She went to him, wrapped her arms around his waist, pressed her face between his shoulder blades, and held him.

"She's gone," he said, his voice hoarse with grief.

"I know." She hugged him tighter.

He turned around and pulled her to him. They stood there for the longest time, just holding on to each other.

"I'm so sorry," Kylie whispered, and she felt his pain, remembered with clarity how she'd felt when they told her Nana had died.

He released her, and then met her eyes. His gaze was still bright, but the wildness was gone. The dampness on his cheeks wasn't a sign of weakness, but a sign of devotion, of the love he felt for the only real mother he'd known and then lost.

"I knew she didn't have long, but I wasn't ready yet. I thought I had another year, maybe two."

Kylie reached for his hand. "I'm so sorry. I know how it feels."

He exhaled and looked back at the bed and her body. She heard his breath come short. She pulled him out of the room.

When she stopped, he met her gaze. "How did ... how did you know?"

"She came to see me. Told me you might need me."

His eyes filled with more tears. "Even in death, she was watching out for me."

He fell back against the wall and let out another low growl. "I'm going to miss her so damn much. She was my grandmother and my mother rolled into one. She was the only one who cared about me when I was a kid."

Kylie moved to him. He folded his arms around her and held her. She finally pulled back and looked at him. "She said there was a letter for you in her desk drawer."

"I'll look." He ran a palm over her cheek. "I left a message on my uncle's phone. He and the other family members might be here any minute. I need you to go."

"I want to be here," she said. "I want to be here for you, Lucas."

"I know, and if it were my choice you could stay. But the were custom to prepare one for death is closed only to blood relatives." He reached down and kissed her. "And even if it weren't the custom, you are a vampire right now. I can't chance you being hurt. Please understand," he said. "Because if anyone lays a finger on you, I'll kill them."

She nodded. She didn't like it, but she understood. "Will you be okay?"

"Thanks to you," he said.

"I didn't do anything." She pressed a hand to his chest, knowing his heart was breaking.

"You came." He stopped as if remembering something. "God, I'm sorry. Did I hurt you when you first came in?"

"No," she said.

He pushed the sleeves of her T-shirt up and no doubt saw bruises on her arms. "Damn it! I did." He closed his eyes in more pain.

"It's nothing but a couple of bruises." She reached up on her tiptoes and kissed him gently, hoping to ease his pain. "I'm fine, Lucas. Look at me."

He opened his eyes. She smiled. "I'm fine."He let go of a shuddering breath, then tilted his head up and sniffed the air. "Is that Burnett outside?"

She nodded.

He frowned. "He shouldn't have let you come in. He knows it's dangerous."

"He tried to stop me. I insisted. I knew you wouldn't hurt me."

"But I did," he fumed, and glanced down at her arms.

"This is nothing. It will be gone tomorrow."

He looked deep into her eyes. "I love you, Kylie Galen. Hurting you is the last thing I want to do."

She smiled. "I love you, too."

The shadow of pain in his eyes changed for one second. He leaned down and pressed his forehead to hers. "Did I hear that correctly?"

She looked up. "Yes, you did. And you also need to know that while I want you to get on that Council really badly, it's not going to change anything between us."

"I wasn't going to let it." He kissed her again and then set her back down. "I wish I didn't have to send you off."

"I know," she said.

He walked her to the door, his hand holding hers, and she could tell he really didn't want to let her go.

As soon as they opened door, Burnett met them.

"I'm sorry for your loss," Burnett said.

"Thank you." The way Lucas spoke, the manner in which he held himself in front of Burnett, was him hiding his pain. And yet he'd let her see it. He hadn't hidden from her. He trusted her that much. For some crazy reason that endeared him to her all the more. Tears tightened her throat again. He needed her just as she needed him. Which meant she couldn't die.

Lucas looked at Kylie. "Tomorrow is the full moon, then there are ceremonies. I probably won't see you for several days."

She nodded, again not liking it. She wanted to be with him in his time of grief. But she accepted that this was something she couldn't change.

Burnett looked over his shoulder and then back at Lucas.

"Someone's coming."

"Go," Lucas said.

* * *

"Is it just Lucas, or something more?" Holiday asked the next morning.

Kylie looked out at the falls. She had gone into Holiday's office at first light and asked if they could come here. Burnett as usual waited outside.

"I just needed this," Kylie said. She'd woken up this morning worried about Lucas and worried about ... what the ghost had said. That if she fought and lost, people she loved would suffer.

She needed to feel the warm energy from the falls telling her it was going to be okay. She didn't want to die, she wanted to be there for Lucas through all of life's ups and down. But she especially didn't want to die knowing she'd let the people she loved down.