Awake at Dawn (Shadow Falls #2)(56)

"Was it a shifter?" Burnett asked.

"I'm ... not sure. But I know it wasn't Perry." Kylie hesitated and then recalled what this conversation was really about. "But the wolf isn't important. Two girls are dead and I ... I feel as if it's somehow my fault. I think he was after me, not them."

Burnett dropped back down in the chair facing her. "I can understand how you might feel that way. But if he was out to hurt you, he could have done so the other night in the woods. I don't think this is personal. Not toward you. To the camp as a whole ... maybe."

"Then why does he keep coming to see me? It doesn't sound like a coincidence."

Burnett frowned. "It's not a coincidence. You put yourself in situations that offered him the best opportunity with the least of amount of risk. And the first time, he didn't come to you. You had gone to the wildlife park where the Blood Brothers were. And if he was here the other night, and we're not sure it was him, then he probably spotted you when you ran off in the woods and saw it as an opportunity. And today, he was probably ... hunting when he sensed other supernaturals in town.

Again, you were the one alone in the dressing room. He took advantage of it."

And got himself an eyeful, Kylie thought. "But you even said that if he'd wanted to kill me the other night, he could have but he didn't even try. So what did he want with me then?"

Burnett hesitated. "I think he wanted to send a message to the camp. To let us know that the gang hasn't moved on. I'm sure the arrest of several of their gang members has dented their egos. If they pulled out right away, it would appear as if they lacked courage. If they stay around, they at least save face. I'm sure he realized that killing you would have brought too much trouble down on the gang."

Kylie tried to grasp exactly what Burnett was saying. "But he killed those girls. Are you saying that didn't cause trouble? That doesn't make sense."

Burnett looked at Holiday as if asking for her help.

Holiday squeezed Kylie's hand. "When a supernatural kills another supernatural, it's easier to deal with the offense. We have our own justice system."

"And when they kill a human? What happens?" Don't let them say "nothing," Kylie thought. Please God, don't let them say "nothing." She might be part supernatural, but she was still part human.

"That's part of the FRU's job," Burnett said. "But as you might guess, it can make getting justice tricky."

Kylie felt her shoulders getting tighter. "Are you telling me that he's actually going to get away with this?"

"No." Burnett said in a deeper tone. "You have my word, Kylie, I will do everything I can to make sure this guy pays for this."

Exactly how Burnett intended to make him pay wasn't clear. Nor was Kylie sure she even wanted to know. But something about the way he said those words told her this wasn't a promise he made lightly. And for that, she was grateful.

That night, the camp leaders held a meeting of all the campers at the dining hall and served up both pizza and sage advice. Burnett spoke about being extra careful. "Stay on the main paths and trails and don't go through the woods without having someone with you," he explained. "Depending on how dense the trees are or how the wind is blowing, an intruder's scent could go undetected."

Della shot a grin at Kylie and then turned back to Burnett. "Maybe you should cancel parents weekend," she suggested.

Burnett looked at Della. "That's over two weeks away. I hope to have this problem resolved by then."

"Hey, can't blame a girl for trying," Della muttered.

"I have a meeting with the High Council next week," Burnett said. "I'm hoping I'll get some assistance to deal with what happened here."

Kylie leaned in closer to Della. "Who are the High Council?"

"Sort of like the Senate, made up of a bunch of elders from the different species." Della smiled. "I just learned about it this afternoon. Chris did a talk about it in our vamp meeting."

"A Senate? I didn't think all the species got along," Kylie said. "They don't. But neither do the Democrats and Republicans and they still meet."

"I guess so," Kylie said, and then another question popped up. "What kind of assistance will they offer us?"

"Depends. Chris said the council has to vote to even look into the case."

"Vote? Two girls murdered, how can they say no?"

Della shrugged. "You have to remember that not all the elders are in line with the government's way of thinking. "

"You mean some of them are rogue?"

Della nodded. "According to Chris, most of the elders respect the government, but don't want to be controlled by it. So they follow some of the rules, but not all of them." One of Della's eyebrows rose upward.

Kylie shook her head. She had enough trouble trying to understand human politics-did she really have it in her to grasp this, too? "If they take the case, then what?"

"They either allow the council of the accused species to do the punishing and deal with things or they turn the guy over to the FRU. And I don't want to think about what happens to them then."

"Me, either," Kylie admitted.

Della glanced over to the door and her mood seemed to have changed. "I'm going to head on back to the cabin. I've got some stuff I want to do."