Chosen at Nightfall (Shadow Falls #5)(96)

Kylie inhaled. "To Derek's. I need Derek."

"Derek?" Miranda said. "And here I thought she'd given up on him and was almost back with Lucas."

Kylie shot the little witch a pleading look to give it a break. "I'm serious."

"Can I get my bra on first?" Della asked.

"You don't need one." Miranda snickered.

Della shot her a scowl. "You are the witchiest bitch I know."

Kylie, too emotionally distraught to deal with their bickering, started for the door. She had to know.

Della must have decided Miranda was right about not needing boob support, because she followed Kylie out the door. Pajamas and all.

"You know Burnett will have my head for letting you do this without calling him."

Kylie started running, her need for answers giving her will. She felt the wind in her hair and the tears run wet down her cheeks.

In less than two minutes, Kylie came to a stop beside Derek's cabin.

"Okay, wise one, are you going to knock on the door?" Della looked at her, and her smartass expression vanished into one of concern once she saw Kylie's tears.

"I'm sorry," she said. "It must have been bad."Kylie nodded. "I'll try the window." She ran to the side of the cabin. The windows were a lot taller than she was. Jumping up, she latched her fingers onto the top of the window ledge and pulled herself up to peer inside.

And what she saw had her ... had her ... confused.

Befuddled.

Shocked.

She blinked-as if it would change what she was looking at.

But two or three flutters of her lashes later, she could still make out not one, but two people in Derek's bed. One was Derek. She could clearly make out his masculine form. But the other was ... Kylie couldn't see her face.

But it was definitely a her. She had long black hair and a very feminine-shaped pajama-covered butt protruding from the blanket. And Kylie just happened to recognize those PJ bottoms as Derek's.

The girl shifted. Kylie held her breath, hoping she'd roll over so she could see who was warming up the other side of Derek's bed.

Kylie took a second to ask herself if she was jealous. Somewhere deep down, very deep, there was a touch of green emotion. But with it came a sense of rightness. Derek needed to move on.

But did he have to do it so dang fast?

The girl rolled over.

Kylie saw her face and ... "Crap!" Her fingers accidentally let go of the windowsill and she fell, landing with a thump on her butt.

How? How could this be?

Chapter Thirty-five

"What is it?" Della asked, looming behind her.

"Nothing," Kylie lied, still on the ground where she had fallen.

"Try again," Della said, obviously having heard her heart's untruth.

"Let it go. And please ... give me some privacy to talk to ... him."

"I'm shadowing you," she said and watched Kylie stand up.

"I know," Kylie answered. "But I'm begging you. Please. I need some privacy."

"To do what? Go jump his bones?" Kylie didn't even reply to that. Della swung around and stomped off.

Kylie pulled back up on the windowsill, hung on with one hand, and knocked with the other. Both parties in bed bolted up.

Derek's sleep-filled gaze shot toward the window. Kylie wasn't sure what Jenny-as in Hayden's sister, Jenny-did. She'd vanished.

Brushing a hand over his face, Derek came to the window. Kylie dropped down as he lifted the window up. He reached out and offered her a frown and a hand to pull her up.

"It's about damn time," he muttered as he hoisted her up. "What the hell took you so long?"

Feet on the bedroom floor, Kylie frowned. "You saw me at dinner and didn't say anything."

"What could I say in a room filled with vampires?"

Hell, he was right. "What's going on?" She looked around. "And Jenny, you can make yourself visible.

I already saw you."

Jenny appeared and her cheeks turned red. "This isn't what it seems. We weren't..." She pointed to the floor where a blanket and pillow were thrown.

"You were supposed to sleep on the floor," Jenny snapped at Derek.

"I couldn't sleep, so I just..." He glared at Jenny. "I didn't touch you."

Kylie shook her head. "I don't care about that."

"I do," Jenny said, and glared at Derek.

"I didn't touch you!" he repeated.

Kylie moaned. "Jenny? What are you doing here?" Right then Kylie remembered the alarm. "That was you that jumped the fence."

Jenny frowned. "I didn't know the place was wired. Even the compound doesn't have an alarm."

But the chameleons weren't waiting on a psycho rogue to attack. Kylie shook her head, reminding herself to focus on one issue at a time. And this was a big issue, too. "Shit!" she muttered. "Does Hayden know you're here?"

Both Derek and Jenny shook their heads.

Kylie looked at Jenny. "You ran away, didn't you?"Jenny nodded and gripped her hands together. "Please don't ... don't be mad."

Derek looked at Jenny with empathy and then stared at Kylie as if frustrated. "Why are you upset? You said you wanted to help her."