Bait

by Kasi Blake

She raced down the stairs to the living room as soon as she got home, steaming mad. Of course she could take care of herself and find her own way home. That wasn’t the point. What bothered her was how the jerk left her stranded in the middle of nowhere. It was the principal of the thing.

  She went into the living room, mouth open and ready to dump a pile of mental garbage onto Connor. He would be upset to hear she’d crossed over, but someone was bound to tell him sooner or later anyway. It would be better coming from her. Then she needed to call Gavin and explain why she’d missed the party. She didn’t want him to worry.

  Not a single word made it past her lips because they had an unexpected guest. Even though he was sitting in a chair, back to her, Bay-Lee recognized him on sight. It was a rare occasion for Statler Van Helsing to leave the sanctuary of his castle to make a house call. Something had to be wrong, terribly wrong. Had he found out about her trip to the Realm already?

  When Connor looked up from his place on the couch, staring at her like a deer caught in headlights, Van realized she was standing behind him. He stood. Warm brown eyes hidden behind silver-rimmed glasses took in her appearance. A half-smile touched his lips. “Bay-Lee, I am pleased to find you looking so well.”

  She wished she could say the same. Dark smudges underlined his sunken eyes, and he’d aged about ten years in three months. At least his wardrobe remained consistent, a grey suit with a classic blue tie. He started to raise a hand and cross the room to shake hers, but stopped himself after two steps. Their meetings were always awkward, neither of them knowing what to say or do.

  Van spread his arms. For a moment it seemed he would embrace her. After another hesitation, he patted her between the shoulder blades instead. His smile turned to a pained grimace. “It’s been far too long. Good to see you, little one.”

  “What are you doing here?” she asked.

  “Gather your belongings. As of today you are the newest member of the Academy.”

  “W-what?” She sputtered, “W-why? I thought you didn’t want me there for at least another year?”

  He cleared his throat before saying, “A situation has arisen. The truce has been broken and several hunters have died in the past few months. Although they deny it, the Order has broken the treaty. It will be safer for you at the Academy.”

  “What about Av—”

  “My people are watching her, so there is no need to trouble yourself over the matter.”

  “I’m not worried about facing danger if you still need me on the outside. I can handle it.”

  “Go upstairs and grab your duffel.” His brittle tone warned her not to argue. “You have already gone above and beyond.”

  She turned to her uncle, hopeful. “Are you coming with us?”

  Connor presented her with a wistful smile and a semi-shrug. “I have another assignment, kid.”

  “Oh. I guess...”

  “I’ll miss you too.” Connor played the tough guy as usual, unwilling or unable to expose his heart. Standing straight and unbendable like a metal beam, he said, “Better hurry up and go pack. Van’s jet is waiting.”

  “You’ll call me?”

  “Every chance I get.”

  She hesitated in leaving the living room. There were things she wanted to say to her uncle, but the words wouldn’t come, especially not with Van standing there. Over the years she and Connor had reached a silent understanding. Neither of them believed in emotional scenes. Now she had to say goodbye to her surrogate father in front of a third party. Van’s presence made it so much worse. “I’m sorry about what I said earlier.”

  Connor moved closer and cupped her face between callused hands. “If you need anything and I mean anything, you’ve got my number.” His mouth briefly touched her forehead. “I want you to know something, Bay. Pretending to be your dad has been an honor and a privilege. If I had a child of my own, I would want them to be exactly like you.”

  “You’ve been an awesome pretend dad.” She wrapped her arms around his waist for a quick hug. His hands briefly touched her back before pushing her away.

  He jerked his chin at the doorway. “Go get your things before we start bawling like a couple of babies.”

  Bay-Lee left the room, but she stopped as soon as she made it out of view. This was a trick she’d learned long ago. It was smart to linger so that if people were going to talk about you or finish a secret conversation, they would do it the second you left.

  “Was it your idea to kill off Tyler?” Connor asked.

  “He was caught on videotape surrounded by bodies with the bloody sword still in his hands. What was I supposed to do?”

  “He and the boys had the best cover job ever. They’ve killed more vampires than all the rest of us put together. It’s a shame to lose them.”

  Van’s voice lowered, barely audible. “He left me no choice.”

  “Is Nick at the school then? How are you going to keep them apart?”

  “Trust me. I know what I’m doing.”

  Connor sighed loud enough for her to catch it on the other side of the wall. “God help me, when I heard he was dead, for a moment I actually hoped it was true. Then at least Bay-Lee would be safe.”

  “Trust me,” Van repeated.

  Connor changed the subject.

  “How much trouble is she in? I mean if things are bad, maybe I should just take her and hit the road. I can hide her. God knows I’ve been doing it long enough.”

  “Not necessary.” Van cleared his throat before adding, “She’ll be safest at the school.”

  “Are you sure the Order is behind this? They’ve been good about sticking to the treaty for years. Why would they risk blowing it now? They can’t win a war against us. We outnumber them, and they can’t get along with each other long enough to agree on anything.”

  “Maybe that is why they are attacking covertly. If we can’t prove it’s them, we can’t do anything about it. If they kill enough of us, they can shift the numbers in their favor.”

  “Were there clues at any of the crime scenes?”

  “We only know one thing for certain. The hunters died on their birthdays.”

  The blood drained from Bay-Lee’s face and pooled in the bottom of her stomach. The reaper’s warning returned with startling clarity. It kills you on your birthday.

  Could this be what it meant?

  Should she march back into the living room and tell them about her midnight visitor?

  They would both be furious with her for keeping the secret this long. She didn’t want to leave Connor with an argument ringing in her ears. He was the owner of a terrible temper. He’d say things he didn’t mean, and it would be impossible to make up with him when she was in another country. She’d wait until she was safely at school. Then she’d tell Van. That would work.

  Van would understand... she hoped.

  Chapter Five

  VAN HELSING ACADEMY