The Haunted High Series Boxed Set

by Cheree Alsop

  “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.”

  Haunted High Book 3

  City of Demons

  By Cheree Alsop

  Chapter One

  “We’re being followed.”

  “How do you know?” I asked Vicken.

  He glanced behind us again. “Those guys have tailed us since we left the bus. I think they mean trouble.”

  “If they mean trouble, then we’re in trouble,” Alden said. He hiked his coat up higher around his neck. “Though we might freeze to death before any of us find where we’re going.”

  “We’re alright,” I told my friends. “Just stay calm. Let me think.”

  Leaving the Academy without telling anyone was already bad enough. If Alden or Vicken got hurt because they had volunteered to come with me to track down Professor Briggs, I would be the one responsible. I had gotten us into this mess. I would get us out of it.

  “Turn down here,” I told my friends.

  They followed me into an alley that branched off from the street we had been following. “Back here,” I said.

  We ducked behind a dumpster.

  “What’s your plan?” Vicken whispered.

  “It’s dark and they think they’re scary,” I replied.

  “They are scary,” Alden pointed out.

  I shrugged. “So are we. We’re monsters, remember?”

  “That’s your plan?” Vicken said, his voice growing louder with exasperation. “Scare them back? We’re not supposed to let anyone know we’re monsters, remember?”

  My plan solidified as he spoke. I couldn’t help the grin that ran across my face.

  “I don’t like that expression, Finn,” Alden said. “You’re up to something again.”

  Their voices grew closer. I lifted a hand to quiet my friends.

  “They went in here,” one of the men said.

  “Are you sure?” the second one asked. His voice was gruff as if he smoked too much. “It’s pretty dark. I don’t think kids would go in there.”

  “They would if they were running from something,” the last one said. His voice had a harsh edge to it. My instincts told me he was the one to watch out for.

  “They’re running from us,” the first one pointed out.

  “Then they’re smart,” the gruff voice replied. He raised his voice and called out, “Come on, kids. We’re not going to hurt you very much.”

  I peered out of the shadows and saw him pull something from his pocket. The blade of his knife caught in the dim lighting from the street.

  “They’re armed,
” I whispered to Vicken and Alden.

  “Great,” Vicken muttered.

  “Maybe we should give up?” Alden suggested. “They probably just want our money.”

  “When they find out we don’t have any money, then what?” Vicken shot back.

  I levered myself on top of the dumpster. In the darkness of the alley, I was just a shadow among others. I kept low and made my way to the edge of the garbage container so I wouldn’t fall in by accident.

  “Finn, where are you going?” Vicken hissed.

  “Did you hear that?” one of the men asked.

  “Probably just a cat,” the gruff voice answered. “Where’s your flashlight?”

  “I didn’t bring it,” the first said. “But I have one on my phone. Hold on.”

  I quietly opened my coat as I crouched on the edge of the dumpster.

  “I always forget how to turn this blasted thing on.”

  I watched the man fumble with his cellphone for several seconds.

  “Will you hurry up with that thing?” the gruff man demanded.

  “S-sorry, Tik. I’ve almost got it.”

  I took a deep breath.

  The man’s phone light flashed on. “Got it!”

  He lifted it high. The moment the light hit my face, I rose with my coat held open to make me look even bigger. I let out a werewolf growl so loud it echoed off the sides of the buildings around us.

  The man dropped his phone and gave a scream in such a high pitch I swore it woke up half the dogs in New York. He took off running with the other man close behind. The one with the gruff voice had backed off several steps. With the grays of my wolf vision, I easily made out his shaking fingers as he reached for the phone that lay with the light side down on the asphalt.

  My plan was to slip down from the dumpster and disappear, but then I saw Vicken creeping silently up to the man. Even though I was used to him, the sight of the vampire’s stealthy, gliding predatory steps sent a chill down my spine. He stopped soundlessly before the man and opened his mouth.

  The moonlight reveals our truth.

  The words Alden had told me when we first met at the Academy surfaced in my mind as Vicken stepped on the cellphone. The man gave a grunt of surprise from where he had crouched to reach it. He looked up into the glowing fangs of the vampire who appeared all the more deadly for the pallor of his face and reaching hands.

  The man yelled, fell backwards, and scrambled crab-like for several steps before he righted himself and took off running after the others as if a demon was chasing him.

  “That was dramatic,” Vicken said.

  I jumped down from the dumpster and chuckled. “I guess we don’t have to worry about them telling the police they just saw monsters in an alley.”

  Alden appeared around the edge of the dumpster. The scrawny Grim pushed his white hair out of his eyes and gave a little laugh. “Yeah, nobody would believe that.”

  “Come on,” Vicken said. “Let’s get going before they start to doubt what they saw.

  “I’m pretty sure they’re long gone,” I replied with a laugh. “If we’re considered monsters, we might as well use it to our advantage.”

  “I’m sure Professor Briggs would approve,” Alden said with a hint of uncertainty in his voice.

  I patted his shoulder. “He would. We’re doing this for him. You don’t have to worry about getting in trouble.” I grinned. “Just blame it on me.”

  “I’m holding you to that,” Alden said, following me back up the alley.

  “Me, too,” Vicken agreed. “This is all on your shoulders, Finn. Better not mess up.”

  I rolled my eyes at the vampire and continued to the mouth of the alley. The street beyond was thankfully silent.

  “Which way?” I asked over my shoulder.

  “Right,” Vicken said. “We’re heading to Central Park. You can’t miss it.”

  “The Mythic Labs are at Central Park?” I asked in surprise.

  Vicken shook his head. “The Mythic Labs are under the park. I don’t know why Professor Briggs left you the coordinates for the Labs, but if he’s in there, he’s in serious trouble.”

  “And he took the piece of Chutka the Shambler’s heart,” Alden reminded us. “He said he was being tracked by Chutka’s subordinate, the Wiccan Enforcer. Do you think he was trying to lead her to the Labs as a trap?”

  “I hope so,” Vicken said. “Otherwise, we might be the ones walking into a trap.”

  The feeling of the moonlight on my shoulders was welcome. I still felt lethargic after our fight with Chutka’s first subordinate, the Demon Knight. He had declared Chutka a prince and had his mind set on having his demons take the place of the mythic children at the Academy to prepare the world for Chutka’s entrance. Needless to say, getting rid of him had been a trial. The thought that Chutka had two more subordinates, one of which was currently tracking Professor Briggs, was a sobering one.

  Street lights lit our path through the nearly empty labyrinth of buildings. Those few people we did pass kept to themselves. Most slept in various piles of clothing, sleeping bags, shopping bags, or any other items they held dear. We passed a small group of individuals lounging on some steps in front of an apartment building. While they gave us curious looks, no one seemed to feel that bothering a trio of teenagers was worth their time.

  Even so, when we made it to the edge of Central Park, my muscles were so tense they ached. I felt responsible for Vicken and Alden. If anything happened to them because they chose to follow me on my search for Briggs, I wouldn’t forgive myself. I vowed to do anything in my power to ensure that they returned to the Academy in safety. The thought whispered at the back of my mind that I was still new to mythic life; too many unknowns could make my vow extremely difficult.

  “Where do you suppose the entrance is?” Alden asked.

  Vicken looked at me.

  I lifted a shoulder. “I have no idea. I thought maybe you would know something.”

  The vampire shook his head. “All I know about the Mythic Labs is to stay as far away from them as possible.” He gestured toward the park. “We’re doing a great job of that.”

  I stifled a sigh at his wry tone and chose not to point out that he had been the one to volunteer to go with me. I had been determined to find Professor Briggs on my own. Having Alden and Vicken with me was comforting, but also added an additional measure of risk.

  “I’ll find it,” I told them.

  “How?” Alden asked.

  I gestured toward the moon we could barely see through the light pollution overhead. “Werewolf, remember? I’ll sniff it out.”

  “And what,” Vicken said. “We’re supposed to pretend you’re our dog or something?”

  I grinned at the thought. “Something like that.”

  “I wish I’d brought a ball,” Alden said with a wistful tone.

  At our stares, he gave an embarrassed smile. “I’ve never had a dog before. Aren’t you supposed to throw a ball for them?”

  Vicken shoved the Grim’s shoulder.

  I shook my head and made my way toward the closest alley. I was about to pull off my shirt when a scent touched my nose. I straightened.

  “Do you smell that?”

  It was a stupid question, but I couldn’t help it. The surprise that filled me made my heart thunder in my chest.

  “If it’s not blood, I don’t care,” Vicken replied.

  His comment made my muscles ache. Even though we had packed several days’ worth of blood from the kitchen, the effects of giving him blood once still lingered in the back of my mind.

  Alden stepped into the alley. “What do you smell?”

  I tested the air again. “Something I’ve never smelled before.”

  “Oh, helpful,” Vicken said dryly.

  But I knew what it was. Instinct thrummed through me with a certainty of centuries of knowledge. When I first found out I was a werewolf, I had been terrified. My dad knew almost as much about my race as I did. I could only attribu
te that to my mother’s hope that neither my brother nor I would inherit her werewolf lineage. When the harsh truth surfaced, I was sent to Haunted High for safety, which I realized pertained to both my family and myself by distancing myself from them.

  As the only werewolf at the Academy in the last twenty-five years, I was left to speculate about my race when the information wasn’t available. Yet one thing had always been sure. I was the only werewolf left in existence as far as the professors at the Academy knew. Apparently, they were wrong.

  “It’s a werewolf,” I said.

  Vicken sucked in a breath.

  Alden stared at me. “Are you sure? Maybe you’re smelling yourself.”

  I studied the alley with only a hint of a smile at his tense joke.

  “I’m sure,” I replied.

  “Blood,” Vicken said.

  The sudden interest in his voice turned my head. The vampire stalked past me and crouched near what looked like a dirty puddle in the darkness. He stuck his finger in it and brought it to his mouth.

  “Did he just lick that?” Alden asked quietly from my side. “Think of all the germs in this alley. He could catch something.”

  “I really don’t think he cares,” I replied, watching the vampire.

  Vicken glanced back at us. The moonlight made his fangs glow eerily against the darkness.

  “She’s a werewolf, and something else,” he confirmed. His eyes showed his concern when he said, “There’s something wrong with her.”

  “If she’s bleeding, we need to help her,” I told him. “Can you track her by the blood? I would phase into wolf form, but if she climbs, I’ll be stuck down here.”

  “Let’s see how far we get,” Vicken replied. “The good news is that there’s enough blood to follow.” He glanced at us and his voice lowered. “And the bad news is that there’s enough blood to follow.”

  We walked silently along the trail left in drips and splotches down one alley and up the next. At Vicken’s assurance that the blood was getting fresher, we stepped up our pace. When my ears caught the sound of a foot scuffing the asphalt around the next bend, I took off running. My backpack slapped against my back with the rhythm of my steps. I skidded around the corner with my friends close behind and saw a blur of white at the far end of the alley.