Chosen at Nightfall (A Shadow Falls Novel) (3 page)

“You are too stubborn for your own good.” Her grandfather’s voice boomed from nothing.

“And I fear I might have inherited it from my grandfather,” Kylie snapped. Then she glanced back at Derek and Burnett.

“Come with me, Kylie,” her aunt pled, and she held tight to Kylie’s hand.

“No,” Kylie repeated, and watched as Burnett drew closer. He stopped beside Derek, only fifteen feet away from Kylie. She longed to run to him and throw herself in his arms.

“The pizza in the main house was still warm,” Burnett said. “Are you sure she’s here?”

“I’m certain,” Derek answered. “And she’s upset about something, too.”

Not seen or heard, but still felt, Kylie thought. How odd was that? Her aunt started patting Kylie’s hand as if the gentle touch would convince her. But Kylie was beyond convincing. “Please let me go,” she told her aunt. But her aunt held on.

“Is she in danger?” Burnett growled.

Derek closed his eyes as if internally trying to touch her emotions. When he opened his eyes, he looked at Burnett. “I don’t think so,” Derek answered. “She’s frustrated and I sense … loneliness. And … she’s feeling … something … something like being torn between two loyalties.”

Tears welled up in Kylie’s eyes. Leave it to Derek to always get her emotions right. She knew her grandfather and aunt cared about her, knew they only wanted what was best for her, but how could she not make herself visible to Burnett and Derek? Why did she feel as if doing so would be seen as disloyal to her grandfather?

She’d tried to play by their rules, she had. But enough was enough.

Burnett looked around and Kylie would swear he looked right at her. “Are there others here?”

“I’m not sure,” Derek said. “I can only sense Kylie because…” He didn’t finish, but she knew the answer. He could sense her so well because he loved her.

Burnett stood a little straighter. “Mr. Summers, I need to speak with you. Now!”

“How do you know he’s here?” Derek asked.

“If Kylie’s here, he’s around.” Burnett shifted his vision back and forth. “Show yourself.”

Kylie heard her grandfather move in beside her.

“You belong with us, child. Just let them leave,” her grandfather said.

His invisible shoulder brushed against hers. Even though she was angry at him, his touch and the tenor of his voice reminded her of her father’s. The ties binding them to each other could not be denied. “I can’t,” Kylie said.

“Let them leave and we will talk about this in a rational manner later,” her grandfather offered, and she could hear in his voice that he tried to temper his mood.

“I am being rational,” she said. Her aunt’s hold on her hand tightened and Kylie had to fight not to jerk away.

“No, you are not,” he said.

Suddenly, Kylie’s own mood was beyond tempering. Maybe he hadn’t actually lied to her when he’d claimed it had been the FRU, but no doubt he had planned to get her away so she wouldn’t know who had arrived. Since when did he feel he could decide who she could and couldn’t see?

The answer came no sooner than the question whispered across her mind.
Since I came here.
She hadn’t missed how limited her connection to the outside world had been since she’d arrived. No phone. No computer. And it wasn’t just her. The chameleon lifestyle encouraged isolation.

“No.” She touched her aunt’s hand. “Release me.” She spoke slowly but in a tone she hoped they understood was serious.

“Do as she asks,” her grandfather said, and he sounded defeated. Kylie had only blinked when his image started appearing before her eyes. It wasn’t like a ghost materializing. It was somehow different. As if the air parted and he was pulled back into the world.

Her aunt released Kylie’s wrist and she felt a slight tingling in her feet and she looked down and watched as her feet and legs became visible.

“Wow,” Derek said. Lifting her face, she saw him stare at her, and she fought the urge to throw herself into his arms.

Glancing at Burnett, she saw surprise appear in his eyes as well. His gaze met hers briefly, then he focused his attention on her grandfather, who stood protectively at her side.

“Why have you come here?” her grandfather asked, his tone dark and menacing. Immediately, she knew his stance was out of protection for her.

“Kylie’s life is in danger, and if I can find you, so can the rogue who’s after her.”

“It is not the rogue who I fear the most,” her grandfather said, leaving little doubt he considered the FRU, as well as Burnett, the biggest threat.

“You are letting the past blind you from seeing the truth,” Burnett said. “Yes, the FRU would like to test Kylie, and some of us have decided not to let that happen, but it is Mario and his team who have already killed trying to get to her.”

“I will protect my own,” her grandfather said, his wide shoulders drawing tighter.

“How? By turning invisible? Do you not know that Kylie has already been taken hostage by this man, and she’s discovered that Mario is a chameleon just like you and that means he knows about your trick. And if he knows about it, that makes you all that more vulnerable to him.”

“I know this,” her grandfather said, sounding defensive.

“Then you should know enough to be scared. Mario has not spent the last fifty years hiding as you and your friends have been moving from one place to another. He’s been killing the innocent. He has taken the powers you have and mastered them to slaughter others. Even his own grandson died at his hands in front of Kylie because the boy defended her. If Mario will sacrifice his own blood, he will think nothing of killing his own kind.”

“Wait,” Kylie said, trying to keep up. “How do you know Mario is back?”

Burnett glanced briefly at Kylie. “He has been spotted.”

“Spotted by whom?” her grandfather asked, disrespect coloring his tone. “The FRU? Like we would believe them?”

“I see that you have reservations,” Burnett said, his words slipping from thinned lips pursed in what appeared to be anger. “But you must understand—”

“You dare to ask for my understanding?” Her grandfather’s face grew red with fury. “What I understand is that you and your kind killed my wife. Because of you, I never knew my son. What I understand”—he pounded his chest with his fist—“is now you wish to do the same to my granddaughter!”

Kylie saw Burnett try to hold himself in check, but he couldn’t hide the bright anger filling his eyes. She had to intervene, but how? Unfortunately, Kylie had no time to come up with a plan. Her grandfather took a step toward Burnett.

“Stop.” Kylie attempted to move between the two men. But too late.

No one stopped.

Her grandfather swung his fist and Burnett took the blow square on the jaw.

While not nearly as young as Burnett, her grandfather didn’t lack strength, and Burnett hit the ground. The sound of pure fury leaked from someone, and Kylie assumed it was Burnett. Before a second passed, her grandfather dove on top of Burnett and the scuffle continued.

Derek barreled forward, but two male chameleons appeared out of thin air and grabbed him by each arm.

How had things gone so wrong, so fast?

Chapter Three

“Stop this!” Kylie felt her protective mode start to kick in, the familiar fizzy-like feeling moving through her body, but for the life of her, she didn’t know where to apply the strength.
Torn between two loyalties
. Derek’s words rang in her head. Chameleons were her own kind. Her grandfather was blood. Yet Burnett and Derek were … they were family, too.

Out of nowhere, another figure appeared, this one snatching her grandfather off Burnett in an extremely rough manner. Her grandfather managed to stay on his feet but swung at the newcomer.

Feeling forced into action, even before considering what she was doing, she moved in, grabbed the newest member of the fight by his T-shirt, and tossed him away from her grandfather. The helpless figure was about ten feet in the air and making his way down to the ground—fast—when his blue eyes found hers and Kylie realized who she’d tossed.

Lucas.

So he
had
come.

The memory of him kissing his fiancée flashed in her head and echoed painfully in her heart. And for a flicker of a second, she wished she’d tossed him twice as hard.

She turned away, barely managing to catch her breath, when her gaze found Derek, still struggling against the two chameleons who held him. “Let him go,” she seethed to the men. She recognized them as part of her grandfather’s group, but it didn’t matter. She wouldn’t let them hurt Derek.

Her words hadn’t completely left her lips, when suddenly the guys who held Derek dropped to the ground like dead flies. Derek scowled down at their bodies and stood straighter, almost with a sense of pride that he’d accomplished something.

Seeing the lifeless bodies on the ground brought on a wave of panic. What had Derek done? She’d wanted them to release Derek, but she hadn’t wanted them … She remembered Derek’s ability to mentally knock people out, but leave them basically unharmed. Or at least she hoped they were left unharmed.

Swinging back to her right, she refused to look at Lucas, but she heard him getting to his feet, and she felt him staring. Felt his gaze begging for just a glance. He could beg all he wanted; he wasn’t getting it.

Yet less than two weeks ago, she would have given him her heart. Who was she kidding, she
had
given him her heart. That’s why this was so hard.

Blinking, she refocused on her grandfather, who looked prepared to charge Burnett again.

Burnett, blood oozing from his lip, stood up. His expression and body language held ferocity; he was a man about to even the odds, but the one hand he held out suggested an attempt at peace. Thank God someone had sense, because with her broken heart replaying a painful song over and over in her head, she didn’t think she was completely in control.

When her grandfather took another step forward, Burnett spoke up. “You and I have no fight between us. Stop this before someone gets hurt.”

Kylie, realizing she needed to react, rushed to her grandfather’s side. “He’s right,” she said. “Stop, please!” She wrapped her hand around his arm. Heat filled her chest. The warmth traveled down her arm and into her fingers. Then she felt it flow from her touch into her grandfather. She instinctively knew that she had passed the emotion of calm to her grandfather. And it was obviously working, because he dropped his head down and breathed in as if to collect himself. Chin still lowered, he must have spotted the men Derek had caused to pass out, because he hurried to them.

“They’re fine,” Derek said, and stepped away from her grandfather as if he half feared the man might come at him. But the signs of aggression her grandfather had worn minutes earlier were gone.

Kylie recalled the calming touch she’d passed him. Had she instinctively transformed into fae? She had to have, hadn’t she?

Lucas took a step closer, not that she gazed at him directly, but from her peripheral vision she noted his movements. She attempted to tap into some of the serene emotions that she’d just passed to her grandfather. But it didn’t work. The pain of Lucas’s betrayal rose in her heart, crowded her better judgment, and knotted in her throat.

Her grandfather spoke up. “Everyone leave but Kylie and Mr. James.”

“So you can attack him again?” Lucas asked, his tone hard, angry. And yet she could swear she heard remorse in his tone, too. She imagined his expression, his eyes filled with shadows of regret, but she still didn’t look at him.

“Do as he says,” Burnett ordered. Kylie could tell that, like her, Burnett recognized that her grandfather had seen reason.

People started walking away. Kylie again sensed Lucas moving, but his footsteps faltered as he moved in behind her. His scent filled the air she breathed, and his whispered question reached her ears. “Do you hate me so much that you can’t even look at me?”

If only she could hate him, Kylie thought.

Then he continued in a voice meant only for her. “I never cared about her. Only you.” The sound of his footsteps moving away sounded like the last beats of a sad song.

Physically he had left, but his words hung on. They filled Kylie with wave after wave of emotion. She knew Lucas spoke the truth—knew because, still being fae, she felt his sentiments—felt them seep into her skin, slip into her heart, and swell to the point of pain. But knowing he spoke the truth didn’t change anything.

Whether he’d intentionally set out to hurt her or not didn’t alter the fact that he had. How could he not have known how devastated she would be to learn he’d promised himself to someone else? Could he not see how hurt she’d be, knowing that for the months they’d been together, he had been seeing this girl, and at least pretending to care about her?

Right then, someone else’s footsteps moved behind her. She felt the light touch of fingertips brushing across her shoulder blades. A slow, soft touch, not meant to seduce, not meant to draw attention. Meant only to soothe.

The warm calm of the touch left little doubt of the person’s identity. Derek.

The pain in her chest lessened and she blinked the beginnings of tears from her eyes.

Trying to gain control of her wayward emotions, she stood there, eyes closed, concentrating on the feel of sun on her skin and the breeze against her cheeks.

“Kylie?” Burnett’s voice had her jerking open her eyes.

Her grandfather and Burnett stood in front of her. Concern darkened both of their eyes.

“You okay?” her grandfather asked.

“Great.” She produced a smile, one that probably came with as little believability as had her one word.

“Then come,” her grandfather said. “We need to talk. At the house and over tea.”

As she moved in step beside them, she saw Burnett give her a quick glance and she knew he’d picked up on her untruth. She wasn’t great. She wasn’t even marginally okay. Then she saw something else in his gaze. Or had she read it in his emotions? Fear. Fear of disclosure, as if he worried she wasn’t going to like what he had to say.

Little did he know, she didn’t like much of anything being said lately. Then instantly, she realized she’d been thinking only of herself. Selfishly, she’d focused on only her own pain. There was a reason Burnett was here and it might not be just about her.