They continued forward. The wind stirred the trees.

"Can you tell me more?" he asked.

"About ghosts?"

"No. About the fog. I'd like to forget about the ghosts."

Kylie remembered how she'd felt when she first learned she could detect the dead. She could relate to his feelings. Sometimes she'd still like to forget about her ability.

"Did you sense it was Mario?"

"No." Kylie went over the details, careful not to leave anything out except the ending. No doubt he would question Clara later. But Kylie was almost certain Clara hadn't seen anything that would give the secret away.

"It has to be Mario and his buddies again." Burnett's fist clenched as he walked.

Kylie hesitated to say anything, knowing if she slipped up and lied, he would know. But neither did she want Burnett to worry too much. "Remember I said it didn't feel evil."

"It has to be them." He looked at her directly, a stern, fixed stare. "You do not go into the woods, with or without a shadow. You understand?"

She nodded. She understood, but she didn't say she would comply.

"It has to be some witch or wizard behind this." His brows pinched. "You don't think that you accidentally caused the fog, do you?"

"No," Kylie insisted.

"You sure? With the other incident-"

"It was different." Her cheeks warmed, remembering the incident.

Their pace slowed. The trees and underbrush seemed to soak up the sound of their footsteps. Kylie's mind returned to Clara, and from Clara, it moved to the girl's brother.

"Can I ask you something?" Kylie asked.

"If I said no, would it stop you?"

"Probably not." She debated on how to word her question.

"If it's about anything concerning Holiday and me, I've been ordered to plead the fifth."

She grinned. "Don't worry, the inside-out shirt the other day pretty much told me what I wanted to know about you and her."

The stern-looking vamp half smiled again. His smile faded. "It's not about ghosts, either, is it?"

"No. It's ... When a Council calls someone in for a meeting, is it bad news?"

"You're talking about Lucas?" he asked.

She nodded.

He moved a limb out of his way, holding it back so it wouldn't hit Kylie. "It can be, but not always."

"Do you know what it is they want with Lucas?" She pushed another limb away.

"No, I don't." His words rang completely honest.

"Are you concerned?" Kylie asked.

He hesitated. "Yes."

"Why?"

"I respect Lucas's need to become a part of the Council so he can help bridge the problems between the weres and the FRU, but I don't want the Council to have too big of an influence over him."

"You don't trust Lucas?" Kylie asked.

"If I didn't trust him, he wouldn't be here. My problems stem from the fact that the were council and the FRU have issues. In general, the were community is less compliant to work within the FRU's rules. It goes back to the pack mentality."

"But couldn't that be because the FRU considered werewolves lower-class citizens?"

"That has changed," he said. "But I'm sure that plays a big part in their behavior, and I can assure you that the FRU treats all were situations with that in mind. However, prejudices stem from both sides. One of the reasons they were viewed as outcast was because they viewed others as the same."

"So it's a 'which came first, the chicken or the egg' kind of thing," Kylie said.

"I guess it doesn't matter," he said.

When they arrived at the clearing, Burnett looked at her. "I'll walk you back to your cabin. If Della or Miranda isn't there, I'll get someone else to shadow you for the time being. Holiday and I will be there shortly to go to the falls. But until I investigate this whole fog thing, you're not to leave that cabin without me knowing where you are and who you are with."

She flinched slightly at his tone and new demands. Surely he was exaggerating. "Do you mind if I go back to the office with you?" Kylie asked. "I'd sort of like to check on Clara."

He hesitated, but nodded, and they started down the path to the office. Kylie gave the woods one last glance and felt nothing. Had they already left?

Her gut instinct said they had. Question was, would they come back? And if so, could she find a way to go to them?

* * *

Before Kylie stepped up on the porch, she heard Lucas talking. "You can't keep doing this!" His voice carried.

Kylie wasn't sure if it was her sensitive hearing or if he was talking that loudly. Considering how private werewolves were, she suspected the former.

"What did I do?" Clara asked. "I told them I was coming here and I did."

"Where else did you go? Did you go see Jacob?" Lucas's tone came out tight.

"Of all people, I would assume you could understand my need to see who I wanted to see."

"As strange as it is, I think Dad's right about him."

"Really, are you going to let him choose your lifemate? Wasn't that what you two were arguing about when you were back there? Your affection for Kylie?"

Kylie's breath caught. Lucas had argued with his dad about her?

"We're talking about you," Lucas snapped.