An ancient rule lies broken.

A dark magic binds me.

Their love can free me.

But an evil curse threatens everything.

I grew up in the shadow of Adelman Academy, knowing I could never set foot in the school for elite magic users. A long-established family pact forbade it.

We should have listened. When my sister and I snuck onto the grounds, it ended in tragedy.

But on my eighteenth birthday, I face the gates of Adelman again. This time, I’m not looking for adventure. I’m seeking sanctuary from my arranged betrothal to a powerful mage. His dark magic makes my skin crawl, and only the Academy can protect me.

Only they can protect me. The headmaster’s sons – Stern Jacen, flirty Kylan and thoughtful Tamas.

They offer me a taste of a life I never dreamed could be mine, but I cannot be theirs. I belong to another.

The mage marked me for his own sinister purposes, and my presence at the Academy awakens an ancient evil. One that threatens everyone within the school.

And I, Seora Pairel, am the key to stopping it.