Born at Midnight (Shadow Falls #1)(87)

Derek's hiss fil ed Kylie's ears, and she knew the beast's claws had ripped into his skin. "You okay?" she asked. He didn't answer, just reached again for the knob. The lion roared, but didn't charge this time. Kylie continued to move backward into the living room as Derek slowly fol owed. As he closed the door, Kylie saw Daniel smile.

"You did it." Holiday rushed inside the cabin. Kylie stood there, hugging herself, her insides trembling, and feeling sick to her stomach.

"Help me move the sofa to the door in case he decides to charge it," Derek said.

As Derek and Holiday moved the sofa against the door, Kylie noticed blood dripping down his hard abdomen.

"You're ... hurt." Her teeth chattered so hard she could barely talk. She pointed at him and felt a cold sweat drip from her forehead.

"Just scratched," he assured her.

She took the steps separating them and fel against him. She didn't care that she was getting blood al over her favorite nightshirt, either. She dropped her face against the warm wal of skin and muscle and continued to shake.

He wrapped his arms around her. Holiday moved in and placed a hand on her back.

Kylie didn't know which one of the fairies were doing it, or if it was both-she honestly didn't care-but the thousands of tiny pinpricks of panic started to fade. She felt safe and that was al that mattered.

She buried her face deeper into Derek's naked shoulder, loving how he smel ed, how it felt to be this close to him.

"Put Kylie down in one of the other bedrooms," Holiday said.

"No. I'm fine." Kylie raised her head, but didn't want to leave the comfort of Derek's arms. She needed this for just a little longer. He was so warm and she was so ... cold.

Kylie saw Daniel standing behind Holiday. He smiled at her and then faded. "Thank you," Kylie said, hoping he heard her.

"You're welcome," Derek answered.

Kylie looked back to offer Derek his own verbal gratitude, but a loud whack stopped her. The cabin door slammed open so hard it sounded like it had cracked. Burnett came barging into the cabin, his eyes glowed red, and he held a big rifle in his hands.

"You promised me that you wouldn't come up here," he seethed at Holiday.

"I changed my mind," she said, not sounding at al remorseful.

The lion roared on the other side of the door and Burnett roared with him. "I'l take care of that first, and then I'l deal with you."

"Yeah, wel , good luck with that." Holiday smirked.

Burnett started toward the door. "Wait." Derek set Kylie back. "Let me calm him down so he won't think you are kil ing him."

At first Burnett appeared doubtful, but then Holiday nodded. "Fine," Burnett said.

Kylie couldn't say she'd offer the beast that much courtesy, but deep down, she admired Derek for doing it. The two men eased the sofa away from the door. Burnett pressed his ear to the door and then said, "He's on the other side of the room." Then he reached for the knob.

"Be careful," Kylie said.

Derek looked back at her and smiled. "Piece of cake."

* * *

"You don't have to stay here," Kylie told Holiday, who pul ed a chair beside Kylie's bed about an hour later. The camp leader had personal y cleaned Kylie's room to remove the stench of the animal.

Holiday leaned in and whispered, "It's this or I'l get my ass chewed out by Mr. Big Bad and Handsome. So just pretend like you need me until he leaves. Now that they've taken the lion, I don't think he'l hang around longer than a few more minutes." Sitting back in her chair, she bit down on her lip. "Boy, am I glad Derek was around."

Something occurred to Kylie. "Couldn't one of the witches have stopped this?"

"If I could have found them," she said. "They were al out on a hike with Sky. I knew Burnett had just left here to go back to the wildlife park, so I cal ed him."

"What was he doing at the wildlife park?" Kylie asked. Then she said, "What's going on, Holiday? How did the lion get here? Who put it in my room? And don't tel me that it's your job to worry, either."

It didn't appear as if Holiday was going to answer. Her expression turned grim, and she dropped her hands into her lap. "You're going to find out tomorrow, anyway."

"Find what out?"

"Someone is raiding the wildlife park. Kil ing the very animals the park is trying to save. Most of the animals kil ed have been on the endangered species list. Of course, the government didn't waste any time blaming us, either. Any strange crime happens anywhere and someone is pointing to the supernaturals."

"They think one of us is doing it?" Kylie asked.

Holiday bit down on her lip. "Not only do they believe it, but as of this afternoon they have proof. At least they think they do."

"So someone here is doing this?" Kylie asked.

"They found a blood trail leading back to our camp."

"But the lion wasn't kil ed," Kylie said.

"No, but the fact that it was here just makes things worse. Someone had to help that animal escape."

"And someone put it in my room," Kylie said.

"That or it could just be a coincidence," Holiday said. "He could have wandered into any cabin."