Awake at Dawn

His question ran across all sorts of nerves and not the good ones, either.



"What kind of question is that?"



"Obviously a hard one." He pulled his knee up to his chest and stared down at his toes.



Something told her he was reading her right now-trying to understand her emotions. But how could he when she didn't understand them herself? "He's not here," Kylie said.



He looked over at her. "Rumor has it that he's coming back."



She felt her breath catch in her throat. "Doesn't matter," she forced herself to say. "He's with Fredericka."



"He'd drop her for you like this." Derek snapped his fingers. "He's not blind or stupid."



She shook her head. "Well, maybe I don't want anyone who'd run off with someone else."



He arched an eyebrow. "It's the 'maybe' in your answer that worries me more than the confusion you're feeling right now." He leaned his forehead down to hers. "Please don't break my heart, Kylie."



Her own heart almost broke right then. "It's the last thing I want to do."



He kissed her softly, then pulled back. "I should get you back to your cabin before everyone gets back here."



She nodded and accepted his hand to help pull her up. They started to walk off the porch when he stopped. "Oh, I forgot. I got something to give you." He ran back inside and returned after a few short seconds holding a piece of paper.



"What's this?" she asked when he put it in her hands. "It's a telephone number of a private investigator."



When he didn't continue, she asked, "And I need it for...?"



"You said you were trying to find your real grandparents. This guy is good at finding people. If anyone can find them, he can."



Kylie looked up from the paper. "Do you really think he could find them after all this time? I mean, I've been trying to just find Daniel's adoptive parents, but I can't even find them."



"He's that good," Derek said.



Her heart started to sink. "And probably that expensive. I can't afford him." She started to give him back the paper.



He caught her hand. "He's not charging you, Kylie. Call him." "Why wouldn't he charge me? You said he was a PI."



"Because he's a friend of mine. And I used to do some work for him on the side."



"You worked for a PI?"



"Yeah. I went to him to see if ... if he could help me locate my dad." That piece of news also surprised her. She didn't think Derek wanted anything to do with his dad. "Did he find him?"



"Yeah," Derek said. "You missed a great pizza tonight," he added, making it clear he didn't really want to talk about his dad.



But Kylie couldn't stop herself from asking. "And did you see him?" "No. I just wanted to know where the bastard was."



Kylie sensed Derek's pain. "So how did you end up working for the PI?"



"He found my skill of reading emotions very helpful."



Still wanting to soothe away the look of hurt from Derek's eyes, she reached up and planted another kiss on his lips. A good one. She pulled him close, so close that her one-cup-size-larger breasts were pressed against his chest. Derek's hands came down to hold her around her waist.



One of his palms slid up under her shirt and slowly shifted upward. He caressed her upper back, stopping right below her bra strap as if not wanting to cross a line. A line she almost wanted him to cross.



When she pulled away, her breathing came faster. "Thank you, for this." She held up the paper.



"Wow," he said, smiling, and touched her lips. "If he actually finds them, what do I get?"



She elbowed him in the ribs. He laughed and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they started back to her cabin.



At eight a.m. sharp the next morning, Kylie had one roommate out of the cabin-Della had left for her vampire rituals-and Kylie was working on getting rid of the other. She told Miranda to go on to breakfast without her. Kylie would catch up later. Miranda had stepped out the door but she'd stayed there for five minutes or so performing some kind of ritual.



Kylie finally poked her head out the door to ask, "What are you doing?"



"I told you earlier, I'm just trying to protect our cabin."



Kylie remembered her roommate claiming that an unwelcome presence lurked nearby, although Kylie hadn't really felt anything. Other than when she'd been alone in the woods or paths.



"Protect it from what ... exactly?"



Miranda tossed up some kind of herbs in the air. They crackled and popped on their downward descent, telling Kylie they weren't just regular herbs. "I don't know ... exactly."



"Didn't you already do something to get rid of it?"



"Yup, but the bad boy is still here. Just won't go away."



Kylie didn't want to ask, but she figured she had to. "Could it be a ghost?" Because if it was, Kylie wasn't so sure Miranda should attempt to keep it away. Like it or not, dealing with ghosts was sort of Kylie's job. Not that so far Miranda's rituals had prevented the ghosts from visiting.



However, if Miranda's herbs were in any way keeping Daniel away, well, Kylie couldn't have that. She really needed to talk to Daniel. "No, it's not like one of your spirits," Miranda said.



"Then what is it like?" Kylie felt a tad apprehensive and remembering the unwelcomed vampire visitor from the other night. "I mean, wouldn't Della know if it was like something rogue?"



"Yeah, but this isn't ... normal. It's involving magic. I can't put my finger on it yet, but I'm working on it," she said.



Working on it like she was working on changing Socks back to feline form? Kylie didn't say it, because that would have hurt Miranda, but Kylie couldn't help thinking it.



"Have you mentioned it to Holiday?" Kylie asked.



"Not yet. Let me try to deal with it first."



Kylie nodded, but she wasn't too sure.



"You ready to go yet?" Miranda asked after tossing up one more sprinkling of herbs.



"No." Kylie brushed a few of the tiny crackling herbs from her hair.



"I ... got a few phone calls to make."



"Okay, but don't be too late. After Campmate Hour, we've got cooking together, and today we're supposed to bake brownies, and you're supposed to decorate them. And they won't let us eat them until after you've done your thing. And I love, love brownies. And don't want to have to wait."



"I won't be that late." Kylie was actually enjoying the food art lessons she'd signed up for last week. Who knew she'd get off on decorating cupcakes and such? Drawing with pen and paper had never been her thing, but working with icing was kind of cool. Then again, she'd always kind of enjoyed watching those cake-decorating shows on cable.



Miranda started to walk away and then turned back. "Who are you calling?"



Holding the phone number of the private detective in her hand, she almost told Miranda the truth, but decided she wasn't ready to share. "I'll explain later."



"Trey?" Miranda asked.



"No way," Kylie answered.



"Sara?" Miranda asked.



"I'll explain later." Kylie frowned, remembering Sara still hadn't tried to call her back.



"A secret admirer," Miranda continued as if were a game. "A hot stud muffin who kisses like no tomorrow that you haven't told us about? Oh, I want to meet him."



Kylie groaned. "I don't have a stud muffin."



"Really? The way you blushed when you talked about Derek naked, I thought he was your stud muffin."



"Go to breakfast." Kylie waved her off.



"Oookay," Miranda said, and started off.



Kylie shut the door and looked at the scrap of paper she held in her hand. She finally felt as if she might be closer to finding answers. She hadn't had any luck finding Daniel's adoptive parents, or even knew if they were still alive, and she didn't have a clue how to go about looking for his real ones. But if Derek was right ... if this guy was that good, then maybe he could find them. And because they were supernaturals, or at least one of them had to be, and considering they had a longer life expectancy, then there was a good chance they could be alive.



And if she found them, she would find her answers. She would finally know what she was. God, she really, really hoped this guy was as good as Derek believed.



Just thinking Derek's name, or maybe it was Miranda's whole stud muffin talk, either way, Kylie got flashbacks to last night. To the whole shower scene and to the hot kisses they'd shared.



"Wow. If he actually finds them, what do I get?"



Derek's question played in her head. She knew he was joking, he didn't expect payment of any kind for helping her. And perhaps that was part of the reason she wanted to reward him. Or not exactly reward him.



She just wanted ...



Don't go there, she told herself. It was way too early to start thinking about those kinds of things. Think about decorating cupcakes. Or think about making the call.



Grabbing her phone off the kitchen counter, she sat down at the computer desk. Taking a deep breath, she dialed the PI's number.



"Brit Smith Agency," he answered.



"Hi." She didn't exactly know where to start. "Uh, my name is Kylie Galen."



"Derek's girl?" the man said.



Kylie felt her stomach wiggle at being called "Derek's girl." It sounded really nice, even though Kylie wasn't officially his girl. Then again, seeing him naked ... Don't go there.



"Derek said that you might be able to help me find someone."



"Yeah, something about your dad being adopted. Let me get to my computer and I'll take notes."



"Sure." While Kylie waited, she looked up at her computer and decided to check her e-mail. She moved the mouse to wake up the computer.



Seconds later, a Springville Times newspaper article appeared on the screen. When Kylie started reading, she realized it wasn't just any article.



It was the Springville Times obituaries. Springville? Wasn't Della from Springville, Texas? But why was she ...



"Ready," Mr. Smith said. "What's your father's name?"



Kylie looked away from the computer. "Daniel Brighten."



"Parents' names?"



"I don't have their first names," Kylie said.



"Okay," he said. "What county was he born in?"



"I ... don't know."



"But it was Texas, right?"



Kylie started feeling less and less hopeful that this would lead her anywhere.



"I'm not really sure."



"Okay," he said, and this time his okay sounded less enthusiastic. "Maybe we should start by you telling me what you do know."



Her mind started gathering information. "His parents lived in Dallas when my mom met him. I've been ... calling all the Brightens in the Dallas area. So far I haven't found anyone who claims they knew my father." She went on and told him about how Daniel had died in the Gulf War. And even told him a little about how her mom and Daniel had first met. It wasn't a lot to go on and she knew it.



"That's not a lot to go on," Mr. Smith said, just proving her point and making her even less enthusiastic. "But I'll see what I can dig up. I'm working a big case right now, and it might take a while before I start on this, but when I have something I'll let you know. Meanwhile you keep on asking questions."



"Questions to who?" Kylie asked.



"Your mom, of course."



"I think she's told me everything she knows," Kylie said.



"Maybe," Mr. Smith said. "But parents are funny about divulging info about relationships and things like this."



Kylie bit down on her lip and wondered if he could be right. For certain her mom wasn't the most open-book type of person. "I guess you could be right."



"Yeah, and even if she's not keeping something from you on purpose, she might not see something as important. She does know you're looking into finding his family, doesn't she?"



"Uhh. Not really."



There was a silence. And she supposed Mr. Smith was wondering if he could get in trouble doing work for an underage kid.



"I plan to tell her," Kylie said. "I just haven't really had the chance." Or decided how to do it.



"Good. Believe me when I say that these kinds of things work out best if you're up front about them."



"Yeah," Kylie said, and tried to figure out how that conversation would go with her mom. How could she explain that she wanted to meet Daniel's real parents, not just his adoptive parents, because she needed to know what species of supernatural she was?



Hanging up from the PI, Kylie sat there feeling let down. The PI thing didn't sound like the answer anymore. And if that didn't work, what would? If only she could get some more information from Daniel.



She looked up at the ceiling. "You wouldn't be able to come for a visit, would you?"



No spiritual cold filled the room. Kylie was about to get up when her gaze went back to the computer screen and the obituaries. She noticed that the dates on the deaths were back eight months ago.



A terrible thought hit. Was Della looking at obituaries because ... she thought she might have killed someone during those blackout days when she turned?



Kylie's gaze went back to the screen to faces of the people who had died. Only a few obituaries listed cause of death, and none said, "drained of blood." While her heart knew that she should feel bad for the deceased, she couldn't help but think of Della. How hard would it be to even think you might have killed someone?



The next few days passed in an uneventful blur. Kylie had tried to talk to Della about what she found on the computer, but Della refused to talk about it. She'd tried to ease into a conversation about Daniel with her mom, but her mom had brushed her off.



While every morning she woke up right at dawn to a blast of icy temperature, the spirit left without any visual or verbal contact. Nothing from Daniel either. So it appeared even everyone in the spirit world was giving Kylie the brush-off.



Kylie wasn't sure what that meant. She got Daniel's absence. He had said his time on earth was now very limited, but what about the female spirit who insisted that someone Kylie loved was about to die?



Holiday told Kylie not to worry, that when the spirit needed to talk, she would speak up. Holiday even tried assuring her that, more likely than not, the ghost's lack of presence was more good news than bad.



Either she'd realized things weren't as imminent as she had first thought, or the situation had been handled. Kylie hoped it was the latter. But her gut told her not to get her hopes up.



While Holiday and Kylie had met twice since she'd confessed her mistake of passing info on to Burnett, Holiday had remained almost distant, very matter-of-fact. Kylie had tried apologizing again, but Holiday had stopped her and said it was forgotten.



Forgotten maybe, forgiven not so much. Kylie sensed it when she looked into the camp leader's eyes. And the pain of knowing that her mistake had altered their relationship left an empty spot in Kylie's chest. To make matters worse, there seemed to be even more tension between Holiday and Burnett. Obviously, Kylie's interference not only hadn't helped, but it had made the rift between them even wider.



"You ready?" Kylie heard Miranda call out from the living room. Socks raised his little skunk face off the mattress and hissed. No doubt the kitten/ skunk was tired of Miranda following him around and trying to undo her screw-up. Kylie wouldn't be surprised if Socks didn't end up spraying her. If he could spray, that is.



"No. I haven't even touched my hair," Kylie called back, and looked around for her hairbrush. "Why don't you go down to breakfast and meet up with Della and I'll meet you as soon as I can?"



"Got it!" Miranda called. "But hurry, I can't wait to head off. It feels like years since I've gotten to go shopping. And hey, when you leave, make sure you shut the door and don't just break it down."



Kylie frowned and wished she hadn't told Miranda and Della about the whole shower scene at Derek's. But not sharing didn't feel right, even if they teased her about it.



"Did Holiday say we had to be back at a certain time?" Miranda called out again.



"No," Kylie said.



Holiday, in spite of her emotional distance, had agreed to let Kylie, Della, and Miranda take one of the school vehicles into town and do some clothes shopping. It was either that or Kylie was going to have to borrow someone's shoes and bras. Thankfully, the growth spurt appeared to have come to an end. Not that it stopped Kylie from worrying. What did it all mean? And when would she know for sure what to expect next? The full moon would be here on Monday. The weres of the group had planned their show-and-tell event for that night, planning on allowing the group to actually watch one of them turn.



Every now and then, whenever Kylie let her mind go there, she worried she might be doing some show-and-telling that night, too. If her body's change was because she was werewolf, didn't that mean she might do a little morphing herself? Her heart raced at the thought. Would she know what to do? Would she remember who she was?



Kylie heard the cabin door shut and she reached for her phone to make sure she hadn't missed a call from Mr. Smith the PI. Looking at the phone, she realized she did have some messages. Her hope rose that it was him with good news.



But nope. No call from the PI. Two more messages from her stepdad and one from Trey. Great. Just friggin' great! She deleted all three messages without listening to them.



When she reached inside her drawer to find her brush, her eyes landed on Lucas's letter. Curiosity ate at her to open it, but another emotion-



one Kylie could best describe as guilt-kept the letter sealed and unread. Please don't break my heart, Kylie.



Derek's words played across her mind. She had no intention of breaking Derek's heart. She had no intention of getting involved with Lucas. So would someone please explain why she felt guilty about reading his letter?



Maybe because she kept dreaming about him. Almost dreamed about him. Oddly enough, the dreams always stopped before they really got started. However, Kylie had a feeling that was best. She somehow sensed that they would be all too similar to the dream she'd had about him before.



Dreams that involved kissing and touching where clothes were considered optional.



Why did she keep almost dreaming of him?



Because you have unresolved feelings for him, a voice from within answered.



A voice Kylie really wished would keep her mouth shut. Kylie didn't want to have any feelings for Lucas. He was off with Fredericka. And Kylie was now with ... well, almost with Derek. They hadn't even kissed since the night she'd seen him naked. A memory that never ventured too far from her mind. However, since that night, he'd sort of kept his distance from her. Kylie didn't know if it was because he sensed she still felt embarrassed about everyone picking up on her uncontrollable desires for him, or if it was something else.



It could be his way of trying to show how it felt to be avoided. Though Derek didn't seem the type to play head games.



Maybe it was simply because she still hadn't made any verbal commitment to being a couple, to going out with him. Not that this had anything to do with Lucas or his letter. Nope. Not at all. Lucas was history. Even if he came back. He'd made his choice when he took off with Fredericka. Not that she would be rude to Lucas if he did come back. They could even be ... friends. If his little she-wolf allowed it.



Thinking of Fredericka shot Kylie back to the night she'd been trapped in the bedroom with the lion. The Blood Brothers, a rogue vampire gang, had started terrorizing and killing the wildlife at the animal preserve next door hoping the FRU would blame the camp and then close it down. They had sent the lion into the camp as part of the setup. However, Kylie couldn't help but think that someone had made sure that lion had gotten in her bedroom. That someone would be Fredericka. Was she wrong to suspect her? Kylie didn't think so.



Oh, heck, this trip down memory lane was stupid. So was the fact that she hadn't opened Lucas's letter. She snatched up the envelope, opened the seal, and was just about to pull the letter out when her phone rang. Dropping the letter on the bed and checking the number, she took the call. "Hi, Mom."



"Hi, sweetheart." Her mom sighed. "I'm afraid I have some bad news."



"What is it?" Right then, the room's temperature dropped. Kylie felt her stomach twist into a tight knot. Had someone she loved been hurt, like the ghost had warned? "Are you okay, Mom?" Kylie asked as panic began to pull at her heartstrings.



"No. I'm not okay."



Oh, God! The temperature in the room dropped another ten degrees. "What is it? What's wrong?"



"I just received an e-mail and my company is insisting I fly out today to a meeting in New York. It's with a big client and ... I'm going to miss seeing you on parents day. I checked to see if there was a red-eye flight back and it's already booked."



The chill hung on, even as Kylie's panic lessened. "It's okay." Kylie looked around to see if the ghost had materialized. She hadn't. Kylie reached over and petted Socks, who looked around with nervous, beady skunk eyes. Socks always knew when a spirit was here.



"I wanted to see you. I feel as if I haven't seen you in months."



"It hasn't been months," Kylie said. "Just two weeks." Yet deep down, Kylie realized she was going to miss seeing her mom, too. "I'll be coming home in a couple of weeks for the weekend, anyway. We'll have plenty of time to catch up then."



"And we have the haunted B&B dinner and tour," her mom added, sounding so thrilled.



"Yeah. That, too." Kylie tried not to let her dread leak out in her tone. They talked a few minutes about her mom's schedule and about her mom's cousin who wanted to come down for a visit. Kylie almost brought up Daniel again, but couldn't figure out how to turn the conversation that way.



As they talked, Kylie pulled the blanket up closer. The cold from the spirit lingered and even grew colder, but she still didn't materialize. "Oh, guess who I saw at the grocery store?" her mom asked.



"Who?" God, it was getting even colder.



"Sara."



Kylie's heartstrings gave her emotions another tug. "How's she doing?"



"Actually, she didn't look good at all."



"What did she do, dye her hair or get a nose ring?" Kylie asked, knowing how Mom felt about such things. She might have suddenly found common ground with her mom, but that didn't make the woman perfect or change the fact that she was judgmental.



"Not that," her mom said. "Sara's not that kind of girl."



Her mom would be surprised at some of the things Sara had done with drinking and boys-not that it made Sara a bad person. She was just ... going through something.



"She just didn't look ... good," her mom continued. "She's thinner than she should be. I hate it that you girls feel as if you have to be size zero to look good. I hope you aren't losing weight."



"Nope, if anything, I think I'm growing." Frowning, Kylie looked down at her boobs, a tad worried what her mom would say when she saw her.



"Which reminds me, have you gone shopping yet?" her mom asked.



"Your camp leader called and confirmed it was okay if you drove to town.



I told her I'd already given you permission."



"Actually, we're going today." Kylie shivered again from the ghostly cold.



"Well, have fun. And keep it reasonable." The maternal tone filled her voice.



"I will," Kylie promised. "Under a hundred dollars. I remember what you said."



"Okay, go up to a hundred and fifty. But no higher."



"Mom, I didn't ask-"



"I know." Her mom chuckled. "But I'm offering." She grew quiet a second. "Ahh, my baby is growing up." Her mom let go of a deep, heartfelt sigh. "Oh, I forgot to mention it, I told Sara you were coming down. She said you'd texted her and told her and that she owed you a text. And she'd probably be in touch in the next few days."



Sara owed her about four text messages, not including the phone calls and e-mails, Kylie thought.



She and her mom chatted a few more minutes. Mostly about her selling the house-another subject Kylie had to bite her tongue on. "I'll still do my best to come see you on Saturday. Maybe I can get a flight out first thing in the morning. If I get in by ten, I might be able to make it. Even if I'm a little late."



"Mom, it's okay. Don't worry. And they're pretty strict about visiting hours here." As in if you come in without a pass, you might be taken down by a vampire. "So really, don't worry, okay?"



"I just miss you," her mom whimpered.



"I miss you, too."



When Kylie hung up, the spirit's chill still lingered in the air. Kylie got the crazy sensation she'd been listening in on the conversation. But why?



"Do you have something to say?" Kylie asked. "Something to show me?" she muttered with less enthusiasm. Kylie really didn't like the freaky visions or dreams, but if that was what it took to solve this and protect someone she loved, she'd do that and more.



No answer filled the cold air and a few seconds later, the chill faded. She looked at her clock on the bedside table and moaned. She was late, which meant Della and Miranda were probably already pissed.



She grabbed her brush, phone, and purse and headed out. Right before she shut the door, she looked back at Lucas's letter on her bed.



"No time now," she muttered, and shut the door and left, but as she took off in a run down the trail she could almost hear Holiday:



"Avoidance isn't a very good coping method."



Yeah, yeah, yeah, Kylie thought. One thing at a time.



"Hey," Miranda called from the dressing room three hours later. "You two still out there?"



Kylie and Della, both checking out some tops on a nearby rack, walked back to the dressing room area. "Yeah, we're here," Kylie answered. They were two hours into their shopping spree, and were having a great day so far. The only negative blemish had been seeing the sidewalk where she'd watched her dad and his slutty intern getting it on. Miranda stepped out of the dressing room modeling a pair of jeans. "Okay, tell the truth. Do these make my butt look good?"



"Turn around," Kylie said.



"Did you say good or big?" Della asked, and grinned.



Kylie would admit the few downtown Fallen stores didn't offer the same experience that shopping at her mall back home did, but it hadn't stopped them from having a blast. Kylie would even admit the town had a certain quaint charm about it. Obviously, she had really needed some time away from the camp.



"Is that a slam because I don't have much of an ass?" Miranda looked over her shoulder as if to see her butt.



"They look great," Kylie interjected.



"Hey," Della said. "Considering I'm lacking in one department," she glanced down at her chest, "I don't pick on body parts. Unless they're really bloody and then-"



"Shh," Kylie said, realizing a couple of other teens were lurking nearby.



Della, not appreciating being hushed, frowned. The frown added to the overall intimidating don't-screw-with-me air she carried on her shoulders all day. Not that the air was intended for her and Miranda. Nope. Rumor had it that the homegrown teens, as well as some of the campers in the area, had it out for all the Shadow Falls teens. Kylie hadn't experienced it the few times she'd come into town, but Holiday had mentioned it at their last camp meeting, so Kylie knew the stories had merit. "Shh, why?" Della asked.



Kylie cut her eyes to the two girls. Della's frown deepened to a fullblown scowl.



Kylie wondered if Della hadn't picked her all-black outfit on purpose, as if dressing like trouble would keep trouble away. In truth, Kylie wasn't sure the outfit didn't do more harm than good, but arguing with Della was useless, so Kylie hadn't said a thing.



One of the girls started moving closer, and Kylie sent up a quick prayer that this wasn't going to spoil their day.



"Hi, my name's Amber Logan," the cute redhead said, looking at Kylie. "Are you new in town or here with one of the ... camps?" The way she said camps led Kylie to believe this wasn't going to end well.



"A camp." Kylie put a bit of extra nice into her voice, hoping to ward off any trouble.



"Which one?" the tall blonde standing behind Amber asked, and she cut Della a cold look.



Nope, this wasn't going to end well.



"Shadow Falls," Della answered with attitude, and her dark eyes grew a little golden. Kylie just hoped the girls didn't notice "Boners," the blonde whispered to Amber.



"What did you say?" asked Della, her shoulders coming back as she took a defensive step forward.



Blondie grinned. "The camp used to be named Bone Creek Camp. So they call you guys ... boners. It's not personal."



"It feels personal," Della growled.



Both Amber and Blondie took a step back.



Kylie saw Miranda stick out her little pinky as if ready to cast a spell. Kylie shot her a warning glance, but it wasn't Miranda who Kylie worried about.



"Nice to meet you," Kylie told the girls, and latched a hand on Della's elbow, hoping the touch would help her see reason. She couldn't go vampire badass on these girls. She couldn't even threaten to kill them without stirring up a whole big pot of trouble.



"'Bye," Kylie added, and motioned for them to leave with her free hand.



Amber shot Della another calculating look. From the spark of fear in her eyes, Kylie figured the girl wasn't all that stupid. She turned around, nudged her blond friend, and the two went their own way.



"You better tuck your tails and run," Della muttered, pulling away from Kylie.



"I could have given them the worse case of pimples you've ever seen," Miranda snapped.



"Oh, I could have done much worse," Della snarled.



"But you didn't." Kylie latched a hand around each girl's arm, just in case they changed their minds. "You both showed an amazing amount of restraint. I'm very proud of you."



Della shot Kylie a huge frown. "Don't you ever just lose it? I mean, don't you ever just wanna rip somebody's heart out and beat them over the head with it?"



"I get mad, yes," Kylie said, and grinned. "Don't know if I've ever wanted to bludgeon someone to death with their own heart, but I have my moments."



"Yeah, what do you do when you're really pissed? Frown at someone?" Della chuckled.



"Yeah," Miranda piped in. "But have you seen her frown? It's very effective."



They all laughed.



An hour later, after shoe shopping and trying on a few more pairs of jeans, they moved to the lingerie section. Because she'd already spent close to a hundred dollars, Kylie headed to the clearance rack. They all dropped their packages and browsed through the array of underwear.



"Do either of you wear thongs?" Miranda held up a red stringy pair of panties.



"Not me," Kylie said. "I like regular bikini."



"Personally for me, wearing a thong is like flossing your ass," Della said, and all three of them burst out laughing.



After the giggles subsided, they went back to checking out bras. A store attendant walked up. "Would you like me to measure you to make sure what size you are?" she asked Kylie.



Kylie looked up at the store clerk and back at the four bras she held in her hands. "Uhh, no ... thank you. I think I can figure it out."



"Okay, but it's very important you get the right size."



Kylie nodded. "I will."



"It will only take a minute," the attendant said, a tad more insistent that time.



"I know ... but I'm fine. Thank you," Kylie added.



The woman's expression said Kylie was making a mistake, but she walked off.



"Ugg, no way would I let a stranger handle my girls," Miranda whispered. "These are virgin girls." She giggled.



"I think the ol' biddy just wanted to see your boobs." Della growled at the clerk's back.



Kylie elbowed Della and tried not to snicker. "She was just doing her job."



"Duh, she was like eyeing your boobs like they were candy, and I'm standing here holding a bra and she didn't even ask to measure me!" "I think there might be a reason for that." Miranda snickered again. "Bitch!" Della said it with a smile.



Relief swept through Kylie when she saw Della's smile. The last thing Kylie wanted now was for Miranda and Della to start smacking each other around verbally.



Della cupped her A-cup boobs. "At least these puppies aren't virgin. And believe me, Lee didn't complain."



Miranda laughed. "I'm surprised you didn't tell me that I didn't have an ass."



"I'm saving that insult for next time," Della said.



"I'm going to try on these." Kylie studied the bras she held. "Can you hold these?" Kylie handed Miranda her bags containing two pairs of jeans and two pairs of shoes.



"Here, try this one on, too." Della held a bra out.



"I don't like black bras," Kylie said.



"Yeah, but I'll bet Derek does." She grinned and wiggled her brows. Kylie rolled her eyes. But she snatched the bra from Della and headed off to the dressing room. Behind her, she heard Della and Miranda laughing.



Trying on bras reminded Kylie of the Goldilocks fairy tale. One felt a bit too big. One was a bit too lacy, and one, the black one, was a bit too ...sexy.



Now to decide which ones to take home. Kylie glanced down at the pile of bras and had just slipped the strap of her old bra up onto her shoulder, when she heard:



"I like the black one best."



The deep male voice that came from behind her had her heart leaping into her throat. Her eyes shot to the mirror.



Before she saw his face, she saw the blood.



He stood right behind her. Big splotches of red color stained his shirt. Even his auburn-colored hair was soaked in it.



His eyes flashed a vivid red color. He shot her an evil smile and his elongated canines showed at the edges of his mouth. Recognition hit-Blood Brothers.