Bait

by Kasi Blake

  Bay-Lee was summoned to the boardroom on what should have been an ordinary day. Nick was already seated at the table when she arrived, and he motioned for her to sit in the empty chair next to him. She followed his silent instruction but tried not to look happy about it. Fear warned her someone had discovered their relationship and was about to blow her world apart. Her gaze slid around the room, taking in every familiar face. On the opposite side of them sat Alec, Maxx, Bruce (the combat teacher), and Grace (the gymnastics slash acrobats instructor). A teacher she hadn’t seen before—they called him Richard—walked in at the last second and took the empty seat beside her.

  Van stood at the head of the table in a dress shirt with rolled up sleeves and a loose tie. There were purple shadows beneath his eyes. It was obvious he’d gone without sleep for awhile. With a tight grimace on his face he revealed new information. “It appears we are dealing with wraiths.”

  Several gasps punctuated the statement. Everyone started talking at once so Bay-Lee couldn’t understand what a single person was saying. Her mind reeled with the new information, and she tried to remember everything Maxx had told them about wraiths.

  According to him wraiths were ghosts brought back by a powerful spell, assassins following orders to kill.

  “They are a myth,” Alec said before yawning into his hand.

  “I would have agreed with you last week,” Van said. “But my outlook has changed on the matter.”

  Several people simultaneously asked why.

  “I have it on good authority they are real, but I cannot reveal my source. You will have to trust me when I say there isn’t a doubt in my mind of what we are dealing with and to clench it, I also learned they are indestructible on their target’s birthday. They cannot be harmed. They cannot be stopped. Am I wrong, Maxx?”

  All eyes swung to the eccentric teacher with scraggly hair covering half his face. His chin lifted, and his blue eyes crinkled as if he enjoyed the thought of going up against a wraith. Before he answered the question he stood. The black cloak flapped with every step he took. Commanding attention, he circled the table while imparting his considerable knowledge.

  “Wraiths are the worst of all the ghosts in my opinion because they cannot think for themselves. Bitter anger and hatred drives them, and the only thing they want is to accomplish their mission. Wraiths cannot be killed, hurt, or stopped as long as it is the birthday of their intended victim, but the wraiths are not your real problem. Your problem is the powerful witch or sorcerer holding their leash. That is what we need to discover, the identity of the true killer.”

  Bay-Lee jumped out of her seat, too angry to sit still for another second. “That isn’t what you told the class! I took notes and typed them up so I remember every single word. You told us wraiths can be killed by beheading or stabbing or…”

  Bay-Lee stopped talking when she realized all eyes were pinned to her.

  Maxx took main stage again, a wry smile on his face. He waved his hands around like a serious magician about to make something appear. Dirt packed under longish, pointy fingernails added to his homeless appearance. “I gave the students the party line. Because the books say wraiths can die easily, I teach wraiths can die easily. When the textbooks say otherwise, I’ll change my lesson plan.”

  Bay-Lee opened her mouth to blast the lying teacher. Before she could utter a single word Nick shook his head in silent warning. One look from him cooled her anger, and she retook her seat.

  “How do we find the person behind the killings?” Bruce asked in a dry voice.

  Maxx explained, “The one using the spell needs to have certain items in their possession. A bowl to burn names and birth dates, pictures of their intended victims, an assortment of herbs, most of which they can find in the school’s pantry, and a personal possession belonging to their target.”

  Bay-Lee sat ramrod straight, hands in her lap. She didn’t understand why she’d been invited to join the board for this discussion. She opened her mouth to ask. Nick’s hand touched hers beneath the table, distracting her. His fingers smoothed over hers before capturing her hand. His touch reminded her of their secret.

  Maxx added, “They would also need a book of dark magic, stuff we don’t keep on hand in the library.”

  She fought to keep from smiling as their fingers laced. Nick’s thumb teased her tender flesh, rubbing in lazy circles. Before she knew it she was daydreaming. They were alone in the boardroom, just the two of them. She pictured herself sitting on the edge of the table. Nick cupped her face and kissed her until she was breathless. Then his hand went to the hem of her shirt.

  Van cleared his throat, and Nick squeezed her hand to let her know she’d missed something. Her wide eyes swung to her ‘father.’ He read her dumbfounded expression and repeated his question with an ounce of irritation. “Will you please tell us what your roommate saw? Don’t leave out a single detail. We need to hear what she told you, everything.”

  Nick squeezed her hand once more before releasing it.

  Bay-Lee hesitated, unsure whether she should stand to address the group or remain seated. In the end the decision was made by her legs. They couldn’t possibly hold her up at the moment. The intoxicating mixture of Nick’s presence, their huge secret, and the impending danger of wraiths had her body trembling from head to feet.

  She took a deep, calming breath before launching into the retelling of her roommate’s story. “Tessa needed to use the bathroom during lunch. She told me it was empty when she got there, but when she went to wash her hands she saw her mother’s ghost in the mirror.”

  Maxx interrupted. “Did the wraith speak?”

  “I asked Tessa the same thing,” Bay-Lee said. “She told me she didn’t give her mother’s ghost a chance to say anything. She screamed and ran into the hallway. That was where Nick and I found her. She was hysterical.”

  Nick added, “Mike and I checked the bathroom, but there wasn’t a sign of a spirit anywhere. Our investigation led us to believe Tessa was seeing things.”

  Bruce scoffed. “The Freshmen Meltdown.”

  “That would have been my conclusion,” Alec said. His gaze settled on his brother. “You didn’t do anything wrong and have nothing to feel guilty about. Tessa’s death was not your fault.”

  Bay-Lee looked at Nick. It hadn’t occurred to her he could be feeling guilty over not believing the girl since she’d been telling the truth and was now dead. With his eyes lowered she couldn’t read his expression. Was he in pain? If Alec was right, she wanted to do something to help him.

  Van took over the meeting once again. Standing at the head of the table, hands flat on the wooden surface as he leaned over it, he said, “I believe someone with the Order is behind this, perhaps more than one member. My spy tells me they are stepping up their plans to take over our world.”

  Maxx shook his head. “There is a bigger plan here than just killing hunters. They want to take out the head of our movement. When is your birthday, Van Helsing?”

  “Six months, but I intend to have this solved long before then. In the meantime, I have a list of birthdays right here. Thank you, Alec, for providing it.” He lifted a sheet of paper. “There are only three people with birthdays on the way and two are in this room, Nick and Bay-Lee. If either of you catch sight of a dead relative, I want to speak with you immediately. Don’t play the hero. Seek help.”

  Nick nodded.

  Not worried about herself, Bay-Lee prayed the killer wouldn’t send a wraith after the boy who’d taught her how to love and how to be happy. They began discussing what to do about the third person, how to protect her, but Bay-Lee missed the conversation.