Panic built as she recognized the species. A water moccasin, which just so happened to be the most aggressive snake found in Texas. And one of the most poisonous, too.

The snake moved in tight S-like patterns-patterns that brought it closer to Kylie. Fear swel ed inside her. A scream crawled up her throat. Logic said that she couldn't move away from the snake fast enough to avoid getting bitten. Logic said she needed to stay very stil , but ... the hel with logic-she wanted that thing away from her.

Derek's hand tightened on her shoulder. "It's okay." His voice was so low, so soft. "It's just passing by. Stay very stil . Let it go. I'm here. Nothing is going to happen."

His hand grew warmer, unnatural y warm, and just like that, her fear vanished. Her heart stopped racing and the clutching in her stomach eased. She watched the snake's fat, chubby body slither across the tip of her Reeboks as if it were a butterfly passing by. Something in her brain told her that the calm she now felt, the absence of fear, wasn't normal; that somehow Derek had done this to her. She wasn't even afraid of that right now. It was as if Derek's touch had removed her ability to experience fear, leaving only curiosity in its place. Curiosity about the snake.

About how it moved like that.

Curiosity about Derek. How had he changed her emotions? What would it feel like to lose herself in his kisses? Would he make her feel the way Trey had? Maybe even better?

"You're doing good. It's almost gone," he whispered.

And then it was gone. Its round body slipped into the stream, causing only the slightest of ripples as it sank down and moved with the water's current.

Derek kept his hand on her shoulder as she watched the creature disappear among the rocks. Then, slowly, he lifted his palm away. The storm of emotion hit her so hard that she screamed. When screaming alone wasn't enough, she swung around, and started climbing the rock. Her heart pumped in her chest, as if it might burst, and her stomach felt as if it knotted al the way around her backbone. Derek caught her as she ascended, but she didn't stop moving, thinking only about getting away from the slithering snake.

"It's al right," he said, laughing, and fel back on the huge rock, carrying her with him. She landed half on top of him. His arms came around her, but not too tightly. His hands gently rested on her back.

Blinking, she felt her panic evaporate, and she met his green eyes. This close, the flecks of gold seemed brighter. Her gaze lowered to his mouth, to his lips that appeared so soft, so inviting.

The warmth of his body melted against hers. His natural scent worked its way into her senses. She caught her breath.

"You okay now?" he asked, his voice deeper.

"Yeah." When he stole her panic, had he taken her wil power, too, because she real y wanted Derek to kiss her. Or she could just kiss him. It sounded like a damn good idea to her. She inched a bit nearer until his lips were so close to hers she could feel their heat.

"Let her go!" a dark male voice boomed from behind them.

Chapter Nineteen

"Let her go, now!"

The deeply serious voice rang a few familiar bel s, but quicker than she could wrap her brain around it, Derek shot up with a force that sent Kylie rol ing right to the edge of the rock.

Right before Kylie fel , Derek caught her. As soon as she felt secure, she raised her head. Lucas leered at them from the edge of the stream. The flickering of sun and shadows surrounded him, adding to his intimidating presence. His light blue eyes pierced into them with the harshest of stares.

"She's fine," Derek said, his tone matching his stern expression.

Feeling suddenly foolish, she felt the need to explain. "I saw a snake."

Lucas inhaled. He looked around on the ground. "A water moccasin."

"I know," she said. "That's why I screamed."

"It's gone," Derek said, and his words implied that Lucas should be gone as wel .

"I heard her scream," Lucas said, as if he, too, felt the need to explain his behavior.

The two guys stared at each other, neither saying a word. Kylie got the distinct feeling they didn't get along. She wondered if fairies and werewolves also had bad blood between them. Heck, for al she knew, World War I could ...

"She's not screaming anymore," Derek said.

"I'm fine." She jumped down from the rock-after giving the ground a quick check for snakes first. When she looked up, Lucas had turned his disapproving gaze on her. "If you're that scared of snakes, maybe you should stay out of the woods."

"I'm not that scared, it just-"

"I took care of her," Derek said. His tone was dark, almost angry.

"Yeah, I saw how you were doing that."

Derek sat up higher on the rock as if he was ready to leap down. "Look, if you have a problem-"

Lucas apparently didn't care to hear what Derek had to say because he swung around and in less than a second, he was gone. Kylie blushed, realizing how the situation must have appeared to Lucas. Then seeing the unhappy expression on Derek's face, she said, "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have screamed, it was just-"

"You didn't do anything wrong." Derek offered her his hand to pul her back up. "He was being a jerk and overreacting. He didn't have to come here. I wouldn't have let anything happen to you."

She stared at Derek's hand and remembered how her fear had subsided with his intense touch.

"What happened just now?" she asked.