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

Lucas growled. Derek walked away, appearing unaffected by Lucas's anger. Kylie grabbed another handful of grass and yanked it from the ground.

"I don't like this." Lucas stared down at her.

"We were just talking," she said.

"About me."

"I was telling him about a spirit and that ... it looked like someone I care about, and he asked if it was you. You should feel good that he knows I care about you."

Lucas's scowl deepened. Was it because of Derek or because she'd mentioned ghosts? Lucas's inability to accept her working with the spirits hurt.

"He has feelings for you," Lucas countered.

I know. "We were just talking."

"It makes me crazy." His eyes glowed a deep, burnt orange color.

"What makes you crazy? Me talking to Derek, or me talking about ghosts?"

"Both." His voice rang with such honesty that she found it hard to condemn him for it. "But mostly it's the thought of you spending time with that fairy."

She flinched at his insult toward Derek. Then, unsure what to say, she stood up. Forgetting about her missing heel, she almost tripped. He caught her by the elbow.

She met his gaze, still marked by his were anger. But his touch was tender and caring, with no hint of the fury she saw in his eyes. She remembered that some of his reactions were instinctual, which meant he shouldn't be held accountable. Another part of her knew that instinctual or not, it didn't make it right.

She sighed. "We've already talked about this."

"Talked about what?" he asked.

"Both things. I help spirits, Lucas. That's probably never going to change."

"Yeah, but they scare the shit out of you. They scare the shit out of me."

Kylie tensed. "You think your shifting into a wolf doesn't scare me?"

"That's not the same. They are ghosts, Kylie. That's not ... not natural."

"But turning into a wolf is completely natural," she said with sarcasm.

He exhaled. "Okay, coming from someone who's lived their life as a human, I can see your point. And while I'm sure I'm never going to love the ghost whispering part of you, I'm working on accepting it." His tone told her how hard that was for him. "But accepting that you're spending time with Derek isn't easy when I know if he were given the chance, he'd steal you away in a snap."

She swallowed raw emotion and touched his chest. His warmth soaked through his shirt and into her hand. "I know how it feels. Because I feel the same way when I see you with Fredericka. And that's the reason I know I can't tell you to push Fredericka away."

He placed his palm over her hand and a soft pleading filled his gaze. "That's different. Fredericka is part of my pack."

She shook her head. "And Derek's a friend."

"Exactly. That's what makes it different. A friend isn't the same as a pack member."

"It is for me." She shook her head. "Think about it. You're loyal to pack members. You would defend them. You care about them. That's the same way I feel about my friends."

"That's because you're not a were. Or at least not yet." He snaked his free hand around her waist and tugged her a little closer. "Hopefully, soon, it will all make sense to you."

I'll never be a were. She stared up at him. The evidence of his anger had faded from his eyes and she saw affection in their deep blue depths. He cared about her. She knew that with certainty. And maybe for that reason, she wavered about telling what she knew. Instantly, it hit her that she hadn't hesitated to tell Derek. Why could she confide in Derek and not Lucas? Bothered by the thought, she forced herself to say, "I'm not a were."

"You don't know that," he said. "The fact that you developed more before a full moon and had mood swings has to mean something."

She shook her head. "I'm not. I know what I am."

His eyes tightened in confusion. "You ... How do you know?"

"My father appeared to me again. He said I was a chameleon."

Puzzlement filled his gaze.

She frowned. "I don't know exactly what it means."

"That doesn't make sense." He released her. "There's no such thing. Just because some ghost said-"

"It wasn't just 'some ghost.' It was my father."

"And your father is a ghost." Whether he meant it to or not, it sounded like an insult.

His words and his attitude stung. She pulled her hand from his warm chest. All the emotional havoc from earlier whirled inside her.

"I know he's a ghost," Kylie said. "And I wish he wasn't dead. I wish I knew what he meant. I wish that you could accept me for what I am. But I can't change the fact that my dad died before I was born. I can't help that I don't understand what he meant. For that matter, I don't understand a tenth of what's happening in my life right now. And I have a feeling you will never be able to accept me for what I am."

"That's not true." His expression hardened with denial.

"Yes, it is." She turned and limped away.

She heard him ask her not to go. She ignored his plea. Then, stopping, she reached down to remove her shoes. As she straightened, her gaze caught on the row of trees-on how their leaves stirred even when no wind blew. She felt again the unexplainable sense that she was being lured to enter. As tempting as it was, she walked away. Walked away from the forest. Walked away from Lucas.