Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(101)

"That is so unfair," Kylie muttered.

"What's unfair?"

Kylie swung around. Derek stood in the doorway. Dressed in faded jeans and a light blue shirt, he looked ... good. Safe. She met his eyes and she saw the affection he held for her.

Right then, she decided that for tonight she was going to forget.

Forget about the letter in her pocket.

Forget about not knowing what she was.

Forget a certain woman wearing a blood-soaked gown.

Forget that she stil hadn't made the trip up to the fal s.

Even forget that her mom stil hadn't agreed to let Kylie stay at the school.

Tonight, she just wanted to listen to some music, and sit next to Derek-shoulders touching.

"You going to the party?" she asked.

"I've been there. Waiting on you."

"Then let's go."

Kylie started moving toward the dining hal , and Derek fol owed her. She paused at the threshold, and he bumped into her. Hit with deja vu, she remembered almost the same thing happening the first time she'd walked through these doors. She'd been so scared, so certain that she would hate it here. Then again, she'd also sensed that her life was going to change. And yeah, she had been right about that.

"Are we going inside?" Derek asked, brushing up against her. His breath felt warm against her neck. She nodded, but she just stood there wanting to take it al in. She saw Miranda chatting with Perry. The shape-shifter had yet to admit he liked Miranda, but Miranda was patient. Helen sat with Jonathon who played a game of chess with another vampire. Del a, sipping a glass of blood, stood watching the game. Since learning about the Shadow Fal s Camp turning into a boarding school, Del a had seemed to lose some of her pent-up anger. Not al of it, but some.

"You okay?" Derek asked, leaning even closer to her ear. He felt solid and so warm standing behind her and right now that was what she needed.

"Yeah." Kylie spotted Holiday sitting with Chris, listening to him play his guitar.

Looking across the room, Kylie found Burnett leaning against a wal , his attention so locked on Holiday that the world could end and he wouldn't notice. Yup, Holiday was his kryptonite, al right.

A sense of belonging fil ed Kylie's chest. She looked back at Derek and smiled. "Yeah," she repeated. "I'm okay."