Then Chris, announcer of the grand event, pulled his hat from behind his back and his gaze started moving around the crowd and stopped on Kylie. She wanted to scream, enough was enough. But then his gaze shifted a little to her right.

Was he looking at her? Or was he looking at ...

"Okay," Chris said. "One of our own vampires brings in a little blood. About time."

Oh, hell, Kylie thought, and got a feeling she knew who'd paid blood for Della. And she wasn't sure this was a good thing.

"Della, our friend, you get the pleasure of spending an hour with Steve, the amazing shape-shifter."

Della's mouth dropped open. She looked around, eyes bright with fury for the culprit.

Steve strutted out of the crowd, and went to confront the pissed-off vamp with a confident gait.

Kylie knew she'd told him to fight for Della, but she hadn't meant for him to do it in front of everyone.

Della, not liking being shown up, was likely to fight back.

"You ready?" Steve asked.

Della scowled. "I'm not going to spend an hour with you."

Steve just stood there. "I paid good blood for you."

"Then you really screwed up."

"Nope." Steve looked back at Chris and then the forty or so other students enjoying the show. "What are the rules, Chris? Hasn't everyone pretty much agreed to honor the blood drive?"

Chris looked shocked that Steve dared to argue with Della. But he shook his head. "Yup, that's pretty much it."

Steve turned back to Della. "You ready?"

Della tilted her chin and glared daggers at the boy.

Perry leaned over and whispered to Kylie, "If she kills him, it's your fault."

Chapter Thirty-nine

Oh, hell, Kylie thought, and prepared herself to intervene.

"I'm not going!" Della snipped, and put her hands on her hips.

"We'll see about that." Steve shrugged and looked as if he was going to walk away, but then he swung around and grabbed Della by her lower legs and tossed her over his shoulder and started walking.

Everyone started hooting and hollering with laughter.

Kylie didn't laugh. She saw a very pissed-off vampire brace her hands on Steve's butt and look up.

Her eyes were green with fury, but there was something else there, too. Something that told Kylie that Steve's ass wasn't about to get chewed up.

With every fraction of a second that passed, Kylie felt more confident that Della wasn't going to go ape-shit on Steve, she was actually going to go with him.

Damn, Kylie thought. Maybe she really was good at the whole matchmaking thing.

* * *

"Can I vanish?" Jenny asked Kylie as they stood in the door of the lunch room with Holiday.

"I wouldn't recommend it," Kylie said. "Just smile. Believe it or not, you sort of get used to it."

The meeting with Jenny and Kylie's friends had gone off without a hitch. Everyone genuinely seemed to like her. Derek, of course, showed the most interest.

Lucas had come up behind her and said, "Another secret."

Kylie offered a quick "Sorry," and nothing else. She had the feeling keeping him at bay until he met with the Council was going to be tough. For both of them. But she was determined.

"Don't they know it's rude to stare?" Jenny asked.

"Yeah, but they just can't seem to help themselves," Kylie said.

Hayden stood up from his seat and moved to Jenny's side.

He wasn't smiling and she saw the big brother protective attitude in the way he looked at all the students. "Eat your lunch and stop gawking," he ordered.

Holiday spoke up next. "Mr. Yates is right. This is no way to welcome a new student."

Kylie and Jenny both looked at Holiday with questions in their eyes, and Holiday smiled and nodded.

Then she turned back to the crowd. "Everyone, I'd like for you to meet Jenny Yates. She's Hayden's little sister. So mistreat her and you might be getting extra homework assignments."

"Is she the same as Kylie?" someone asked.

Hayden took a step forward. "And the same as me."

Everyone's eyes tightened and gasps filled the dining hall. Kylie went to sit with Hayden and Jenny at what she realized was the chameleon table. A feeling of rightness filled Kylie's chest. This was part ofher quest and she'd accomplished it.

Of course, all Kylie's friends quickly joined them. Lucas included. And that was just fine-because while it was nice to have someone like you around, a person's pattern shouldn't dictate who you welcomed into your life, or at your lunch table.

* * *

Later that evening, they went down to the lake to swim because with fall upon them, the water would be too cold soon. Kylie had almost declined but when she saw Della wanted to go, she gave in. She put on her bathing suit and slipped a black coverall dress over it. As everyone swam, Kylie moved to sit on the pier and call her mom.

She hadn't shaken the feeling that John was up to no good. The conversation was short. Her mom and John were out to eat at one of the nicest restaurants in Houston.

Hanging up, Kylie stood there and tried to soak up the sunset. Just when the sun slipped away, nightfall came and turned the sky an array of colors. The birds flew from one tree to another, feasting on insects.

Kylie was about to rejoin the others by the water's edge when the spirit's cold washed down on her.

Kylie looked around and the spirit sat on the edge of the pier as if in a stupor, looking lost, looking so damn sad.