Kylie turned and started walking in the opposite direction. She would have covered her ears, but that had never worked before, so she just kept walking, hoping the voices would fade.

"It's wrong," Holiday said. "First, you involve Lucas, and now Derek. I have to put my foot down."

Kylie stopped. First Lucas and now Derek ... what?

"They are both exceptional boys," Burnett said.

"And that's my point. They are boys, Burnett."

"I was sixteen when I went to work for the FRU. Lucas is eighteen. Derek is only a few months shy of that. And he's an eraser, Holiday. Do you know how few there are of those?"

"I don't care about that. I care about him."

"He'll only be gone a month or less. Back in time for the school year to begin."

"Assuming he's not killed trying to do the government's work," Holiday snapped.

"I'm sorry," Burnett said, and there was regret in his voice. Kylie heard a door slam. Burnett had left but she didn't move. She stood there on the trail, digesting what she'd just heard. Derek was leaving.

He was going to work for the FRU. He wouldn't be back for a month. Assuming he's not killed trying to do the government's work. Holiday's words played in Kylie's mind. Her heart froze. She took off down the trail toward Derek's cabin.

Chapter Thirty

Kylie got to Derek's cabin a minute later. She spotted Chris walking out of the cabin, dressed for his morning jog, and stopped. She would have jumped into the woods and hidden, but Chris was vampire, which meant he'd probably already heard her. So she started jogging and hoped he wouldn't stop and ask any questions.

When they ran past each other, she waved. He smiled and kept going.

She continued down the trail past the cabin until she felt he wouldn't be in hearing range. Then she spun around, ran into the cabin, and went straight into Derek's room.

He was in bed, still asleep. His wide chest was bare. The sheet came low around his waist and Kylie wasn't sure if he had anything on beneath the sheet. She'd heard rumors that most boys slept in the buff. But she'd seen him naked and that didn't scare her away.

"Derek?"

He dropped his hand over his face.

She moved over to the bed and touched his shoulder. "Derek?"

His eyes popped open and he shot up. He stared at her but didn't look awake. "You've got your clothes on, so this isn't a dream." He flinched as if he realized he'd said that aloud and then he dropped back on the bed and stared up at the ceiling.

"It's not a dream." She sat beside him. "I heard what you're planning to do and I don't want you to go. Please, don't go."

He looked over at her with heavy-lidded eyes, but she could tell he was awake. "How did you find out?"

He hadn't answered her question, so she didn't answer his. "Were you not even going to say good-bye?" Tears filled her eyes.

He sat up and pulled the sheet around his waist. "I was going to say good-bye."

She blinked away the emotion. "You're doing this because of me, aren't you?"

"No. Not completely." He touched her arm and the floodgates of emotion really started pouring.

"Please, don't go," she said in tears.

"I have to. I need to get my head on straight." He blinked. "You were right. Well, partially right. I still think you have issues you need to resolve about Lucas. But ... you were right about me being jealous. My ability to read emotions is getting stronger. And I don't know why, but with you, it's as if I feel everything you feel but ... more. I don't know if it's because I care about you so much or what. But when you feel something I don't like, an attraction for another guy, anger, or even disappointment at someone, I ... I go crazy inside. It's like someone is shooting me up with emotional adrenaline." He raked a hand over his face. "I've either got to learn to deal with this or..."

"Or what?" she asked. He didn't answer, but Kylie knew what he meant. He either had to learn to deal with the emotions she unleashed inside him, or walk away from her. But wasn't that what he was doing? Walking away?

"And you've got to deal with Lucas and..." He paused. "I'm also going to confront my dad. And when I come back in a month, we'll see how things stand. You may have fallen in love with Lucas by then. And if that happens, I'll have to accept it."

"Would it be that easy to accept?"

"No. But I don't see what other choice I have."

"But you do have a choice. Stay. Give us a chance. We'll work through this."

He shook his head. "I can't, Kylie. I just can't."

She looked at him and as hard as it was to accept, she finally did. Derek was leaving. He had made his choice, and it wasn't her.

Chin high, vowing that she'd done everything she could, she turned and walked out. He might have broken her heart, but he wasn't going to break her spirit. She would get over him. She would.

A week later, Kylie sat on a blanket out by the river where she and her mother had sat and talked about Daniel. Kylie just wanted to be alone to think, to try and wrap her head around how she was going to get her mom to sign her up for Shadow Falls' boarding school. And maybe, just maybe, Daniel would drop by while she was here.

She lay back on the blanket and stared up at the blue sky, and then she heard someone approach.