Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(38)

"Yes, you are," Kylie countered. "You still care or you wouldn't be jealous." So what did that say about her and Derek? Kylie pushed that question aside.

"But what if I blow Todd off and then Perry goes back to being an ass?"

"There are no guarantees," Kylie countered. "Not with love or with life. But we can't go through life never taking a risk. And that's what we are all agreeing to do. Put our hearts out there. Take a chance with a boy. We might end up hurt, but we might not."

Miranda stood there, her expression pinched as if considering the offer. "Okay, how about I make a pact to talk to Perry and try to figure it out?"

"Talking's a good start," Kylie said.

"Making out would be better." Della grinned.

Kylie started back walking. Miranda and Della followed.

"So what's the crazy shit problem you need to discuss with Burnett?" Miranda asked.

Kylie sighed. "I gave away a piece of my soul and I think I want it back."

Chapter Thirteen

"What's wrong?" Burnett called out from Holiday's office a couple of minutes later when Kylie stepped inside the camp's main offices.

The camp leader had set up an office for Burnett in the back of the cabin, but he apparently preferred using Holiday's office in her absence. Not that Kylie blamed him.

Holiday's office was small but nice. A tan sofa stood against one wall, leaving only enough room for a desk and a couple of file cabinets. Not that Holiday hadn't added her own mark to the tiny space. Plants, different kinds of ferns, and even some herbs were stationed at every corner. The air even smelled like Holiday-a light floral aroma. And on top of the large metal file cabinet were several different-colored crystals. The light from the front window streamed into the room and got pulled into the crystals, reflecting rainbow colors on the walls.

Burnett quickly closed a few files that were on the desk and then leaned back in Holiday's chair. Kylie couldn't help wondering if Burnett wasn't using her office simply because Holiday's presence was so alive in the room.

"What's wrong?" he asked again.

She just blurted it out. "Do you know anything about healing powers?" She dropped into the chair across from the desk.

"Not a lot, but some."

"If I bring something back to life, do I lose a piece of my soul?"

His brow creased deeper. "What happened? Did someone get hurt? Did you have to-"

"Not someone," Kylie answered. "A bird."

"Oh. Holiday told me about that," Burnett answered. He leaned forward. "However, she said you weren't sure it was dead."

"It looked dead," Kylie said. "And I just want to know, did I lose a piece of my soul when I brought it back to life? And what does that mean?"

Burnett folded his arms on the desktop. "I'm not nearly as up on this as I'm sure Holiday is, but she wasn't concerned. So I don't think you have anything to worry about."

Not happy with his answer, Kylie remembered the second thing she wanted to discuss. "I want a library card."

"A what?" he asked.

"I want to be able to read the books that the FRU have in their library."

He frowned. "It's not a library, or not a normal library. Before you are allowed a book, it has to be cleared."

"Why?"

"Because a lot of items in the collection are FRU documents."

"What is the FRU hiding?"

He looked almost annoyed at her question. "We're not hiding anything. But we can't let normals get their hands on the books."

She pressed a finger to her forehead. "Do I look normal to you?"

"We still have to be careful."

"So you're telling me I can't check out the books."

His frown deepened. "I will see about getting you a few books on healing," he added, as if wanting to console her.

"What other kind of books do you have?" she asked.

"It's not a library, Kylie," he said with some firmness, and then settled back and didn't speak. Finally the awkward silence brought Kylie to another question. "Any more news on the elderly couple who pretended to be my grandparents?"

His guarded expression slipped away. "I just got a call. The fingerprints we were able to pull belong to the owners of the car. I'm afraid it's not going to help us. I'm sorry. But I can return these." He handed her the brown envelope that held her father's pictures. "You really resemble your father."

The genuine concern in his eyes and his tone should have made her feel better, but it just validated her suspicions that he hadn't been completely honest about the whole FRU and the library. What was the FRU hiding?

Kylie took the envelope. "Thank you," she said. While she wasn't going to start mistrusting Burnett, she would proceed with caution when dealing with him.

Kylie started to leave when Burnett looked at the door and said, "Come in."

Lucas walked in. He met Burnett's gaze head-on. "I'd like permission to walk Kylie back to her cabin."

"That's up to her," Burnett said.

"Without her shadow," Lucas said.

Kylie could see it cost Lucas a chunk of pride to ask permission. She recalled something Della said about werewolves hating to be submissive. And asking permission was a submissive gesture.