The Haunted High Series Book 2- The Ghost Files Page 12

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I turned away and began to run.

  “Finn, wait!” Dara called.

  I ducked my head and ran faster, leaping logs and mountain streams until I had left the cemetery far behind. Sparrow was gone. The thought pounded over and over in my mind. I had let her down. I had failed to protect her. I had placed her in the path of danger and done nothing when she sacrificed herself to save me.

  She had acted so quickly I didn’t know what to do. In the back of my mind, I thought she would be impervious to the fire like she had been when the demon attacked. Seeing her engulfed by the red flame was devastating, and when I caught her in my hand, I had known she was gone despite the denial that flooded my mind.

  Footsteps sounded behind me. I swerved to the right, intent on losing whoever tried to follow. To my shock, a massive force slammed into me and sent me rolling. I stopped against a tree and shook my head, dazed.

  “Where are you going?” Vicken demanded.

  He climbed to his feet and brushed off his grass-stained pants. Even in the moonlight, I could tell they were ruined.

  I growled at him.

  Vicken glared at me. “You think you can just run off and leave everyone like that? You think you’re the only one who’s sad that Sparrow’s dead?”

  My ear twitched at the catch in his voice when he said the dragon’s name. I turned away from him.

  “Don’t you dare do that,” the vampire said.

  He grabbed my shoulder.

  I turned on him with a snarl.

  “Seriously?” he replied. “That’s how it’s going to be?”

  He picked me up so fast I could barely believe it. I rolled my shoulders and pushed off of him before he could get a good grip. The moment my paws hit the ground, he had me in a bearhug. I ducked my head and pushed away from him at the same time. He let out an oomph at the force of my paws in his stomach, but he scrambled to grab me again.

  I told myself not to hurt him. Instincts whispered at the back of my mind that we were playing a very dangerous game. Somewhere in our history, vampires and werewolves had been mortal enemies. Since there hadn’t been a werewolf around since my mother left the Academy twenty-five years ago, that hostility had faded until I attended the Academy. The venom I had seen in Don Ruvine’s eyes wasn’t new to me. Though Vicken and I walked a very fine line between enemy and teammate, things could get bad quicker than I could stop it if I wasn’t careful.

  His hands gripped the fur of my back so hard it hurt. I twisted like a cat and lunged at his face. My teeth snapped shut inches from his forehead. Caught by surprise, he let me go and I hit the ground. I was about to leap at him again when a scent caught my nose. I turned, searching for the source.

  “Giving up so easily?” Vicken taunted. “Afraid you’ll be beaten by a vampire?”

  I ignored him and sniffed the air. The cloying sulfurous scent was thicker beyond the bushes.

  “What, are you following a rabbit now?” Vicken asked with disgust in his voice. “You really are an animal, aren’t you?”

  I wished I could shut him up. Instead, I paced toward the scent.

  “If you catch a rabbit, you better be prepared to share. I haven’t had blood in a while and it would be nice to have something fresh,” the vampire muttered as he followed me through the bushes.

  I lowered my head in order to keep track of the scent and ran faster. A glance over my shoulder showed Vicken keeping up easily. Apparently a vampire’s strength also gave them plenty of stamina for midnight jaunts through the forest.

  We reached a clearing near a rocky mountain ledge and I slowed, testing the air. The scent had disappeared. I turned in a circle, checking for where I had lost it.

  “Nothing?” Vicken said. “We go this far and for what?” He kicked a rock in disgust. It bounced over the edge of the cliff and down the steep side.

  A sound caught my ear and I spun, facing the direction we had come.

  “What are you—”

  I gave a low growl and he fell silent. Steps sounded again. They were huge. I ran through the list of mythical creatures I knew, which wasn’t many. The bushes in front of me swayed from side to side. An unfamiliar musk filled the air along with the sulfurous scent.

  I let out a growl and took a step back. Vicken backed up as well.

  “Finn, what is that?” he whispered.

  I shook my head with my gaze locked on the bushes. They were thick and thorny, towering far above my head in this older part of the forest. With the ledge at our back and the mountain rising sharply to the side, the path around the bushes remained our only route back to the Academy.

  The Alpha side of me balked at cowering from a threat I didn’t know. My fur rose as the beast drew closer. I took a step forward and growled.

  “Is that smart?” Vicken asked. “It could just wander away and—”

  The biggest bear I had ever seen crashed through the bushes with a snarl of rage. It swung its head from side to side, glaring at me with beady eyes that glowed with green fire.

  Vicken and I both scrambled back to the edge of the cliff.

  “Do you see its eyes?” Vicken asked, his voice tight with fear.

  I snorted to let him know I had.

  “When did demons start possessing animals?” he demanded.

  The bear shuffled its feet. Black claws large enough to gut me tore into the forest loam. The bear let out a bellow loud enough to awaken everyone at the Academy. Hatred flickered in its glowing eyes, revealing the demon that had taken over where the animal should have been. I knew when I looked into its gaze that the creature had been sent to kill us.

  “Run to the right,” Vicken said quietly.

  I glanced back at him.

  He nodded toward the path by the bushes. “I’ll distract it. Run to the path and get out of here.” He met my gaze. “Just promise you’ll save Amryn. I think you’re the only one who can.”

  It took me a moment to realize the vampire was about to sacrifice himself to save me. I couldn’t help staring.

  “On the count of three,” Vicken continued, oblivious of my shock. His chest rose and fell in fear of what he was about to do, but he kept his eyes on the bear. He stooped and picked up a rock. “One, two….”

  The bear charged before he could reach three. Vicken dove to the left as I darted to the right. The animal followed the vampire. Vicken threw his rock. It hit the bear hard on the snout. The beast rose up on its hind legs with a roar and knocked the vampire down with a huge paw. Before Vicken could get back up, the bear stepped on him. Its claws tore into his chest.

  “Run!” Vicken gasped out.

  A normal person with proper sensibilities might have run away at the sight of a demon-possessed bear, but I was neither normal nor had proper sensibilities. I was an Alpha werewolf with apparently great expertise at getting into trouble. I didn’t know how to walk away.

  I gathered my legs beneath me and leaped onto the bear’s back. The beast rose up again in an attempt to throw me off, but I bit its shoulder and refused to let go for fear that if it landed back down, it would do so on top of Vicken.

  “Idiot!” I heard Vicken say before the bear turned and slammed me into the boulders that made up the side of the mountain.

  Winded, I lost my grip and fell when the bear backed away. It turned and was about to step on me when it let out a roar and lumbered in the other direction. I pushed myself up using the boulders in time to see Vicken heft another rock the size of my head.

  “That’s right, demon. Come pick on someone with a little more intelligence.”

  He shot me a look. I rolled my eyes and limped closer. I was afraid that the bear would charge the vampire and take him over the edge. The thought gave me an idea. I crept quietly around its left side as it advanced on Vicken. He lifted the rock menacingly.

  “You really want this?” the vampire asked. “I’m more than happy to give it to you.”

  Before he could throw it, I darted in and nipped t
he bear’s back leg. The creature spun with a bellow. I danced back fast enough to avoid a sweep of its claws and ran around to its other side.

  “What are you doing?” Vicken demanded.

  I nipped at the bear again. It spun once more, its eyes glowing with vile hatred.

  This time when I ran around it, I did so closer to the edge so that when I stopped, the cliff was only about a foot behind me.

  “Finn,” Vicken warned.

  The bear swung its massive head toward him. I growled and its attention locked back on me.

  “Finn, the ledge,” Vicken said.

  I ran around the bear’s side, intent on driving it backwards. My burned paw slipped on a rock and I stumbled. The creature pinned me to the ground with a heavy paw. Its head lowered. I felt the wash of its putrid breath and wondered what kind of disease I could catch from a demon-possessed bear. It opened its mouth to bite me. Before it could close its jaws, a rock smashed into its face.

  The bear rose up again with a roar. It swiped at Vicken, but the vampire dodged with superhuman speed. I saw my chance. Before the beast could lower back down, I sprang at its chest. The bear stumbled backwards with the force of the attack. I bit at its throat. The bear clawed at me in an attempt to tear me free, but I stubbornly held on. I felt it take one step back and then another. I put my paws against it, ready to spring free when it fell.

  To my dismay, the bear wrapped me in a bone-crushing hug, trapping me against it. I struggled to break free, but it wouldn’t let go. It took another step backwards as it tried to squeeze the life from me. I felt one hind paw slip and then the other. My heart leaped in my throat at the feeling of plummeting through the air. I closed my eyes and then yelped.

  Hands gripped my tail, tearing me from the bear’s grasp when it fell off the ledge. Vicken pulled me unceremoniously back up as I stared at the bear rolling down the side of the cliff. It stopped close to the bottom and rose shakily to its feet. It looked up at us. I couldn’t tell from that distance if the green fire was gone from its gaze, but whatever fight had filled it had apparently left because the bear turned away and lumbered in the opposite direction from where we stood.

  “Well that was exciting,” Vicken said dryly. He put his hand to his chest and pulled it away to show dark blood on his pale palm. He rubbed his hand on his pant leg. “Remind me to follow you into the forest less often.”

  I gave a snort and willed my racing heart to slow. Vicken bent over with his hands on his knees, showing the first sign of exhaustion I had ever seen from the vampire.

  “That was interesting,” he noted as he drew in a breath. “Why do you think—”

  A scream caught my ear. I rose with my attention on the path.

  “What is it?” Vicken asked, straightening.

  I barked and then took off running.

  “Again with the running,” Vicken called. “Haven’t you learned that it doesn’t turn out well?”

  Chapter Eleven

  More screams filled the air before we reached the cemetery. When we arrived at the clearing, I skidded to a stop at the sight of my team backed against a set of trees. Two mountain lions paced back and forth in front of them.

  “More demon-possessed animals?” Vicken said, coming to a halt beside me.

  Both mountain lions looked back at us. The green fire in their eyes was unmistakable.

  “Vicken, Finn, be careful!” Lorne warned.

  A copper scent lay heavy in the air. I dared a glance at my team and found the source. Mercer was leaning against a tree with his hands clutching his stomach. The shirt he held as a bandage was covered in blood. A glance to the left showed Brack with claw marks down his bare chest.

  “They’re in trouble,” Vicken said under his breath.

  I growled. Both cougars turned completely around.

  “Now we’re in trouble,” the vampire said with a touch of irony.

  I let out another growl and took a step back. Both mountain lions advanced.

  “Run for the school,” Vicken told our team. He retreated with me, keeping his gaze on the cougars.

  I looked up just long enough to see Lorne and Jean helping Mercer to his feet while Lyris and Dara assisted Brack. Professor Briggs kept between the team and the threat of the mountain lions as the students and professors retreated toward the Academy.

  One of the cougars looked back at the group. Vicken picked up a stick and threw it. It hit the big cat on the rump with painful accuracy. The mountain lion spun back to face him and hissed. They both advanced toward us with deadly grace.

  “Now we’ve got their attention, but I don’t think your little stunt with the bear is going to help us,” Vicken said as we both backed up. “I doubt we can make it to the ridge before they take us down. I hope you have a different plan.”

  I was glad I was in wolf form so I didn’t have to admit that my plan hadn’t gone beyond getting the creatures’ attention to distract them from our team. I growled again to ensure that they would follow, then took off running.

  “Running again?” Vicken said when he caught up to me. “Is this some sort of wolf thing?”

  Ironically, it was the only wolf thing I was good at, or the only one I knew, for that matter. I was grateful that at least with Vicken’s vampire strength, he could keep up with me. But the sound of the cougars behind us told me that they were catching up very quickly. If we didn’t find an escape soon, we were going to have to fight them, and after experiencing the demon-possessed strength of the bear, I was anxious to avoid another encounter.

  The sound of a river caught my ear. I veered to the right and heard Vicken follow. The short gasps of the vampire’s breaths told me that his strength was waning. Given all we had confronted since I awoke in the cemetery, I was amazed we were both still running. My own breath came in short spurts. Both of us were surviving on sheer adrenaline.

  My path took us to a river about twenty feet across. The rush of the water around boulders as it swept above the sides of the riverbed told of rain further up in the mountain. Logs and forest debris were pulled past. Vicken and I stopped and turned to face the demon-possessed animals. I second-guessed my plan as I placed myself between the vampire and the cougars. I tried to tell myself that we were going to be fine, but the huge cats bore down on us with the intent to kill bright in their flaming eyes.

  I glanced at the water.

  “I’m not doing what you seem to be thinking about doing,” Vicken said. He eyed the hunting cats warily.

  The creatures advanced, snarling and spitting their rage at our elusiveness.

  I took a step toward the river. As uninviting as it looked, it was our only hope.

  “Don’t even think about it,” Vicken said.

  I backed up another step, forcing him to do the same. The cougars faced us down, their green eyes roiling in hatred. I didn’t relish the thought of their claws in my hide. In wolf form or human, they were bound to hurt very badly. I took another step.

  “Has anyone ever told you you’re crazy?” Vicken asked when his next step took him into the shallow water that lapped above the bank.

  I waded into the water beside him. There was a small lip, and then the water ran deep enough that I couldn’t see the bottom through the rush. The feeling of the cold water against my paws wasn’t a welcome one, but we were out of options. I only hoped we had distracted the cougars long enough for our team to reach the Academy.

  A glance at Vicken showed his reluctance to enter the river. I looked back in time to see the mountain lions crouched as one and prepare to spring. The moment their huge paws left the ground, I lunged back at Vicken, propelling us both into the icy water.

  Yowls of surprise filled the air as the cougars landed in the river as well. Their splashing and wailing was the last thing I heard before the tangled branches of a stump took me under.

  I was back in the car. This time it was completely submerged. Sebastian lolled lifelessly next to me. I could hear Drake’s muted struggles in the back seat
, but couldn’t get my seatbelt off to save him. I fought as hard as I could. I remembered yanking on the belt to free myself, but it wouldn’t work this time. The belt was rough and scratchy instead of smooth and cloth. It wouldn’t yield to my struggles.

  My last breath left in a cloud of bubbles. I couldn’t see Sebastian anymore. The water was dark and cold; my limbs ached with the chill that permeated deeper than anything I had ever experienced. I fought to keep my mouth closed. The knowledge that a breath of water would be my last made me battle the need to breathe. Darkness filled my vision and a humming sound rose in my ears. I didn’t want to die underwater. The thought sounded over and over in my mind. It was a horrible way to die. I owed it to Drake to live and see that he didn’t suffer the same death as Sebastian. But I couldn’t free myself in order to save him.

  Hands grabbed my right arm. I paused in confusion, wondering who was trying to help me when it was supposed to be my job to save the others, a job I had already failed once.

  The hands pulled and pain exploded in my burned hand. I gulped in despite my resolve and choked on the water. The hands wouldn’t let go; instead, they pulled harder. The rough seatbelt scraped against my chest, and then I was free.

  When my head broke the surface, I tried to breathe, but the water that clogged my lungs refused to let me. I was pulled to the edge of a bank and shoved up.

  “Breathe!” Vicken shouted as he pulled himself up beside me. “Come on, Finn. Take a breath!”

  With my blurry vision I saw his head block out the moonlight.

  Fear was bright in the vampire’s eyes as he shouted again, “Come on, Finn! Don’t you dare give up now!”

  His voice rang tinny and muted to my ears. My head lolled to the side despite my efforts to focus.

  Vicken brought both hands up in a club and slammed them down on my chest. I doubled over in pain and the water shot from my mouth. I gasped in a huge breath and coughed, sucking in another painful gulp of air.

  “That’s it,” Vicken said. He sat back with one hand on his chest and the other on my shoulder. “Keep breathing. Take your time. We’re safe.”