Soon. Soon we will be together.

She couldn't help but wonder if, when she was dead, would she still ache for Lucas?

* * *

The next morning, Kylie, running on only an hour of sleep, stood with the crowd waiting for Chris to do his dog and pony show and get Campmate hour under way. Perry, her official morning shadow, stood beside her, with Miranda leaning against him. Della had a vampire meeting and was going to miss out.

Lucas wasn't here. But she'd gotten a text from him that read: I think I found a window. Hope gave her energy. Energy to reminisce over how good Lucas had looked in the bed last night and how tempted she'd been to curl up with him and let things just happen. Pushing the sexy were from her mind, she searched for something else to think about-like figuring out how to proceed with Lucinda, who was standing in the crowd as if she belonged but wasn't speaking to Kylie. Was Kylie's fighting Mario honestly what the spirit needed Kylie to do to pass over? Pass over to hell?

It was one thing to encourage the souls destined for the pearly gates to leave their lonely existence on earth and move on. But how could she encourage someone to head off to hell?

Kylie shivered at the thought.

"You're quiet," Miranda said. "Everything okay?"

Kylie nodded and spotted Derek moving into the crowd. Her thoughts shot to Jenny and how she was going to deal with that. Her gut told her the right thing to do was to confront Hayden.

She knew Jenny was frightened he would insist she return home, but Kylie wasn't so sure Hayden would do that.The chatter in the circle of students quieted. Kylie looked up. Chris moved into the front of the crowd, drawing Kylie's attention from her own woes. "Today we have..." He looked down into his hat and then glanced up. Up right at Kylie.

Oh, hell, Kylie thought, who was it this time?

"Kylie Galen." Chris smiled. "The girl who happens to be the person who has brought us more blood than any camper in the past." He hesitated. "You, my friend, get the pleasure of..." He paused for dramatic effect. "Of Steve's company."

Kylie saw Steve, the shape-shifter with the cute ass, the one who'd given Della a hickey, start strolling over. Not for one minute did Kylie assume Steve had an interest in her. She knew he was merely looking for some romantic advice.

Advice Kylie didn't have. What the hell could she tell him? Her normal reply to someone trying to gain someone's attention was to be patient. But Della was the most adamant and stubborn person Kylie knew and it would take the patience of a saint to wear the vampire down.

* * *

"Be patient? That's all you've got for me?" Steve complained ten minutes later.

Kylie glanced up at Perry, circling them as they sat behind the office, and then frowned at Steve. "I don't know why everyone thinks I'm the love guru."

"Come on, give me something that would help me. You know her better than anyone."

Kylie dropped down beside the tree. "What can I tell you? Della's difficult." So difficult that if Della found out that Kylie had offered Steve advice, the vamp would revoke Kylie's best friend card.

"You think I don't know that?"

Kylie looked up into his desperate eyes. "She was hurt really badly by someone."

"I know that, too." He crossed his arms over his wide chest. "She deserves so much better than him."

"Oh, hell," Kylie said, and decided to throw caution to the wind. "Okay, here's all I can tell you. Della loves a good fight."

"I don't want to fight," Steve said. "What I want is..." He blushed as if thinking about what he really wanted.

But damn it, Kylie liked Steve.

"Look, I don't mean to fight with her. Fight for her. When she tells you that you can't sit with her at lunch, sit down anyway. When she tells you to leave, don't. She's gonna get pissy. That's Della, but I think it'll win you brownie points."

The shape-shifter paused as if contemplating. "Damn. You're right. When we were on the mission, she tried to push me away, but I didn't let her. I couldn't because Burnett warned me if anything happened to her, he'd have my head on a platter. And that's when we ... Hey! I know what I have to do."

"What?" Kylie asked, afraid of what she'd set in motion.

"Just wait and see." A smile spread his lips. Sparkles started popping off around him. He changed into a bird, not one as big or magnificent as the one who guarded her from above, but still impressive.

Flapping his wings twice, he flew off, squawking at Perry as he did.

Perry came in for a quick landing. "You are good at this," he said, still in bird form. "She'll be putty in his hands. Of course, she'll have already ripped your heart out for betraying her.""Don't talk to me when you're not a human!" She dropped her forehead on her knees.

Crap! Perry was right. Della was going to kill her. But since destiny may already have Kylie earmarked to die, she wasn't sure it really mattered.

Chapter Thirty-six

"You waiting for a call?" Kylie asked Hayden Yates when she walked into his classroom ten minutes later and he was holding his cell.

"Hoping." He frowned and looked around as if making sure they were alone. "It's Jenny. She's left home. God only knows where she is."

Kylie bit down on her lip. "If you found her, what would you do?"

"What do you mean?" Suspicion made his eyes tighten.