“Go ahead.” He flopped back on her bed and rested his head on his hands as if he was going to enjoy watching her. His reclined position did wonders to showcase the muscles in his arms and chest. He grinned that sexy bedroom smile at her and she wanted to kick his ass.
“Out!” she ordered.
He sat up. “After you kiss me good-bye.”
“No! You are incorrigible.” She shook her finger at him. “Presumptuous. Arrogant.”
“Call me all the names you want, but if you want me to leave, it’ll cost you a kiss.”
“And impossible,” she growled. “You do know I could pick you up, twirl you around like a baton, then toss your ass out the window, don’t you?”
“Could and would are two different things, sweetheart.”
Friggin’ frack! How did this guy know her so well? When had she opened up and invited him into her life? Into her heart?
He leaned in and collected a kiss. A short one, that’s all she allowed. But it was a hell of a lot more than she should have permitted. Right then she knew his leaving was a good thing. She needed to put some distance between them. Needed a slowdown.
“I’ll see you Friday. But promise me you’ll call me.”
“I don’t make promises.” She swallowed a slight lump in her throat at his expression. “I’ll try.” Try not to, she amended. She had to put on her emotional brakes. Stop these feelings before they got out of hand.
He put one leg out the window and then glanced back. “Stay away from that new vamp. I don’t like him.”
Me, either, she thought, but didn’t say it.
Della sat there hugging her knees, staring out the opened window, trying not to care about the dad-blasted shape-shifter who’d left her feeling less than happy. A cold blast of wind snaked in her bedroom, and she shivered. She popped off the bed to go shut the window, and that’s when it suddenly occurred to her. She felt cold.
Since she’d been turned, she’d been aware of temperature, but she hadn’t really felt cold. She remembered Steve insinuating that she might have a fever. Placing a hand on her forehead, she moved to the window. She got there just in time to see Derek watching Steve walk away.
Great. Now Fairy Boy was going to think she and Steve were dirtying up the sheets. Derek looked toward the window, half smirked, and started walking over. Her first impulse was to offer him the third-finger salute and slam the window. Then she remembered he was assisting in looking for her uncle. Was he here for that? Did he already have something for her? She leaped out the window and met him halfway.
“I’m not sleeping with Steve,” she said first thing, deciding to make that clear from the get-go.
He rolled his eyes. “I really don’t care.” Then his gaze moved over her. “Smurfs, huh?” He chuckled.
“Oh, please, give it a break. You guys just want to fantasize about us girls wearing sexy lingerie to bed every night. We wear what’s comfortable. We wear what we like. So get over it!”
He scratched his jaw. “I’ll try to wrap my brain around that.”
She shook her head, her dark, straight hair flipping in front of her face. “Do you wear thongs and lingerie to bed?”
“Uhh, no.”
“Well neither do women. So if you don’t like to floss body parts that don’t need flossing, why would we?”
“I…” he stuttered. “I didn’t say anything about … I meant, I just didn’t expect to see a vampire liking little blue people.”
“Why not? I’m not prejudiced,” she said. “I like people of all colors, nationalities, and species. I even like you. A little bit.”
He looked taken aback. “You do know Smurfs don’t exist, right?”
“Of course I do. And you know all women don’t wear thongs or sexy lingerie. And wearing Smurf PJs isn’t weird.” Steve had even liked them.
Derek had the decency to blush, and held up one hand. “Forget I said anything.”
She realized she was overreacting and being grumpy, especially considering he was probably here to help her. “Sorry. I didn’t get enough sleep.” And the new vamp’s insult about her PJs had obviously stung more than it should have. “Did you find something out about my uncle?”
He nodded. “That’s why I’m here.”
Chapter Six
“What did you get?” Della asked, feeling as if his answer could change things. If her uncle was alive …
Derek shrugged as if he was about to disappoint her. “Not a lot, but I was able to dig up an obituary from some old newspapers that were accessible through the library Internet.” He pulled out a piece of paper. “I went ahead and printed it out. Of course, this doesn’t mean that he actually died. But it’s a place to start checking if maybe it was falsified. And I’m not done searching the Internet. If I can find out what school he went to, sometimes if there’s a reunion of that class, some classmates might have posted something.”
Della took the folded paper and frowned. “I don’t know what school he went to, but I’ll see if I can find out.”
He nodded. “Just remember, it’s not overly promising with something that happened so long ago.”
Disappointment whispered through her.
“Oh,” he said. “Can I sort of ask for a favor in return?”
Well, duh, she couldn’t say no, now could she? But what in the world could Derek want from her? “What is it?”
“I was hoping … maybe you could sort of be nice to Jenny.”
So it was really true. Derek had a serious thing for Jenny.
“Be nice to her?” Della asked. “I haven’t been rude to her.”
Now, Della couldn’t say that about everyone here at the school, but because Kylie liked Jenny and sort of took her under her wing like a little sister, Della had gone out of her way not to be rude.
“I didn’t say ‘not be rude’ to her, I said ‘be nice’ to her. There’s a difference, you know?”
Della shook her head. “Me not being rude is me being nice.”
He cut his eyes at her in a frustrated manner. “Look, Jenny’s really … insecure right now. She sees the kind of friendship that you and Kylie and Miranda have and she feels kind of left out.”
“Left out? Kylie visits with her every other day and she sits with her almost every day at lunch.”
“I know, but you guys don’t sit with them.”
“That’s because they’re sitting at the chameleon table, idiot!”
He frowned. “There’s not enough chameleons to be a chameleon table. Jenny wants to feel like she’s fitting in. And for some reason, she admires you. Thinks you’re cool.”
“I am cool,” Della insisted.
“Yeah, well, can you be cool and a little nicer?”
Della exhaled. “Fine, I’ll … try.”
“Thank you,” he said. “And I’ll continue to see if I can find anything about your uncle. And let me know if you find out what high school he attended.”
Della watched the fae walk away, glanced at the obituary in her hand, worrying how she might get the school information on her uncle, and worried how she was going to be nice to Jenny. She didn’t dislike the girl, but she wasn’t into making new friends. Her friend quota was full. Kylie and Miranda were all she needed.
She turned her Smurf-covered butt around and leaped back into her window. She turned to shut the door, and when she did, she got his scent again.
Chase.
Dad-blasted vamp! She growled into the wind that carried his spicy smell and remembered he’d been in the woods last night when she’d flown off to meet Burnett. Was the panty perv just walking past to get to breakfast now? Was last night just another coincidence? Or for some unknown reason was he keeping tabs on her? Somehow, someway, she needed to find out.
Five minutes later, dressed for breakfast, the folded and still unread piece of paper with her uncle’s obituary in her hand, she glanced up at the door as someone knocked.
“Yeah,” she called out.
Kylie pushed open th
e door, a worried look on her face. “You okay?”
“Fine, why?” she asked.
“Several reasons,” Kylie said. “One, you’re here. You didn’t go to the vamp meeting.”
Della shrugged. “I slept late.” Bypassing the fact that Steve had woken her up. Bypassing the fact that after last night, the thought of drinking blood made her queasy.
“I figured that. Are you feeling better?”
The whole dead-bodies memory and disappointment over Burnett’s lack of confidence in her came rolling over her again. “I’ll live.”
Kylie sent her a sympathetic smile. “Was that Derek you were talking to?”
“Yeah.” She held up the folded piece of paper. “He found an obituary for my uncle.”
“So … he’s really dead?”
“Not necessarily. The families usually post an obituary of the person if they think they’re dead.”
“I see,” she said, and nipped on her bottom lip. Kylie always nipped when she was nervous. But about what?
Della recalled Kylie’s answer of “several reasons” to why she was worried about Della.
“What’s the other reason … The reason you’re worried about me?”
Kylie rolled her top teeth over her lip again. “I … It’s about the ghost.”
Okay, this couldn’t be good. “What about the ghost?”
“Remember I told you I thought it was vampire?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, I’m pretty sure I was right. Not that it’s completely manifested yet, but … and I don’t think it’s looking for me. It’s not hanging out in my room.”
“Where’s it hanging?” she asked … and while she was smart enough to guess, she really, really hoped she was wrong.
Kylie hesitated. “In your room.”
“Oh, hell no. I have no desire, none, zilch, to have a ghost hanging around me. Tell it to go take a flying leap into the oblivion.”
Kylie sighed. “It doesn’t work that way. And usually when a ghost appears, there’s a reason. I was … I was wondering if maybe it was your uncle.”
Della’s stomach clenched. “Why do you say that?”
“I’m not sure, I just … You’re looking for him and everyone says he’s dead, I thought maybe…”
“He can’t be dead. I need him to be alive.” And she didn’t realize how true it was until she’d said it. She needed someone, a family someone, in her life. Someone who wouldn’t look at her like a monster. She shook her head. “No, it’s not him.”
Kylie nodded, but didn’t look convinced. “I … I’m meeting Lucas for a picnic breakfast. So I’d better run. And Miranda had a Witch Council meeting this morning. I’m afraid you’re on your own for breakfast.”
“I don’t care,” Della said, feeling anxious about the whole ghost thing.
Kylie nodded and started to walk away.
“Hey,” Della called to her. “It’s not here now, is it? The ghost?”
“No.” Kylie looked concerned. “You sure you’re okay? Even Miranda is worried about you.”
“Of course I am.” Della didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for her, she just needed a ghost-free environment. And she needed her uncle to be alive. Hence her hesitation to read the obituary.
The images of death from last night flashed in her head again.
“Go.” She waved Kylie away. When the door closed, she looked around the silent cabin. She tucked the obituary in her pocket, deciding to face runny eggs and burnt bacon before she had to face the possibility that her uncle was really dead.
Della walked into the chatter of the crowded dining hall. She was all set to join a few other vampires who’d obviously bypassed this morning’s early breakfast when she spotted Jenny. The girl sat alone and looked lonely. Knowing it was the right thing to do, she grabbed a tray and then dropped down in the seat beside the little chameleon.
“Hey,” Della said, staring down at her eggs and the yellow goo they floated in. Ugg, she so wasn’t going to eat those. Then she saw that her bacon was indeed burnt.
“Hi,” Jenny said, sounding peppy, her hazel eyes lighting up with a smile.
Della had to tighten her face not to frown. It was just way too early to deal with peppy, but she owed Derek for his help.
“Have you seen Kylie this morning?” Jenny asked, almost as if she just needed something to say.
“Yeah,” Della answered. “She and Lucas were having a breakfast picnic.” Meaning they were off sucking face somewhere. And maybe getting naked. Though Della didn’t think Kylie would take her clothes off in the woods; she was much too proper and smart for that. Being naked in the woods led to chiggers and bug bites in places you really didn’t want them.
“That’s nice.” Jenny’s gaze shifted across the room. Della followed it and saw she’d glanced at the fae table. Particularly at the end of the table where Derek sat. The brown-haired fae was laughing at something one of the new fae chicks was saying. He wasn’t coming off as if he was actually flirting, but Della saw a touch of disappointment flash in Jenny’s eyes.
“So what’s up with you and Derek?” Della asked, stabbing her half-cooked eggs with her fork.
“Nothing’s up,” Jenny said.
“I thought you two were sort of an item. I mean, you slept with him when you first got here.”
Jenny’s face reddened. “No. We shared a bed, but we didn’t … do anything. We’re just friends.”
The chameleon’s heart did one light flutter with her last sentence, so it wasn’t a complete lie, but it wasn’t the complete truth, either. “Not that it’s any of my business, but I think he’d like to be more than friends.” Della saw that Jenny’s bacon was practically raw. Just the way Della liked it. Her stomach growled.
“Yeah. He kind of hinted at that,” Jenny said.
Della continued to eye Jenny’s bacon. “You gonna eat that?”
“No.” She wrinkled her nose. “It’s barely cooked.”
“I’ll trade you my burnt one for your raw one?”
Jenny pushed her tray over and Della snagged the uncooked meat and took a bite. After her first swallow, she asked, “So Fairy Boy doesn’t do it for you, huh? That surprises me. I mean, Kylie was all over him.”
Jenny’s peppy look vanished. “Yeah, I know.”
Della suddenly realized how what she’d said sounded. “I didn’t mean … all over him like … She was just into him for a while.”
Jenny picked up her fork and moved her eggs around her plate. “Yeah, I heard she was back and forth between Lucas and Derek.”
Della heard something in the girl’s tone. “You do know Kylie and Lucas are a real thing now, don’t you?”
She nodded, but didn’t look convinced.
“Is that what’s keeping you from going for Derek? You’re worried about him and Kylie?”
“No,” she said, but her heart raced to an all-out lie.
Della cut her a cold look. “Why do people try to lie to me?”
“Okay, maybe I’m worried a little. I like Kylie a lot and I don’t want anything between me and Derek to cause issues.”
“You need to talk to Kylie,” Della said, and munched on another bite of bacon. “I know she’d tell you to go for it. Derek’s a decent guy. If you like his type.”
Jenny looked up again at the fae table and then back at Della. “He asked you to talk to me, didn’t he?”
“No,” she said, and didn’t like how the answer felt on her tongue. “I mean, he didn’t ask me to talk about him.”
“What did he ask you to talk to me about?”
Okay, she’d really put her foot in her mouth now. So she stuffed the rest of the bacon in there with it. After swallowing, she said, “He didn’t ask me to talk to you.”
“Now who’s lying?” Disbelief flashed in Jenny’s green eyes, and for some reason Della thought about Chase’s green eyes. “Just tell me the truth,” Jenny said.
Della debated being completely honest, then realized what
she’d said wasn’t a lie. “I’m not lying. He didn’t ask me to talk to you.” Being nice and talking were two different things. The look on the girl’s face said she still wasn’t convinced. Oh, what the hell. “He asked me to be nice to you.”
Her shoulders slumped a bit. “And that’s why you sat next to me.”
“No,” Della said. “Okay, maybe, but it’s not as if I don’t like you.”
“Yeah. I’m just different, chameleon, and it weirds you out?”
“Why would you say that? Kylie’s my best friend and she’s a chameleon. I don’t give a toad’s butt what you are.”
Jenny glanced up. “Then why are you always so … distant?”
“Because … that’s just me. I don’t make friends easy.”
Jenny glanced around the dining hall. “Everyone here just keeps staring at my pattern as if I’m a freak.”
“Not everyone. But what can I say, there’s a few idiots here.” Della’s gaze shifted around the room and found Chase. She still needed to find a way to have a powwow with him. He turned and looked at her. Was he listening to her conversation? She took another bite of bacon and looked back at Jenny staring down at her plate. “You really don’t like it here?” Della asked, in almost a whisper.
“I don’t fit in here. But I didn’t fit in at home, either.” Emotion filled the girl’s voice.
Jenny’s words did laps around Della’s head and then dropped to her heart. Damn if Della didn’t know how not fitting in at home felt—as if someone had taken a sledgehammer to your whole foundation of life. You simply felt broken.
“Give it some time,” she offered, feeling empathy for the chameleon. “This place ain’t all bad.”
“I didn’t say it was bad. I just don’t fit in.” Tears welled up in the girl’s eyes. “I gotta go.” Jenny stood up and left.
Della watched Jenny walk away, and the girl turned invisible right before she walked through the door. Gasps filled the lunchroom from those who’d seen her. The whole turning-invisible thing that chameleons did—which, like chameleons themselves, was super rare in the paranormal community—still freaked some people out.