NikkiReads

I had spent my life trapped in a gilded cage, surrounded by villains. The cruel man I was forced to marry saw me as a lesson to be taught, stripping away every piece of my spirit until all that remained was my shadow. He left me in darkness, alone, except for the one flicker of light in my miserable existence: my adoptive daughter.

Echo Adler hates Reign Davidson. He’s the reason the love of her life left her all alone and broken hearted two years ago. So it should be easy to stay away. It should be easy to not dream about his dark and mean eyes, or his cruel but sexy smirks. It should be easy to not think about the guy who ruined her happily ever after. Only it’s not. Sometimes his intense stares make her heart race, and those smirks of his make her breathless. But it needs to stop.

I knew better than to go to that party. I would have been much happier curled up at home eating Halloween candy by myself, but I had Mom’s voice in my head telling me to make an effort now that I was in college, to put myself out there and socialize. If I’d stayed home, I wouldn’t have met him.

Monsters—shadows, gills, wings, and more. The things I fear crave me… and they’ve been here the whole time. Hiding, waiting, and wanting. Lurking, sneaking, and watching. Traveling the country camping was supposed to be an escape from the strange and unusual that clings to my family. My family’s calling to fame terrifies me. The ghosts, the hauntings, the supernatural—I want nothing to do with it.

What do you do when your worst enemies go down on their knees and invite you to the prom? I said yes because I'm still naïve enough to think that savages can be tamed. It's going to take a lot of groveling before I can forgive the Serpents for what they've done to me. I'm hoping this dance is their way of calling a truce. More likely, it's a trap. A school dance is the perfect place for them to orchestrate the ultimate public humiliation. Only one way to find out.

They took everything from me. Time to return the favor. A few months ago, I was just a regular nineteen-year-old girl. Now I'm trapped at a remote college and held at the mercy of three savage bullies. No one can see through the Serpents' Adonis-like disguises. Except me. I've never felt this alone before. This terrified. This...furious. These three murderers stole everything from me. They think the humiliation, the degradation, the suffering they've put me through has left me broken? Guess again, Serpents.

They call them the Serpents. Knox, Mason, Silas. These sick, twisted psychos are the untouchable elites at Cinderhart Academy. I'd never get involved with such dangerous guys despite how gorgeous, rich, and influential they are. But after I witness them committing a sadistic crime, I'm dragged kicking and screaming into their dark, depraved world. If they plan to break me, they're late to the party.

Vasili Nikolaev. Dangerous. Deadly. And most of all, devastating. He’s the king of New Orleans. Ruler of the Russian mafia and my best friend’s oldest, mouthwatering brother. On Halloween night my last year in college, I gave him everything. My body. My heart. My soul. He burned it all to the ground with the first ray of dawn.

I should have known better, I should have seen the signs, but now all I'm left with is heartache and disappointment. They may think they've got the better of me, but I won't go down without a fight. Especially when it comes to the ones I love. Even if I have to protect them from themselves.

Two years ago I made her my final girl. Perhaps I'm a little obsessed. The shrine covering my bedroom wall would certainly agree. I've even played out a few scenarios that end with her taking my knife in much more creative ways than usual. Today is the day I finally take her life. I'm ramping up the carnage and tying up loose ends in bloody bows.