Book Description: 

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Devious games.

Dark Obsessions.

And a campus king determined to break me.

 

The Sacred Sons are University royalty,

And the most vicious pricks on campus.

They’re as beautiful as they are cruel.

 

And him. He’s their leader.

Their twisted king, who’s chosen to make me his personal property.

 

Roman Rush.

 

The more I fight him, the more he tightens his grip.

I want to be left alone, to disappear into the shadows.

But when my best friend goes missing, I’m pulled into a world full of dark secrets—a world where Roman reigns supreme.

 

I need his help, but around here, nothing comes for free.

 

And the price Roman is demanding?

It’s me, body and soul.

 

 

 

Prologue

 

Lux – One year ago. 

 

None of this was supposed to happen. 

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As I stand in the middle of the room,  moonlight creeping in through the large windows to my right, I watch as the shadows dance across his angular face. 

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How have I been so blind?  

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If I’d only made another choice, I wouldn’t be standing here now, trembling, wondering if this is how it all ends. 

Fear grips me by the throat as I stare, unblinking, at the face in front of me. Just hours ago, I was happy. Confident with the decision I’d made. But now…now, I’m not so sure. I should have handled it differently. 

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It’s terrifying if you think about it. In a heartbeat, the flicker of a moment, everything can be ripped away from you. Your entire life altered beyond salvation. Mutilated beyond recognition. 

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I should have seen it coming. 

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There were signs. Red flags that I ignored. 

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I desperately wanted it to be different this time. For the first time in my life, I felt like I could truly trust someone. So yeah, maybe I turned a blind eye to more things than I should have. I trusted the wrong person—again—and now I’m paying the price.

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“Come here,” he says calmly. Too calmly. 

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I shake my head. It’s the first brave thing I’ve done since this whole thing began. “No. You need to leave.”

He steps forward into the patch of moonlight that’s pooling on the carpet. The silvery light shifts across his angular face, making it look harsh. But it’s what I see in pale eyes that fills me with fear. 

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Love. 

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Not the love you read about in fairytales. This love is dark and malformed. Selfish. It’s the kind of love that consumes itself from within, like a sickness. It feeds on trust and thrives on pain, until there’s nothing but a cracked and hollow heart left behind. 

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When I don’t comply with his command, he steps forward again, closing the short distance between us. I swallow, frozen in place, too afraid to move. But as my gaze flicks up to meet his, I realize I’m staring into the eyes of a monster. In the reflection of those pale eyes, all I see is a yawning void of darkness…

 

And the cold, unbending certainty of death…

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Chapter One 

 

Lux 

 

Sometimes I feel cursed. 

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Okay, well, not cursed exactly. But I’ve had my share of challenges in the nineteen years I’ve been on this planet.  Well-meaning people–usually adults– have always told me to be thankful for my hardships. It makes you stronger. More capable. Independent. 

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I wish all that were true. 

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Really, the events that have shaped my life just settle like silt inside me, tainting every thought, every action. Until I’m convinced misfortune has been braided into my DNA. 

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Generational trauma, isn’t that what they call it? 

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I dig my toes into the wet sand and look out at the Pacific Ocean. It’s hard to feel cursed here, though. Malibu is a magical place, soaked in sunshine, with a surprising small-town feel. But its best quality is how far it is from Fresno. From home. From the events of last year. 

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The sharp wind whips through my hair and stings my cheeks. My best friend, Bree, and I wandered down to the beach hours ago after we’d unpacked our boxes and set up our dorm rooms. 

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Bree called me crazy when I waded into the frigid water, dunking my head under the salty waves like some kind of baptism. Maybe it was a type of cleansing. The ghosts of my past washing away with the tide. 

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If only forgetting were so easy. 

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“Hey, look what I found!” 

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I turn to see Bree walk up to me with something cradled in her palm. It’s a piece of green sea glass. “It was probably a beer bottle or something originally.” 

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Picking it up, I angle it toward the fading sunlight, looking at it from different angles, admiring its beauty. The power of the ocean is wild—transforming an ordinary beer bottle into something so beautiful. I wonder if it has the power to transform me, too. “What are you going to do with it?” 

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Bree shrugs. “Turn it into a necklace or something, maybe.” 

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Another gust of ocean breeze whips through me, and my teeth start chattering. “It’s almost sunset. We should head back to the residence hall.” 

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Exeter University West—one of the West Coast's most prestigious colleges—is right on the beach. When Bree and I applied last year, it was a long shot. A pipe dream. We both have decent grades, but nothing spectacular. So, months later, when we were both accepted, it felt like a miracle. Then when I scored a full scholarship, I finally started to believe my luck was changing. 

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Exter is the escape I’ve been desperate for. 

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A fresh start. 

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I look down the length of the beach and see a huge Victorian mansion perched on a cliff, overlooking the ocean. I noticed it when we first got to campus a couple of days ago. It’s hard to miss. The giant Gothic structure is painted a dark, crimson red with navy blue trim, and ornate woodwork that makes it look out of place on a modern college campus. I was probably here first, though, and the university just encroached gradually until the house and grounds were consumed by the sprawling campus. 

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It’s a creepy-looking house, though. No lie. 

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“Our residence hall is right on the other side of that weird house,” I say.  

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“Okay, let’s go,” Bree says, her bottom lip quivering. “I’m turning into a brine-flavored popsicle.” 

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The sharp wind continues to cut through us as we walk along the sand, close to the water. It’s getting dark quickly, and we’re two girls walking alone, so I’m on full alert—glancing behind us, my hand resting on the small stun gun tucked into my front pocket. 

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But the beach is empty–which is surprising, considering the amount of students on campus. It rained a little earlier, and it’s freezing, so maybe that’s why no one is here.  But cold or not, there would still be a couple of people out here, at least, right? 

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“Slow down,” Bree pouts. “Your legs are longer than mine.” 

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I pause so she can catch up. “Have you noticed there’s no one else out here? That’s weird, right? I mean, it’s cold, but it’s not that cold.”

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“There are people out here,” she says, pointing ahead. I squint, and sure enough, there’s a fire burning about half a mile in the distance, on the beach directly below the creepy house. I don’t know how I missed that, but to be fair, the beach isn’t straight—there’s a shrub-capped berm in the way, and the fire is partially hidden behind that. 

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“Oh, yeah, huh.” 

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Bree shakes her head and continues walking. “You are so blind. I keep telling you to go to the eye doctor.” 

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“I’m not blind.” 

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“Oh, really?” she says. “So when you walked up to that girl back in high school and started telling her off because you thought she was Veronica?” 

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I frown, trudging after Bree in the sand. Now it’s me trying to keep up with her. “Okay, but in my defense, they could be twins. I’d like to see the DNA report on those two.” 

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Bree stops and rolls her eyes at me. “The girl you accosted was three inches shorter than Veronica, and has glasses—which you also need.” 

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I blow out a breath. “Details. Whatever.” 

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With a scoff, Bree turns back around and we both keep walking. The beach narrows as we approach the fire, so we have to climb over the berm to get to the other side. It’s rough, and the shrubs are spiny, but we manage to make it down the other side. 

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“I’m remembering why we didn’t come this way originally,” Bree says. “The sidewalk was a lot easier.”  

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The sidewalk also dips between several university buildings, and in the dark, there’s no way I’m taking that route. I don’t want to say that, though, so I just shrug. “This way is shorter.” 

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Bree just pushes out a frustrated breath. 

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The closer we get to the fire, though, it becomes clear that something is sketchy. There are several people, all wearing robes with hoods, gathered in a half-circle around the fire, facing the ocean, chanting something. 

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Chanting. 

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What the…?

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I reach out and grab Bree, pulling her back into a crouching position. We had to walk up and over, so we’re somewhat concealed by the random tufts of brush, but not entirely. And we’re only about thirty feet away, but thankfully, I don’t think we’ve been seen. 

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“Holy shit,” Bree whispers. 

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I blink rapidly to try and see through the murky twilight. There’s one guy, drenched and completely naked, cupping his family jewels, shivering in front of the cloaked group. 

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“What are they doing?” I ask, my tone low. 

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“It could be a frat, but the robes are weird. I think this is the Society of the Burning Crown,” Bree says with a note of awe in her voice. 

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I swallow. “What is that? Please tell me it’s a chess club or something.” 

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“Does this look like a chess club?” Bree hisses. She grabs my hand and pulls me forward, but I dig my heels into the sand. “Come on, we need to get closer.” 

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Closer? Is she insane? “Oh, fuck, no. Whatever this is, I don’t want anything to do with it.” 

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She manages to drag me several feet forward, but only because fighting her could draw attention to us.  So far, we’ve managed to go unnoticed, and I’d like to keep it that way. 

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We crouch down again, and I try to quiet my breathing. It’s not likely they can hear anything over the roaring ocean, or their weird chanting, but I’m not taking any chances. If I could stop breathing altogether, I would.  

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Someone from the half-circle approaches the fire. I can’t see their face, but I’m guessing by the person’s size, and broad shoulders, it’s a guy—and he’s probably the leader. He has a long, metal-looking rod in his hand that he shoves into the fire. 

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“Okay, we’ve seen enough,” I whisper. “Let’s go.” 

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Bree just waves me off, her gaze fixed on the odd ritual in front of us. Whatever this is, I get the distinct idea that Bree and I aren’t supposed to be witnessing it. And I would love to honor that. 

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The chanting continues for a couple of minutes, then Lead Guy approaches Naked Guy and says something to him that I can’t hear. Whatever he says is swallowed by the sound of the roaring ocean.  

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In response to what was said, Naked Guy nods once, then turns to face the ocean, and falls to his knees. His shoulders curl forward, exposing the length of his spine, and I watch as his thin frame vibrates violently against the cold. 

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Lead Guy takes another step forward, his hand jutting out like a surgeon silently requesting his scalpel. Someone from the circle removes the rod from the fire and places it in Lead Guy’s outstretched hand. 

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My breath is held, my gaze cemented to the scene as I watch Lead Guy pull his arm back—almost like he’s doing it in slow motion. Is he going to hit the other guy with that rod? Is this actually happening right in front of me?

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As Lead Guy’s arm juts forward, and the tip of the rod makes contact, Naked Guy screams out in pain, the sound echoing off the cliffs surrounding us. He’s being branded. The barbaric act is so shocking and so unexpected that a scream is ripped from my own throat, and I lurch forward. 

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“Shit, Lux!” Bree hisses, pulling me back. 

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I shove my hand over my mouth to silence the whimper that bubbles up from my throat. It’s too late. They see us. Every hooded figure is turned toward Bree and me, and their leader—God help us—is already crossing the sand, closing the distance between us…