A lot.
"Why weren't you scared of what you saw?" Clara asked.
Unsure what Clara meant, Kylie paused. Had the girl seen more than Kylie knew? "Who says I wasn't scared?"
"Kylie's a protector," Burnett intervened.
Clara's eyes widened. "No shit?"
Uncomfortable at the girl's stare, Kylie suddenly wanted to escape. "I should go." She turned to leave.
Burnett gently caught her by the arm and, as crazy as it seemed, she felt empathy in his cold touch. He leaned in and whispered, "Not until you have a shadow."
"I'm here." Holiday stepped through the door. "I took a short walk to give Lucas and his sister a few minutes to talk." Her green eyes went to Kylie as if she sensed the emotional storm brewing inside her. Holiday motioned for Kylie to follow her out.
Burnett looked at Holiday. "Stay close. There could still be danger around."
"Exactly what happened?" Worry filled Holiday's green eyes.
"We'll talk later," he said. "I need to chat with Clara while everything is fresh in her mind."
Kylie walked out, her heart breaking at Lucas's behavior and her gut worrying about what Clara remembered. Yet one glance at Holiday and Kylie remembered her vision and Holiday's possible demise. Heck, maybe Clara was right. Maybe something was wrong with her mind. Perhaps the stress of everything had finally driven her loony.
Was becoming a witch the first sign of insanity? Or was it just part of being a chameleon?
* * *
Kylie followed Holiday to the dining hall to grab a sandwich. Lunch had come and gone and so they had the place to themselves. They barely talked and the awkwardness didn't feel right. When they walked out of the dining hall, Kylie's gaze went to the woods to see if the feeling had left, or if she sensed her grandfather and great-aunt calling her. But she felt nothing.
Holiday reached over and touched Kylie's shoulders. "Talk to me."
Kylie absorbed the calm that Holiday offered and faced her. "I hate prejudices," Kylie said, knowing that only one of the problems at hand, Lucas, could be discussed with the camp leader. If she told Holiday who was in the woods earlier, she'd tell Burnett. And both of them would refuse to let Kylie go to them if they returned. But she had to, didn't she?
"I hate them, too," Holiday said, as if she knew exactly what prejudices Kylie referred to. "If there was one thing I could change in the world, that would be it."
Closing her palm, Kylie fought the feeling of disappointment Lucas's stance with Clara had given her. "You would think after being the target of prejudice, the were society would know how unjust it is."
"I think-"
"Can I please have a moment with Kylie?" Lucas's voice came from behind them. Just hearing his deep tenor caused another wave of pain to wash over her chest. She couldn't think of anything, or anyone who would have stopped her from standing up for him if the shoe had been on the other foot. And yet ...
Kylie and Holiday turned around. The camp leader met Kylie's gaze, almost asking if this was what she wanted. She nodded.
"Fine, but don't go far." Holiday walked back to the porch and sat down on one of the rocking chairs.
Lucas took Kylie's hand and led her around to the back of the office. He didn't speak, and neither did she. He stopped by the tree, where they'd been earlier, and turned to face her. Not a word left his lips; he just stared.
What she wouldn't give to be able to read his mind. What was he thinking? Was he upset because she was a witch, was he sorry that he hadn't come to her defense? Was he realizing how hopeless this relationship was?
"Thank you for rescuing my sister," he said. "I'm sorry she's so ungrateful."
Kylie nodded.
He leaned down and pressed his forehead against hers. All she could see was his eyes, the blueness of them, the long dark fringe of lashes surrounding them.
"I hurt you." His voice came out even deeper than before.
She didn't deny it.
She continued to stare into his eyes and he didn't blink. The pain reflecting in his deep blue irises made her breath catch.
He closed his eyes and inhaled before speaking. "Have you ever known the right thing to do, but couldn't do it?"
She pulled back just a few inches. "Depends. What's the right thing to do?"
She posed the question even though she was afraid to ask. It wasn't the question that scared her, though. It was the answer. Because deep down, she sensed it. She had sensed it since his grandmother talked to her. She and Lucas had too many things standing in their way for them to make this work.
"I should let you go," he said. "I should put a stop to this ... to us. Because until things change, everyone will be against us. And yet..." His head dipped down ever so slightly and his lips met hers.
So much emotion came with that brief kiss. And while she didn't think she had any room in her heart for more emotion, she felt it move inside her. His pain was her own. His fear was hers. She closed her eyes, fought the ache radiating in her heart, and just savored his touch.
He pulled back and ran his thumb over her lips. "And yet, how can I let you go when you're the thing that keeps me going? When the main part of the reason I want change is you?"
His finger swept over her chin, a sweet touch that nearly brought tears to her eyes. "I'm begging you. Please be patient with me. Trust me when I say that you have a place here." He took her hand and rested it on his chest. "I have to behave a certain way or it will get back to my father and the Council, but it's not how I feel." He paused a moment. "Please don't give up on me, Kylie Galen."
She could feel his heart beating. She could feel it breaking, too, right alongside her own. "I don't give up easily." It was the truth. If she was a quitter, she wouldn't still be at Shadow Falls.
He wrapped his arms around her, leaned against the tree, and pulled her flush against him. They stood like that for the longest time. Not talking. Not making promises. And Kylie couldn't help but wonder if it was because they both instinctively knew those promises wouldn't hold.
He finally pulled away. "I should go help Clara get situated."
Kylie loosened her hold around his waist. But she didn't want to. She didn't want to give him back to Clara or to Fredericka or to his father. As selfish as it was, she wanted him all to herself. Or maybe it wasn't that she didn't want to share him. Maybe she just didn't want to share him with people who were trying to keep them apart.
"Do you want to come with me?" he asked.
Clara would love that, Kylie thought. Not. "I'll let you two have some time alone."