C. Hunter - Reborn

She carefully tucked the image into her pajama pocket. As she went to put the book away, she saw another picture tucked behind the flap in the back. She pulled it out. It was a group of kids, two boys and two girls. The picture was grainy, but when she looked harder she thought it was her father and his twin and two girls. One of them looked like her aunt. She turned the photo over, but no names were written on this one. Slipping the picture back, she put the book up, and was replacing the brandy in the cabinet when the light in the room flashed on.

“Shit!” she muttered and turned, completely shocked that for the second time tonight, someone had walked up on her. What was up with her hearing? She expected, or maybe hoped, it would be Marla again, but her hopes were futile.

Her father, anger in his eyes, stared down at her. “So now you have resorted to stealing your father’s brandy, have you?”

His anger, even his accusation, she could have handled. It was the disappointment in his eyes that had her wanting to take a running dive out the window. She longed to get far away from him and this life she’d once loved but had now lost.

She didn’t. She did what she always did with her parents. She stood up and simply let them think the worst of her, because the truth would have hurt them more.

“You’re here early,” Burnett said, meeting her right after she stepped through the Shadow Falls front gate after being dropped off by her mother. Her mom, who’d not spoken once on the trip. Not that they hadn’t said plenty before they’d left. And not that it was anything new. It was the same ol’ litany.

“Yeah,” she said, not wanting to talk. Or at least not wanting to talk to him. Not only was Burnett the camp leader, but he worked for the FRU—the Fallen Research Unit, a part of the FBI that oversaw the supernatural community. A job Della herself wanted. A job she knew she’d be good at, in spite of how vulnerable she felt right now. She’d already assisted on one job, and waited for another opportunity. So appearing weak in front of Burnett wouldn’t be prudent. She knew who she wanted and needed to see right now—a certain shape-shifter who always said the right thing But chances were, he wasn’t here yet.

“Is something wrong?” Burnett asked, his steps matching her fast and furious pace.

“No,” she lied, not caring if he could hear her heart race to the lie or not. Or hell, maybe her heart was too broken to read. It sure felt like it.

“Della, stop and talk to me,” Burnett said, using his authoritative tone.

“About what?” Della asked, using her pissy tone. She’d kissed ass all weekend, she didn’t have the patience to be interrogated by the camp leader right now.

All of a sudden, Holiday, the other camp leader and Burnett’s wife, came wobbling up, her belly swollen with child. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing’s wrong, I simply want to go to my cabin.”

“You’re here early,” Holiday said.

“Is that a crime? Do you want me to leave and come back in about four hours? I can.”

“No, what we want is for you to tell us what’s wrong,” Burnett seethed.

“There’s not a damn thing wrong,” Della insisted.

“Then why are you crying?” Holiday asked.

Was she crying? She reached up and felt her wet face. “Allergies,” she blurted out.

Burnett moaned in pure frustration. “Don’t lie to—”

“Let’s calm down.” Holiday touched the hard-ass vampire on his forearm. Amazing how one touch from the fae and Burnett cratered. Of course, a fae’s touch could be ultra-persuasive, but Della figured it was more his love for Holiday that kept the man in line than her powers.

“Everything is fine.” Della ground her back teeth when she saw Holiday’s expression of pure empathy. Della hated that look.

“But,” Holiday continued, “if you need anything you know you can call me.” She reached out and rested a hand on Della’s arm. The warmth, the calm flowing from the touch took the edge off Della’s emotions. But not enough. Nothing would take this away.

“Thanks,” she offered, and took off in a dead run before Burnett decided to argue with his pregnant wife. Before Burnett saw even more of Della’s weakness and decided she wasn’t capable of working FRU cases.

“Remember, we’re here if you need…” Holiday’s words became background music to Della as she lit out.

The only thing Della needed was to be left alone. She ran faster, feeling her blood rush as her feet slowly started pulling off the ground and she was half running, half flying. She purposely didn’t speed up to full flight; the thump of her feet on the ground felt like a much-needed release. It didn’t matter that with each slap of her foot to the earth, her head throbbed. And her heart ached more.

Arriving at the fork in the trail that led to her cabin, she chose not to take it. She wasn’t finished expending the pent-up emotions humming inside her. She dropped her backpack beside a tree to claim it later and headed north through the woods, knocking branches and even some limbs away with the backs of her forearms.

She came to the end of the property, and almost jumped the fence, but knowing the alarm would blow and it would bring Burnett nipping at her heels, she turned and headed east. She made the lap around the property twice, and was just about to head back to the trail that led to her cabin when she heard it. The pounding of another set of footsteps. Footsteps that came toward her. Right toward her.

A minuscule amount of relief came with knowing that her hearing was back in working order. She focused in the direction the sound came. She couldn’t see the owner of those footsteps due to the thicket of trees. She lifted her nose in the air ever so slightly. The scent was vampire. But not a Shadow Falls vampire. She would have recognized it if it was.

Had she happened upon an intruder? Some rogue vamp out to cause trouble for Shadow Falls? Instantly feeling territorial to protect the only home she had, she felt her fangs lower. The thought of facing some scumbag sent a thrill through her. In her mood, it would feel so good to kick someone’s butt. Especially someone’s butt she didn’t have to feel guilty for kicking.

The sounds of the footsteps faltered. Had they heard her? Smelled her? When the sound of steps suddenly faded as if they ran from her instead of in her direction, she knew she’d been right.

“Run as fast you can,” she muttered. “It’ll just make it more fun. But I will catch you!” She went into full vamp mode, flying over the tops of the trees to catch her prey. While running used muscles, flying used a different kind of energy. Every muscle in her body had to be clenched and focused.

The terrain below her became a blur at the breakneck speed she moved.

All of a sudden, she realized the intruder had stopped running and had gone into hiding. Was the vamp stupid? Did the rogue not know she was vampire and could sniff him out? She landed at a clearing by the lake. The scent came from the woods, just behind the trees.

The thought occurred to her that Burnett should be storming in any second. The rogue had to have jumped the gate. The alarm was no doubt blaring.

She only hoped she got first dibs on the intruder, maybe even had the problem completely contained before the camp leader showed up. After being caught crying, she’d like to prove she wasn’t a wimp to Burnett. Prove she was capable to assist with other cases.

“I can smell you,” she called out. “Just come out and make it easy on yourself.” See, she was fair. “Or don’t come out. And I’ll come in and get your ass.”

She stepped closer to the line of trees, watching, waiting for an attack.

She could swear she heard a twig snap. She started forward, letting her nose guide her. The closer she got, the vamp’s aroma became familiar. Not … a Shadow Falls member, but this wasn’t the first time she’d inhaled this certain scent. She had his scent in her sensory bank. A feeling of leeriness pulled at her chest. A sensation that wherever, whenever, she’d come across this vampire before, it hadn’t been good.