Taken at Dusk

Chapter Thirty-five

  "It doesn't make sense," Burnett growled an hour later as he paced back and forth in Holiday's office. Kylie agreed. Nothing made sense anymore.

  They had caught the guy who'd been hired to kill her. But his information offered zero help in finding the person who'd hired him. They were no closer to finding the real culprit now than they'd been before.

  Kylie, however, felt closer than ever to finding answers. No, she didn't know what she was, but at least she knew there were others like her. Question was, were they all evil? Was she the only one who'd been born at midnight?

  "If he had wanted to take you, why didn't he?" Burnett stopped pacing in front of Holiday and Kylie on the sofa.

  "He didn't say . . . exactly," Kylie said. "He said he would eventually convince them that I wasn't a danger to them. As if he thought he could change my mind about going with him. "

  "That's stupid," Burnett said.

  Kylie decided to ask the question that had been bugging her for a while now. "How did he freeze Miranda and Della and the other two?"

  Holiday answered, "There are some wizards and very strong witches and warlocks who can stop time. "

  "Do you think that's what he is? What I am?"

  Holiday shrugged. "I've never heard of a witch or a wizard being able to change their brain patterns. "

  "Because it's impossible," Burnett snapped.

  "Not really. " Kylie pointed to herself.

  Burnett closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "This whole thing is friggin' unbelievable. "

  Holiday stood up. "Which is why you can't report this to the FRU. "

  Burnett looked at her as if she'd lost her mind. "They have to be told. "

  "Why? They know someone is trying to kill her. We tell them about that, not about the changing brain patterns. "

  "Why would we keep it from them?"

  Holiday crossed her arms. "Because it will give them more of a reason to take Kylie and use her as some kind of lab rat. "

  Kylie's gaze shot from Holiday to Burnett. "Did they ever say if they would allow Dr. Pearson to do the tests?"

  Burnett's grimace deepened. "They said regular hospitals don't have the necessary equipment. "

  "Which is exactly what I thought," Holiday blasted. "We have no idea if those tests are safe. "

  "They said they were. " But Burnett's tone had lost its force, and Kylie wondered if he believed it anymore.

  "They killed the spirit I'm helping," Kylie said.

  "You don't know that for sure. "

  "Yes, I do. And if you need proof, dig up the grave. Her body is in there. "

  Burnett swore. "The FRU is not the enemy, Kylie. I admit they've made mistakes in the past, but that was then. "

  "Right," Holiday said, her tone still sharp. "But they'll sacrifice one if they think it will benefit the whole. " She pointed at Kylie. "One of my teens will not be that sacrifice. And if you can't accept that, then walk out of here right now. Because we can't work together. "

  His gaze shot to Kylie, then back to Holiday. "Do you realize what you're asking me to do? To betray my oath and keep information from the FRU?"

  "It's your choice," Holiday said.

  Burnett closed his eyes, shook his head, and walked out of the office. Kylie didn't know if that was his answer, but from the sheer pain on Holiday's face, she certainly believed it.

  * * *

  When Kylie left Holiday's office after their meeting, Lucas was waiting. He'd gotten himself assigned shadow duty. He took her down to the stream and they stretched out on the warm grass and tried to find shapes in the clouds. Between finding everything from George Washington to dinosaurs in the sky, Kylie told him about Burnett and Holiday's argument.

  "Burnett wants to tell the FRU, and Holiday thinks that will give them more reason to take me in for tests. "

  Propping up on his elbow, he stared down at her. "How do you feel about being tested?"

  "I don't know. Part of me wants to do it if they really think it would give me answers, but Holiday's adamant that it could be dangerous. And I've always trusted her. " And then there was what happened to the ghost.

  "More than you trust Burnett?" Lucas asked.

  "Maybe a little. " Kylie looked into his blue eyes. "Do you think I'm wrong?"

  "No. I probably trust Holiday more, too. " He traced her lips with his finger.

  "I just can't stand the thought of them fighting," she said, loving the feel of his touch, but her heart wouldn't let go of the problems at hand.

  "That's between them," Lucas said.

  "But it's about me. And I know they care about each other. I don't want to be the reason they gave up. "

  "You don't know they're giving up. I heard Burnett went back to the FRU offices to interrogate the captured were again. He'll be back. "

  "I hope so. " But her heart wasn't so sure.

  He leaned down and gently pressed his lips to hers. It was a soft, warm kiss. When he pulled back, his eyes held touches of amber color and she knew whatever thought had crossed his mind had stirred his anger.

  "You know, I won't let that rogue have you. You're mine. "

  "I know," Kylie told him. What she didn't say was that she was worried no one might be able to prevent the rogue from carrying out his promise. So far, nothing had stopped him. Sure, if he was telling the truth about them being the same type of supernatural, and she believed him-she didn't understand it, but she believed him-then she was equally powerful. But if Holiday was right and she was a protector, then she would be able to use those powers only to protect others. That meant she was completely vulnerable to his whims.

  It wasn't a good feeling. But she refused to cater to defeat. And she meant what she'd told the rogue. She would die before she became a part of some evil gang.

  But she wasn't dead right now. And the proof was in how alive Lucas made her feel.

  "Kiss me again," she said.

  He grinned. "Is that a request or an order?"

  "Both. "

  "Well, in that case. . . "

  * * *

  The next day, Burnett still hadn't returned. Holiday was moody, and Kylie had a raging headache. Lucas had found her earlier and told her his grandmother was ill and he was going to check on her. At around four, Kylie gave up and asked for permission to go lie down. Della, on shadowing duty, followed Kylie back to the cabin.

  She didn't know how long she'd been asleep when the cold hit. She opened her eyes, feeling the icy mist on her breath. Jane was here.

  "Thank God, you're awake," a feminine voice said. But it wasn't Jane's voice.

  Kylie shot up. Through a curtain of hair, she saw Ellie standing at the foot of her bed.

  "How did you get in here?" she asked.

  Elle shrugged. Kylie glanced at the window she'd left open.

  Kylie pulled the blanket up closer to her chest and looked around the room for Jane. She hadn't appeared yet, but she was here. Chill bumps climbed up and down her arms. Jane hadn't been here the last few days, and Kylie hoped she was finally ready to talk. "You know what, Ellie. This really isn't a good time. I have some business to take care of. "

  "But I need you to go to Derek," Ellie said. "He's upset. Not right. "

  Kylie studied her closer.

  Ellie frowned. "You have to go to him. " She shook her head. "I'm afraid he's hurt. "

  Kylie yanked her covers off. "Hurt? Where is he?"

  "At the park about a half mile past the stream where the dinosaur tracks are. "

  "Why's he there?" Kylie asked.

  "I don't know, but he needs you. "

  "Why does he need me?" Kylie slipped her tennis shoes on. "Has something happened?"

  "I don't know," Ellie said.
"I'm confused. "

  "Is he hurt?" Kylie's heart gripped in fear for Derek.

  "No. I don't think so. "

  Ellie wasn't making sense. Kylie worried it might be a ploy to get her and Derek together. But something about the panic in Ellie's voice said differently.

  "Let's go. " Ellie moved toward the window.

  "I have to get Della. She's my shadow, remember?"

  "Hurry. "

  Kylie moved to the door and looked back again for Jane. She hadn't manifested, but her deathly cold still chilled the room. I'll be back shortly, she told the spirit in her head. Please don't leave. We need to talk.

  Jane didn't answer. No surprise. Kylie walked out her bedroom door and Della looked up from the computer.

  "You're slipping," Kylie said.

  "How am I slipping?" Della asked.

  "Ellie's here. "

  "Shit! I am slipping. " She stomped into Kylie's bedroom as if ready to give Ellie hell. Not that Kylie worried too much. Della and Ellie had bonded since Della invited her into her vampire circle.

  Della came right back out. "Did she leave?"

  "No way!"

  Kylie stormed back into the bedroom. But Della was wrong. Ellie stood in the same place she'd been standing when she left. "You have to hurry. "

  "Maybe you dreamed it," Della said, stepping into the room.

  The cold in the room pressed against Kylie's skin again. Kylie stared at Ellie. Her heart rolled over and tears crawled up her throat.

  No!

  "What happened, Ellie?" Tears slipped onto Kylie's cheeks. "Is Derek okay?"

  "I don't remember. " Ellie sounded befuddled.

  "Kylie? Is this a dream?" Della asked.

  More than anything, Kylie wished it were. She looked at Ellie.

  "What happened?" she asked again.

  "You have to hurry. I'm worried about Derek. "

  Fear suddenly set in. Fear for Derek. Fear she might be too late to save Ellie and Derek. It didn't matter how much of her soul she'd have to give to save them. She'd give it.

  "What's going on?" Miranda walked in.

  "She's freaking again," Della snapped.

  Kylie, with tears in her eyes, looked at Miranda. "I need you to call Holiday. Tell her Della and I are going up to the park past the dinosaur tracks. Derek's there and he might be hurt. Come on," Kylie said, and started to run.

  Della caught Kylie by the arm. "What's going on?"

  Kylie drew in a shaky breath. "Ellie's dead at some park close to here. And Derek was with her. We have to go before it's too late!"

  Miranda let out a sob.

  "How? What happened?" Della's eyes widened with emotion.

  Kylie didn't have time to explain. Ellie bolted out the door, and Kylie went after her. Della's footsteps thudded against the earth as she came behind her.

  * * *

  Kylie never slowed down. Neither did Ellie or Della. When they got to the dinosaur tracks, they crossed the creek and jumped a fence into the park grounds. The path went uphill quickly, but Kylie kept up with no problem. Her blood fizzed with the strange kind of energy she got when she was protecting someone she loved. She just prayed it wasn't too late.

  "It's just around the bend," Ellie said. She'd been quiet during the run. Then she suddenly stopped. Panic filled her gaze. "Oh, my God. I remember. "

  "What?" Kylie stopped beside Ellie.

  "What? What?" When Della met Kylie's gaze, she must have realized she hadn't been talking to her, and she simply nodded.

  "I followed someone here," Ellie said. "I spotted him running from the camp. I was almost here when I heard someone behind me. It was Derek. That's when the person I'd followed attacked. "

  "Who was it?" Kylie's mind went to Red. "Was it a young guy, red or brownish hair?"

  "No, it was an old dude. Vampire. "

  Mario. They never had a chance!

  Kylie's chest filled with pain. And guilt. This was all her fault. "Where's Derek? Where's your body?" She had to save them.

  Ellie pointed to the side of the mountain. It looked as if it had recently been disturbed. Loose rock lay around the ledge. "Derek came around the bend and a bolt of lightning struck. He was slammed against the rocks. His head was bleeding, but he was breathing. But then more lightning struck. I picked him up and put him in the small cave and moved the rocks in front of him. I was doing that when . . . everything went blank. "

  Kylie ran to the edge of the cliff and started moving the loose boulders.

  Della moved in. "What are we doing?" Worry filled her expression.

  "He's behind here," Kylie said. They moved the rocks to the side. Rocks that weighted well over four and five hundred pounds. Her strength didn't even surprise her; she thought only of Derek and Ellie.

  "Oh God!" Della took a step back.

  Kylie saw Ellie's mangled body lying between the rocks. Kylie's breath caught, and her tears started falling faster. She picked up Ellie and moved her to the side and rested her body on the rocky path.

  "She's dead," Della said.

  "Keep moving the rocks," Kylie ordered Della, and with everything Kylie had she prayed Derek was still alive. Prayed she could bring Ellie back.

  She laid her hands on Ellie's battered body and sent up prayers that this worked. She closed her eyes, concentrated, and moved her palms over the injuries, as she had with Lucas and with Sara. Blood, Ellie's blood, coated Kylie's hands. She cried harder and tried harder, but no matter how hard she concentrated, her hands didn't heat up.

  Suddenly, Ellie was sitting beside her body. "It's too late. Look. " Ellie pointed up at the sky. The sun was a big ball of orange. "I see my mother up there. She's waiting for me. "

  "No," Kylie said. "Don't go. I'm trying to bring you back. "

  "But I want to go with her. I've missed her. "

  "No!" Kylie screamed again.

  Ellie's spirit stood. "Derek's okay. " She pointed back to Della as she moved the rocks. "But I have to go. Thank you, Kylie Galen. Thank you for being my friend. Thank you for teaching me to think beyond myself. Thank you for everything. "

  "Please don't," Kylie begged. But it was too late. Ellie's spirit started floating up toward the setting sun and Kylie knew it was hopeless.

  "I got him," Della yelled. "I got Derek. "

  Kylie bolted to him. He was unconscious but breathing. She found the wounds on his head and pressed her hand against them. More blood oozed between her fingers, but she didn't care. Her hands grew hot and she felt the heat of her palms sink into Derek's scalp.

  "Did you save Ellie?" Della asked.

  "No, I'm sorry," Kylie said, and stared at Derek.

  "Holiday and the others are coming," Della said, and when Kylie looked up, Della had tears running down her face.

  "I tried to save her," Kylie said. "I really tried. "

  Derek suddenly jolted up. "What happened?"

  Kylie stood. Derek looked at her and then pain filled his eyes. "Ellie?"

  Kylie put a hand over her mouth and more tears flowed.

  Derek ran out and found Ellie's body. He knelt beside her and Kylie saw his eyes fill with tears of rage. "Who did this?"

  Guilt swelled in Kylie. "It was the old vampire, the one after me. "

  Holiday and about a dozen of the others came moving around the bend of the ledge. Kylie looked for Lucas, wishing he were here to hold her, but then she remembered he'd gone to see his grandmother.

  She turned and faced the cave, her emotions too raw. She heard several of the campers gasp and some cry. No doubt they were seeing Ellie's body.

  Holiday moved in and placed a hand on Kylie's shoulder.

  Tears streamed down her face; she held out her bloody hands and gaze
d at Holiday. "What good is this gift, if I can't save those I want to save?"

  Holiday didn't try to answer; she just wrapped Kylie in her arms and held her close.

  "We need to go before it gets dark," Holiday finally said.

  Derek picked up Ellie's body as though she were a rag doll, then Kylie saw him reach back down for her LITTLE VAMP cap. He tucked the cap under his arm and carried Ellie down the steep path.

  They walked for about five minutes; no one spoke. Derek dropped Ellie's cap, and the wind blew it past Kylie. Kylie heard him ask someone to pick it up. At the very back of the single-file line, and feeling numb, Kylie turned to go grab the cap. She saw it only about twenty feet away. She moved in, almost ready to reach for it, when a big gust of wind moved it closer to the edge.

  Kylie moved another couple of feet. The wind took the cap to the very edge. It hovered there, half on and half off the ledge.

  Only then did Kylie sense the unnaturalness of the breeze.

  She wasn't alone.

  The sound of a dry branch snapping had never sounded scarier. Someone stood behind her. And less than two feet in front stood . . . death. She had no idea how deep the cavern went, but she suspected the fall would be fatal.

  Breath held, thinking any second she would feel someone give her that fatal push, she turned. The old vampire Mario and two other elderly supernaturals stood there staring at her with cold, calculating gazes. All three were dressed like monks, their dark robes stirring in the wind.

  "Kylie Galen," Mario said. His voice sounded as aged as he looked, but the sense of power could not be overlooked. Was this really what she was? She studied Mario; closer, his eyes were black, coal black. She saw only evil, and the idea that she shared anything in common with these people disgusted her. "So we meet again. "

  She took a small step back, closer to the ledge. "Much to my misfortune," Kylie said, and she felt the heel of her tennis shoe find the edge of the embankment.

  "'Tis true, my dear," he said. "Although, if you are so inclined as to save yourself, join us now. Pledge to us your allegiance and you will live. My grandson will make you a good husband. "

  "What are you?" She tightened her brows and saw into their patterns. Mario was vampire, the bearded one was warlock, and the other carried the pattern of a werewolf. But all three patterns were dark and ominous.

  "Join us and you will have your answers. "

  Kylie swallowed and sent up a little prayer. She prayed for help. Then she prayed for forgiveness for anything and everything she'd ever done wrong. Then she prayed for courage. She took another step back until her feet hit nothing.