I shouldn’t have let him blackmail me. Now look at us. I couldn’t believe it when my mom married Wolfe Knight’s dad. He’s the school bully, and he’s my best friends ex. He destroyed her, and I can’t stand him. But then he discovers a secret of mine, and I’m at his mercy. He’s brutal. Yet beautiful. He’s also off limits.

Exposed Ink is my sanctuary, where I can hide behind the needles and ink, shielding my shattered heart from further pain and loss. Until Shane, a firefighter and single dad, threatens to unravel the carefully constructed walls I’ve built to survive. First, he saves my life—literally—and then he turns it upside down by making me long for things I can’t have. He says he wants to get some ink done, but I know he wants something more… something I can’t give him—me.

Nestled in the shadows of the Mori Forest lies The Ivy Institute. It may look like something out of a fairytale, but if the rumors are true, it’s where nightmares reign.

What do you do when you’re so empty inside, you feel nothing? When all you’ve ever known was pain? You run. That’s what I did—I ran away without once looking back. People say starting over is the best way for a new beginning, but that’s far from the truth if you end up back where you began. Sometimes life likes to throw lemons at you really hard until there’s nothing left to do but make lemonade. I’ve known pain, but not the kind that messes with my heart.

When my sister Belle goes missing, I venture deep into the cursed woods to find her. Ruthless vampires rule over our kingdom, and I’m terrified she’s been murdered like so many others. As I’m searching, I’m caught by the worst immortal of them all: Prince Cassius, dark Lord of the Bloodvale. I barely escape with my life, and the memory of his cruel beauty haunts me. So does the thought that Belle might be in his castle.