by Cheree Alsop
“Nowhere. You need to stay and cover for us.”
“No way,” the Grim replied. “I know that expression on your face. It says you’re about to do something dangerous and you need someone to watch out for you.”
I glanced in the mirror hung crookedly above the desk in our room. “It doesn’t say that.”
“It does,” Vicken called from the doorway as he left for his room.
I sighed. “Fine, but I can’t guarantee your safety.”
Alden laughed. “What is this, some spy movie? This is life, Finn, and in life, you’re going to have to accept that you have friends that have your back whether you like it or not.”
“Why wouldn’t I like having friends that have my back?” I asked.
“Why were you going to leave alone?” Alden shot back as he threw a change of clothes into a satchel.
I sucked in a breath to reply, then realized I didn’t have anything to say. I grimaced and went with, “You know me too well. It’s scary.”
“That’s the problem with roommates,” Alden said.
I rolled my eyes and headed for the stairs. “I’ll meet you by the front door.”
“If you leave, I’ll just follow,” he called out.
Grumbling about friends who couldn’t leave well enough alone, I hitched my backpack up higher and made my way for the front entrance.
I had just reached the main corridor when someone called out, “Finn, wait!”
I closed my eyes for a moment, took a calming breath, and turned with the thought that I had made too many friends at Haunted High.
“If I bring anyone else, Mercer, Briggs, and the Headmistress will have my hide,” I said to Dara.
She stifled a smile when she said, “I wasn’t asking to go with you anywhere.”
Caught off-guard, I admitted, “You’re right. I jumped to conclusions.”
She stopped a few steps away and said, “I just want to make sure you’re alright.”
“Me?” I thought about everything that had happened; my thoughts lingered on saying goodbye to my mother. As hard as the last few days had been, I knew my answer. “I’m fine,” I told her.
“Really?” she asked.
I nodded. “Really. Thanks to your help with the Demon Knight, I still have my hands.” I held them out and grimaced at the sight of my still-healing palm. “At least as good as they are.”
“Alden told me about Sparrow,” she said. She smiled at the sleeping dragon and stepped forward to run a finger down her back. “I’m so happy for you.”
I smiled, too. “I got lucky on that one.”
“We all did,” she replied.
I watched her pet the little dragon and realized that I was about to do again what I had promised not to, I was going to lead Sparrow into danger I wasn’t sure I could protect her from. The world outside of the Academy wasn’t a place for a baby dragon. Vicken, Alden, and I might blend in with some effort and a whole lot of luck, but the dragon around my wrist would be a danger to us all, and especially to her.
“I have a favor to ask you,” I told Dara.
She gave me a surprised look. “Anything.”
I lifted my wrist. “Would you look after Sparrow? I’m pretty sure where we’re going is dangerous, and I refuse to put her at risk again.”
Dara looked taken aback by my request, but she nodded. “I would be honored to take care of her, Finn.”
“Thank you,” I replied. I ran a finger down Sparrow’s back. “Hey little one, can you wake up for a minute?”
The dragon raised her head and gave me a sleepy look.
I turned my wrist so she could see Dara. “I’m going somewhere you can’t go. Dara says she’ll take good care of you and make sure you’re safe while I’m gone. Is that alright?”
The dragon looked from me to Dara. At first, I thought she would refuse, but then the sylph dragon rose, stretched, and padded onto Dara’s outstretched hand. Dara’s violet eyes were wide as the dragon curled herself around the empath’s slender wrist and went back to sleep.
At Dara’s shocked look, I lifted a shoulder. “Professor Seedly mentioned that dragons don’t do well when they’re left by the one they’ve chosen to protect them, but I figure an empath can help her feel safe and loved. She knows I wouldn’t choose someone who would do a bad job, and she can feel that you’ll protect her.” Uncertainty filled me and I gave her a worried look. “Is that alright?”
She nodded. “More than alright. I’m honored, Finn. I can’t believe you trust me this much.”
The surprise on her face made me smile. I pushed a strand of hair back from her cheek just for the excuse to touch her. She leaned closer. My eyes drifted to her lips as the voice in the back of my mind whispered that it would be nice to kiss her again. I lowered my head to meet her lifted face.
“Hey, you love birds going to talk all day or are we going on an adventure?” Vicken asked.
His voice shattered the moment as effectively as if he had thrown a bomb into the room. Dara and I backed quickly away from each other. Her cheeks burned red with the same embarrassment I knew colored mine.
“This school has very strict policies about public displays of affection,” the vampire continued with enjoyment at our embarrassment. He passed us with a lazy wink of one yellow eye. “Even if you are a werewolf.”
I let out a frustrated breath and met Dara’s gaze. She gave me a smile that made her violet eyes sparkle.
“Don’t be gone too long,” she said.
“I won’t,” I promised.
Alden reached the bottom of the stairs and crossed to us.
“You won’t what? Is Dara coming?”
I rolled my eyes at Dara’s answering laughter and turned toward the door.
“Ignore them,” Vicken advised the Grim. “They’re mushy.”
“Someday you might actually like girls, Vicken,” Dara told him. “Just hope that you haven’t ostracized yourself from anyone who might like you back.”
“Oh, you like me,” Vicken told her. He paused with his hand on the door. “Don’t you?”
When she just laughed and turned away, Vicken asked me, “Girls like me, don’t they?”
“Sure,” I replied. “Everyone likes cold, hostile, angry vampire types.”
He nodded. “Yes, they do.”
I led the way out the door. It closed behind us with a slam of finality.
“What was that?” Alden asked.
I glanced back. “It always does that.”
“I’ve never seen it do that,” Vicken said, eyeing the door.
I shrugged. “The school is haunted. I thought everyone knew that. Isn’t that why it’s called Haunted High?”
“I thought it was a joke,” Alden said. He hitched his backpack up higher and ran down the stairs after us. “Wait up you guys!”
“Where are we going?” Vicken asked.
My wrist gave a warm throb where Sparrow’s name was written in blue scrolling letters. I already missed the dragon. To distract myself, I pulled out the note and opened it so that the vampire could see what Professor Briggs had written. “To these coordinates,” I said. When he paused, I glanced at him. “Is something wrong? That’s where we’re supposed to meet the professor.”
Vicken shook his head and said, “If I’m not mistaken, which I’m not, that’s the Mythic Labs. We have a serious problem.”
“Mythic Labs?” I repeated. “As in labs where mythics do experiments? That doesn’t sound so bad.”
Vicken and Alden both looked worried when Vicken replied, “No. It’s the labs where they experiment on mythics. Briggs is in trouble.”
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About the Author
Cheree Alsop is an award-winning, best-selling author who has published over 40 books. She is the mother of a beautiful, talented daughter and amazing twin sons who fill every day with joy and laughter.
She is married to her best friend, Michael, the light of her life and her soulmate who shares her dreams and inspires her by reading the first drafts and giving much appreciated critiques. Cheree works as a fulltime author and mother, which is more play than work! She enjoys reading, traveling to tropical beaches, riding motorcycles, spending time with her wonderful children, and going on family adventures while planning her next book.
Cheree and Michael live in Utah where they rock out, enjoy the outdoors, plan great quests, and never stop dreaming.
Look for updates on the rest of the books from this series on Cheree’s website. You can also find information on Cheree’s other books at www.chereealsop.com
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Never stop dreaming!