Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)(9)

The warm calm of the touch left little doubt of the person's identity. Derek.

The pain in her chest lessened and she blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes.

Trying to gain control of her wayward emotions, she stood there, eyes closed, concentrating on the feel of sun on her skin and the breeze against her cheeks."Kylie?" Burnett's voice had her jerking open her eyes.

Her grandfather and Burnett stood in front of her. Concern darkened both of their eyes.

"You okay?" her grandfather asked.

"Great." She produced a smile, one that probably came with as little believability as had her one word.

"Then come," her grandfather said. "We need to talk. At the house and over tea."

As she moved in step beside them, she saw Burnett give her a quick glance and she knew he'd picked up on her untruth. She wasn't great. She wasn't even marginally okay. Then she saw something else in his gaze. Or had she read it in his emotions? Fear. Fear of disclosure, as if he worried she wasn't going to like what he had to say.

Little did he know, she didn't like much of anything being said lately. Then instantly, she realized she'd been thinking only of herself. Selfishly, she'd focused on only her own pain. There was a reason Burnett was here and it might not be just about her.

Coming to a sudden halt, she grabbed the vampire by the elbow. "Is everyone okay? What ... what happened?"

* * *

Five minutes later, Kylie sat at the dining room table and waited for her aunt to serve them iced tea before the conversation started. She just prayed it wouldn't lead to more of what had happened out by the barn.

The tension between Burnett and her grandfather was slowly building again. Kylie's, however, had already hit its peak. Someone had better start talking or she was going to lose it. And by someone, she meant Burnett.

He'd postponed answering her question until they got somewhere to ... talk. Which basically put Kylie on high alert that she'd been right. Something more than just Mario had happened. Someone wasn't okay.

On the walk to the house she'd gone crazy imagining the worst. Now sitting here, cold pizza centering the table, she fought back a sense of nausea as different versions of the worst threw darts at her heart. She knew Derek and Lucas were okay. And yeah, she shouldn't care about Lucas, but she still did.

Holiday had to be fine or Burnett wouldn't have been able to function. He loved her too much not to have been a physical mess if something had happened to her. That left ...

Her thoughts immediately went to her two closest friends-friends her grandfather had insisted she not speak with for a while. But because he'd relented on her conversations with Holiday, she had tried to accept it. Now ... if something had happened to them ... Oh, God! Without knowing the answer, tears stung Kylie's eyes.

Kylie's mind turned first to Della. The stubborn vamp was on a mission for the FRU. Had something gone bad? Was Della okay?

Kylie recalled telling Della she didn't like her working for the FRU, but when Della came right out and asked her if she wanted her to decline helping them, Kylie hadn't told her no. She had known how much Della had wanted to work for the agency.

But now ... if something had happened to Della, Kylie would forever regret her answer.

Worry chewed Kylie's patience down to a fine thread.

"Is it Della?" she finally bit out, as the glass of tea was set in front of her and her aunt left the room.

"Did something happen to her?"Burnett looked at her. "No, Della is fine ... as far as I know. She is still on the mission."

"Then who ... what happened?"

Burnett cupped the cold glass in his palm, but didn't sip from it. If it wasn't blood, he seldom drank anything except the strong coffee she'd seen him consume on some mornings. "After Mario was reported having been seen in Fallen, there was an incident. We aren't sure it's connected."

"Was anyone hurt?" The words stung as they left her lips, but somehow she knew with certainty someone hadn't walked away unscathed.

He turned the glass in his hands twice before answering. "Helen was attacked."

Kylie's breath caught. Helen, a half fae, was the shyest, most docile person at Shadow Falls. Who in the hell would hurt her? The answer bounced back like an unwanted echo. Mario.

"Is she ... okay?" The word alive lingered on her lips, but she feared saying it because, damn it, it would have hurt too much.

"Yes," he answered. "She's going to be fine. And we don't even know if any of this is connected."

"So it wasn't this Mario, seeking Kylie," her grandfather said.

She looked at her grandfather and then said the obvious. "Burnett wouldn't be here if he didn't suspect that."

Burnett begrudgingly nodded. "We suspect it." He glanced at Kylie. "But there is really no proof to substantiate it. She was attacked from behind. She can't remember what happened."

"How bad is she?" Kylie asked, praying Helen wouldn't have scars-emotional or physical.

"She's stronger than any of us thought." He hesitated. "Her injuries were serious, but not life threatening. As you can imagine, Jonathon isn't leaving her side. Her parents are there at the hospital and there have been some awkward moments. Apparently, Helen hasn't told them of her newfound love."