Midnight Hour (Shadow Falls: After Dark #4)(65)

’re acting weird.”

“You act this way when your life’s gone to shit.”

“That’s part of what’s weird. You’re always nauseatingly positive. All rainbows and unicorns. What’s up with that?”

“I fell off my unicorn, and my rainbow crapped in my pot of gold. Good night.”

The vamp’s gaze shifted to Miranda’s phone on the bedside table. “Who were you talking to?”

“I’m tired. Please leave.”

Della stared harder. “You need a hug?”

“No,” Miranda snapped.

“Now I know something’s wrong. You never turn down a hug.”

“I want to sleep!” She held up her pinky. “Go before I turn you into a goon.”

Della gave her the pissed-off vamp look.

Miranda countered with the bug-off witchy eye roll.

“Is it the tattoo doing it? Because you’re covered again.”

“At least I don’t drink blood.” Miranda tossed out the insult purposely, hoping it’d send the vamp packing.

Della gave the door a good slam on her way out.

Lumpy emotion tightened Miranda’s throat. She stared down at her tattooed arm.

She waited for a good twenty seconds, then quietly, she got back down on her knees and picked up the bed skirt. No armadillo. But those damn

dust bunnies must have done the Humpty Dance and had babies, because she saw four now.

When she got up, she recalled the crazy visions. Her heart started pounding.

Perry kissing someone else. Ouch.

Shawn with a bouquet of flowers. Probably for her, and that brought on a guilty ouch.

Tabitha looking scared and upset.

And last, but so not least—the dead girl.

Miranda didn’t have a clue who she was. Yet everything in her gut said it was true. Somewhere out there, a girl had died. Perry had kissed

someone. Shawn had bought her flowers. Miranda had seen it.

What the hell did all of it mean?

*

Rage had every animal inside of Perry begging to come out. It multiplied when he saw what the girl had gripped in her hand. The button of her

and her son. “I’m so sorry,” he whispered.

“You should go.” The voice came from the bar’s door.

He shot to his feet. Felt his morph start.

“Burnett sent me.” The dark-haired vampire stepped back. “He was worried.”

Perry stopped the shift. The FRU, that’s where he knew her from. The realization didn’t stop the onslaught of emotions. He wanted to tell her

that Burnett hadn’t needed to send someone, but …

He’d messed up.

A girl, a young mother, was dead. He probably would have been too if this vampire hadn’t saved him.

His eyes stung. His heart stilled. Guilt swelled inside his chest.

She must have spotted it. “It wasn’t your fault. You tried to stop her. You almost died trying to stop her.”

“I should have tried harder.” He looked back at Bell.

“Do you know that Caleb guy’s last name? Where we can find him?”

Perry looked up. “I should have dealt with him earlier.”

She moved in. “His name?”

“I don’t know. I don’t know where he is now. But I’ll find him.”

“No. Go back to Shadow Falls. I’ll get him.”

Her lack of confidence in him hurt, but he couldn’t blame her. Not when he blamed himself. “I screwed up once. I won’t screw up again!”

“You didn’t…” She looked over her shoulder. “You have to go before the local FRU get here. Burnett won’t want you mixed up in this.”

Perry clenched his fist. “I’ll take care of Caleb.”

“You can’t…”

He would.

A phone rang behind the bar. They both looked back. Perry remembered Bell putting her phone down.

Someone needed to tell the babysitter that Bell wasn’t coming to pick up her baby. That she’d never be back.

“They’re almost here! Leave. Call Burnett!”

“You call him,” Perry said. “Tell him that Chuckie is the one who shot Lily Chambers and he’s headed back to Fallen to finish the job.”

Perry darted past the bar into the back room, where he’d kissed the same girl who now lay dead. He snatched up her ringing phone. The back

door was ajar. No doubt the owners of the bar had escaped because the place wasn’t registered with the FRU.

Voices echoed from behind him. Perry morphed and took off.

*

“Miranda, I need some help.”

Miranda’s eyes popped open. She’d heard the voice. Perry’s voice. Heard it as clear as day.

Blinking, she cut her gaze around to confirm he wasn’t there. Nope. Then she glanced toward her bedroom window that faced the east. Darkness

greeted her with only the slightest hue of purple.

A dream. Wasn’t it?

She slumped back on her pillow. Had she even slept an hour? Right then her cell beeped with a text.

Tabitha? Miranda rolled over so fast to get her phone that she almost fell off the bed. Looking at the screen, she saw Perry’s number. She

read the message.