My father’s not doing anything. But Della didn’t say a word.
Holiday continued to hold her arm and glanced at her husband. “Ever heard the saying, ‘silence can be deadly’? Or ‘the calm before the storm’?”
“I won’t stay long,” Della said. “I need to talk to him.” And more.
“No,” Holiday said with vigor. “Go take a walk or a run and then come back here in a few minutes and we’ll reassess. When your emotions settle down, you can go talk to him.”
Della wanted to explain that she wasn’t going to calm down.
How could she? She’d been duped.
Played.
Nothing made her angrier than someone playing her for a fool.
And she’d been a fool all right.
“Give it ten minutes. Ten,” Holiday said.
Della nodded. She pulled her phone out and snapped a picture of the photograph.
“Don’t you leave until you come back to see me,” Holiday said.
“I won’t,” she said and meant to keep that promise. Not that it would be easy, all she wanted to do right now was find the Panty Perv and tell him exactly what she thought of him. But like it or not, Holiday was right. She had to plan what needed to be said, because she didn’t ever plan on laying eyes on him again.
Bonded my ass! How could he claim to be bonded to her, then do nothing but lie? The whole time, he’d lied. He knew about her uncle.
She suddenly felt sick. She walked out of the office and started toward her cabin, only to realize she didn’t want to talk to Kylie or Miranda right now.
Right before she turned off the trail to head out toward the woods, she heard someone call her name.
Derek.
“Later,” she said and started to take off.
“No!” Derek yelled out. “It’s important.”
She started to take off anyway, but words sounded in her head.
You need to hear this!
The cold surrounded her.
“Hear what? Why the hell should I listen to a word you say?” Della asked, speaking to a wall of nothing more than cold air. “Aren’t you the one who put Chase and me together to work this case? I could’ve saved Natasha on my own. I didn’t need him!”
She stopped and turned to face Derek, who she heard stop behind her.
“What did you say?” he asked.
“I wasn’t talking to you. But since you’re here … what is it?”
His mouth formed a tight line, concern filled his eyes. “I … shit, Della, I don’t know how to tell you this.”
“It’s easy. You open your mouth and words come out,” she said, her patience spent. “Try it.”
He nodded. Exhaled loudly. “Remember when you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt’s case?”
She nodded.
“Since I didn’t hear back from him, I called him again last night.”
“And?” She motioned with her hands for him to continue.
“The detective called him back yesterday. He said after he looked at the files, he checked on what all they still had in evidence.” Derek shuffled his feet a bit. “They ran some tests on some blood they’d collected. They weren’t able to do that test back then, they didn’t have the capability. The results came back.” He hesitated. “They’re going to make an arrest. They’re going to arrest your dad, Della. I’m sorry.”
She stood there for several seconds.
His words flew around her head. Remember you asked me to check with the PI again about your aunt’s case?
Her father was going to be arrested for murder and it was her fault.
If she’d never asked Derek to look into it, the case would have stayed buried. Stayed cold.
She’d done this. Done this to her dad—an extremely private man, who didn’t even want to think about the past. Now the whole world would know. There would be news reports, photos in the paper. Her father would be humiliated. More important than that, he’d be accused of murder. What if they convicted him?
She swallowed down the pain. Tears stung her eyes. If she hadn’t disappointed him before, she’d really done it now.
Not just him this time, either. This wouldn’t just hurt him, but her mom, her sister. It could destroy her family. Completely.
What the hell had she done?
Or a better question, how in the hell was she going to make it right?
Her phone rang. She pulled it out. Her sister’s number showed on the screen.
Della answered the call. “Hey.” Her voice shook with that one word.
“Della?” Her sister’s voice came with the sound of tears—much like the ones running down Della’s face. “The cops came … they took Dad.” Marla sobbed. “They think he killed someone. Mom’s so upset, she can’t stop crying. You have to come home. You have to!”
Della heard Marla’s request. But how could Della do it? How would she get blood if she was at home? How could she keep her secret from her family? How could she leave Shadow Falls?
Then again, how could she not go home and try to fix this, when she was the one who caused it?
“I’m coming,” Della told Marla. “I’m coming home.”
Yes, that was one hell of a cliff-hanger—and you won’t believe what happens next!
Don’t miss the final book in the Shadow Falls: After Dark trilogy
Unspoken
where all will be revealed.
July 2015
Visit www.cchunterbooks.com for the latest news.
ALSO BY C. C. HUNTER
Born at Midnight
Awake at Dawn
Taken at Dusk
Whispers at Moonrise
Chosen at Nightfall
Reborn
Praise for the Shadow Falls Series
“Hunter sucks you in … an amazing roller-coaster ride.”
—RT Book Reviews
“The Shadow Falls series belongs to my favorite YA series. It has everything I wish for in a YA paranormal series. A thrilling tale that moves with a great pace, where layers of secrets are revealed in a way that we are never bored. It continues a gripping story about self-discoveries, finding a place in the world, friendship, and love. So if you didn’t start this series yet, I can only encourage you to do so.”
—Bewitched Bookworms
“Ms. Hunter handles this series with such deftness, crafting a wonderful tale that speaks to the adolescent in me. I highly recommend this series filled with darkness and light, hope and danger, friendship and romance.”
—Night Owl Reviews (Top Pick)
“Jam-packed with action and romance from the very beginning, Hunter’s lifelike characters and paranormal creatures populate a plot that will keep you guessing till the very end. A perfect mesh of mystery, thriller, and romance. Vampires, weres, and fae, oh my!”
—RT Book Reviews on Taken at Dusk
“An emotional thrill ride full of suspense, action, laughter, multiple love stories, and an intriguing variety of paranormal species. I could not put this book down and can’t wait to start the next book as soon as I finish this review.”
—Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews on Awake at Dawn
“There are so many books in the young adult paranormal genre these days that it’s hard to choose a good one. I was so very glad to discover Born at Midnight. If you like P. C. and Kristin Cast or Alyson Noël, I am sure you will enjoy Born at Midnight!”
—Night Owl Reviews
“The evolving, not-always-easy relationships among Kylie and her cabin mates Della and Miranda are rendered as engagingly as Kylie’s angst over dangerous Lucas and appealing Derek. Just enough plot threads are tied up to make a satisfying stand-alone tale while whetting appetites for sequels to come.”
—Publishers Weekly
“With intricate plotting and characters so vivid you’d swear they are real, Born at Midnight is an addictive treat. Funny, poignant, romantic, and downright scary in places, it hits all the right notes. Highly recommended.”
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—Houston Lifestyles and Homes Magazine
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
C. C. Hunter lives in Tomball, Texas, where she’s at work on her next novel. To learn more, visit her on the Web at www.cchunterbooks.com.
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters, organizations and events portrayed in this novel are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
ETERNAL. Copyright © 2014 by Christie Craig. All rights reserved. For information, address St. Martin’s Press, 175 Fifth Avenue, New York, N.Y. 10010.
www.stmartins.com
Cover design by Elsie Lyons
Cover photographs: girl © InnervisionArt/Shutterstock.com; landscape © TTstudio/Shutterstock.com
eBooks may be purchased for business or promotional use. For information on bulk purchases, please contact Macmillan Corporate and Premium Sales Department by writing to
[email protected].
The Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available upon request.
ISBN 978-1-250-04461-7 (trade paperback)
ISBN 978-1-250-05630-6 (hardcover)
ISBN 978-1-4668-4306-6 (e-book)
e-ISBN 9781466843066
First Edition: November 2014
C. C. Hunter, Eternal
(Series: Shadow Falls: After Dark # 2)
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