by Kasi Blake
Nick was surprised to receive a summons to Van’s office early the next morning. He’d expected the man to sleep for at least three days. After walking into the office without knocking, Nick sat in one of the provided chairs. The older man was sitting in his swivel chair, doing paperwork as usual. He set it aside, looked up, and removed his glasses. “We need to talk about my daughter.”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “I know she isn’t your daughter so you can drop the act. She told me everything. I was on my way out of town. I was going to walk away from the school and you and everything just to keep the prophecy from coming true. Bay-Lee found me and told me everything.”
“I wish she hadn’t done that.”
“I’m glad she did.” Nick stood and hovered over the cluttered desk. “You know what a mess I was when I first came to live here. Outside of Mike and you, I didn’t trust anyone. Sometimes I even wondered if I’d care if you or Mike died. There was a hole where my heart should have been. The only time I felt normal was when I was playing Tyler Beck. Then you took him away.”
“This again? I told you why I had to do it. Killing Tyler wasn’t easy for me either.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Nick went to the wall and stared at Van’s collection of diplomas and awards. The emotional stuff didn’t come easy for him. He hated talking about feelings, but he wanted Van to understand what was going on in his head. “So when I met Bay-Lee, I thought I had to hate her. I tried to hate her, but she made it impossible. She’s full of fiery passion and strength, and she has a beautiful soul.”
“I agree she is an exceptional girl.”
Nick smiled. “When she told me she wasn’t your daughter, it was like I’d been holding my breath, slowly dying for years. For the first time in my life I could breathe. It felt incredible.” His gaze transferred to Van’s face. “I love her.”
“I know you do. That’s what makes what I’m about to say so difficult.” Van slid his glasses up his nose. For some reason he couldn’t look directly at Nick. There was a pained expression on the man’s face, aging him by decades. “I wish I didn’t have to tell you this.”
“Tell me what?”
“Bay-Lee is my daughter, my biological daughter.”
Nick’s jaw tightened. “I don’t believe you. She wouldn’t lie to me. I saw the truth in her eyes. She is not your daughter.”
Van motioned for Nick to return to his seat. “Smart hunters don’t fall in love.”
Nick opened his mouth to argue, but Van waved the unheard protest away.
“I’m not talking about you and Bay-Lee. I am talking about myself.” Van left his desk to pace before the fireplace, hands clasped behind his back. “My plan was to live a lonely bachelor life, kill as many monsters as possible, and leave this world without burdening another child with the Van Helsing name. Then I met a Brazilian beauty, strong and passionate. Nina convinced me to marry her, but I knew being my wife would put a target on her back.
“My oldest and dearest friend, Daniel Bishop proposed an idea. He was already living under my roof whenever he was in New Zealand, so we convinced everyone at the school that he was Nina’s husband. When they were in public, they were a couple. In private, she was mine. For over a year the charade worked wonderfully. Then she told me she was pregnant, twins. At first I believed we could pass off the children as Daniel’s offspring.
“In hindsight, I should have sent her away before they were born. Bay-Lee and Avery came into the world on a rainy night, delivered by a loyal midwife. Daniel spent a great deal of time on the road. When he returned, he played father to them, but only in public.” Van stopped speaking for a moment. Emotion clogged his voice, cracking it in places. “It was heartbreaking, watching Daniel play their father whenever anyone else was in sight. It killed me. Before he left that last time, we fought. I said some cruel things in my jealous rage, things I will never forgive myself for. In my mind I was convinced he was trying to steal my family. Those were the last things I ever said to him. He died.”
Nick broke in with, “It wasn’t your fault. People die, especially when they’re hunters, and I’m sure he knew the risks.”
“The monsters heard a rumor about me having a child, and they sent a pack over to investigate. I caught them before they could do anything more than sniff at the crib. I tried to kill all of them, but one escaped. He told the Order I had a son.”
“A son?” Nick’s brows drew together.
“Most werewolves are semi-illiterate. They thought the name above the crib said ‘boy’ instead of ‘Bay.’ It was a lucky break for me. The Order would be searching the world for my son after I hid the girls. Nina insisted we split the twins up so that if one of them was found, at least the other would live. She took Bay-Lee with her. I promised to keep Avery with me, but I gave her to a female hunter from my past to keep her safe.”
Nick put the two versions of the story together. “The werewolves thought they were looking for a boy. That’s why they didn’t kill her when they found her. They never suspected she was the ‘it’ they were looking for. They thought they were on the trail of your son.”
“Correct.” Van leaned back in his chair and folded his hands on the desk. “Nina’s brother Connor took over from there. He lived with Bay-Lee in my best safe house until the day she overheard us talking about keeping my daughter safe. She had no idea we were talking about her.” Pride shone in his eyes like the noonday sun. “She was nine when she told me she would help protect my daughter, pretend to be her and move around the country to keep the monsters guessing. In exchange, she wanted me to train her so she could kill the werewolves who had taken her mother from her.”
A soul-shattering numbness overcame his senses as the truth of what Van was saying rolled through him a second time. It finally registered. Bay-Lee was Van’s biological daughter, and he’d fallen in love with her. The prophecy was on its way to fruition.
“What about Avery?”
“Unfortunately, the hunter I gave her to suffered a mental episode and was locked up in a psych ward where she eventually killed herself. I had another former hunter adopt Avery from there. I also have several people watching her every move. They report back to me on a regular schedule and will move in if a monster gets anywhere near her. It’s crucial for us to keep both of my daughters safe.”
Nick’s anger grew by the second. “If Bay-Lee is really yours, why haven’t you told her? You’ve had plenty of opportunity.”
“I wanted to. Believe me, there hasn’t been a second that’s gone by that I haven’t wanted to tell her, but how do I start the conversation after lying to her for so many years? She’s going to hate me.”
“Of course she’s going to hate you. More than anything she’s wanted a parent who would love and comfort and care for her. You robbed her of that, and she’s going to hate you because she thought it was safe to be with me.”
“Do you hate me, Nicholas?”
“I do.” A muscle throbbed in his jaw. He felt like biting off his own tongue. “I’m not going to give her up. I don’t care about the world. It can rot. I love her, and I won’t walk away!”
Van’s face was a blank mask. “Then perhaps she will have the courage to leave you.”
Nick stormed out of the office, but he couldn’t outrun the tormenting problem on his heels. No matter what he did he was going to lose her. It was inevitable. As soon as she heard the news she’d leave him. Van was right. He didn’t have the courage to walk away, but she did. She wouldn’t be willing to risk the safety of billions of people.
Burning hatred shot up Nick’s throat like acid. Part of him wanted to go back inside and strangle the life out of the man. Dark thoughts brought a smile to his face. Perhaps this was the start of his decent into madness. Being a villain might suit him. Nick closed his eyes and willed himself to the other side. He crossed over with the intent of killing every single border monste
r he could find, a little blood and violence, his ticket to a rational mind.
Chapter Twenty-Two
TO CATCH A GHOST
