Reborn (Shadow Falls: After Dark #1)(34)

Della nodded. “I’ll try to remember that.”

“Make sure you do,” Holiday said, and sighed. Then the fae sat up and placed a hand on her pregnant stomach.

Still wanting to change the conversation, Della asked, “Is the baby moving much?”

“All the time. I think it’s going to be impatient like its daddy. You want to feel it?”

Della hesitated. “You don’t mind?”

“Not at all.” She took Della’s hand and placed it on her stomach.

Della felt the movement. “Wow. I think your baby just kicked me. That’s so cool,” she said, meaning it. She couldn’t imagine what it would feel like to have a person growing inside of you. “Weird, but cool.” She grinned up at the camp leader. “And you’re freaking huge. You sure there’s not two of them in there?”

Holiday grimaced. “Freaking huge? Thanks.”

Della frowned. “Sorry, I just meant…”

“Don’t worry.” Holiday leaned in and bumped her shoulder. “I am freaking huge. And no, it’s not twins. But it appears my baby is going to be vampire dominant.”

“You had one of those X-ray things? Does that tell you the baby’s pattern?”

“A special sonogram can show it. But I asked not to be told. I want to be surprised.”

“Then how do you know for sure it will be vampire dominant?”

“Supernaturals very seldom carry babies to full term. But the gestational cycle for a vampire can really vary. Sometimes it can happen as quickly as four or five months.”

“Wow, so you could like have the baby really soon?”

“Yup.”

“Are you scared? Of having it?” Della had seen a birth on some freaky documentary once and it was pretty darn terrifying. It had showed everything. Like the baby coming out. It had made Della extra careful about birth control.

The fae glanced down at her belly. “I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous. But I’m more worried about the baby than myself.” She pulled her hair over her shoulder, her hand dropping to rest on her huge baby bump. Then she suddenly turned her head and looked behind her, then to the right. The quick movement reminded Della of Kylie when …

“What’s wrong?” Della asked.

“Nothing,” Holiday said, but her heart rate told Della it was a white lie.

“Is it the ghost?” Della pulled her knees closer to her chest.

Holiday fixed her green eyes on Della and her brow wrinkled. “Yes. How did you know?”

“Kylie said there was one hanging around. She thinks it might be vampire.”

Holiday nodded. “I think she’s right. It’s traveling at high speeds.”

Della also remembered Kylie suspecting that it might be her uncle. “Did you see it?”

“No.” Holiday continued to look left to right. “It’s moving so fast.” She shrugged. “Has it made contact with Kylie? Does she know what it wants?”

Della shook her head. “Not unless she’s seen it since this morning.”

“It’s odd,” Holiday said.

“What’s odd?”

“I don’t understand why it’s visiting both Kylie and me. Usually it only chooses one person to attach itself to. And it shouldn’t be hanging around if Kylie’s not here.”

Della recalled Kylie saying she thought the ghost was there for Della. A chill ran down her backbone. No way did she want any ghost getting attached to her.

Stiffening her spine, Della looked around and then asked, “Can you tell it to leave?”

“Ghosts don’t work that way.”

“Why did I know you were going to say that?” Probably because Kylie had already said it.

Holiday pulled her phone out of her pocket. “Yikes, I’m supposed to meet Perry at the office right now.”

Something about Holiday’s tone caught her attention. “Is something wrong with him?”

Holiday hesitated. “No. Not really.” “I’d better go.” She gave Della a stern look and pointed to the front door to the cabin. “You get some sleep and if I find you running around again, you’ll have Burnett to deal with next time.”

Holiday, belly huge, struggled to stand up. Della popped up and offered her a hand.

“Don’t make it look so easy,” Holiday mumbled, but she accepted Della’s hand.

Della watched Holiday waddle down the steps, her round belly leading the way. Della suddenly remembered. “Hey, what about the ghost?”

“I’m sure it’ll follow me,” Holiday said. “A ghost usually only hangs around people who can detect it.”

Della sure as heck hoped so. But as she walked inside the door, she could swear she felt a brush of cold air against her arm. Cold air as if someone flew past. As if a vampire flew past. She stopped and glanced around. No vampire, not even a blur of a really fast vampire.

But the feeling, the feeling she wasn’t alone, didn’t go away.

“Oh, crap,” she muttered.

A ghost usually only hangs around people who can detect it. Holiday’s words echoed in Della’s head. If she’d felt something, wasn’t that detecting it? Or had she imagined it? Right then, something vibrated against her hip. She nearly jumped out of her skin before she realized it was her phone. She must have accidentally put it on vibrate.