burnett continued, "he said he was getting on the next flight available back to texas. it may be thursday before he arrives."

kylie got tears in her eyes. "it's really going to happen, isn't it? i'm finally going to get my answers." she still felt fear, but less than before. she needed her answers. deserved them.

"it looks like it," burnett said.

kylie jumped up, stopping herself just before she wrapped her arms around him. "may i hug you?"

he grinned and grimaced at the same time. "make it quick."

she did. when she backed up, holiday watched with tears in her eyes.

burnett nodded at holiday. "and this is for you." he pulled out another envelope and handed it to her.

"what is it?" holiday asked, sounding unsure.

"it's a donation to help cover future costs for shadow falls ... and my resignation."

holiday stiffened. "that's what you want?" she sounded so hurt that kylie's heart gripped.

"it's what you want," he said.

"i didn't ask you to resign."

"the hell you didn't!"

"should i leave?" kylie asked.

but no one was listening to her, and burnett was blocking the door.

"hello?" kylie said, but they were too busy staring daggers at each other to pay attention to her.

"i said, if you couldn't understand my not letting kylie go in for tests by the fru, then you'd best leave."

"because you don't need me anymore now that you have other investors lined up, right?" burnett sounded hurt.

"what investors?" holiday asked.

"don't lie to me, holiday! i saw the file. you have four possible investors waiting in the wings."

"you went through my desk?"

"i wasn't snooping! i had to pay the bills while you were away, remember?"

"well, next time you go rummaging in my desk, you should read the dates on the paperwork!" she went to her desk, opened her drawer, and tossed the file at him.

"what's that supposed to mean?"

"i didn't find these people just now. i found them before you signed on."

he stared at her in growing confusion. "you said the only reason you chose me was because you didn't have anyone else."

"i didn't say that. you assumed it."

burnett stared at holiday. "are you saying you chose me over these other people?" he moved closer, leaving a slight opening to the office door.

"i'm gonna just slip out now." kylie took a step forward.

they ignored her. and kylie hesitated for just a second.

"so you care about me," burnett grumbled. "why the hell can't you admit it, holiday?"

"hiring you was a business decision, burnett."

"bullshit!" burnett said. "each one of them has more money than i do."

"a business decision, not a financial one."

"is that why you kissed me?" he demanded.

"i did no such thing. you kissed me."

"and you enjoyed it!"

"i'm out of here." kylie eased around burnett and walked out, but she carried with her a smile and a lot of hope. she was pretty sure burnett wasn't quitting now. and in two days, she would have answers from her grandfather malcolm. god, she hoped it was true.

"hey." derek met her on the porch.

"hey," she said, still smiling.

he stopped, obviously hearing burnett and holiday bickering in the office. "is everything okay?"

kylie chuckled. "they're arguing. so it's pretty much back to normal now."

"better than when they weren't talking to each other."

"my thoughts exactly," kylie said.

derek studied her. "can we talk?" he motioned to the two rocking chairs.

"sure."

she sat in the first chair. he took the other. for a second, she got the image of them here before. of him moving in and kissing her while she reclined in the chair.

she pushed that image away. they weren't kissing now. they were just talking. two friends, talking.

he started to speak, but then his eyes widened. "you got good news?"

she grinned, knowing he'd read her mood. "my real grandfather is coming to see me in a few days."

"damn!" his eyes filled with contentment for her. "you'll finally get your answers. kylie galen will know what she is. no more mystery."

"i hope so." an odd thought hit: what would her life be like when her quest changed? a wash of cold moved in behind her. she glanced back and just as quickly turned back around.

"i heard about your grandmother," derek said. "and the rogue vampire. he really sacrificed himself for you?"

"yeah." her emotions took a nosedive. "all i saw in him was evil, derek. but it wasn't true."

"it wasn't just you," he said. "that's what i saw, too. so i get how that makes you feel."

she sighed. that was the thing about derek. he always understood her feelings.

"thanks." someone walked past, and for a crazy second she thought it was ellie. but of course, it wasn't.

"i miss her, too," derek said, reading her again.

kylie looked up toward the sky. "sometimes, i just wish heaven wasn't so far away."

things grew quiet. when she looked back, derek was staring at her. staring at her the way the old derek used to stare. the gold flecks in his eyes brightened against his green irises. she felt the world go fairy tale around her, and she noticed things. things like how his shoulders looked like a soft place to rest her head.

"you were right, you know."

"right about what?" she asked.

"me pushing you away. it was the stupidest thing i've ever done. then the mistake with ellie, i ... messed up, kylie, and it hurt you. i'm sorry. so damn sorry."

"that's history," she said, and another silence fell upon them.

"i talked to holiday," he whispered.

his soft-spoken words had kylie realizing that holiday and burnett weren't arguing anymore. were they busy doing something else?

"talked to holiday about what?" she asked.

"about why i was feeling supercharged emotions around you."

kylie bit down on her lip. she didn't need to know this now, did she?

derek sensed her feelings. "i'm not expecting you to do anything. i just want you to know."

"know what?"

he hesitated. "holiday said that sometimes, when a fae really cares about someone, their emotions can become blown out of proportion. most times, the problem goes away after they accept their feelings. so that's what i'm doing. accepting it."

she opened her mouth to speak but didn't have a clue what to say.

he cupped his jeans-covered knees in his hands. they were jeans that fit him really well, too.

"i'm in love with you, kylie." he looked almost embarrassed by the admission. he jumped up, took one step away, then swung around and faced her again. "i don't expect you to say it back, and i don't think this will change your mind about anything. but you deserved to know. and i needed to tell you because ... i've never felt this way before-for anyone."

kylie sat there, his words running around her head, feeling ... okay, what did she feel, exactly? first was confusion. then came fear. derek loved her. her heart tightened.

she glanced up into his eyes and saw he was reading her emotions. every one of them.

"i should leave now," he said, but he leaned down and pressed the quickest of kisses on her cheek. it reminded her of how perry had kissed miranda that night in the parking lot. romantic. sweet.

she just watched him leave. then she fell back in the rocker and tried to decipher the emotions swelling in her chest.

"how can everything feel so right and yet wrong at the same time?" she muttered.

"life's weird like that." the rocker beside her, the one derek had just left, creaked slightly.

kylie glanced over at the reclined spirit and frowned. "things aren't going to get any easier, are they."

the spirit chose not to answer.

"look," kylie said, and pulled her knees up in the chair. "i don't have a lot of rules. but i told you, you're gonna have to do something about that face."

the ghost's face magically started healing, becoming normal. kylie gasped. it wasn't seeing it happen that shocked her; it was the face. she recognized it.

"god, no."

the ghost disappeared. kylie shot up to go find holiday when another voice spoke behind her.

"kylie?"

recognizing daniel's voice, she swung around. "daddy," she said, and hugged him.

his cold arms came around her. when she pulled back, she saw he had tears in his eyes.

"that's the first time you called me that."

"i guess it just took me a while," she said.

he smiled and touched her face. "i met my real mother for the first time. she sure was proud of her granddaughter."

"she seemed sweet. she loved you so much."

"i know," he said. suddenly he faded a bit. "i don't have much time, kylie. but i found the answer you wanted."

"what answer?" she asked, scared to believe.

"what we are. my mother finally remembered."

"and?" kylie held her breath.

"we're chameleons."

kylie shook her head as she tried to grasp what he meant. "we're lizards? what does that mean?"

he faded a bit more. "i don't know."

"we can change our patterns. is that what it means?" she asked.

"i have no more answers," he said. "but soon. soon we will discover this together."

"together?" she asked.

he nodded, and the cold and what vapor was left of his visual spirit faded even more.

"i'm going to die?" she asked as the icy tremors prickled her skin.

he didn't have the chance to answer, but she could swear she saw him shake his head. or maybe it was just wishful thinking.

she stood there on the porch, trying to breathe, trying to come to terms with what she had learned. she was a chameleon. she might be about to die. and ... she remembered the face of the ghost-the one who showed up before her father. she might not be the only one who was going to die.

"holiday?" kylie called out as she stormed back into the office.

life really wasn't going to get any easier.