Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(2)

Or maybe it wasn't just the audience. Was she totally ready to give herself over to his kisses? It was a good question, and one she needed to answer, but one problem at a time. Right now she had the Brightens to worry about.

"I should go." She motioned to the door. The cold washed over her again. Okay, she had the Brightens and a ghost to worry about.

Disappointment flashed in Lucas's eyes. Then he shifted uncomfortably and looked around as if he sensed they weren't alone.

"Good luck." He hesitated and then walked away.

She watched him leave and then looked around for the spirit. Goose bumps danced up her spine. Her ability to see ghosts had been the first clue that she wasn't normal.

"Can this wait until later?" she whispered.

A cloud of condensation appeared beside the white rocking chairs on the edge of the porch. The spirit obviously lacked the power or the knowledge to complete the manifestation. But it was enough to send the chairs rocking back and forth. The creaking of wood on wood sounded haunted ... which it was.

She waited, thinking it was the female spirit who had appeared earlier today in her mother's car as they drove past the Fallen Cemetery on their way to camp. Who was she? What did she need Kylie to do? There were never any easy answers when dealing with ghosts.

"Now's not a good time." Not that saying so would do any good. Spirits believed in the open door policy.

The smear of fog took on more form, and Kylie's chest swelled with emotion.

It wasn't the woman she'd seen earlier.

"Daniel?" Kylie reached out. The tips of her fingers entered the icy mist as it took on a more familiar form. Hot emotion-a mixture of love and regret-coursed up her arm. She yanked her hand back, but tears filled her eyes.

"Daniel?" She almost called him Daddy. But it still felt awkward. She watched as he struggled to manifest.

He'd once explained that his time to linger on earth was limited. More tears filled her eyes as she realized how limited. Her sense of loss tripled when she considered how hard this must be for him. He wanted to be here when she met his parents. And she needed him here, too-wished he'd told her more about the Brightens-and wished more than anything that he'd never died.

"No." His one word, briskly spoken, sounded urgent.

"No, what?" He didn't-or couldn't-answer. "No, I shouldn't ask them about your real parents? But I have to, Daniel, that's the only way I'll ever find the truth."

"It's not-" His voice broke.

"Not what? Not important?" She waited for his answer, but his weak apparition grew paler and his spiritual cold began to ebb. The white chairs slowed their rocking and silence rained down on her.

"It's important to me," Kylie said. "I need..." The Texas heat chased away the lingering chill.

He was gone. The thought hit that he might never come back. "Not fair." She swatted at the few tears she'd let fall onto her cheeks.

The need to run and hide hit again. But she'd procrastinated long enough. She grasped the doorknob, still cold from Daniel's spirit, and went to face the Brightens.

* * *

Inside, Kylie heard light murmurs coming from one of the back conference rooms. She tried to tune her ear to hear the words. Nothing.

In the last few weeks, she'd unexpectedly been gifted with sensitive hearing. But it came and went. What good was a power if one didn't know how to use it? It only added to the feeling of everything in her life being out of her control.

Biting her lip, she eased down the hall and tried to focus on her main goal: getting answers. Who were Daniel's real parents? What was she?

She heard Holiday say, "I'm sure you're going to love her."

Kylie's footsteps slowed. Love?

Wasn't that a little strong? They could just like her. That would be fine. Loving someone was ... complicated. Even liking someone a whole lot came with a downside, such as a certain good-looking half-fae deciding that being close to her was too hard ... so he left.

Yup, Derek was definitely an example of the downside of liking someone too much. And he probably was the reason she hesitated to accept Lucas's kisses.

One problem at a time. She pushed that thought away as she stepped into the open door of the conference room.

The elderly man sitting at the table rested his clasped hands on the large oak table. "What kind of trouble did she get into?"

"What do you mean?" Holiday cut her green gaze to the door, and she pushed her long red hair over her shoulder.

The old man continued, "We researched Shadow Falls on the Internet and it has a reputation for being a place for troubled teens."

Freaking great! Daniel's parents thought she was a juvenile delinquent.

"You shouldn't believe everything you read online." Only the slightest hint of annoyance sounded in Holiday's tone. "Actually, we're a school for very gifted teens who are trying to find themselves."

"Please tell me it's not drugs," said the silver-haired woman sitting beside the man. "I'm not sure I could deal with that."

"I'm not a druggie," Kylie said, sympathizing with Della, her vampire roommate, who had to deal with this suspicion from her parents. All heads turned toward Kylie, and feeling put on the spot, she held her breath.

"Oh, my," the woman said. "I didn't mean to offend."