Unspoken (Shadow Falls: After Dark #3)(122)

Della made a face. “I kind of like it at Shadow Falls. I have my best friends.” Chase lives close. Though why that mattered she didn’t know. At least a hundred times, she’d written him a text, only to delete it.

He’d kept stuff from her. Wasn’t that the same as lying?

“Okay, I’m not going to try to talk you out of it. But I’d buy you a new car if you reconsidered.”

“That’s bribery,” Della said. “And it’s a low blow.”

He sighed. “Okay, I just can’t stand the thought of you leaving.”

“I’m almost eighteen.”

He sighed and held up his hands. “You know I’ll still buy you a car. I was going to when you graduated high school.”

She stood up and hugged him. “Can I have stick shift?”

“You don’t drive a stick shift,” he said.

“I learned.” She remembered her driving lessons with Chase. Her heart did another tumble. Would she ever stop missing him?

“I’ll let you help pick it out.”

“Thank you.” She hugged him again.

Funny how lately she’d become almost as much of a serial hugger as Miranda.

*

Sunday, at almost eight that night, her whole family drove to drop her off at Shadow Falls. They hugged, kissed, and Marla even cried.

“I’ll be back in two weeks.” Della stayed at the gate and watched them leave. Then she cried. For the first time, she actually knew they were going to miss her. She knew she still had a place at home. Would always have that place.

She turned around and stared at the Shadow Falls Academy sign. This was home too.

Oddly, she was surprised when Kylie and Miranda weren’t at the gate waiting for her. They had called five times today, asking when she’d get there.

She walked through the gate.

“Hey,” Miranda called from the dining hall. “I was just grabbing us some Cokes, can you help?”

“Sure.” Before she walked through the door, their scents hit. Vampires, shape-shifters, faes, witches, werewolves, shape-shifters. The whole bunch of them. She was still surprised when they all yelled, “Welcome home!”

She almost got a little teary eyed. Everyone was so nice. Over the next hour she spent time laughing with all of her Shadow Falls family, Holiday and Burnett, and little Hannah, Jenny and Derek, Perry and Miranda. Lucas and Kylie. Jonathon and Helen. Even Fredericka and Chris came over and welcomed her back.

When Della was ready to head back to her cabin, Burnett asked if he could see her in the office.

“Is there a problem?” She walked into Holiday’s office.

“No,” Burnett said. “Well, a little one.”

“What?” Right then something rubbed against her leg.

She looked down. “Chester? What?”

“Remember you asked me to find out what vet the Chis’ cat was at?”

“Yes,” Della said.

“Well, I don’t know how I got to be the person responsible. But the Chis’ daughter called the vet and said they couldn’t have a cat at their apartment. So I got stuck with Chester. Holiday doesn’t trust Hannah with a pet yet. Do you think Chester could hang out with you?”

“That’s a great idea!” Della picked up the cat.

“There’s a carrier.”

She started out, cat in tow. “Della?” Burnett said.

“Yeah,” she said.

“Have you spoken with Chase?”

A lump filled her chest. “No.”

“Oh,” he said.

She started out again and stopped when he spoke up.

“It just seems odd.”

“Why?” she asked.

“He worked so hard on your dad’s case.”

“And he kept things from me. Eddie had told him that he was going to come forward and confess. He didn’t tell me that.”

“Yeah, but do you know something else that’s odd?”

“What?”

“You both were doing the same thing. Trying to save your fathers. But only one of you seemed to support the other one.”

She stood there, feeling her emotions well up. When it was put like that, she really came off as a bitch.

“Stone was blackmailing the council. He had files that put them all at risk, even your uncle. The council promised Chase that they’d protect Eddie if he’d kill Stone. He didn’t do it, because he knew that if Stone died, your father might still get convicted. He risked Eddie going to jail to save your father from the same thing.”

“He did?” she asked and realized she didn’t just come off as a bitch, she was one. A full-fledged bitch.

“Yup.”

She looked down at Holiday’s desk. A plan started to form.

“Do you think I could borrow the car later? I might … run out and get some food and stuff for Chester.”

He grinned. “You’re going to ask? I thought you just took the keys and ran.” He picked up the keys and tossed them to her.

Smiling, she started out, then turned. “Burnett?”

“Yeah.”

She searched for the right words. “During some of this time, I felt like I lost my father. But you were sort of a backup. And still are. Thank you.”