Taken at Dusk (Shadow Falls #3)(83)

Della chuckled.

"Go out with me tomorrow night," Perry went on. "Let me prove to you that I'm the guy you want."

Miranda opened her mouth to say something, but nothing came out. Kylie couldn't talk either, because she felt a lump in her throat-a lump of emotion and pride for Perry.

"I ... I guess I could go out tomorrow night." Miranda sounded shocked and a little swept off her feet.

Then, from the corner of her eyes, Kylie saw something move at the office window. When she looked back, she spotted Burnett and Holiday standing there high-fiving each other. No doubt Burnett was listening to the conversation and sharing the details with Holiday.

Kylie should have guessed someone had helped out Perry. She was a little embarrassed she hadn't tried this herself. He so deserved his shot with Miranda.

Perry nodded, stepped closer, and then pressed a quick kiss on Miranda's cheek. It had to be the most romantic thing Kylie had ever seen.

If only the tan truck, with a personalized license plate that read TODD, hadn't pulled up right then.

"Oh, shit," Della said again.

Ditto.

Chapter Twenty-eight

Todd, a fairly hot-looking guy with sandy-colored hair, jumped out of his truck and frowned. He obviously didn't miss that Perry stood touch-me close to Miranda. From the look on Todd's face, he hadn't missed the kiss, either.

"Someone trying to steal my date?" Todd's words could have been meant in humor, but his tone told another story. He strode forward and dropped a possessive arm around Miranda's shoulders.

Kylie saw Perry's entire body stiffen. His eyes turned a bright red.

Todd, still studying Perry, tightened his brows to check out Perry's pattern.

The teen's jaw dropped a little when he realized exactly what Perry was. Kylie waited for the puddle to appear around the guy's feet.

The office door opened and shut behind them.

"Uh, Perry? Can I see you a minute?" Burnett called.

Kylie moved in close to Perry. "Don't screw it up, now," she whispered.

Perry, anger oozing from his pores, continued to stare at Todd. Kylie could feel the electricity start to buzz and hum around the shape-shifter.

"Don't do it," Kylie repeated in a whisper.

Perry looked back at Burnett, then at Kylie, and then back at Miranda. "I'll see you tomorrow night," he said, but his tone was so tight, Kylie knew what it cost him to keep his composure.

Then he turned around, transformed himself into his favorite bird, and flew up, making tight circles around them.

Della leaned over to Kylie. "He's going to crap on Todd's car, just watch!"

Kylie did watch and hoped Della was wrong. Okay, it would have been really funny, because as big of a bird as Perry was, that would have been a lot of crap, but Kylie didn't think it would impress Miranda. And that, she realized, was what this had been all about.

Still, Kylie didn't relax until Perry changed directions and flew back toward the woods.

* * *

"Hey, I know. Why don't we go to the swimming hole tonight?" Della suggested fifteen minutes later on the walk back to their cabin. "A bunch of campers have attached a swing to one of the higher cliffs so we can jump into the water. I'm dying to try it."

It was the word dying that had Kylie catching her breath. She'd mostly blocked Jane Doe's warning from her mind and had no idea why she suddenly felt so overwhelmed by emotion. "No." She blurted out the answer so fast that Della made a face.

"Why?"

Because you could die. "Because..." Kylie struggled to explain the situation until she remembered she had a real reason. "Because Holiday is bringing Burnett's computer over for me to use."

"Why would you need his computer when we have one?"

"To send an e-mail to ... It's a ghost thing. I'm sending an e-mail to a deceased woman's family, trying to clear up their heritage, and Burnett has an untraceable e-mail address," Kylie said.

"Oh." Della fell silent. Funny how mentioning the word ghost was a conversation killer.

"So, what time is she showing up?" she asked finally. "I might run to the swimming hole while she's with you."

And you could get killed. Nope. Not happening. "But you're my shadow."

"Holiday let Jonathon leave early when she was there."

"But that was before the sinkhole." Her explanation sounded convincing, and the knot in Kylie's stomach relaxed. She might not be able to tell Della about Fate's premonition or whatever it was Holiday called it, but it wouldn't stop her from watching out for Della.

"Okay," Della said, but she didn't look happy about it. Which was fine with Kylie. An unhappy but alive Della was better than the alternative.

A group of campers rounded the corner and walked past them. Kylie felt the cold stare practically slap her, and when she recognized one of the girls as a werewolf, she figured she knew whose cold stare gave her shivers.

Another glance at the group confirmed her suspicions.

Fredericka.

Kylie kept walking past them, hoping to ignore-

"Hey, blondie," Fredericka called out.

Closing her eyes for a second, Kylie willed herself patience. When she turned, she found herself staring Fredericka right in the eyes. The were had silently moved in and stood so close that Kylie could count Fredericka's eyelashes. The were smirked in an unappealing way. And that's when Kylie had an epiphany.