But Kylie couldn't stop herself from asking. "And did you see him?" "No. I just wanted to know where the bastard was."
Kylie sensed Derek's pain. "So how did you end up working for the PI?"
"He found my skill of reading emotions very helpful."
Still wanting to soothe away the look of hurt from Derek's eyes, she reached up and planted another kiss on his lips. A good one. She pulled him close, so close that her one-cup-size-larger breasts were pressed against his chest. Derek's hands came down to hold her around her waist.
One of his palms slid up under her shirt and slowly shifted upward. He caressed her upper back, stopping right below her bra strap as if not wanting to cross a line. A line she almost wanted him to cross.
When she pulled away, her breathing came faster. "Thank you, for this." She held up the paper.
"Wow," he said, smiling, and touched her lips. "If he actually finds them, what do I get?"
She elbowed him in the ribs. He laughed and then wrapped his arm around her shoulders as they started back to her cabin.
At eight a.m. sharp the next morning, Kylie had one roommate out of the cabin-Della had left for her vampire rituals-and Kylie was working on getting rid of the other. She told Miranda to go on to breakfast without her. Kylie would catch up later. Miranda had stepped out the door but she'd stayed there for five minutes or so performing some kind of ritual.
Kylie finally poked her head out the door to ask, "What are you doing?"
"I told you earlier, I'm just trying to protect our cabin."
Kylie remembered her roommate claiming that an unwelcome presence lurked nearby, although Kylie hadn't really felt anything. Other than when she'd been alone in the woods or paths.
"Protect it from what ... exactly?"
Miranda tossed up some kind of herbs in the air. They crackled and popped on their downward descent, telling Kylie they weren't just regular herbs. "I don't know ... exactly."
"Didn't you already do something to get rid of it?"
"Yup, but the bad boy is still here. Just won't go away."
Kylie didn't want to ask, but she figured she had to. "Could it be a ghost?" Because if it was, Kylie wasn't so sure Miranda should attempt to keep it away. Like it or not, dealing with ghosts was sort of Kylie's job. Not that so far Miranda's rituals had prevented the ghosts from visiting.
However, if Miranda's herbs were in any way keeping Daniel away, well, Kylie couldn't have that. She really needed to talk to Daniel. "No, it's not like one of your spirits," Miranda said.
"Then what is it like?" Kylie felt a tad apprehensive and remembering the unwelcomed vampire visitor from the other night. "I mean, wouldn't Della know if it was like something rogue?"
"Yeah, but this isn't ... normal. It's involving magic. I can't put my finger on it yet, but I'm working on it," she said.
Working on it like she was working on changing Socks back to feline form? Kylie didn't say it, because that would have hurt Miranda, but Kylie couldn't help thinking it.
"Have you mentioned it to Holiday?" Kylie asked.
"Not yet. Let me try to deal with it first."
Kylie nodded, but she wasn't too sure.
"You ready to go yet?" Miranda asked after tossing up one more sprinkling of herbs.
"No." Kylie brushed a few of the tiny crackling herbs from her hair.
"I ... got a few phone calls to make."
"Okay, but don't be too late. After Campmate Hour, we've got cooking together, and today we're supposed to bake brownies, and you're supposed to decorate them. And they won't let us eat them until after you've done your thing. And I love, love brownies. And don't want to have to wait."
"I won't be that late." Kylie was actually enjoying the food art lessons she'd signed up for last week. Who knew she'd get off on decorating cupcakes and such? Drawing with pen and paper had never been her thing, but working with icing was kind of cool. Then again, she'd always kind of enjoyed watching those cake-decorating shows on cable.
Miranda started to walk away and then turned back. "Who are you calling?"