"I didn't tell him I was coming here." Kylie bounced back on the seat and folded her hands over her chest and the whole incident reminded her of being in the car when she was a kid and angry with her parents.

"Wait," Holiday said. "Did you tell Hayden where we were going?"

The frown line between Burnett's eyes deepened. "You think he told-"

"You shouldn't even be upset!" Kylie snapped. "All my grandfather wanted to do was give me my phone and tell me he wasn't behind the ploy to kidnap me. And you get all vampire pissy on me!"

"I went pissy on you because you already lied to me several times!" Burnett shook the bag for emphasis. Shook it hard.

Kylie held her breath, fearing the worst. Then the worst happened. It almost looked like slow motion.

The bag ripped and three pregnancy tests along with a pamphlet on safe sex and one on gonorrhea landed on the front seat with Holiday and Burnett.

Burnett looked down, gasped, and then looked up at Kylie. "For God's sake!" he muttered.

"Wait!" Holiday spoke up, and then she burped. Really loud.

Burnett ignored Holiday and stared at Kylie. "If you are old enough to have sex, you are old enough to know about using protection!"

Kylie opened her mouth to speak, but she didn't have a clue what she was going to say. Then it just spilled out. "I know all about condoms."

He scowled tighter. "Then why the hell are you in this mess!""Wait, Burnett," Holiday said. "You don't understand. Kylie's not in the mess."

Burnett was too focused on giving Kylie hell to listen to Holiday's confession.

"Actually, condoms are only eighty-five percent effective at preventing pregnancy," Kylie said, still seething.

"If you use them right, they work! I spoke with Lucas about this very thing a couple of weeks ago. I damned well told him he'd better be careful."

"Burnett," Holiday scolded.

Oh, but Kylie wished she'd just shut up and let the vampire bury himself a little deeper. And right then she decided to hand him a shovel. "I didn't buy them for me," Kylie said. "I bought them for a friend."

"You're not ... pregnant?"

"Not unless these pamphlets lie and you can get pregnant by sitting on a toilet. I told you, they are for a friend."

Burnett's eyes rounded. "Miranda? Shit! I had the same God damned talk with Perry."

"Sometimes this just happens," Kylie said, much calmer now that she had a sneak preview of his comeuppance.

"Just happens?" Burnett bellowed out. "Are you freaking kidding me! If you have sex, you use protection. It's that simple. This shit doesn't have to happen! This is nothing but carelessness. It's irresponsible. It's unforgivable."

"Burnett!" Holiday rolled her eyes at Kylie and frowned. The fae knew exactly what Kylie was up to now.

But Kylie wasn't finished yet. "Maybe we should put a rule in place. Any male who impregnates a girl should be neutered."

"Enough," Holiday snapped.

"Actually, that's not a bad plan!" he growled.

"Burnett!" Holiday said in a stern voice. "Shut up before you embarrass yourself more than you already have." When the vampire looked at Holiday, she continued, "Kylie didn't buy the pregnancy tests for Miranda. She bought them for me."

Kylie flopped back against the seat again, enjoying the look of disbelief on the vampire's face a little too much. "Would you like a name of a good doctor who will schedule your little snip-snip operation?"

she bit out.

Chapter Twenty-one

The thing about sweet revenge was it was never as sweet in hindsight. Burnett was ... stunned. He turned around and started the car. He drove back to Shadow Falls without saying one word. Holiday sat there hiccuping and looking as if she might cry. Obviously, Burnett's reaction wasn't exactly what Holiday had been hoping for.

Or maybe, Kylie realized, it was exactly what the fae had feared. She recalled Holiday telling her that Burnett wasn't sure he wanted to be a father. Kylie suddenly wanted to apologize for her part in announcing the fact so ... hurtfully, but the moment didn't feel right.

After parking the car, Burnett saw Perry as they walked through the gate, and called him over and asked him to see Kylie to her cabin.

"What up?" Perry asked, studying Kylie and then looking back at Burnett walking away. "I've never seen him looking so ... stunned. It's as if the lights are on but nobody's home."

"Nothing," Kylie said, and she wanted to cry, to smack herself for being so thoughtless.

As soon as Kylie got back to her cabin, she headed straight to her bedroom.

But Della shot across the room and blocked the door. "What's wrong?" Della asked. "First you come to class crying, then Holiday shows up acting all weird, and now you come in looking like a kicked puppy. And don't tell me it's none of my business, I'm your friend, that gives me all the rights in the world to butt into your personal life."

Kylie gave Della a hug. "I love you."

"Okay ... I ... I wasn't trying to get all mushy?" Della said, and pulled back.

"I know, but you were," Kylie said. "Unfortunately, I can't ... talk about any of this right now. I need to make a few phone calls." She motioned for Della to step away from the door. She did, but begrudgingly.

Kylie's first phone call was to warn Hayden that Burnett might possibly arrive and be on the warpath.