Saved at Sunrise (7 page)

*   *   *

In the shower she heard a phone ring and listened as Steve told Burnett they would
be back in a couple of hours. He took a shower after her, and thirty minutes later,
they got into a hotel elevator, one she had no memory of coming up in.

Had he carried her? She hated not knowing something. Hated knowing she’d been that
vulnerable.

Once they arrived in the crowded lobby, he led her into the hotel’s restaurant.

A complaint rested on her lips, but she remembered she’d eaten today and he hadn’t.
So she shut up and followed the hostess when Steve told her they needed a table for
two.

He ordered a steak and baked potato and some sweet tea. She ordered French onion soup,
about the one thing she could actually enjoy, and a Diet Coke.

When the waitress left with their order, Steve looked at her, still wearing an apology
in his eyes. Yup, he felt guilty for things getting out of hand. But she didn’t put
all the blame on him. She could have stopped it. Should have stopped it.

“How’s the shoulder?” he asked.

She reached up and touched where she’d been stabbed. “Completely healed,” she said.
Then she remembered something they’d talked about earlier. “Did you learn medicine
from your mom?”

He nodded. “Sometimes she’d volunteer at different free clinics. I used to go with
her on weekends. I’m a fast learner on some things.”

She suspected he was a fast learner in all things. She hadn’t seen it at first, but
intelligence lingered in those big brown eyes. “And you don’t want to be a doctor?”

“I didn’t say I don’t want to be a doctor.”

“But you said … I mean I got the feeling when you talked about your parents that you
didn’t want to do what they wanted you to do.”

“She wants me to go into medicine for humans because that’s where the money is. I
want to train to treat supernaturals. That’s where my skills will be the most useful.”

She nodded. “I see.” The waitress dropped off their drinks. Della twirled a straw
around her glass and watched the bubbles rise to the top. “My parents wanted me to
be a doctor, too.”

“And you don’t want that?” he asked.

“Hell, no. I want to go into criminal justice.”

“A lawyer?”

“No. I don’t want to defend the law. I want to enforce it. Before I was turned, I
was thinking FBI or CIA. Now I’m thinking FRU. Which is why I didn’t want Burnett
to know I’d screwed up.”

He shook his head. “You didn’t screw up.”

“I got stabbed. That’s pretty screwed up.” She jabbed her straw into her drink.

“We were up against a whole gang of rogue vampires. The fact that we got out of there
alive is a freaking miracle.”

She gave the straw another race around her glass. “But you’re the one who saved us.
The one who came up with a plan, and then again with the werewolves.”

“Yeah, but you were a little busy trying not to let that rogue were/vampire kill you
in the ring. And when the weres showed up you were already stabbed and bleeding like
crazy, but you still stood up.”

“I didn’t do shit when they came,” she muttered, ashamed of herself.

“You stood up and faced them and let them know you weren’t ready to be their dinner.”

He looked down at his own glass for a second. “Honestly, I was totally impressed with
you. The whole time, I’m freaking out inside. Hell, my knees were shaking and you
were like this epitome of calm. I kept looking at you and thinking if you could do
this, I could, too.”

She let go of a deep breath. “I wasn’t calm. I was freaking out, too.”

He smiled. “Well, that’s why you’re so good at this, Della. You didn’t seem scared.
Not once. You can do this. I personally don’t like the thought of you putting yourself
in danger, but don’t ever think you screwed up. You kicked ass in that ring.”

His compliment felt like a big hug. And as she constantly told Kylie and Miranda,
she wasn’t much of a hugger.

Looking down at her drink again, the realization hit. She used to be a hugger, but
now when anyone wrapped their warm arms around her it reminded her of how cold she
was.

Suddenly, she realized when Steve had kissed her and touched her she’d forgotten she
was cold. For the first time since she’d been turned, she’d felt normal again—felt …
human. Damn that felt good.

“Thanks.” She looked up briefly and hoped he understood how much she meant it, because
she didn’t want to have to express it any more than just offering the word.

The waitress dropped off their food. Della spooned the French onion soup into her
mouth, bypassing the cheese. But as the warm, tasty broth danced on her tongue, she
couldn’t help but think how good Steve’s blood tasted. How good his kisses were. How
it felt to be touched and not think about being cold.

When she’d showered, she’d noticed a hickey between her shoulder and left breast.
She was glad he’d left his mark on her. But she was equally glad it wasn’t permanent.
It would fade in a few days. And that’s the way it should be. Because once they were
back at Shadow Falls this was over.

Done.

She simply couldn’t put her heart on the chopping block again. Lee, along with her
parents, had taught her how hard it was to love someone. How easy it was for them
to disappoint you.

She didn’t love Steve, not yet, but these last thirty-six hours had taught her how
easy it would be to let herself go there. When someone was genuinely nice your heart
welcomed them inside. Add the whole good-looking thing and him being such an awesome
kisser to the scenario, and her heart had a welcome mat ready to toss down, a marching
band, and banners with flashy letters reading,
COME ON IN
.

And that was unacceptable. She couldn’t fall in love with Steve. Nope. No way. As
soon as they returned to Shadow Falls, she was back to being the old Della. Solo.
She had Miranda, and she had Kylie. As soon as Kylie returned.

Della didn’t need a guy making her feel special, making her feel beautiful, making
her feel … human.

Steve picked up his knife and cut a piece of steak. “Oh, when I spoke with Burnett
earlier this morning he mentioned that he went to see Kylie.”

Della’s heart swelled. “He knows where she is? Is she coming back?”

“He must know because he said he’d seen her, but he didn’t say anything about her
coming back. He just said to tell you that she was okay and that she asked about you.”

That was Kylie, always worried about others before she worried about herself. The
girl was an idiot. Well, not an idiot. She was just one of those really caring people.
Sort of like the damn shape-shifter Della was having lunch with.

Della dipped her spoon into the onion soup. “Well, if he knows where she is, then
I can just go and bring her back.”

“Kidnap her?” he asked.

“If I have to, yeah. She belongs at Shadow Falls with Miranda and me.”

Steve chuckled. “You’re not serious,” he said.

“The hell I’m not,” Della snapped. “Kylie’s coming home and that’s all there is to
it.”

*   *   *

Home. Della felt it as she landed outside the fence at Shadow Falls about thirty minutes
later. Funny, how the place had started to feel that way. Of course, maybe that was
to be expected when she no longer belonged with her parents.

Steve landed and transformed. “We should go to the front.”

“No.” She pulled out her phone. “I’m calling Burnett and telling him I’m here, then
I’m jumping the fence. I just want to go to my cabin and relax … I don’t want to be
interrogated right now.”

She wanted to have time to regroup in her head.

Burnett answered on the second ring. “Where are you?”

“We’re here. Right outside the fence on the east side of the property.”

“Good. We’re having dinner now. Why don’t you come over? There’s a surprise.”

“I’m tired. Not in the mood for surprises. I just want to take a shower and relax.
Can we talk tomorrow?”

“Are you okay?” His tone grew dark, concerned.

“I’m fine,” she growled.

When she hung up, Steve started walking over to her. She watched the way he moved,
like a lion, lithe and with purpose. He stopped right in front of her and brushed
a strand of hair back behind her ear. “You know, I kind of don’t want to go back.
I liked it just being you and me.”

She’d liked it, too. Too much.

She caught his hand and lowered it from her face.

Swallowing a lump of regret, she forced herself to say it. Part of her had hoped she
wouldn’t have to spell it out for him. But that was the coward’s way out. And Della
Tsang wasn’t a coward. Plus, Steve deserved to know up front that it wasn’t him. It
was her.

“Look, I … I enjoyed this. Everything. I really did, but … it’s over now.”

He shook his head. “Why? It doesn’t have to be.”

“Yeah it does.” Her heart suddenly grew heavy. Too heavy for her chest. “I don’t …
I’m not … I’m not ready for this.” She waved a hand between them.

That look of apology filled his eyes again. “I told you I didn’t mean for that to
happen. I’m not going to pressure you to take it there. It’ll happen when it’s supposed
to happen. I’ll be patient.”

She shook her head. “I don’t mean just that.”

Concern tightened his brows. “Then what do you mean?”

“I mean us … period. Us being an item, us being an ‘us.’ I’m not up for that.”

He shook his head. “Why? I thought we got along great.”

“Why isn’t important. It’s just the way it is. I’m not going there. I’m completely
happy the way things are, happy with me … not being a couple.” It was such a huge
mistruth she could hear her swollen heart doing all sorts of erratic thumps, each
one hitting against her sternum and calling her a lying bitch.

“No,” he said, “I can’t accept that.”

“You’re going to have to accept it. Because that’s just the way it is, Steve. We went
on a mission and we did great. We did what we were sent to do and thanks to both of
us the world might be a little safer. But what happened between us needs to end. I’m
not right for you.”

He studied her. “Who are you right for?” he asked, sounding jealous.

“I’m not right for anyone,” she said and her heart didn’t race or mark that as a lie.
She had loved already. Loved and lost. “It’s over, Steve. Just accept it.”

She started running and right before she leapt over the fence she heard him.

“We’ll see about that.” His words rang in her ears. A promise or a threat, she didn’t
know. But the idea of it being a promise chased away the biggest part of the pain
she carried in her heart.

As she walked inside her cabin, she breathed in the scents of home—the smell of Miranda’s
fruity shampoo, and her scented candles. Della could even pick up the scent of Kylie’s
favorite lotion.

Standing in the living room, Della let herself feel the tiniest bit of pride that
she’d completed the mission. The feeling reconfirmed that she wanted to pursue a career
in catching bad guys.

Walking into her bedroom, she opened her bottom drawer and pulled out the pictures.
Images of her and her family, and others of her and Lee. All captured moments with
emotion. Memories that now hurt to think about.

She started to rip them all up, but then on second thought, she dropped the pictures
of her family back into the drawer. Some things she couldn’t give up on. But others …

She tore the snapshots of her and Lee into little pieces and let the tiny specks of
paper rain down into the garbage. Then she went to her bed and flopped down on her
back and stared at the ceiling.

We’ll see about that.
Steve’s words echoed in her head like the lyrics of a song—a good song, one that
crawled into your head and replayed itself over and over.

She closed her eyes. Life might have thrown her some punches this last year, but Della
Tsang didn’t go down easy. She was just going to punch back.

Read on for an early peek at the explosive final book in the Shadow Falls series!

Chosen at Nightfall

Coming April 23, 2013

Chapter One

Kylie Galen looked up from the slice of pepperoni pizza on the fine china plate and
tried to ignore the ghost swinging the bloody sword right behind her grandfather and
great-aunt. Her newfound family members were … good people, but a tad on the proper
side. And proper people probably wouldn’t appreciate an uninvited ghost getting their
dining room walls bloody.

The spirit, a female, with dark flowing hair, in her early thirties, stopped in midswing
and stared directly at Kylie.
You kill or be killed. It’s really rather simple.
The words reverberated in Kylie’s head. They were communicating telepathically, and
considering the topic being discussed, that was probably for the best.

That’s not simple,
Kylie shot back.
And I’m trying to eat, so would you mind leaving?

That’s rude,
the ghost said.
You’re supposed to help spirits. You need to abide by your guidelines.