recognizing this as a chance to escape, she tore off through the woods. She ran, not as fast as before, for her energy had been spent, but she forced herself forward and didn't stop until she reached her cabin.

  Collapsing on the porch steps, she forced air into her lungs. When she looked out at the woods, a pair of light golden eyes stared back Her next intake of air brought recognition. She wasn't sure how she knew, but it came with such clarity that she didn't question it.

  Lucas was back.

  The next morning, Kylie got her daily wake-up call with the dropping of the room's temperature. She groaned, rolled over, and glared at the clock, not wanting to believe it was dawn. But yep. It was 4:59 a. m. The spirit was right on time.

  It didn't seem fair, and not just because she didn't want to face Lucas yet. Hadn't she just put her head on the pillow? She'd never had three hours pass so quickly. It had been two a. m. when she'd collapsed in her own bed.

  When Kylie ran inside her cabin after seeing Lucas, Holiday had been waiting on her to make sure she was okay. Della and Miranda were waiting with the camp leader at the kitchen table, all of them looking somber. Her two cabin mates looked shocked when Kylie arrived. No doubt they seriously thought she'd made the change into werewolf. But Holiday hadn't seemed so surprised.

  After thinking about it, Kylie couldn't help but be suspicious. Did Holiday know something she wasn't telling Kylie? She loved Holiday, but her belief in the self-discovery crap, the idea that a person needed to find their own answers, was chewing on Kylie's last nerve.

  The cold filling the room brought her back to the present. "You have to save her. "

  Speaking of last nerves . . .

  Kylie groaned and sat up. The ghost stood at the foot of her bed. The sweet smell of blood assaulted Kylie before she saw the ghost had donned her bloody gown again. The spirit met Kylie's gaze and clutched her abdomen as if she was going to be sick.

  "If you're going to throw up," Kylie said, "would you mind stepping away from the bed?"

  The cold, uncaring sound of her own voice hit Kylie like a slap across the face. "I'm sorry," she whispered. "I'm just . . . I want to figure it out and it's frustrating not to be able to. "

  The ghost rested a hand on Kylie's foot. Even beneath the blanket, the icy chill took hold. "You have the ability to stop it. Please make it stop. "

  "Make what stop? Has it already started?" Kylie asked, her chest tightening.

  Was someone she loved already suffering? Kidnapped and being tortured by the Blood Brothers, or something even worse?

  "Damn it, answer me!" Kylie yelled. "Or at least give me a vision I can understand. I don't even care how scary it is, just do it. "

  The one of the funeral still made no sense.

  The ghost faded and so did the coldness of her touch. But then Kylie felt tingly warmth spread down the tendons to her toes and up the arches to her ankle. Kylie pressed a hand against her foot. She'd never felt that before with Daniel. Was that supposed to mean something?

  Frustration welled inside Kylie, but the sound of cascading water filled her head. Was this the death angels way of saying it would be okay?

  Kylie's phone beeped, announcing she had messages. There were three: one from the private investigator, one from Sara, and one from her mom.

  Recalling the fear that whatever might happen could already be happening, and not caring about the hour, Kylie dialed her mom's number.

  Later, at eight o'clock that morning, Kylie dropped her breakfast tray on the table and sat down beside Della and Miranda, purposely not looking around because she was afraid she might see him. Or both hims. She wasn't any more eager to see Derek right now than she was to see Lucas.

  Derek's avoidance of her last night still stung. Oh, she knew she'd avoided him only a couple of weeks ago, but it had been different. She hadn't avoided him because she didn't want to be with him; she'd done it because she'd wanted to be with him too much.

  Staring down at her runny eggs, which were about as appetizing as roadkill, Kylie recalled her conversation she'd had with her mom. Frankly, Kylie didn't know if her mom believed the whole "I woke from a bad dream and didn't realize the time" spiel. But when her mom confessed she'd been having some really bad dreams lately, too, Kylie couldn't help but wonder if this was because of the erasing. Were her mom's nightmares about what she'd seen at Shadow Falls?

  Suddenly, Kylie felt the hair on the back of her neck start to stand up. Without even looking back, Kylie knew someone had her locked in a serious stare. Unable to resist, she glanced over her shoulder. She should have known.

  Fredericka.

  Turning back around, her gaze shot across the room and she found herself staring right at Derek. His eyes expressed concern, caring, but not so much that he'd come over. Could he not sense how much she needed him? She looked away, but only found herself caught in the snare of a pair of blue eyes. Beautiful blue eyes that took her back to her childhood and trying to find elephants hidden in the clouds.

  Lucas glanced over at the door and nodded as if asking her to meet him outside.

  Kylie had to reach deep to find the courage to do what came next.

  She picked up her fork and started heaping food into her mouth as if she were too hungry to leave. Yup, she'd rather eat cold roadkill, runny scrambled eggs than talk with Lucas. Plain and simple, she wasn't ready to face him, or the dreams. Then came the fact that walking out of this dining hall to be with Lucas would no doubt hurt Derek. She didn't want to hurt Derek. It didn't even matter that he didn't seem to mind hurting her.

  It was after art when Kylie arrived back to the cabin to make her two phone calls. Sitting at the computer desk, she reached for the mouse to pull up her grandparents' number again. She'd debated who to call first.

  The PI or her grandparents. She opted for the grandparents.
Though for the life of her, she didn't have a clue what she was going to say. How did you go about telling someone you were their long-lost grandchild-but not really theirs because you happened to know their dead son had been adopted?

  Oh, yeah, this was going to be easy.

  When the computer woke up, the screen brought up a list of car accidents for the Springville area, Della's home. Kylie chest grew heavy when she realized Della was still suspicious of what she might have done during her changing stage.

  Kylie glanced at Della's shut bedroom door. She often came back to the cabin and napped after lunch.

  Opening another screen, Kylie searched for the telephone number for Kent B. Brighten in Gladlock, Texas. Unsure what she would say, she punched in the number before she lost her nerve.

  The phone rang once.

  Twice.

  Three times.

  An answering machine picked up. "Hello, you have reached Kent and Becky Brighten. We aren't home right now, but if you'll leave. . . " The voice continued.

  They were still alive.

  Her heart quivered. The line beeped.

  Decision time. Leave a message? Not leave a message? She hit the end button.

  Ten breaths and thirty seconds later, she called the PI. Another message machine. But she left a voice message, letting him know she'd gotten a name and number of Daniel's adoptive parents.

  Trying to let her mind wrap around the possibility of actually meeting the Brightens, Kylie realized she wanted to meet them for reasons other than just finding Daniel's birth parents. It would be nice to learn more about her dad. She closed the screen and another one popped up. It was a double screen of two newspaper articles about two different car accidents, each with casualties.

  Kylie started to read. One was about a man in his late forties and the other was . . . Kylie's heart tugged. A woman and her six-month-old little girl.

  How could Della think she could have done something like that?

  A knock filled the cabin and panic filled her chest. Was it Lucas? Or Fredericka again? She cut her eyes around the room, hoping Socks was hiding. The knock came louder.

  "Kylie?" Burnett's deep voice boomed through the door. Knowing he could hear her, Kylie called, "Come in. "

  He opened the door and walked to the kitchen table. She grew instantly worried about the reason he was here. Surely he hadn't come back to try to pull more information out of her about Holiday. If so, he'd leave disappointed.

  He nodded to a chair. "Mind if I sit down?"

  "No. " Then, unable to stop herself, she blurted out, "If this is about Holiday, I-"

  He held up his hand. "It's not about . . . Holiday. " He frowned. "Though I have to admit she still puzzles the hell out of me. "

  "Maybe if Selynn wasn't hanging around, then. . . " Kylie shut her mouth, realizing she was doing it again.

  "Selynn's on orders of the FRU, so I couldn't send her away. But as of today, she'll be leaving. "

  While Kylie hadn't seen the were since the lake incident, she'd heard she was still at Shadow Falls. Someone had said she was here due to the incident with the rogue vampire. And if she was leaving, did that mean they'd caught . . .

  "Has something happened? Did you catch him?" She envisioned the two girls who'd been killed, and the vision left painful footprints on her heart.

  Burnett leaned back in his chair. "That's what I came to tell you. I just got word that the Vampire Council has the guy. They are going to . . . handle the situation. "

  "What do you mean by . . . handle?" she asked.

  "Just that. They will handle it. "

  "Will there be a trial . . . or something like that?" Would Kylie have to testify?

  Burnett looked right at her, as if remembering his promise that the guy wouldn't go unpunished. "Not really a trial. The Vampire Council basically decide his fate, but . . . they have assured me that they don't take lightly the killing of normals. "

  She didn't want to think too hard about what his fate would be. That might remove some of the relief of knowing that she would never have to face that rogue vampire again. But how relieved could she be? Was this incident tied to the ghost's warning? Was someone she loved still in danger?

  She stared down at her hands to try and digest the information and sort out her questions. When she looked up, she saw Burnett's eyes locked on the computer screen.

  "What's that?" he asked in a dark voice.

  Not wanting him to suspect Della of such a horrific crime, she grabbed the mouse and hit the red X. "Nothing. " Too late she remembered he could tell when she was lying. And even if he hadn't, her clumsy attempt to get the screen cleared would have told him the truth.

  His gaze shot back to her eyes. "Kylie, don't do this. "

  "Do what?" she asked, unsure what he thought she was doing.

  "Tell me you aren't investigating car accidents looking for Code-Red incidents. "

  Code Red. Kylie remembered that was what the FRU called a staged car accident to mask a death at the hands of a supernatural. Kylie looked back at the blank screen. "So . . . one of those accidents was a Code-Red case?" Maybe to cover up a vampire kill? Like Della had feared may have happened when she turned?

  He turned his head and studied her, reading her. "If you're not investigating it, who is?"

  Oh crap, Kylie thought. What to say? What to say? It couldn't be a lie or he'd know.

  "Della?" he asked.

  "No," Kylie lied again without thinking.

  He closed his eyes.

  "Please," Kylie said, not even sure for what she was pleading. His dark eyes opened and he looked at her.

  "She couldn't have done that," Kylie said. "She's a good person. "

  Burnett glanced toward Della's bedroom door. He placed a hand on Kylie's shoulder and gave it a squeeze, then he walked out without saying another word.

  Two seconds after he left, Della walked out of the bedroom. Kylie had tears of guilt in her eyes.

  "It's okay," Della said, but she looked scared. "I was going tell him about it anyway. " She started to leave as if to find Burnett.

  "You couldn't have done that," Kylie said.

  Della looked back over her shoulder. Tears brightened her eyes. "I hope you're right. "

  Kylie sat there for about thirty minutes, numb with guilt. If she hadn't been reading the screen when Burnett came in, this would not have happened. That's when she realized she couldn't just sit here. She had to do something. She tore out of the cabin, running with everything she had to the office where she expected Burnett would have Della. Because everyone was either in a class or a meeting, the trail was empty. Kylie hadn't gone too far when she felt it-that feeling of being watched-but her heart and mind weighed too heavy on Della to care. Kylie made it to the opening of the trail when she saw Burnett's car, with Della in it, pull out of the front parking lot. "No. "

  "It's okay," Holiday said from behind her.

  Kylie looked back, and because the same worry she felt was etched on Holiday's face, she knew that Holiday had been informed about what happened. "It's my fault. " Guilt filled her lungs, making it hard to breathe.

  Holiday guided her to the office where she gave Kylie a hug. "It's okay," she repeated, sending a surge of calm into Kylie.

  "Where's he taking her?" Kylie swallowed a lump of emotion.

  "To the FRU office to do some tests. DNA and bite-mark imprints. "

  "So one of the accidents was a Code Red?" Kylie asked.

  "Both," Holiday confessed.

  Kylie's heart felt like it folded over onto itself.

  "Is everything okay?" a male voice spoke from the doorway. Lucas leaned on the door frame. Worry filled his eyes.

  "It's fine. " Holiday waved him out.

  He didn't move. "You okay?" he as
ked Kylie as if he needed to hear it from her.

  She had yet to speak to Lucas since he'd been back and for some reason, her voice box refused to work now. All she could manage was a nod. He walked away, leaving a wake of genuine concern.

  Holiday pulled Kylie over to the sofa and they sat down. "It's really going to be okay. " She pressed a hand on Kylie's back and sent comforting warmth washing through her.

  But the image of Della with fear in her eyes filled Kylie's mind. Della and fear didn't mix. Della was strong, and bold, and way too kind to hurt someone. "She didn't do this," Kylie told Holiday. "It's stupid to put her through the tests. "

  "Della wanted to do this. She needs to know. "

  "But she didn't do it," Kylie said again, realizing Holiday hadn't agreed with her.

  "That's what we're hoping, Kylie. But if she did, there are extenuating circumstances. She was undergoing the change. The FRU will overlook it, I'm sure. "

  Kylie inwardly flinched at Holiday's words. She didn't know what bothered her more-that Holiday could believe Della could do this, or that new vampires could kill innocent humans and not be held accountable.

  Holiday called three hours later and told Kylie that Della would be returning.

  She gave permission for Kylie and Miranda to take the rest of the afternoon off and wait for her. And that's just what Kylie and Miranda did. They sat at the kitchen table waiting. Kylie turned a Diet Coke around in her hands. Miranda didn't even move.

  "She didn't do this," Kylie kept saying. "How can they think it's possible?"

  Miranda groaned as if tired of Kylie's litany. "This isn't the same world you used to live in. Shit happens here. Bad shit. Teenage girls die. Cats get turned into skunks. Werewolves come into your cabin and try to kill you. And when a vampire turns for the first time, they can . . . do things that they wouldn't do in their right minds. "

  "You think she did it!" Kylie accused.

  "I don't know," Miranda said. "But if she did, it wasn't her fault and I won't stop loving her. And damn it, Kylie, you shouldn't, either. She thinks you walk on water. If you turn your back on her, it'll kill her. "

  Tears filled Kylie eyes at even the suggestion that Della could've done something so terrible. But deep down she knew, even if it was true, she wouldn't turn her back on her friend.

  Ten minutes later Della, eyes red, walked into the cabin and dropped into a chair. "The bite marks weren't mine. None of the fingerprints, either. "

  A smile spread across Kylie's face and her heart. "I told you. "

  Tears slipped from Della's dark eyes and rolled down her pale cheeks.

  "They think Chan did it. "

  Miranda looked from Della to Kylie. "Who's Chan?"

  "My cousin," Della told her, no longer caring about keeping the secret.

  "He helped me through my change. He didn't have to do it. But he did. "

  "Oh," Miranda said.

  "Now they want to me to find out if he did it," Della went on. "To go undercover and get the proof of his guilt. " She hiccupped. "But he was there for me when no one else was, and now I have to-"

  "Just tell them no," Kylie said.

  "You don't tell the FRU no. " Della took in a deep breath. "Besides . . . they showed me the pictures. " Sorrow filled Della's dark's eyes. "There was a baby. It was awful. If he did do this, he has to be stopped before he does it to someone else. I don't think I could live with myself if I let that happen. "

  That night Kylie attended a mandatory camp meeting because somebody had tampered with the security alarm again. According to Burnett, the alarm was being shut off-what he didn't know was if it was by someone on the inside or outside, but he was determined to find out. Kylie wondered if her feeling of being watched coincided with the security alarm being turned off. Because now that the alarm was guarded, she didn't feel a thing, except safer.

  After the meeting, she had headed back to the cabin alone and had taken the first step up onto her porch when a noise startled her. So much for feeling safe. Her heart pounded and she turned. Her thoughts shot to Fredericka.

  "How long do you think you can avoid talking to me?" Lucas leapt up on her porch.

  Kylie shifted a bit closer to the light fixture above the front door, where insects buzzed, and looked at her watch.

  "Obviously only about twelve hours," she said, noting it was nine o'clock on the dot. Today when she'd seen him in the office, she'd been too concerned about Della to worry about her Lucas issues with the dreams. But not tonight. She stepped out of the light, hoping he wouldn't see embarrassment color her cheeks.

  "So you admit you've been avoiding me?" Humor laced his deep voice. Humor she didn't appreciate. She met his eyes before looking away.

  "I'd deny it, but you wouldn't believe me. " Besides, avoiding things that make me uncomfortable is my specialty.

  Instantly, she recalled confessing to Holiday about how confronting her dad had made her feel better. Was it too much to hope that confronting Lucas would have the same effect?

  One more peek at her cabin door and she knew she had to do this. Face him and get it over with.

  "So, if you're not going to deny it, dare I hope you'll explain the reason you're doing it?"

  She raised her gaze again and while she wanted more than anything to believe he didn't know about the dreams, she couldn't believe it. Obviously, she was much better at avoidance than denial.

  "Reasons," she said.

  "What?" He stepped closer and his scent, woodsy and rich, invaded her air.

  "I have more than one reason. "

  "Okay. " He caught the end of a strand of her blond hair and rubbed it between his fingertips. "Tell me the reasons. "

  She pulled her hair from his hand and took a step back. "Tell you? And take all the fun out of your trying to figure it out yourself?" She had meant for the words to sound curt, but she must have missed her mark because he chuckled.

  She frowned.

  His humor faded. "Okay, my first guess is that you're beginning to realize at least some of your gifts. Dreamscaping, for example?"

  She flushed but didn't look away this time. "Now that I understand it, it won't be a problem. " She prayed she was right. Holiday had said Kylie would get more control over it, hadn't she? Surely that meant she could shut it down. God, she hoped it was true.

  He studied her. "That's a shame. " His tone came out flirty again. She glanced back at the door. She'd said what she needed to, hadn't she?

  When she reached for the doorknob, he caught her arm. His touch wasn't rough, not even a little bit. It was tender and that gave her more pause. She'd had a hell of a day and could still recall how he'd seemed genuinely concerned for her in the office.

  "Give me a few more minutes. Please. "

  She continued to stare at the door, so aware that he didn't drop his hand from her arm. So aware that his touch sent feel-good tingles down her arm.

  "So what are the other reasons?" he asked. When she didn't answer, he continued. "Why are you so angry with me, Kylie? And don't deny it. I might not be able to feel your emotions like . . . some people . . . but I see it in your eyes. "

  Kylie didn't question who he meant by "some people. " He must have heard about her and Derek. Good, she thought. But then, whatever he'd heard was history. Derek had ended it.

  His hold on her arm tightened slightly. "Tell me what you're upset about so we can get past it. "

  One word sat on the tip of her tongue. Fredericka. But admitting she was upset about his being with Fredericka meant she cared about him in a boy-girl kind of way. She didn't want to admit that to Lucas. She hadn't liked admitting it to herself. And it wasn't even really true. She was just confused.

  "I'm tired. " She risked looking at him.

  His blue ey
es looked brighter in the golden hue of the porch light. He still had his hand around her arm and his thumb started brushing against her skin. "You got my letters, right?"

  "Yeah. "

  "Is it the dreams that have got you upset, because I didn't-"

  "I know-it was me, not you. " She pulled her arm away.

  He raised his eyebrows as if contemplating. "It wasn't all you," he said as if it cost him a lot to confess it. "Not the first dream. I mean. . . "

  When he hesitated, her mind took over. "So you were doing it? You came into my dream?"

  "No, I don't have that ability. But when you came into my dream the first time, I was already dreaming about you. " He shrugged as if to knock some of the guilt off his shoulders. "At first, I didn't realize you were really there. Not until it became so vivid and real. And I didn't say anything later because I could tell you didn't understand what had happened. If that's what you're upset about. I probably should have stopped it but . . . It was a dream. And oh, hell, I didn't want it to stop. "

  Even if she had to give him credit for being honest, she was still upset. He should have stopped it. Or at least told her so she wouldn't have gone back the second time. Then again, she didn't know how she'd have reacted if he'd told her this then. A lot had happened in these past weeks. She'd accepted things now that she probably wouldn't have been able to accept then.

  "The second dream, however, that was all you. " His eyebrows rose as if the thought made him happy.

  Caught off guard by the blue twinkle in his eyes, she said the first thing that came to her mind. "I bet Aunt Stella dreamed about Tom Selleck, too. "