Kylie considered going to Holiday right then, but she knew Holiday would worry someone might get hurt and would say no. She tilted her chin back in defiance. "Then we don't ask him to let us in. We sneak in."
"Sneak by a vampire? That's like trying to fool Superman."
"Yeah, but I happen to know what his kryptonite is."
"He has a kryptonite?" Derek asked.
"Yup. And her name is Holiday."
* * *
Kylie admitted this might be a long shot, but when it was your only shot, you made the most of it. And that's what she and Derek had done. They had to acquire a little help to pul it off, but she was dang proud of her plan.
Kylie and Derek waited a few hundred yards away from the wildlife park gates, hidden behind some trees. According to Del a, that distance would be far enough that Burnett couldn't smel them. Kylie clutched the maps of the park she'd printed off the Internet from the computer in Holiday's office.
Once Burnett was out of the way, getting into the camp was going to be a piece of cake. Wel , it was when you had a certain eye-color-changing shape-shifter helping you out. And to make sure they didn't run into any unexpected surprises, Del a would make a sweep of the park, and then stand as lookout.
Their biggest concern was if Derek's ability would al ow him to learn anything from the animals. He was skeptical. Kylie wanted to believe in miracles.
Her phone rang. "Done," Miranda said.
Which meant Miranda had managed to get Holiday's cel phone and send Burnett the 911 message, a ruse Kylie knew he would not be able to resist. Helen, gracious enough to help, was right now having a meltdown by the creek that required Holiday's help. The longer Burnett searched for Holiday, the more time Derek would have with the animals.
However, first they needed Burnett to leave. And he did a few minutes later, when he slammed the door to the office and disappeared into the night.
"Looks like he's in a hurry," Derek whispered.
"I think he real y cares about Holiday." Kylie's heart pinched with guilt for scaring Burnett. To make up for it, if things calmed down, Kylie might help get the two of them together.
"Ready?" Derek asked.
She nodded. They ran toward the park, knowing the clock was ticking.
Perry had the gate open for them when they arrived. "See ya." Because his presence might upset the animals, he took off, sparkles fal ing around him as he transformed into an eagle and disappeared into the dark sky.
"It stil freaks me out to see that," Del a said, stopping at Kylie's shoulder.
"What did you find?" Kylie asked, knowing their time was short.
"One guard, human-sleeping on the job-in the back office." Del a paused. "Are you sure you don't want me to come, too?"
Kylie shook her head. "I think the less people involved, the more likely the animals wil communicate with Derek. Go back to the camp and let us know when Burnett heads back. Hopeful y in time for us to get out."
Having already studied the maps, Kylie and Derek took off to the section cal ed the "lion's den" first. Lion's den? That so didn't have a good ring to it.
While there were some stars out, the moon, as if stingy with its light, only peered out from behind a cloud every now and then. Even the animal sounds seemed more ominous than usual, or maybe Kylie's perception was warped because she knew they were trespassing-basical y breaking the law. Either way, she found herself moving closer to Derek.
"The lions are right around the bend here," he said.
She wasn't sure if it was cat urine or something else, but the stench hit her nose. "I can smel them." The odor took her back to being trapped in the room with the beast. Her emotions started jamming to the tune of panic.
"Relax," Derek said.
The fact that he could read her emotions stil unnerved her. "I'm trying."
"There's something I need to know," he said at the same time as a lion's roar rang out.
"What?"
"What are you going to do if we learn that Lucas is behind this?"
"I'l do the same thing I'l do if we discover someone else is behind it. Tel Holiday." She paused. "But that's not what we're going to find."
"You seem real y sure he's innocent."
She could feel Derek studying her. "And you seem real y sure he's guilty."
"That's because the evidence says he is."
"It's al circumstantial."
"For someone who was scared shitless of the guy, you sure have changed your tune."
Kylie realized where this conversation could lead and she wanted to cal it over. "I just want to find out who's doing this and pray it stops them from closing down the camp."
"Me, too," he said.
Feeling a blast of icy wind brush against her, she wrapped her arms around herself.
Derek studied her. "Is the ghost here?"
"Maybe." She looked around and didn't see him. "He's only come back a few times since the lion incident and he never stays but a few seconds."
"Maybe he'l help us out the way he did then."
"Maybe, but I'm hoping we don't need any help," she said, and the coldness left as quickly as it had appeared. They stopped at the fence. "This is it." Derek peered through the chain-link fence.
"Are they here?" She couldn't see them.
"Yeah. Behind the tree and beside the pond over there."
"Do they know we're here?" Kylie asked.
"Hel , yeah."
She took a smal step back from the fence. "How are you going to do this?"
He chuckled. "I was waiting for you to tel me."
"You're serious?" she asked.
"Partly," he said, sounding a tad insecure.
"Okay." She bit down on her lip. "Can you read them?"
"Right now, al I'm getting is that they see us as a threat."
"Why?" Kylie asked at the same time as another wild animal noise-maybe an elephant?-fil ed the night. "Surely that's not al they're feeling."
"They're males." He snickered. "We don't elaborate on feelings."
"Real cute," she muttered.
"I thought so." He grinned.
"This is serious." She nudged him with her elbow.
"I know." His smiled faded. "I told you I didn't know if this would work."
"Just concentrate," Kylie said. "Ask them what they're afraid of in your mind."
He leaned his head on the fence and closed his eyes. She watched him. Time crept by, one minute, two. She had to bite her lip to keep from asking him if it was working.