by Kasi Blake
Finally alone with her boyfriend—that word still didn’t sound right to her—Bay-Lee stood just inside the doorway of Nick’s bedroom as he rifled through his dresser. Her gaze inadvertently went to the bed. Feeling shy, she twisted her fingers and stared at the wall nearest her instead. There was a painting of two boys fishing on a warm summer day, and she realized this room had probably been decorated by the same people who had decorated the houses she’d shared with Connor.
“Got it!” Nick shouted.
She jumped, startled. “What?”
He crossed the room with a large manila envelope in his hand. Holding it behind his back for a second, he gave her a brief explanation. “I wanted to do something special for you since I was such a jerk.”
“Which time are we talking about?”
A wry smile twisted his lips. “I was mean to you the other day, but you still saved my life. I hope you know I was pushing you away on purpose when I said those things about your mom and her death and you needing to get over it. That isn’t how I feel.”
Uncomfortable, she shifted from one foot to the other. “I know. You’re forgiven.”
He kissed the tip of her nose before handing her the envelope. “I want you to have this.”
“What is it?” She glanced down at the thing, turning it this way and that. There wasn’t anything written on it. No address or stamps. Nothing.
“I found the location of the werewolf pack.”
Her fingers trembled. “You what?”
“The pack that killed your mom, I tracked them. Their current location is inside the envelope. I want you to have your revenge. If something killed my parents and I didn’t hate them so much, I’d be doing the same thing you are. I’m going to help you get the pack.”
Her heart soared and crashed at the same time as she felt pulled in two different directions. Yes, she wanted justice for her mother, but she also wanted to be happy. It had been so long she’d forgotten what true happiness felt like, but Nick reminded her on a daily basis.
For a moment she rode the fence, thinking she could go either way. Together with Nick, hunting a werewolf pack, it sounded good. She was sure they could kill the entire pack without a glitch. On the other hand, anger and bitterness destroyed people from within and ate at their souls. Maybe she needed to forget the vengeance.
The thing that tipped the scales was the thought of her mother and what she would have wanted for her little girl. She remembered her mom happy and singing, dancing and loving life. The woman Bay-Lee had known wouldn’t want her daughter to give up her shot at happiness in order to get revenge.
Bay-Lee walked to the fireplace and tossed the envelope into the roaring flames. Even on warm days Van’s castle was too cool for comfort. The servants kept the fireplaces lit. It used to annoy her, but now she was grateful for it. She watched the envelope burn, and a heavy burden lifted from her heart.
Nick put his hands on her shoulders from behind and kissed the top of her head. His soft voice caressed her nerves. “Are you sure you can let it go?”
“I’m sure.” She turned around. Her arms encircled his waist and she hugged him tight. Face pressed against his collarbone, she added, “I can live without justice, but I can’t live without love. I choose you.”
“You don’t have to choose me over killing the pack. I told you I’ll go with you. We can do it together. You can have both.”
“I can’t kill them and stay the same person I am now, so I have to let it go.”
“Is that your final decision?”
Was it?
Chapter Twenty-Six
BAY-LEE’S TURN