Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(85)

Goose bumps rose on her flesh. She crossed her arms to fight the chil . "The lion isn't real," she managed to say. "It's Perry. He's a shapeshifter."

The soldier wasn't bleeding this time. But the memory of the dream, of seeing him dying on that dirty floor came hurtling back. Her heart ached for him. Now that he was final y talking to her, would he tel her his name? Oddly enough, even mental y referring him as Soldier Dude didn't feel right. He deserved more respect.

"It is real, Kylie," he said as the lion roared again.

She reached for her other shoe and hurled it at Perry.

"Kylie, listen to me." The ghost's voice grew louder, firmer. "That isn't Perry. It's real. And it's dangerous. Don't provoke it. Move to the door. Get out, now."

His words sank in and she stared harder at the lion.

The lion who was not sparkling back into human form.

The lion who stood up and leapt from the bed.

The lion who moved in front of the door and prevented her from escaping.

The lion, who paced back and forth while sizing her up as if trying to decide what kind of sauce he wanted her served with. Kylie didn't, couldn't, look away from the lion, but she spoke to the ghost. "Okay, the door thing didn't work. Got any other ideas?"

"Stay calm." His words rang the same time the animal roared, sounding angry. Hungry.

"That's kind of hard to do." She shivered, both from the cold and the thought of the lion's teeth ripping open her rib cage.

"He's waiting for you to run. If you stay calm, it wil give us some time."

"Time to do what?" she asked. The lion dropped down on the floor and started cleaning his paws. Was he washing up before dinner?

"Time to think of something else," he answered.

Hearing her own teeth chatter, she glanced over at the ghost. "Can't you ... make him leave?"

"If I could, he would already be gone." Sincerity added deepness to his voice. In spite of her panic, something about the ghost struck that chord of familiarity again. As if she knew him, or maybe as if she should know him.

"What's your name?" She tried to stop shaking, but couldn't.

"Daniel Brighten," he said.

She let the name bounce around her head, trying to find a connection. Nothing clicked. Blinking, she met his blue eyes again, watching as a strand of his blond hair fel across his brow. "Why?" she asked. "Why are you fol owing me around? Is it about how you died?"

"No," he said. "I needed you to know that I didn't have a choice."

Why did he need me to know that? Kylie flipped her gaze from him to the lion every other second. "Do I need to tel someone? Did you get accused of hurting that woman?"

"No."

The lion stood back up and Kylie's breath caught. She looked around for something to defend herself with.

"Don't do that," the ghost said.

"Don't do what?"

"Don't grab the chair."

She gazed back to him. "Can you read my mind?"

"No, you were looking at it."

"I'm scared," she admitted.

"I know, but if you grab it, the lion might feel threatened."

"Yeah, wel , I'm kind of feeling threatened, too. The beast is supposed to be next door at the refuge, not in my bedroom." Kylie suddenly remembered Del a tel ing her that the animals sounded angry. Was the lion angry at her now? "How did it even get here?"

"I don't know, but let's worry about that later."

A deep rumble sounded from the lion's chest. Kylie wasn't sure if that was his angry noise, but from where she stood it sure as hel was his scary noise.

"Don't panic, Kylie. He can smel it."

Daniel was right, Kylie decided. Animals, like supernaturals, could smel things like fear. She inhaled slowly. Think about something else. Think about something else. Her mind found a topic and she looked at Daniel again.

"Is Nana, my grandmother, in heaven?"

"Of course she is."

"If you can visit me, why hasn't she?" The steam from her lips snaked up to the ceiling.

"I was here first."

"Where were you first?" Her teeth chattered again.

"Waiting until you were old enough to understand. They only al ow one spirit to come to you at a time, until you are able to cope."

"Wel , they were wrong." She looked back at the lion.

"Wrong about what?"

"I'm not ready to cope yet."

He smiled.

Kylie hadn't meant it to be funny. "So you've actual y seen Nana?" New goose bumps started forming on top of the old goose bumps. Kylie knew she would feel warmer if the ghost left, but the idea of being alone with the lion didn't thril her.

"She is not a woman who can be missed," he said. "Not even in spirit form."

Curiosity struck. "Did you meet her before ... before she died?"

"A long time ago." His light blue eyes, combined with his blond hair, pul ed her in for a second. She studied him. And then it happened. She saw inside his head. She was doing what al the other supernaturals could do. Seeing his pattern. A tiny thril ran through her. Blinking, she continued to look at his pattern. He had vertical lines and then some odd kind of writing, like Chinese, or prehistoric symbols. "You are ... were supernatural, weren't you?"