Whispers at Moonrise (Shadow Falls #4)(39)

"We're talking about you," Lucas snapped.

"I'm here, isn't that what matters?" Clara asked. "Isn't that what you want?"

"What I want is for you to quit playing games, Clara. I'm trying to help you."

"Games? Please, you are the biggest game player of them all. You play games with the Council, with Dad, with your mom, and with Grandma. You even play them with Fredericka. I'll bet you're even playing games with that witch of yours."

"I'm not playing games, and I don't have a witch."

Kylie hesitated as they moved closer to the cabin's steps, and from the look Burnett sent her, she supposed that he, too, was hearing the conversation.

"I could still walk you to the cabin," Burnett offered, and from his tone, Kylie sensed he understood how this might be hard for her. His concern should've been touching; instead she didn't like knowing everyone knew her business. She preferred her private life to stay private.

"I'll have to face him sooner or later," Kylie said, glancing away.

But even Kylie had to admit, later sounded really tempting. Yet she squared her shoulders and continued walking, her gut tight at the thought of Lucas's response to her being a witch.

Chapter Fourteen

As Kylie and Burnett took the steps up to the office, Kylie suddenly wished she hadn't come.

Behind the door, Clara continued arguing with her brother. "I think she might have been the one who sent the fog after me. She pretended like she rescued me, but maybe the witch was just-"

"You think who sent the fog after you?" Lucas demanded.

"Kylie!" Clara fumed.

Kylie's breath hitched.

"Kylie isn't a witch," Lucas said.

Burnett pushed open the office door; Clara and Lucas, positioned in the entryway, turned around. Kylie prepared herself for his reaction.

"I am for the time being." Kylie decided to expose her cards and worry how the game would be played later.

"You're what for the time being?" Lucas asked, unaware that Kylie had been privy to their conversation.

"A witch," she said.

Lucas stared at her forehead. Shock, confusion, and disappointment flickered in his eyes. "What ... Witches don't have speed. They can't run ... like you run."

"Confused the hell out of me, too," Clara said. "That's when I realized she probably cast a spell, and if she cast that spell, maybe she did it all."

"I didn't create the fog," Kylie said. Was Clara really already turning on her?

"So how did you know where to find me? And don't lie again and say you heard me. I wasn't close enough for you to hear my screams."

The accusation stung, but Kylie tried not to take it to heart. Clara had reasons for being suspicious. Witches weren't supposed to be able to run like lightning or have super hearing. Which validated Kylie's belief that she wasn't a witch.

But if her grandfather and aunt could turn themselves into fog, did that mean they belonged to the Wiccan species? She didn't think shape-shifters could change into fog, could they? Doubt pulled at her mind.

"Kylie isn't your normal witch." Burnett came to her defense.

Lucas glanced at Clara, to Burnett, then back at Kylie. An apology replaced the stunned disbelief in his eyes.

He continued to gaze at her, but spoke to his half sister. "If Kylie says she didn't do it, she didn't do it."

"You take her word over mine? Now I see our father's concern." Clara's tone rang heavy with accusation. "How can you call yourself a leader of our people when you stand up for a witch over your own kind, own blood?"

Lucas's jaw tightened. "My belief does not come from her words. I know the facts. Kylie has sensitive hearing. She could hear your screams from miles away."

"Witches don't have-"

"As Burnett pointed out, I'm not a normal witch." Kylie gazed at Lucas. Why couldn't he have simply declared he believed her? Was a were's loyalty to his pack so restrictive that his faith in her held no credibility?

Feeling Clara's stare, Kylie continued. "Apparently, my brain has a bad habit of showing different patterns."

"Then there's something seriously wrong with your brain." Clara's tone made her words even more of an insult.

Kylie waited for Lucas to correct Clara. When his gaze found hers, she could swear she saw an apology flash in his eyes, but he remained silent.

And just like that, she knew why. Because to do so would be putting her before Clara. Because Kylie wasn't a werewolf, she wasn't supposed to matter to Lucas. Or at least not matter as much as one of his own. The realization brought with it a wave of pain that caused her chest to clutch. She told herself she didn't need him to defend her, that she knew he cared, so what did it matter that he remained silent?

"My mind is fine." Kylie met Clara's eyes and then briefly glanced at Lucas. Yup. Kylie's mind would be okay; it was her heart she worried about right now. Because while it shouldn't have mattered, it did.

A lot.

"Why weren't you scared of what you saw?" Clara asked.

Unsure what Clara meant, Kylie paused. Had the girl seen more than Kylie knew? "Who says I wasn't scared?"

"Kylie's a protector," Burnett intervened.