by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee held a bag of ice against her bruised shoulder as she crossed the dimly lit cafeteria. The only light came from a bulb behind the counter so there were a multitude of dark shadows. She tried not to notice. Hair tucked into a ponytail with a few stray strands hanging down in her face, she was dressed for bed. Her pajamas consisted of a blue tank and a cute pair of floral shorts. At least she’d gotten rid of the bunny pajamas. She felt weird walking around in public areas in her night clothes, but Tessa insisted everyone did it.
Bay-Lee hoped to hurry back to her room before running into another student. She didn’t even make it out of the cafeteria. A noise stopped her cold in the center of the room. It was a slight sound, barely audible. She strained her ears and slowed her breathing in an effort to hear.
Was someone crying?
“Hello?” she called out. The quiet sobbing seemed to be coming from the kitchen area. She took a few steps in that direction and spoke again in a soft voice, hoping not to scare or embarrass the person. “Are you okay? Do you need help?”
A cheerful voice assaulted her ears from behind instead. “Hey, New-girl, heard you got your butt kicked today.”
Startled, her heart beat quickened, and she almost jumped out of her own skin. Too annoyed to smile in greeting, she glared at Keisha. “You heard wrong. Nick was showing me how to spar, and I got in a few good hits.”
“That’s nice.” Keisha’s frozen smile told Bay-Lee she didn’t really think it was nice at all.
Bay-Lee gestured to the kitchen. “I think I heard someone crying.”
Keisha hurried into the kitchen, returning in a flash with a skeptical look on her face. “No one is in there. Anyway, you are one lucky girl. Do you know why you’re a lucky girl?”
Bay-Lee shrugged; then winced as pain shot through her shoulder. “Because I’m still alive?”
“I’m going to help you with your secret quest, and don’t tell me there isn’t one. I’ve been watching you. You’re working on something. What is it?”
Bay-Lee hesitated. Trust didn’t come easy for her, and Keisha didn’t even try to hide the fact she was extremely competitive. She could dig up the truth herself or wait until Bay-Lee did it before stealing the thunder. She could take the credit while Bay-Lee remained stuck as Bait.
But it would be nice to have someone to run theories by.
After a lengthy pause Bay-Lee said, “Something is killing hunters on their birthdays.”
“Yeah. I know.” Grinning from ear to ear, Keisha admitted, “I have spies everywhere, even in the boardroom.”
“I’m going to solve the mystery before anyone else does.”
“Gotcha. You want to move up in rank. Smart girl.” Keisha’s fingers slid along the back of a nearby chair. “So how are you going to figure it out, Nancy Drew?”
“Well, I think I’ll hit the library and do some research. Maybe I’ll take a trip to the other side and do some trading. If you offer the right creature the right payment, you can find out anything. Then I can lay a trap for it, whatever it is.”
“Count me in,” Keisha said.
“Thanks, but I can handle it myself.”
“Hey, girl, there’s plenty of credit to go around. Don’t be stingy. Something like this can move us both up in rank. Let me help you.” Golden eyes twinkled. “Please.”
Bay-Lee sighed, and the bag of ice slipped in her hand. She caught it before it fell. “You can help as long as we do it my way.”
“Whatever you say.” The other girl smiled again, smug. “Now I want to talk about your love life.”
“No love life. No boys. No time.”
“What are you, a nun?”
“When a girl falls for a guy, she only thinks about him, and I need to concentrate on hunting. There will be time for boys later.”
“What about Nick? I couldn’t help but notice how interested you are in him. When he’s in the room, your eyes are all over him.”
“I’m only interested in him for his mentoring skills.”
“Right.” Keisha snorted. “My advice? If you want him, go get him. Nick loves strong, confident women.” She lowered her voice as if revealing a secret. “I know for a fact he was impressed when you threw him against the wall the other day and told him what’s what. Keep acting like that and he’s all yours.”
Bay-Lee’s eyes narrowed. “Why are you telling me this? Everyone around here has made it clear they want Nick to stay away from me. Why would you give me advice on how to snag him?”
“Matchmaking is in my blood.” Keisha looked bored. “If you want him, go get him. On the other hand, if you don’t want Nick, I have the perfect boy for you.”
“I do not want to date right now. There is no way I’m hooking up with a boy until I’m a Hunter.”
“But I have the perfect guy for you.”
“Stop saying that. Read my lips. I don’t want a boyfriend.”
“You’ll want this one.”
Bay-Lee groaned in frustration. “For the last time, I do not want to meet some stupid boy just because you think I’ll like him! You can trust me when I say I won’t like him. In fact, I’ll hate him.”
Unmoved by the outburst, Keisha laughed. “You are going to be so happy, girl. I can’t wait to see your face when you see his.”
Bay-Lee pushed past Keisha and stormed down the hallway to the elevator. The bag of ice popped open, and it rained cubes on the floor. She bent over to get them, but pain shot up her spine. Feeling a hundred years old, she straightened her back with a groan. The ice would just have to stay on the floor until it melted.
On her way to the fourth floor she didn’t see another person. Maybe her luck was changing. She held the remaining ice cubes against her shoulder and walked faster. Hopefully, Tessa was asleep. Bay-Lee didn’t want to talk to anyone. She wondered if Nick was in pain too. A spark of joy lifted her spirits.
Hand on the doorknob, she froze again when the distinct sound of quiet sobbing reached out to her in the dimly lit hallway. A chill went up her spine. Someone had to be playing a joke on her, or maybe they were trying to force her to have a Freshman Meltdown. It wasn’t going to work.
Bay-Lee couldn’t get inside of her room. Something was blocking the way. She didn’t want to further injure her shoulder, so she carefully pressed her entire body against the door and pushed hard. There was an arm on the carpet, and attached to the arm was a body. Feeling like she was moving in slow motion with the audio on mute, Bay-Lee pushed her way into the room and knelt beside the prone girl.
Tessa was on the floor, eyes wide and lifeless. The hilt of Bay-Lee’s dagger protruded from the girl’s chest. Blood splatter formed a wicked design on the cot and part of the wall. She didn’t have to check for a pulse to know the girl was dead. It was obvious.
Quaking from head to toe, the enormity of the situation hit her hard. Her mouth opened without warning and she screamed.
Strong arms enveloped her from behind, pulling her to her feet without warning. Panic hit her. She was being attacked by the same person who’d killed Tessa. She screamed again. Nick spun her around so she could see his face. He pulled her close. Her cheek pressed against his warm body, and he whispered soothing words as Mike rushed past them.
Mike’s knees hit the floor. His fingers searched Tessa’s neck for a pulse, but Bay-Lee knew he wouldn’t find it. Tessa was gone.
The comforting feel of Nick’s arms turned grief to anger. Since her mother’s death she’d been alone, coping by herself. When she got hurt, no one held her. Connor had worked hard to make her strong, giving her confidence and purpose. He hadn’t coddled her, not even when she was little. She wasn’t weak and didn’t need a savior.
“Let me go!” She pushed against Nick’s chest.
He held her tighter, hands gripping her upper arms. “It’s okay.”
“No! Let me go right now!” She didn’t want his help. She didn’t
need his help. So what if her roommate was dead? So what if the only real friend she’d ever had was gone? Bay-Lee thumped a fist against his chest.
Her eyes remained dry. Crying seemed a physical impossibility for her these days. A dagger through the arm couldn’t illicit a tear at this point. She hit him again and again and again. “Why? Why did this happen? Why would anyone want to kill Tessa?”
Nick held her shoulders in an iron grasp. The physical blows to his upper body didn’t seem to hurt him in the slightest. “I don’t know,” he said. “But we’ll find out and they’ll pay for it. I promise you.”
“No!” She hit him harder. “Don’t you dare promise me anything! I don’t want you. I don’t need you. Do you understand me?”
He nodded, mouth tight, but he wouldn’t let her go.
She hit him with the flat of her hands. When she ran out of steam and couldn’t hit him one more time, he gathered her into his arms. Her feet left the ground. He swung her up high and cradled her against his solid chest as dizziness threatened to overcome her. She buried her face in the side of his throat. Squeezing her eyes shut, she prayed this was just a bad dream.
“What are you going to do with her?” she heard Mike ask.
“Take her to her father.”
“I’ll take her,” Mike offered. There was an odd hitch in his voice. Even now, her dead roommate on the floor, he didn’t want Nick to be alone with her.
“Don’t mess with me, Michael, just do as I say. Get security up here. We have a killer in the school. If they aren’t found soon, someone else might die.”
“Yes, sir.”
Nick carried her out of the room, down the hallway to the elevator, and held her close all the way to the bottom floor. Numb now, she didn’t struggle. She didn’t utter a word of protest as he carried her across acres of lawn, pebbles, and rocky steps to Van’s castle. Shock took up residence in her body. She didn’t have the strength to talk. Her mind went on a long, fruitless journey.
At some point she was certain she felt his cool lips on the top of her head, a brief kiss, but she must have imagined it. Nick Gallos hated her. She’d ruined his life by being born. A hysterical bubble of laughter clawed its way up her throat.
Chapter Eleven
LINES IN THE SAND
