My name is Vinna, and I've been keeping a lot of secrets. You would too if you'd experienced some of the weird shit I have: red-eyed monsters chasing me, markings on my body appearing out of nowhere, a strange power that crackles colorfully over my skin from time to time, and don't get me started on the weapons I can conjure up almost out of nowhere.

Most humans have no idea that a dark and deadly underworld, filled with magic and monsters, exists. They wander through life blissfully ignorant of the supernatural world around them. Nora Jacobs is different. Nora knows exactly what kinds of hellish creatures haunt the streets of Detroit. Thanks to a unique set of psychic abilities, Nora has managed to steer clear of the underworld most of her life. But all that changes the night the most powerful vampire in the city discovers her gifts and decides to use her as a tool to find one of his missing clan members.

I’m one placement away from becoming a fully fledged London detective. It’s bad enough that my last assignment before I qualify is with Supernatural Squad. But that’s nothing compared to what happens next. Brutally murdered by an unknown assailant, I wake up 12 hours later in the morgue - and I’m very much alive. I don’t know how or why it happened. I don’t know who killed me. All I know is that they might try again.

When I arrived at my uncle's house, I expected my relatives to be like me - outcast sorcerers who don't practice magic. I was right about the sorcery, but wrong about everything else. Rule two: Don't listen to the demon. My uncle chose a far deadlier power. He calls creatures of darkness into our world, binds them into service contracts, and sells them to the highest bidder. And I'm supposed to act like I don't know how illegal and dangerous it is. Rule three: Don't talk to the demon. All I had to do was keep my nose out of it.

"Happily Ever After" wasn't supposed to come with a do-over option. But when my husband of 20 years packs up and heads for greener pastures, and my son heads away to college, that's exactly what my midlife becomes. A do-over. This time, though, I plan to do things differently. Age is just a number, after all, and at 40 I'm ready to carve my own path. Eager for a fresh start, I make a somewhat unorthodox decision and move to a tiny town in the Sierra foothills.

Maddison James is about to discover some truths about the world. Firstly...supernaturals exist. WTF? Secondly...she is one, even though no one seems to know exactly what kind. Double WTF. Thirdly...she’s about to go back to school. Well, things just got a little more interesting. The Supernatural Academy is where shifters, vampires, magic users, and fey are educated. Where they are taught about their abilities, and how to function in the human world. Maddison already has the human part down, but this supernatural thing is an entirely new dangerous game.

Cold-blooded kidnappers. Long-lost magic. When things get serious, she goes full Sherlock. Ashira Cohen takes pride in being the only female private investigator in Vancouver. With her skills, her missing persons case should be a piece of cake. She wasn't counting on getting bashed in the skull, revealing a hidden tattoo and supernatural powers she shouldn't possess. Or the bitter icing on top: a spree of abductions and terrifying ghostly creatures on a deadly bender. And don't even get her started on the golems.

Unfortunately, not all people from magical bloodlines have powers, and at 22, I’m several years past the age they usually appear. So I’ve resigned myself to a boring, magic-less life. Then something strange happens. I get stuck in the middle of a bar fight, and instead of just punching the guy back, I blow a hole in the wall. So...I guess I do have powers. But they’re unlike anything I’ve ever seen before. This shit is definitely not normal. And it seems the magical authorities agree. I can go to school, learn to control my magic. Or they’ll take it away. Permanently.

New town, new school. Same story. I'm Laura, I've spent most of my life crisscrossing the county yielding to the whims of my transient mother. We've never stayed in one place long enough to call it home, and I don't have any hope of that changing. I follow the rules; no drawing attention to myself, no friends, and especially, no boys.

Blackmoon Bay is a city of monsters. Surviving here means never leaving home without a sharp stake. It means keeping secrets, even from friends. And unless I want the Hunters finding me again, it means my witchcraft stays on permanent lockdown. Good policy - until the night I accidentally resurrect a dead girl, rekindling my magic and drawing the Bay's most dangerous men to my doorstep. I'm Gray Desario. Witch. Survivor. Occasional bringer of chaos. And tonight? The darkness is coming.

I've dealt with my share of homelessness. I've endured being the bad gal in the room. I’ve taken a lot of life’s punches on the chin. But never did I expect to be forced to attend an academy full of power-hungry delinquents. I can handle whatever threats, traps, bullying, and schemes are thrown my way, because I'm not here to be a good student. I'm here to keep my secret safe from those who will do everything to see me perish. Game on.

Did you know ordinary people can be turned into demons? I sure as f--k didn’t. Until it happened to me...Now I’ve got powers I don’t understand, I can change my appearance with a thought, and I’m having all kinds of odd...cravings. If I thought all this bullshit was gonna get me out of going to college though, I’ve got another think coming...There are these four hot as hell guys...I’m not sure if I should trust them; they’ve each got secrets of their own, and they’re definitely dangerous. But that craving I’ve been having? It’s pulling me right toward them.

My name is Ruby Morningstar. I run a tattoo parlor in Portland with my best friend, have a pet raccoon, a crazy ex who stalks me, not to mention this one little thing...I'm a demon. Half-succubus, to be exact. For the last 23 years of my life, that's the story I believed, but on the day a handsome stranger bails me out of jail my world is turned upside down, and suddenly I don't know who I am anymore. Because the Four Horsemen aren't the bringers of the apocalypse. I am.

It was an ordinary job. Another night, another asshole collector of the supernatural. I free some poor little beasties from their cages, pocket a few trinkets to pay my bills, and burn the place down on my way out. Just call me the Robin Hood of monster emancipation. I didn’t count on three manly monsters following me home like lost puppies. Stunningly hot lost puppies, but still. Now I’ve got a seductively cheeky incubus, a sweetly enthusiastic demon, and a grimly stoic angel camped out in my kitchen. 

Annette Marie presents Book One in the Guild Codex: Warped series. Make sure to check out the companion series, The Guild Codex: Spellbound and The Guild Codex: Demonized, available now.