Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)(31)

"My rules, however, still stand," Burnett continued. "No matter what I decide with Mr. Yates's future at Shadow Falls," Burnett said, focusing on Kylie, "you are not to run off to see your grandfather. You will have shadows, and if I have to personally guard your cabin every night to prevent you from going against the rules, I will."

Kylie nodded, accepting she'd have to earn his trust back.

Burnett shifted his attention back to Hayden. "And if I choose to let you stay on at Shadow Falls, I will expect you to abide by my rules and help me keep Kylie in check. And assist me in learning how to cope with a rogue of your own kind.""If you decide I can stay on, I'll consider your offer," Hayden said, the edge in his voice stating he obviously hadn't warmed up to Burnett's demeanor. Not that Kylie could blame him. It had taken her a while to warm up to the vamp. Until she learned how much he cared. "But I can tell you this, Mr. James, I refuse to be treated with disrespect."

"Disrespect?" Burnett growled.

And then everything went to hell.

Burnett and Hayden exchanged colorful verbal blows. According to Hayden, Burnett was a prick, and according to Burnett, Hayden was an overconfident jerk who had lied.

She didn't know if she felt confident the tension wouldn't elevate to physical blows, or if she was simply too tired to care anymore. If they broke each other's noses, so be it. She didn't think they would kill each other. Then again, she could be wrong.

But she was suddenly too tired to try to stop them.

Her knees wobbled and her eyes grew heavy. She had to sit down before she fell down. Ignoring the two arguing men, she walked across the room and plopped down on Hayden's sofa.

Feeling a chill wash over, she hugged herself. She was so tired it took a minute to realize the cold wasn't just a natural reaction from being exhausted. It also took a second to realize the men had stopped arguing and were staring at her.

Kylie ignored the men to deal with the spirit. "Not now," she muttered, and stared right at the coffee table in front of her, not wanting to have to face the ghost and her nonsense talk of murder. And not really wanting to face Burnett or Hayden, either.

"Not now, what?" Burnett asked.

"Nothing," Kylie said, and the ghost stepped in front of her. Her pale pink dress hung heavy, soaked in blood. Lots of blood. At least it looked like blood.

Kill or be killed. The spirit's words wiggled through Kylie's mind.

Kylie leaned back and looked the spirit in her cold dead eyes. Right now, I'll have to go with "be killed." I'm just too tired.

"Are you ready to go back to your cabin?" Burnett glanced around as if aware they had a visitor, but he couldn't see her. Not that he really should be able to see her ghost, but he had been able to see Hannah, Holiday's sister, so Kylie wasn't sure.

"Can you see her?" Kylie asked.

"See who?" Hayden asked.

"A ghost," Burnett answered Hayden.

"Shit!" Hayden mouthed, and took a step back.

"No, but I can feel her," Burnett said, and his concerned gaze stayed locked on Kylie. "You're not going to pass out, are you?"

"I don't think so," Kylie answered.

"Good. Are you ready to go back to your cabin?" Burnett asked again.

"Yeah," Kylie said. As she went to stand up, she saw Hayden's phone on the coffee table. Recalling she wanted to call her mom, she picked it up and shot Hayden a glance. "I'm gonna borrow this," she told him. "I left mine with my granddad."

Hayden frowned. "Just don't call my girlfriend like the last time you borrowed my phone."She moved over to him, ignoring the spirit who she felt standing by the door, and hugged Hayden.

Maybe she shouldn't have, because he stiffened. What is it with men and hugs? she wondered.

"Thank you," she said, pulling away.

"Yeah," he answered.

She glanced at Burnett. He looked upset, as if she'd just hugged the enemy. "You know, the problem with you two is that you are too much alike."

Both of them made some scratchy noise in their throat as if to deny it. Kylie just rolled her eyes and started out. And her ghost, carrying a bloody sword in one hand and ... and somebody's head in the other, cut in front of Kylie. The head, apparently freshly severed and still pouring blood, dangled and bounced against her hip as she moved.

Kylie gasped and came to an abrupt stop. The spirit turned around, and smiled. Then, holding the body part up by a handful of dark hair as if it were a trophy, she gave it a good shake. I told you, killing is a piece of cake.

She shook the head. The eyes wobbled as if loose in their sockets, and blood squirted out of the neck.

Kylie let out a frightened squeak.

Swinging around, Kylie slammed into Burnett and buried her face in his shoulder and hung on. "I'm too tired to handle body parts," she muttered. "Make her go away. Please, make her go away."

Chapter Eleven

Five minutes later, the ghost gone, Kylie walked up her porch steps and turned to say good-bye to Burnett behind her.

He studied her with compassion. He hadn't apologized for being so hard on her, and he probably wouldn't. No doubt, he thought she deserved it. And in a way, she guessed she did.

Burnett reached around her and opened the door. "Promise you'll go to bed and not try to wander off again?"