 
# Entranced

## (Guardian Academy Series, #1)

## Jessica Sorensen
Entranced

Jessica Sorensen

All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2015 by Jessica Sorensen

This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance of characters to actual persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental. The author holds exclusive rights to this work. Unauthorized duplication is prohibited.

No part of this book can be reproduced in any form or by electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems, without the permission in writing from author. The only exception is by a reviewer who may quote short excerpts in a review.

Any trademarks, service marks, product names or names featured are assumed to be the property of their respective owners, and are used only for reference. There is no implied endorsement if we use one of these terms.

* * *

For information: jessicasorensen.com

* * *

Cover design by Najla Qamber Designs

  Created with Vellum

# 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

About the Author

Also by Jessica Sorensen

# Chapter 1

I'm the only human in the club. Well, except for Jayse Hale, my cousin and best friend on the entire planet. Although, human might be a stretch, considering we have Keeper's blood pumping through our veins. At least, I'm pretty sure I do.

Technically, I haven't gotten my Keeper's mark yet, but Jayse has. The fiery ring of gold showed up on his shoulder almost a year ago when he turned sixteen. His parents, my Aunt Aislin and Uncle Laylen, were ecstatic he inherited inhuman strength. It comes in useful for endeavors like tonight, when almost every creature near us is inhumanly strong and can easily kill an average person.

My parents, Alex and Gemma Avery, keep telling me it's only a matter of time before my mark shows up. My mom, dad, and over half of my extended family bear the mark of a Keeper—warriors who protect the human race from all those scary things that go bump in the night. Things most people don't believe exist. Believe me; they do exist. But, thanks to us lovely Keepers who kick ass and risk our lives daily, most people get to live their lives without ever crossing paths with vampires, werewolves, fey, and all kinds of otherworldly creatures.

Me, I get to stand in a room crammed with them.

The Black Dungeon is one of the many clubs in the city exclusively for anyone and everything who like to dip their feet, fangs, third eyes, or etc. into the dark side. The dress code to get in requires dark clothing, which is why I'm rocking a tight black tank, black jeans, and a pair of lace-up, thigh-high boots that make my already long legs look even longer. On top of that, you have to possess the Mark of Immortality. Jayse and I aren't immortal, but thanks to Blaire, Jayse's younger sister who has badass Wicca skills, we have temporary marks on our forearms, an illusion created by a magic spell. My unearthly violet eyes also give me an edge, the strangely unique color inherited from my mom and my grandpa Lucas.

"What are we looking for exactly?" Jayse asks me as we dance to the bass-driven song.

Lights shimmer above us, and a faint mist floats around my feet as I skim the sea of faces near me. Most of them appear to be human, but if I look closely enough, I can spot glowing eyes, scaly skin, and claws for hands. "We're looking for someone. I already told you that."

He leans in, coughing as the mist swirls up to our faces. "You keep saying someone, but clearly that someone is a something, so fess up." He moves back, his bright blue eyes sparkling with amusement. Like me, he's dressed from head to toe in black with studs on his belt and bands on his wrists, making him appear like an edgy, bad boy from the neck down, but his bright blue eyes and messy blond hair give him a pretty-boy look. "Alana Avery, what kind of trouble are you getting us into this time?"

"If I tell you, then you have to promise not to give me a big lecture on making bad choices." Even though I'm five-nine, I have to tip my chin to look up at him—he's that tall. "I've heard it way too many times."

His lips quirk. "Well, if you didn't make so many bad choices, I wouldn't have to lecture you all the time."

"That or you could just accept that your awesome best friend sometimes does crazy stuff, but it almost always plays out in our favor."

"One day, it's going to catch up with us."

"Maybe you should stop coming with me if you're so worried."

"Imagine how much trouble you'd get into if I did," he says with an arch of his brows.

"I can take care of myself." I squint against the lights vibrantly flashing with the beat of the song. "Everyone thinks that just because I don't have my mark, I can't protect myself. I know what I'm doing. I'm not weak." Everyone forgets that I've been in this life since I was born.

His expression softens. "No one said you are. We know you're tough. We just care about you. Until you get the mark, so much bad stuff can still happen to you."

I tuck a strand of my long, brown hair behind my ear. "I know. I'm sorry for complaining. I just get so frustrated sometimes."

He shifts closer and whispers, "Is that why we're here? So you can try to prove you can take care of yourself?"

"It's freakin' scary how well you know me," I say with a defeated sigh.

"I'd be the biggest asshole if I didn't. I mean, we've been best friends since we could walk. That's a freakin' long-ass time."

I nod in agreement.

Our parents are best friends, and his mom is my dad's sister, so we were kind of predestined to be best friends. It's probably a good thing, too. While I like to do crazy, dangerous things, Jayse is more levelheaded and keeps an eye on me. He always seems to know when I'm up to something, like tonight.

The main reason I came to the Black Dungeon is because I heard Anastasiya is supposed to be here. She has major status in the vampire world and is the cause behind a ton of human deaths. The Keepers have wanted to get their hands on her for a while, but she typically stays off the radar and has a ton of bodyguards surrounding her when she does make her presence known.

"So, who are you trying to find?" Jayse asks, inching closer as sweaty bodies start to crowd us.

I pull a guilty face, nudging someone when they bump into me. "Anastasiya."

His eyes widen. "Please tell me you're joking. That you didn't come here tonight to try and execute..." He casts a panicked glance around at the mob then leans in toward me. "We'll never be able to kill her. She's too powerful."

"Not if we can get her alone," I hiss under my breath. "She's only powerful because she has her precious bodyguards. Take them away, and she's just a regular, old vampire."

"No vampire is just a regular, old vampire." Frustration fills his voice. "And even if we could take her, her guards never leave her alone."

"That's not completely true. I know for a fact that, sometime around midnight, she'll be on the roof alone all by her little old self."

"How do you know that?"

"Um..." I chew on my lip guiltily. "I may have been tipped off by someone who can see into the future."

"You talked to _Elliot_?" His jaw ticks. "You know he's not a reliable Foreseer. He probably lied to you to set you up."

"He wouldn't do that to me, Jayse... I know everyone doesn't like Elliot, but he's not as bad as everyone thinks. He just messed up that one time and no one will forgive him."

"Messed up that _one time_. He tried to mess around with visions when he knew he wasn't supposed to and almost set off an apocalypse. And the only reason that didn't happen is because he was caught before he actually went through with it."

"That was a long time ago, back when he was still learning how to control his psychic abilities. Even you messed up a lot when you were training," I say. "Jayse, I'm really sorry, but I need to do this. You don't understand the pressure I'm under from my mom and dad. They keep saying shit like, 'When is Alana's mark going to show up?' And, 'If she doesn't get one, we're going to have to send her somewhere safe.' It's starting to worry me."

He gapes at me. "They're talking about sending you away?"

I nod. "For my senior year. They think I should go to some boarding school across the country."

"But you can't move." His lips pull to a sad smile. "My life would be way too dull without you."

"So you'll help me with this, then? Let me prove I'm stronger than everyone thinks?" I clasp my hands in front of me. "Please say yes, Jayse."

He offers me an apologetic look. "I don't want you to move away, but I can't let you go through with this. It's too risky. I'm sorry, but I'm texting for back up." When I start to open my mouth, he talks over me. "I'm not arguing. I'm not going to let you risk your life."

"We take risks like all the time. This isn't any different."

"Taking on"—he lowers his voice as he slips his hand into his pocket, retrieving his phone—"Anastasiya... You'll get yourself killed." He punches a few buttons on his phone. "We'll find another way to keep you from moving, okay?"

So much for proving I'm a badass. Texting for backup means a ton of Keepers are going to show up soon and take over the situation.

"They'll still let you help," he tries to reassure me.

I force a smile. "Yeah, maybe."

He's wrong, though. Since my parents hold high status in the Keepers' circle, everyone knows me, knows that I don't have my mark yet, and that I'm not supposed to be working any jobs.

He stuffs the phone into his back pocket of his pants. "They're on their way. I have to stick around until they get here... Do you want to go home?"

I shake my head as we start to dance again. "No, but are my parents included in the 'they'?"

He stares at something over my shoulder. "I don't think so."

"I hope not or my ass is going to get grounded. Then I won't get to see you before I move away." I swallow the lump wedged in my throat.

I know I'm acting like a baby, but the idea of moving away from my family, from Jayse, from the life I've always known is killing me. I thought tonight would at least give me a chance at being able to stay. Now that chance is rapidly slipping away from me.

Tonight wasn't supposed to go down like this. Usually, Jayse goes along with my plans, even if they're dangerous. Lately, though, he's acting more responsibly. I blame it on the mark. It changed him, made him like every other Keeper.

The day he got his mark, I felt like I lost my best friend. Sure, I still love Jayse to death and I'd do anything for him, but I can feel a wall between us, dividing how we view situations.

I miss my old best friend who said to hell with everything and held my hand as we jumped blindly into danger.

If only the stupid mark would just appear! Then shit could go back to normal.

As if reading my mind, the back of my neck begins to burn, like a tattoo needle buzzing away, inking my flesh. This has to be it—my mark appearing! Of course, I need to go check before I declare it since I've had more than a handful of false alarms.

"I have to go to the bathroom!" I shout to Jayse over the music.

He glances at the clock then shoots me a dubious look. "It's almost midnight. Are you sure you're not just trying to sneak off to the roof?"

I press my hand to my chest, mocking offense. "You think I'd lie to my best friend?"

He gives me a blank stare. "Do I really need to answer that?"

"Oh, fine, but I only lie to you when I'm trying to protect you." I back away from him with my elbows out, making a path through the throng. "I'm not lying, though. I really do need to pee." I smile sweetly at a guy with glittery gold hair who shoots me a disgusted look. "What? Don't pretend like you don't do it, too."

He actually might not, depending on what he is. With the crazy hair and shimmering skin, my bet is a Pixie.

The Pixie in question rolls his eyes then turns back to the woman with snow-white hair that he's dancing with.

I smile proudly at Jayse. "See? I know how to ease over situations."

He fights back a grin. "Go to the bathroom and meet me at the bar when you're done."

I spin around and squeeze through the sweaty bodies, making my way to the back of the club. As I pass by a freakishly tall, very well built guy with jet-black hair, he grabs my waist and tries to grind himself all up in my business. The skin-to-skin contact from his palm creeping up the front of my shirt makes me gag.

I push him away, jabbing my shoulder into his chest. "Dude, I'm not into vampires. Sorry."

He flashes me his fangs. "I bet I can change your mind," he purrs, leaning in like he's going to bite me.

I splay my fingers across his face and shove him back. "No way. Never gonna happen."

He hisses at me, and my heart slams against my chest. But on the outside, I remain cool, despite the fact that the vampire could go all off-with-her-head on me if needed.

Squaring my shoulders, I brush by him, nudging him out of the way when he gets all up in my personal space again. He growls, but thankfully doesn't chase after me.

I push my way off the dance floor, the mist fading as I make it to the dimly lit table area. I don't make eye contact with the vampire feasting off the human's neck in the far corner booth, but my fingers itch to draw out my knife from my ankle sheath, and stake him in the heart. If I knew for sure I had my mark, I just might give it a go. Instead, I keep my hands fisted to my sides, duck down a dimly lit hallway, and slip into the bathroom.

As the door swings shut behind me, the lights flicker. I worry the power might go off and smother me in darkness before I get to see if I have the mark.

The lights end up staying on, and I stride toward a row of mirrors above the sink bowls, checking under each stall on my way to make sure I'm alone. The last thing I need is for anything to see the mark on my neck.

Once I'm positive no one else is in here, I turn my back to the mirror, sweep my hair to the side, and then instantly frown.

"Dammit." The only thing marking my flesh is a blotchy, red spot, which probably came from early when a Faerie bumped me in the back of the neck with his wing.

I let my hair fall over my shoulder and grip the edge of the sink bowl. I know it won't be the end of the world if it turns out I'm not a Keeper, but it'll separate me from my friends and family. It already kind of has. I've become a burden, a constant concern to everyone I love, and deep down, I don't blame my parents for wanting to send me away from this lifestyle. They want to protect me; I get that. It just sucks balls big time.

Suddenly, the doors behind me swing open and a short, curvy woman with flowing red hair and bloodstained lips stumbles in. The fangs descending from her mouth and dry blood on her chin reveal she's a vampire.

She's riding a blood high, but when she spots me, the glazed look in her eyes diminishes. She skims me over, her nostrils flaring as she inhales deeply. I know she's trying to get a vibe on what I am. She won't get one, thanks to the magic bound inside my temporary Mark of Immortality.

I stare her down, waiting for her to say something, call me out, try to eat me, whatever she plans on doing. My hands are at my sides, fingers ready to snatch the knife from my ankle sheath, but she ends up giving up and stomps into a stall, slamming the door behind her.

A slow exhale eases from my lips as I unstiffen.

I check the time on my phone. Almost midnight.

"Shit." I hurry out of the bathroom a little too fast and end up crashing into someone.

"Watch it," a guy snaps as I trip backward from the impact and bash my elbow against the wall.

_Classy spazz move, Alana. You're going to give away that you're a clumsy human._

The scents of cologne, soap, and something woodsy flood my nostrils as I regain my footing. I know that scent. This dude is a werewolf.

Despite the angry scowl he's sporting, I admit the guy is sort of cute. Okay, maybe more like freakin' hot. He's maybe a couple of years older than me, tall, with light brown hair styled in a messy fauxhawk. Intricate tattoos wind around his lean arms and up his neck, and he has the craziest, most intense silver eyes I've ever seen. Although, the shade does seem oddly out of place, considering silver is a werewolf's kryptonite and most have brownish gold or bright yellow eyes.

Werewolf dude glares at me. "Do the world a favor and learn how to walk."

Okay. He _so_ just lost a few sexy points for that remark.

"Sorry." My voice drips with sugary sweetness. "I've tried a ton of times to get my how-to-walk learner's permit, but the instructor always fails me because I keep crashing into brooding guys who never seem to know how to watch where _they're_ walking. It's a curse. Seriously."

He stares at me, unimpressed, with his arms folded. "I'm not brooding; I'm just in a hurry."

I gesture for him to get a move on. "Well, then you should probably get going instead of wasting time insulting my walking incompetence." When he continues to stare me down, I put my hands on my hips and arch my brows at him. "What? Never had anyone call you out before?"

"No, but if they did, I'd make them shut hell up." His gaze drops to the markings on my arm, and then his head cocks to the side. "I'm just trying to decide if I want to shut you the hell up."

I keep a calm expression, but I'm a little frazzled on the inside. He glanced at the Mark of Immortality. Can he tell it's fake?

I shove the thought from my head. No, if he knew I was human, he probably would've killed me already. Not all werewolves are completely bad, especially in human form, but werewolves who hang out at places like the Black Dungeon are usually looking for trouble.

"What? Cat got your tongue?" he questions with a smirk. "Or should I say wolf?"

I roll my eyes. "That was super cheesy. Seriously, dude, does that ever work on anyone?"

His smirk broadens. "It got you flustered, didn't it?"

I roll my eyes again. "Well, it's been a real pleasure running into you, but I've got other broody guys to run into."

I start to walk away, waggling my fingers at him, but his fingers wrap around my arm. Moments later, his breath dusts the back of my neck.

"Don't do it," he whispers in a low tone that carries a warning. "You'll end up getting killed."

"I'm not doing anything except trying to get away from you." I try to slip my arm from his hold, but he tightens his grip. A shallow breath escapes my lips. "Let. Me. Go."

"Stay away from Anastasiya, Alana"—his voice is one step away from a growl—"because, if you get in my way, I'll have no choice but to kill you, which would be a real waste considering you're the first person I ever let walk away from me unscratched after calling me a cocky asshole." With a brush of his fingers across the back of my neck, he mutters, "Interesting," then moves away from me.

I spin around with my hand cupped over the back of my neck.

"Don't look so worried." He backs down the hallway in the opposite direction of the dance floor, stuffing his hands into the pocket of his black cargo pants. "I promise you and I'll run into each other again very soon. I just hope by then you've learned how to walk better." With that, he turns around and pushes out the Do Not Enter door at the end of the hallway.

I stare at the door with my jaw hanging to my knees and a thousand questions racing through my mind. What the hell just happened? How the hell does he know what I'm plotting tonight? How does he know who I am? Better yet, how the hell does he know we're going to meet again?

# Chapter 2

By the time I make it to the bar, a handful of Keepers have arrived. They aren't near each other to keep under the radar—some are on the dance floor, others near the serving table.

Jayse is chatting with the bartender when I approach him. He seems cheerier than when I last saw him, laughing at something the woman behind the counter says. She looks a few years older than him with flowing red hair. From the way he keeps throwing her charming smiles, I can tell he's flirting with her.

Usually, I'd tease the crap out of him, but I'm too worried about Wolf Guy.

When Jayse catches sight of me, his expression sinks. "What happened?" He examines my face. "You look pale? Are you getting a fever?" He places his palm to my forehead.

I dip my head away from his hand. "Stop being a weirdo," I hiss under my breath as I worriedly peer around the club. "We're being watched." I slump onto a barstool.

"By who?" He sits back down, still watching me as if I'm made of cracking glass.

I slant forward in the chair. "I ran into a werewolf in the hallway. Somehow, he knows why I came here tonight."

He jerks back, his eyes flooding with panic. "I need to warn everyone."

"Jayse, I don't think—"

He's already hurrying off toward a group of Keepers on the dance floor.

Sighing, I get up to warn the Keepers lounging around in the serving area.

Tonight turned into a disaster. I left my house with such high hopes that I could pull off some badassary and prove I'm a warrior, even without the mark, but all I managed to do was get everyone into a sketchy situation.

I warn the Keepers to bail out, and they seem super irritated with me.

"Stupid girl needs to stay out of our business," one of them says, glaring at me. "You're not a Keeper just because your parents are. Are you trying to get people killed?"

When the other two nod in agreement, my muscles wind into knots. I'm fuming mad. But under the anger, I feel embarrassed because I know everything they're saying is true.

Unable to stand and endure the scrutiny any longer, I turn around and push my way to the exit of the club

After I make it outside, I wait for Jayse in the alleyway in front of the entrance. The full moon shimmers brightly in the dark sky and the air is still except for the faint sounds of cars driving up and down the nearby road. While I'm used to being alone in strange, creepy places, the werewolf's words haunt my mind.

Werewolves aren't known for having mind reading skills. That trait usually applies to witches and foreseers. So how did he know what I was up to? He could've overheard me when I was talking to Jayse, but I don't recall seeing him anywhere near the dance floor.

A scream abruptly cuts through the air, tearing through my thoughts. My gaze darts upward just in time to see a figure tumbling down from the roof.

I skitter across the alley to the other side, barely making it out of the way before the body hits the ground right where I was standing only seconds ago.

"Holy shit," I breathe as I stare at the unmoving body.

Drawing my knife from my boots, I dare an inch or two closer, trying to see who or what it is.

They're facedown, blood pooling around their head, and the long, brown hair splayed across the ground has me guessing it's a woman.

Sucking in a breath, I crouch down to get a better look. I've seen dead bodies before, but never one this mangled: skin torn up, gaping holes in her stomach, like someone took a giant bite out of her. I feel a sick to my stomach. Still, I find myself wanting to examine her more closely, try to figure out what happened. The fall definitely isn't what killed her, and the injuries had to have been done to her beforehand.

I carefully roll her over onto her back then gasp. _Anastasiya_. "Holy shit!"

What the hell? Did one of the Keepers go through with the plan? No, if they'd staked her, she'd have turned to ash. The cause of death... It has to be the claw and bite marks, which can only mean one thing.

A howl from above rings through the air, confirming my suspicion. I step away from the dead vampire and look up at the roof where glowing, silver eyes stare through the darkness at me.

"I know you," I say. "You're the guy from inside, aren't you?"

The wolf lets out another howl, throwing his head up at the sky, before backing away from the ledge of the roof and vanishing from sight.

"Okay, I think everyone cleared out," Jayse announces as he exits the club. "Let's get out..." He trails off, drifting to a stop. "What the hell...?" He shakes his head, gaping from Anastasiya to me. "Alana, what did you do?"

I pause for a microsecond, debating whether to take the credit for this. I can't lie to Jayse without feeling guilty, though, so I decide not to try.

"I didn't do anything," I tell him, stealing a glance at the roof again.

He appears unconvinced. "Then how the hell did Anastasiya end up dead at your feet?"

"If I staked her then there wouldn't be a body."

"That's not the only way to kill a vamp, and you know it. You could've poisoned her, beheaded her." His gaze drops to the body. "Although, her head is intact."

I sigh then give him a brief rundown of what just happened.

"So, you think it was the same wolf you ran into in the club?" Jayse asks after I'm done explaining.

I shrug, retuning my knife to my ankle sheath. "He had the same silver eyes, but he was totally rocking his hairy beast, fangs, four legs wolf suit, so I couldn't tell for sure."

Jayse rubs his jawline, contemplatively glancing from the roof to the woman. "I think we need to call the Guardians and have them come take a look."

I instinctively pull a face. Guardians are investigators for murders committed in the paranormal world. They're very analytical and always ask way too many questions. In my opinion, it's one of the worst titles a person can get, and many Keepers would agree with me. Spending time examining dead bodies without actually fighting anything—no one is ever too thrilled to get that position. No one sane, anyway.

"You don't know for sure if she was murdered," I say to Jayse. "And she could've attacked the wolf first or he was just defending himself."

He gives me the look he always gives me whenever I'm being difficult and he's trying to tolerate me. "I get that no one likes the Guardians, but we need to follow protocol."

"But you know how they are. They'll end up questioning me until they think they've pried every single detail out of me, and I don't have time for that," I explain with a frown. "I'm supposed to go archery shooting with my grandpa in the morning. We're having a competition, too. Winner gets a hundred bucks. I want that hundred bucks, but I'll never be able to win if I'm so tired that I can't keep my eyes open."

"Alana, you know the rules. If it looks like a murder, then we have to call it in." He retrieves his phone from his pocket to make the call.

"Fine, but just for the record, I miss the old rule-breaker Jayse," I tell him as he paces the alley with the phone pressed to his ear.

"Yeah, but you still love me," he replies with a grin.

I roll my eyes, not arguing, because he's right. I'll always love Jayse, and he'll always be my best friend, even if I'm going to lose a hundred bucks because of him.

# Chapter 3

An arrow springs forward from my bow and smacks the target with a _thwack,_ slamming too far away from the bullseye. I stifle a yawn as I lower the bow to my side, frustrated over how exhausted I am.

I was right about the Guardians. By the time I finished answering their questions, it was nearing sunrise. I probably got a total of two hours of sleep before I had to wake up to go shooting with my grandpa Lucas.

"You seem tired," Grandpa Lucas remarks with an I'm-so-gonna-win-this-competition smile. Like me, he's competitive, so he isn't going easy on me just because I'm his granddaughter. "Stay out too late?"

"Like you don't already know the answer," I say in a teasing tone. My archery skills may suck today, but that doesn't mean I've lost the ability to joke around with my grandpa, who's one of my favorite people in the world. "I know my mom and dad told you all about my little stunt last night. You may think you were talking quietly, but my teenage hearing is way better than your old people hearing."

He shoots me a joking scowl. "Hey, I'm not that old." He raises the bow with an arrow loaded, shoots it straight into the center of the target, and then grins at me because he just won the competition. "And I can still kick your teenage butt at archery."

I set my bow down, leaning it against my leg while I tug off my mesh glove. "You only won because I'm tired."

"Whatever you need to tell yourself to make you feel better about losing," he says as he removes his gloves.

I give him my best sad, puppy dog eyes. "Are you really going to make me give you a hundred bucks? Because it's pretty much all the money I have."

He raises his brows at me. "Would you make me pay you if I lost?"

I shake my head. "No way. I'm too nice."

"You sure about that?"

"No."

"Then don't you think it's fair that you pay?"

"I guess so." I collect my bow and gloves from off the ground and head back across the field toward the three-story, stone castle that belongs to the Keepers. While I don't call the place home, I probably spend as much time here as I do at my house.

My grandpa Lucas quietly strolls along beside me as I hike through the tall grass, past the glistening lake, and up the steep hillside. When we almost reach the heavy, wooden door of the castle, he stops me before I walk in.

"How about this," he says, "we meet up next weekend and do double or nothing? Just keep in mind that that's two hundred bucks you'll owe me if you lose."

My mood perks up. "Really?"

He nods. "But just make sure you get enough sleep. No staying out and trying to pull crazy stunts."

I nod then throw my arms around him. "Thank you, Grandpa. You're the best."

"Remember that when I'm kicking your butt next weekend," he teases, patting me on the back.

I chuckle as I step back. "In your dreams, old man."

We continue to trash talk each other as we wander inside the castle and down the hallway toward the library where my mom and dad are more than likely working on some sort of Keeper mission. Strangely, though, they aren't there.

We search the entire house, but not a single Keeper is around.

"That's weird," I say as we start back downstairs. "Did they say they were going somewhere?"

He shakes his head, puzzlement etched deep in his face. "They were actually supposed to talk to me about something when we got back. Maybe they got called out on a job, though."

I glance at the clock on the wall. "But it's only noon." Usually, Keeper missions go down when the sun sets because, for some reason, most creatures seem to be nocturnal.

"I know." His confusion deepens as he descends the stairway.

I trail after him, scratching at the back of my neck. The damn thing has been so itchy today. I'm starting to get worried something stung me last night, and that's why I felt the burning sensation at the club.

"Grandpa, is there a creature that can sting you and make your skin itchy?" I ask as we reach the bottom of the stairs.

"There's a ton of creatures that sting, but most are fatal." He pauses, giving me a worried look. "Why? Did something sting you?"

I press my palm to the back of my neck. "I'm not sure. I felt this burn on the back of my neck last night, and I thought it was... well, my mark appearing. But when I checked it out, my skin was just blotchy, and now it's really itchy. A faerie wing hit me there, but I don't think they sting, do they?"

He shakes his head, his brows knitting. "Let me see it."

I turn around and move my ponytail out of the way.

He's quiet for a moment before he mutters, "Oh, no."

"What's wrong?"

"Well... You did get your mark."

"I did?" I fist pump the air then hurry for the mirror.

"Gemma, wait!" my grandpa calls out.

"I just want to see it." I stop in front of a small, oval mirror on the wall at the end of the hallway. I sweep my hair out of the way with a smile on my face. But the smile fades when I see the mark tattooed on the back of my neck.

Instead of the Keepers' ring of fiery gold flames, dark ink forms a compass with arrows pointing out of the edge, and strange, winding symbols fill the inside.

"This can't be right... What the hell is this?" I already know the answer, though. I just don't want to admit it.

He offers me a remorseful look. "I'm so sorry, Alana, but I think you just became a Guardian."

# Chapter 4

I shake my head at least a thousand times. "No, I can't be. I'm supposed to be a Keeper. It's in my blood. Everyone I know is a Keeper. There's no Guardian blood on the Lucas's side or the Avery's. This has to be a mistake."

"You know that's not how things work." He offers me a sympathetic look. "Sometimes blood has nothing to do with it. Sometimes, you're just chosen at random."

"That rarely happens." So why did it happen to me? What's so wrong with me that I didn't get to follow in my family's footsteps?

"But it does happen." He pats my shoulder. "I'm sorry you're disappointed, but it's really not as bad as it seems. Like Keepers, Guardians have a purpose, too."

I know I'm being overdramatic, but I feel like I've let my family down. For as long as I can remember, they've always talked about the day when I'd become a Keeper, my dad especially. He's the one who gave me my first sword and taught me how to use it. And Jayse... We had such big plans for when we both became Keepers. We were going to fight side by side, protecting the world. Now that plan is ruined.

"I don't even know anything about solving crimes." I suck back the waterworks. _Get your shit together, Alana. Stop having a pity party and find a way out of this._ "I only know how to fight. What the hell am I supposed to do with all my mad fighting skills?"

"You can still use them. You won't be completely out of this war. In fact, you might be farther in than before."

_Huh_?

"Grandpa, what're you talking about? What war?"

He gets a faraway look on his eyes, zoning off into one of his psychic trances. Normally, he only gets the look when he's gazing into a crystal ball.

Something's wrong.

"Grandpa, are you okay? You seem like you're... I don't know... seeing a vision."

The dazedness diminishes as he forces a tense smile. "Forget what I said, okay? I'm just being a rambling, old man."

I study him closely, noting his uneasiness. "You saw something... in a vision, didn't you? I can tell."

He tries to laugh it off. "You know I can't see visions without my crystal."

"Yeah, I know, but—"

"No, buts. I said to drop it, so please just drop it." His clipped tone throws me off.

"Okay," I reply quietly.

His irritation fades. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what came over me." He rubs his hand over his head. "I think I didn't get enough sleep last night."

"Maybe you should take a nap," I suggest. "I could use one, too." Maybe then I'll wake up, and this whole thing will be a dream.

He swiftly shakes his head. "We need to find your parents. Tell them the news and celebrate."

I cover the mark on the back of my neck with my hand. "I don't think they're going to want to celebrate this. Keepers are never very happy when someone in their family line gets picked for a Guardian or anything else other than a Keeper."

"I think you'll be surprised how excited your parents will be," he says as he backs down the hallway for the front door. "And they'll always love you, no matter what."

"I know that." I just hope they aren't as disappointed as I am.

# Chapter 5

After my mom and dad arrive at the castle from an impromptu vampire lair raid, we drive home. After the four of us sit down at the kitchen table and dish out some ice cream, we break the news to them.

My Grandpa turns out to be right. My parents are happy for me, although my dad is a tad disappointed.

"Are you sure it's the only mark that appeared?" he asks.

"I'm sure." I stir the melted vanilla caramel swirl ice cream I've barely touched. "Trust me, I looked everywhere, like, a thousand times."

My dad frowns as he adds fudge topping to his bowl of vanilla ice cream, but quickly smiles when he notes me watching him.

My mom presses my dad with a stressing look. "Honey, our only daughter just got her mark. Let's not dwell that it wasn't a Keepers' mark and celebrate that she won't have to risk her life all the time. This could turn out to be a very good thing for her."

My dad drags his fingers through his hair with a heavy sigh. "I know that." His eyes suddenly light up as he looks at me. "Hey, all that time we've spent watching crime shows might pay off."

I push the bowl of ice cream away and slouch in the chair, no longer hungry. "Yeah, but I'm not sure I have the stomach for looking at dead bodies. I could barely tolerate the one I saw last night."

"There's more to being a Guardian than just looking at dead bodies, Alana," my grandpa says, absentmindedly stirring his ice cream while staring off into empty space.

"Like what?" I press him, wondering why he has been acting like such a weirdo for the last few hours.

"Like..." When he blinks at me, a layer of mist vanishes from his violet eyes. "Well, you'll find out when you get to the academy."

I straighten in the chair. " _Academy_? What are you talking about?"

My grandpa pulls a whoops face then casts an oh-shit look at my mom. "Gemma, I thought you told her about the Academy."

My mom blasts him with a dirty look. "Alex and I were waiting for the right time... when she wasn't so upset."

"Would someone please tell me what's going on before my head explodes?" I plead.

My mom and dad exchange a look before my mom turns to me. "Sweetie, I know this is going to be hard to hear, but you need to try to remain positive, okay?" She waits for me to nod then takes ahold of my hand, clutching it. "Everyone who gets the Guardian mark is required to attend the Academy for training."

I swallow hard. "Where is this Academy?"

My mom's grip on my hand tightens. "In Virginia."

"But that's clear across the country." My voice cracks.

"It's only for a year," my dad chimes in, trying to sound comforting. "And then you can live wherever you want to."

Tears sting at my eyes. "So, I'm just supposed to, what? Pack all my stuff and move there?"

"Honey, you were already planning on moving, anyway," my mom reminds me. "Really, nothing's changed except you have your mark now."

"I was never planning on moving," I say. "I was going to find a way out of it."

It grows so quiet I can hear the blood roaring in my eardrums.

I shake my head, unsure whether to be angry with them or break down and cry. _I'm not ready to leave my life yet. I love it too much._

"When do I have to go?"

"Tomorrow," Grandpa Lucas answers. "You'll meet someone at the airport."

I shake my head in denial. "I need more time than that. I'm not ready to leave you guys."

"You need to go now... It's for your own good." The cloudiness in Grandpa's eyes appears again. "You'll be safer there."

"Safer from what?" I ask, even more suspicious of his odd behavior.

He ignores me. "You should start getting your stuff packed so you'll be ready to go."

No. I'm not ready to leave my family behind. And what about Jayse? I've spent almost every waking hour with him since we were born. In fact, he's practically my only friend. Sure, I have a couple of kinda, sorta friends, but I've never been that great at making friends. I get uncomfortable meeting new people and end up making weird jokes that usually go over peoples' heads.

"Can't you guys find a way around this?" I plead with my mom and dad. "You've got so many connections... Can't you just call someone and tell them I can't go? That you need me here? Maybe, if I wait a while, I'll get another mark like Aunt Aislin."

When no one responds, I whisper, "Please don't make me go."

"You know we wouldn't make you go if we didn't have to," my mom says, tearing up. "But we have to follow the rules. It's the same if a daughter or son of a Guardian received the Keepers' mark. We'd make them train with us. If no one ever trained, then there'd be no warriors, no Foreseers, no Guardians, no one to protect the world."

"I won't be protecting the world." I scoot away from the table and stand up. "I'll just be waiting around until something bad happens and then cleaning up the mess."

My mom quickly gets to her feet. "But you get to help track down the killer."

"Yeah, I guess." I don't agree with her, though. I could always run away until this all blows over, but since my grandpa Lucas can pretty much _see_ everything, it'd be a pointless effort.

I head out of the kitchen, needing to get some fresh air.

"Where are you going?" My mom rounds the table after me.

I hold up my hand, signaling for her to give me some room. "To say good-bye to Jayse." Saying it aloud causes tears to flood my eyes, and it takes all of my energy not to let them pour out.

She seems reluctant to let me go. "Text me when you get there, okay?"

I nod then rush out of the room. Once I make it outside, I let the tears flow as I sprint across the field that stretches between my family's house and Jayse's family's.

By the time I reach the front door, I'm sobbing so hard I can barely breathe. I knock on the door before barging inside, something I've done almost every day for years now. The downstairs lights are off, which means his parents are probably out on a mission for the Keepers.

I race upstairs, crossing my fingers Jayse didn't go with them. Before his mark, he hardly ever went, but lately, he's been gone more than he's home.

When I burst into his bedroom and find it empty, a weight crashes down on my chest as I realize how much everything has changed.

And it's only going to change more.

I sink into a recliner near the window, text my mom that I made it to Jayse's, and then hug my legs to my chest.

I want to be strong. Hell, I come from a family of Keepers, Foreseers, and even a witch, so I should be stronger than this. I should be able to face what's ahead of me with my chin held high. But as I sit in Jayse's room, I feel overwhelmingly alone and terrified, like a part of my life is slipping away from me forever.

# Chapter 6

I end up falling asleep in the recliner until Jayse eventually wakes me up by giving me a gentle shake.

"Hey," he says when I open my eyes.

I sit up in the chair, stretching my arms above my head as I glance out the window at the sun rising above the mountains. "What time is it?"

He glances at the clock on the nightstand. "A little after six."

I eye over the dirt on his clothes, the traces of blood on his knuckles, and the scratches on his arms, all typical wounds for a Keeper who just went on an outing. "Did you just get back from a mission?"

He nods, exhaustedly sinking onto the edge of his bed. "It was a long, crazy night." He rubs his eyes with the heels of his hands. "We actually had to go into a lair."

My eyes widen. "Since when do you guys raid lairs at night? And why are you guys doing so many raids? My parents went on one earlier yesterday too. Usually, you guys only do, like, four or five a year."

"We've been finding more of them. And going there at night... That was accidental. Something trapped us down there and we couldn't get out."

"Do you know what did it?"

He shakes his head, tracing his finger up and down a scratch on his arm. "We were lucky we got out." He drags his hand through his hair, making the strands go askew. "I love my job and everything, but sometimes it's hard."

"It's good that you get to save people, though. Slaying all those vampires... Think about how many people you saved."

He glances up at me. "You sound upset."

"Something happened last night." I suck in a deep breath. "I got my mark."

He leaps to his feet, bursting with excitement. "You did? That's so fuckin' awesome, Alana. Now we can finally work together." He crosses the room and hugs me.

His enthusiasm makes leaving harder. I've been so worried about losing him, but I didn't even think about how difficult it was going to be on him for me to leave. Same with my parents. I just ran out and fell asleep on my last night with them.

"I didn't get the Keeper's mark, Jayse," I whisper hoarsely.

He jerks back. " _What_?"

"The mark that appeared, it wasn't the Keepers'."

"Then what was it?"

Sighing, I show him the back of my neck.

He grows quiet for a second. "I know you don't like the Guardians, but I'm sure it's not going to be as bad as you think."

"I have to move, Jayse... to Virginia to attend their Academy." I wander to the window. "I'm going to be living clear across the country."

"When do you have to leave?" he asks, moving up beside me.

I stare across the foggy field at the two-story home I grew up in. "Today."

"You know I'll visit you all the time, right? If I have to, I'll ask to be put on all jobs on the East Coast."

I smile at him, but it's forced. Jayse knows as well as I do that he hasn't been a Keeper long enough to request being put in certain locations.

"I'm going to miss you." I glance around at the bedroom. Memories are everywhere: the first time Jayse and I stayed up all night watching horror movies, even though we weren't supposed to, when we stole his mom's spellbook and tried to perform a spell, when we promised to be best friends no matter what... "I won't even know what to do with myself without my partner in crime."

"We'll still see each other all the time," he tries to reassure me. "I'll make sure of it."

I hope he's right—I really do—but I have an unsettling feeling that this might be the last time I see Jayse in a very long time.

# Chapter 7

I spend the morning with Jayse and his family, eating breakfast and reminiscing. I wish I could stay longer, but eventually my mom texts me that it's time to come home and pack.

I try not to cry as Jayse walks me across the field to my house, but a few tears escape. I can't help thinking about all the times we've walked across this field to meet up and hang out or to sneak out to some club in the middle of the night. Now we may never get to do it again.

While I want to believe that things won't change, that eventually I'll return home and life will go back to normal, I know it won't. Even before I got my Guardian mark, Jayse and I spent less time in the field.

"Are you sure you can't stay longer?" I ask.

"I'm sorry. I wish I could, but I..." He presses his lips together, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"You're doing something for the Keepers today, aren't you?" I make a guess based on how guilty he looks. "You don't need to coddle me. You've been a Keeper for almost a year and have never held stuff back."

"But I feel like such an asshole for even mentioning it."

"I'll be okay... Sure I'm upset, but it doesn't mean I don't want to hear what you're up to."

"It's not just that... I'm..." He exhales audibly, staring at the trees surrounding the field. "Now that you have the Guardian mark, I'm not supposed to share certain info with you about my assignments."

I suppress a sigh. _And so it begins._ I knew this was coming. I just didn't imagine it would sting this badly.

"I'm sorry." Jayse glances at me from the corner of his eye. "I wish I could tell you more, but—"

"It's not your fault, so please stop worrying." I give him a stern look. "In fact, promise me you'll stay positive and be the most badass Keeper ever."

He smiles through a chuckle. "Okay, but only if you promise me you'll text me every single day."

We reach my house, and I step onto the bottom porch stair but don't head in, not ready to say good-bye just yet.

"Of course I will," I say. "Just remember, though, when you get tired of me texting you at all sorts of crazy hours, that you were the one who gave me permission to do it."

"Sounds like a deal." He gives me probably one of the saddest smiles I've ever seen then moves in to hug me.

"Kick some ass for me, okay?" I say as he moves back. "But don't work too hard. You look really tired right now."

He smashes his lips together as his gaze drops to his scratched arm. "Yeah, last night was pretty intense..." He looks back at me with a stiff smile on his face. "Be easy on yourself, okay? Don't beat yourself up because you didn't get your Keepers' mark." Hope fills his eyes. "And, hey, maybe the mark will eventually show up, and then you'll get to come home."

"Maybe." But the more it sinks in that I'm now a Guardian, the less likely it feels that I'll ever get to be anything else.

This is it for me. I can feel it in my bones. Whether I like it or not, my future has been chosen for me.

A few hours later, I've packed most of my clothes and anything else I could stuff into the two suitcases I'm allowed to bring with me.

"Do you have everything you need?" my mom asks. She's been rocking the mascara-raccoon-eye look ever since I showed up from Jayse's this morning and keeps hugging me every few minutes. "I don't want you to forget anything."

I grasp the handle of my suitcase, taking one last final look at my purple walls covered with posters and photos, my bed, and the field just outside my window. "I think so."

She dabs her eyes with her fingertips. "We should get going. We're supposed to meet your escort at the airport in an hour."

"I wish grandpa could just Foresee me there." I want to look back at my room again as we step out, but I'm afraid I'll start to cry. "I've never flown before."

"You'll be fine," my mom reassures me as we head for the stairway. "Guardians aren't too fond of using Foreseer transportation or any transportation outside of the human world."

My expression plummets. "Human transportation? That sounds complicated."

"It's not that bad." She gathers her long, brown hair into a ponytail and secures it with an elastic as she starts down the stairway. "And it might be good for you to try more complicated stuff without the help of magic."

"That doesn't sound very fun," I say, dragging my suitcases down the stairs.

My grandpa and dad are waiting for us in front of the door, whispering about something in low voices. When they notice my mom and me, though, they immediately grow quiet.

"Life can't always be fun." She collects the car keys from the pocket of her jeans.

"That's not completely true." My dad smiles at me. "Everything can be fun if you make it."

"Are you quoting one of Grandma's inspirational blocks?" I tease, trying to lighten the mood.

He chuckles, but his green eyes carry worry. "Okay, you caught me, but it's true. If you think you're going to have fun, then you will." He puts a hand on my shoulder, giving me his best you're-going-to-be-okay look. "Stay positive, Alana, and everything will be okay."

I sure hope he's right, but right now, nothing seems like it's going to be okay.

"Where's Grandma?" I ask my grandpa. "Wasn't she supposed to get here last night?"

"I'm sorry, but she got held up with something and isn't going to be home for a couple of days." He reaches into the pocket of his trench coat and digs out a small, silver dagger with a jagged blade. "She wanted me to give you this."

"Dad, I don't think it's a good idea," my mom interrupts. "The Academy Rulebook stressed no weapons outside of one's pre-approved."

"I don't care what the rulebook says. I'm not going to send my granddaughter unarmed to someplace without Keepers nearby," he says. "I've read the rulebook, Gemma. The Guardians don't believe in protection inside the Academy's walls, even when they allow vampires, werewolves, and fey inside."

"Wait, what?" I blink in shock, unsure if I heard him correctly.

"It's their form of protection," my mom explains. "Each human attending there gets paired up with a vampire, wolf, fey, and a few other species so they can be protected. Plus, many of them have great tracking skills."

"I'm strong," I point out. "And I have great tracking skills."

"But not everyone there comes from a family of Keepers." My dad glances at my mom. "I think she should take the dagger."

She sighs in defeat. "Fine, but if she gets caught, you get to explain to the Guardians why we allowed her to take it."

"Fine by me," my dad says as he takes the suitcases from me.

"She won't get caught. This dagger... I had a spell put on it that makes it undetectable from anyone and any machine. Eventually, the magic will wear off, but for now, Alana should be able to carry it around with her." My grandpa sticks out his hand, urging me to take the dagger. "Only use it for emergencies and keep it hidden whenever you can."

I pluck the dagger from his hand, noting the handle and blade have traces of violet swirled through the silver. "I highly doubt I'm going to be running into much while I'm there."

"You should always be prepared for the worst," my grandpa states ominously.

Puzzlement etches my mom's face. "What exactly do you think's going to happen?"

"You take care of yourself, Alana." My grandpa ignores my mom as he hugs me farewell. "And call if you need anything at all."

I nod, hugging him back. "Grandpa, are you sure you're okay? You've been acting weird since yesterday."

He fakes a smile, waving me off. "I'm fine. I'm just little sad. I'm going to miss all of our bets and challenges." I can tell he's hiding something.

"Yeah, me, too."

I don't have too much time to overanalyze his sketchy behavior, though, because my mom announces it's time to go. I say good-bye to my grandpa one last time before we head out to the car.

I fight back the tears as we pull away from the house. My mom cries the entire drive to the airport while my dad remains quiet. Me, I'm stuck in my own worry of what the Academy will be like, whether I'll be able to make friends, or if I'll end up scaring everyone off with my awkward jokes.

I become so lost in my thoughts that I don't realize we've arrived at the airport until my dad opens the door to get out. I unbuckle my seatbelt and meet him around the back of the car to get my bags out.

No one utters a word as we walk from the parking garage to the tunnel that leads to the entrance of the airport. When we're almost to the doors, my mom wraps her arm around my shoulder.

"I thought I was going to have at least another year before you left us."

"Mom, it's going to be okay," I reassure her. "I'll be back before you know it."

Her eyes glisten with tears. "You're handling this much better than I thought you would. After how upset you were last night, I was worried you might try to run away."

"I thought about it," I say as the doors in front of us glide open. "But it wouldn't do any good. You'd either have Grandpa use his Forseeing power to find me or have Aunt Aislin do a tracking spell."

"True, but I'm still glad you decided to handle this maturely," she says as we enter the busy airport.

For her sake, I just hope I can keep it up and don't lose my shit when it's time to take off.

"Where are we supposed to meet them?" I ask as we veer in the opposite direction of the ticket counter. "And don't we need to get my ticket?"

"You're not flying on a main airline," my mom explains as we make our way toward the escalators. "The Academy has their own private jet."

"Is that safe?" I hop onto the moving stairs with her and my dad. "To fly that way, I mean."

My mom casts a quizzical glance at me. "Alana Avery, are you afraid of flying?"

"No." But my thoughts laugh, _liar, liar._ I hadn't realized it until now, but the idea of getting on an airplane makes me feel queasy. "How could I possibly be scared of flying with all the crazy stuff I've done?"

"It's okay to be scared of ordinary stuff," she says. "Sometimes, ordinary can be scarier when you're not familiar with it."

I want to argue that I'm not scared and put on my brave face, but I get distracted by a guy wearing black cargo pants, a dark T-shirt, and matching combat boots standing at the top of the escalator.

As we near him, his silver eyes lock on me.

Mother-effer.

Wolf guy from the club the other night eyeballs me. It's only when he reaches up to scratch his forehead that I realize why he's here.

"You've got to be kidding me," I grumble to myself as I spot the Guardian mark on his arm.

As if reading my lips, his mouth curls into a grin.

"Asshole," I mutter.

"Alana, watch your language," my mom scolds me as we shuffle off the escalator.

Wolf guy smirks at that. I'm about to tell him to shove his smirk right up his ass when my dad sticks out his hand toward wolf dude.

"Jaxon, it's so nice to see you again. It's too long if you ask me."

"It has, hasn't it?" Wolf Guy—Jaxon—replies, shaking my dad's hand. "And please, call me Jax. Everyone does."

_Come again? They know each other?_

"How the hell do you know him?" I ask my dad. And since when does my dad shake hands with werewolves?

"Alana, be nice." My dad blasts me a warning look. "Consider yourself lucky that he's going to be your escort to the Academy."

"Gee, lucky me," I say sarcastically, giving a discreet, dirty look in Jax's direction.

He can pretend all he wants, but I know what kind of a guy he really is: the kind who pushes vampires off roofs and threatens to kill me if I get in his way.

He winks at me before facing my dad. "Oh, I'm not just escorting her there, sir." Yep, he actually called my dad sir. Way to kiss ass, wolf guy. "I'm going to be her partner, too."

I grind my teeth. What are the odds of ending up with a guy who not only knew my plan to eliminate Anastasiya and threatened to kill me, but then he killed her himself?

"That's great news." My dad genuinely smiles at me for the first time since I broke the news to him that I'm a Guardian. "I feel so much better about sending you there now that I know you'll be in good hands."

"I thought you weren't worried about me?" I remind my dad.

"Of course I'm worried. You're my only daughter, and while I love you to death, you seem to cause trouble wherever you go. Usually, you have Jayse with you, so I have a little peace of mind, but the idea of you being on your own..." He shakes his head. "Well, I'm just glad you won't be alone."

I peek at Jax who's staring across the airport at the food court then lean in toward my dad, lowering my voice. "For all you know, this guy could be as reckless as me... You know he's a werewolf, right?"

"I know of the unfortunate incident that happened to him. You don't need to bring it up. Jax's father is a good man. He's helped me out more than a few times."

"You're a good man, and look at how I turned out."

"You turned out fine." But he seems more hesitant now.

"Alana, please behave and be nice to Jax," my mom says, moving between my dad and me. "It'll be easier if you can start this new school with at least one friend. I know how hard it can be for you sometimes."

I want to tell them what happened at the club the other night and see if they remain on the besties-with-Jax page, but I decide to let it drop. It doesn't matter what I say. They'll still make me go to the academy. At least, if I pretend to try to be friends with Jax, they won't worry about me. Besides, if Jax did murder Anastasiya, then technically it's my job to figure out why, not my parents.

My mom takes my silence as an agreement to behave. She turns to Jax, giving him a warm smile. "Jax, it's so nice to meet you. My husband has told me nothing but wonderful things about your family."

"I'm sure he has." Jax returns my mom's smile, but he shifts his weight, seeming uneasy. "I hate to rush you guys, but we do need to get to the plane. Take off is"—he glances at his watch—"in less than an hour."

"Oh, of course." My dad collects my bags and wheels them with him as he heads off with Jax toward a set of gliding doors.

My mom drapes an arm over my shoulder as we follow them. She continuously tells me that everything is going to be okay as we make our way through security and outside to a small plane with a portal stairway pushed up against it.

"Call me every single day and night." She hugs me good-bye, squeezing me so tightly I swear my lungs are going to burst.

"I will," I promise, fighting back the tears.

Eventually, I move away from her arms and say good-bye to my dad. He makes me promise the same thing as my mom before reluctantly letting go. Then I climb the stairs to the plane, waving good-bye to them before ducking inside.

The plane is smaller than I expected with only ten seats, four of which are occupied by three men dressed in dark suits and a woman sporting a collared shirt. They all look at me with annoyance when I walk up the aisle.

"Great, just what we need," the woman says to the man sitting beside her. "A Keeper to corrupt the Academy."

The man shoots me the death glare when he notices me eavesdropping. "Can I help you?"

"Yeah, you can stop insulting my entire family." I refuse to be intimidated by a guy who's probably never fought a day in his life. "If your Academy is corrupt, it has nothing to do with the Keepers."

"You speak highly of a group you're no longer a part of." The woman's eyes narrow on me. "Alana Avery. That is your name, right? Daughter to Alex and Gemma Avery, who from my notes, are fairly high up in the Keepers' circle, and granddaughter to Julian Lucas, a very powerful Foreseer."

I hesitantly nod, wondering where she's going with this. By the way she sneers, I'm guessing it's not going to be pretty.

She leans toward me. "I'm going to let you in on a little secret. All of that may have mattered, but no one at the Academy gives a shit who your parents and grandparents are. In fact, it might be beneficial for you to keep that information to yourself." She shifts back, crossing her legs. "Keepers are nothing but barbaric animals who fight first and think second. Trying to brag only makes you look equally as ridiculous." With that, she starts lightly chatting with the man about where they should have dinner when we land.

Stunned by her rudeness, I wander down the aisle away from them. I've always known most Keepers and Guardians don't get along, but I've never heard a Guardian be so blunt about their hatred for Keepers.

I take an empty seat toward the back, buckle my seatbelt, and stare out the window, watching my parents walk back into the airport. I feel lonely already, and we haven't even taken off yet. How much worse is it going to get?

"It'll get easier." Jaxon plops down in the seat beside me.

I blink my attention from the window. "What will?"

"Leaving your family behind," he says, fastening his seatbelt. "I'm guessing this is probably your first time away from home."

"I'm only seventeen. Most kids my age are still living with their parents."

The tolerant smile he gives me makes me feel like a child. "Not most Guardians. Most of us leave our families around fifteen or sixteen to attend the Academy."

"How old were you when you went there?"

"Fourteen."

"You were only _fourteen_? That's... well, really sad."

He simply shrugs. "I got my mark at fourteen. It's not really that uncommon in _our_ _world_."

I frown at the "our world _"_ reference.

"You were a little late getting your mark." He reaches for my neck, grazing his fingers across the mark there and causing me to lose my mind for a second and shiver.

His mouth curls into a smirk, and I jerk back, pointing a finger at him.

"Okay, since we're supposed to be partners or whatever, I need to lay down some rules." I ignore the amusement dancing in his silver eyes as I continue. "The first thing you should know about me is that I'm not really cool with people invading my personal space or putting their hands on me without permission. Got it?"

He nods, his lips twitching to turn upward. "If that's what you want."

"It's what I want." I sound hesitant, though. "And second, I need to know what your deal was the other night." I twist in my seat, bringing my leg up to rest my chin on it. "How did you know about my plan to off Anastasiya?"

His jaw clenches. "How could I not know about it when you and your little friend were blabbering about it so loudly the whole room probably heard?"

"No, we were actually talking pretty quietly, and the music was too loud for your little superpower wolf hearing to work. I know you don't read minds, so fess up. How'd you know?"

His brow cocks. "How do you know I can't read minds? Maybe I have Wicca in me. Did you ever think of that?"

My gaze hastily travels over every ounce of his flesh showing, but his arms and neck are about all I can see.

He reclines back against the armrest and gives me an amused look. "I can take my shirt off if you want to get a better look."

I resist an eye roll. "Or you could just tell the truth."

He drags on the anticipation for a few seconds longer before surrendering. "Look, I'm not a witch, okay? And I didn't overhear you, but I can't tell you how I knew about your stupid plan."

I narrow my eyes at him. "It wasn't stupid. I knew what I was doing."

"You're not a Keeper or a wolf or a vampire; therefore, it was stupid to think you could kill a vampire as powerful as Anastasiya," he says matter-of-factly.

Anger simmers under my skin. "Don't pretend me being weak is why you stopped me. You only did it so you could kill her yourself, but what I don't get is why a Guardian would kill Anastasiya. I didn't think they killed at all, just found the person who committed the act."

His brows pull together. "What're you talking about? I didn't kill Anastasiya."

"Um, yeah, you did. I saw you on the roof or, well, the wolf you."

"No, you didn't."

"Well, then, it was a wolf who coincidentally had the same silver eyes as you."

His lips thin as he presses them together, no longer looking irritated, but disappointed. "You may have seen a wolf with silver eyes, but it wasn't me."

I pick up one of my bags I tucked under the seat. "Then who was it?"

He shrugs indifferently. "How would I know?"

"You sure look like you know." I unzip the bag and reach inside to grab a bag of licorice. "And whoever it is, I can tell you're disappointed in them."

"Are you sure you're not just a Guardian?" he questions with suspicion. "You seem like you know more than you should."

"Did I ever say I was just a Guardian?" I take a bite of a piece of licorice then smile at him as he eyeballs me with distrust. "Relax, wolf boy." I face forward and prop my feet up on the seat in front of me. "I'm not a Foreseer. My grandfather is one, though, and he sometimes does favors for me, so keep that in mind whenever you feel like lying to me."

He's silent for long enough that I think I've won the argument, but then he grins maliciously. "Before you start worrying so much about me, I'd worry about why Vivianne Monarelle seems so interested with you."

I nibble on the end of the licorice. "Who's Vivianne Monarelle?"

He nods his head toward the front of the plane at the woman who insulted me. She's watching us with interest, and when she sees me looking at her, she glares at me.

"She's in charge of new recruits at the Academy and pretty much runs the training classes. If you get on her bad side, she can make your life a living hell, and with how pissed off she looks right now, I'm guessing you already have. So, good luck with _that_." He gets up and goes to sit up front.

I turn my attention to the window, but I can feel Vivianne staring me during takeoff. Once we're in the air, though, I'm too distracted with freaking the fuck out to care about her.

I've traveled with my grandpa Lucas through a crystal ball before and transported with my aunt so many times I can recite the transporting spell on cue. I even once fell through a portal Jayse's little sister set up as a trap for us when we made her mad and ended up landing in a tree outside the Keepers' castle. None of those forms of transportation are as terrifying as zooming through the sky in a plane controlled by a person.

My fingernails dig into the armrests as the plane jerks, and my muscles are wound so tightly my body aches.

"Never flown before?" Jax plops down in the seat beside me again about thirty minutes into the flight.

I shake my head. "How much longer until we land?"

"About six more hours." He grabs a chip from a small bag he brought with him and pops one into his mouth.

" _Six_ more hours of this?" I bite down on my lip as the plane gives another jolt. "Is it going to shake the entire time?"

"It might. It depends on if the storms clears."

A deafening breath escapes me. "This is going to be the longest six hours of my life."

Jax considers something before standing up and leaving me to panic on my own. A minute later, he returns to the seat with a bottle of what I think is water.

"Take a sip of this, and you should be able to sleep through the entire flight."

"What is it?" I stare at it distrustfully. "Vodka or something?"

"A sip of vodka wouldn't knock you out, Alana." He sets the bottle on my lap. "It has Otium in it."

I pick up the bottle and lift it closer to my face to get a better look. Up close, I can see the small flakes of lavender floating around in the clear liquid. "Otium, huh?" I glance at him. "How'd you get this?"

"My grandma's a witch and taught me how to make it," he replies with a half-shrug. "I keep it on hand when I'm on long flights."

"How do I know if it's Otium? What if you're trying to poison me?"

"And why would I want to do that?"

"I don't know." My breath catches in my throat as the plane bumps around. "To keep me quiet about what I saw at the Black Dungeon."

He slants forward, catching my gaze. "I promise I'm not trying to poison you. I'm just trying to help you get through the flight in peace."

He seems honest, but I'm still undecided whether I want to dope myself up with a Wicca herb that will knock me into such a deep sleep nothing will wake me up until it wears off out of my system. But when the plane jerks again and the captain warns everyone to keep their seatbelts fastened, I quickly twist the lid off and take a swig.

"Thanks..." I manage to get out before I black out.

# Chapter 8

"A _lana, can you hear me?" my grandpa Lucas calls out through the darkness. "Please say you can hear me. I need to talk to you... God, I need this to work."_

I can hear you, _I think to myself._ But where are you?

_"Alana!" he calls out, his voice echoing around me. "Please, answer me."_

I'm right here! _Grr... I internally growl at myself in frustration. I can't seem to say anything aloud, no matter how hard I try. Where the hell am I? I can't see a damn thing, can't feel my legs, my arms, my mouth... Maybe that's the problem._

_"I thought this would work," he mutters. "I don't understand."_

_Taking a deep breath, I slide my feet forward, forcing myself to walk blindly into the darkness. "Grandpa..." I force my voice out. "I'm... right... here."_

_"Oh, thank God," he says in relief._

_I hear the soft pitter-patter of footsteps heading toward me. I don't see him when he reaches me, but I feel his presence nearby._

_"I'm glad I was able to meet you here," he says, sounding much closer now._

_"Where exactly is here?"_

_"In one of your dreams."_

_"You're in my_ dream _?" My surprise swiftly wears off as I remember my grandpa is a Foreseer. "Is this a new Foreseer thing, being able to enter people's dreams?"_

_"We're technically not supposed to," he admits. "But I needed to take the risk."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because I need to tell you something important."_

_"You know, texts work great for that, too, and it's way less creepy."_

_"I couldn't text you this... I can't have any sort of trail that'll lead to what I'm about to tell you," he says in that ominous tone again. "If anyone finds out..." He trails off._

_"Grandpa, you're scaring me," I admit. "Before I left, you were acting so strange, and then you show up here... Please tell me what's going on."_

_"You're in danger," he whispers, his voice sounding farther away. "Oh no... I need... more time..."_

_"Why am I in danger?" When he doesn't respond, I cry out, "Grandpa, you're scaring me. Please, just tell me why you think I'm in danger."_

_"Because... they're..." His voice fades in and out. "Coming... after you... I'm... sorry."_

_"Grandpa!" I shout, my voice echoing around me as I run forward into the darkness. "Please tell me who they are."_

_As the stillness sets in, I begin to panic. Minutes, maybe hours tick by, and I start to fear being trapped here forever when I feel myself slipping back to reality. Right as I'm about to wake up, I feel something cold pressed into my palm, and a single word whispers through my thoughts._

Electi.

# Chapter 9

I force my heavy eyelids open and blink away the dizziness swimming in my brain while trying to get my bearings. I'm still on the plane, but the shaking and jolting has stopped. I look out the window at the darkness blanketing the airport and then at the empty seats around me. We've landed, and everyone has vacated the plane, including Jax.

"Gee, thanks for waking me up, guys." I stretch my arms above my head and yawn before collecting my bag from under the seat and getting to my feet.

Thoughts of the trippy dream linger in my mind as I make my way up the aisle and off the plane. I blame it on the Otium. While I've never had it before, witches' potions can have strange side effects, like the time Jayse and I accidentally ate suckers his mom laced with Rabidus Primula to use for a Keeper mission. Jayse and I ended up losing touch with reality and running back and forth across the field for ten hours straight until we were so exhausted we passed out.

Still, as I find my way into the quiet airport, I can't shake the feeling of how real the dream felt, that my grandpa Lucas really did show up to warn me I'm in danger. But in danger from what? An Electi? Because I've never heard of them before, and growing up with Keepers who hunt practically every paranormal creature that exists, it seems like, if they existed, I'd know.

Maybe it's not a creature, though. Perhaps it's something else.

While I wait for my suitcases to show up at the baggage area, I end up sending my grandpa Lucas a text, just to settle my worry. Between how small the airport is and the time nearing ten o'clock, the place is almost empty, so I sit down on the floor and search on the Internet for what electi could be, but I come up with zilch.

"You'll ride with me to the academy," Jax appears by my side out of nowhere.

"Where is everyone else?"

"They had to go downtown for a meeting."

"Okay." While I'm not thrilled to be riding with him, I'm glad I won't be riding in a car with Vivianne.

"And fyi, you talk in your sleep," Jax says. "You say really strange stuff too."

I slide my phone into the pocket of my jeans. "Good to know."

He sits down beside me and fiddles with a leather band on his wrist. "I feel sorry for your roommate."

I frown. "I have a roommate?"

"Everyone new does." He gets to his feet as the conveyer belt buzzes on and reaches for a large duffel bag. "I had one when I first started at the Academy."

"How long have you been going there?" I stand up to grab one of my suitcases.

He slings the bag over his shoulder. "Almost five years."

"So, you're almost nineteen." Disappointment washes over me. "How long do we have to attend the Academy? I thought it was only for a year."

"It all depends on where you're placed. If you want to be a permanent investigator, then you have to put in a lot of time. Otherwise, you'll be put on another job like cleanup, which sucks balls."

"It sounds like it sucks balls." I internally cringe at the idea of having to clean up dead, mangled bodies. "Is that what you do? I mean, are you an investigator?"

"I'm not one yet. I actually took a little time off." He frowns at that then quickly clears his throat. "But, yeah, I'm back now, and I'm working my way up to becoming an investigator... starting with training you." He motions at me to follow him as he strides for the exit doors.

I totally notice how he breezed over my question about him being at the Black Dungeon. He may think I'm going to drop this, but he's so wrong.

"Training me?" I quickly hurry after him as he exits the building. "I thought we were partners."

"I just said that in front of your dad to make him feel better about the situation." His gaze sweeps the road in front of us and the carport to our right before he veers left down the sidewalk. "I know how proud Keepers need to feel, and it seemed like he'd be prouder if I told him you were my partner."

I wheel my bags with me as we hike toward a black car parked near the curb. "So, I'm not your partner, then."

"Technically, I guess you are, but it's not the same as if you'd actually graduated and are an investigator. I mean, you'll go on jobs with me and everything, but only to learn how we work."

"Sounds like a blast," I say flatly, jerking on my suitcases when a wheel gets stuck in a pothole.

He rounds the back of black car and pats the trunk. Moments later, it pops open. "Doing what we do takes a lot of mental work, Alana." He drops his bag into the trunk then grabs mine from me. "It's not just learning how to fight and jumping in. You have to memorize every creature, learn their traits, what makes them tick so that, when you show up at a crime scene, you'll know what to look for."

Something dawns on me then. Jax knows a lot about creatures. Perhaps he knows what electi means or is.

He heaves my suitcases into the trunk then walks to the side of the car, tipping his head back to glimpse at the sliver of moon in the sky. "Climb in. We have about an hour's drive to the Academy."

I open the door to get into the backseat of the car. "Hey, Jax, can I ask you a question?"

He casts me a wary look from over the car roof. "You can ask, but it doesn't necessarily mean I'll answer."

Sighing, I ask, "Have you ever heard the term electi?"

"Why?"

"I just heard the word once, and didn't know if it meant something or if it was something," I answer as nonchalantly as I can. "You just mentioned how much a Guardian has to learn about the creatures we're hunting, so I figured I'd ask and see if you knew."

"How do you know it's a creature?"

"It's just a guess."

"Well, you guessed wrong, and if I were you, I'd forget the word." He ducks into the backseat of the car and slams the door.

I shake my head. What is with everyone making threats? I've been a part of the Guardians' world for not even twenty–four hours and have been warned twice to keep my mouth shut about stuff. Is this what it's going to be like for the next year? God, I hope not. I've never been one to just drop stuff.

Heaving a sigh, I slide into the backseat. Once I get my seatbelt buckled, the driver, an older man with startling silver hair, drives forward, starting the beginning of a very long and awkward car ride.

Jax is clearly upset with me and decides to do the brooding, silent-guy thing. I try to distract myself with my phone, but the farther into the hills we get, the shittier the signal becomes.

After about half an hour of mind-numbing silence, I scoot forward and prop my arm onto the console. "I just want to say that you have amazing driving skills, dude. Back there, when you took that corner at sixty, that was impressive."

He presses back a smile. "I'm just doing my job, ma'am. I'm under the instruction to get you to the Academy by eleven-thirty, and not a minute later."

"What happens if I'm late?" I ask curiously.

"Then I lose my job," he replies, shifting gears.

"That's crazy," I say. "I mean, what's the big deal if I'm a few minutes late?"

He shrugs, gripping the wheel. "That's just how things work around there. The Guardians like everything to run in a timely manner."

"Then they're not going to like me very much." I rest my chin on my fist. "I'm always at least five minutes late for everything. Call it a curse. Call it laziness. But I can't seem to break the habit."

"By the end of training, you will," Jax interrupts. "Either that, or you won't make it to the end of training."

I twist around to look at him. "Why? Are they going to kick me out for being late?"

"It's been known to happen a few times."

"Well, then, I'll make sure to be late all the time."

"You act like you want to get kicked out."

"I just want to go home"—I lift my shoulders—"and back to my life."

He slides forward in the seat, getting so close to me his knee presses against my hip. "I know you don't want to hear this, but that isn't your life anymore. The Academy is."

"I never asked for this life. I was supposed to be a Keeper. That's the life I was always planning on having, so it's going to take some time to get used to this whole Guardian thing."

"You need to get over it. You belong to the Guardians now."

I open my mouth to tell him I belong to no one, but snap my jaw shut as the car enters a gated area surrounding a red brick building that seems to stretch for miles.

"It's different than what I expected," I say as the headlights cast across flowers trimming the dirt driveway and a 'Welcome, New Students' banner above thick double doors at the front of the building. "It's less we-study-dead-bodies-in-here and more hey-come-on-in-and-have-a-cup-of-tea."

"It's a school, Alana, not a mortuary." Jax opens the door as the cars comes to a stop. "We don't study dead bodies in here." He lowers his head to hop out, throwing a smirk over his shoulder at me. "We'll be doing that in the building by the cemetery out back. We use that place so we can run the temperature low to keep the bodies nice and fresh without freezing out the school."

I scrunch my face in disgust, and he chuckles as he hops out of the car, leaving me to wonder if he was kidding or not.

After we collect our bags from the trunk, I say good-bye to the driver then follow Jax inside the school.

"It's quiet in here," I remark as we walk down a desolate hallway lined with glass cases.

"That's because you're one of the first to arrive." He takes out his phone and glances at the screen before putting it away again.

I notice that inside the cases are tons of framed newspaper clippings with headlines about solved murders. "What newspapers are those from?" I wonder. "Not any from the human world, right?"

"Like the Keepers, humans know nothing of our existence," Jax says as he pulls open a heavy door at the end of the hallway. On the other side of the door is another long hallway lined with more doors.

Jax lets me walk in first then swiftly takes off like a man on a mission. I haul my suitcases behind me as I trudge along behind him. We pass shut door after shut door and finally stop in front of the second to the last one labeled Avery/Clarkford.

"Your roommate won't be here until probably Monday." He drops his bag on the black and white checkered floor and reaches toward me.

Startled, I step away from him. He gives me an annoyed look and grabs ahold of my arm. As his fingers wrap around my wrist, I shiver again from his touch then shake my head at my reaction. What the hell is wrong with me? Seriously, it's not like a guy has never touched me before. I've kissed a few even.

"Why're you trying to hold hands with me?" I ask. "I mean, you're cute and everything, but you're too brooding for my taste."

I feel like an idiot when he flattens my palm against a small pad above the doorknob. The pad lights up, and then the door lock clicks open. He lets go of my hand, gathers his bag, and backs down the hallway.

"We both know I fit your taste. It's why you keep flirting with me."

"I've never flirted with you," I argue, but he simply chuckles and turns his back on me.

_Well done, Alana. Never call a cocky guy cute. Now he's never going to let it go._

I blow out a breath before pushing the door open and stepping inside the dark room. Flipping on the light, I see that the room consists of two wooden dressers, two twin metal beds, and a small window.

"This room is so... depressing," I say to myself as I close the door.

I don't bother unpacking, and sit down on the bed to text Jayse and my grandpa. When none of them answer right away, I lie down, crossing my fingers that I can fall asleep soon. Part of me is hopeful my grandpa Lucas will pay me a visit in my dreams again. Then maybe I can ask him what the hell electi means. That is, if he learned to dream walk. Maybe the damn thing was just a dream. My mind has other ideas, though.

The moment I rest my head on the pillow, my senses are buzzing, my thoughts racing. By the time I doze off, the sun is rising over the hill, and I end up falling into a very disorienting sleep, but I manage to catch a few bits and pieces of the dream.

_"Please, Alana," my grandpa pleads. "Please, don't let them find it, even after I'm gone. Keep it safe. It's why I gave it to you: because I know it's safer with you than anywhere else."_

# Chapter 10

A couple of hours after falling asleep, I'm awakened by a godawful buzzing noise.

"Time to get up, Alana." The woman's voice that crackles through the intercom sounds like Vivianne. "You have an orientation tour with a guide in thirty minutes. If you're late, I won't hesitate to put you in detention."

Grumbling, I throw the blankets off me and force my ass out of bed. Faint memories of my grandpa Lucas begging me to keep something he gave me safe echo in my thoughts. The only thing I have with me from him is the dagger. While I still don't know if the dream was real, I'm paranoid enough that I take the dagger out of my suitcases and hide it above a ceiling tile.

After I put the tile back into place, I pull on a pair of shorts, a black tank top, and tie a plaid shirt around my waist. Then I side braid my hair, slip on my boots, and head out to see the place that will be my new home for the next year.

Halfway through the tour, I actually find myself missing Jax, mostly because my tour guide is a cranky old woman who reeks of whiskey. Worse still, every time I ask a question or crack a joke, she looks like she wants to beat me with her cane.

"I don't get why you're asking so many questions," she says when we reach the door to the backyard of the school. "Normally, kids just stand there and listen or text on their phones."

We've walked in so many directions, seen so many classrooms, offices, and libraries that I can't remember which way is left or right or even up and down. I'm all sorts of turned around to the point where I feel like my head is on backward.

"I just want to learn about stuff." I slip on my sunglasses as we step outside and into the sunlight.

Since it's the beginning of August, the temperature is well into the nineties and humid, making it perfect shorts and tank top weather.

As the guide begins a droning story about a stone bench near the fence line, I decide to take her advice and check my text messages. I still haven't heard from my grandpa Lucas or Jayse, even though I messaged them both last night. I have a message from my mom, though.

**Mom: Hey, sweetie, just wondering how your first day is going.**

**Me: I'm just getting a tour. Classes haven't even started yet. In fact, I'm pretty much the only one here right now. Most of the people won't be here until Monday when school officially starts.**

**Mom: It might be a good thing you're a little bit early. You'll get to learn where everything is before everyone gets there.**

**Me: I guess so. I just don't get why I couldn't have spent an extra couple of days there with you guys.**

**Mom: Grandpa thought it'd be best if you got there a little bit early.**

**Me: Yeah, he's been acting really weird the last couple of days, though. He's not by chance there with you right now, is he? I texted him last night, but he didn't answer.**

**Mom: He's actually in the City of Crystal for a couple of days, so he might not respond for a bit.**

**Me: What's he doing there?**

**Mom: The Foreseers had an emergency meeting about something.**

**Me: They've been having a lot of meetings lately.**

**Mom: Sometimes that happens, but I'll make sure to tell him to message you as soon as he gets back.**

**Me: Thanks. And tell Jayse the same thing. I haven't heard from him, either.**

When she doesn't reply right away, I start to get a little worried something's wrong. What if something happened to Jayse? It makes me hate being so far away and out of the loop.

**Me: Is everything okay?**

**Mom: Yeah, sorry, your father needed help with the grill, and by help, I mean help putting out the fire.**

I giggle as I reply.

**Me: Dad and his awesome cooking skills. I'm going to miss that.**

**Mom: You say that now, but when you haven't eaten one of his infamous charred burgers in a few months, you'll be singing another tune.**

**Me: No way. I'll miss everything, including the burned burgers.**

Again, she doesn't text back right away, and I start to feel all those miles between us.

**Mom: Hey, honey, I really need to go help your dad before he burns the house down. Call you tonight?**

**Me: Yes, please. Can I ask you just one more thing, though? It's kind of important.**

**Mom: Sure.**

**Me: Has grandpa ever dream walked?**

It takes her a moment to respond.

**Mom: Why do you ask?**

**Me: I thought I dreamed about him last night, but it felt real.**

**Mom: I doubt it was him since Foreseers banned dream walking a long time ago, but I can ask him when he gets in. What exactly happened?**

**Me: He warned me of danger coming. It was actually very ominous. It's why I asked. I just want to make sure everything's okay with him.**

**Mom: I'm sure it was probably just a dream, but I'll try to get ahold of him and call u tonight, but u know how hard it is when he's in the city.**

**Me: Thanks. Oh, and Mom, have you ever heard of the term electi.**

**Mom: Maybe, but I can't think of what it is off the top of my head. I can look into, though. Was that part of your dream, too?**

**Me: Yeah, Grandpa said it to me. I don't know what it means, though.**

**Mom: Look at you, already trying to solve a mystery.**

**Me: Ha ha, not a murder mystery, though. Just crazy, old grandpa stuff.**

**Mom: I'll look into everything and call u tonight, okay?**

**Me: Okay. Thanks, Mom.**

**Mom: You're welcome, sweetie. And luv u.**

**Me: Luv u, too.**

I put the phone into the pocket of my shorts and lollygag behind the tour guide as she leads me toward a cemetery. So, Jax wasn't lying about that. It makes me wonder if he was joking about a building being back here that holds dead bodies.

"This is where we bury most of the Guardians." The guide retrieves a silver flask from her shirt pocket, twists the lid off, and then shakes the crap out of it. "I need a refill. Try to get lost while I'm gone so I can end this tour and go home." She rushes back toward the school before I can get a word out.

I press the tips of my fingers to the brim of my nose, feeling a headache coming on. "Is everyone around here an asshole?"

"Don't take it personally. Guardians are a little on the temperamental side. Call it a curse of the job."

The unexpected sound of Jax's voice causes me to jump.

He's standing near the entrance to the cemetery, leaning against the iron gate, dressed in black jeans with his hoodie pulled over his head.

"Is that why you're so pissy all the time?" I ask, hiking through the grass toward him.

He presses his hand to his chest, pretending to be offended. "I'm never pissy. In fact, I'm quite the opposite."

"Ha, yeah right." I stop just short of him. "Cranky's your middle name."

His lips tip into a playful smile. "No way. My middle name is definitely charmingly adorable."

"More like charmingly pissy."

He chuckles, straightening his stance. "While I'm completely enjoying this flirtatious argument—with a very beautiful girl, I might add—I'm curious why you think I'm an asshole."

"Um, where should I start?" I thrum my finger against my lips. "You've been cranky pretty much since we first met. Well, except for when you gave me the Otium. That was actually a very nice thing to do."

He muses over something as his gaze sweeps up and down my body. I hate to admit it, but my heart rate increases from the attention, my pulse throbbing in the strangest of places and weirdest of ways.

"Tell me"—he steps toward me, closing the distance between us—"besides insulting you, have I done anything else?" He smells differently than he normally does, less like a wolf and more like cologne with a dash of something sugary. He reaches out and ravels a strand of my hair around his finger while staring at my lips. "Like say, have we kissed? I doubt it since I'm so uptight, but you just might be too beautiful for me to resist wanting a taste."

My shock promptly shifts to confusion. "Huh?"

"Leave her alone, Dash." A familiar voice sails over my shoulder.

I whirl around to find Jax striding across the grass toward us with his hands shoved in the pocket of his jeans, his silver eyes gleaming with anger.

"What the hell?" I reel back around to the guy Jax called Dash and narrow my eyes at him.

He looks guilty. "Sorry. I was just curious."

"About what?" I fold my arms and raise my brows, waiting for him to reply.

He opens his mouth to say something, but Jax cuts him off.

"You're not supposed to bother any of the new students," he growls at Dash.

"I wasn't bothering her," Dash replies innocently. "We were just having a nice, little conversation about you and why she thinks you're such a douchebag."

I glance back and forth between the two guys. They're equal height and have the same lean body type, and their facial features are strikingly similar.

"Are you...?" My gaze flicks between them. "Are one of you a doppelganger?"

Jax grinds his teeth. "No, although it might be easier if he was. Then I'd have an excuse every time he fucked up and acted like an ass." Jax glares at Dash then reaches around me and tugs the hoodie off his head. "Alana, meet Dash, my very annoying twin brother."

With the hoodie off, I can see the difference in the two of them. While Jax's hair is light brown and styled in a fauxhawk, Dash's is much darker and cut way shorter. And, unlike Jax's silver eyes, only one of Dash's is silver, while the other is a vibrant shade of teal.

"Twin brother, huh?" I say to Jax. "You couldn't have mentioned that earlier?"

"I was hoping he'd decide not to come here this year." He glares at his brother. "But apparently, he decided to go against our father's wishes."

"Dad has no say in what I do," Dash quips lightly. "Besides, someone has to watch out for you and make sure you don't work yourself to death."

Jax argues, "I don't work myself to death. It's called being responsible."

"It's called being whipped by our father." Dash tries to make a cracking whip sound that ends up sounding more like an angry cat.

I bite down on my lip, choking on a laugh.

Jax's intense gaze lands on me. "Don't laugh at him. It'll only encourage him. "

I shrug. "Sorry, but the crazy-cat whip sound was kinda, sorta funny."

Dash drapes an arm around my shoulder, and I'm engulfed by the scent of sugar cookies. "See? She thinks I'm funny. You would, too, if Dad didn't have you so brainwashed."

Jax continues to stare at me, seeming almost disappointed. "I'm supposed to take you out with me today, so grab your stuff and meet me out front in twenty."

I want to ask him where we're going, what we're doing, and why he seems so annoyed with his brother, but I don't want to escalate his irritation, especially if I have to spend the entire day with him.

"What about the rest of my tour?" I ask.

"You can finish it later," he says.

I step out from Dash's arm. "It was nice meeting you, Dash." I wave at him as I walk back toward the school. "I'm sure I'll see you later." When Jax's cold eyes land on me, I add, "Maybe."

"Oh, we'll meet again, lovely girl," Dash calls out with a promising grin. "You're far too pretty for me to leave alone."

I snort a laugh, spinning on my heels. As I hurry across the grass, I hear Jax chewing Dash out. I can't hear everything, but I do manage to catch him say, "What are you doing? You know better than to talk to her."

It makes me wonder if he's trying to keep Dash away from me or the other way around.

# Chapter 11

"Where are we going?" I ask Jax after we climb into his car, a blue and black striped 1967 Pontiac GTO.

"To the morgue," he says as he steers the car down the dirt drive and toward the main road.

"Seriously?" I cringe when he nods. "So, there's not a building out back of the school that you guys put dead bodies in?"

"No, there is." He flips the visor down as we pull farther away from the trees and school, and sunlight pours into the cab. "But most of the bodies kept there are for class lessons." He casts a sideways glance at me. "Would you chill out? It might seem gross, but you'll get used to it eventually."

I shake my head. "Yeah, I don't think that's ever going to happen."

"Never Giving Up" by Of Mice & Men plays from the stereo, filling the silence between us.

"I don't get you," he finally says. "You come from a family of Keepers, so I'm sure you've seen dead bodies before. You were also at the Black Dungeon to kill Anastasiya, which would've required you to see her dead if you'd gone through with it. I know you saw her right after she fell off the roof, too, at least that's what the report said."

"Anastasiya would've been my first kill," I admit shamefully, shrugging when he gapes at me. "I've gone on missions a couple of times, but for the most part, my parents don't like me getting involved. They were always too worried that, without being marked, I'd end up getting myself killed. They didn't give me credit, though. I mean, I know I'm not super strong like them or anything, but I can hold my own in a fight. That was kind of the point of killing Anastasiya. I wanted to show them how kickass I was—am." I sigh. "I wasn't going to do it. My friend had already talked me out of it before you decided to threaten me."

"I did that for your own good and to be absolutely certain you didn't go through with it." He slows down the car as we near a sign that reads: Welcome to Maple Spring Valley. "Anastasiya would've snapped your neck like a twig the moment you stepped foot on that roof."

"Yeah, I'm not buying it. I think there's more to it than that."

He cracks his knuckles against the wheel. "Think what you want. I know the truth, and that's all that matters."

I check my phone messages for about the tenth time today, disappointed when I see no new messages. "Why does the Academy even care about someone like Anastasiya? She killed at least a hundred people while she was alive."

Jax heaves a heavy sigh. "Just because she killed people, it doesn't mean we don't need to look into her murder. Every murder case, even when a Keeper kills someone, needs to be investigated so we can keep an eye on things, make sure things don't get out of hand."

"What exactly do you mean by get out of hand?"

"Say whoever killed Anastasiya was part of a bigger plan to take out all the vampires, including ones who haven't killed a single person in their lifetime. If we found out who the person was, we could end up saving innocent lives."

"You consider vampires innocent?"

"Ones who've never killed anyone are innocent, no matter what you've been raised to believe," he says coldly. "Sometimes, innocent people have shitty things happen to them that they wish never happened, but they can't change it." He parks the car in front of a quaint souvenir store located on the corner of a small shopping center. "But they do their best to make good out of a crappy situation."

I swallow hard, feeling like the biggest jerk ever. While I'm not one hundred percent sure that Jax wasn't involved in Anastasiya death, I don't want him to think I believe he's a monster.

"I didn't mean that all vampires are evil. I've just never heard anyone refer to them as innocent."

"That's because you've lived in a world where you assassinate first and investigate later." He removes the keys from the ignition and shoves open the door. "Now, can we please drop this subject? Anastasiya's murder is still an open case, and I've spent so much time reading over her files that I've started to have nightmares about it." He doesn't wait for me to answer before getting out of the car.

I hop out and meet him at the front of the car, staring at the souvenir store. "I thought we were going to a morgue."

"We are." Yawning, he stretches his arms. "The morgue is hidden in back of the store."

I get a brief glimpse of the muscles hidden under his T-shirt, and I can't help gawking. Okay, maybe I was lying when I said he wasn't my type. Personality-wise, not at all, but physically... Well, all I want to do is reach over and trace my fingers along his lean muscles.

When he catches me ogling him, I expect him to throw it in my face, but surprisingly, he leans back against the hood and cocks a questioning brow at me.

I turn my head and roll my eyes at myself. "Why do you bother hiding the morgue? It's not like people are going to steal the bodies."

"It actually happens a lot." He steps away from the car and onto the curb, heading for the store. "We've had to move the location several times to keep thieves from sneaking in."

I follow him to the entrance door. "Why would anyone want to steal a dead body?"

"For a lot of reasons." A bell dings as he pulls open a door. He holds it open for me, letting me step in first. "Think about the powerful things that come through here," he says as the door swings shut behind us. "Warlocks, Pixies, Faeries. We even had a Nymph once, and you know how wanted their blood is. There's an entire black market centering on just that."

"Okay, I guess I see your point, but it's still gross." I glance around at the shelves on the wall carrying knickknacks, T-shirts, maps, and every other kind of souvenir a tourist could ever dream of. "So, where's this hidden morgue?"

Jax grins at me as he rounds the back of the front counter, gesturing for me to follow him as he ducks through a beaded curtain. I step through the curtain and into a backroom full of rows and rows of bookshelves angled in every direction.

"God, it's like a maze in here..." I trail off. "Jax?" I inch forward toward the shelves. "Jax, I didn't see where you—"

A solid chest presses against my back as warm hand covers my mouth. Seconds later, I'm pulled backward. I expect us to hit the wall, but somehow, we disappear _into_ the wall. I freak the fuck out for two point five seconds, preparing to attack, until I get a whiff of Jax's wolf scent. Even though I'm not going to let him off the hook for the move, I simmer my attack down, not wanting to hurt him.

At least not too badly, anyway.

Grabbing his wrist, I lightly twist and pull while bringing my foot up and nudging him back. Startled, he quickly pulls away.

"Dude, what's up with the surprise attack?" I ask, putting my hands on my hips.

"I was trying to get you inside without having to show you how to get in... I'm technically not allowed to show you just yet." He rubs his wrists, chuckling softly. "Fuck, you're a lot stronger than you look."

"Remember that the next time you try to grab me from behind," I say with a smirk.

He smashes his lips together, trying hard to muffle a laugh.

I bite back a smile. "Quit being a perv."

"You're the one who said it." He lowers his hand to his side, and we stand there like idiots, grinning goofily at each other.

A couple of days ago, I thought I'd never have fun again. And while this isn't the spending-an-entire-day-hunting-a-vampire kind of fun, I'm not gouging my eyes out from boredom like I thought I would.

Maybe this whole Guardian thing might not be so bad after all.

Right as the thought crosses my mind, I become hyperaware of the cold air seeping into my skin. I skim the metal walls around me, realizing we're by the mortuary cold chambers.

I scrunch up my nose. "So, this is where the magic happens?"

"Not really." Jax's rolls up the sleeves of his hooded shirt, grabs a hand of one of the middle section chambers, and pulls it open, sliding out a bulky body bag. "If you end up being an investigator, you probably won't spend a lot of time in here. You'll mostly go to the scenes"—he reaches for the zipper of the body bag while I fight back a gag—"to interview witnesses and go through a lot of fucking paperwork. Sometimes, you'll have to come here to check on some of the facts, though."

I cover my mouth with my hand as he unzips the bag. The stench hits me before he even gets it all the way open, like rotting eggs and vomit. "What the hell's in there?"

"A Zombie," he says, looking completely unbothered by the stench.

"It smells horrible. Like—"

"Like rotting death?" He glances at me with amusement dancing in his eyes. "You'll get used to it."

"You keep saying that."

"That's because it's true." He leans over the Zombie, inspecting the rotting flesh peeling away from the once human face. "A lot of Guardians are like you when they first start." His forehead creases as he studies the left cheek of the zombie's face. "Being around death is in your blood even if you think it isn't; otherwise, you wouldn't have gotten the mark."

I absentmindedly touch the mark on the back of my neck. "How many people in your family are Guardians?"

"My parents both are and so is my sister," he says, brushing his hair out of his eyes as he leans in closer to the zombie. "Dash... He's one, too, but he's..." He trails off, clearing his throat. "Well, he's a little less invested in the job than my family is."

I want to ask him if Dash is something other than just a Guardian. I don't know why I think he might be other than the odd sugary scent coming off him. I don't know of any creatures who smell like sugar other than Sprites, but that's because they have sweet tooths. Dash can't be a Sprite, though, since they don't take on human form.

Before I can ask Jax about it, he motions me to come over to him.

I inch back. "No thanks. I'm good right here."

He gives me a tolerant look. "Alana, I just want to show you something. I promise you don't have to touch it."

I begrudgingly inch over beside him, rubbing my nose as the stench burns at my nostrils.

"See this right here?" He points at a faint sequence of symbols carved on the Zombie's left cheek.

I nod. "It looks like a tag for a paranormal experimental facility."

I try not to shudder. Paranormal experimental facilities are the worse. They kidnap anything with magic in their blood, including Keepers, lock them up, and do all sorts of experiments on them.

His brows furrow. "How do you know about tags?"

I shrug. "My parents talk about it sometimes. It's crazy how many paranormal experiment facilities they've had to tear down."

"Yeah, they're on the rise, too."

"Really?"

He nods, reaching to zip up the bag. "I've been noticing a lot of tags lately." After he zips up the bag, he pushes it back into the chamber. "And not just on Zombies. On Vampires, Fey," his voice drops a notch, "Wolves." He clears his throat. "But anyway, I've been looking into it, and I think they might be linked to each other somehow. I just don't know who's running the show."

"Is that part of your job?" I ask with skepticism. "To find out who's tagging?"

"I told you there was more to our job than finding dead bodies." He steps toward me, tugging the sleeves of his shirt down. "Now, close your eyes."

I eye him with distrust. "Why?"

He gives me a blank stare. "Because I'm going to shove you in the body bag with the Zombie." When I roll my eyes, his lips quirk. "I need you to shut your eyes so I can get us out of here without you seeing where the entrance and exit to this room is."

"Fine." I heave a dramatic sigh, pretending it's a bigger deal than it is.

Once I get my eyes shut, he steers me somewhere with his fingers enclosed around my upper arms and his chest pressed against my back. I try to breathe normally, but for some reason, my breathing is coming out in sharp, uneven pants. It only becomes harder to get air into my lungs when he moves his hands to my waist, his fingers brushing against my bare skin.

I feel like I should say something, remind him of my no-touching rule. I mean, we just got all up in a Zombie for God's sake. I shouldn't want him touching me.

But it kinda feels nice.

Okay, a lot nice.

Thank God he finally comes to a stop; otherwise, I might have done something stupid, like said my thoughts aloud or touched him back. Considering he's my teacher or whatever the hell his title is—I'm still not clear on that—I don't think it'd be wise to get involved with him.

His fingers tense for a brief second before they fall from my waist. I take a deep breath and open my eyes, sighing in relief when I see that I'm standing in the center of the souvenir store again. I breathe in the fresh scent of non-Zombie air, smiling, glad to be out of the morgue. But when I catch sight of Jax staring at his phone, his skin as pale as a ghost, my smile falters.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "Why do you look like... well, like you just examined a dead Zombie?"

He blinks up at me, paling even more. "We need to go back to the Academy."

"Did something happen?"

"We... I got called in on a case." His Adam's apple bobs up and down as he swallows hard. "Alana, the name listed on the case file is... It's Julian Lucas."

# Chapter 12

Jax starts explaining to me what happened, but I'm in too much shock, and I barely hear anything he says.

My grandpa Lucas is dead?

My grandpa Lucas was murdered?

Oh, my God. I'm never going to see him again.

I wrap my arm around my stomach as tears pour out of my eyes.

Jax grows quiet after that and guides me to the car. He hardly says anything to me during the drive back to the Academy, letting me cry to myself. I keep thinking about my dream and how worried he sounded, how worried he looked the day before I left. I knew something was wrong, and I didn't do anything about it.

I should have done something.

I should have helped him.

"It's going to be okay," Jax says after he parks the car in the garage adjacent to the Academy.

"Do my...? Do my parents know yet?" I choke through the tears.

"I'm not sure," he says. "A Guardian should be heading over to their house to tell them, but it might take a bit..." He seems unsure about something. "You can call them, though... if you want to."

My eyes pool with tears as I nod and get out of the car.

We walk in silence as we cross the dirt drive and head into the school. All I want to do is go to my room, call my mom and dad, and cry my eyes out, but Jax gently touches my arm, stopping me.

"I know you probably want to go to your room," he says in an apologetic tone, "but I'm supposed to take you to Vivianne's office first."

The last thing I want to do is talk to anyone. But I'm too emotionally exhausted to argue, and I easily surrender and follow Jax to Vivianne's office located smack dab in the middle of the maze of hallways.

He knocks on the door then turns to me, seeming apprehensive. "I can wait for you if you need me to."

"I'm fine." My voice sounds so hollow.

He hesitates to leave. "Are you sure? Because I can stick around for a bit. At least until you're done talking to her."

"I'll be fine. Thanks for the offer, though."

With a reluctant look on his face, he heads down the hallway.

As the quietness sets in, my mind turns on. I start thinking of _everything_ when all I want to do is think of _nothing_. I almost call Jax back just so he can distract me from the pain, but the door in front of me opens.

Vivianne stands there with her hair pulled into a tight bun and a too-pleasant look on her face. "Alana, please come in."

I wipe my cheeks with my hand before stepping inside her office.

She shuts the door and gestures at a chair in front of a mahogany desk. "Please, have a seat."

When I sink into the chair, she takes a seat at her desk and quietly studies me for a moment.

"You look like him." She says it as if the fact disgusts her.

I ball my hands into fists. "Is that why you brought me in here? Or did you actually have a point?"

Anger flashes in her eyes as she reclines back in her chair, crossing her legs. "You know, I felt a little bit sorry for you when I first heard the news, but now that you're here, displaying that arrogant Keeper attitude, I think part of me is going to enjoy telling you this."

"Telling me what? That my grandpa is dead?" The firmness in my voice cracks. "Because Jax already told me."

Her eyes darken as her lips curl into a smile. "Did he tell you why he was killed?"

I don't know how to respond. He could have told me at some point, and I was just too out of it to hear him.

"Your grandpa was a fugitive and was harboring the Dagger of Conspectu. And by the way your face drained of color, I'm guessing you know what that is." She shifts forward in her seat, looking twistedly pleased by my pain. "You know as well as I do that he wasn't supposed to have that dagger. No one is. That's why it's kept locked up in The Vault."

"I don't know what you're talking about. I've never heard of this dagger or The Vault," I lie in an even tone.

I'm technically not supposed to know what The Vault is, but I accidentally overheard my parents whispering about the place Keepers keep every powerful weapon they accumulate during raids. There are so many weapons the walls are laced with every kind of magic repellant to keep anyone from getting inside. If anyone did get their hands on some of the stuff hidden in there, they could pretty much start an apocalypse.

As for the dagger, I've never heard of it before, but I'm pretty sure it's the dagger I have hidden in my bedroom ceiling.

"Are you sure about that?" she says simply. "Because I have a source that says your grandfather might have told you where he put the dagger."

My palms dampen with sweat, but thank God my voice comes out steady. "Why would he tell me that? I'm just his granddaughter."

The darkness in her expression sends a chill up my spine. "He broke the law when he stole the dagger. And anyone who's helped him—who knows where the dagger is and doesn't say anything—can be held accountable for the crime."

My grandfather's words echo in my mind.

_"Please, Alana," my grandpa pleads. "Please, don't let them find it, even after I'm gone. Keep it safe. It's why I gave it to you: because I know it's safer with you than anywhere else."_

Whether it was a dream or not, I'm not about to tell this woman anything, not until I find out what's going on, who _they_ are.

"It's a good thing I don't know where it is, then, huh?" My heart hammers in my chest, but I refuse to look away from her.

She looks like she wants to wring my neck. "Don't be stupid, Alana. Your grandfather got himself killed over this, but you can walk out of it just fine. All you need to do is tell me where it is."

"I can't tell you where it is, because I don't know."

Her eyes flash with rage as she balls her hands into fists. "Fine. You can leave, then," she bites out. "But if you change your mind, you know where my office is."

My legs shake as I get up and head for the door.

"And, Alana, you have detention when you return from the funeral, and you'll be spending it in here with me." She sounds elated by the fact.

I glance over my shoulder at her. "What for?"

"For withholding information about a case," she says, opening her desk drawer. "Because I know you know more than you're letting on. It's a gift of mine. I can read when people are lying. It's why I'm the Head of Interrogation."

Grinding my teeth, I open the door and step out of her office. I start down the hallway, planning to run to my room and call my parents, tell them everything that's happened, but I startle when I spot Jax leaning against the wall.

"What are you doing out here?" I ask, wiping my sweaty palms on the sides of my shorts.

He seems unsure about something. "I just wanted to make sure you were okay... I know Vivianne can be a little intense and uncompassionate."

"I can handle Vivianne," I say, "but thanks for checking on me."

"Do you need anything?" He tugs his fingers through his hair. "We can go kick the crap out of a heavy bag or something? It might be a good distraction until we can get you on a flight back home."

"Aren't you supposed to be working on my grandfather's case?" I ask, my voice uneven as tears sting my eyes again. I refuse to cry, though. Not until I get to the bottom of this and clear my grandpa's name.

Vivianne may think he's a thief, but I know my grandpa. If he took the dagger, it was for a good reason.

"I can spare a few hours if you need me to."

"Can I...?" God, I can't believe I'm asking this, but if I'm going to get any answers, this is the best place to start. "Can I go with you?"

His eyes widen. "Go with me where? To the crime scene?"

I nod, swallowing down the nausea burning up my throat. "I want to help find who killed him."

"I'm not sure that's a good idea... Usually, we don't allow people to get involved with cases they are emotionally connected to."

"Please, Jax," I beg. "I need to do something besides sit around or kick the crap out of a bag. I need to feel like I'm helping him."

He deliberates, looking so reluctant I'm positive I'm going to have to get on my knees and beg. Then he shocks the crap out of me when he nods.

"If you want to come with me after everything is cleaned up and you return back to school, then you can, but if at any time it looks like you're about to fall apart, you're off the case."

I suck in a breath. Cleaned up? Like my grandpa's body?

"O-okay, that sounds fair."

"You should go pack your stuff," he says as we walk down the hall. "I just informed Ms. Fellingford, the secretary, and she's trying to get you on a flight back home ASAP."

I nod and thank him again, even giving him a hug. At first, he's stiff when I wrap my arms around him, but he eventually loosens up and slips an arm around me.

"Thanks for your help... and making sure I'm okay." Tears burn in my eyes as I quickly move back and hurry to my room.

I immediately try to call my mom and then my dad, but neither of them answer their phones. Either they're on a mission, or a Guardian is at the house, breaking the news to them.

I call Jayse, needing to talk to someone, anyone from back home, but he doesn't answer, either.

"Where are you?" I say to his voicemail. "I've tried to call you, like, twenty times... Something bad happened, Jayse. I need you. Please call me back."

Dazedly, I start to pack my suitcase, stuffing my clothes inside. Then I lock the door and check around the room before I slide the ceiling tile out of the way and retrieve the dagger.

I don't know what it does or why my grandpa was hiding it, but I'm not about to leave it here for someone to find it while I'm gone. I'm going to protect it with my life until I figure out what the hell is going on.

# About the Author

Jessica Sorensen is a _New York Times_ and _USA Today_ bestselling author who lives in the snowy mountains of Wyoming. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.

# Also by Jessica Sorensen

**Guardian Academy Series:**

Entranced

Entangled

Enchanted

Entice

Charmed

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Monster Academy for the Magical:**

Monster Academy for the Magical

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Deadly Four

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Trial

Monster Academy for the Magical: The Monster Clique

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Harlynn's Mystery Investigations:**

Sugar Cookies & Zombie Secrets

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Sunnyvale Mysteries:**

The Year of Secrets & Cupcakes

The Year of Lies & Cotton Candy

The Year of Truths & Sugar Cookies

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Signed with a Kiss**

Accepting the Deal

The Start of a Mysterious Mystery

A Truthful Kiss

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**My Life with the Band**

Discovering Zhara

Whispered Secrets & a Kiss (coming soon)

* * *

**The Mysteries of Star Grove:**

Heat

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Rebels & Misfits Detectives:**

Spies, Lies, & Cupcakes

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Lexi Ashford Series:**

The Diary of Lexi Ashford

The Diary of Lexi Ashford: The Agreement

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Enchanted Detectives Series:**

Enchanted Chaos

Charmed Chaos

Entangled Chaos (coming soon)

* * *

**My Cursed Superhero Life:**

Cursed

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Honeyton Mysteries:**

Chasing Hadley

Falling for Hadley

Holding onto Hadley

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Heartbreaker Society:**

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 1

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 2

The Mysteriously Complicated Life of Ashlynn: Volume 3 (coming soon)

* * *

**Tangled Realms:**

Forever Violet

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Curse of the Vampire Queen:**

Tempting Raven

Enchanting Raven

Alluring Raven

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Unraveling Mysteries Series:**

The Mysterious Guy Next Door

The Mystery of the Symbol

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**A Pact Between the Forgotten:**

The Art of Being Friends

The Rules of Being Friends (coming soon)

* * *

**Shadow Cove Series:**

What Lies in the Darkness

What Lies in the Dark

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Mystic Willow Bay Series:**

The Secret Life of a Witch

Broken Magic

Stolen Kisses

One Wild, Crazy, Zombie Night

Magical Whispers & the Undead

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**Standalones:**

The Forgotten Girl

* * *

**The Coincidence Series:**

The Coincidence of Callie and Kayden

The Redemption of Callie and Kayden

The Destiny of Violet and Luke

The Probability of Violet and Luke

The Certainty of Violet and Luke

The Resolution of Callie and Kayden

Seth & Greyson

* * *

**The Coincidence Mysteries:**

The Evermore

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Secret Series:**

The Prelude of Ella and Micha

The Secret of Ella and Micha

The Forever of Ella and Micha

The Temptation of Lila and Ethan

The Ever After of Ella and Micha

Lila and Ethan: Forever and Always

Ella and Micha: Infinitely and Always

* * *

**The Secret Star Grove Mysteries:**

The Secret Grove Mysteries: Road Trip Interrupted

Untitled (coming soon)

* * *

**The Shattered Promises Series:**

Shattered Promises

Fractured Souls

Unbroken

Broken Visions

Scattered Ashes

* * *

**Breaking Nova Series:**

Breaking Nova

Saving Quinton

Delilah: The Making of Red

Nova and Quinton: No Regrets

Tristan: Finding Hope

Wreck Me

Ruin Me

* * *

**The Fallen Star Series:**

The Fallen Star

The Underworld

The Vision

The Promise

The Lost Soul

The Evanescence

The Mist of Stars (untitled)

* * *

**The Darkness Falls Series:**

Darkness Falls

Darkness Breaks

Darkness Fades

* * *

**The Death Collectors Series (NA and YA):**

Ember X and Ember

Cinder X and Cinder

Spark X and Spark

* * *

**Unbeautiful Series:**

Unbeautiful

Untamed
