by Kasi Blake
Unable to put off her talk with Van any longer, Bay-Lee took the elevator to the penthouse when most students were either busy eating lunch or working in the library. This conversation needed to be completely private. The elevator let her out in a luxurious apartment-type setting. She walked across thick gold and brown multicolored carpet. A long wall of windows beckoned. Instead of searching for Van’s office, she went to the windows and gazed out at the beautiful New Zealand countryside.
It was breathtaking. She saw the tip of Van’s stone castle in the distance, the ice blue lake, and acres upon acres of rain forest. The trees stretched high, reaching for the sky and everything was vivid green in color. From her vantage point she could see over them to the mountains in the distance. Now she knew why the Van Helsings had chosen to build their school here.
A raised voice interrupted her quiet contemplation, floating through an open doorway that obviously led to Van’s office. She would have left or at least let them know she was there, but they were talking about Nick. Curious, she drew closer to the door and listened while covertly peeking around the doorframe to see Nick’s friend Mike Keebler pacing in front of Van’s desk, clearly agitated.
“You don’t understand,” he said. “I’m not saying it would be nice if you brought Tyler back from the dead. I’m saying you have to bring him back. If you don’t, Nick will die.”
“Aren’t you being a bit dramatic?” Van sounded tired.
“Being Tyler is like a vacation for Nick, a break from his crappy life. He’s a different person when we’re on the road. You wouldn’t recognize him. He smiles and laughs and there’s a peace that comes over him that most hunters never find. Playing a rock star saved Nick’s life. If he doesn’t have Tyler, he will literally go insane.”
“There’s nothing I can do.”
“You’re the man. You can do anything and we both know it.” Mike’s voice grew more desperate and louder by the second. “Don’t punish him for disobeying an order and taking the vampires on by himself. Before you gave him the identity of Tyler Beck, he was hopelessly reckless at the best of times. He was walking a tightrope. You can’t deny his compulsive need to kill monsters at any cost would have eventually gotten him killed. He was reckless pre-Tyler. Now I’m afraid he’s going to turn suicidal or homicidal or both.”
Bay-Lee considered his argument for Tyler’s return. It sounded like Nick was worse off than she’d originally thought. She felt bad for him.
Van, on the other hand, appeared unmoved by the plea for help. In a dry voice he said, “Try to understand my position. My first duty is to keep this school, the hunters in my care, and the very fact that monsters exist a secret. I keep all of you off the radar. If the news leaks out, we’ll have world-wide panic. Nick brought this on himself. He was careless and got caught, and there’s a bloody videotape floating around. Not even I can erase the visual, him brandishing a bloody sword, from the minds of the public.”
“Maybe you could produce experts to say the tape’s a fake,” Mike argued. “You could make it look like a set-up. There are already over a million people out there wanting to believe their favorite rock star is innocent. Give them that. They won’t question it.”
“The authorities will. If I do as you are suggesting, some snoopy reporter will dig deep and uncover our secrets. We can’t risk it, not even for Nick. Tyler is dead. He needs to get over it and move on.”
“How? You know he’s broken inside. People stare at him, waiting for him to come unhinged. He needs to get out of here.”
“I agree. Convince him to return to the Spirit Realm. He can be of use over there. You both can.”
Bay-Lee’s stomach twisted into painful knots at the thought of Nick leaving.
“Sending him to war is not the answer,” Mike said. “He shouldn’t be anywhere near weapons right now. I am begging you to reconsider. At least think about resurrecting Tyler.”
There was a long pause. Bay-Lee peeked around the corner again to see if they’d left the room via another exit. Van was still sitting at his desk, and Mike was on the other side of the room, hands on hips. He stared at Van with desperation in his eyes. He waited for Van to give him an answer while the older man leafed through a folder of papers.
“Get out of my office,” Van said in a quiet voice. “Our conversation is at an end.”
Bay-Lee hid behind a tall potted plant as Mike crossed the lobby with a quick, angry stride, and she didn’t move until she saw the top of his head disappear in the lowering elevator. Her chest began to burn. She realized she was holding her breath. Slowly, she let it out while counting to ten. Then she would make her presence known.
Van’s thundering voice caught her off guard. “Are you going to stand out there all night pretending you weren’t listening?”
Oops. She reluctantly went inside. His office was an explosion of expensive paintings, tapestries, and antiques. The stuff on the fireplace alone could probably feed a family of four for over fifty years. She sat in the soft leather chair across from his massive desk. Her hands absently caressed the arms, enjoying the creamy feel of the soft leather.
Van was sitting in a chair with a tall back. He leaned forward and rifled through loose papers without even glancing up at her. “What can I do for you?”
“You can force Nick Gallos to mentor me.”
Van’s entire body froze. After a tension-filled moment he resumed his search. His silver-rimmed glasses slid down a notch. While pushing them up with one finger, he asked, “Didn’t Keisha have a word with you? She’s agreed to be your mentor until I can find a suitable replacement.”
“So I heard. Problem is Keisha is not the best. I asked around and Nick Gallos is the best. I want him.”
“I am afraid that is entirely out of the question.”
“Why?” She sat still, afraid to move and distract him from giving her an answer. Within seconds she realized Van had no intention of saying another word on the subject. “You owe me, remember? You promised me the best training possible. You swore I could write my own ticket, whatever I wanted. Were you lying to me?”
His gaze lifted, irritation written all over his face. “Not at all. I plan to keep my promise.”
Finally, they were getting somewhere. “Then make Nick be my mentor. I was trained by you and by Connor. Now I want Nick. After I’ve learned everything he has to teach me, maybe I’ll want Keisha. Or maybe I’ll want someone else to step in, but for now he’s the one I choose.”
Van sighed. He rose from his desk and walked around it, stopping momentarily to straighten a painting. His voice sounded far away when he spoke again. “There are things you don’t know about that young man, terrible things.”
Like what? She almost asked but didn’t want to lead the conversation in a new direction. “I don’t care if he’s a drug-addicted, certifiably insane, homicidal jerk who kicks puppies for sport. Unless you can give me a good reason for not training with him, he’s the one I want.”
“Please stop saying that.” He looked worn out like a man who’d gone without sleep for months. He pushed fingers beneath his glasses and pinched the bridge of his nose while squeezing his eyes shut.
“What’s wrong? Do you think I want him as a boyfriend?” She scoffed. “You know me better than that. All I care about is hunting and killing the werewolf pack. You know which one. I’m not looking for a love connection. If I wanted a boyfriend, he’s the last one I would pick.”
Van sat in the chair next to the one she was currently occupying and took her stiff hand between both of his. Meeting her gaze head on, he tried to explain his position without telling her anything of real importance. It was the Van Helsing way.
“I watched you grow from a tiny thing with pigtails to an independent young woman with endless potential. There is no doubt in my mind you will make Warrior in record time. I just don’t...” His voice trailed off.
“What? D
on’t trust me?”
He rubbed his eyes as if he had an enormous headache. “Of course I trust you, little one. It’s just...” He sighed before giving in. “Keep it strictly business, at least. Promise me you won’t spend a second with him that isn’t absolutely necessary. Swear to me you won’t talk to him about personal matters, befriend him, or tell him your secrets. If you promise to hate every second spent in his company, I will order him to mentor you.”
Van wasn’t worried about her. He was afraid Nick would uncover their secret. To put his mind at ease she said, “I will hate every single second I spend with him, and I won’t tell him anything.”
“Thank you.” Van vacated the chair in favor of his desk. When she didn’t immediately leave he asked, “Is there something else?”
Nick had warned her not to say anything to Van. She hesitated before blurting out, “My roommate saw her dead mom in the bathroom.”
“Tessa Gerard? That child is a bit high-strung, isn’t she? Did anyone else see this apparition?”
“She was alone.” Bay-Lee stood. “But I believe her.”
“Good.” Van smiled. “I’m happy to see you making new friends.”
Bay-Lee wondered why their conversations always turned awkward. They circled around topics of importance while shying away from anything to do with feelings. She’d spent every summer since her ninth birthday with this man, yet he felt like a total stranger to her. “Is it possible she saw a death omen?”
“Well, I see you’ve slipped into your new roll as student quite nicely. I assume you were in Maxx’s class today?”
“You know I was. You probably have my entire schedule memorized.”
He flushed, guilty. “Perhaps.”
“Do you think it’s possible she saw her mother’s ghost?”
“Anything is possible. I put spells on the building to keep them out, but there is always a way if someone wants it badly enough. For every spell out there there is an anti spell to undo it. Did her mother give her a warning?”
“The ghost didn’t have time to say anything. Tessa came unglued and ran screaming into the hallway.”
Van sighed. “She’s fifth generation, you know, but I’ve always had my doubts about her, various reasons.” When he saw the frown on Bay-Lee’s face, he added, “Tell her if she sees her mother again, I want her to stand still and listen. It could save her life. We haven’t had a death apparition here in years. It’s never a good sign.”
“What happened last time?”
“The student wrote about it in her diary but didn’t bother to tell anyone. She died the next day, accidental drowning.”
Remembering her conversation with Nick, she asked, “You don’t think Tessa was suffering a Freshman Meltdown, do you?”
“Do you?” He stared at her, gauging her reaction. “You know her better than I.”
“I believe she saw her mother’s ghost.”
“And I believe you have good instincts. If you need anything else, day or night, you know where to find me.”
“Do you trust Alec Gallos?”
The abruptness of the question seemed to catch him off guard. He frowned at her before saying, “I do. Why?”
“I have a bad feeling about him.”
“I’ve known Alec his entire life. He comes from one of our best families.”
Maybe she was wrong about the guy. “Is there a reason for him to be meeting with a vampire in the woods then?”
Van didn’t answer, but she saw his jaw tighten.
Bay-Lee headed for the door, and Van returned to his work. She stopped in the doorway and slowly turned, another question on her tongue. If she was smart, she’d leave without pushing it. She’d gotten Van to agree to give her Nick as a mentor. He could change his mind if she showed any real curiosity about the angry boy with the incredible eyes, but she had to ask. “Is it true Nick Gallos has been living with you since he was a kid?”
Van swallowed. “It’s true.”
“But I never saw him when I visited.”
“I always made certain he was in another country.”
“Why?”
“A tale for another time. Just remember your promise to me and keep it strictly business. I don’t want you to get hurt.”
Her heart grew heavy. Van was genuinely worried about her being around Nick Gallos. Could he actually be dangerous?
Before leaving she smiled and put his mind at ease. “Don’t worry about our deal. I’ll keep to it. I won’t tell anyone I’m not really your daughter.”
Chapter Ten
A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH
