"But you talk to others, right? The dead?"

Kylie nodded. "Yeah." Unable to read him at the moment, she added, "I know it sounds pretty freaky."

"Not at all. I'd love to be able to ask the dead questions."

Kylie tried to digest what he'd said.

He diverted his eyes. "I mean ... with my love of history. How great would it be to talk to those who lived before us?"

"That makes sense," Kylie said. And it did, but it was still odd. Most supernaturals would never have wanted to deal with the dead, not even for the love of history. She looked to the door. "I should go before I'm late."

As Kylie walked away, she felt him watching her. Okay, Collin Warren was even stranger than she'd first assumed. She really hoped Holiday knew what she was doing when she hired him.

Kylie had just left that cabin and started down the path to her next class when her phone rang. Glancing at the number, a wave of nostalgia hit.

"I was going to call you, too." Kylie sighed.

"The first day of school doesn't feel right with you not here," Sara said.

"I know." Kylie bit down on her lip.

"How are things?" Sara asked. "You still got two cute boys after you?"

"I pretty much decided on one."

"Derek," Sara said.

"No," Kylie corrected. "Lucas."

"Hmm, for some reason, I thought you'd go with Derek, but Lucas is yummy."

Why did you think that? "How are you doing?" Kylie asked, deciding she didn't want to know Sara's answer to the other question.

"Still cancer free," Sara said. "As you well know."

Kylie ignored the comment. "I'm glad."

"When are you coming home next?" Sara asked.

"I think there's a parent weekend in two or three weeks." If she wasn't still pulling stunts like glowing and vanishing, that was.

"Good, because I need a Kylie fix. Agh, there's the bell. I gotta run. I'll call you in a week or so."

A week? There was a time not so long ago when not a day would go by without them talking.

Kylie pushed away the melancholy at how her life had changed. Then, pocketing her phone, she hurried to class. The thought that it was Hayden Yates's class sent a shiver of dread skittering up and down her backbone.

* * *

The second she walked up to the door of Hayden Yates' classroom, Kylie decided that the awkward vibes Collin Warren gave off weren't nearly as unsettling as Mr. Yates's.

The man hadn't even looked at Kylie, yet somehow she knew he'd been keeping tabs on her-that he not only knew she was standing at the door, but he'd been waiting for her.

The question that had weighed on her mind grew heavier. Was he behind Hannah's and the other girls' deaths? If so, did he know Kylie suspected him?

Stepping farther into the classroom, she noticed that everyone was already in their seats. Only one seat remained. Kylie's gut turned into a pretzel.

Fredericka sat right behind the empty seat. The girl smiled, or rather smirked.

Kylie hadn't thought about having to deal with the she-wolf in her classes. Trying not to look at Fredericka, Kylie went and sat down.

As she slipped into the seat, she heard the were say, "Oh, boy. Extra light now the glowworm has shown up."

Kylie gritted her teeth and stared at the book on her desktop.

"Bitch," Della muttered from across the room.

Kylie, suddenly angry with herself for letting Della fight her battles, swung around and faced her nemesis. "In addition to glowing, I've discovered other new talents. Here's one you're going to love-giving smart-ass weres the mange. Especially ones that still slightly reek of skunk."

Chuckles escaped from several of the nearby students. Fredericka rose defensively from her seat, her eyes glowing a shade of pissed-off orange.

Seeing the fury in the wolf-crazed gaze, Kylie questioned the wisdom of spouting off her mouth. No doubt about it, she was about to get her ass whupped by a were-and on the first day of school. How special was that?

Chapter Thirty-three

"Sit down!" Mr. Yates's order echoed through the room. "Kill each other on your own time, not mine."

Kylie turned around, surprised the suspicious teacher hadn't let the she-wolf take her out.

The tension still hung thick when he started teaching. Facing forward, Kylie debated if she would get a pencil stabbed in her back from Fredericka.

But nothing happened. Mr. Yates started talking about how adrenaline can create strength in humans, and how it partly explained how supernaturals received their powers. His teaching skills were above average, and he had everyone hanging onto his every word. Even Kylie found it hard not to be enthralled. Yet everything in Kylie's gut told her he hadn't come here to teach. And considering Hannah's warning that the killer was here, Kylie wasn't about to let down her guard.

Her need to stay on guard shot up a notch when the class ended and she was half out the door and she heard him clear his throat.

"Kylie, stay a few minutes."

Kylie froze, her back still to him. Della, equally wary of the man, leaned in and whispered, "I'll be right outside the door."

Pulling her books closer to her chest, remembering she suspected the tall thirty-something teacher of being a serial killer, she moved back into the room with caution.

"Did I do something wrong?" An image of the three girls, their decomposed bodies in that grave, filled her mind. What kind of evil person did that?