Yes, with Derek she felt safe, but it didn't stop her from looking at the trees and praying the wind didn't stop blowing, that the night didn't go silent again.
Chapter Three
"What happened?" Miranda cornered her in the dining hall twenty minutes later.
As soon as Derek had told Holiday about the rogue vampire on the prowl, she called everyone and told them to gather here.
Deep down, Kylie still trembled. Be it from fear, or perhaps Della's icy mood, Kylie couldn't say for sure. Della's cold shoulder could be felt from clear across the room.
"Come on, spill it," Miranda said. "And then I've got something to tell you."
Kylie looked at Della again. "How mad is she at me?"
Miranda glanced across the room. "On a scale of one to ten, ten being totally vampire pissed off, I'd say she's about a fifteen ... and climbing."
"Great," Kylie muttered.
Miranda shrugged. "She'll get over it. You know how she is. Now tell me what happened."
Kylie shook her head. "I ran off and..."
"But why did you run off? Why did you ... drink the blood like it was a cold beer on a hot Friday night?"
Kylie looked down at her shoes. She didn't want to talk about this, not now. "I don't know."
"You liked how it tasted, didn't you?" Miranda sounded offended. The most Kylie could do was nod.
"Okay, then what happened?" A frown marred Miranda's expression. Kylie swallowed the tightness down her throat.
"Come on, give it up," Miranda snapped.
"I ran and then I felt someone there-a vampire someone. And then I heard Derek. I think he scared off whoever was there. I took off running and found Derek and then we just..."
"You what?" Miranda asked, hanging on to her every word. Started making out. "Nothing. Burnett showed up."
A whisk of air blasted them as Della came to a sudden stop beside Kylie. "And you told him you thought it was Chan, didn't you?" Della obviously had been listening the whole time.
Kylie looked at Della. "No. I didn't."
"Who's Chan?" Miranda asked.
"Nobody," Della snapped at Miranda. "Mind your own business."
Obviously, Della didn't want anyone to know her vampire and scoundrel cousin had broken one of the biggest Shadow Falls rules: no visitors without permission passes. That especially went for those who were against the FRU's attempts to govern the supernaturals.
Miranda, unhappy, glared right back at Della.
"Was it Chan?" Kylie asked, not caring if Miranda overheard. Kylie understood Della's loyalty to Chan. He'd been the one who'd helped Della get through the painful change. However, it made sense that if Chan had broken the rule once, he very well might break it again.
"I told you he wouldn't come back," Della snapped.
"But how can you be so sure?" Suddenly Kylie remembered how frightened she'd been in the woods when she'd met Della's smug cousin.
She folded her arms over her middle and took on a defensive posture.
Just because Della believed Chan wasn't a threat, didn't mean crap. He could be a part of the Blood Brothers gang as far as Kylie knew.
"Because I trust him, unlike other people. I thought you and Miranda were friends. All I asked was that you respect the fact that tonight was important to me. That-"
Kylie's frustration level peaked. "Damn it, Della. Why does everything always have to be about you?" The words hadn't fully left Kylie's mouth when she spotted the look in Della's eyes. The same look her friend got every time her parents came to visit. The look that told Kylie that Della felt like an outcast.
Kylie dropped her attitude. "I didn't mean to show disrespect. I just freaked out, okay?"
"Why?" Della's anger sounded in her voice, but it was hurt that colored her eyes.
"Why what?" Kylie asked, but deep down she knew what Della was asking her. She just needed a few seconds to figure out how to word it so it wouldn't sound so bad.
Della moved an inch closer. "You freaked out because you don't want to be a vampire, right? You think I'm a monster, don't you? You're scared to death that you might become like me. That's why you freaked out, wasn't it?"
Kylie opened her mouth to answer but no words came out. Probably because she couldn't lie to Della. The vampire would know the truth. Della turned to leave. Kylie reached out to stop her, but Della was gone.
"Where did she go?" Kylie searched the dining room twice and still couldn't find her. The room was filled with excited campers milling around.
"Just let her go cool off," Miranda said.
"I can't." Kylie knew how much this hurt Della.
Finally Kylie spotted Della's midnight-colored straight hair behind a group of shape-shifters. Kylie started walking over.
Miranda followed her. "Seriously, why don't you just give her some time?"
"Go away," Della growled before Kylie came to a complete stop. "No." Kylie stood her ground.
Della's eyes glowed gold with anger. Then her top lip raised just enough to show her extended canines. There was a time when seeing Della like that would have scared the bejeebies out of Kylie, but not anymore.
She wasn't afraid of Della.
"I don't think you're a monster," Kylie said. "But that doesn't mean I wasn't scared."
"Liar," Della growled.
"I'm not lying. Check my heartbeat if you want," Kylie said. "Listen to my heart, see if I'm lying."
Della turned to walk away, and Kylie caught her elbow this time. "Don't you dare walk away," Kylie insisted.
"Let me go," Della rumbled in a low voice. When Kylie didn't let go, the vampire swung around, her eyes brighter, her teeth fully exposed. Kylie heard a few murmurs in the crowd. The argument had obviously drawn attention. Della heard it, too, because she looked around and hissed. The few people standing close by scattered like scared mice. Kylie still wasn't afraid.
"Uh, we should leave, too." Miranda bumped Kylie with her elbow. "She's really pissed off now."
Kylie didn't look at Miranda. She continued to stare at Della, letting her know that she wasn't afraid. "I'm not leaving until she hears me out."
"I don't have to hear you out. I know what you think." Della's angry glare, filled with so much hurt, slapped against Kylie.
"That's unfair." Kylie glared right back at the pissed-off vampire. "What's unfair is that I thought you were my friend." The hurt in Della's eyes shined brighter through the golden hue.
"I am your friend. I gave you my blood," Kylie said.