"And I appreciate it," Kylie said, and then realized what Miranda had said. "What did Burnett want to talk to Della about?"
"Beats me."
"Was she upset?" Kylie couldn't help but worry that it had something to do with whatever Holiday was so upset about when she spoke to Burnett earlier. And Kylie hadn't forgotten that at the time she'd gotten the impression it was about her.
"Not really. Between you and me, I think Della's got a crush on Burnett. She just glows when Burnett asks her to do something."
"No, she doesn't. She knows he's totally into Holiday."
"Then why doesn't she go for Steve? She's jealous of us having boyfriends but won't go after Steve. And lately I noticed the same thing you did. That shape-shifter stares at her all the time. He's hot for her."
Kylie motioned to the door. "She doesn't go for Steve because she's still in love with Lee."
"Yeah, I guess that could be it, too." They walked out and started down the path toward the office. "You know, I could put a hex on him."
"On Steve?" Kylie asked.
"No, on Lee. I could easily give him warts. And I could put them some place it would really scare the piss out of him. If you know what I mean."
Kylie shook her head. "I don't think Della would want you to do that."
"She might if we caught her in the right mood."
"I wouldn't even chance asking, because if she's not in the right mood, it might really tick her off."
"Yeah, I guess." They continued down the trail. "Do I really talk about Perry all the time?"
Kylie looked at Miranda. "Yeah, but it's not as bad as Della makes it sound. I'll bet I talk about Lucas all the time." She remembered she'd walked away from him today. Was he going to be angry at her? Did he have a right to be?
"Actually, you don't. But you used to talk about Derek all the time."
Kylie frowned, not liking how that sounded.
"Oh, that reminds me, he came by to see you when you were sleeping."
"Derek came to see me?"
"No, Lucas."
Embarrassed that she'd misunderstood, Kylie bit down on her lip. "Why didn't he wake me up? Why didn't you guys wake me up?"
"He told us not to. He peeked in on you and said to just tell you he came by. Actually, it was kind of sweet. He stood in the doorway watching you for several minutes. He kind of looked sad. Or sappy. Like he was totally in love with you. Della was waving her hand under her nose as if to say he was emitting all kinds of pheromones." Miranda grinned.
Kylie's heart hurt so much she couldn't grin back. Guilt spiraled through her, both for not talking about him as much as she had talked about Derek and for walking away from him earlier when he tried to talk to her. At the time, she'd felt justified, but hindsight always gave her another viewpoint. Was she being too hard on Lucas?
Probably, she admitted. She'd been crabby lately. Hence why Miranda and Della were accusing her of being were. Something she needed to remedy.
She made up her mind. After she spoke with Holiday, she was going to find Lucas and apologize for leaving him like that. She quickened her pace down the trail. The trees on both sides seemed to grow closer together. And Kylie felt it again-the feeling of someone calling her. Luring her to step out into the woods. She stopped and looked out at the line of trees.
They want you to come to them. She heard the spirit's words whisper in her head.
Who was out there? Was it Mario?
Suddenly, she wasn't so sure. It didn't feel evil. It felt ... She didn't know how it felt, honestly, only that it wasn't completely evil. However, it still scared her to the point that her breath came short, and a chill ran up her spine and tingled at the base of her neck.
"What?" Miranda asked, a note of fear in her tone. "Your aura is going all sorts of strange colors on me."
"Nothing," Kylie lied. She turned and started jogging to the office. As her feet pounded the path, little clouds of dirt floated up. She blinked the dusty air away and that's when she saw the moon-half full, but bright. And it looked as if it just suddenly appeared in the sky.
Moonrise, she thought. She felt again the whispers echoing in her mind. Whispers she couldn't understand, whispers that both lured her and frightened her.
"Is it a ghost?" Miranda asked, her feet pounding the path as her multicolored hair danced in the wind. "Is it?"
"No," Kylie said, able to speak without huffing.
"Then can you slow down? Because I'm not like you and Della. I mean, I could cast a spell and maybe I could run faster, but that would take some time. And the last time I tried it, I turned myself into an antelope."
"We're just about there," Kylie said, but, remembering how she hated having to work so hard to keep up with Della, she did slow her pace. Suddenly, a whoosh of air blew past them. Kylie's first thought was vampire, but then Perry, in his huge prehistoric bird form, landed in front of them.
Miranda, even huffing and puffing, squealed with pleasure. Perry took his right wing and wrapped it around the little witch, pulling her into his chest and giving her a warm bird hug. Then he cooed, sounding like a dove. As sappy as it was, and even in her bad mood, Kylie's chest tightened. And the tender smile she spotted in Miranda's expression sealed the deal. Love was a wonderful thing. Kylie wanted it. All of it. Complete devotion. All the sappy, crazy feelings.
Images of both Derek and Lucas filled her head. Oh, hell, could she be in love with both of them? Was that even possible?
Perry released Miranda and stepped back. Sparkles started falling around him like iridescent snow. In seconds, human Perry appeared. His sandy blond hair clung to his forehead as if he'd worked up a sweat. His eyes were blue. Bright blue. He wore a pair of black jeans and a T-shirt that read, WHAT DO YOU WANT ME TO BE?
"I was just coming to get you," Perry said, shifting his gaze from Miranda to Kylie.
"Me?" Kylie asked. "Why?"
He shrugged. "They told me to. Ordered me to."
"Who?" Kylie asked. "Who told you to get me?"
"Duh. Burnett and Holiday. I don't take orders from anyone else. Except maybe Miranda." He grinned at Miranda.
"Is something wrong?" Kylie asked.
He looked back at Kylie. "I don't know. But I know your mom showed up and she's fit to be tied. Giving Holiday hell."
"My mom's here?" Kylie asked, feeling confused.
Perry nodded. "Sorry."
Kylie took off at a heated pace. Worry had her feet hitting the dirt and leaving a cloud of dust in her wake.