Miranda’s bottom lip came out a bit. “I can’t.”

Della frowned. “Fine, then I won’t tell you guys what’s going on with me. And it’s huge.”

“That’s not fair,” Miranda said.

“Yeah, it sucks having friends who expect you to spill your guts, but that’s what we do. So, get your guts prepared to fall out. Later.” She shot out of Miranda’s bedroom, and out of the cabin, hurrying to meet Burnett—hoping that burying Chan would at least bring some closure to this issue and free her up to work on the others.

Natasha and Liam were first on the issue list.

Then the whole Steve and Chase issue. Or maybe trying again to find her uncle. With all the issues Della had, she had choices.

*   *   *

The ghostlike clouds had passed, and the half moon, accompanied by the stars, spit out just enough light to turn the sky a dark navy. Burnett, dressed in black, waited by the front gate of Shadow Falls. His gaze fell over her as if trying to read her mood. Or maybe her ability not to emotionally crumble. Little did he know, that wall had come down months ago.

At times, she wasn’t sure what she’d used to put herself back together, but she had a feeling it had everything to do with Shadow Falls. The people here. The friendships. Not necessarily the hugs—though she loved Miranda for it, she could do without those. But just knowing others cared had her pulling herself back together after each of life’s disappointments.

She cared about them all. Even the stoic camp leader.

Face it, completely cratering meant letting people down. If her Asian father had instilled anything in her, it was loyalty. Which probably explained why even when her father seemed to have given up on her, she hadn’t given up on him.

“Ready?” Burnett asked.

She nodded.

He started to run, his boots crashing against the dirt three or four times before he went straight into flight. Della didn’t know if she could do that, but almost sensing it was a challenge, she gave it a shot. Her own boots hit the ground seven times before she sensed the strength. Forcing every muscle she had into action, she felt herself being lifted into the air. A sense of accomplishment whispered over her, and for one second, it dulled the pain of what she was about to face.

Burnett glanced back at her. The look in his eyes almost reminded her of the way her father looked at her when she’d made a good move at chess.

Warmth filled Della’s chest as she sent Burnett a slight nod.

Yup, Della thought. The thing that kept her together had everything to do with the people she’d found at Shadow Falls. If she crumbled, they’d take it personally. And she wasn’t about to let them take the blame for what was happening to her.

It took them twenty minutes, flying at speeds Della could only guess, before she spotted the graveyard. As soon as their destination came into view, Burnett slowed down to what might have been considered normal vampire speed.

As they circled the property, he started downward in the midst of some trees.

Della’s feet weren’t steady on the ground when she caught the scent.

She shot around and looked at Burnett. He had his nose up, too. Apparently he’d gotten the same scent.

“Someone you know?” she asked, hoping the agents bringing Chan’s body were weres.

Burnett’s eyes, already a bright green, told her the answer first.

Della didn’t have time to think before three figures came bolting out of the trees, charging right at them.

Chapter Eight

“Stop!” Burnett’s order rang out.

Damn it! Did he mean that for her, too? Prepared to fight, Della had to cut her nails into her palms to heed his order. Halting at Burnett’s side, every muscle in her body screamed danger.

Drawing in a sharp breath of air that even tasted like menace, she stared at the foreheads of the three potential attackers to read their patterns. All supernaturals had patterns that identified their species, and these ones confirmed what her nose had picked up.

Weres.

She also noted the uniforms—security. What a joke.

“We don’t mean any harm,” Burnett announced. He pulled his dark shirt back to show his FRU badge hooked onto his belt.

Della had to give the man credit for going by the book. Not that she knew all the FRU rules, but she planned on learning them soon.

Her focus returned to Burnett, standing tall, his badge still on display. It came off so official-like, awe and admiration swept through her. Someday, she wanted one of those badges.

“We carry our own badges, too, you dirty vamp!” the were with shaggy red hair said. He pushed his chest out, which had a badge with some Celtic-looking cross in green and blue that was pinned to his dirty cotton shirt.

“I’ll bet mine carries more weight,” Burnett seethed, his eyes now gold in color.

The were’s eyes grew a bright orange, but this time, he took a second to actually look at Burnett’s badge.

The were in the middle, slightly bigger than the other two, spoke up next. “I’ve heard a lot of fake FRU badges have found their way into gangs.”

“This one isn’t fake,” Burnett added, his tone getting deeper and more dangerous.

Della felt her gut tighten, prepared to face any threat they chose to throw at them. But they weren’t really that big of a threat. There were only three of them. She and Burnett could take them with their hands tied behind their backs. Hell, with her new powers, she could probably take all three herself.