I'm Candy. Excuse the name. Mom was a stripper back in her prime and I was a client gone wrong. Now stuck behind the bar, she was eager for me to join the family business. No thanks. The only circles I run in are the ones my bubblegum bubbles make. Don't worry about my teeth though, sugar-free as always. I'm not a complete psycho. Oh, except for my passive-aggressive, potty-mouthed, imaginary best friend who happens to be a gummy bear. That part is pretty nuts. I was thoroughly enjoying myself, doing whatever the hell I wanted until a group of model-worthy bikers try to muscle in on my heist.

With the government issuing omega females to Alpha packs like we’re social security checks, I cling to my freedom thanks to a black-market suppressant hookup and a lethal family that’s ready to execute any Alpha who tries to force a bond.

I’ve been content with it just being us for a while, but it's my last year of high school, and I’ve missed out on so much. Parties, girlfriends, and dating. If I can’t have them in the way my heart wants, I may as well start having fun, right?

Wrong, because they don’t seem to like my new life choices.

No one knows Freya is actually the daughter of the Cross-Cut Killer, America's most notorious serial killer. Living under a false identity as a detective is isolating but at least Freya's safe. That is until she falls onto the radar of Special Agent River Park and his team. River, Oz, Elijah, and Jude have been chasing the Cross-Cut Killer for years. They're the best the FBI has to offer, not to mention unfairly attractive. They know exactly who the killer is but he's always one step ahead of them. Freya is about to change that.

I've always been on the outside looking in. A female tech genius meeting every conceivable human need for others, yet struggling with a basic fundamental necessity—connection. My days are filled with code and algorithms, but my nights are haunted by isolation and loneliness. When I'm asked to beta test a new advanced AI system created by three brilliant and painfully good-looking colleagues, what I thought was a straightforward task quickly turns into something far more complex. They started watching me. Tracking my every move.

My life hasn't been typical. All I remember is waking up in an alley when I was ten, scrounging for scraps to survive until I was taken to the Bronzeheart estate. That's where my life began, where I've lived for the past eight years with the ruling family, the Blitz Clan. It's where I found my best friend Gage, the future leader of this clan. At the time, I didn't question my good fortune because I was happy to know I wasn't alone in this world anymore. But maybe I should have. After landing a shocking invite to Dark Imaginarium Academy, I realized how much of a safe haven the estate was.

In a world where Omegas are cherished, Alphas are revered, and Betas are forgotten I wouldn't have changed a thing. Growing up in foster care, my friends and I took care of each other. Ares, Killian, Rafe, and Nox, were my everything: my first loves, my only family, my pack. Until the same night they told me we'd be together forever, I presented as an Omega, and everything changed.

In therapy, they tell you to use your senses. List the things you know: Sermons recited with malice. A blood-soaked ritual. The sting of tears and gasping sobs of the dying. Rotting flesh. I grew up in a cage, tortured by the Lord Almighty's most twisted servant. Death and despair became my close companions as I watched years of slaughter at Pastor Michaels’ hand. Eighteen girls. Dead. Eighteen lives. Ended. Eighteen futures. Stolen.

Being the sole survivor of the Van Helsing family was never a burden I wanted to carry. Yet here I am, an orphan with a score to settle against Dracula for orchestrating the near genocide of my bloodline. One small kink in that plan: I was turned into the blood-sucking creature I was born to destroy. Being admitted into the Dark Imaginarium Academy to hone my new skills as a vampire and to survive the blood lust is the first step towards achieving my revenge. No one is prepared for me to infiltrate their ranks, but I know they aren't going to let me get my revenge without a fight.

My past was filled with mistakes, and knocking on a strange man’s door for a taste of his spicy food to satiate my craving was bound to be another one. The sparks were instant, and the bond I never expected to have grew, leaving me afloat as my due date loomed overhead. I thought my pregnancy would be the issue that kept us apart, and I’d raise my child alone. I hoped I was wrong, but everything in my world was uncertain. Adding Jeremy, Devon, and Nate to the mix might not be helpful.

My family is gone. My parents. My twin sister. All of them murdered by the man who has stalked me for years. He nearly killed me, too. But I got away and he’s still out there, searching for me. He won’t find me. At least, I hope not. Thanks to WITSEC, I’ve been given a new life with a new identity. I know my future will be hard and lonely. I must stay strong and focus on the good. I’m getting a second chance at life. I am safe. My new home is beautiful. The four brothers who live next door are even more so.

People call me weird, crazy even, but I only want to help the souls who are trapped in between and the loved ones they leave behind. Until my good intentions get me locked away and leave me broken and traumatized. So much so that I swear to never talk to a spirit again. A road trip through the country—driving away from a home that has nothing left for me—and a night spent in the arms of tequila, help me find myself in the embrace of a strong and handsome fisherman with ocean blue eyes.

After years of putting it off, I find myself ready for a pack. I'm not much of a social person—books and writing are my whole life—so meeting a pack organically is out of the question. So, when my best friend finds an ad for a Valentine's Day speed dating event, I take the leap and sign up. I only had hope for a date for the holidays, but I ended up leaving with a lot more.

Being a teenager is bullshit. You'd think being an heir in one of most powerful families in predator society would make it easier, but you'd be dead wrong. From the moment I was old enough, my bloodthirsty parents made sure I understood my job is to smile, nod, and look pretty in public. None of my choices are my own, including my friends, my future, and even my hairstyle. The only sliver of happiness I cling to is my boyfriend, Todd, and attending Apex Academy where I'll be free of the chains holding me down.

As the daughter of Dracula, you would think I’d be born the perfect monster. You couldn’t be more wrong. As far as monsters go, I’m a screw up—if I’m not tripping over my own feet, I’m accidentally murdering someone (it’s a real issue, guys). Left with no choice, Dad decides to send me to Prodigium—otherwise known as Monster Academy—to train me on how to be a better monster. When bodies turn up on campus, I’m the prime suspect (not that I can blame them).