Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)(32)

"Really?" he asked.

"Really." She looked around and wondered if whatever she felt would give her the answers she needed. "You don't feel anything?"

"If I did, I wouldn't be here now." He chuckled, but Kylie could swear she heard a tad of nervousness in his tone.

"Doesn't the legend say that they come here at dusk?" He ran his hand through his dark hair that looked a shade darker than normal. Her gaze went back to the falls and she realized his hair was wet. She felt her own hair then, hanging damp on her shoulders and shifting back and forth on her back.

He took a few steps closer to one of the large boulders. His shoulders and arms shifted with corded muscle and appeared almost as hard as the rock walls. Once again, Kylie couldn't help but admire how attractive he was. Not that he made her body tingle the way Derek did, but she could appreciate the way he was put together. Holiday really should let herself fall for him.

"It says you can see them dancing on the walls at dusk. It doesn't mean they're not here at other times," Kylie answered honestly, hoping she was right. Hoping the presence she felt here was real and could give her answers.

He nodded and looked around again. "Why is it that the place wasn't so scary until you showed up?"

Kylie laughed. "It must be my magnetic personality."

He smiled. "Probably. You and Holiday." Just the way he said Holiday's name tugged at Kylie's heartstrings.

"It was another vampire," Kylie blurted out. "He hurt her a lot."

Burnett looked confused for a second, and then understanding filled his eyes. "So she's prejudiced against all vampires?" He sounded hurt. "I would call it protective," she said. "And not all vampires. She doesn't seem to have a problem with any vampire but you."

He tilted his head to the side and looked at her. "You say that as if it's a good thing."

"It might be," Kylie said. "There has to be a reason you get on her bad side so quickly."

He seemed to consider her analogy. "I see what you mean." His gaze shifted to the wall of water again. "Why don't I walk back to the camp with you? Make sure-"

"Actually, I was hoping to stay here for a few minutes. Alone," she said before he offered to stay with her.

A frown pulled at his mouth. "I'm not sure you should be alone in the woods. Not after what happened the other night."

"I'm not alone," Kylie said. "Della and Miranda are right outside, waiting on me."

She thought he was going to say something completely macho, like tell her she should have brought a boy with her.

Instead he said, "Okay. Good."

Yeah, good, Kylie thought. Della would have had a conniption fit if she knew he considered her less capable than the opposite sex.

He tilted his head to the side as if to listen. "That's really strange. I can't hear them. Or smell them in here." His brow creased. "Then again, I didn't hear you until you spoke." His gaze cut around their surroundings.

"Maybe this place is haunted." A grin pulled at his mouth. "And on that note, I think I'll head back to the camp." He took two steps and then turned back. "Don't be long. And make sure you guys stay together."

"Got it," she said.

He nodded and again tilted his head to the side and studied her. "Are you okay? Your heart ... it's beating really fast."

She shuffled her wet tennis shoes on the rock. "Della said the same thing. I think I'm okay," Kylie said, not wanting to share her recent and unexpected all-natural but definitely not human boob job.

He studied her for a few minutes and Kylie got the craziest feeling he'd noticed more than her heartbeat, but he was careful not to make her feel uncomfortable. She appreciated that.

He started to walk out and then turned around. "Thank you for-"

"You're welcome," she said, not wanting to hear or think about how angry Holiday would be when she found out Kylie had told Burnett even the least bit about her past. And Holiday would find out, because Kylie had every intention of telling her. Keeping it a secret would make it feel like even more of a sin. And right now, right here, she especially didn't want to up her quotient of sins.

Five minutes after Burnett left, Kylie stood in the same spot. "Look, I got a ghost who is saying someone I love is going to die. I'm supposed to save this person, but the ghost isn't giving me a lot to work on. I'm getting scared. Really scared."

And she should feel sort of stupid talking to herself. Yet she didn't. While she couldn't see anyone here, she felt them.

"Can you ... like, help me out here?" She waited. She listened with her ears. With her heart.

No answer echoed back, not in her mind, her ears, or her heart. Unless you considered the sensation of calm and rightness that made her chest feel lighter, her problem less urgent, and her ability to deal with everything almost manageable.

Was this the answer? That everything was going to be okay? Or was this like Holiday's and Derek's touch-just a quick fix to the emotional havoc living and breathing inside her? Doubt tried to sweep away the calm.

She dropped down on the uneven earth beneath her, a mix of rock and moist dirt, and rested her palms behind her for support. Tilting her head back, she felt her damp hair sway slightly and tickle her back through her nightshirt. Low on her back. Lower than ever before. Sitting up again, she reached back to touch the ends of her hair. Her hair, like her boobs, must have undergone a growth spurt. What did all this mean?