by Kasi Blake
Bay-Lee raced into Nick’s bedroom without the courtesy of knocking. Panic pushed her forward. The room was empty, bed unmade, dresser drawers open and barren. In a desperate move she ran to the window and looked down, searching for his new sports car. It was gone.
He was gone.
Deflated like an old balloon, Bay-Lee retraced her steps through the castle. She hadn’t felt this bad since her mom died, and her heart was weighed down by grief. Tears pricked the backs of her eyes as an internal monologue began, accusing. The other voice scolded her for being so stupid. She should have declared her feelings for Nick a long time ago. If she’d told him, at least she’d know if he felt the same way. Now she was left to wonder what would have happened.
She was halfway across the foyer when the front door snapped open. The surprise on Nick’s face mirrored hers. He mumbled something about forgetting his wallet as he avoided her gaze. She launched herself into his arms like a heat-seeking missile. His arms caught her, but he immediately tried to push her away.
“You’re still here! I was so afraid I’d missed you,” she said, eager to tell him everything. “I know about the prophecy.”
“Then you know why I have to leave.”
“But you don’t have to leave. That’s why I’m here, to tell you. You don’t have to go anywhere.” She kissed him hard on the mouth.
Nick’s hands grasped her shoulders in a vice-like grip. He pulled her closer, deepening the kiss for one incredible, perfect moment. His lips were warm and firm pressed against hers, nothing sweeter. This was her first real kiss and she wanted it to last forever.
He shoved her back. “Are you out of your mind? You hear the world will end if we get together and your first reaction is to make-out with me?”
She giggled, feeling drunk on his kisses. “It’s wonderful news, isn’t it?”
His eyebrows went up in disbelief. “You want the world to end?”
Bay-Lee placed a hand on each side of his face and held it still. Her eyes locked with his. She wanted him to hear every word, wanted them to register. “I am not Van Helsing’s daughter. I was pretending to be her so his real daughter can be safe and have a normal life. My biological dad was a hunter working for Van, and his name was Daniel Bishop. He got killed when I was a baby. I didn’t even know Van existed until I was five. He felt horrible about my mother dying on his watch and he wanted to help me out, so he agreed to train me.”
She held her breath and watched Nick’s eyes as her words slowly sank in.
Some of the tension left his body, and an uncertain smile parted his lips as she released her tight hold on his face. “Really? This is true? You’re not lying? You aren’t Van’s daughter?”
“I swear on a stack of Bibles ten feet high, I am not related to him in any way, shape, or form.”
A loud victory cheer erupted from Nick’s throat before he grabbed her and swung her around in circles until she was dizzy. On the third spin he winced from his injuries and set her down. If he popped his stitches, she’d have to sew him up again. She gave him a warning look, trying to look stern, but she couldn’t keep the smile from her face.
His strong arms wrapped her in a tight embrace. For several minutes they just stood there in the foyer, holding each other. If she could remember every second of her life, Bay-Lee was sure she wouldn’t find a happier day anywhere in her past. Everything was different now. She wanted to share her happiness with the world, only...
“What about your new girlfriend,” she asked, her voice muffled slightly against his throat. She pulled away to look up at him.
“Girlfriend?” He blinked in confusion.
“Jordan.”
Nick smiled sheepishly. “Oh. Yeah. I asked Jordan to play my girlfriend so you and I wouldn’t fall in love, but now that I know your father isn’t Van Helsing I can call her off.”
“Good idea.” Fearing he would be too honest with Jordan, Bay-Lee practically shouted, “But you can’t tell her the truth about me! You can’t tell anyone.”
“What do you mean I can’t tell anyone? I’m not keeping this a secret. No way. I want to shout it from the top of the school.”
“I promised Van.”
Nick paced around the large foyer. A few curse words spilled from his lips. Then he said, “This whole time he knew you weren’t the one the prophecy talked about, yet he kept it a secret. He could have told me. Instead, he makes me promise to keep things all business with you. Why would he do that to us?”
She shrugged, too happy to get mad about anything. Nothing could mellow the over-the-top happiness singing in her heart. “Maybe he was afraid someone would figure out the truth if he didn’t make a show of keeping us apart. Avery is still at public school and has no idea monsters exist or that Van is her dad. Lucky her. Above all else Van wants to protect her. Or maybe he wanted us to fall for each other so you won’t be available when his real daughter gets here. He could be using reverse psychology.”
“Forbidden love is the best.” The hard edges of his mouth softened. “Why would you agree to pretend to be someone monsters are hunting? You let him put your life in danger.”
Someday she would have to tell Nick everything, but she didn’t want to ruin this blissful moment. “Doesn’t matter.” She slipped into his arms again and hugged him close. “We can be together. We just have to keep it a secret until Van sends for Avery.”
He kissed the top of her head. “I can’t believe this is happening. It’s like a dream. This morning I woke up with every intention of walking away from you forever, and now you’re here with me. It doesn’t seem real.”
“We have your brother to thank.”
“Alec?” Nick sounded shocked.
“He told me about the prophecy. When I heard it specifically named Van Helsing’s daughter as the problem, I knew we were in the clear.”
Nick groaned. “I should have told you myself. This could have been resolved that first night in your bedroom.”
The memory brought back an old question. “Why did you come to my bedroom? The whole truth this time.”
His hand smoothed down her arm while he explained. “My life was over. The police caught me with the sword in my hand and dead bodies on the floor, and they had a kid with a videotape. I knew my days as Tyler Beck were over, and I blamed you. So I drank myself silly before tracking you down.”
“Me? Why?”
“I heard the prophecy when I was ten. Then I grew up with people whispering behind my back and staring at me as if I was the devil in disguise. The only time I was free from the stupid prophecy was when I was playing Tyler Beck. When that identity was taken away, I went a little crazy, so I broke into your room to take a good look at you. I blamed you.” He smiled sheepishly. “I’m glad I didn’t strangle you in your sleep.”
“That makes two of us.”
“It was dumb to blame you. I thought you had a nice, cushy life while I was suffering. Turns out you were in the same miserable position. We were both screwed over by Van and his oblivious daughter.”
Should she tell him she’d been a willing participant in Van’s plan? She snuggled closer to him, enjoying the moment. “The past doesn’t matter.” Doubts surfaced. Feeling suddenly cold, she stepped back and asked, “Do you want to be with me? I mean, I didn’t even think to ask. I just kissed you and then hit you with major information. You haven’t had a chance to consider how you feel?”
“Seriously?” A huge smile transformed his face, an unfamiliar smile, happy. It was a good look on him. “Can’t you tell? I think I fell for you that first night. You should have been scared to death to find me in your bed, but you took control of the situation. Then you were going to bury a dagger in my chest.”
Her cheeks flushed hot. “I’m glad I didn’t.”
“That makes two of us.” Grinning, he asked, “When did you figure out you didn’t hate me?”
It was a hard qu
estion to answer. Since she’d been fighting her feelings from day one she wasn’t sure when everything began to change. “When I saw you jump into the pit, going after that monster on your own. Once I realized I might never see you again all these feelings shot to the surface. I knew I loved you.”
Was it too soon to use the ‘L’ word? She checked him out from beneath lowered lashes. Had she made a mistake in revealing too much too soon?
“I knew I loved you when I saw you dancing with Keisha at the club,” Nick said. “But I think I loved you from the beginning. I just didn’t know it until the club.” Shifting from foot to foot, he asked, “What about Gavin?”
“I already told him it’s over.”
“Good.”
“I think he stole my necklace and isn’t the person I thought he was.” When Nick looked confused, she explained, “It was sticking out of his pocket and he denied taking it, but… I don’t know. Maybe he found it and was going to return it.”
“Did you ask him?”
“He totally denied everything, so I think he probably did steal it from me. I just don’t understand why.”
Nick caressed her cheek with a closed fist. “Let’s not talk about him. What do we do about us and about Van?”
“We keep pretending to be mentor and student until Van says otherwise.”
He sighed heavily. “I don’t like sneaking around.”
“It will be fun and romantic. I promise. We’ll steal kisses between classes and meet up here in the castle whenever we can.”
“Stolen kisses?” His eyebrows shot up halfway to his hairline and he teased her. “I think I like the sound of that.” His hands slid over her hips. “I’ve always wanted to be a thief. Let’s start now.”
Before she had time to prepare, his mouth was on hers. This kiss was different from the first, less desperate but more passionate. Soft yet firm, his full lips domineered hers, taking what they wanted but also giving in return. One of his hands cupped her face while the other slid down her spine to rest on her curved bottom. A million skyrockets shot off behind her closed eyelids. If she died at this very second, she’d die happy.
Reality crashed down on her unsuspecting shoulders, reminding her of the danger lying ahead. They still didn’t know who or what was killing people on their birthdays. If they didn’t figure it out soon, she could lose Nick forever. Tearing her mouth from his, she asked, “When is your birthday?”
He blinked at her several times. “What? That’s random.”
“Promise you’ll tell me if you see a dead relative.”
“Don’t worry about me. I feel like I could take on an army of monsters.” Grabbing her waist, he lifted her off her feet and laughed. “I am on top of the world. Nothing is going to kill me.”
When he set her down, she moved away, going to the stairs and sitting on a stone step. Thoughts crowded her brain, some happy while others were dark. After hearing the prophecy she’d raced to the castle to confront Nick, but she hadn’t planned beyond this moment. What were they supposed to do now?
Nick watched her, eyes barely blinking, a hungry expression on his face as if he wanted to devour her. Even though she shared those feelings, the magnetic attraction, her body trembled. She blushed, feeling shy, and her gaze dropped to the floor. “Could we spend the rest of the evening together?”
“You sure you don’t want to go back to the party?”
“I want to stay here with you… for as long as I can.”
“But if you go back, Maxx might pull a quarter from your ear.”
“I’ll pass.”
Nick settled next to her on the step and his arm wrapped around her shoulders, holding her tight. “He might hypnotize you and make you bark like a dog or cluck like a chicken. That’s always fun.”
“He does that?” She cringed at the thought of humiliating herself in front of the entire school.
Nick kissed the side of her head before releasing a long, slow breath. “This doesn’t feel real. Are you sure I’m not going to wake up in the morning alone again?”
“I know what you mean.” Bay-Lee snuggled close to him. She shut her eyes and breathed in his scent, masculine cologne. This was where she belonged. For the first time in a decade she pushed her thirst for revenge to the back of her mind. Nothing was more important than this moment.
She was finally getting her happy ending.
Chapter Eighteen
SECRET LOVE
