When my family died at the hands of a demon prince, I hung up my exorcist hat. I’d failed to protect them, and while I was willing to risk myself, the price had risen too high. Now I’m serving up hot, fresh pizzas to everyone who wants them. I was the only person left to inherit the family business, and I’m doing my best to keep it up and running in honor of my loved ones. These days, my biggest challenge is telling off a rampaging customer, and endless paperwork. That is, until he shows up again.

My goals for college were pretty simple: Get an education. Meet some new friends. Enjoy the mountains of Colorado. If I was lucky, find a boyfriend. Pretty sure they did not include being stalked by a magical black market. Or having multiple boyfriends. I mean, come on. What are the odds?

I'm Charisma Carter, tech genius and nerd extraordinaire. I actually used to be Charisma Silverstorm, member of one of the six elite Arcane Families, until my family shunned me when I turned 18 because my magic wasn't strong enough. However, where I lack in magic I more than make up for with the tech I develop, if I do say so myself. Apparently I'm not the only one. From the minute I received my diploma as a magical engineer, it seems like my world has turned upside down. Now, members of all six families are competing to get me to work for them.

Every beat of my heart is the tick of a time bomb, reminding me to squeeze as many thrills out of life as I can. A horde of nightmarish monsters jumping me in the middle of the night? Nope, that's too much even for me. So when three demonic figures leap out of the shadows to my defense, my choices are trust my unexpected champions... or die. Not exactly a tough decision. The beastly men wrench me away from my home, claiming they'll keep me safe. They say there's something special about me—something the others want to devour and they mean to protect.

My whole life has been characterized by fighting; fighting my family and fighting for my life. Trust me—the first one is completely voluntary, and a lot of fun. The second? Not so much. To say my family dynamic is weird is the understatement of the century. I held my first sword when I was only five years old, and I learned how to dispose of a body before I turned ten. I may have a penchant for pink and sparkles…but that doesn’t mean I don’t know how to kick major ass as well.

After my plane was sabotaged and crashed into the jungle, I rescued five male survivors from the wreckage. I could have let them die, but no, I decided to pull their stupid carcasses from the wreckage. I’m immortal, not a monster. Yes, they’re hot; now is not the time to do something about that. The five sexy jaguar-shifters are on a mission to locate someone, a rare phoenix-shifter. Phoenix, the legendary creature, reborn every time it dies. Wait…could they be looking for me? It doesn’t matter since they walked away and left me to die in the Amazon rainforest.

A reject—that’s the best way to describe how I’m treated. All because I’m a hybrid. The monarchs of hell revere pure bloodlines and perfection above all else, and in their eyes, I’m a mutt. Good thing dear old Dad, the Grim Reaper, has never once looked at me as anything other than his favorite child. Well, I’m his only child, but semantics. Suddenly, he has tasked me with the job of going to the council summit in his place. An event that happens once every century to determine which royal house will be voted into the supreme position. A position people would kill for.

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).

All I wanted was to keep my head above water. To survive long enough to hit my 18th birthday so I could escape the nightmare that my homelife had become. But all of that was turned upside down the moment they showed up. The best friend from my past. The surly brooder. The kindhearted nerd. The king of campus. The dark one.

I’ve walked the streets of Phoenix Valley for twenty two years knowing exactly who I am: an orphan, a human, a nobody. Summoned by The Hex to test my humanity, I was prepared to fail, destined to be the same mundane girl. I was wrong. Pandora’s Box called to me, sensing a magic I never knew existed. With my world turned upside down and full of possibilities, I must now call Paradise Heights home. To live amongst supernaturals, attend Saints Academy, and find my place.

One mistake cost me everything. My gorgeous triton tail was gone, and in its place were the worst things imaginable—tentacles. I’ve learned to live with being different, but now the clock is ticking down to being stuck with them forever. But when a chance presents itself to possibly go back to the way things once were, I can’t pass it up.

Don't get me wrong, waking up to discover my ex-husband finally killed me wasn't fun. Finding out I had to get a job and pay Afterlife taxes about 10 minutes later? Let's just say, this wasn't exactly the eternal reward I was hoping for. But beggars can't be choosers, and being a demon sure as hell beats my last occupation. I’m well on my way to retirement behind the pearly gates when the impossible happens. The Risk Witches have a vision.

Welcome to Fate Hollow Academy, where supernaturals blessed by the Fates cultivate their manifested powers and master ancient magic. Fate Hollow is the academy of the elite, where supernatural beings with special magic train for war against humans. A big-hearted, naïve arctic fox shifter like me couldn’t have prepared for the treachery lurking within the walls of the academy. Students were going missing or turning up dead on campus and rumors circulated about humans infiltrating academy grounds.

You'd think that basically being in charge of love would be an epic job, right? Wrong. Sure, I can blow some Lust into people's faces and watch the show, but I can't actually participate. It gets old, trust me. Same goes for love. I can pass it out like sugar-free lollipops at a dentist's office, but I can't get any love for myself. It totally sucks. I used to consider myself a hopeless romantic, so why wouldn't I choose to become a cupid? Sounds like a good idea, right? Wrong again. They don't call us stupid cupids for nothing.

I always imagined Death's final kiss would be cold. It wasn't. Four years later, I can still remember the exact shade of his skin: a blue so pale it looked like moonlight. I dream of his touch. Mostly, I paint the man under the heavy cowl, including those perfect lips which ruined mine for anyone else. I'm obsessed with him.