Starting over after my father’s sudden death was bad enough, but the four boys who rule Alstone College, my new university, are determined to make my life even more difficult. One in particular. Caiden Cavendish. My nightmare. My shadow. My stepbrother. My dad’s death was an accident. Lie. My life isn’t in danger. Lie. The Four won’t bring mayhem to my life. Lie. I don’t want Caiden Cavendish. Lie. Lies. Lies. Lies.

I don’t want you. You mean nothing to me. I never loved you. I turned my words into swords. And I cut her down. Shoved the blade in and watched her fall. I said I’d never hurt her and I did. Years later I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted when all I wanted was to indulge in my obsession. Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of. I used to be the one who saved her. Over and over again.

Two years ago, she ruined my family’s life. Maybe, she thought it was only a little lie. That she did the right thing, that the worst was behind her, that no one had gotten hurt. Oh, how naive the black haired beauty was! Fate has finally brought her back to me...to Blackthorn Academy. Once upon a time, I was obsessed, consumed with the need to make her mine. Now, I just want revenge, and I’ll do whatever I can to get it. 

I have a simple plan. Finish Royal Elite School and get into my dream university. One glance from the school’s king blows my plan up in smoke. One glance and he suffocates my air. One glance and he issues his death sentence. His first words spiral my life into irreparable chaos. “I will destroy you.” Everything about Aiden King is black. Black mind. Black heart. Black soul. I should’ve remained quiet and endured the time I have left. I didn’t. I made the irrevocable mistake of provoking the king on his throne. 

I said no to the one person no one at this school dares to refuse. Now I’m targeted by jealous girls, guys that compete to be the first to “break the prude”, and by him. After one kiss, the king of the school hunts me down like I’m a conquest to win. He’ll have to fight harder than that, because I’m no one’s trophy. They all want a piece of me, but I will not bend or break for them. 

 My name is Reina Ellis. Popular. Beautiful. Untouchable. Problem is, I remember none of it. His name is Asher Carson. Gorgeous. Silent. Dark. Oh, and my future husband. He has three rules for me: I’ll bow. I’ll break. I’ll pay for what I’ve done. Problem is, I don’t remember what I’ve done, but I have a clue. There was a fire. A dead girl. And I was there. 

They say your first kiss should be earned. Mine was stolen by a devil in a masquerade mask under the black Chicago sky. They say the vows you take on your wedding day are sacred. Mine were broken before we left church. They say your heart only beats for one man. Mine split and bled for two rivals who fought for it until the bitter end. I was promised to Angelo Bandini, the heir to one of the most powerful families in the Chicago Outfit. Then taken by Senator Wolfe Keaton, who held my father’s sins over his head to force me into marriage.

They say revenge is a dish best served cold. I’d had four years to stew on what Daria Followhill did to me...now my heart was completely iced. I took her first kiss. She took the only thing I loved. I was poor. She was rich. The good thing about circumstances? They can change. Fast. Now, I’m her parents’ latest shiny project. Her housemate. Her tormentor. The captain of the rival football team she hates so much. Yeah, baby girl, say it. I’m your foster brother. There’s a price to pay for ruining the only good thing in my life. She’s about to shell out some serious tears.

Cutler Ryder was everything I wasn’t. He was the hockey star. I was an outcast. He was best friends with my stepbrother, that same stepbrother who hated me. His two parents loved him. My mom was a junkie. My dad barely knew me. Years passed. I got my life together. Cut went onto NHL stardom. Then there was a text. 

My mother acquired three privileged stepsons when she became engaged. The last thing I expected was to fall for one of them, least of all Thayer Ames. Beautiful, brooding, and untouchable. I knew it was a bad idea. He warned me himself. But he was a thunderstorm, and I never could resist the rain. It was perfect...until it wasn't. One night was all it took for our world to crumble, leaving only secrets and lies between us. Now, I have to face him again, but the boy I used to know has become the man who loves to hate me.

At Angelview Academy, Saint Angelle is considered god. But don't be fooled by his ridiculous name or that pretty face because Saint? He’s as wicked as they come. I should know. I'm the new girl who pissed him off. The nobody who called out his crew of vicious tyrants. The mortal who wouldn't bow then and sure as hell won’t now. Saint swears I'll regret it. He vows to own every inch of me. He even promises to make my senior year a living hell.

River Tate is a god on campus. The king of football. A tattooed bad boy with gunmetal eyes that see right through you. The only chink in his armor is HER, the girl he pretends doesn't exist, the forbidden one with the shy smile and lavender hair. Anastasia Bailey is a nobody.

Erika: His name is Michael Crist. My boyfriend's older brother is like that scary movie that you peek through your hand to watch. He's handsome, strong, and completely terrifying. The star of his college's basketball team and now gone pro, he's more concerned with the dirt on his shoe than me.

I made a vow to protect her when we were just kids. First, from the monsters hiding under the bed and then the ones roaming the world freely. My obsession with Dove wasn’t normal. It toed the line on psychotic, but my love for her overshadowed that. I’d killed, destroyed, and hurt those who had done her wrong. I’d watched her for years wanting to claim her but refusing to. I was both her guardian angel and a demon lurking in the shadows. She was mine, even though she didn’t know it yet. 

He walked into school on his first day and owned it. I guess that's what happens when you're a prick, rich, and you're best friends with the ruling school's king. Also didn't hurt that he's drop-dead gorgeous. That's all fine. I mean, I have nothing to do with them. I'm a loner, invisible, and that's how I wanted it to be. I was even proud of it, until I wasn't. His name is Blaise Devroe. My name is Aspen Monson. He only knew how to get, command, and demand attention. I knew how to do everything but that. And this is our story.