Reborn (Shadow Falls: After Dark #1)(77)

And she needed to remember that, too. How many times had she told herself she needed to put the brakes on this? Well, the brakes were on now. “I don’t have any claim on you. We’re not together.”

She heard voices and footsteps outside. Familiar voices. “Miranda and Kylie are coming,” she said. “You need to go.”

“No, we need to talk.”

“No can do,” she said. “Just go. I can’t handle this on top of everything else.”

He stood there and just stared at her.

“Please,” she said.

“Della, I didn’t mean … I’m not giving up on us.”

She gripped her hands into fists. “There is no us, Steve. There never has been an us.”

Disappointment flashed in his eyes again, and she realized how much she hated disappointing people. Chan, her parents, and now Steve. The knot in her throat doubled. “Leave.”

Kylie and Miranda showed up minutes after Steve left. Della had three diet drinks set out on the table. They forced condolence hugs on her, and then they sat down at the table to hear what happened. The last thing Della wanted was to go through Chan’s death again, but she’d told them she would explain. She wasn’t going back on her word—not even if it hurt.

She told them about getting the phone call from Chan’s friend. She barely managed to tell them about finding Chan’s body. She didn’t tell them about Steve. Frankly, she felt stupid letting something as trivial as a breakup, not that it was even really a breakup, hurt her when she had her cousin’s death to think about.

But it did hurt. Her heart burned with the knowledge that she’d lost someone else. It didn’t even matter that, logically, he’d never really been hers to lose.

“Have you seen him again?” Kylie asked.

Della hesitated, half thinking Kylie knew about Steve. “Seen who?”

“Chan? Have any more feathers appeared? I mean, it seems that he might be the ghost. Don’t you think?”

Della nodded. “Yeah, I’ve seen him. Remember I told you I saw him at the gate last week? And then when Burnett and I were leaving the park, I saw him again.”

Miranda’s eyes widened. “You actually saw a ghost? Isn’t that unheard of for vampires?”

“Not all vampires,” Kylie answered Miranda. “Burnett sees them sometimes.” Then the chameleon looked back at Della. “So, he’s shown himself. Did he say what he wants?”

She shook her head, feeling the emotion tighten her throat. “No. He was like there one second and gone the next. And someone was with him.” And he’d looked at Della with the saddest eyes.

“Maybe he just wanted to say good-bye,” Miranda said. “Not that it makes it okay. It’s spookier than hell.”

“It is okay.” Kylie placed her hand over Della’s. “But chances are it’s more than just him saying good-bye. So he didn’t say anything at all?”

Della shook her head. “He probably wants to tell me I let him down.” And it was going to hurt like hell hearing it, but she deserved it. She had let him down.

“I can’t believe that,” Kylie said. “You didn’t let him down.”

“Yeah, well everyone keeps saying that, but I don’t see it that way.”

“Then you’re not seeing it right,” Miranda said in a stern voice. “Della Tsang doesn’t let people down. I mean, look at us. We fight all the time. I know you can’t stand me sometimes, and yet you’ve never let me down. Even when you’re mad at me, you always come through. That’s why I love you.” Tears filled the witch’s eyes.

The emotion in Della’s chest made it hard to breathe. “Thanks.” But she wasn’t sure Chan would see it that way.

Miranda wiped the tears from her face. “Maybe your cousin knows about your uncle and wanted to tell you.”

“That could be it,” Kylie said, and then she looked at Della. “Did you tell Holiday about seeing Chan?”

“No,” Della said. “I haven’t told her anything about the ghost. Not yet.”

“You should,” Kylie said. “She can help you deal with the whole ghost thing.”

“First I have to deal with Chan’s death,” Della said.

“I know,” Kylie said, and reached over and put her hand over Della’s. “I know how hard it is. When I lost Nana, it nearly killed me.”

“I haven’t lost anyone, but I can imagine how it hurts,” Miranda said. “And both Kylie and I are here for you. I won’t even get mad at you when you get pissy. You’ve got an it’s-okay-to-be-pissy pass from me.”

“A pissy pass?” Della repeated, and while it sounded so funny she felt the air in her lungs shudder with emotion.

“Yes,” Miranda said with conviction.

“Oh,” Kylie said. “I brought you your uncle’s file.” She pulled it out of her bag sitting beside the table and handed it to Della. “Have you told Derek about this? It might help him find something.”

“No, not yet.” I’ve been too busy breaking up with Steve. Della opened it and stared down at the writing. Guilt for worrying more about finding her uncle than staying in touch with her cousin did another tug on her heart.