by Kasi Blake
Alec Gallos sat at the desk in his office, a frown on his face as he studied scattered papers. Bay-Lee hesitated in the open doorway. She took a second to glance around, noting that this room was almost an exact replica of Van’s office. The same fireplace stood in the background. There were shelves lined with ancient books. A similar carpet covered the floor and familiar artwork graced the walls. Personal items like a baseball trophy, pictures of family on the mantle, and CDs in a short stack by the window seemed to be the only differences.
Without looking up from his work Alec grunted, “What do you want, Bait?”
Maybe he had eyes on the top of his head, or maybe he’d been expecting a visit from her. She cleared her throat before launching into the speech she’d prepared in the elevator. “I know about the prophecy. Get a few drinks in a hunter and they spill their guts.”
Alec’s weary gaze met hers. “So you know, do you?” He nodded once, a firm nod, and triumph flashed in his eyes. “Good. If I was Van, I would have told you years ago. To be forewarned is to be forearmed.”
“Van did what he thought was best.”
Alec made an indistinguishable noise, something between a snort and a chuckle. “Once he’s made up his mind, no one can change it.”
Bay-Lee crossed the room to stand in front of the teacher’s desk.
She glanced down and saw a paper with an interesting title. Alec was researching the students. She stared at it, reading the text as fast as she could before he snatched it away. Alec Gallos seemed to be researching the dead relatives of every single student at the school. She saw her name with a dash and her mother’s name close after.
Alec swiped it into a drawer.
Not willing to be side-tracked by anything, she said, “Well now that I know about it, I want to talk to Nick. Do you know where he is?”
He looked at her as if she’d started speaking a new language. “Are you insane? You just found out what’s going to happen if the two of you get together and you want to get together to discuss it?”
“I... maybe I missed something. The person who told me was drunk and a little hard to understand. Why don’t you tell me the prophecy word for word? I’m sure you have it memorized.”
“Damn straight.” He came out of his chair, grabbed the cane, and rounded the desk with awkward steps to tower over her. She was tall, but this guy was a skyscraper. “Let me give you the short version. If Nick falls in love with Van Helsing’s daughter, you, the world will be destroyed. That’s the entire world, Bait. Prophecy doesn’t say how he becomes an evil monster, but I imagine you do something stupid that changes him.”
She blinked. “Wait a second. Does the prophecy actually say those words, Van Helsing’s daughter?”
“What?”
“Answer me!” Excitement set her heart to pounding. “Does it say Nick has to fall for Van Helsing’s daughter for things to go bad and for the world to end?”
“Yes. It specifically mentions you.”
Joy filled her heart to the point of bursting. She couldn’t contain the huge smile that wanted to live on her face forever. Feeling giddy, she jumped up and kissed Alec on the cheek without thinking. “Thank you for telling me. Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!”
His eyes narrowed. “What is wrong with you?”
“Where is Nick? Do you know?”
A muscle throbbed to life in the man’s jaw. “Unbelievable! You still want to see him?”
“I don’t have time to explain, but it’s important that I talk to him right away.”
“Well you can’t.” A smug light danced in the teacher’s eyes, a dark contrast to the hard set of his jaw. “He’s gone. He packed his bags this afternoon and left New Zealand. From what he told me, I don’t think he’s coming back.”
Her hopes dashed, she backed out of the office with a heavy heart, sick over what could have been. Numb legs carried her back to the elevator. The thought of never seeing Nick again sent her over the proverbial edge. Gavin’s question from earlier returned to the front of her mind. Would she be willing to give up her plans to become the best hunter—and her revenge—if she could be with Nick?
When he’d asked the question, she hadn’t known the answer. Now it was clear to her. If she could be with Nick, in his arms forever, she’d be willing to give up anything.
