Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(35)

She stood there staring at him. "At least let me try."

He closed his eyes for a second, and then he lowered his head closer and whispered, "Please trust me on this, Kylie. There is nothing you can do to change it."

Something about his voice seemed to reach deep inside her and scramble her thoughts. Or perhaps it was how his breath whispered against her jaw line, the soft, sweet tickle right below her ear that made it impossible to think.

Impossible to tel him no.

"Okay." But even as she cratered to his wishes, she told herself she had to be careful. Derek, for whatever reasons, had some kind of power over her and that could be dangerous.

His green eyes focused right on her baby blue ones and he smiled again. "Let's go."

He held out his hand. She almost took it, but managed to refrain at the last second.

"I'l fol ow." She stuck her hands in her pockets.

Disappointment weakened his smile, but he nodded and started walking. And she did what she told him she'd do. She fol owed. They didn't talk for the first five minutes as they started up a trail. Then he turned off the trail and led her up through a thick patch of trees and bushes. Between yesterday with Del a and now this, it would be a miracle if she didn't come down with poison oak. Or worse, chiggers. Just when she was about to say something, she heard the soft sound of running water, as if they were about to come across a smal stream.

"It's right here." He glanced back at her, his eyes carrying a smile even when his lips didn't. She fol owed him for a few more feet and then stopped and stared at the stream and the humongous boulder, about the size of a twin-size bed, perched on the edge overlooking the trickling water. The morning sun streamed through the trees, making everything seem so green, so lush. So alive.

Kylie inhaled the air, which smel ed just like everything looked-fresh, verdant, and wet. In the distance she could hear what she thought was a waterfal -Shadow Fal s. It had to be. The sound of cascading water fil ed the silence and somehow seemed to cal out to her.

"Is there a waterfal around here?" she asked.

"Yeah, but it's prettier here." Derek hopped up on the rock. "Come on." Once settled, he held out his hand to help her up. She moved in but before she took his hand, the question popped out. "Why did you do it?"

He looked down at her. "Do what?"

"You know what," she accused.

"Are we stil stuck on that?" He shook his head. "It's not a big deal, Kylie. Now come up and sit down. This place is even more amazing when you look at it from this angle."

She took his hand and with hardly any effort he pul ed her up. Letting go as soon as she had her footing, she found her spot, careful not to sit too close.

Not that it helped al that much.

Feeling his gaze on her, she looked out at the stream and tried to refocus. "Wow," she muttered. "You're right. It's prettier from up here." And it was. The extra height offered a better view of the flowing water. The streams of light sneaking from the trees hit the water and made it twinkle. From this angle, the whole place seemed to be bathed in a mixture of shadows and light, and it reminded her of something she might have seen in fairytale book. Almost ... magical.

"Why?" she asked again without looking at him.

"I was curious about you. I've been curious ever since I saw you standing by your mom before you got on the bus. You were so sad and..."

She remembered Miranda saying that some fairies could read your thoughts and before he could continue, she spoke up. "Can you read my mind?" Turning to him, she felt her face heat at some of the more embarrassing thoughts she'd had about him.

"No." He smiled and in this light, his green eyes with golden flecks literal y sparkled. "Why are you blushing? What have you been thinking about me?" He leaned a tad closer until his forehead rested against hers. Her heart did a flip and her next breath tasted sweeter. Realizing she was staring, she remembered what he'd asked.

She didn't answer his question, just asked another one. "Then how did you know I was so sad?"

He hesitated and his smile faded. "I can't read thoughts, but I can read some basic emotions."

She looked at him and sensed he was tel ing her the truth.

"For some reason I cause a mixture of emotions in you. Some positive, some not so positive, but I'm not sure why."

He was being honest, and Kylie felt she owed him the same in return. "You ... you remind me of someone I know."

He picked a twig off of a tree and studied it. "A good someone, or a bad someone?"

"Both. He's my ex-boyfriend."

"I see." He waited for a minute and then asked, "What happened between you two?"

"He broke up with me."

"Why?" he asked.

She'd offered him some of the truth, but not about this. "You'd have to ask him." It was a lame answer and she knew it the moment the words spil ed.

"But he's not here and you are." He took the twig and brushed the leaves across her cheek. Then he fol owed the path with his finger. He was coming on to her and she didn't exactly know how to stop it.

In truth, she didn't know if she wanted to stop it. Unlike what had been going on lately, these feeling were not so foreign to her. Not that she needed to get caught up in something else right now.