I used to think that once we started going out, Derek would change. When I admitted that to Tori, she nearly laughed herself into an aneurysm and gave me a lecture on the stupidity of expecting to change a guy. Maybe I didn’t have her dating experience, but I knew you didn’t go out with someone because you thought you’d change him. That wasn’t what I’d meant. I liked Derek the way he was. I’d just hoped getting closer would mean landing on the sharp side of his tongue less often.

He was trying to tell me something."Derek snorted. "Aren’t they all? Must be a rule in the ghost handbook—if in danger of evaporating, make sure you’re in the middle of a dire pronouncement.

Oh, my God! It's a killer Pomeranian." I glanced up at Derek. "It's a tough call, but I think you can take him.

"I'm staying here," I whispered down. "I'll keep an aerial eye out for trouble.""I'm coming with you," Chloe said.Derek tried to stop her. She said it made sense for her to be in the trees with me in case of a ground attack, and that convinced him. Not that it mattered, I think—she'd have done what she wanted. She obviously didn't take his crap. Still, it would drive me crazy, constantly needing to remind my boyfriend that I could handle myself just fine. My brother was bad enough.

“Chloe isn’t flirting with that guy,” Simon said. “Course not.”“I mean it. She’s—” I glanced back at him. “I’m not blind. She’s only paying enough attention to him to be polite. He’s the one flirting, which is bugging her and that’s why I’m pissed off. She’s trying to eat her fries and he’s interrupting.” Simon chuckled.

"I'll carry him. We can't leave drag marks or anything, and we'll need to bury him right away, so no dogs find him.""Bury who?" said a voice beside me.I jumped so high, my heart rammed into my throat. "Chloe?" Derek said again. "It's L-Liam. His ghost." Liam stopped. "Ghost?" He looked at me, then at his body, on the ground. He swore.

"I don't suppose you remember where you left your clothing," Daniel murmured to me.Chloe gave a soft laugh. "That's always the problem, isn't it? Okay then. You two go find that. We'll meet you here. Hopefully everyone will be in human form." A wry smile. "Though I'll warn you, he's not a whole lot more pleasant that way. At least as a wolf, he can't talk." The wolf growled, but she only laughed and gave him a pat, then tugged him away as we went to retrieve my clothing.

When Derek hesitated, Chloe said, "If you leave, either I go with you and take the same risk or stay here, with strangers. Without you." He scowled at her. "Yes, it's a low blow," she said. "But I'll use whatever works right now."

Seeing me shivering, he stretched a front leg toward the sweatshirt, pawing the edge and snarling when he realized he couldn't grab it. "The lack of opposable thumbs is going to take some getting used to, huh?"