Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(30)

She should be used to it, but at times she wanted to wear a shield over her forehead.

"Is Holiday mad at me?" Kylie asked.

"More worried than angry. She saves all her hostile emotions to use on me." He shot her a tiny smile.

"But you're still here. That has to mean something."

"It means I'm a glutton for punishment." He hesitated, and while his words came out with humor, his eyes didn't express the same emotion.

"No, I meant the fact that she accepted you being a shareholder of Shadow Falls has to mean something."

He frowned. "She needed my money."

Kylie had to bite her lip not to tell him about the other investor. "You really like her, don't you?" Her heart ached for him. Not that he wanted sympathy. And maybe that's why she felt it. When someone this strong and prideful had a heartache, it made an impression.

"That's not important."

Yes, it is. Kylie saw rejection pass across Burnett's eyes. Somehow, some way, she was going to get Holiday to stop being so stubborn and give the man a chance. It just didn't make sense why she was so hesitant. If he was ugly or obnoxious, Kylie would understand. But Burnett was none of those. And he cared so much about Holiday that Kylie could almost feel it.

"I wouldn't say it wasn't important," Kylie added.

He shrugged. "Tell me about the snake and the deer incident."

Kylie told both stories for what felt like the hundredth time. At least now she could tell it without hyperventilating. When she finished, Burnett just stood there, his dark brow pinched and his lips tight.

"You think I'm overreacting, don't you."

His frown deepened. "No. I agree with Holiday. With two of these instances happening, it can't be a coincidence."

"So the security system isn't working?" she asked.

"No, it's working."

"Then how could-"

"That's what we don't know. A shifter has infiltrated the camp, specifically to target you. And I don't like it one damn bit!"

Kylie felt her stomach drop. He wasn't the only one.

* * *

That night, the dream came on slow. But this one was different from the others. Kylie wasn't moving, she'd just woken up here. She saw Lucas standing by the lake where they'd run to earlier, and just like that, those differences didn't matter. Before she'd gone to bed, he'd tapped on her window. When she opened it, he'd pulled himself up and kissed her quickly on the lips.

"Good night," he'd said, and dropped back to the ground.

She'd grinned as she watched him leave. And she'd gone to bed wishing he hadn't run off so quickly.

Suddenly, the dream became her reality, grounded into the world of the mind where everything felt so real. She stood behind him and enjoyed being this close. Reaching out, she touched his arm and he turned around-not surprised that she was there, but happy to see her. For a second, something didn't feel right, but when he pulled her against him, she nudged away the feeling.

"Have you always been this beautiful, Kylie Galen?" Lucas's hands fell to her waist.

She grinned. "Why don't you tell me? You peeked into my windows when I was five."

"Shame on me." He leaned in closer. Uncertainty nagged at her. There was something off, but she couldn't put her finger on it.

She smiled up at him.

"Tell me what makes you happy," he said.

His statement stirred confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Do you want a mansion? A new car? Do you want to go to Mexico and drink beer on the beach? I can give you that and more."

She shook her head. "I don't want any of that."

"Then what?"

These questions weren't like Lucas, but she felt compelled to answer. "I want everyone to get along. Miranda and Della fought again last night. I want my dad to be able to visit me again. I want the Brightens to be okay. I want to know what I am. And I want to take care of whatever problem it is that this new ghost has."

"I can give you most of that. Just say yes."

"Yes to what?" And that's when it hit her. That's when she realized what was wrong. Lucas wasn't hot.

"You're cold." She took a quick step back, moving out of his arms. "What's going on?"

"I wanted to see you. I knew you would leave if..." Suddenly, it wasn't Lucas standing there. It was Red, the rogue vampire who was Mario's grandson, the one who'd killed the girls. The one who'd kidnapped her and beat up Lucas. She started to scream, then realized that this was just a dream and she had the ability to wake up.

"My grandfather and his friends don't think you can be convinced to work with us. I only want to help..." His last words faded as Kylie shot up on the bed, gasping for breath. She recalled how her senses had told her in the beginning of the dream that something wasn't right. If she'd only listened to her instincts, this wouldn't have happened. Then she remembered how Holiday had said she could temporarily shut them off. When she was able to think straight, Kylie leaned back on her pillow and did the visualization.

The last thing she wanted was to see him in her dreams.

Or her reality.

* * *

The next morning, Kylie felt tiny little skunk paws walking up her chest and then felt a wet pointed nose bump her chin as if summoning her awake.