When she pulled them off, they were bloody. And that looked extra freaky.
A chill ran up her spine.
All of a sudden, Kylie slammed on the brakes. The car swerved, then came to a jolting stop.
“What?” Della said, looking up, not seeing a car or any other reason for her to brake.
“The ghost.” Kylie sounded panicked.
“You saw it?” Della held her breath.
“I … ran over it.” Kylie bit down on her lip. “I don’t like running over things, even ghosts.”
They all turned in their seats and looked back. Nothing was in the road. Of course nothing was in the road. A blue car pulled up behind them.
“But you saw it?” Della turned back to Kylie.
“I didn’t get a good look, it appeared right before … I ran over it.” Kylie started driving, but her hands shook on the wheel.
The chameleon took a deep breath, then glanced at Della. “I don’t know if it was male or female, but … I saw black.”
“Black?”
“Black hair. Really black. And shiny.”
“Like they might be Asian?”
Kylie nodded. “I’m sorry, Della, but it has to be either your aunt or your uncle.”
Della stared out the window, watching the businesses pass in a blur, her emotions as distorted. Was it stupid to feel grief for someone she didn’t know?
“How do we get the ghost to talk to us?”
“You don’t,” Kylie said. “They talk when they’re ready. You can talk to them when you feel them, or in your case, when feathers show up, but this one isn’t hanging around long enough to let you talk.”
“So I can’t do shit to find out what the hell it wants or who it is?”
“Pretty much,” Kylie said. “Sorry.”
Chapter Twenty-one
That night, Della lay in Kylie’s bed sandwiched between Miranda and Kylie.
Earlier, they’d stopped by a mall and walked in and out, so Kylie could tell her mom they’d gone. When they got home, Kylie’s mom took them out to eat. Della ordered French onion soup, her favorite human food. While they ate, Ms. Galen peppered Miranda and Della with questions about their parents. The woman’s intent wasn’t to be hurtful, but talking about her mom and dad and her sister made it hard to even swallow the soup past the lump in her throat.
“I’m surprised your mom hasn’t called to check in,” she’d told Della. “I mean, since I spoke with her that once.”
Della wasn’t surprised.
When they’d gotten home, Ms. Galen retired to her room. “Sorry about the interrogation,” Kylie had said.
“All parents do that,” Miranda said.
“It’s nothing,” Della lied, and then they grabbed sodas and went to Kylie’s room and watched an old movie, How to Lose a Guy in Ten Days. A movie with some advice Della should probably pay attention to. Then again, she didn’t want to lose Steve, did she?
They cut off the light a little after eleven, but none of them could sleep. No doubt the day they’d had left them all with lots to think about.
Della especially.
Ignoring the still present headache, she stared at the ceiling fan. Della’s mind spun with questions. The biggest question being how the hell was she going to find Chan? She wanted to know if he knew anything about their uncle and aunt. She wanted to know if he was okay. She’d even tried to call his friend, Kevin Miller, again. He hadn’t answered, so she’d left a message. Told him she was in Houston and asked if he’d found out anything about where the Crimson Blood hangout was. He hadn’t called back.
Della’s gaze shifted to the window. She could go out tonight and do her own search for the Crimson Blood gang. It wasn’t that hard to sniff out another vampire. Surely, a stray vamp would know something about the gang. But then she’d really be breaking the promise to Holiday to not take any risks. It was one thing to go try to talk to some old geezer vamp … another to go in search of a gang—one she didn’t know much about.
Was she desperate enough to break that promise to Holiday? To chance thoroughly pissing off Burnett and having him reconsider her working on the case? She really wanted to work on that case. Her mind conjured up the image of Lorraine again, lying in her casket—so cold, so dead. The thought gave Della a chill. She pulled the cover up a bit to fight the cold and tried to think about something pleasant.
Unfortunately her thoughts turned back to Chan and how he’d helped her through the turn. And she hadn’t even taken his damn call. Maybe pissing off Holiday and Burnett would be worth the chance to help her cousin. But alone this time. She didn’t want to drag Kylie and Miranda into this.
Closing her eyes, she heard her two friends’ heartbeats. They weren’t asleep yet. She’d have to wait to sneak out.
Miranda shifted on the mattress. She let out a big sigh and sat up. “Can I ask you guys something?”
Della blinked when she turned the lamp on. “If we said no would it stop you?”
Kylie elbowed her.
“I wasn’t serious,” Della said.
“Ask away,” Kylie said.
The witch pulled her knees to her chest. “What’s it like?”
“What’s what like?” Della asked, but she was afraid she knew.
“You know, sex.”
Yup, that’s what Della was afraid she meant. “Not the sex talk, please?” Della dropped her arm over her eyes. And that earned her another poke in the ribs by Kylie.
Kylie sat up. “I have a whole drawer of pamphlets if you’d like to read them.”
“I don’t want to read about it. I want you to tell me about it.”
Della sat up. “Okay, here’s the basics. You get na**d and tab A goes into slot B.”
Kylie chuckled and Miranda grunted. “I’m serious. It’s going to happen soon and I just want to be prepared.”
“What do you want to know?” Kylie asked.
“Is it true it hurts at first?”
“It did the first time,” Kylie said.
Miranda looked at Della as if needing both of their input. Della nodded.
“Was it worth it?” Miranda asked.
“Yeah,” Kylie said. “It’s amazing. When we’re together, it’s exciting and romantic and I feel so close to him.” She sighed. “I’ll admit it, it was embarrassing at first. And sometimes it still is.” She grinned. “I still blush when he sees me na**d, but it feels right. I really think it’s the purest form of sharing your love. But I was sure that he was the right guy before it happened.”
Was it worth it? The question rolled around Della’s brain, and she knew Miranda was going to expect Della to answer it. It was a question she’d asked herself recently. A question she had yet to answer.
Miranda looked at Della.
Emotion swelled in her chest. She’d given her all to her ex-boyfriend Lee and he’d given up on her. In less than three months, he was engaged to someone else. How could giving her heart and body to him have been worth it?
“No, it wasn’t worth it,” Della said. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying don’t sleep with Perry. I just think you need to be really sure that the guy you are giving this part of yourself to is the right guy.”
“I think Perry is right,” Miranda said. “I love him.”
“I thought Lee was right, too,” Della said. “And I’m not saying that the right guy has to be the only one, or the guy you marry. But it shouldn’t be someone who could just walk away so easily. It makes me feel like I wasn’t nearly as special to him as he was to me. I still feel cheated and angry. I wish I could take it back.” Emotion sounded in her voice and she swallowed hard.
Kylie touched Della’s arm and the warm comfort stemming from her touch told her that the chameleon had turned to fae.
“Holiday sort of said the same thing,” Kylie added. “She said she’d slept with several guys, and a couple of those memories were like tattoos that she can’t get removed. So I think Della’s advice is good. Just make sure that no matter what happens, Perry is special enough to you that you won’t regret it. Even if the worst thing happens and you don’t stay together.”
“How do you know you won’t regret it?” Miranda asked.
“I … I just felt it,” Kylie said. “I knew Lucas was the one. But … if you are questioning it, I would say you aren’t sure.”
“That’s not what I wanted to hear.” Miranda dropped back on the bed.
“I’m sorry,” Della said. “I probably should have kept my mouth shut.”
“No, you’re being honest,” Miranda said.
Della sighed. “Sometimes the truth sucks.” And she wasn’t just thinking about Lee, but about the ghost being her uncle or her aunt. And about not having a clue how to find Chan.
“Yeah,” Kylie said. “That’s why we have each other.”
The slight buzzing noise sent Della on full alert. She hadn’t slept yet, going back and forth over the pros and cons of going out looking for a gang.
Carefully, she slipped out of bed, snatched the phone, and headed to the bathroom. As she closed the door, she saw it was two a.m.
She checked the number. Her first choice was for it to be Chan. Her second was … Kevin Miller. Kevin it was.
“Hello,” she answered, hopeful.
“Della?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s Kevin.”
“I know, did you find Chan?”
“Where are you?”
“I told you in the message, I’m in Houston.” No way would she tell him Kylie’s address. Della would bet one vampire under Ms. Galen’s roof at a time was all the woman could handle.
“Houston’s big. What part?”
“Why?”
“I’m here myself. And I … sort of have news.”
“What?”
“I think we should meet.”
“Why?”
“Do you want the info or not?” he snapped.
Decision time. Shit. Shit. Shit. She remembered Chan taking care of her when she turned, wiping her brow with a wet washcloth, telling her she couldn’t die. She had to do it.
“Where do you want to meet?”
Della landed in the park in northwest Houston where Kevin had suggested. It was only about ten miles from Kylie’s home, but she was already late. Miranda had stirred when she went in to change clothes, so she’d waited a few minutes to let the witch fall back into slumber.
It was dark in the park. Lots of pine trees hid the sliver of the moon. She inhaled deeply, seeing if he was here. She didn’t catch a scent. Looking around, she reconfirmed her goal: Get information about Chan and get the hell out. Hopefully, without Kylie or Miranda even knowing she’d left—especially without Holiday or Burnett learning about her little trip.
She pulled out her phone and checked the time. Had he already shown up and left? She listened to the night. Silence. Too silent.
She was giving him five minutes to show and then she was out of here.
“It took you a while.” The voice came from behind her and echoed in the night’s darkness.
Her breath caught. Damn it! Her senses were off again. She’d considered circling the park to see if she could see anyone. But because she’d been late, she’d ended up trusting her senses. A mistake.
What was it going to cost her?
Wiping all shock from her expression, she turned, the heels of her boots cutting grooves into the wet dirt beneath a layer of pine straw. She stared in the direction she’d heard the voice. She saw nothing but a clump of pine trees standing tall, looming over the earth as if keeping watch.
From now on she had to be extra careful. She could have walked right into an ambush. Or maybe she did. With at least eight pines in the brush, and more surrounding her, rogues could be hiding. She took in another breath, checking the night air for scents.
Just one. Or so her senses told her. But could she trust them?
Hell, no. She tensed, ready to fight if needed.
A sudden snap of a twig filled the darkness. A cloud must have shifted, because the moon’s glow came out to play and touched the straw-covered ground.
Another, almost silent footfall came from the same direction.
Thankfully, only one guy walked out from behind a tree. And with the moon’s glow she made him out. Blond, light eyes. He reminded her of Chris at Shadow Falls. On the small side. Probably only five-eight, and sort of slim. She could take him if she had to.
Just as she checked him out, she noticed him doing the same. Chances were, however, he underestimated her. She was stronger than she looked.
“You don’t remember me, do you?” he asked.
Della took another deep noseful of air, and this time she recognized his scent. “Vaguely. It must have been right after I was turned.”
He continued to stare. “Chan brought you by. You were still pretty out of it.” His gaze shifted down her, this time checking her out in a different way. A male kind of way.
Had she acted inappropriately when she’d first met him? God, she hoped not.
He took a couple of steps closer.
She lifted her chin a notch. “I’m not out of it anymore.”
“You can relax, I’m not here to cause trouble.”
“Right,” she said, as if she’d take his word. “You’re here to give me information on Chan. Where is he?”
He glanced down at the ground and kicked at some clump of pine straw. The green earthy smell rose up into her nose. In the distance she heard a bird call. The lonely sound seemed to bounce against the trees, and Della felt the cold October air seep beneath her long black T-shirt.