Van Helsing Academy
Supernatural Rehab
Stacey O'Neale
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Chapter 30
Want to read more?
Stacey’s Newsletter
Also by Stacey O'Neale
About the Author
Acknowledgments
Summary
Dear Reader
Van Helsing Academy was a difficult book to write. Living during these uncertain times has been a challenge for so many of us. People are in pain and fearful of the future. As a writer, it’s hard to push those feelings aside and find your creative muse when all you want to do is watch the news and cry.
It took a tremendous amount of effort to get this book in your hands, but I’m proud of the end product. I hope this book takes you out of your world for a while. I hope it gives you joy, makes you laugh, and lifts your spirits. If one person reads VHA and smiles, it will be worth everything I went through to deliver it.
Please remember that you are never alone. We are in this together, and we will overcome.
Big virtual hug coming your way.
Stacey
Chapter One
“I’m not picking up any unusual heat signatures.” I slipped off my infrared goggles and stared into the skies. The seemingly mile-long tree trunks with their leaf-filled crowns blocked the moonlight, making it nearly impossible to see much more than what was right in front of me. I turned on my flashlight. “If there were any shifters out here, they’re long gone.”
“We’ll expand the search.” Damien, our team leader, announced as he scanned the area with his handheld radiation detector. “I’m not taking any chances.”
Tony, Damien’s closest friend on the team, stepped forward. “What’s your move, D?”
“Let’s split into two groups. We’ll cover more distance that way.” One by one, Damien pointed to each member of our team, signaling which person they should follow. To the surprise of no one, I was the last one added to his group. “Tony will search the caverns, and my team will comb the remaining forest and wetlands.”
“What about the river?” I questioned. “That’s the shortest route to the city.”
Damien let out a sigh. He was a master when it came to sighing. Everything he wanted to say came out in a long, aggravated exhale. And he hated any challenge to his commands, especially by me. “Mina, they would have to wade through an ice-cold river to go that way.” As he spoke, small misty clouds formed from his breath. “I don’t see that happening on a night like this. A few minutes in that water would kill anyone, even a shifter.”
I should’ve let it go right then and there, but of course, I didn’t. “There are slender sections of the river where supes could easily leap across. Don’t you think we should at least take a look?”
Damien stared at me for a long moment with a clenched jaw, then turned to Tony. “Have your team turn their comms to channel seven. I want a report every fifteen minutes.”
Tony nodded and then gathered his group for planning.
Frustration grew in my chest. Damien has never taken me seriously from day one. If he had his way, I would’ve never been a part of his team. And, yeah, I liked to goad him, but this time I knew I was right. An out of control shifter hyped-up on moon magic won’t care about cold river water. They’re not thinking with their rational human mind. I once watched one chew his paw off to escape a trap.
The solution was obvious. If I wanted to secure the area, I’d have to do it myself. It also meant I’d have to disobey an order and maybe get punished for it. I wish there were another way, but thanks to Damien, there was not. I slipped my goggles back on, turned my two-way radio to seven, and waited quietly for the groups to leave. If I was lucky, I could clear the perimeter before anyone realized I was gone.
I kept a slow, steady pace as I made my way toward the river. The wind rustled the tall trees above me, while the leaves on the ground crumpled with each step I took. Most people would be afraid to explore the forest alone in the middle of the night. Caution wasn’t one of my virtues. I’d trained my entire life for this job, and at only sixteen years old, I’d already escaped from a surprising number of perilous situations. Nothing could shock me at this point.
That’s not true.
If Damien ever decided I was a valuable member of his team, I’d probably die right there on the spot.
A noise startled me out of my thoughts.
I reached for my stun wand, my favorite weapon against shifters. Guns were useless when the supes were moving at superspeed. Knives rarely went deep enough. A sword would work, but who wanted to carry a heavy sword around? Tasers, especially wands, had enough electricity to knock any supernatural on their ass. They always got the job done.
I heard another crunch, like dead leaves beneath boots. This time it sounded as if it were right behind me. I whirled around with my finger on the trigger. A split second before I thrust my stunner into her side, I saw who stood there. It was Caroline Dupree, one of the newest members of our team. She held her hands up in retreat with her eyes widened from surprise.
“Are you out of your mind?” My voice came out more frantic than I intended. “You can’t ever sneak up on someone in the field. That’s the easiest way to get killed.”
“I’m sorry,” she sputtered. “I didn’t mean to startle you.”
I scanned the area to see if anyone else had followed me. When I was sure we were alone, I lowered my taser. “What are you doing here?”
“I wanted to make sure you’re okay,” she replied. “When I didn’t see you with the group, I thought something bad might’ve happened. Are you hurt?”
Caroline had quickly become my closest friend on the team. She wasn’t intimidated by my famous last name, or the influence my family had over the human faction. She also came from a prominent family. Her uncle sat on the high council uncontested for the last ten years. “I’m staying behind to search the river. We need to know if the shifter is heading for the city.”
“But Damien said—”
“I know what he said, but he’s wrong.” I sounded like a spoiled child. I paused before I chose my next words. “Damien doesn’t know this area as well as I do. There could be no threat there, but I’ll sleep better knowing that the people within the city are safe.”
She tucked the strand of blond hair behind her ear that had escaped her long braid. “Okay, lead the way.”
“I don’t need your help,” I insisted. “Go back to the group and forget you ever saw me. Going with me is a guarantee you’ll get reprimanded.”
“No way,” she refused. “It’s too dangerous to be out here alone, especially with a shifter on the loose.” Her eyes roamed the area. “I overheard them say he’s the alpha of a pack. It makes sense. You know he has to be powerful to escape VHA.”
I cringed at the mention. The Van Helsing Academy was a rehabilitation center for vampires, shifters, and witches. The academy my great, great grandfather foun
ded more than a century ago. “I heard they removed his ankle monitor when they caged him.”
She shook her head. “That was stupid.”
I trudged forward with Caroline keeping pace. We limited our conversation to hand signals the rest of the way. The further we went, the temperatures dropped, and I rubbed my exposed forearms. That’s when I remembered I’d left my jacket in the van. All I had on was a cotton short-sleeve top, matching black camo pants, and military-grade leather boots. I ignored the cold. There was no point in complaining about it.
After lumbering through the thick forestry for several miles, I was relieved when I heard rushing water. We were about to approach the thinnest section of the river. I sped up, and Caroline followed close behind. Although we were now moving much faster, I made a point to remain quiet. We needed to make sure nothing, or no one became aware of our location.
When we reached the river’s edge, Caroline opened her backpack and pulled out a pair of infrared binoculars. She scanned the area. “I’ll need a few minutes.”
“No problem. I’m going to see if I can pick up any heat signatures.” I reached for the handheld radiation detector on my utility belt. While she searched, I headed in the opposite direction to see if I could pick up anything. I strode along the sandy walkway as I kept my eyes on the detector. There would be a blinking red light if the device found anything. After an hour of nothing, I made my way back. Caroline was waiting for me.
“The area is clear,” she announced with relief in her tone.
The tension in my shoulders relaxed. Even if my decision landed me in trouble, it was worth it. I hope this meant the rest of the team found the shifter far away from the city. If not, we could help them continue the search. The full moon would be out for at least a few more hours. “Let’s rejoin the group.”
As Caroline packed up her bag, my detector blinked. It happened only once, and for a second, it made me wonder if I’d seen it at all. But when she glanced up at me with furrowed eyebrows, I had my answer. Just then, something zoomed by us. I pivoted around. I didn’t see anything. Now the device blinked at a rapid pace. We weren’t alone.
Something whizzed past us. I didn’t see it, but I felt a chill that left goosebumps on my forearms. The cold air seemed to surround us like a blanket. It felt as if the temperature had dropped at least twenty degrees in a matter of seconds. That’s when it hit me. It suddenly made sense why we couldn’t find any heat signatures. We weren’t looking for a shifter.
This disturbance came from a vampire: the only supernatural creature without a unique heat signature. I didn’t know the science of it all, but I guessed it was because they were mostly dead. I raised my comm to send out a message to the group. The device flew out of my hand, landing several feet away and breaking into pieces.
Caroline raised her nine-millimeter handgun. “Vampire.”
“Yup.” I set my taser wand to maximum stun. It won’t hurt them as much as it would a shifter, but it won’t tickle, either. I stood in a crouched position and waited for the creature to make its move. Adrenaline raced through my veins. Caroline positioned herself so that we were back to back. This way, nothing would surprise us. “If something gets bad, I want you to run. Wait until you’re a safe distance away and call this in.”
“I won’t abandon you,” she insisted.
“If you don’t, you’ll leave our entire team vulnerable.” Damien didn’t like me much, but that wouldn’t stop me from doing the right thing. I turned my head to the side. “I need you to promise me.”
Silence.
“Promise me,” I repeated.
“Okay, okay,” she said with hesitation. “I promise.”
The light from the moon illuminated the river, but the forest around us remained dark. The vampire had the upper hand in this situation. We would have to rely on our senses. “We are protectors of the covenant,” I yelled. “I demand that you show yourself. If you refuse to comply with this verbal warning, you will force us to use potentially lethal means to restrain you.”
“Reapers,” a voice whispered.
Protectors of the Covenant were our formal title, but the supes tended to call us reapers, and it stuck. To them, we were the bringers of death, which I thought was unfair. I’d admit we were hunters centuries ago, but since the covenant was signed, we enforced the law like a police department of the supernatural world. And we tried to keep things fair. The Council of the Four Rings had members from each of the supe factions.
I guessed some people were never satisfied.
“Show yourself, vampire.” I got an eerie feeling in my gut. I worried he was toying with us, and I prayed we were only dealing with one vampire. “I won’t ask again.”
Leaves rustled in the nearby row of shrubbery, and every nerve-ending in my entire body simultaneously fired. I took a few steps forward. “When he makes a move, run in the opposite direction. I should be able to hold him off with the taser.”
When she didn’t answer, I glanced over my shoulder. Caroline was gone. My heart pounded in my chest so hard I could hear my heartbeat in my ears. Did the vampire take her without me knowing? It was the only explanation. Vampires moved so fast; it was nearly impossible to hear them coming. I took two deep breaths in an attempt to calm myself. I needed to refocus if I wanted to rescue Caroline and get out of here alive.
I whirled around and discovered a boyish-looking man standing only a few feet away. His cheekbones were high with porcelain skin and full lips. He smiled at me with perfectly aligned teeth. “Mina Van Helsing,” he said in a soothing voice, that in any other situation, would’ve been comforting.
Everything went black.
Chapter Two
Images flashed in my head like scenes from different movies all mashed together. When my mind settled, I wasn’t sure if what I was seeing was real. I trudged through an ominous forest, pushing my way through layers of thick hanging vines. I had this urgency to keep going like there was something I was searching to find. I sensed it was important to me. I didn’t know what it was, but I was sure that I needed to keep moving forward.
I reached a clearing, and then I heard a rumbling from behind a row of bushes. A black wolf appeared. I lowered into a fighting stance, preparing for him to attack. He didn’t move. Instead, the creature watched me with his fiery red eyes for a moment like he was curious. I knew the situation was dangerous. I was in his territory, after all, but there was something about him that made me think he wouldn’t hurt me. I took a step toward him, and he ran off into the darkness.
There was a bright light, and then I was somewhere else.
I scanned the area, trying to get my bearings. I was in a square room about the size of my bedroom. The walls were white with a cement texture. The only light came from a series of small windows that touched the ceiling. A brown stained mattress laid against the wall in the corner of the room with a single tan blanket crumbled on top. Was I in a basement? A warehouse? Male voices were coming from somewhere above me. None of them sounded familiar.
The room faded away like a dimmed light going out.
Surrounded by nothingness, everything around me was grey, including the floor I stood on. I pivoted around and noticed someone walking toward me. The boy looked to be about my age with a lean, muscular build and pale skin. He was familiar to me. As he got closer, I saw that his eyes were the color of honey. I tried to speak to him, but no words came out. A pleasant smile appeared on his face, and somehow, his presence comforted me.
I waited for him to speak.
When he opened his mouth, all I heard was a loud beeping. I could tell it was a machine by the perfectly timed intermittent breaks in between each tone. What I wasn’t expecting to hear was the sound of my mother’s voice. I couldn’t make out what she was saying, but her tone was frantic. I sensed she was in trouble, and I left the beautiful boy. Racing around the space, I attempted to follow the sound of her voice. No matter which direction I went, I couldn’t find her.
I abruptly o
pened my eyes, and the visions were gone.
Everything around me was fuzzy at first, but after a few moments, my vision came into focus. I turned my head to the right and saw that the machine I’d heard was a heart monitor. A jolt of pain pinged my forehead. When I attempted to rub my temples, I felt a tug on my hand. I glanced down and saw that I had an IV with a bag full of clear liquid attached to me. My eyes roamed the rest of the space. I was lying in a bed with white blankets on top of me and soft pillows behind my head. Had I been brought to a hospital?
“She’s finally awake,” a familiar voice called out. “Mina, can you hear me? Say something if you understand what I’m saying?”
My mother was at my side squeezing my hand. The warmth of her touch eased my building nerves. It has been months since I’d seen her. I noticed her long chestnut-brown hair that matched my own was now shoulder length, and there were dark circles under her gray eyes that hadn’t been there before. But there was something else. It was a feeling like something about her had changed.
My throat felt dry and scratchy when I tried to respond to her. “Water,” I whispered.
“Oh, I’m sorry.” She raced to the corner of the room and poured icy water from a pitcher. “Your throat must be sore from that breathing tube. They removed it over an hour ago when you started showing signs of waking up. I should’ve assumed you’d need something to drink.”
I wanted to tell her that it was okay. It was apparent by her dark circles that she hadn’t slept much, and I didn’t want to upset her any further. She held the liquid to my lips, and I took several sips before I cupped my hands around the plastic cup. The cold beverage alleviated the burn in my throat. She pulled a chair next to the bed and sat down. I reached out for her, and she entwined our fingers.
Van Helsing Academy Page 1