Eternal (27 page)

“What did she say?” he asked.

“What did who say?” she countered, her mind racing, her face still warm.

“The ghost?” he asked.

Good, she needed a change of subject. “That's the problem, she didn't say anything. Just made it snow.”

“Snow?”

“Yes and in my bedroom!”

He paused. “Do you know who she is?”

“I'm not completely sure,” she answered.

“Who do you think she is?” he asked.

Maybe this subject wasn't any better than the last. “What time is it?” she asked, hoping to derail the conversation.

“Eight thirty.”

“If I hurry, I can still make my first class. I should go.”

“So you don't want to know what I found out about our guy Damian Bond?”

Oh, hell, she was slipping. Of course she wanted to know. “What did you find?” She sat up.

 

Chapter Twenty-nine

“Who do you think the ghost is?” Chase asked, as if only willing to share if she would.

“I'm not a hundred percent sure.” Della spoke the truth.

“So, who do you think it is?” he asked for the second time.

“Aren't you the one who said she was my ghost?” she countered and sat up on the side of her bed.

“Aren't
you
the one who said we had joint custody?” he shot back as if frustrated. “If it will help us find—”

“If it would help us, I'd tell you, but right now I'm just confused. So cut the crap and tell me what you have on Damian Bond.”

He let her suffer for a few seconds before he started talking. “The most important thing is that he's in California right now, and has been for the last three days. So it wasn't him you got a trace of last night.”

“How … how do you know this?”

“The FRU aren't the only ones who have databases. I had the Vampire Council do a rundown on him. When I was heading home last night, they got back with me. We've got him on a watch list. At one time, he belonged to a gang that targeted vampires. Supposedly, he's dropped out, but we have an address on him. I paid a visit to his home. His girlfriend told me he was in L.A. He does some stunt work for a few movies. But he's flying home on Friday night. I think we should meet him at baggage claim, don't you?”

Della's mind spun. “Yeah.” But she couldn't deny feeling disappointed that Damian wasn't the one at Uck's Burgers whose trace she'd picked up. Especially when that was the trace the ghost had given her when she'd been watching the interview. How did this all fit together?

Exhaling, she stared down at her bare toes. “Have you told Burnett this yet?”

“Not yet. I thought I'd tell my partner first.”

Something in how he said “partner” made her stomach flutter. And it was a good flutter—as if she was part of something … or someone … that mattered.

She brushed her hair from her face and looked back at her bedroom door when she heard footsteps running up her cabin's front porch. One deep breath and she recognized the witch's scent.

“Here comes Miranda,” Della said into the phone. “I gotta go. Call Burnett and fill him in. If you don't, he's going to be pissed.”

“Isn't that his regular state of being?”

“Just do it.” She hung up as her bedroom door swung open and Miranda rushed in.

“What's wrong?” Della asked.

The witch took a deep breath as if she'd been running. “Kylie told me Shawn was stabbed,” she said, sounding a bit panicked. “Is he okay?” She still had her fork in her hand as if she'd gotten the news during breakfast and forgot to leave it behind.

Della made a rash and quick decision to manipulate the truth a little. Hey … if Kylie could play matchmaker, maybe Della could pull it off. “I don't know. He was hurt pretty badly. I have his number. You should call and check on him.”

Shawn had actually been fine. A few stitches and he was as good as ever. He'd given his number to her and Chase when they left, just in case they got anything else on the werewolf. Supposedly, he was going to continue helping them with the case.

Miranda frowned. “Why would I call him?”

“Hmm, let's see. Maybe because you're worried enough about him that you ran all the way from the dining hall, with a fork in your hand, to ask me about him,” Della said.

“But … I'm not … we're not … friends.”

“You could be.”

Miranda rolled her eyes. “I remember what you said about him putting out pheromones and all, but he's older than I am.”

“By what? Two years? Call him.”

“But I'm not … I just…”

Della could read the witch's mind. “Has Perry called you?”

A sad and pathetic look filled the witch's eyes. “No.”

“Let me see if I understand. Perry tells you he wants to take a break from your so-called relationship. He leaves. You give him a magical phone that can call you anytime, anywhere, and he hasn't bothered to use it. Right?”

Miranda's bottom lip trembled a bit, but she nodded.

“Then damn it to hell and back! Call Shawn!”

Della pulled out her phone and texted Miranda the warlock's number. “Call him!” she snapped when the witch's phone dinged. “We had a deal, remember?”

Miranda pouted and stared daggers at Della and it was hard to do both, but she managed. “Did you keep up your end of the bargain … with Chase? Because if you didn't, I'm not—”

“He had his hand in my bra, and I had mine on his bare ass. Does that constitute my end of the bargain?”

*   *   *

An hour later, on the way to math class, Della's phone dinged with a call. She glanced at the screen; it was one of those junk calls trying to sell her insurance. But right before she went to stick her phone back in her pocket, she realized she hadn't spoken with her mom in … forever. Her mom didn't call every day, but at least twice a week Della would get the “just checking in” call.

The realization swirled around her head, then dropped like a dead bird in her heart. Was her mother trying to forget she existed along with her dad now?

Or maybe her mom was just busy. Before she could chicken out, she hit her mom's name in her contact list and listened for the ring.

Once.

Twice.

Three times.

It went to voice mail. “Hey, Mom, it's me, Della.”
In case you forgot who I am.
“I just realized we haven't talked, and I wanted to make sure everything is okay.”
I love you. Miss you.
“Call me.”

Della had just tucked her phone back into her pocket when Holiday came walking up.

“Hey, I was looking for you.”

“Why, did my mom call you?” Della asked, thinking maybe she'd just somehow missed her mom's call earlier.

“Uh, no. Is something wrong?”

“No, I just … I haven't heard from her in a while. Has she called you lately to check on me?”

Holiday pondered a second. “Not in the last week. You worried about something?” the camp leader asked, picking up on Della's emotion.

“Normal crap,” Della said, and then asked, “What did you need?”

“Oh, well, I needed to stretch my legs and thought you'd join me.”

Della studied the camp leader. “What did I do?”

Holiday laughed. “Nothing.”

“So what do you need to talk to me about?” Della asked. “And don't tell me nothing because that would be a lie and good faes don't lie.”

Holiday made a face. “We do sometimes. White lies.” She grinned. “So, okay, I want to talk with you, but you're not in trouble.”

“If you're pregnant and want me to deliver your second child, the answer is no,” Della teased. “I'm not over the first one yet.”

Holiday chuckled. “Well, if you need therapy, I'll pay for it. Come on, let's walk to the lake.”

They entered the path in the woods and it got quiet. The sounds of the other campers faded, and only an occasional insect made a noise.

“You sure I'm not in trouble?” Della asked.

“I'm just a little worried,” Holiday said.

“About what?”

“You … and the whole bonding thing with Chase. You're spending a lot of time with him. I just wanted to make sure that you're … okay.”

“We're not bumping uglies,” Della told her.

Holiday laughed. “You do have a way with words, young lady. And yes, that was one of my concerns, but only part of it.” Holiday looked serious again. “So you aren't interested in him that way, at all?”

Della kicked at an innocent rock that happened to be at her feet.

“I wouldn't say ‘at all.'”

“So what
would
you say?”

“I would prefer nothing.” She shrugged.

Holiday sighed.

They arrived at the lake and Holiday motioned ahead. “Let's go sit out on the pier.” They walked all the way to the end of the wood planks.

Holiday plopped down, took off her shoes, and rolled up the bottom of her jeans. Her toes barely met the water. “It's a nice day,” she said.

“Yeah,” Della agreed, and it was. Not cold, not hot. The sky was a bright blue, the clouds puffy white and the sun felt warm on her shoulders. Della dropped down beside her and removed her boots and socks. The water held just enough of a chill to be refreshing on her feet.

“Where's Hannah?” Della asked.

“I've hired a nanny to come in and help take care of her for part of the day. I feel as if I've been ignoring my job.”

After a few minutes, Holiday spoke again. “Burnett's checked into the whole bonding thing, and there's a little information that backs up the fact that it's real, but what it says is vague. Very vague.”

“What did it say?” Della asked, wondering if she knew more than Chase had told her.

“That the two vampires are emotionally connected. There is some proof that it can be between family members, so it's not necessarily a romantic type of bond.”

A fish jumped up a few feet from the pier and both Holiday and Della looked over at it. “What do you think the bond means? Is it a romantic connection?”

“Did you know fish pee and poop in the water?” Della said as Holiday stretched her legs down to submerge her whole foot.

Holiday rolled her eyes. “I do. And that was probably the worst attempt to change a subject I've ever heard.”

“Yeah, but I couldn't come up with anything else,” Della said.

Holiday grinned and then her expression got serious again. “I guess what I'm saying is that what Chase did for you was a wonderful thing, but I don't want you to feel you have to offer part of yourself that you don't want to offer.”

“He's not pressuring me to have to sex,” Della said, knowing it was true. The whole closet thing had been about the vision, not about them. Even if he did enjoy it. And she did, too, she admitted to herself.

“That makes me feel better,” Holiday said, and ran her foot along the top of the water. “But you feel something for him. I can tell. And I can also tell that you aren't altogether comfortable with it. And that worries me.”

Della kicked at the water. “I hate when you do that, you know.”

“Do what?” Holiday pulled her hair over one shoulder.

“Read me.” Della frowned. “Because while you're right about me being uncomfortable, it's not what you think. If I'm uncomfortable, it's because of what I feel, not because he's trying to push me into something.”

Holiday looked at her. “And what do you feel?”

“Crazy,” Della said.

“That makes sense.” She reached over and touched Della's arm. “I just want to help. And I know you are a very private person, but sometimes it does help to talk about things.”

“What things?” Della asked.

“About what you feel?”

Della swallowed her frustration. “I told you: crazy.” She sighed. “Look, if I knew the truth of exactly what I felt, I'd tell you, but I don't. Do I like him? Yes. Am I attracted to him? Yes. Do I think the bonding thing is real?” She almost said no, but the truth came out. “Yes. But I don't know to what extent, or where it will lead. Part of me trusts him. Part of me doesn't. So there, did you get anything out of that except I'm completely confused and feeling pretty much bonkers?”

Holiday smiled. “Love's confusing and can make you bonkers.”

“I didn't say anything about love,” Della said.

Holiday smiled. “I don't mean ‘love' as in the-rest-of-your-life love. Just romance.” She leaned back and looked up at the sky. “However, I wouldn't be doing my job as a camp leader if I didn't share Burnett's concerns with you.”

“Oh, hell! He sent you to talk to me about Chase?”

“No, it was my idea, and when I mentioned it, he … well, he sort of shared how he felt about it.”

“He doesn't like Chase,” Della said.

“He doesn't completely trust Chase. He
really
doesn't trust the Vampire Council.”

“And I think he's being a tad overprotective.”

Holiday grinned. “It would be out of his character if he wasn't. But he does have good instincts. So I just want you to be careful.”

“I'm always careful.”
At least most of the time.

 

Chapter Thirty

Della had lunch with Jenny, Kylie, and Miranda. They got their food and took it behind the office and sat under the trees to eat.

They spent half the time laughing due to Miranda recounting some of her goofed spells. Like the day she wanted to remove a stain from her dad's shirt and ended up removing all his clothes.

Seeing as they had their elderly “human” neighbor over, it caused quite a stir. Especially because the clothes disappeared when he was bent over pulling a roast from the oven. Moments later, her dad had used two pot holders to cover the important parts.